The next day, Adalyn waited in the fall air for her ride to pick her up and take her to the college. It was always a black Escalade, driven by a Caruso goon, holding her best friend, Lake, as well as Elle and Maria. Another Cadillac always followed them, full of other goons who would guard the girls throughout the day.

Ever since a break-in at the casino hotel, the Carusos no longer took chances, especially with their women. She also figured, by the time Chloe attended college with them next semester, there would most likely be two cars carrying Carusos to protect the underboss’s girl.

There was definitely a hierarchy of protection between the girls. At the top was Maria Caruso, a.k.a. the mafia princess. Maria was the daughter of the boss and sister to Lucca and Nero. She was to be protected at all costs. Otherwise, you were certain to die a miserable death … if they got to you before you were able to commit suicide out of failure. Next on the list was Elle, being Nero’s girlfriend with one bodyguard to protect her. And then there was Adalyn’s BFF, Lake, who was the daughter of a soldier and Adalyn’s stepbrother, Vincent’s, girlfriend, who happened to be the consigliere’s son. Now, since she and Lake shared all the same classes, they happened to also share a bodyguard. However, she knew the bodyguard was there to protect Lake more so than her. And that was where Adalyn’s name fell on the list—dead last.

Admittedly, it stung a little bit, because she was utterly fascinated with the family and no part of it frightened her. The family actually intrigued her, making her wish she could become an even more important part of it. It was probably why she had always been in love with Lucca, the underboss and future boss of the mafia family. To be the boss’s wife … well, that was as far a woman in the family could get, and Adalyn would have loved every moment of it. Now, there was only one thing she had to have in her future husband … He has to be Made.

When a black car pulled up instead of the usual Escalade, she grew worried, wondering if something had happened. She quickly went up to the driver’s side to see her and Lake’s usual bodyguard, Tom.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, just as her eyes travelled to the man sitting in the passenger seat. Trying to stay cool, she could tell the tatted bad boy hadn’t been expecting her either.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” Tom soothed her fears. “This is Angel. He’s going to be helping me watch you girls at school from now on.”

“Hi.” Adalyn smiled like he hadn’t just pulled her into a cleaning closet yesterday.

Angel gave her a quick nod before turning his head forward.

“Where’s the Escalade?” she asked, desperately wanting to talk to Lake.

“It’s not coming. Get in.”

Um, okay …?

Going to the back door, she slid in. Sitting behind Tom, she had the perfect side view of the dark Angel.

So, does this mean he is a Caruso? He doesn’t look like one … She couldn’t help noticing the tats, the beard, the lack of a suit. Plus, what Caruso in their right mind would steal from Lucca?

The thoughts swirled in her head as the car travelled through the city, until her curiosity got the best of her and she could no longer hold it in.

“Are you a Caruso?”

Angel didn’t look back, nor did he say anything.

Adalyn then looked at Tom in the rearview mirror. “Is he?”

When Tom looked at her through the mirror, it was obvious he wasn’t sure how to respond. “Not exactly.”

One of her eyebrows rose. “Then how does a ‘not exactly a Caruso’ get the job of watching Caruso girls?”

“By Lucca giving him the job,” he told her matter-of-factly.

“So, he’s trying to become Made,” she whispered under her breath, smiling.

“I said, he’s not exactly a Caruso, not that he wasn—” That was all Tom got out before Angel’s low voice spoke over him.

“We don’t tell our women about our family business, especially not the little girls.”

Adalyn’s face dropped as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Excuse me? I am not a little girl.”

Again, Angel didn’t reply to her retort, which was starting to rub her the wrong way.

Smiling, she began to quietly mutter under her breath, “I don’t think you thought of me as a little girl yesterday in the clo—”

“What do you do when they don’t listen to you?” Angel had turned his head to look at Tom.

Tom looked confused. “The girls?”

“Yes. How do you reprimand them?”

Clearing his throat, a serious look came over the driver. “We don’t punish our women, if that’s what you’re asking. And you are most certainly never to touch one of them.”

Welp, too late for that.

“Okay, but that doesn’t answer my question of what you do when they don’t listen to you.”

“Only two of them seem to like to cause trouble from time to time, and I’ll take care of them if they give you any.”

Angel gave a quick nod before asking one more question. “Who are the two who cause trouble?”

“Maria is a real pain in the ass, but …” Tom paused, looking in the rearview mirror at a smug Adalyn. “That one in the back, you have to be careful of. She tends to do things without thinking them through carefully.”

“You don’t say?” Angel’s voice held a hint of sarcasm.