40

"Rian doesn't seem to like me," Mandy said suddenly into the silence as we pulled up to the front door and I watched her nervously shift from one foot to the other.

"He doesn't like anyone. He either loves him or hates him," I replied, but that only made her seem more insecure. What had happened?

"That's really reassuring."

She gave me a crooked grin and immediately I pulled her waist close, causing her to take a deep breath while looking deep into my eyes.

"Keeva likes you very much and what Keeva says is law," I assured her and then gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek, from which she closed her eyes and seemed to enjoy this closeness to the fullest, just like me. "Well, let's get in and don't worry. They just look evil. Throw muffins at Odran or call for Keeva and they're the most loyal lap dogs."

She smiled gratefully and took my hand in hers while I gave her one last encouraging look and unlocked the door.

My gaze immediately fell to the dining table where Rian, Keeva, Odran and the woman I still didn't know were sitting. I vaguely remembered that Rian had called her Chiara, that's all I knew, except that Odran must have taken a great liking to her.

Maybe she was a baker?

"Hey," Keeva was the first to greet us and hurriedly got up from the table to walk quickly towards us. She threw herself into both of our arms and kept looking back at Rian.

"Would you put down two more plates?"

He got up without a word, walked to the kitchen island and placed a plate next to Odran and one next to himself, which immediately made me feel Mandy clutch my hand even tighter.

"I only made fried potatoes, but the main thing is that something gets into your stomach," Keeva explained and then ran ahead of us back to the table, where she sat down next to Rian and across from Chiara.

It almost felt like nothing had ever happened with Irina, like there was no Fiore and nothing to worry about. Just us, a big family, who all smiled fleetingly at each other.

I reluctantly let go of Mandy's hand and took a seat next to Rian, while Mandy sat down next to Odran and hardly dared to look at him even briefly. I somehow found it quite cute how shy she seemed.

"Have you heard from Fiore?" Rian suddenly wanted to know and everyone immediately looked back and forth between me and Mandy.

"No, didn't show up again," I replied, looking at Odran, who seemed more than just angry about it all. He was certainly the strongest of us and also the most violent when it came down to it, but at the same time he was the one who more than appreciated harmony.

"Okay," Rian breathed thoughtfully, putting his hand on my back to look at me intently. "In any case, the matter with Irina is settled."

I felt Mandy's eyes on me, but I only looked at my brother, who I gave a grateful smile before turning to the food in front of me, like the others.

The dark conversations died down and we mostly talked about the fact that there would soon be an event at our father's mansion in honor of Rian.

Apparently, Chiara was my brother's new secretary and explained to us in great detail what food was served and what big shots were coming. Although I listened to the little one carefully, I kept drifting away and had to think about how easy it was for Juri to bring such chaos into our lives.

But he wasn't alone, that Brad, or Brandon played a part in it and I would never admit it in front of the others, but I was becoming more and more unsettled by the fact that Fiore was still at large.

Maybe it was also because I had always tried to suppress everything with drugs and alcohol, which I now wanted to change, for her...

My gaze fell to Mandy, who had her head on her hand and was talking to Keeva about the Gypsy Quarter. Keeva then talked about her background and also about her cousins, which reminded me of the early days with her.

"And you?" Odran suddenly spoke to me and tore me out of my thoughts.

"Was denn?"

Odran rolled his eyes in annoyance but immediately stopped looking annoyed when Chiara put her hand on his.

It's fascinating what feelings can dissolve in you.

"Do you want to go to the beach with me?" Keeva took over Odran's question and I looked at Mandy, who nodded in agreement. "Very nice."

We got up and while the girls were clearing the table, I followed my brothers outside.

"We have to find out what contacts this Fiore has," Rian told me when he was sure that the others besides Odran couldn't hear us.

"Then why don't we ask Mandy?" I interjected and all three of us turned to glimpse my little one, who was laughing boisterously with Chiara.

"Because maybe she's lying to us," Rian suddenly said and I immediately wanted to protest, but he shook his head and wouldn't let me. "I don't mean that in a bad way, but once she's loved him, she certainly won't let him run into the open knife. She's not the type of person who would have others killed, you can see that in her eyes. She hopes for that Good, otherwise she would never have stayed with him for so long and just like now she's going to hope he just disappears and never shows up again."

"You don't know her," I said, but I still knew what he meant. Mandy wasn't a gypsy, wasn't a mafia girl and she certainly never killed anyone. Would she let Rian and Odran kill her ex-husband?

"We'll talk in peace tomorrow."

Rian lit a cigarette and the fact that he had apparently started smoking again showed me only too well that he was anything but relaxed during these times.

Also sucked, never knowing if something would happen and when it would happen...