A guard showed up, telling Gael that soone wanted to co and talk to him. Angela looked a few feet behind the guard and saw the couple from outside the club. The man seed slightly anxious, and when Gael nodded, they ca over to the booth.
"Mr. De Luca…" started the man.
Angela figured that he must have asked around about Gael for him to know his surna. Still keeping his features unreadable, Gael faced them. "Are you enjoying your night so far?"
"Yes. Very much so. Thank you for your hospitality." The man rubbed his hands together. "I would just like to apologize for my attitude outside. I didn't an to offend you."
"You didn't." Gael nodded. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." And just like that, the couple was escorted back to the booth in the VIP section on the ground floor. The interaction lasted less than twenty seconds. Angela saw how he took control of the situation fast and efficiently.
"What was that all about?" Giovanni asked as he lit the cigarette in his mouth, blowing out O's in the air.
Gael chuckled, taking a gulp from his seltzer before answering, "He was pissed that I bypassed the long line. So I let him in and had Kace take care of them."
"Idiot," the other muttered, chuckling and shaking his head.
Val also barked out a laugh. "Boy was he lucky you're a changed man or he would've gone ho with missing teeth or a broken face."
"Or a broken dîck," added Giovanni.
"Co on, I wasn't that bad," said Gael. A few of his n looked his way, then his cousins laughed even more.
Giovanni received a ssage and after checking it briefly, he whispered sothing to Gael, then he got up and left the booth.
Angela wondered what that was about but before she could ask, Gael leaned in and told her, "I'll just be in the other booth. If you need anything, ask Val." She nodded and watched him whisper sothing to Trigger. The latter quickly glanced at her and nodded at Gael's order.
Giovanni and Gael's booth was at the far corner of the second floor where a couple of guards stood a few feet away to keep watch. Only the two of them were there but they conversed seriously as soon as they sat. Gael would look her way from ti to ti.
Dragging her gaze away from them, Angela looked at their own booth. The other n—or soldiers—were still there, their eyes were anywhere but on her since the start. She leaned into Val and wondered, "I've noticed...not that I'm expecting them to, but it's like these n don't want to look at . What's that about?"
Val took a sip of her martini and chewed an olive. "No, honey. They can't look at what's not theirs—especially since you're Gael's woman."
Gael's woman. The sound of that made her spine tingle. Angela couldn't help but cast a glance at Gael and saw him looking at her too as if he felt what she just felt. His lip twitched ever so slightly before he turned his head to Giovanni again.
"I'm bored. Let's go dance!" Val took her hand and tugged her up.
Angela managed to stand without spilling her champagne. She didn't mind dancing. She was already in the club after all.
However, Trigger got to his feet and held out a hand to stop them. He didn't say anything, but his gesture was obvious.
"We're just going to dance, Trigger. You can co if you want. My ass is burning from all the sitting. I need to move." Val gave him a "Whatcha gonna do 'bout it?" look and he lowered his hand.
"What about my drink?" Angela wondered. There's still half of the champagne in her glass.
"Leave it. No one's gonna touch it from our table."
Despite hearing her say that, Angela didn't want to risk it so she gulped the rest of her drink and left the empty glass on the table.
Val walked past Trigger with her in tow. He grumbled sothing under his breath, but he followed them downstairs. Angela glimpsed at Gael, who was busy talking to Giovanni that he didn't notice them leave.
The crowd made way for them as Val pulled her towards the center of the dancefloor while Trigger begrudgingly followed them there. He didn't move. He just folded his arms and stood near them, evidently looking like he didn't want to be there, but he had to be there anyway.
Angela began swaying a little, and Val shook her head, raising their joined hands in the air as she urged, shouting over the Iyaz's 'Replay' remix, "Co on, baby! I know you know how to shake that thing!"
For a beat, Angela checked the people around her. Everyone was having fun on a Tuesday night. Why couldn't she? She'd been quite busy for months and hadn't really gotten a chance to unwind. This was the perfect chance. A wide smile brightened her face. "You know what, Val? Screw it!" She yelled back and began letting go, rolling her hips and "shaking her thang".
"Yes! That's what I'm talking about, boo!" Val giggled. She was also a great dancer—n were looking their way. Seriously, what couldn't this woman do?
Still dancing, Val addressed the stoic man near them. "Hey, Trigger! Can you get us two champagne cocktails, please?" She bead. He glanced at Angela. "I can take care of her. You know that. Co on. Please?"
Trigger took a deep breath and shook his head before walking away. That man didn't talk much.
A minute after he left, a couple of n inched their way to them, dancing too close. They waved the n off, but they didn't go away. Angela was used to shooing n away and she could do just the sa now. Whenever she and Nina went to clubs like this, they'd elbow or kick their nuts if they don't listen to "back off". However, before she could even say anything, Val leaned into them and whispered sothing. The two n smirked and left the dance floor.
"What did you tell them?" Angela wondered.
"I told them to wait for us near the back door exit and that if soone asks—to tell them they're waiting for Maria's afternoon delight."
"What?"
"Maria is the backdoor guard's girlfriend." Val threw her head back laughing. "He'll bust them out of the club in no ti."
Angela was stuck between finding it amusing and finding the n pitiful. Trigger returned with their two flutes and went back to standing on the dance floor. By this ti, she learned to ignore his presence even though it was a bit odd that he was watching them like a hawk.
She raised her head and looked over Gael's booth. He was leaning at the railing and was staring right at her, his brows drawn together. He was too far, but the way he was looking at her caused her heart to ram against her chest.
Giovanni tapped his shoulder and he looked sideways. A man in a mustard suit with two guards flanked on either of his side walked towards them.
"Val… Who's that?" Angela asked.
Val was already checking the second floor. "That's J." Then she tugged on Angela's arm so they'd face away. "He's here for business. Don't look at them."
"Are they going to be okay?"
A reassuring smile ghosted Val's face as she nodded. "They're just going to talk. Don't worry. Giovanni and Gael will be alright." And then she mumbled, "But I don't know about that J, though." Her voice was too low, Angela wasn't sure if she ant for her to hear it.
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