Page 85 of Vicious King

“I hear you’re out to dinner.”

“This might be my new favorite place. It’s so fun.”

The diner is an old-fashioned style place with the typical American food of burgers and milkshakes, and the decor is all rock and roll memorabilia. I admit, the food is fucking good.

“How many guards did you take with you?”

“Six,” she replies. “And when we got here six more joined us. We’re safe.”

I finally exhale. “I have my assignment. I’ll be home in two more days.”

“Just be safe.”

“Is that Dad?” I hear Charlie ask, and my lips twitch up in a smile. “Can I talk to him?”

“Hold please,” Rina says with a smile in her voice.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hey, buddy. Are you having fun?”

“The food is so good. I got to choose really old songs on this big bright box.”

“Cool.”

“Mom says we own this whole place.”

“That’s right,” I reply. “I’m going to be gone for a few days, so be extra nice to your mom, okay?”

“I can be the man of the house,” he says. “Don’t worry.”

I laugh and wish that I was there. “Thanks. Let me talk to your mom now.”

“Bye, Dad.”

I blow out a breath as I hear him tell Rina that I want to talk to her.

“Be careful,” she says. “Be extra careful, okay?”

“You got it, baby. I’ll see you soon.”

I hang up before I say I love you.

Twenty-Six

CARSON

Ishould have charged Cillian an extra twenty million just for the fact that I have to wear this motherfucking disguise.

Romano has thirty fucking guards with him, all stationed around the building where the gala is taking place, most of them on the perimeter of the ballroom.

I have no idea how Julian was able to hack into Romano’s security team’s information so we knew what the plan was for tonight, but I’m not going to question it.

Julian knows all kinds of shit that surprises me.

I had to put makeup on my hands and neck to cover my ink, and I’m wearing a wig, along with glasses.

“You look like a fucking preppy kid,” Julian says in my ear, and I wish I could flip him off. “I’m screenshotting this shit to send to the others. If you ever wondered what you’d look like without the ink, now you know.”