Ee-yikes.

“You have got to be shittin’ me,” Dom said and I peeked around Luke to look at Dom. His arm was around Sissy’s neck and his face was red. Sissy’s face was pale, as, I suspected, so was mine.

Apparently Dom had forgotten that, days earlier, he’d stun-gunned me and tried it on with me in the back of his BMW.

However, even I had to admit that wasn’t as bad as what Noah did.

I shifted fully to Luke’s side and his arm curled around my neck (rather in your face possessively, if you asked me). I chanced a glance at Ren and saw he was studying his shoes, one of his hands at the back of his neck, the other one at his waist. This was a different position of masculine reflection and I figured Noah’s luck, already short, had run out.

But it was Uncle Vito who spoke next, and his voice was Scary with a capital “S”.

“No one f**ks with family.”

Okay, so it was actually now when Noah’s luck ran out.

“I’m not family,” I protested.

Ren’s head came up, his hand at his neck dropped and his eyes locked on mine.

“You’re family.” His voice was terse.

“I’m not,” I repeated.

“You’re family,” Dom snapped.

“No, really –” I started.

“Ava, Sissy is family and since you’re Sissy’s family, like it or not, in a roundabout way, that makes you a Zano. And no one f**ks with a Zano,” Uncle Vito declared.

Hell and damnation.

“You get him, I want him,” Luke said and I looked up at him.

It was then I realized why he shared. It was then I knew he trusted that I could hack it if he shared. It was then I knew that he knew Ren didn’t just want to f**k me but he had feelings for me, deep ones. It was then I realized Luke knew how all the Zanos felt about me. And finally, it was then I realized Luke was using the Zanos to get what he wanted, payback on Noah.

It was actually really clever in a manipulative and annoying way.

“Hang on a second –” I started.

“Done,” Uncle Vito said.

My heart stopped beating and I looked from Uncle Vito to Luke and back again.

“Wait –” I started again.

Luke talked over me. “Ava’s activated the Rock Chicks,” Luke surprised me by informing my now not-so-secret plan to the Zanos (how did he know everything?). Ren, Dom and Uncle Vito looked at me and Luke went on. “I know enough to know I’m not gonna be able to control her, or any of ‘em. I want him found before they find him.”

Uncle Vito looked to Lee. “Your brother and Chavez involved in this?”

“Not officially,” Lee answered.

Uncle Vito smiled a scary smile. My heart clenched an unhappy clench.

Shit!

“Everyone, can we just –” I started, yes again, then Luke interrupted me.

He turned to Tex and Duke. “You keep her protected. Something happens to her, I hold you responsible.”

“What the f**k you think we’re doin’ alignin’ ourselves with the girls rather than the hunt?” Tex boomed, clearly affronted.

Luke ignored him and looked at Dom. “Your shit sorted?”

“Not exactly but this takes precedence,” Dom answered.

“Damn straight,” Duke agreed.

“Once this is over, we need a family meeting,” Uncle Vito cut in and his eyes moved between Sissy and me. “That’s why we came here. Dominic wants to talk to Sissy. Lorenzo doesn’t agree and I’ve allowed him in on the meet. Ava, you want in and Sissy wants you there, you can be there too. I’m presiding.”

I looked at Sissy. If anything she looked even paler. We both knew that Uncle Vito presiding meant Sissy was screwed.

“I want Ava there,” Sissy said.

“Ava’s there, I’m there,” Luke announced.

Oh crap.

“You’re not family,” Ren had clearly had enough.

“Ava’s not anywhere near you unless I’m with her,” Luke replied.

This made Ren smile.

Oh f**k.

“Boys –” I started, yes, again, to be interrupted, yes, again.

This time, it was Uncle Vito. “All right, I’m done with this,” he declared and his eyes came back to me. “I want you with Lorenzo. Not only do you look good together, you two are a couple that means you’ll be in the family officially and I don’t lose my Thanksgiving euchre partner. Anyway, you’d make a good mama, give Lorenzo lotsa babies, you got the h*ps for it.”

Luke went still beside me at the very mention of Ren and my “lotsa babies” and the thought of Ren anywhere near my hips, but I was too busy rolling my eyes to the ceiling to deal with Luke’s reaction.

Seriously, how much could a girl take?

Uncle Vito went on. “You got something serious going with Stark, say it now or we gotta have a different kind of family meeting.”

My eyes went away from the ceiling and moved to Uncle Vito. Then they went to Ren and I felt my face go soft.

“Luke and I have something serious,” I said quietly.

“Fine. That’s done,” Uncle Vito replied and, even though he didn’t look happy, I could tell he was going to let it go.

Ren wasn’t so prepared to let it go. “You f**k her over, you got trouble,” he said to Luke.

Luke didn’t respond.

“Yeah, we’re not goin’ through this Noah shit again,” Dom threw down.

“Oh for goodness sake,” I snapped when Luke, who had again relaxed beside me, got tense and his gaze cut to Dom.

“Shut up, Dom,” Ren said before Luke could respond.

“I’m just sayin’ –” Dom said to Ren.

“Yeah, right. You were just sayin’. Let’s talk about when you pulled me back from goin’ after Dexter after he f**ked Ava over. I nailed him then this shit wouldn’t have happened and Ava wouldn’t have got hurt.”

Ho-ly crap.

Ren wanted to go after Noah when he f**ked me over? That was huge.

Luke, already tense, went solid and my body copied his reaction.

“Well, I didn’t think –” Dom started.

“You never think,” Uncle Vito threw in. “You hadn’t talked Lorenzo outta that shit months ago, he’d be the one with his arm around Ava’s neck right now and Angela would be callin’ Father Paolo about Catholic classes,” Uncle Vito looked at me. “You’re in the family officially you gotta turn Catholic. Just warnin’ you in case it don’t work out with you and Stark.”