《DeLuca (Mafia Romance)》


 1

    Carlo     It had been two weeks since Gino¡¯s torturemenced. I stood above the burned, bruised, and bloody man, a sneer of disgust on my face. Gino had cried, begged, vomited, pissed and shit himself over the past two weeks and it left a heavy smell throughout the basement. His shirt was a charred mess, only a few scraps of material dangled off his abused body. He was conscious now, but from the zed look in his swollen eyes he may not be for long and I needed him awake and alert for what I had in mind next. At my signal Enzo poured a bucket of ice water over Gino¡¯s head. Gino gasped out in pain and struggled to take shallow breaths through his swollen lips and broken nose.


    ¡°Gino,¡± I drew out his name in a singsong voice. ¡°You remember when I took over as boss and I brought all my men together and told them that loyalty brings honor? I also exined that should any of my men die or get pinched while working for me I would take care of their family because I take care of my own?¡± Gino lifted his battered face to me, his eyes widened and his shallow breaths came faster.


    ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± I roared.


    He jumped and stuttered out, ¡°Y-yes, s-sir I rem-remember.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, my voice calm once again, ¡°so then you remember the next part of my speech as well, where I told you all that I was not my father and if any of you betrayed me I would murder your family in front of you, wives and children included.¡± As if on cue, the door at the top of the stairs opened and stuttered foot falls came down the steps.


    Good, they¡¯re fighting, this will be better than I had nned.


    Gino had a small family for an Italian, just his wife and teenage daughter. Angelo and Sal appeared at the foot of the stairs with Gino¡¯s wife Maria and their daughter Mia. Gino hung his head, defeated. He had known this wasing, even when he was praying I would forget my vow. He knew in his heart he had sealed their fate.


    Maria was too quiet and still with silent tears streaming down her face, but she held her head up high and looked me dead on. She knew the sentence her husband wrote her and their daughter when he flipped and she was going to take it. Mia, on the other hand, was thrashing and swearing like a man twice her age. She couldn¡¯t be more than sixteen or seventeen and she was a spitfire.


    I had been watching the two women since before I snatched Gino, I knew their daily routine. Hell, I knew what they ate for every meal. Maria was the typical housewife; she ran errands, went to church, met with friends for lunch, typical boring suburban stuff. Mia was a bit of an anomaly. She was not unpopr but she didn¡¯t seem to have any close friendships apart from Gina Salvatore. My men had been watching them for a few months while we were looking into Gino¡¯s defection, and not once had Mia brought a friend home.


    She would go to school events and study groups but she never stayed with one person or group for long, never the center of attention, always fading in and out of the background. The only time she seemed to act like a somewhat normal teenager was when she was with her friend Gina. She spent most weekends at her house with Gina¡¯s family. I didn¡¯t understand it, the girl in front of me was full of life and vicious energy, aplete turnaround from the girl the outside world saw.


    ¡°Fucking pig!¡± she spit out at Angelo, ¡°Let me go!¡±


    She was fighting so hard she didn¡¯t even notice her father at first. When she caught sight of him she froze, then slowly and calmly surveyed the room, taking in the look of steady eptance on her father and mother¡¯s faces. It was odd how in an instant, almost like a switch being flicked off, she went from fighting for her life to stoic.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Mama?¡± she looked to her mother for answers but Maria wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes.


    I noticed her voice was tinged with confusion and anger, not desperation and panic. Even odder was the fact that apart from her initial shock at her father¡¯s appearance, she hadn¡¯t shown any sort of emotion at all towards him.


    When she didn¡¯t get what she wanted from her mother, her eyesnded on me and her brows furrowed. I had never met Gino¡¯s family, but she seemed to know that I was in charge. It made me wonder how much of the business she knew about.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± she screamed, ¡°Someone tell me what the hell is going on!¡± She continued to struggle and I was at the end of my patience.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± I shouted and the room went still. Mia looked at me with wide but dry eyes.


    ¡°I will tell you. Please have a seat.¡±


    Angelo and Sal produced chairs for the women and they sat. I could tell Mia was reluctant to give up the advantage of being on her feet. Smart girl. I looked at the women in turn. Mia was a carbon copy of her mother, just thirty five years younger. She had long ck hair and olive skin. Her body was still more on the teenage side, small curves hinting at the promise of a voluptuous woman if she was given the chance to live into adulthood.


    Pity, she would have been a knockout.


    I addressed Mia first since she seemed to be the only one that didn¡¯t know the score needing to be settled here. ¡°Mia, how much do you know about what your father does? How much have your parents told you about the business?¡±


    ¡°My parents never told me anything,¡± she said looking me straight in the eye. I could tell she was scared but she was trying her hardest not to let it show. ¡°But,¡± she continued, ¡°I know who you are and what you and my father do.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think we do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re mafia, you have your hands in everything.¡±


    ¡°More or less, yes. But I¡¯m curious, if your parents never told you anything how do you know?¡± The girl was intuitive but I wanted to know how she had figured it out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. My father never being home, Mama never having an exnation except ¡®he had to take care of some business¡¯e on!¡± she rolled her eyes. ¡°No car salesmen has business to take care of in the middle of the night that causes him toe home with blood on his clothes. I¡¯ve known for sure since I was eleven and caught him burning his blood spattered shirt in the firece.¡± She didn¡¯t seem outraged or disgusted by her father¡¯s work, more pissed off that they had thought her stupid enough not to figure it out.


    I was surprised by this, turning to Gino, ¡°You piece of shit,¡± I said, ¡°you let thate into your home? You exposed your wife and daughter to that part of the business?¡± I don¡¯t really know why I was so pissed, but this idiot put himself and convenience above his family-he was not worthy of them.


    I turned to Mia, ¡°Yes, your father worked for me and my father before me. And then he betrayed me and turned rat.¡±


    Mia looked surprised at first then a look of resigned eptance fell over her face and she turned to her father. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby girl, so sorry.¡± He cried.


    Noticing the shame in his voice she seemed to fit the puzzle pieces together, her face hardening before she turned back to me. ¡°What is he talking about?¡± she asked, but from the look in her eyes she knew.


    ¡°There is a code among the family, Omert¨¢. Your father swore an oath when he joined the family. An oath he broke knowing full well the consequences. If one of my men betray me and this family, his family pays the price as well as himself.¡±


    Mia¡¯s head snapped back to her father, a look of pure disgust on her face. ¡°What did you do?¡± she hissed, ring at her father. The contempt at which she looked at him made me think their rtionship may have been strained to begin with. When Gino didn¡¯t answer she turned back to me with a coldness in her amber eyes that startled even me, although I didn¡¯t show it. ¡°If I am to pay for the sins of my father I deserve to know what it was that condemned me.¡± I would have told her anyway but I had to give it to her, she was bold and from the look on her face, beyond pissed.


    ¡°He flipped sides to save his own ass, told family secrets to the Russians, and became a spy for them.¡± Up until that point Gino hadn¡¯t known that I knew the extent of his betrayal. I nced over at Maria who had stayed silent throughout this entire exchange. ¡°And, from the look of it, your mother was aware of your father¡¯s actions. I know you knew the consequences, didn¡¯t you Maria?¡±


    When Maria didn¡¯t respond, Mia looked at her incredulously, ¡°Mama?¡±


    Only then did Maria turn to her daughter, ¡°A good wife stands by her husband no matter the cost.¡± That was all she said.


    If Mia¡¯s visceral reaction was any indication that was the wrong thing to say. Jumping up she backhanded her mother across the face, ¡°You fucking cunt!¡± she screamed.


    My men were so surprised by her outburst it took them a second to jump into action and make her sit back down.


    ¡°You knew? You knew we had a coward and a rat living in our home and you did nothing? You knew two weeks ago when he didn¡¯te home that he had been caught, didn¡¯t you? You knew they woulde for us and still you did nothing to protect yourself or me? It¡¯s not like he was such a good husband! He is an abusive piece of shit! What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Mia was enraged. Her face was red and she had been struggling against Angelo who was holding both her arms during her tirade but she was still now, an eerie calm washing over her. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic,¡± she said and spit in her mother¡¯s face. Out of everything, that action surprised me the most. As a rule Italians never disrespect their mothers and spitting in her face was worse than hitting her. She must think since she¡¯s about to die she has nothing to lose.


    ¡°Look what you did Gino, you greedy, selfish bastard!¡± I said. Turning, I walked over to Mia, but before I could say anything she spoke and surprised me yet again.


    Looking into my eyes she said, ¡°Kill mest. I want to watch them die.¡±


    I blinked, the only show of my shock, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you want?¡± I was finally realizing that there was more than a little bad blood between this girl and her parents. Some dark secrets were hidden behind those beautiful eyes.


    ¡°No,¡± she spoke quietly but her voice was strong, her eyes never wavering from mine. ¡°I want to kill them myself but I¡¯ll take watching as a constion prize.¡±


    I stared at her, this beautiful young girl willing to ept the fate her parent¡¯s betrayal brought upon her. She really did want them dead. Not because they turned on the family, although she did seem pretty disgusted by that, but because they betrayed her. They failed her and from what I witnessed this wasn¡¯t the first time her parents failed to put her needs and safety first. No, the hatred in her eyes was not new. She had suffered at their hands before. I had a n but this girl just turned it all around. Time for a new n.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± I nodded at Angelo and he let go of her but not before giving me a questioning look. I walked over to stand in front of her. ¡°Stand up, Mia.¡± She stood, her eyes still on me.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you kill your own mother,¡± I said as I pulled the gun from my waistband and without looking, shot her mother in the forehead. Mia flinched at the loud noise, but kept her gaze on me. I took her by the shoulders and stood her in front of her father. ¡°But something tells me that letting you kill your father would not cause you to lose any sleep.¡± I pressed my gun into her right hand and she took it. ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡± I asked.


    She looked at me over her shoulder, ¡°More than anything.¡± She said and turned back to Gino, ¡°Rot in Hell.¡± was all she said before unloading the clip into him.

 2

    Mia     I tried to cry, tried to feel remorse, guilt, anything after I killed him. After you killed your father, I thought. But I was just kind of numb all over. It was all so surreal. After years of living in a house with that despicable example of a human being, both of them really, it was finally over.


    My mother was just as guilty as he was, turning a blind eye to the abuse. She had the ability to leave him, could have taken the stash of cash he had in the house and we could have taken off and started over. But no, she would never do that because, ¡®A good wife stands by her husband at any cost.¡¯


    That was her excuse every time she covered up a new bruise. Hell, that had been her mantra when she was in the hospital four years ago after losing what would have been my baby brother. My father threw her down a flight of stairs in a fit of rage causing her to miscarry, hemorrhage and nearly die herself.


    Yup, still no guilt.


    If by some miracle I didn¡¯t hate my father before that point, I sure as Hell did after. My mother, being the good wife she is, stuck by her man even after he turned to pping me around instead. I think she was just relieved it wasn¡¯t her anymore. I learned to keep out of his way as much as possible and spend as much time out of the house as I could. There were still plenty of times when I got caught in his crosshairs.


    Never again, I vowed to myself as I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. No one will ever push me around again. I am done being a victim.


    Angelo had brought me up to the bathroom to get cleaned up. My shirt had been covered with blood so Angelo gave me a white button down to change into. I looked at my reflection in the full sized mirror that hung on the back of the door. The shirt was big, ending mid-thigh, but a few crimson stains still peeked out beneath the hem. Six drops, I had counted. Six little drops of my father¡¯s blood, evidence of the patricide I had justmitted. An odd empty feeling washed over me as I stared hard at the stains. I didn¡¯t like that they were there but I didn¡¯t think one of these men would have a pair of jeans in my size. Even though they seemed to carry around a portable wardrobe. I could just imagine why they would need an extra change of clothes with them at all times.


    I took a deep breath to prepare myself before I walked out the bathroom door to face whatever was left of my life. I didn¡¯t think Carlo nned on killing me, I mean why would he let me get cleaned up if he was going to whack me?


    I opened the door and stopped short. Carlo was directly in front of the bathroom door, waiting for me. His white oxford was stretched across his broad shoulders as he stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the banister. Deep brown eyes stared unblinking at me.


    ¡°Do you have any family?¡± he asked. I had to give it to him, Carlo DeLuca did not mince words. I had known who he was as soon as I saw him. While I had never met him personally, I had heard my parents whisper his name plenty of times and since he was the one doing all of the talking in the basement, I put two and two together.


    ¡°No, thest of my family are in the basement,¡± I said.


    I really should be feeling something right now.


    Carlo just nodded, ¡°Come on.¡±


    I followed him out the front door and into a ck Escde. I guess some mafia stereo types are true, I thought as I climbed into the front passenger side while he held my door open. Carlo didn¡¯t say anything when he got into the car, it was just as well, I didn¡¯t really feel like talking. Instead I thought about what the hell I was going to do next. I was pretty sure I saved my own life by taking my fathers, which was justification enough for me to reason away the slight guilt I felt for not feeling guilty at all.


    My instincts were still on edge. After all, I had spent thest four years avoiding a dangerous man only to now be at the mercy of a much more vicious and ruthless man. I didn¡¯t know much about Carlo DeLuca; I knew he was the Boss but I didn¡¯t know to what extent or how far his reach went. I knew he had taken over after his father Vincenzo DeLuca was killed about five years ago. Other than those few things I had overheard my parents mention, he was a mystery.


    What in the hell did I get myself into?


    I had a feeling I was going to be asking myself that a lot in the near future. After driving for over three hours we pulled up to a mansion on the outskirts of Seattle. It was secluded, clearly for privacy and protection. I didn¡¯t move when he stopped the car and climbed out. He walked around the car and opened my door, when I still didn¡¯t move he looked at me expectantly.


    ¡°Come Mia, I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± he said, holding out a hand.


    ¡°Said the wolf to the sheep,¡± I murmured and let him help me down. I figured it was the best assurance I was going to get.


    Carlo chuckled and shook his head at myment, ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯re more wolf than you think.¡± He led me through the garage and up a flight of stairs to the main floor of the house.


    He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked, looking at me over his shoulder.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± I said wondering why he¡¯d brought me here. This had to be his house, but why was I here? What did he want from me? I shivered as my thoughts ran wild. I wasn¡¯t na?ve, I knew there was a possibility his intentions were sexual. I was seventeen and while I wasn¡¯t a virgin and Carlo was undeniably a total babe, I really didn¡¯t want to be put in a position of having to sleep with a man over ten years older than me in order to stay alive.


    Carlo brought me a bottled water from the fridge and motioned for me to sit at the ind with him. As soon as I sat down he started to speak, ¡°I will make it look as if your parents and you left town, their bodies will never be found. Of course my people will know what happened to them but the only people that will know of your involvement in their deaths are the men that were in that basement, understood?¡±


    I nodded, I didn¡¯t think he needed a verbal answer. I was right.


    ¡°Good, I will have new identification made up for you, you will no longer be Mia Caruso. You will be Mia DeLuca, unless of course, you would like to change your first name as well?¡± My eyes widened at that statement and my heart started to pound.


    Mia DeLuca? What did that mean?


    He saw my reaction and corrected himself immediately before my mind could wander too far. ¡°Not like that,¡± he seemed slightly embarrassed for not rifying before. ¡°I would never expect that from you. You will live here with me and assume the identity of my sister.¡± I let out a slight sigh of relief but didn¡¯t say anything so he continued. ¡°You will be afforded every opportunity your new namesake would allow.¡±


    ¡°What about your men? Wouldn¡¯t they know if you had a sister before all of this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they will be made aware of who you were, and who you are now. However, with a few doctored transcripts, a new birth certificate and identification it will appear as if you¡¯ve always been Mia DeLuca. How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen,¡± I said automatically, in shock at what he was telling me.


    He nodded, ¡°Have you finished school?¡±


    ¡°I graduated a semester early.¡± More nodding from Carlo. He did that a lot I noticed, but not around his men. Weird.


    ¡°College?¡± He asked


    ¡°I have been epted to several schools, I haven¡¯t decided on one yet. I still have a few months before I have to let them know.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°I have to make a decision by June or I lose my ce.¡±


    But now I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to pay for college. I assumed my parents had a college fund for me but I had no clue how I was going to be able to ess any of their ounts.


    ¡°Well, you still have time.¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know anything about my parent¡¯s financial situation, and do you know how I can get ess to their ounts? I mean I don¡¯t know how this is supposed to work, should I file for financial aid or will I be able to get ess to whatever they had set aside?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about any of that, I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I didn¡¯t know how he was going to handle it without raising suspicion but I figured the less I knew the safer I was, the whole usible deniability thing.


    ¡°Did you get good grades?¡± he asked shifting the course of conversation.


    ¡°4. 0 GPA.¡± All I ever did when I was home was hole up in my room and study, good grades came easy.


    ¡°Good. Now listen to me Mia this is very important, you cannot have any contact with any of your friends from before, it will bring unnecessaryplications. Is that going to be a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, I kept a pretty low profile, no one will remember me after a few months. Except Gina, I can still see Gina right? She¡¯s my only close friend. Her dad is Michael Salvatore, he works for you right?¡± I could hear the desperation in my voice. Gina was the only person that knew about my home life. We had been friends for years. Her dad worked with my dad and since my mom saw her as a good Italian girl she was virtually the only person I was allowed to hang out with. Something that I took full advantage of in the past few years.


    ¡°Yes, he does. Gina is clear, you can still see her. I¡¯ll have her father exin things so she knows to spread the word about you moving away, that might actually lend some credibility to the story if anyone gets suspicious.¡±


    I nodded my agreement, as long as I could still see Gina I didn¡¯t care about anything else.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s settled I¡¯ll show you to your room.¡± He got up from the ind and led me through the great room and up a giant staircase.


    My mind was racing. This morning I was just trying to keep my head down and praying my father¡¯s absence wouldst at least one more day, now this afternoon my father¡¯s absence from my life had been made permanent, as well as my enabling bitch of a mother. I woke up Mia Caruso, suburban girl with a shitty home life and I would be falling asleep tonight Mia DeLuca, privileged sister of the west coast¡¯s most notorious crime boss. What a difference a day could make.


    Carlo opened tworge wooden doors and led me into the room, it was more like a hotel penthouse than a bedroom. I had never in my life seen such opulence, and I grew up with an Italian American mother with a ir for the expensive and gaudy. The room was full of rich colors and heavy fabrics with dark wood furnishings. The main door from the hall led directly into arge sitting roomplete with a couch, TV, floor to ceiling bookcases and a wet bar. There was another set ofrge dark wooden doors that led to a smaller room, which was still bigger than mine at home. This housed a giant four poster bed,plete with a canopy of gauzy white fabric flowing down the sides. It was like a dream, and that was before I even got to the walk-in closet. Another door led to a giant en suite with a Jacuzzi tub and steam shower.


    ¡°Carlo, I don¡¯t-uh, do I call you Carlo or boss, or like Goomba?¡± I stuttered.


    Heughed, a full bellyugh, his face was rxed and he smiled down at me, ¡°Carlo is fine, you¡¯re my sister now after all.¡± It was the first time I saw any other expression on his face than serious businessman or stone cold killer. It was nice, I finally started to rx. He chuckled again, ¡°Goomba, you watch too many movies, no one says that anymore.¡±


    I smiled and started again, ¡°I don¡¯t need all this, I just-¡± I sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve never lived like this, it¡¯s weird to me. I feel like I don¡¯t deserve your kindness, I could never pay you back, I just-¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Carlo interrupted with a little bit too much force causing me to startle. He continued in a gentler voice, but his eyes remained deadly serious. ¡°I¡¯m only going to say this once, so listen closely. You did not deserve the parents you were given, I saw the hell you lived through in your eyes today. I recognized it because it¡¯s the same look I see in my own every day when I look in the mirror. We¡¯re kindred spirits, bound not by the blood in our veins but by the blood staining our hands. Do you understand what I am telling you?¡±


    I let out the breath I was holding in a whoosh, ¡°Did you-you killed your father?¡± It wasn¡¯t really a question, since his eyes already told me the answer.


    He nodded, ¡°You are the only person outside of my closest men that knows, and the only living person in this world that has the knowledge of my childhood. I am trusting you to keep my secrets and in turn I will keep yours. What you did today took immeasurable strength. I can see the fighter in you, Mia. I want you to know that you are not a charity case and I am not the type of man to take in strays. You are my family now, and I will treat you as such and expect the same in return. You will never want for anything and I will protect you with my life, all I ask for in return is your loyalty.¡±


    All I could do was nod, it was a lot to take in. Finally, I croaked out, ¡°You have it.¡±


    He stepped closer and kissed both of my cheeks, ¡°Good. Now go ahead and get settled. I¡¯ll have Elena bring up some spare clothes for you. Dinner is at seven.¡± He turned to leave but I stopped him.


    ¡°Elena?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The housekeeper. If you need anything when I¡¯m not around, she can get it for you,¡± He answered over his shoulder before disappearing out into the hall.


    ¡­


    Soon after Carlo disappeared there was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Come in?¡± I called, still unsure of my ce here.


    A petite woman came through the door holding a garment bag. Her long hair was pulled into a bun at the base of her neck and from what I could deduce from the gray streaking through her ck hair, she was probably in her mid-fifties. She wore a crisp button down, gray cks and an apron.


    ¡°Hello darling, you must be Mia. I¡¯m Elena.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, hello,¡± I gave her a nervous smile, everything was so different from when I woke up this morning. I waspletely out of my element and had no idea how to act or what to say. It was all so overwhelming.


    ¡°No need to be scared, Be. I know this must be a lot to take in and I promise I will answer whatever questions I can, but for right now you need to get ready for dinner. Here, I brought you some clothes to change into. They will have to do until we can go shopping.¡±


    Be. My grandmother used to call me that before she passed, the endearment instantly warmed me to Elena and set my nerves at ease.


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    She set the bag on the bed and nodded once, leaving the room.


    After a quick shower I unzipped the bag Elena had left and inspected the contents. Three dresses; ck, light blue and gray. They must have been Elena¡¯s because when I slipped on the blue one for dinner I noticed it was exceedingly short on my 5¡ä 9¡å frame.


    Oh well, I guess it¡¯s better than blood stained jeans.


    Even though I was just going downstairs for dinner something told me it would be inappropriate to go barefoot so I slipped on my ck converse and headed out in search of the dining room. I backtracked down the huge staircase leading down to the foyer and after only two wrong turns I found Elena in the kitchen. It was going to take forever to learn how to navigate through this ce.


    Seriously, who needs this much fucking space?


    Elena was just pulling out thesagna from the oven when I walked in.


    ¡°Ah, so the dresses fit. Good, I was worried,¡± Elena mused when she saw me standing awkwardly in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh, umm, yeah. Just a little short,¡± I said with a nervous little chuckle while I smoothed the skirt of the dress down, willing it to be just a little longer.


    ¡°Nonsense, you look beautiful. We will need to get you some new shoes though,¡± shemented with a raised eyebrow.


    At that Iughed, a realugh, and struck a pose. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it? I think it makes a statement.¡±


    ¡°A statement huh? That you have no fashion sense?¡±


    We both giggled at that one and I gave her a huge smile. Just then the door opposite of the one I hade through swung open and Carlo waltzed into the room.


    ¡°What are you two in here cackling about? I¡¯m hungry.¡± At first I thought he was angry but then a slight grin pulled at his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re always hungry. Why don¡¯t you show Mia to the dining room, dinner is almost ready,¡± Elena said, effectively shoeing us out. It was obvious the kitchen was her domain and even a scary Mob Boss didn¡¯t have a say in the confines of these walls.


    ¡°Of course, this way Mia.¡± With a sweep of his hand and a slight bow Carlo led me back through the door he hade in and into the dining room. There was a massive wood table in the center of the room directly under the most ornate chandelier I had ever seen. Carlo pulled a chair just to the right of the head of the table and gestured for me to sit.


    ¡°Wine?¡± he asked once we were both seated.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± I had drank wine regrly at dinner with my parents and after the day I had a ss would do well to settle my nerves. I was still apprehensive about my ce here and wasn¡¯t sure how to fit in. I had never had any siblings.


    No, your father stole that from you.


    My hand gripped the wine ss hard at that thought, but I was saved from my inner musings when Elena came in with the sds.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m sure you have questions and I would be happy to answer them for you. All you need to do is ask. Of course there are some things about my business that I will not discuss but I will do my best to answer what I can,¡± Carlo prompted.


    ¡°I understand, I guess I just don¡¯t know where to start. You said I watch too many movies, what did you mean by that?¡±


    Carlo let out a rxedugh, ¡°Ah, yes. You seem to be under the impression that I live a real-life version of The Godfather, yes?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°In some sense I guess that is true, I am the Boss and not all of my businesses are exactly legitimate. However, the Italian Mafia as you know it to be depicted in movies is no longer. As I¡¯m sure you know, the Mafia was far reaching and a powerful force until the mid-eighties. Now the organization is mostly contained to the east coast and Europe. I may be involved in organized crime but my ¡®family¡¯ as I like to call it doesn¡¯t necessarily follow the old ways.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, for instance, in the Italian Mafia if you are not of Italian decent you are unable to move past the rank of associate to be a Made-Man. Also, women are not able to hold any sort of position within the organization and men were not allowed to grow facial hair.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t follow those rules, but you¡¯re still Mafia?¡±


    ¡°I am a modern man, Mia. I don¡¯t care for the antiquated and prejudiced views of the men before me. First and foremost I am a businessman, making money is my goal, whether my men grow facial hair or not is of little concern to me. And while I don¡¯t have many women working under me in my non-legitimate dealings I don¡¯t discriminate. Besides there are just some jobs that a woman is much more suited for than a man.¡±


    ¡°But your men are still Italian, right?¡±


    ¡°I have a few men that are not of Italian decent but mostly, yes. What can I say, we stick to what we know. But that¡¯s not just an Italian thing, most organized crime is run in the same way. You stick to the people you know and can trust, usually those people fall under the category of kin or countryman. It¡¯s just the way it works.¡±


    ¡°You kill people.¡± I said. No shit, Sherlock. I had seen him murder my mother right in front of me just hours ago.


    And you murdered your father.


    Carlo regarded me carefully, he was solemn when he responded. ¡°Yes, when necessary.¡±


    I nodded again. There really wasn¡¯t much to say after that. We finished our meal in silence, Carlo had given me something my father never had, honesty. While I may not bepletelyfortable with what he did and how he did it, I was thankful that he trusted me enough to answer my questions without sugarcoating it. He didn¡¯t treat me like a child, in fact he treated me like an equal, something I had never before experienced.

 3

    Carlo     It had been a month since Mia came to live with me. I was able to obtain all the forged documents needed to give her a new identity as Mia Sophia DeLuca.


    Since my father was extremely private during his life, and up until my mother¡¯s death ten years ago she spent most of her time in Italy, all it took was a few doctored boarding school transcripts to exin her sudden appearance. Since she was no longer Mia Sophia Caruso I wouldn¡¯t let her keep anything from her previous life, which she didn¡¯t seem to mind. I offered to let her keep a picture of her parents but she declined.


    I sent her out to Neiman Marcus armed with her very own ck Card and Elena by her side. The only instructions were to buy aplete wardrobe fit for a mob princess. Mia was ufortable with the idea of spending so much money, but she would just have to get used to it.


    Since the shopping trip the first day she had been holed up in her room reading and watching movies. On the asion of an unusually warm May afternoon, she would go out back for a swim but other than that she was a recluse. I was worried she was having issues dealing with her parent¡¯s deaths but she assured me she was fine. Now we were eating Sunday dinner and while she was holding polite conversation, something was off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to know which college you¡¯ve chosen soon so I can get things arranged,¡± I said.


    She looked up and gave me a thin smile, ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she said, looking back down at her te ofsagna. She had barely touched it. It was her favorite, I had learned that on the first night when Elena made it.


    ¡°Is everything okay Mia?¡± I asked using thest strand of patience I had.


    ¡°Everything is fine Carlo, thank you,¡± she gave me another polite smile. I was beginning to hate that smile.


    ¡°I want you to be happy here Mia. This is not a prison, you cane and go as you please.¡±


    ¡°Really Carlo, I¡¯m fi-¡±


    ¡°Enough! You are not fine Mia!¡± I roared. ¡°Tell me what the hell is the matter so I can fix it!¡± Instead of scaring her like my outburst would most grown men, I saw a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. She put her fork down and looked at me head on.


    ¡°Nothing is wrong Carlo. I like to read, so I do. I like to watch movies, so I do. I like to go swimming, so I do. You have given me everything I could possibly need and more, I¡¯m content.¡±


    ¡°I want you to be happy Mia, not just content. You haven¡¯t left the house in over three weeks, that¡¯s not normal. You know you have full ess to any car in the garage and a limitless credit card. You should be out doing normal things teenagers do. I was already working for my father when I was your age so I don¡¯t exactly know what normal is, but I do know that it is not sitting in your room for weeks on end.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me? You want me to go out and party with friends and go to the mall and spend money on things I don¡¯t need just because I can? That¡¯s not me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no. Jesus Mia, I don¡¯t know. I just want you to be young and enjoy it. Be happy.¡± I was never at a loss for words but I just didn¡¯t know how to articte what I was feeling and what I wanted, and on top of it all I was pissed because I didn¡¯t know the first thing about teenage girls.


    ¡°Carlo,¡± she groaned, ¡°look, I don¡¯t know anyone in this new life but you. I¡¯m sure when I start school things will change, but until then¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°What about Gina?¡± I asked, suddenly feeling triumphant. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of this before? The only other thing she did was talk on the phone with Gina.


    ¡°What do you mean? Gina lives three and a half hours away, and I am supposed to have moved away I can¡¯t exactly go for a visit.¡±


    ¡°She cane here then, stay for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a car of her own, she can¡¯t just take the family car on a road trip,¡± Mia sighed.


    I could tell she was getting frustrated with this topic of conversation, but my mind had been made up. If Ginaing here would make her happy then I would make it happen.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just send a car for her, I¡¯ll call her father and work it out.¡±


    There, fixed.


    Mia looked up from her te, the excitement mixed with trepidation shone in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d do that? She could stay here, at the house? Carlo, you don¡¯t let anyonee here.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ah, so that was what was holding her back. She was right of course, I had never let anyone but the house staff and a select few of my mene to my home. I kept an apartment in the city for when I needed to handle business but this was my home. Mia still seemed to have trouble realizing this is her home now.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, I normally don¡¯t invite people here, but that¡¯s because I like to keep my business and personal life separate and I do not consider many people personal friends. Mia, this is your home too. Gina is your friend and therefore wee in our home. Understood?¡±


    Mia popped up from her chair so suddenly the legs scratched on the wood floor. She ran full boar around the table and practically toppled me over with a hug. She had never shown such affection towards me and for a moment I was too shocked to reciprocate. She seemed to notice my stiff posture and began to pull away, I didn¡¯t want her to think that she had done something wrong so I quickly pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a thank you?¡± I said.


    She pulled away and beamed at me, ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re very wee, now sit down so we can finish our dinner.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. In the weeks she had been here that was the most emotion I had seen from her. I was beginning to think that her parents had caused irreversible damage, but I was starting to see that she was just slow to trust, a trait that would do her well in the future.

 4

    Mia     True to Carlo¡¯s word Gina showed up a weekter, bags in tow. I ran down the stairs to greet her in the foyer.


    ¡°You lucky bitch! This ce is even bigger than you said!¡± she squealed as I cleared thest step and lunged for her. ¡°I missed your face so bad,¡± she said as we embraced. We were simultaneously hugging, jumping up and down and squealing when Carlo walked in from the den.


    ¡°What in the hell is going on?¡± he called out, rounding corner. We immediately stopped and turned to face him. ¡°Oh, sorry I thought someone was killing a wild animal or something.¡±


    Iughed, ¡°You wanted me to be a normal teenage girl. We scream, a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, well lesson learned, be careful what you ask for,¡± he deadpanned.


    At that we allughed, ¡°Carlo, this is Gina. Gina, this is Carlo.¡± Carlo came towards us to shake Gina¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Gina,¡± he said politely.


    ¡°Oh no, the pleasure is all mine,¡± she said as she took his hand and looked him up and down. I smacked her arm and red at her. ¡°What?¡± she asked with fake innocence and wide eyes.


    Carlo cleared his throat, obviously more than a little ufortable with a teenage girl leering at him. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll leave you two to get settled. Be ready to leave for dinner at six, we¡¯re going into the city.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said as he turned to walk back to the den.


    ¡°Girl you have been holding out on me, you didn¡¯t tell me he was such a hottie!¡± Gina stage whispered to me.


    I could feel my cheeks me, ¡°Shut up Gina, that¡¯s my new brother you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying in this case, I¡¯m rooting for some incestual lovin''¡±


    ¡°Jesus, Gina!¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t hate me for saying what you¡¯re already thinking.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God,e on you crazy bitch.¡± I hoped Carlo hadn¡¯t heard too much of that conversation. ¡°I¡¯ll show you where to put your bags then we can go out to the pool.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! I need to work on my tan.¡± Gina said as we lugged her suitcases up the stairs.


    Carlo     This is going to be a long two weeks, I thought to myself as I settled back down at my desk. Gina was a handful. From the looks of it Mia had been on her best behavior since she had been here, I had a feeling that was going to change. I certainly did not need Gina filling Mia¡¯s head with any romantic notions of me. I was a 28 year old man, I had no business starring in any 17 year-old girl¡¯s fantasy, or she in mine for that matter.


    Sure there were plenty of men out there that wouldvish in the attention of a barely-legal young woman, but I am not one of those men. Rtionships areplicated, and getting involved with an underage girl that is supposed to be my sister or her obviously very willing friend, would be beyondplicated. Not that Mia wasn¡¯t beautiful, she was, but she was still a child.


    Yeah, keep telling yourself that.


    I tried for a half hour to get some work done but I couldn¡¯t focus. My thoughts kept drifting off to Mia. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t notice she was attractive. I¡¯d noticed that right off the bat, but as soon as she¡¯d taken that gun from my hand my view of her had changed. She had be arade, someone I could rte to.


    What the hell did I get myself into?


    I ran a hand down my face, I just needed to work some frustration out, and it had been too long. Maybe I would call one of my regr girls when we were in the city tonight, get rid of this tension. In the meantime my concentration was shot, a fewps in the pool might help clear my head.


    I heard the music as soon as I walked through the patio doors, the outdoor stereo system had been turned on and was currently ying Work it, by Missy Elliot. I looked up and stopped dead in my tracks. Mia wasying out by the pool. I knew Gina was there too but I didn¡¯t see her because my eyes were stuck on Mia. She was wearing a tiny white bikini, a stark contrast to her olive skin. I had never seen this much of Mia, she wore modest clothes and every time I had nced out the window when she was using the pool she was in the water. I had been way off, she was all woman. She was dancing in her lounge chair, arms above her head, back arched, wiggling her hips to the music and singing along to the song. I felt my swim trunks start to tighten.


    I am so fucked.

 5

    Mia


    Gina and I were set up by the pool jamming out to one of our favorite mixes and soaking up the sun. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here, we¡¯re going to have so much fun,¡± I said without opening my eyes.


    ¡°Damn girl, if that is the view you get every day I may never leave,¡± Gina said to me, then raised her voice, ¡°Youing out for a swim?¡±


    I opened my eyes and looked in the direction she was speaking. Carlo hade out of the house in nothing but swim trunks. Wow. A shirtless Carlo was a sight to be seen. He had broad shoulders, washboard abs and the V. The tattoo spanning the front of his chest from shoulder to shoulder caught my attention; one word, Omert¨¢. He had other tattoos as well. From this distance I couldn¡¯t really make them out, what looked like some sort of script on his left ribcage and possibly a dragon or some other animal starting on the middle of his right side and dipping below his low-slung trunks. I unconsciously licked my lips.


    Carlo cleared his throat, ¡°Yeah, I wasing out to do a fewps, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    He started walking towards the edge of the pool, still on the opposite side. I watched him from behind my sunsses. He moved quickly, throwing his towel on a lounge chair and diving into the deep end.


    ¡°Dude,¡± Gina said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    I am so fucked.


    Carlo


    She licked her fucking lips.


    After an hour ofps I was still thinking about it. I tried to busy myself for the rest of the afternoon, get some work done, distract my mind, but nothing was working.


    That mouth, fuck!


    Yeah, I was definitely going to need to call one of my girls while we were in the city.


    Mia


    I was mentally thanking Elena for making me buy a couple of cocktail dresses on our shopping spree a few weeks ago as Gina and I got ready in my room. I hadn¡¯t thought I would ever really have the need for such fancy clothes but obviously I had been wrong. Carlo was taking us to the five-star hotel he owned. Where he told me he kept an apartment in the hotel for when he was in the city and we would be staying there for the weekend.


    ¡°Holy fucking shit, this dress is bananas!¡± Gina squealed as she took a turn in one of the full length mirrors in my closet. Gina¡¯s boobs were bigger than mine but other than that we were about the same size so I lent her some of my new clothes for the weekend.


    ¡°You look great, sweetie,¡± I said with augh. Gina had an incredibly interesting vocabry. She was wearing a tight ck tube dress withce covered cut-outs on the sides, it was pretty short but she rocked it.


    I had chosen a white pencil dress with a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves, pretty modest next to Gina¡¯s getup but still sexy as hell. I decided to go retro and paired it with blood red peep-toe pumps, lips to match and thick winged ck eyeliner.


    ¡°And you, damn girl, that boy isn¡¯t going to know what hit him.¡±


    ¡°Gina, stop. I am not going to try to seduce Carlo. I¡¯m pretty sure he is like, un-seducible. He is way too old, and I¡¯m just barely out of high school, and Jesus it¡¯s not like I have any family or anyone to take care of me. What if he got pissed and threw me out? I would have nothing. I¡¯d have to forgo college and get some crappy job and I still couldn¡¯t afford an apartment by myself so I would have to get a craigslist roommate and what if they turned out to be a total creeper? And now I¡¯m rambling, God!¡±


    ¡°Whoa there tiger, calm down. I was just teasing, I know you would never try anything with McHottie,¡± Gina saiding over to rub my back while I regted my breathing. I was having a total freak-out moment and I had no clue why.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Get a freaking grip Mia.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, sorry. I don¡¯t want to talk about Carlo like that, okay?¡±


    ¡°No problem babe, mums the word if you¡¯re going to go all crazy on me like that,¡± Gina said stepping around to face me head on she grabbed my shoulders. ¡°Okay, so I have an extremely serious question to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said a bit worried with where she was going with this.


    ¡°Are you ready to PAR-TAY?!¡± she screamed right in my face. God I loved this girl.


    ¡°YES!¡± I screamed with just as much enthusiasm and we burst into a fit of giggles. It was good to act normal again. Even though I only acted this way when I was with Gina before, I had missed it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°We better get downstairs, it¡¯s almost time to leave.¡±


    ¡°Hell yes! Let¡¯s make this night our bitch!¡±

 6

    Carlo


    I was just putting on my coat in the foyer when I heard the girlse down the stairs, I turned around to greet them and nearly fell over from the immediateck of blood flow to my head. She was in white again, God that was a good color against her bronze skin, and she was done up like a 50¡¯s pinup.


    This woman is going to be the death of me.


    I let out a breath. Girl, this girl. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a teenager, not a woman, nope not at all. I cleared my throat, ¡°Youdies look lovely, are you ready to go?¡± I asked as I helped them with their coats.


    ¡°What about our bags?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°Sal already has them in the car. Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t want to bete.¡±


    I opened a bottle of champagne once we were settled in the limo and poured each of us a ss.


    ¡°What are we toasting to?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°To a wonderful night,¡± I said and we clinked sses. I had the urge to drain my ss in one gulp but I resisted. It wouldn¡¯t do any good anyways, I was going to need something much stronger to get through a night with her dressed like a fucking wet dream. It was starting to piss me off, my reaction to her, and what the hell did she think she was doing dressing like that?


    God, I was an asshole. I shouldn¡¯t be mad at her, I should be mad at myself. Her dress wasn¡¯t even all that revealing, it came down to her knees and it had sleeves for Christ sake. Not like Gina who looked like a trophy wife in training.


    ¡°And your birthday, of course,¡± I said as soon as Mia took a sip of her champagne. Her eyes got wide, did she think I didn¡¯t know when her birthday was? Or did she think I just didn¡¯t care?


    ¡°How?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s your eighteenth birthday, a day worth celebrating,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said quietly with a smile and slight nod of her head. With that, the subject was closed. I knew enough about Mia by now to know she wasn¡¯t shy like her friend. She was understated in everything she did. She didn¡¯t enjoy the spotlight, preferring to observe, unlike so many women. She was different, and that had me feeling something I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time, fear.


    The ride into the city was uneventful. The girls yed music and got tipsy on champagne. I had switched to scotch after that first ss and sat in the corner like a creep nursing my drink and not saying anything.


    When we got to the hotel we were led through the restaurant and into a private dining room. Once we were seated I ordered a bottle of wine for the table and tried to make polite conversation.


    No use in brooding the whole night.


    ¡°So have either of you given any thought to which college you¡¯re going to in the fall?¡± I asked thinking this was a safe subject to start off on.


    Good idea genius, remind yourself you¡¯re a fucking pedophile.


    ¡°I hear Oregon State is a kick ass party school, but my father wants me to go to an Ivy League and get my MRS degree.¡± Gina giggled.


    I raised my eyebrow, ¡°Your, what degree?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know, MRS like Mrs.¡± Gina replied. When I didn¡¯t respond she continued with less enthusiasm, ¡°My father wants me to go to college and find a husband.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. What the fuck?


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, he¡¯s just kind of old school like that. You know, be the good wife, stay at home, raise kids and listen to your husband. Yada, yada, yada.¡± Mia cringed at Gina¡¯s words, I had heard her mother say something simr that first day I¡¯d met Mia. Gina didn¡¯t seem to notice her friends difort at her words so I turned the attention to Mia.


    ¡°What about you Mia?¡±


    ¡°Umm, well not really,¡± Mia said, keeping her head down.


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about Mia?¡± Gina questioned, ¡°Dude, you got into every college you applied to and you¡¯ve been talking about going to Northwestern since we were like twelve. What do you mean you haven¡¯t thought about it?¡±


    Mia shot Gina a look, but her friend didn¡¯t seem to get the hint and just kept staring at her like she just grew another head. Mia let out a sigh, ¡°Well, that was before, things change.¡±


    I could see where she was going with this, and I¡¯d be damned if I was going to let her. ¡°Mia, you can go to any school you want, don¡¯t worry about the money.¡±


    ¡°But Carlo, I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°No, in fact, I insist you go to college. I don¡¯t care how much it costs, I can afford it.¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have-¡±


    ¡°I want to. End of discussion,¡± I stared her down until she looked down at her te again and nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I still want to go tow school.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you study as long as you get a degree. You could be an art history or philosophy major for all I care, it¡¯s not like you have to make money at it. Just do whatever is going to make you happy.¡±


    Mia scoffed, ¡°Of course I have to make money at it. I need a career to support myself!¡±


    I looked at Mia confused, ¡°Why?¡±


    Gina¡¯s head was bouncing back and forth between Mia and myself during our exchange as if she would miss something if she wasn¡¯t careful.


    I could see anger start to flicker in Mia¡¯s eyes, ¡°I will not be that woman. I will not run off and get married and live off of a man with no way to support myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said slowly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say you had to.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t live off of any man without a way to support myself,¡± I didn¡¯t miss the emphasis on the word any.


    ¡°Are you kidding? Have I given you any indication whatsoever that I want to control you? Mia all I want is for you to be taken care of and happy, that¡¯s it. Besides, you won¡¯t be living off of me, you¡¯ll have your own money.¡±


    ¡°Carlo, it¡¯s not you, it¡¯s the principle of it. I am grateful for everything you have done for me. Wait, what? What do you mean I¡¯ll have my own money? I don¡¯t have any money.¡±


    ¡°Not now, but you will. I set up a trust fund for you a few weeks ago that fully matures when you turn twenty-one. You¡¯ll have plenty of money to livefortably and do whatever you want,¡± I shrugged, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It didn¡¯t even make a dent in my fortune. With my various businesses, even after pulling myself out of the financial ruin my father had caused before his death, I had more money than I could ever spend on my own.


    ¡°You what?¡± Mia whispered, she was staring at me with her mouth hanging open.


    Gina let out a whistle, ¡°Okay folks, that¡¯s my queue.¡± She got up from the table and headed out to the main restaurant without another word, leaving Mia and I staring at each other.


    ¡°Mia, we need to get something straight. I am not your father, I am nothing like him. I meant what I said that first day. You are my family and I will take care of you. You can try to fight it all you want but I will win, I always do. I don¡¯t care if you want a career and you want to make your own money, but I¡¯ll be damned if you toil away at a job you hate just for a paycheck. That is not a life Mia and I will not allow you to merely survive. You¡¯ve done enough of that for a lifetime. I want you to live, to feel, to experience. Understood?¡±Mia took a deep breath, ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good, now let¡¯s eat,¡± As soon as I said it the waiter came in with our food.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 7

    Mia


    Gina came back shortly after our food was served and we all made polite conversation while we finished our dinner. I was still reeling from what Carlo had said to me about just surviving. He was right of course, the bastard. I had been treading water before, just trying to keep my head above the swell. How was it that we had only known each other for a short time but it felt like he knew me better than I knew myself?


    We are kindred spirits, bound not by the blood running through our veins but the by the blood staining our hands.


    That¡¯s what he had said to me the day he brought me home with him, and as well as he knew me I still knew awfully little about him. I understood that he wanted to take care of me and probably felt an obligation to me despite his protests. I decided then that I would use the rest of the summer trying to get to know who he really was, not the Boss, but the real Carlo. The man behind the suit.


    After dessert Carlo excused himself, ¡°I have some business to attend to, Angelo will take you girls to the club attached to the hotel if you wish.¡±


    ¡°Sweet! Angelo is the hot one right?¡± Gina asked.


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°Carlo, we don¡¯t have fake IDs and we¡¯re way underage.¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Carlo just chuckled, ¡°I did tell you I own this hotel right? That gives me additional pull not allowed to others. You may go where you please and drink what you¡¯d like, everything will go on my tab and Angelo will watch over you.¡± He walked around to where I was still seated at the table andid a hand on my shoulder. His fingers brushed my exposed cor bone gently and my entire body erupted in goosebumps. ¡°Just be careful, yes?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Carlo straightened, ¡°Good, have a good timedies. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± With that, he strutted out of the dining room.


    Gina looked at me from her seat across the table, ¡°This is going to be EPIC!¡± she squealed and did a little happy dance in her chair. Giving Gina an open tab and free reign of a high ss hotel was most definitely a recipe for trouble, and I couldn¡¯t wait.


    Dinner had only taken a couple of hours and it was still too early to head up to the club, so we opted to have a drink at the bar to kill some time. It didn¡¯t take long before a couple of guys saddled up to us. They were cute, college-aged, my guy was tall and built like a linebacker with buzzed light brown hair and incredibly straight, and white teeth. Other than his kind of creepy teeth, his dad was an orthodontist apparently, he seemed nice enough. Gina¡¯s guy was about the same height but not as broad. He had longer dark brown hair and piercing green eyes.


    Gina was instantly in lust. Both guys were dressed in cks and button down shirts, no tie. We chatted with them for a while and mentioned that we were headed to the club. Surprise, surprise so were they. Normally I was more cautious and I wouldn¡¯t go anywhere with someone I didn¡¯t know, even if it was just to another part of the hotel, but Carlo had said that Angelo would be watching us. Even though I hadn¡¯t seen him, I trusted that he was there somewhere keeping an eye out. With that knowledge I let some of my inhibitions go and decided to have some fun and not get lost too much in my own head.


    We got into the club without issue, the bouncer didn¡¯t even card us. He just moved the rope aside and nodded. Someone must have tipped him off that we wereing. Inside the club was dark, warm, and packed with sweaty gyrating bodies. As soon as we got past the entry we were approached by a man in a suit that led us to a raised tform VIP area.


    ¡°Whoa, are you guy¡¯s royalty or something?¡± Gina¡¯s guy, Derrick asked.


    ¡°Or something,¡± I replied before Gina had time toe up with an answer. These guys seemed harmless enough but I didn¡¯t want to divulge unnecessary information about ourselves and I certainly didn¡¯t want to tell them anything about Carlo.


    Gina caught on to my apprehension, ¡°Everything is taken care of for tonight, and you¡¯re our guests,¡± she added with a sly smile. That got the point across, don¡¯t ask and you get to party for free. Even though I didn¡¯t think Carlo would like us extending his hospitality to men we didn¡¯t know, the guys seemed to like that deal.


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Jackson, my guy, said with a blinding smile. Jesus, his teeth are really white. They were even brighter under the ck lights in the club.


    A cocktail waitress came around and took our drink order, Gina decided to y up the spoiled princess card and ordered a bottle of Crystal. I was a little annoyed but I was grateful the attention was off of me. She was making it look like she was the privileged brat and I was the tag along friend. With anybody else that may have been off putting but I knew she was just doing it because she was picking up my fear of being made in public. After a ss of champagne, which was not as delicious as the price tag would lead you to believe, we decided to take a turn on the dance floor.


    House music was pouring from the speakers,sers were slicing through clouds of fog and I was in my element. Gina and I were no strangers to the dance floor and soon found our groove with each other and the guys founds theirs at our backs. After a while Jackson¡¯s arms snaked around my waist and he gently moved me away from Gina to dance with him, and I went willingly. The drinks I had earlier were starting to catch up with me and I was feeling rxed. We danced for a while and Jackson¡¯s hands got progressively friendlier with each song. I wasn¡¯tining, this is exactly what I needed to get my mind off of Carlo and his sexy tattooed body. Whoops, there I go again. I did however guide his hands further north as they had started to drift down to my ass. I needed a distraction but I was certainly not going to sleep with this guy.


    ¡°I need a water break,¡± I shouted, the music was so loud I wasn¡¯t sure he heard me but he nodded and led me back to the VIP area. When we sat down to catch our breath I noticed I hadn¡¯t seen Gina in a while, ¡°Where are the others?¡± I asked.


    Jackson shrugged, ¡°I haven¡¯t been looking at anyone but you,¡± he said as he slung an arm behind me on the sofa. There was a glint in his eyes that made me think he might know more than he was letting on, but before I could question him further Gina¡¯s voice rose above the music.


    ¡°Shot time!¡± she screamed as she climbed the stairs to the dais. Her hair was mussed and Derrick was wearing a shit eating grin. You little slut, I mentally scolded her. She made eye contact with me and stered the same shit eating grin on her own face, confirming my suspicions.


    The waitress appeared almost instantly with a bottle of Patron, and poured us each a shot. ¡°Salute,¡± I said and downed my shot. This was not my first time on the party train that was Gina. Another round of shots and a few more songs I excused myself to go to the bathroom, I tried to get Gina to go with me but she was faded and there was no way she was making it across the dance floor in those heels. I briefly wondered how I was going to get her back up to our room but my dder demanded my attention. Jackson offered to escort me but I brushed him off.


    One thing at a time.

 8

    It took me longer to reach the bathrooms than I thought it would and I was about to pee myself when it was finally my turn. I washed my hands and touched up my lipstick. My hair had held up pretty well throughout the night and I made a mental note to buy some more of that hairspray Elena bought me. I made the mistake of zipping up my clutch and not paying attention to my surroundings when I left the bathroom and I ran right into a hard wall of muscle. I looked up and was about to apologize to whoever I just tried to bulldoze when hands roughly grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back into the single stall bathroom.


    I started to scream but a hand mped over my mouth, and I saw through the space under his arm that the hallway that had been packed when I went into the bathroom was nowpletely deserted. My body was mmed against the wall opposite the door and my head smacked against the tile. I looked up to see Jackson¡¯s face, but it was twisted with anger.


    ¡°You little cocktease!¡± he growled at me, ¡°You¡¯ve been unting that ass all night long. It¡¯s time to pay up.¡±


    I whimpered and slid to the floor trying to make myself as small as possible, I couldn¡¯t reconcile the angry man in front of me with the nice guy I had spent thest few hours with. I had thought he was harmless and just out for a good time. Obviously I had made a massive error in judgment. When he started to unbuckle his belt I knew there was no way I was going to get out of this in one piece by cowering in a corner.


    I will never be a victim again.


    I had made a vow to myself and I was going to honor it. The smack to the back of the head coupled with the very real and extremely scary situation I was facing sobered me up quick. Think Mia, think! I tried to scream but Jackson backhanded me before my voice even left my mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about screaming or I will fucking kill you, bitch,¡± Jackson said in an eerily calm voice.


    ¡°O-okay, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered, tonguing my lip that had been busted open. I felt blood drip down my chin.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t yet but you will be, I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson about being a fucking tease.¡± At that he unzipped his pants and started to pull them down along with his underwear.


    Fuck! Think, Mia! No, no, no this can¡¯t happen.


    He grabbed a chunk of my hair and jerked my head back and I let out a yelp giving him the ess he wanted to my mouth. He shoved his dick past my lips and I did the only think I could think to do, I bit down, hard. Jackson howled and punched me in the side of the head.


    The force of the impact his fist made when he hurled it at my head caused me to fall sideways to the floor. My ears were ringing, but by some act of God I kept consciousness.


    I have to get out of here.


    I started to scramble across the floor towards the door on my hands and knees. I didn¡¯t look back to see what Jackson was doing. He was still screaming at the top of his lungs and shouting obscenities. I reached the door, still on my hands and knees, and fumbled for the handle.


    Just as I was pulling the handle down a hand mped down on my ankle and pulled my leg from under me causing my chin to smack against the tile floor sending pain through my entire face. No, I am not a victim, I thought again. I kicked back with my other foot as hard as I could, and felt more than heard the sickening squish as my six inch heel sank into something soft. The hand that was holding my other foot ckened but I didn¡¯t stop kicking. Over and over and over again I kicked with everything I had, making contact each time.


    Once I waspletely out of breath I let myself look down at Jackson. It was a gruesome sight, his face was unrecognizable and he wasn¡¯t moving. My shoes, legs, and the bottom of my dress were covered in his blood which was pooling beneath his head. My stomach rolled and the alcohol I had drank throughout the night made a reappearance on the bathroom floor.


    When my stomach was empty and the spasms had subsided, I heard pounding on the bathroom door. My body was spent and I used what little energy I had left to reach up and open the door. I was immediately pushed back into the room and, unfortunately, directly into the pool of Jackson¡¯s blood.


    Angelo appeared in the door with Gina right on his heels. ¡°Oh my god!¡± she eximed before turning and puking in the hallway. I didn¡¯t me her, the inside of the bathroom was not a sight for the faint of heart.


    He pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial, ¡°Boss, we have a problem. We¡¯re going to need a cleaner. Yes,¡± he said, his eyes scanning my body and the scene around me. ¡°She¡¯ll need to see a doctor but I don¡¯t think she needs a hospital. The bathroom at the club. Sal is making sure no one gets through. Yes, Sir,¡± he said and disconnected the call. He turned to Gina, ¡°Go out to Sal and tell him the Boss is on his way. Enzo will take you up to your room.¡±


    When Gina didn¡¯t respond he raised his voice, ¡°Now!¡± Gina jumped and rushed down the hall. I was thankful to Angelo for making her go, she didn¡¯t need to see this.


    Angelo knelt down next to me and took my face in his hands, wiping away the tears that were streaming down my face with his thumbs. I wasn¡¯t sobbing but tears were flowing from my eyes unchecked. I had killed someone, again. And yet, again I didn¡¯t feel any remorse. Of course this was self-defense, but I didn¡¯t have to keep kicking him after that first time. He had let me go, but I hadn¡¯t just wanted him to let go, I wanted him to pay. Angelo scooped me up and set me on the counter. He started to clean me up but I took the paper towels away from him.


    ¡°I can do it, its fine.¡±


    Angelo took a deep breath, ¡°I am so sorry Mia, I was supposed to be watching you. This never should have happened.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said, my voice tired but firm, ¡°This is not your fault, it¡¯s mine. I should have been paying more attention, I know better than to let my guard down like that.¡±


    ¡°It was my job-¡± Angelo started, looking kind of pathetic and a lot sorry.


    ¡°That is enough! I don¡¯t want to hear another word on the subject. It is done. All you need to worry about is how we¡¯re going to clean it up.¡± I have no idea where that came from, I sounded like Carlo, but it worked. Angelo hung his head and started to turn away, at that same moment Carlo came bursting through the door and zeroed in on me. Angelo quickly got out of his way as he came straight for me.


    Carlo took my head in his hands, much like Angelo had done, and looked me over. When he was satisfied that I would live he turned his head and took stock of the room. After a moment his eyes fell back to mine, ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, his voice was hard but I could tell he was trying to stay calm for my sake.


    ¡°He caught meing out of the bathroom and tried to force himself on me.¡± I said, my voice miraculously steady.


    Who the hell is this girl? This isn¡¯t me.


    Although I suppose I had never been put in a situation like this before, so how was I supposed to know how I would react. The look that crossed Carlo¡¯s face was positively terrifying, he looked murderous.


    The hands that were holding me began to shake as he turned to take a closer look at Jackson¡¯s prone body on the floor. It was at that point that I realized in my fit of rage I had kicked him onto his back exposing the front of his body and his open pants. Hisid penis was on full disy, bloody from when I had bit him. Carlo must have concluded what had happened from the grisly scene but he still turned back to me and demanded, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    I cleared my throat and looked down at myp. No, I thought, I will not be ashamed of this, I have no reason to be.


    I raised my eyes and looked Carlo dead on, just like I had the day I killed my father. ¡°He grabbed me and tried-¡± I took a deep breath, keeping eye contact with him and finished, ¡°He forced his way in my mouth and I bit him. He hit me and I tried to get to the door but he grabbed me. I kicked him in the face with my heels, and I didn¡¯t stop until he was dead.¡±


    His jaw ticked with barely concealed anger and with sharp nod and kissed my forehead. ¡°You did what you had to, I¡¯m proud of you,¡± he said and in one swift movement he turned from me pulling his gun and aiming it at Angelo¡¯s face. Angelo didn¡¯t flinch, it¡¯s as if he was expecting this to be his punishment.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I screamed and tugged at Carlo¡¯s free arm that had dropped to my waist.


    Carlo looked back at me, his face cold. ¡°He was in charge of your safety and he failed. You were assaulted. You could have been killed or worse.¡±


    My mind was spinning. I knew Carlo had a point, but I also knew that Angelo was the closest thing he had to a friend. He was the closest to Carlo out of all of his men, that¡¯s why Carlo had trusted him to look after me so I blurted out the first thing that came to me. ¡°I want Angelo moved to my personal security detail.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Carlo asked incredulous. Angelo stayed stoic and silent.


    ¡°You heard me,¡± I said, my voice stronger than it had been before as Ipiled my argument. It was going to have to be a good one if I was going to convince Carlo and spare Angelo. ¡°He made a critical mistake tonight, and I guarantee you that he will die before he ever fails me again.¡± Carlo stared at me utterly dumbstruck. ¡°Am I right, Angelo?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I turned my attention back to Carlo, ¡°See?¡± I asked.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°But, I have to make an example of him. My men cannot think that I would let this kind of disaster go unpunished.¡±


    I was beginning to get angry now, this wasn¡¯t about his men this was about me. ¡°Your men don¡¯t need to know what went on tonight, the only people that need to know are the people that were here. I don¡¯t need everybody knowing my business.¡± My voice was starting to raise, ¡°Do you understand me?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe I was talking to him like this but I was enraged. This was my problem and I¡¯d be damned if he was going to waltz in here thinking he could make it about him.


    Carlo was silent for a moment, mulling over my words. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, and turned to Angelo. ¡°If you ever step one toe out of line again I will shoot you dead on the spot, cousin or not.¡±


    He was his cousin?


    ¡°Understood, Boss. I¡¯ll go check the ETA on the cleaner.¡± Angelo said and exited the bathroom quickly.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll go out the back way and use the service elevator,¡± I thought he was going to help me down off the counter but Carlo just scooped me up and carried me out of the club. I was thankful. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was get cleaned up and sleep. ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep on me Mia, you need to stay awake until the doctor has a chance to check you out, you may have a concussion.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said sleepily.


    When we got to the service elevator he produced a keycard, swiping it, the keypad beeped and turned green. Carlo punched in a code and the doors opened. I nodded off and when he jostled me again I lifted my head and looked around. We must have changed elevators because this one had mirrored walls and I caught my reflection.


    I look like hell.


    My hair was a knotted mess from when Jackson had grabbed me, my face swollen, a bruise already starting to show on my chin. To top it off make-up, blood and dried tears were smeared all over. Iid my head back on Carlo¡¯s chest and breathed in his cologne, it calmed me down and lulled me back to sleep.

 9

    Carlo


    What was I thinking?


    I paced the hotel suite while I berated myself. I had been fucking some whore while Mia was being attacked in the same goddamn hotel! Never again. I would never fail her again, she could have been killed. My stomach rolled. Heid his hands on her, and he fucking forced himself on her. Damn it! I had to calm down, Mia was in the bathroom getting cleaned up and I had to pull myself together before she came back out.


    My head was so messed up. I never made personal connections. If someone messed up or lost their usefulness they would be put down, simple. That¡¯s how my life had been before Mia came along, simple. An obstacle presented itself and I overcame it by any means necessary. There was no room for anything other than rational thought. A simple way of life, weigh the pros and cons and execute. Now all my thoughts were muddled by the feelings I was having for this girl. I wanted to protect her and make her happy and I had no clue how to do it or why I even wanted to in the first ce.


    The only person I had ever cared about before was my mother and she died a long time ago. I couldn¡¯t save her so what made me think I could save Mia? The attraction to Mia that gued me earlier seemed inconsequential now in light of the night¡¯s events.


    What a difference a day could make.


    I heard the bathroom door open in the other room and the padding of her feet as she came into the living area. My back was to the bedroom door, I didn¡¯t think I could look at her swollen face right now without going into another fit of rage. I had already smashed one of themps and knocked over the side table, I was acting like a child throwing a tantrum.


    ¡°Carlo?¡± she called, her voice was soft but not broken, like she was being gentle for my sake. ¡°Look at me, please?¡± I still didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± she tried again, that got me to turn around.


    ¡°What? God no, Mia. Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°You told me to be careful and I was anything but. I drank too much and let those guys hang out with us. I know it was stupid. I mean I knew I was being stupid, the warning bells were there but I just wanted to let loose and not worry about anything for one night.¡±


    I moved quickly to where she stood at the threshold of the bedroom and took her in my arms, resting my head on top of hers. ¡°Stop it, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯m pissed at Angelo and I¡¯m furious at the situation but not you, never you, sweetheart,¡± I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her harder, I didn¡¯t want to let her go. ¡°Come on, you need to get some rest.¡± I led her into the bedroom and tucked her into the bed. I kissed her head again and turned to click off the sidemp.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gina?¡± Mia asked in a sleepy voice.


    ¡°Gina is fine, just drunk. She¡¯s sleeping it off in your room. This is my apartment,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Mia whispered and something seemed off about her voice, ¡°Hey Carlo?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Will you stay with me?¡±


    ¡°I am, I have to wake you up every couple of hours because of the concussion, remember?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she let out a breath and started again, her voice just barely above a whisper. ¡°Could you, just, could you just hold me. Please? Just for tonight, I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    My heart stopped, then started thumping double time in my chest. ¡°Of course,¡± I climbed onto the bed from the other side, careful to stay on top of the covers, and wrapped my arms around her again. She rested her head on my chest and it just felt right. I had never done this with anyone, never just held someone like this. Normally I would have considered it way to intimate an act but with Mia it seemedpletely natural.


    Just as I was about to fall asleep she spoke, her words muffled against my chest. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. I didn¡¯t have to ask her what for, her tone told me it wasn¡¯t just one thing. I understood.


    I gave her a small squeeze, ¡°You¡¯re wee, love.¡±


    MiaN?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The weeks following the attack at the club flew by. Gina ended up staying an extra week and we took full advantage of the pool and the early summer sun. It was about all we could do while I healed. It¡¯s not like we could go out in public while I had yellow and green bruises all over my face. The only change in my routine were my self-defense lessons with Angelo every morning.


    Carlo had been reluctant when I first brought it up. It took two straight days of bargaining on my part but I eventually convinced him. He only had two conditions; the first that my lessons would be held at the house by Angelo and the second was that I could neverin about spending his money again. Thetter had been tough on me, but I begrudgingly conceded.


    The first week of training had been brutal. I had experience with taking a hit, but day after day of being hit, tossed, flipped, and choked was something else entirely. Angelo was careful to use just enough force to get the picture across without truly injuring me but my body was still incredibly sore and bruised. I had thought he would teach me how to get out of holds and enough moves to give me time to get away like the defense sses I had seen on TV or the short lessons they taught in PE at school. Boy was I wrong. Angelo was training me the same way he would train one of his men, and he was relentless.


    ¡°Again!¡± Angelo shouted as he stood over me. I was t on my back on the grass in the side yard where we had taken to practicing. Angelo had just flipped me over his shoulder from a chokehold I had him in.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be teaching me how to flip you?¡± I asked, trying to catch my breath.


    ¡°You have to learn to recover quickly, what if they throw you to the ground? You have to learn how to fall, learn how to recuperate and strike before they have a chance to attack you on the ground.¡±


    ¡°I need a water break before you start tossing me around again,¡± I said. I had to keep reminding myself this was my idea, I had asked for it and he was giving it to me. I got up from the grass as quickly as my sore muscles would allow. I stretched my arms above my head in an attempt to loosen my stiff muscles. I was wearing a ck racer back tank and Lycra capris workout pants so I could move around easily without the constraints of regr clothes.


    I walked a few yards over to where I had left my sweatshirt and water bottle. ¡°Ugh, my muscles are so tight I don¡¯t know if I can keep doing this today,¡± I said in between gulps of water. I could tell my face was flushed from exertion and sweat ran down my back. We had been at this for hours already and the summer heat was starting to get to me.

 10

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We need to stretch you out before we call it quits though, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to get out of bed in the morning. I worked you harder today than I have before and I don¡¯t want you to pull something.¡±


    I put down my water and started doing the stretches Angelo had taught me. I was never much for sports aside from the asional yoga ss with Gina and her mom so this was new territory for me. I reached my arms above my head one at a time and stretched out my sides, then moved to my back, spreading my legs into a wide stance and bending over to touch my hands to the grass in front of me. I bounced a few times enjoying the pull in my muscles. Angelo cleared his throat from somewhere behind me and I popped back up looking at him curiously from over my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said immediately, ¡°Lay down on your back and I¡¯ll work on your hamstrings.¡±


    I did as I was told andid on my back in the grass, offering him my right leg first, he got down on one knee in front of me and pushed my leg gently toward my head. Angelo was an inch or two shorter than Carlo and his body was leaner. He had taken his shirt off during our practice and I was finally getting to enjoy the view without the interruption of being attacked.


    Angelo was gorgeous. His abs were picture perfect with a little happy trail leading from his belly button down below his low slung workout pants. I noticed a scar along his left nk, about three inches long, and the skin was raised and jagged there as if it had been patched up by someone who wasn¡¯t a skilled physician. The closer I looked at him the more scars I noticed on his torso and arms, further proof he was the enforcer I knew him to be.


    When he switched to my left leg I became distinctly aware of the fact that I had this extraordinarily dangerous and undeniably sexy man between my legs. My heart started to race. I hadn¡¯t been oblivious to the fact that Angelo was good looking. With his almost ck hair, longer on the top and shorter on the sides and those dark brown eyes coupled with his tanplexion, yum. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.


    While I had noticed he was attractive, I hadn¡¯t noticed how sexy he was. He had my left leg almost all the way to my head now and he was looming over me. Using his right shoulder to support my leg so he was leaning directly over me and between my legs. I looked up at his face and my heart stuttered at the intense way he was looking at me. From this close, the tension was palpable. I was almost certain he could feel the heating from my core. I was so turned on I couldn¡¯t think straight. Our faces were just a few inches apart, with a slight shift of my body I could have his hips cradled between my legs and his mouth on mine.


    My desire must have shown on my face because in an instant Angelo let go of my leg and stood up, ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for today,¡± he said, reaching down to help me up. My head spun with exhaustion and lust when I was back on my feet. I had to give my head a little shake before bending to pick up my things and heading back into the house.


    What the fuck is wrong with me?


    I went straight for the shower when I got to my room. I was acting like a dog in heat, panting at any hot guy in front of me, first Carlo and now Angelo. But Carlo had never been a viable option, he was eleven years older than me and he was supposed to be my new brother. That was all sorts of fucked up. Angelo on the other hand was only twenty-four, much closer to my eighteen, and from the bulge I had noticed when he dropped my leg he wasn¡¯tpletely unaffected by me.


    What am I doing?


    I couldn¡¯t believe I was trying to rationalize having a fling with my personal bodyguard. This is not a movie and I am not Whitney Houston. I changed into my swimsuit and grabbed my worn out copy of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Maybe some quality time with Mr. Maddox would get my mind off of the sexy men in my life.


    Carlo


    My office door opened and Angelo appeared. ¡°Boss, I need to speak with you.¡±


    I looked up from myputer, ¡°You have information for me?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± he said, his voice filled with dread.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Angelo held up his hand, pulled a sensor from his pocket and proceeded to sweep the room for bugs. His actions concerned me, we swept the house for bugs every morning and evening. I was the only one with a key to my office and the fact that he felt the need to sweep my office again so early in the day had me worried. Once he was satisfied he put the sensor away and produced another small ck box with two small switches, he flicked one on and turned to me.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°It¡¯s a scrambler, just in case I missed something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about Angelo?¡± I didn¡¯t need to tell him I was disconcerted with this added security, he could tell by my tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m just taking some extra precautions. I¡¯vee across some new information that points to two of the men that we brought here.¡±


    ¡°Start from the beginning, I want to know everything you know.¡±


    Angelo nodded and began, ¡°Last night I was doing a perimeter check and just before I circled around to the south side of the house I heard voices. I stopped around the corner before they saw me and listened. It was Lonzo and Frank. Frank was telling Lonzo that he was supposed to hear from the boss this evening with instructions on what their next move was. Now, I know you don¡¯t tell me everything but I think I would have known if you had orders for either of them, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m disappointed, Lonzo is one of our best new recruits. What else?¡± If that was all the information Angelo had he would havee to me sooner.


    ¡°I stayed hidden for a while but they didn¡¯t say anything else. I¡¯ve had eyes on both of them since this morning so when Frank was suddenly MIA after lunch I went looking for him. I found him a little ways away from his post on the west perimeter, behind the pool house.¡± Angelo sighed heavily, ¡°Sir, he was checking a cell phone for messages.¡±


    I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. All cell phones had been confiscated when the men were brought here, they allmunicated by radio while at the estate. ¡°Bring them both in. I want Enzo, Sal, Antonio, and Al on alert and nearby.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± He turned to leave but stopped and faced me again. ¡°What about Mia? If this gets ugly¡­¡± he trailed off.


    I knew exactly what he was getting at. If things turned sideways I didn¡¯t want Mia anywhere near the action, but I didn¡¯t haveplete trust in any of my men except him to take her out of here and I needed him.


    But I need Mia safe more.


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring the men into the city. Tell them we have a lead on Kashnikov.¡±


    ¡°And Mia?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You will stay here with her. I don¡¯t like it but I¡¯ll have to make this work without you. My circle of trustworthy people is shrinking and you¡¯re the only one I trust with her right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, do you want me to tell Mia?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll handle Mia, just get the men ready to go.¡±

 11

    Mia


    When I got down to the pool, I tossed my book and towel onto one of the lounge chairs and dove into the deep end. About an hourter I wasying on my stomach on one of the loungers reading when I heard the French doors to the house open.


    I craned my neck to see who it was, careful not to lift my upper body off the lounger too much since I had untied my top to avoid tan lines. Carlo approached me with a stony look on his face, his eyes swept over my body, careful not to rest too long on any one part of me.


    ¡°I have some business to take care of and I¡¯ll be gone for a few days. Angelo will stay here with you, and Elena will be back tomorrow morning.¡± He was more abrupt than he had ever been with me before.


    Must be having a bad day.


    ¡°Okay, is everything all right?¡± I asked, genuinely concerned. I knew his definition of business was not the norm and more than likely dangerous.


    Carlo let out a breath and sat down next to my hip, when he spoke his voice was softer, ¡°Everything will be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± He brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few days,¡± he said getting up and leaving me without another nce.


    That was weird.


    I chalked it up to being another part of my new life I would have to get used to. I had known what my father did in the broad sense, but with Carlo it was different. I actually cared whether he came home or not, and while Carlo didn¡¯t divulge many details he wasn¡¯t as secretive as my father.


    Maybe it was the fact that I had killed two men since meeting Carlo, but he seemed to think I could handle some of the more seedy aspects of his life. When I had asked him about Jackson after that night in the club he had exined that he had his cleanere in and take care of it. Apparently a cleaner is a guy they call in to dispose of a body, get rid of the evidence and tie up any loose ends.


    While I didn¡¯t care much about what exactly they had to do to Jackson¡¯s body to make sure his death never came back on me, I was ufortable with the thought of what ¡®loose ends¡¯ meant, because from what I could deduct there was only one ring loose end, Derrick. I didn¡¯t really want to know what happened to him. I couldpartmentalize a lot but having to take care of a witness was not something I think I could handle yet so I didn¡¯t ask.


    Carlo


    Was she trying to give me a fucking coronary?


    Mia had been topless,ying out by the pool as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. There had been a dozen of my men here for thest two weeks, any number of them could have been wandering around gawking at her. Fuck! I didn¡¯t have time to worry about her right then, I had bigger problems.


    That was the reason I had brought my closest men to my home, I needed them here so I could watch them. Gino was apparently not the only one feeding information to the Russians. We had another mole. Vitaly Kashnikov and his sons Ivan and Boris had been trying to undercut my business dealings in Pornd for years but they had never seeded, I had always been one step ahead of them. Now they had an insider spilling secrets.


    I was always careful. No one man knew everything, but whoever was feeding them information knew enough to cripple part of my organization. Up to this point, I had considered the Russians a nuisance. They were based in Pornd, and while I controlled most of the illegal dealings in that area they were still far enough away from my home base of Seattle for me to consider them mostly inconsequential.


    That was until two weeks ago when they had robbed one of my warehouses that had held arge shipment of weapons. The initial shipment hade in a few days before the robbery and half of the weapons had already been dispersed but they still got away with half a million worth of guns and ammo. Not only did they steal from me, but they blew up my fucking warehouse causing unwanted attention from the police in the area and a huge headache for me. The warehouse was owned by one of my shellpanies so no one could track it back to me, but having the police sniffing around was not something I was excited about. Kashnikov needed to be put down.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    First things first, I had to make sure a breach like this never happened again.


    ¡­


    ¡°Gino wasn¡¯t the only rat among us,¡± I spoke clearly, my voice raised. I looked around the board room in the hotel, staring into the faces of each of my highest ranked men sitting around the table. Antonio was standing by the door, I nodded to him. He left the room and reappeared with Enzo and Al dragging Frank and Lonzo into the room. Both men beaten bloody but still recognizable. Neither of the traitors had families so I didn¡¯t need to bother with the messy business of cleaning up that mess. ¡°Bring them here.¡±


    Both men were thrown at my feet. Frank¡¯s breathsing in gurgled puffs, my guess is a broken rib had punctured a lung. Probably pretty painful, but that was the least of his worries now. I circled the pair, clucking my tongue at them.


    Coming to a stop next to Frank I gave him a swift and vicious kick to ribs on the side he seemed to be favoring. He let out a tortured moan and fell t on his face wheezing, blood dripping out of his mouth. The older man had been loyal to my father to the absolute end, never truly epting my role as Boss. I was actually thankful for the excuse to be rid of him.


    I paced back to Lonzo¡¯s side, he was younger, and one of the newest men I brought into the ranks. Maybe that¡¯s why he had turned. This new generation was a selfish one, never really loyal to anyone more than themselves. Hopefully this little show would scare some sense into the rest of the men.

 12

    Lonzo was resting on his knees, one hand holding himself up, the other had obviously been injured and was cradled to his chest. I brought my right foot up and mmed it down square in the middle of his back causing his good arm to give out and his body to fall onto the broken appendage. His startled cry was cut off when I kicked him onto his back and brought my foot down again, this time on the elbow of his broken arm effectively dislocating the joint there. The room was filled with screams of pain from Lonzo and wheezing interrupted by a wet choking sounding from Frank.


    I took a deep breath, the scent of blood filling my nostrils, and turned back around to face the men still seated at the table. Not a single one of them had moved an inch, all stoic and unflinching. If any of them was disturbed by the scene in front of them they didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°In case any of you think for one fucking minute you are smart enough to betray me and get away with it, I want you to remember this,¡± My voice was low and demanding, all eyes in the room glued to where I stood at the head of the table.


    ¡°Antonio, Enzo,¡± I snapped, nodding to the men at my feet.


    They came forward and lifted Frank onto the table, sliding him to the middle. I took off my suit jacket andid it over the back of a chair. I proceeded to remove my cufflinks and rolled the sleeves of my white oxford up my forearms. I did this slowly and methodically, maintaining eye contact with at least one of my men at all times.


    When I was finished, I nodded to Antonio who rolled over a catering cart with a countless number of weapons. I picked up therge hunting knife and climbed onto the table and stood over Frank¡¯s broken body. Looking up once more I spoke to the men still seated at the table, my voice harsh and loud, ¡°I am smarter, I am stronger, and if you betray me, I will make you wish you were in Hell before I end you.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    They may have feared me before but by the end of the day they would be irrevocably terrified of the horror I could unleash. For the next three hours I tortured the treacherous, loose-lipped men before letting them bleed out on the board room table in front of everyone.


    ¡­


    Unfortunately, theck ofmunication from their informants must have tipped off the Russians because by the time I had made it down to Pornd to deal with them personally the Kashnikov n had closed up shop and left town. Of course since they had no sense of loyalty they had fled in the night leaving their men as sitting ducks for the taking, and take I did.


    ¡­


    The bell above the door chimed as I walked into the Deli that acted as a hub for the Kashnikov¡¯s business, with Antonio, Enzo, Sal and Jimmy trailing behind me. The smell of onions and vinegar permeated the air. The man behind the counter stood up straight from where he¡¯d been leaning over the counter reading the newspaper.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I demanded, raising my gun to his face. His hands immediately shot up in a cating gesture, the universal sign for ¡®don¡¯t shoot, I¡¯m unarmed¡¯ as if that would stop me. He pointed to a door at the back of the store. ¡°Jimmy, stay with the clerk,¡± I called as I made my way to the door that would lead me to answers.


    Pushing through the door, we continued down a narrow hallway. It was dimly lit and the forest green walls made it feel even smaller. Silently we came to another door at the end of the hall. Enzo intercepted me when I reached to open the door, shaking his head once. He positioned himself in front of me and pushed it open, Antonio following him in immediately before I was even able to cross the threshold. There were two men at a small card table ying poker in the center of what appeared to be a storage room. Both the men jumped up when we entered, reaching for their guns.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you,¡± My tone ice cold.


    The men looked at each other as if the other had the answer of what to do next. This gave Enzo and Antonio time to position themselves in front of the men, guns drawn, eliminating their decision.


    ¡°Tell me where Vitaly is,¡± Imanded. When neither of the men spoke I continued, ¡°Why are you looking at each other? I¡¯m the one with the gun, I¡¯m the one asking questions, you should be looking at me. Fucking idiots. Now tell me where he is!¡± My patience was growing thin, I wanted this done with.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about,¡± the shorter and rounder of the two said. He was wearing a zip up track jacket and running pants that made a swishing sound every time he moved, it was annoying as shit.


    Way to keep the stereotype alive, asshole.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the idiot of the two, good to know. I only need one of you to tell me where he is anyways.¡± I said, aiming my gun and letting two bullets fly into him, one between the eyes and one in the chest. ¡°Back to my original question,¡± I turned to the other man in the room, his face was nk but I could see the fear in his eyes. ¡°Where?¡± I demanded.


    When he still didn¡¯t respond I moved closer, ¡°Are you fucking deaf? I asked you a fucking question.¡±


    ¡°I tell you nothing,¡± he said, spitting at my feet.


    ¡°Wrong answer,¡± I said, shooting him in the left knee. He fell and a tortured cry ripped from his throat. Impatient to get this over with I holstered my weapon and stood in front of him, gripping the back of his neck and pushing his face into the concrete floor. With my free hand I reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. Straightening, I gave him a vicious kick in the side, causing him to copsepletely to the ground.


    ¡°What do we have here?¡± I asked pulling his ID out of his wallet, ¡°Kirill Sokolov,¡± I read aloud, ¡°8213 SE 86th Ave. Pornd, OR 97266. And look there¡¯s even a family portrait.¡± Flipping the picture over, I read the inscription, ¡°Alina age nine, Dimitri age seven, and Natalya age four. Now Kirill, it would be a shame if anything were to happen to them. If you tell me what I want to know, no harm withe to your family. However, if you continue to fuck with me I will make sure they each die a painful death, am I understood?¡±


    ¡°Russia,¡± he spit out immediately. ¡°They left this morning, that¡¯s all I know. I swear it. Please do not hurt my family.¡±


    ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so hard. You have my word that no harm wille to your family at the hands of myself or my men. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for yourself.¡± I said before disposing of him.


    ¡­


    With Vitaly and his sons in the wind we ughtered each and every one of the men left behind. Destroyed or turned every one of their business partners and allies. If I couldn¡¯t find them then I was going to make sure they had nothing toe back to if they were ever so inclined.

 13

    Mia


    Three yearster¡­


    I settled into my seat in first ss, finally on my way home. I hadn¡¯t seen Carlo in nearly six months. He had been away on business when I hade home for spring break earlier that year. I had been away for most of the past three years,ing home for Thanksgiving and Christmas but I had opted to stay at school and take summer courses instead ofing home so I could graduate a year early. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t love my home, I did, but it was hard to be around Carlo.


    My crush on Angelo had been short lived. I chalked it up to teenage hormones. My infatuation with Carlo, however, had not fizzled over the years. In fact it had gotten worse and that made me ufortable. It wasn¡¯t fair to Carlo. He had taken me in and thought he was gaining a sister, but instead he gained a lustful teenager who became an even more lustful woman. I wouldn¡¯t let that stop me anymore though; I was a college graduate and a grown woman damn it. I could put a lid on my libido and enjoy my summer at the only ce that had ever felt like home.


    Sal and Enzo would be there to pick up Angelo, Gina, and I up from the airport. At Carlo¡¯s request, Angelo had followed Gina and me to college,ing home only when he absolutely needed to handle something for Carlo. Even then, Enzo would fly out and stay with us in his absence. We all shared a house in Chicago for the added security and privacy that the dorms couldn¡¯t afford.


    It wasforting knowing we were protected, but having a constant shadow consisting of arge, exceptionally scary man was a bit of a buzzkill for a college student. It didn¡¯t stop Gina though. She was as vivacious and wild as ever, not letting the muscle interfere with living up to her party girl persona. While she was able to drag me to the asional frat party, I was decidedly less willing to ignore Angelo¡¯s looming figure. Dating had been nearly impossible. In an attempt to get over my stupid crush on Carlo I had gone out with a handful of guys over the past three years, most of which never saw a second date.


    ¡­


    I started dating Zane, my one and only college boyfriend, towards the end of second semester freshman year. I met him at the first party Gina had managed to drag me to. Angelo came too but was kind enough to hang back in the shadows giving us some semnce of normalcy. After an hour of avoiding spilled drinks and drunken frat boys trying to stare down my shirt, I had escaped to the back porch for some fresh air. Surprisingly, the back deck was vacant, or so I thought.


    When I shut the sliding ss door movement to the right caught my eye, a tall guy straightened from his hunched position over the railing and turned toward me. He was hot, that much was obvious. He looked like James Dean on steroids; ck t-shirt stretched across wide shoulders, perfectly fitted jeans, ck boots, strong jawline, and piercing eyes. Check, check, check, check, and double check!N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Oh sorry, I didn¡¯t know anyone else was out here,¡± I said looking wearily at him. He was intimidating for sure, but thanks to my training sessions with Angelo I was confident I could take him down if he tried anything. Still, I turned to leave, he seemed like he wanted to be left alone.


    He appeared to rx at my hesitation, ¡°No worries, there¡¯s enough room for the both of us, my ego isn¡¯t that big,¡± he responded, making meugh.


    I stepped up to the railing a few feet from him and let the muted music from inside wash over me.


    After a few minutes of only slightly awkward silence he spoke, ¡°Not much of the partying type are you?¡±


    Another chuckle escaped my lips, ¡°Meh, just not really into drunk assholes trying to cop a feel.¡±


    His brow pulled down as he turned to look at me. ¡°Someone giving you a hard time?¡± he asked, looking like he was ready to defend my honor once I gave the word.


    I shook my head, what was it about me that made all the men in my life want to defend me? Did I look that helpless?


    ¡°No, I can handle myself.¡± It came out snarkier than intended.


    His eyebrows shot up at my tone, ¡°I¡¯m sure you can, wasn¡¯t trying to insult you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, kind of a sore subject for me,¡± I winced.


    ¡°Brothers?¡±


    Iughed again, ¡°Yeah, older brother and cousin, how¡¯d you know?¡± That was the story we hade up with to exin Angelo¡¯s presence, he was my overprotective cousin, which I guess was partially true since I was Carlo¡¯s pseudo sister.


    ¡°I drive my little sister crazy. She gets that same defiant look on her face whenever I insinuate that she needs protecting.¡±


    ¡°You would think that you¡¯d learned your lesson by now then,¡± I quipped.


    This brought out a soft chuckle from him, ¡°You¡¯d think but,¡± he knocked on his forehead, ¡°Thick skull.¡±


    I smiled at him, all earlier agitation fading away.


    ¡°I¡¯m Zane,¡± he said, extending his hand.


    ¡°Mia.¡±


    He made me rx, all the buzzing in my head faded to the background and I was just Mia. This guy didn¡¯t know anything about me, all he saw was a normal college girl with a defiant streak. I wanted that, I wanted to live in that world, if for only just a little while. Zane was a local and we dated through the summer and into the fall. Even though I didn¡¯t want to admit it at the time, he was the primary reason I stayed through the summer and took extra sses. Not that I thought we would have something permanent, mostly because I just didn¡¯t want to go back to my reality yet. I wanted to pretend for a little longer.

 14

    He was the perfect boyfriend; kind, patient, and always understanding. The sex was great too. Even if I felt like he was a little too careful with me sometimes, he was passionate and doting. I loved the attention he gave me. It was easy being with him, even Angelo came to like him, it was hard not to.


    He was the perfect distraction, until my real life caught up to me.


    ¡­


    One night during the fall of my sophomore year Angelo was back in Seattle handling business with Carlo and Enzo was taking on the role of my personal security. I had been studyingte at the library, which was normal for me, and I still had a ton more to do that night before a huge test the next morning. It was going to be an all-nighter. After we got home and Enzo swept the house, I asked him to go pick me up some supplies for the night, meaning pizza from my favorite restaurant across town and chocte gto. About fifteen minutes after he left I heard Ginae in with her douchebag of a boyfriend, Chris, they were fighting again. I turned up my music and tried to tune them out as I studied.


    A few minutester there was a loud thump and I heard Gina scream. I jumped off my bed and barreled down the stairs to the main foyer in a matter of seconds. When I turned the corner into the kitchen Chris was standing over Gina kicking her over and over again, her crumpled body mming into the cabs with each brutal strike of his boot. Her face was bloody and she was whimpering as he continued to beat and scream at her.


    I lost it, looking around the kitchen, I spotted the knives but they were too far away. Without thinking I grabbed a skillet from the stovetop and swung. Chris hadn¡¯t heard mee in and when he turned around at the sound of my scream it was just in time to catch a face full of cast iron, over and over again.


    Chris fell after the first swing, but I followed him down to the floor with my strikes until he resembled something you would find on the side of the road. I knew head wounds bled profusely but I had never seen anything quite as gruesome as the scene thaty before me.


    The heavy pan had crushed his skull and split the skin on his face. The underlying flesh was exposed along with what I could only imagine were bone fragments and brain matter swirling in an unbelievable amount of gore. It was as if all the blood in his 22 year old body had been pumped out onto the floor in a matter of minutes, creating arge crimson halo.


    Gina¡¯s screams pulled me from my reverie, she was shrieking between hupped sobs. The skillet slipped from my hand and dropped to the floor, echoing off the tile with a deafening nk. My heart was racing from exertion, but my hands remained steady as I slowly made my way over to where she was huddled against the cabs.


    I gently pushed the hair that had fallen from her ponytail off her face, my voice calm and soothing when I spoke. ¡°Gina? It¡¯s okay, everything is going to be okay. I¡¯ve got you.¡± Taking stock of her injuries, I noted along with her battered face and arge bump that was blooming at her left temple, her arms were wrapped around her middle as if she could hold the pain in.


    ¡°Come on, up you go. Let¡¯s get you cleaned up,¡± I said as I helped her to her feet. She was still sobbing but the screeching had subsided. She huddled close to me and I supported her weight as I guided her from the room, her face buried in my shoulder to avoid the brutal sight of Chris¡¯ body.


    Once we made it up the stairs I ushered her into the bathroom. ¡°Here, sit down,¡± I said gesturing to the toilet. Her body was wracked with tremors as she made her way to the proffered seat. ¡°Honey, you have to try to take some deep breaths for me, okay?¡± I asked as I squatted in front of her. She attempted to draw inrge gulps of air in between her erratic pants. Her face was pale and her eyes wild with terror.


    Fuck! She¡¯s going to have a full blown meltdown.


    I quickly stood and grabbed a washcloth, running it under the sink. I didn¡¯t have time for the water to warm up, I needed to get her cleaned as best I could and in bed before she had a panic attack. It¡¯s not like I could leave a dead body seeping God knows what onto my kitchen floor for very long. I had to get a hold of Enzo and get a cleaner out here to dispose of my mess.


    ¡°Sweetie, look at me, I¡¯m going to clean you up the best I can,¡± I said as I gently wiped away the blood and tears from her cheeks. Slowly but surely Gina¡¯s breaths became more even and the vacant stare in her eyes faded. ncing down at her clothes I noticed they were covered in blood, especially her jeans, which were stained a muddy brick red. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of these,¡± I said and helped her out of her clothes until she was standing in front of me in only her bra and underwear.


    Catching my gaze, Gina noticed the smears of blood that had seeped through her clothes and stained her skin. She let out a strangled cry, her chest heaving with the effort to keep up with her rapidly increasing breaths. Snatching the washcloth from the counter where I had ced it she began manically scrubbing at the blood. ¡°Off, off, off,¡± she whimpered, ¡°It won¡¯te off, why won¡¯t ite off?¡± The sobs returned full force, her body quaking with her increased panic.


    ¡°Whoa, calm down, we¡¯ll get it off. Here get in the shower.¡± I pulled her over to the shower stall, cranking the water onto full st, and shoving her in. By the time I was finished scrubbing all the blood from her skin, the entire top half of me was soaking wet and Gina was huddled on the floor of the shower shaking even worse than before.


    Once I got her out of the shower and changed into some dry clothes, I tucked her into bed. I handed her an Ambien. gued with night terrors since the attack at the club, her doctor had prescribed her the pill to help her sleep. It was supposed to be a short term solution, but Gina had be dependent on the drug and unable to sleep without it.


    She¡¯ll have even more shit haunting her dreams now.


    When I was confident she was fast asleep and not going to wake up, I walked down stairs and looked at the gruesome scene I had left in the kitchen. Reaching for my phone I dialed Enzo.


    ¡°Jesus woman, I¡¯m almost there I had to run all the way across town, you¡¯d think you¡¯d die without your damn gto fix-¡±


    ¡°I need a cleaner,¡± I cut him off mid-rant.


    ¡°Shit! Wha-¡± I disconnected the call before he had a chance to berate me with questions. I wasn¡¯t going to discuss this over the phone, he would be here soon enough and I would exin then.


    I sat on one of the bar stools at the kitchen ind and surveyed the scene. This was the third man I had killed and again, I felt no remorse. I wasn¡¯t scared. Even in Chicago I knew Carlo had connections and this would nevere back on me, more than anything I was pissed. Not at Chris, he got what he deserved, but at myself. This was my life. This was who I was. I couldn¡¯t deny it anymore, and I couldn¡¯t go on pretending. I knew I had to end my rtionship with Zane. Otherwise I risked him getting too close, or worse, caught in my crossfire.


    In the months that followed I buried myself in every distraction I could find. Taking a full load of coursework, I doubled my training sessions with Angelo and even tried to get a job, but Carlo quickly squashed that idea saying it caused too many variables in my security.


    My rtionship with Gina was strained, I resented her for bursting my little bubble of normal. If it wasn¡¯t for her reckless behavior andplete shit taste in men I wouldn¡¯t have been put in the position to have to do what I did. I knew deep down that I was actually angry at myself but I wasn¡¯t ready to address my self-loathing and run through all the ways that scenario could have gone if I didn¡¯t have a penchant for doling out my own brand of justice.


    Because of my self-alienation I hadn¡¯t noticed how bad Gina was spiraling. She had turned to partying a little too hard after Chris¡¯ death. Officially, it was a mugging gone wrong, but we knew the truth. Gina didn¡¯t hold it against me but she couldn¡¯t really handle it, she was traumatized to say the least and turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. It took finding Gina passed out on our front stoop at one in the morning to pull me out of my indifference and realize that my friend was in trouble.


    I hade home from anotherte night at the library to find her sprawled out,pletely unconscious, keys in hand. She had vomited all over herself and was lying in a pool of her own filth. Angelo helped me get her into the house. I slept next to her on the bathroom floor, holding her hair when she got sick time and time again throughout the night and rubbing her back. Hushing her while she sobbed and apologized.


    The next morning we finally talked for the first time in nearly five months.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on Gina?¡± I asked. She was nursing the hangover from hell but I wasn¡¯t going to let her off the hook.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I j-just, wanted it to stop, I wanted to forget,¡± she cried.


    ¡°Forget what? You have to tell me what is going on if I¡¯m going to be able to help you.¡± I wanted to help her, I just didn¡¯t know how. I felt guilty for isting myself after Chris¡¯ death. I resented her when I should have been angry with myself, which caused her to feel like she couldn¡¯te to me with her problems.


    God, I am such a fucking asshole.


    ¡°I keep seeing his face, or what was left of it, that night. I can¡¯t get it to go away, every time I close my eyes-¡± she broke off in a fit of sobs, her tears thick and heavy with makeup as they streaked down her face.


    ¡°Honey,¡± I said, the pity and regret rolling off my tongue without my permission, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°N-Not your f-fault,¡± she hupped.


    ¡°It is, I should have checked in on you, made sure you were okay. I¡¯ve been a shit friend and I am so sorry,¡± my voice shaky with unshed tears. Gina and her family were the only thing I had left of my old life, pushing them away had been a mistake. The fear of losing Gina snapped me out of my self-induced exile, and made me realize what a fool I¡¯d been to take my friend for granted. She was only human. It wasn¡¯t her fault that I had let my temper take control, my actions were what had destroyed the carefully orchestrated fa?ade I¡¯d been living in with Zane.


    I pulled her into my arms, letting her sob into my shoulder. We sat like that for a long time, repeating apologies and whispering promises for the future.


    Gina started seeing a counselor and I made a point to check in with her everyday no matter how busy I was. We grew closer than ever before, using each other as confidants and working through our problems. It was a long battle, but finally she got sober the summer before her junior year.


    She did really well for most of the year, actually taking her sses seriously. Toward the end of thest semester I started noticing things were off with her, always jumpy and looking like she hadn¡¯t gotten enough sleep but was wide awake anyways. I eventually figured out she had been using again, this time it was prescription pills. Again, I dried her out. Then I found her dealer and took Angelo with me to scare the ever loving shit out of him.

 15

    Angelo and I made our way up the stairs to the apartment where Mike, the dealer that had been selling Gina pills, lived. Angelo signaled for me to stay back but I ignored him, brushing past him to bang on the front door. There was shuffling from inside, then the sound of something crashing to the ground before the door swung open to reveal a skinny guy in his mid-twenties wearing nothing but gym shorts. I pushed my way inside with Angelo close on my heels. I took stock of the apartment, it was small. The living room, bedroom and kitchen were all one space with a small door in the corner that I assumed led to the bathroom. His bed was separated from the rest of the room by a cheap Asian inspired privacy screen. An old couch sat predominately in the center of the room in front of a giant sma screen TV. The rest of the ce was sparsely furnished. If his home was any indication he wasn¡¯t an exceptionally sessful drug dealer.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± he drawled, obviously stoned. So that¡¯s where all his money went. Hadn¡¯t he ever heard that you¡¯re not supposed to dip into your own stash?


    ¡°As a matter of fact, Mike, you can,¡± I said stalking towards him, the look on my face must have given away the anger that was raging inside of me because he kept backing away from me until he hit the couch. I kept my steady advance on him, never breaking eye contact. When I was toe to toe with him I continued, ¡°You have been selling to my friend Gina,¡± I seethed, pushing him backwards onto the couch so that I was standing over him.


    ¡°Who? Lookdy, I sell to a lot of people. I don¡¯t know who your friend is.¡± While he appeared to be apprehensive of me his tone was stillzy with whatever drug he¡¯d taken.


    ¡°Yes you do. From what she told me, she¡¯s been buying from you for a while now. Petite, brown hair, and big boobs with an attitude to match.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°What I want is for you to stop selling to her.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Dude, peoplee to me with money and I give them what they want. I¡¯m not the fucking Po Po, okay? I¡¯m not going to turn down money because you don¡¯t want your friend popping pills.¡±


    ¡°So you do remember her. I don¡¯t like it when people lie to me, Mike.¡± I pulled out a knife from my boot and leaned forward into his space, ¡°Let¡¯s try this again, shall we? You¡¯re going to stop selling to Gina, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked cing the tip of my knife at the base of his throat. He swallowed hard but didn¡¯t say anything so I continued, ¡°Because if you don¡¯t, me and my friend over here,¡± I gestured to where Angelo was standing a few feet behind me, ¡°are going to be back, and it will not end well for you if we have toe back to this shit hole. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay. I won¡¯t sell to her anymore,¡± he said, his voice strained from the effort it took not to move his neck too much where my knife was digging into his skin.


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, pushing the knife in just a little bit harder, causing the skin to break and a small drop of blood to appear emphasizing my point, before I leaned away taking my knife with me. Satisfied that he would never sell to Gina again, I left.


    Two weekster I walked in on Gina passed out cold on the bathroom floor. She had mixed alcohol and pills and nearly killed herself. After the doctors pumped her stomach and gave me the all clear that she would be okay I dodged out on Angelo and left the hospital headed straight for Mike¡¯s house.


    I walked right into the motherfucker¡¯s apartment. He lived in a shitty little ce not far from campus and from myst visit I knew he lived alone. Sure enough he was sitting on his couch in front of the TV in his underwear when I walked in. A quick survey of the small studio confirmed he was alone. I hadn¡¯te with a weapon, just with the knowledge that I had given this fucker a second chance and now he was going to die.


    He jumped up from his ce on the couch when I burst through his front door.


    ¡°Sit the fuck down you piece of shit!¡± I said, stalking over to him.


    He refused, instead, remaining on his feet. ¡°Get the fuck out of my house you crazy bitch!¡± he yelled back at me. His voice was clear, he was sober this time.


    ¡°I fucking warned you, and you didn¡¯t take me seriously, your mistake,¡± I flipped the cheap particle board coffee table over and to the side, gaining unobstructed ess to where the fucker was standing in front of the couch. My actions must have made more of an impact than my words because he moved to run around me for the front door. ¡°Oh, hell no motherfucker!¡± I grabbed his left arm as he tried to pass me, twisting it up and behind his back. Kicking at the backs of his knees until he dropped to the floor. This angle gave me better leverage, with a jerk I dislocated his shoulder causing the little weasel to cry out in pain. I pushed him down until he was lying t on his stomach and continued to crank at his injured shoulder. ¡°Tell me right now and this is as far as this goes, did you sell to Gina again?¡±


    ¡°She came to me, I swear!¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the fucking agreement. I warned you what would happen if you sold to her again.¡± I said my voice tranquil, masking the fury building inside of me.


    ¡°But you just said-¡±


    ¡°I lied. Just like you,¡± I spotted a baseball bat in the corner, snatching it up, I beat him until my arms couldn¡¯t lift the bat anymore.


    Again, I found myself staring down at the bludgeoned body of a man that had crossed me. The scene was much the same as the one in my kitchen all those months ago, and again, I felt no guilt, no remorse whatsoever. Instead the tingling sensation of satisfaction prickled across my skin. This anger inside of me, when unleashed, was lethal. It felt good, cathartic even. It was at that point I started to realize that this was who I was, it was in my blood.


    Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?


    This was the first time I¡¯d killed without being in a defensive situation. It was with intent. It was murder.


    ¡­


    A monthter we were on our way home. I had graduated but decided not to walk. I didn¡¯t need the fanfare, and I had gotten my degree, which was all I cared about. As soon as wended Sal was going to take Gina to a rehab facility, ny days to dry-out and get some counseling. With any luck when she came back for thest part of summer she would be her normal self and ready to go back to school on her own.


    I reached over and tucked Gina¡¯s hand into my own. She turned her head and smiled at me, she looked like hell. I would have preferred for her to go to rehab a month ago but she insisted that she finish out final exams and do rehab closer to home. I understood. She didn¡¯t want to be that far away from family, and even though we wouldn¡¯t be able to see her or contact her for the first thirty days just knowing we were close was afort.


    ¡°Love you,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Love you, too,¡± she whispered back and closed her eyes.

 16

    CarloMaterial ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Al announced as he stood in the doorway of my office.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as I stood from my desk, buttoning my suit jacket and heading out to the foyer to greet Mia. I hadn¡¯t seen her in months. Although she hadn¡¯te home often during her time at college this was the longest I had gone without seeing her since we met over three years ago. I was startled to realize that I had missed her. I hadn¡¯t missed anyone since I was a child, but the nervous squeeze of my stomach and pang of hollowness in my chest whenever someone mentioned her was telling of just how much Mia had wedged herself past my hard exterior and into my heart. It was dangerous to care for her the way I did, I knew that, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to let her go.


    I came around the corner to the foyer just as the front doors opened and Mia stepped through. She was magnificent, not that she hadn¡¯t always been beautiful but she had be confident in her time away. Now, just a week shy from her twenty-first birthday, I could barely reconcile the scared and feisty teenage girl she had been when I first met her with the elegant woman before me.


    I felt my feet unglue from the floor where I had stopped as soon as I saw her and take me forward to meet her. When she saw me she broke out in a smile that I knew matched my own and ran full force at me. I caught her up and spun her around as she giggled.


    The smell of orange blossoms engulfed me and I squeezed her tighter. I had no idea what her ns were now that she was finished with school but I knew with certainty that I didn¡¯t want her leaving again. I had allowed her to move half way across the country for school because it had been her dream but I would do whatever it took to keep her here with me now that she was back in my arms.


    ¡°How¡¯s my college graduate?¡± I asked as I set her down.


    ¡°d to be home,¡± she said with a sigh.


    ¡°Good,¡± I said smiling down at her, ¡°Nowe, let¡¯s have a drink and you can catch me up.¡±


    When I lifted my head to lead her to my office I noticed Al and Angelo still in the doorway. Angelo averted his eyes as soon as I looked up and headed up the stairs with a couple of suitcases. Al however, was staring at me with a curious look on his face. Ice slid down my spine at the realization that I had just shown my hand, I had let my guard down and allowed someone to see how much I cared for her. I exposed my weakness and I had no idea how I was going to conceal it again. I clenched my jaw at my thoughtlessness.


    ¡°What the hell are you waiting for? Go help Angelo with the bags,¡± I barked out at him, my tone much more fierce than the situation normally would have warranted.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he said with a nod.


    I would have to remind him what happens to people when they stick their noses in my business.


    Mia


    The next two months flew by. Carlo took me to New York for my birthday. We walked all over the city, eating the best food, seeing the best shows, and shopping at the best boutiques. Over the years I had gotten over my issue with spending Carlo¡¯s money. It was a lost cause anyways, may as well enjoy it.


    It was the perfect birthday and having a solid week of just Carlo and me was absolute bliss and absolute torture at the same time. If anything, the trip had caused me to fall even harder for him. He was so present and attentive. Since it was just us, there was no shortage of physical contact, something he avoided when we were around his men. A kiss on the crown of my head, a hand at the small of my back, or an arm on the back of my chair.


    All the small touches when separate were nothing,pletely inconsequential, but a full week of them had left my head fuzzy and my heart full of stupid hopes. While we were gone Carlo had seemed happy, light even, an easy smile on his face and kind eyes for me.


    ¡­


    On ourst night in New York Carlo, took me to Sparks Steak House, near Grand Central Station. The food was amazing and the wine flowed freely. Unlike so many times before, Carlo didn¡¯t rent out a private room for our meal, instead we were seated on the main floor of the restaurant with a front row view of the hustle and bustle of one of New York¡¯s best restaurants. We talked about everything and nothing, enjoying our food while we joked andughed. If I hadn¡¯t known better I would think it was a date, it certainly felt that way. We were having such a fantastic time we didn¡¯t notice that the ce had started to empty until we were thest upants. We made our way back to the hotel and up to the penthouse where we were staying. Therge apartment had a sitting room as soon as you walked in and two adjacent bedrooms.


    I traipsed into the sitting room, stillughing about something Carlo had said, and copsed onto the couch. Removing my shoes, I called out to Carlo, ¡°Do we have anymore wine?¡± I asked, I was having so much fun with this rxed version of Carlo I didn¡¯t want the night to end.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s behind the bar, I¡¯ll grab a bottle.¡±


    He approached with an uncorked bottle of wine and two sses, and we continued our conversation through two bottles of wine. At some point I had slid off of the couch and onto the plush carpet, now sprawled out, t on my back in the middle of the room. Carlo was in the same position, our faces just a foot apart with our bodies stretched out in opposite directions.


    ¡°Tell me something. I¡¯ve tried to figure it out over the years but I still don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re apletely different person when you¡¯re with Gina, fun and carefree, but when I met you, well actually before I met you I noticed you were quiet and reserved. Which is still different from the way you are at home with me. I guess what I¡¯m asking is why?¡±


    Iughed, we were both drunk at this point, which was painfully obvious by Carlo¡¯s rambling line of questioning. ¡°I grew up terrified of my father, so I tried to be as invisible as possible. I guess I thought that if he didn¡¯t notice me, if I was perfect and quiet, I would somehow avoid his cruelty. It took me years of being friends with Gina and seeing how her family was together to realize that my home life wasn¡¯t normal, and it took even longer to rx enough to let my long suppressed personalitye out, at least when I was with Gina. She was my safe ce for a long time, the only person I could be myself around. She gave me strength and confidence that I¡¯d never been allowed before.¡±

 17

    ¡°What changed though? You weren¡¯t scared of your father in that basement three years ago.¡±


    Iughed without humor, ¡°No, I suppose I wasn¡¯t. I guess part of me knew that he couldn¡¯t hurt me anymore and the rage I¡¯d been holding in bubbled to the surface. It¡¯s not like I was never angry before, I was, but I was also smart enough to know that I couldn¡¯t do anything about it when it came to him. My father used physical force to obtain emotional and psychological power over others. I know that now, thanks to my psych studies in college, but back then I didn¡¯t know why he did it. I med myself for not being good enough.


    ¡°Things changed for me when my mom lost the baby, I think my dad felt guilty so he stopped taking his anger out on her and turned to me. I was used to the asional backhand and the not so asional put down, but what I hadn¡¯t experienced before was the brutality he could inflict when he was really angry. I was about fourteen at the time and I stayed my course for about two years, keeping my head down and avoiding him at all costs, but by the time I was sixteen the disgust I felt for him was indescribable. I startedshing out at others, taking my frustrations from home out on anyone I could.


    ¡°It kind of came to a head at this party Gina and I went to the summer before junior year. I ended up getting into a fight with a girl that was talking shit about Gina and I messed her up pretty bad. At the time it felt good, great even, to finally release some of that shit I¡¯d been holding in, but afterwards the guilt set in. I was terrified that I was turning into my father, that I somehow inherited his sadistic qualities and was one step away from bing just like him. After that I went back to being the quiet one, trying desperately to keep a hold on this anger that I had gotten a taste of. I was doing well until you decided to have me dragged into that basement.¡±


    ¡°I should say I¡¯m sorry about that, but I¡¯m not,¡± Carlo said, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not either, you got me out of that situation. You gave me a home, a family. But I still struggle with the idea of bing like him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not like your father, Mia. You¡¯repassionate and thoughtful. You care deeply about the people in your life, and he didn¡¯t give a shit about anyone but himself. Yes, you have a temper, but you don¡¯t dole out unnecessary punishment, you don¡¯t take your anger out on innocent people. Sometimes we need to be brutal, and sometimes we need to be soft. You can¡¯t be one or the other all the time and survive in the world, there has to be bnce.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m always right, you¡¯d do well to remember that,¡± heughed.


    ¡°What about you? You never talk about your past, tell me something.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Tell me about your parents,¡± I said, knowing full well that a drunk Carlo was the only way I was going to get any sort of insight into his past.


    He let out a long sigh before he started, ¡°I was an only child so that meant that one day I would inherit the empire that my grandfather had built. My father, the bastard he was, took that to mean that I needed to be groomed for this life. To be the mirror image of himself, ruthless and uncaring. He called them lessons, but it was just cruelty. If I argued with him or contradicted him in any way he would beat me until I submitted to his will.


    ¡°I was eight years old the first time I witnessed him murder a man. When I cried, because I was an eight year old boy with no clue what was going on, he beat me. Told me men don¡¯t cry and that I needed to grow up because one day I would have to do exactly what he did, that one day I would be exactly like him. I fought it though, I vowed to myself that I would never be like him, even when I was forced to do unspeakable things I would never be as depraved as him.¡±I knew my father was a bad man. My mother had tried to protect me for as long as she could but Vincenzo DeLuca was an intolerant man. Time and time again I watched as he backhanded my mother, and screamed filthy names at her, and time and time again I watched her pick herself up just in time to get knocked back down. She was a strong woman, my mother. She tried to offset the bad with good. Tried to undo some of the teachings of my father, and I loved her for it. She tried to teach me that just because you had to do bad things didn¡¯t mean you had to be a bad person. She would take me to church and charity events in an attempt to save my soul, I think, but she couldn¡¯t change the course I had been on since birth.


    ¡°The first man I ever killed had borrowed money from my father, indirectly of course, and when it came time to pay he refused and even went so far as to threaten my father. That was cause for immediate termination, and my father thought that it was the perfect opportunity for histest lesson. He didn¡¯t tell me where we were going, just saying we had some business to take care of and demanding me to get in the car. I had just turned sixteen. When we got into town he took me in the back entrance to one of his clubs and down into a basement where a man was tied to a chair and surrounded by several of my father¡¯s men,¡± he scoffed, ¡°I guess the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree does it?¡± When I didn¡¯t respond he continued, ¡°My father exined what the man had done as he ced a revolver in my hand, telling me to ¡®take care of it¡¯. Inside I was terrified. Despite the things my father had demanded of me over the years I still felt like I was me, but I knew as soon as I pulled that trigger I would forever be the man he made me.¡±

 18

    ¡°But you did it, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I couldn¡¯t let him see weakness. I had to take a life to save my own, because if I embarrassed my father in front of his men then I was liable to never see the light of day again. When we came home that night something had shifted, one look at my face and my mother knew. Her heartbreak was palpable, with the pull of a trigger I had just crushed any hope she¡¯d had for me to get away from my father¡¯s grasp. The next day she got on a ne to Italy with the excuse of visiting family and left me in the hands of the monster we¡¯d fought against for so many years. I only saw my mother three more times before she died, and each time her disappointment and despair cut me deeper than thest.¡±


    ¡°She abandoned you?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, for years I resented her for it, but as I got older I realized it was probably more self-preservation than anything. The only reason she¡¯d stayed as long as she did was because she was fighting for me, and I¡¯d just thrown it all away. I¡¯d let my father take control of me. There was nothing left for her to fight for.¡±


    ¡°What happened after she left?¡±


    ¡°I became an enforcer, started working for my father full time and learned how the business worked. What my parents didn¡¯t realize is that I was still my own person. I refused to let my father burn away my will, I had too much of my mother in me. I wasn¡¯t the sheep he wanted me to be, following blindly in his wake and carrying out his bidding without thought.


    ¡°As I got older I became increasingly critical of his decisions, noticing the ounts were dwindling and less and less money was going back in to buy more product. He was a selfish man, I had always known that, but his greed and gambling addiction had gotten him into a mess of trouble. When I discovered he¡¯d been burning through money faster than we could make it for years I confronted him. After all, this was to be my empire one day and I would be damned if he bankrupted it before I ever got control. I told him it was time for him to step down and allow me to take over. Naturally his embarrassment manifested itself in anger and violence and he did the one thing he could to try and break me.¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡±


    ¡°He killed my mother. He didn¡¯te out and say he was the one responsible but from the glint in his eye when he told me she¡¯d been in a car ident and didn¡¯t make it, I knew. The thing was he didn¡¯t break me, instead he gave me even more reason to fight. I refused to be his pawn, instead I destroyed him. I knew that to end him and take control of the family would mean that I had to relinquish a part of my soul in order to be the monster I needed to be. With my mother gone there wasn¡¯t a reason for me to need a soul anyways so I did what my father had done before me and sold my humanity for dominance, power and money.¡±


    ¡°Carlo, if you didn¡¯t have a soul you wouldn¡¯t have taken me in, given me all that you have. You have to know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Now I know that, but at the time and for many years after that, I didn¡¯t. When you came kicking and screaming into my life I was in awe, that foul mouth and all that passion and anger,¡± he chuckled, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you.¡± He turned his head to study my face, hisst words softly floating in the air around us.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you, either.¡± I whispered. We stared at each other for a long time, only a few inches separating us. I wanted to kiss him. He¡¯d just poured out his deepest secrets and fears and all I could think about was leaning in and tasting the wine that stained his lips.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for bed,¡± Carlo said suddenly. Jumping up from his position on the floor to help me up. ¡°We have an early flight in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, enough daddy issues for one night.¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Carlo chuckled, ¡°Good night, sweetheart,¡± he said kissing my forehead before we went our separate ways to bed.

 19

    I had thought that our drunken conversation in New York had caused something to shift in our rtionship, but once we got back to the house things returned to the way they were before. Carlo was still caring but kept a more reserved distance from me, especially in front of his men. While I knew Carlo didn¡¯t feel the same way about me that I did him, I knew that he did care for me. I also knew that he saw his affections for me as a weakness and was cognizant of how he behaved in front of his men. Though it had been years since my father and his other men had betrayed him but Carlo was still weary, almost to the point of paranoia. I understood where he wasing from, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to like it.


    I had no idea what I wanted to do now that school was over. I considered a graduate degree but I was burned out on school, at least for the time being. It only took me about a week after getting back from New York to start crawling the walls, begging Carlo to give me something to do. If I was going to be home for the foreseeable future he might as well put me to work.


    Apparently Carlo liked the idea of keeping me around to work for him because within the month I was overseeing all of his legitimate businesses. Each firm had its own president, while I directed each of them at a high level and managed the parentpany. Really, it was mostly reviewing reports and handling the portfolios from each of our lines of business. I was on a bit of a learning curve but I picked things up fast, much to the relief of Nicky, the old man who currently ran things for Carlo. The poor man walked with a limp, using a cane for support. His weathered skin was tan and etched with wrinkles, his hair thinning and snow white. He had deep set watery eyes that were the lightest blue I¡¯d ever seen. When he smiled his entire face scrunched up into a mass of lines causing his eyes to bepletely consumed by thick wiry eyebrows.


    ording to Nicky, he had wanted to retire years ago but Carlo wouldn¡¯t let him until he found a sessor that could handle things as well as he did. It was kind of sad seeing as Nicky was about a hundred years old and well overdue for retirement. I understood Carlo¡¯s hesitation to let Nicky go, the old man was still sharp as a tack and his other men weren¡¯t exactly the CEO type.


    d to be of use, I dove head first into the work. It gave me purpose and a sense of direction. I could see myself doing this long-term, it felt like I was finally pulling my weight and contributing to the family. Another plus was the fact that the men were starting to look at me with more respect, and less like a child they were forced to babysit.


    By the time Gina checked out of rehab, I was fully entrenched in the business and Nicky was well on his way to a happy retirement. I still called on him for help from time to time but he spent less time at his office in the city and more time at home with his grandchildren. I had opted to set up shop at the house,mandeering my own office. I also kept an office in the city, where I had a full staff, for when I absolutely had to be present to handle things or take meetings. But I had been away for so long I preferred to work from thefort of home.


    ¡­


    Exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders as I walked the short distance from my office to Carlo¡¯s. I had put in long ours this week in preparation for my week long staycation with Gina. It was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon and I only had an hour before she would be here. I needed Carlo¡¯s approval on a few changes so I could send them off to the main office and power down for the day.


    I had been slowly making changes to some of the procedures and streamlining the management of the businesses so it was easier to oversee at a high level. While Nicky had been good at his job, he was old school. Just converting the various businesses to the same software was going to be a year-long process but it would save so much time when it came to reconciling at the end of the year. The new software would also make it easier to hide the money we wereundering from the illegitimate business dealings into the legitimate ones.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I walked into Carlo¡¯s office but didn¡¯t see him, then I heard the shower running in his adjacent bathroom. Why the man needed a full bathroom in his office when he had one right upstairs in his room I had no idea. Normally, I would have just set the file on his desk and left, but I didn¡¯t have time to wait. I walked over to the bathroom door which was ajar, with every intention of letting him know I was waiting for his approval on these drafts and he needed to hurry his ass up.


    All my good intentions were shattered, however, when I reached the entrance to the bathroom and saw his reflection in the mirror through the crack in the door. He was in the ss shower stall opposite the mirror. His forehead pressed to the stone wall beneath the showerhead, the stream of water pounding his back. He was gorgeous, all ripped muscle and tattooed olive skin, but what caught my attention was his hand wrapped around his incredibly hard cock.


    My heart started to race, my breathsing faster and my nipples tingled and tightened. He was working himself at a furious pace and then he groaned. Oh. My. God. I squeezed my legs together, Jesus, I didn¡¯t think I had ever been this turned on before. I didn¡¯t even think it was fucking possible but I was pretty sure I just had a mini orgasm. His speed picked up and his shoulders tightened, his ass clenching, and just before he came he groaned out again.


    ¡°Mia,¡± It was rough and strangled, but it was most definitely my name. I froze as he climaxed and slowed his movements, milking every bit of his orgasm, his breathing out in ragged pants.


    All of a sudden, rage traveled through me. That MOTHERFUCKER! He wanted me. That much was obvious, but how long? I was pretty sure my lust for him was written all over my fucking face and he just left me hanging, looking the lovesick fool.


    Oh, hell no.


    I quickly backtracked and headed to my office before he could notice I had been there. I shut and locked the door. I was going to torture him. Then, I was going to fuck some goddamn sense into him. I threw the file on the desk and turned towards the mirror behind it. I unbuttoned an extra couple of buttons on my shirt and adjusted myself so you could just barely see the top swell of my breasts and if I leaned just right, the top of mycey bra was visible as well. Thank God I took up Carlo¡¯s proclivity for dressing up for work even if it was just in the house.


    Next, I twisted my long dark hair into a bun and secured it with a pen, pulling out a few strands to make it look like it had been that way for a while. I admired my handiwork in the mirror for another minute and headed back to his office. I was done ying the good girl. The second he said my name in the shower he gave me the green light. I was going full force, he wasn¡¯t going to know what hit him.

 20

    Carlo


    I was just fastening my cufflinks after my shower when a knock came at my office door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± I called.


    ¡°I have a few things for you to review before I send them off to the main office,¡± Mia said as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She wasn¡¯t looking at me. Her eyes were focused on the contents of the file she was carrying, which gave me a moment to take her in. It looked like she had gotten warm while she was working. Her hair was pulled up exposing her neck and a few buttons had been undone on her shirt.


    My heart started thumping harder and my dick twitched in my pants. I had been thinking about her all day after I caught a glimpse of hering out of the pool from her morning swim. I had been so distracted I had to take a fucking shower in the middle of the goddamn day so I could jerk off and clear my head. Now here she was getting me all hot and bothered again. I wanted her here and I liked the fact that she had chosen to work from home most of the time but it was seriously fucking with my productivity.


    She nced up as she reached my desk. I had to sit down to hide the evidence of my erection. Without a break in stride she rounded the desk and sat on the edge as sheid the file in front of me. Leaning towards me she began listing all the changes that needed my approval. I knew it was important and I should be listening, but at this angle I could see down her shirt and the very top of her whitece bra. Nothing else in the world mattered more than that little bit ofce right now.


    ¡°Is it to your satisfaction?¡± Mia¡¯s voice interrupted my wayward thoughts. Fuck! What the hell had she been talking about? The changes, right.


    I cleared my throat, ¡°Yes, this will be fine,¡± I said and risked a ce up at her face, hoping she hadn¡¯t caught me ogling her. She was smiling.


    Okay good.


    ¡°Perfect, you just need to sign and initial here and here,¡± she said pointing at the documents, my mind was still racing to keep up so it took me a second to realize I needed a pen.


    ¡°Uh, pen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, here,¡± she said pulling the pen from her hair, which caused her hair to fall in soft waves framing her face and breasts perfectly and effectively cut off all oxygen from my lungs.


    Jesus Christ, I am so fucked.


    Using thest of the blood left in my brain I took the pen from her and quickly signed the documents.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll fax these over to the office right away. I¡¯m going to grab a quick shower and get ready before Gina gets here. We¡¯re still going to dinner right?¡± she asked as she hopped off my desk and gathered the file.


    Did she just say shower?


    ¡°Carlo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I was acting like a teenage boy. She shouldn¡¯t be able to distract me like this, I was a grown man for Christ sake.


    ¡°Okay, are you all right? You look flushed.¡±


    ¡°Fine, not to worry. We¡¯ll leave for dinner at five.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. See you in a bit,¡± she called over her shoulder as she left.


    So, so fucked.


    Mia


    I couldn¡¯t wipe the smirk off my face as I left his office, if I had even an inkling of doubt about his feelings towards me before I had absolutely none now. This was going to be so much fun.


    ¡­


    I had just gotten out of the shower when Elena called up to let me know Gina was here. I threw on a pair of tight yoga shorts and a tank, figuring if I had to run downstairs I might as well take the opportunity to torment Carlo some more. After a quick onceover in the mirror I dashed out of my room and down the stairs. Gina was standing in the foyer, looking fantastic, rehab had done her good. I crashed into her, squeezing her tight. Relieved to finally see her.


    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± I said, burying my face in her hair.


    ¡°I missed you too, I¡¯m so sorry Mia,¡± she sobbed.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, none of that okay?¡± I said pulling back and brushing the hair out of her face. ¡°We are going to have so much fun this week, then you are going to finish school and everything will be perfect. Okay?¡±


    She sniffled and nodded her head, ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±


    ¡°Nowe on, we need to get ready for dinner and I have so much to catch you up on!¡± As we turned to the stairs, I saw Carlo standing near the hallway entrance, eyes glued to my ass where I¡¯m sure my shorts had ridden up.


    Pfft, men.


    Once upstairs I filled Gina in on everything, New York, my new job, finding Carlo in the shower and my subsequent actions. By the time I finished she was rolling on my bedughing her ass off as tears streamed down her face.


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± she said when she finally caught her breath. ¡°I knew it! I knew you two were into each other!¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I said, throwing a pillow at her head.


    ¡°Oh girl, how long are you going to make him wait?¡±


    ¡°As long as I can hold out I guess. I mean, I¡¯ve been lusting after him for three fucking years. He can suffer a little bit.¡±


    ¡°You are pure evil. This is awesome! So, what are you going to wear tonight?¡± she asked, bouncing up and down on the bed and pping her hands like a fucking lunatic.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯ve got a little something up my sleeve,¡± I said with a mischievous grin.

 21

    Carlo


    Here I was again, three yearster, waiting for the same two girls toe down the stairs so we could head into the city for dinner. So why was I surprised that when Mia came down the stairs, and again, I nearly came in my pants like a fucking teenager?


    This time she was wearing red. Again, her dress was modest, with long sleeves, the necklineing down just below her corbone, it was form fitting but not obscenely tight and fell mid-thigh. She had on heels that made her legs look incredibly long and could only be described as fuck me shoes. Just when I thought I was going to pass out she stopped a few feet in front of me and did a little spin showing of the back of the dress, orck thereof. The back waspletely open, all the way down to just above her ass, revealing a tattoo that I had never seen. The words ¡®colei che resiste vince¡¯ ran down the length of her spine, ¡®she who endures conquers¡¯.


    So this is what a heart attack feels like.


    ¡°How do we look?¡± she asked, peering over her shoulder at me.


    ¡°Beautiful, as always,¡± my voice sounded choked, even to my own ears. I had no idea how I was going to make it through this evening without throwing her on the table and fucking her senseless.


    ¡­


    By some act of God I had been able to restrain myself through dinner. I just had to keep it together on the ride home. Then I could lock myself away in my room with a whole slew of new material for what was bound to be an awfully lonely night. We could have stayed in the city and I could have called one of my regr girls, but over the past few years they had be less regr and since Mia¡¯s return from college, non-existent.


    Sure, I could have a body to warm my bed and release some pent up tension but that¡¯s not what I really wanted. I knew it would just leave me unsatisfied and even more wound up than I was to begin with. Nope, over the past three months I hade up with a rigorous routine of working out, cold showers and jacking off like a teenager with his first yboy to keep me sane. Sooner orter something was going to give, and after tonight, I was starting to think Mia was fucking with me.


    First, there had been the way she showed off her dress, something she would have never done before, but I had chalked that up to her new found confidence. Then, in the limo when she had sat across from me and repeatedly crossed and uncrossed her long, toned, and tan legs. Finally, after dinner when she moaned after every bite of her tiramisu. All that, along with the ping pong eyes from Gina as she watched us like a hawk had me thinking that Mia just might be trying to seduce me. If that was the case she had a rude awakening because I wasn¡¯t going to stand by and allow her to toy with me. Two can y at that game.


    First, I had to find out if my suspicions were correct. I sent a quick text to Angelo before we got home.


    Me: Need you to put an audio bug in Mia¡¯s room.


    Angelo: Why?


    Me: Because I fucking said so, do not question me. Do it now before we get home. You have 15 minutes.


    Angelo: Okay Boss.


    I sat back and shot an inquisitive look at Mia over my ss of scotch. She was huddled together with Gina on the opposite side of the limo. They were whispering to each other and every few minutes one of them would snicker at something the other said. My patience was wearing thin. I wanted to know what her angle was so I could n my next move. My phone buzzed in myp with an iing text.


    Angelo: Done.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Me: Good. Meet me in my office with the receiver. We¡¯re pulling in now.


    Angelo: Yes sir.


    The limo stopped in the circr drive in front of the house. Climbing out first I held the door and helped Mia and Gina out following them into the house.


    ¡°Thanks for dinner, Carlo,¡± Gina said when we entered the foyer before turning to climb the stairs.


    ¡°Yes, thank you so much,¡± Mia said, leaning in to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She lingered there and whispered in my ear, ¡°Thank you for making tonight special.¡± Then she turned on her heel and sauntered, yes that was most definitely a saunter, up the stairs.


    As soon as she was out of sight I made a beeline for my office.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± I demanded as soon as I walked through the door.


    ¡°Right here, sir,¡± Angelo handed over the headphones that were connected to aptop on my desk, the recording app was already up and ying the live feed.


    ¡°Good, leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he responded, but not before he gave me an uncertain onceover. I didn¡¯t have time for this.


    ¡°OUT!¡± I shouted at him.


    He nodded and left the room quickly.


    God what the hell was this woman doing to me?


    I put on the headphones and turned up the volume, it sounded like they had just made it into her room.


    ¡°Oh my God! Mia, that was amazing! He was so worked up, I thought he was going to blow a gasket when you started moaning during dessert!¡± Gina whisper shouted,plete it with a squeal.


    Miaughed, ¡°You don¡¯t think it was too much?¡±


    ¡°No way, that man is going to be putty in your hands!¡±


    My hands formed fists on either side of theputer, she had been fucking with me. What the fuck?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to be putty in my hands, Gina. I want him to suffer.¡±


    A deep sense of dread filled me. No way, Mia wouldn¡¯t betray me, never.


    ¡°Well, he is most definitely suffering, did you see his hands shake when he poured that third ss of scotch on the way to the restaurant? Was that the third or fourth time you shed him your panties?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Joke¡¯s on you, I wasn¡¯t wearing any panties. It serves him right, I mean all this time we could have been fucking each other¡¯s brains out and he¡¯s been holding out on me. Making me think that he saw me as a fucking sister?! I have been torturing myself for the past three years trying to push away my attraction and feeling guilty for wanting him. Ugh!¡±


    Thank God. She wasn¡¯t betraying me, she just wanted to drive me crazy. That I could handle. But what was this shit about her wanting me for three years? She was a child, she had to have known I wouldn¡¯t have gone there with her then. Now, yeah now I would, but not back then.


    ¡°I am all about the teasing, you know that, but do you really think he knew? Maybe he thought it was one sided and was going through the same thing?¡±


    ¡°How could he not know? Everyone else did. I tried to hide it I did, but apparently I had lovelorn written across my goddamn forehead.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean everyone else did? I didn¡¯t know. I mean thought I knew, but I didn¡¯t think you knew yourself Mia.¡±


    What the hell? This was getting confusing.


    ¡°Ugh, Al. He cornered me during our first Christmas here. Told me he knew I had a crush on Carlo. That everyone knew but Carlo, and I had better squash it or I would be in the shit.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    That fucker was going to pay.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean I get it. I know where he wasing from, I was eighteen. Way too young for Carlo, and I was away at college, it would have made things way tooplicated.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you¡¯re all grown up.¡±


    ¡°Yes I am, and I¡¯m sick of waiting around for him to make a move that he will probably never make.¡±


    I removed the headphones and shut down theputer. I had heard enough, in fact, I had heard too much. Women were fucking insane. I would have Angelo remove the bug tomorrow, and then it was my turn to make her squirm.

 22

    Mia


    Since I was taking the week off from work we decided to lounge around the pool for the entire day and soak up thest days of summer before Gina had to head back to Chicago. With the music ring we were in our own little world, until around noon when Carlo decided toe pop our bubble. He strutted out to the patio wearing low slung swim trunks and from the look on his face he knew how good he looked.


    ¡°Mind if I join youdies?¡± he practically purred.


    Fuck! It had been too muchst night, he was on to me. That voice was going to ruin me. I shifted in my lounger. Well, he didn¡¯t know that I knew he knew.


    Jesus this is gettingplicated.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Not at all, since you¡¯re here, can you do my back?¡± I asked holding my bottle of lotion out in front of him.


    I cannot believe I just went there, clich¨¦, I know. But it wouldn¡¯t be a clich¨¦ if it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Of course, turn over,¡± his voice was rough. Shit, I was so turned on.


    ¡°Umm, it¡¯s getting really hot out here, I¡¯m going to go in for a bit,¡± Gina said as she raced into the house. Traitor. I turned over toy on my stomach. I was on one of the huge circr sunbeds that were more like a mattress than a pool lounger. Reaching up, I untied the knots at my neck and back.


    ¡°Tan lines,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Mmm Hmm,¡± he murmured. Then, without warning he squeezed a glob of cold lotion on my back.


    I squealed and my back bowed off the lounger, nearly exposing my chest.


    ¡°Shh, rx,¡± his voice was a cross between a grumble and a whisper, and it wasing from directly above me.


    In my moment of shock he had climbed on top of me, straddling my hips on his knees. Slowly, ever so slowly, he started to rub the lotion into my skin. Goosebumps popped up all over my body. Even though it was in the nies, a shiver ran through me. My heart was virtually beating out of my chest and I shifted to squeeze my thighs together in an attempt to get a little friction. He knew exactly what he was doing because as his hands travelled up my back to my shoulders he dropped his hips rubbing his erection slowly against my ass.


    Fuck! I needed to do something quick. I let out a moan of approval and lifted my ass slightly so now I was the one rubbing against him, taking the upper hand. He responded by sliding his hands down my sides and gently scraping his short nails across the sides of my breasts. Another moan escaped my lips, this time involuntarily. Damn it! He was winning. I didn¡¯t have any more moves. I just had to wait him out, control my reactions and wait for him to cave. Yeah, easier said than done.


    Carlo


    I was fucking winning! I was also losing, because there was no way I could keep this up for any length of time and not give in. Doubling my efforts, I continued down her body, hoping like hell I could make her break before I did.


    I slid lower down her body, if I kept rubbing against her ass I was going to lose it. Sitting on my haunches I grabbed some more lotion and started at her calves, rubbing in deep circles with my thumbs. Moving gradually up her thighs until I was just out of reach of where she wanted me. I had to swallow a growl when I caught sight of the damp crotch of her white bikini. I teased her with my thumbs, gliding them up her inner thighs and over where the curve of her ass met the top of her thighs. She stiffened under my ministrations.


    Bingo!


    I almostughed in my moment of triumph. She was done for. I made two more passes along the same trail as before and on thest one she let out a whimper.


    ¡°Please,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Please, what?¡± I asked, trying to sound innocent but it came out a hoarse whisper.


    ¡°Touch me,¡± she whispered, I could hear the defeat in her voice.


    This was it, she was giving in and thank fuck because I was about two seconds away from embarrassing myself. I gave her what she wanted. On the next pass I slipped my thumbs under her bikini feeling how wet she was for me. She let out a loud moan and at the exact same moment I released an even louder growl.


    Sitting up I flipped her over and covered her body with my own, swallowing her gasp of surprise as I took her mouth, hard. It was all tongues and teeth. I could feel her breasts pressed up against my chest, in my fervor I hadn¡¯t taken the time to look my fill. There would be time for thatter, right now was all about feeling and if I didn¡¯t get inside her soon I was going to lose my fucking mind.


    Gripping her ass I lifted her up and off the lounger, she wrapped her arms and legs around me tightly. Good, there was no way I was letting her go for even a second now that I had her. Using my peripheral vision since I wasn¡¯t willing to stop kissing her, I made my way to the side entrance by my office. She was panting and rubbing herself against my stomach, soft mewlinging from her lips as she pressed her body harder against mine. I barreled through the door to my office. Swinging it closed, I mmed her back against the heavy wood door. It wasn¡¯t a bed, but it would have to do for now.


    I untwined her arms from around my neck and held them above her head with one hand as I used the other to untie the knots at her sides and remove her bikini bottoms. I needed to feel her, I needed to be inside her. Ripping the scrap of material away, I threw it blindly to the side. Her top had been abandoned on the lounger so she waspletely bare to me.


    I broke the kiss and looked down at her body as we caught our breath, her full breasts, the slight slope of her belly, and her perfectly bare pussy on full disy for me. Another growl ripped through me and that seemed to set Mia off. She pulled her hands free of my grip and started pawing at my trunks, using the door and her position on my hips for leverage.


    ¡°Need to see you, fuck! Need you inside me now!¡± she panted as she finally got my shorts pulled down past my hips. She wrapped her small hand around my dick and my hips pitched forward of their own ord.


    ¡°Fuck, baby,¡± I moaned, ¡°this is going to be hard and fast, we can go slowter¡­I¡­shit, I want¡­.¡±


    ¡°Just fuck me, Carlo!¡± she practically screamed in my face as she guided me to her center.


    With a roar I surged forward, impaling her with my cock. She screamed so loud my ears started ringing. Her nails dug into my back as my hands gripped her hips so hard I was sure she would have bruises the next day and mmed into her over and over.


    She was so tight, God she was perfect. She screamed my name and arched her back. I caught one of her hard nipples in my mouth sucking hard and her response was instant. I could feel her orgasm ripping through her, milking my dick, coaxing me toe much too fast but I was so worked up I couldn¡¯t stop the tingle that started at the base of my spine. I came with a brutal thrust and a shout of her name.


    My knees were shaky so I sank to the ground, still cradling her limp body in my arms. Wey there with her on top of me letting our hearts slow back down to a normal rhythm. I was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°Fuck, Mia, I think I¡¯m deaf.¡±


    She giggled, burying her face in my chest, ¡°Sorry,¡± her apology muffled.


    ¡°No need to be sorry baby, permanent hearing loss and a scarred back is a small price to pay for the best sex of my life.¡±


    She peeked up at me, ¡°Really?¡±


    Was my feisty, beautiful Mia self-conscious? She had absolutely no reason to be.


    I brushed her hair away and cupped her face, ¡°Really.¡±


    Her small smile had my dick stirring to life again and I rolled her onto her back to show her just how serious I was.


    Shit, this woman was going to kill me.

 23

    Mia


    ¡°Elena?¡± I called out as I entered the empty kitchen, searching for her. When she didn¡¯t appear I nced at the clock on the wall, it was two o¡¯clock on a Wednesday so she must be running errands. She would be home soon to start dinner but I¡¯d skipped breakfast. My stomach rumbled as I made my way to the fridge in search of something to tide me over.


    Pulling out the ingredients I started to fix myself a sd, one of the only things I could actually cook myself. When I was younger I was so focused on staying hidden I¡¯d never hung out in the kitchen to watch my mother cook like so many other girls. After that I¡¯d never really had the opportunity or desire to learn. Elena had handled all of the cooking when I¡¯d moved here with Carlo. In college, well, I ate like a college student. Ramen noodles and take out were my main food groups.


    As I assembled my snack I thought back over the past two months. My rtionship with Carlo had progressed, in fact, he was sleeping in my room every night now. At my request we kept the new development in our rtionship a secret from the men. I knew it wouldn¡¯tst long. Carlo would put his foot down sooner orter, if we didn¡¯t get caught before that. My excuses were wearing thin on his patience.


    I had just began establishing myself in my new role in his business, I didn¡¯t want people to think that I¡¯d only gotten my job because I was sleeping with the boss. Also the men were starting to see me in a different light. I was finally starting to gain some respect. I¡¯d noticed the men sat up straighter when I entered a room and seemed to actually listen when I spoke or gave instruction, not that our interaction was frequent, but still.


    There was also the uncertainty of my rtionship with Carlo to consider. We were still so new and I held on to some of my old insecurities. I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew he wanted me, but for how long? Carlo was a decade older than me, and while I had my fair share of life experience he had so much more. What if he got bored with me? Carlo had never had a serious rtionship before. I constantly had to remind myself to keep a level head because when I was with him all reason flew straight out the window.


    ¡°Mmm, that looks good.¡± I jumped and whipped my head arounding face to face with a smirking Carlo.


    ¡°You scared the shit out of me.¡± I had been so lost in my thoughts I hadn¡¯t heard him sneak up on me. He chuckled and moved behind me, snaking his arms around my waist and burying his face in my neck.


    ¡°What were you thinking so hard about that you didn¡¯t hear mee in?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said too quickly. He pulled back and inspected my face and I stared back. His brow was furrowed in concern causing a line to appear between his eyebrows. I trailed my gaze down his face. He had stubble on his cheeks, as if he¡¯d forgotten to shave this morning. It was out of character for him, Carlo was always dressed and groomed to perfection. I liked it. ¡°I was just daydreaming.¡±


    His eyes cleared of worry and that sexy half smirk of his appeared. ¡°Daydreaming, huh? About what?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you shave?¡± I asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°I must not be doing my job if you don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I had somepany in the shower this morning and I was just a little distracted, forgot to shave.¡±


    I grinned remembering that morning when I had snuck into the shower with him. Turning in his arms I reached up and ced a hand on each side of his face feeling the whiskers prickling my palms. ¡°I like it, scruffy suits you.¡±


    ¡°Dully noted,¡± he said. Gripping my wrists he pulled my hands from his face and cradled them to his chest. His eyes got heavy and he leaned in closer as if to kiss me, but then his grip tightened and he rubbed his stubble against my cheeks. I squealed loudly and struggled to break free from his hold. Carloughed loudly, ¡°How do you like it now?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± I craned my neck, ¡°Stop it!¡± I demanded, but myughter drowned out my protests.


    ¡°Boss?¡± We both turned at the sound of Angelo¡¯s voice and loud footfalls. I broke away from Carlo and took a few steps back just as Angelo rounded the corner into the kitchen.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Carlo gritted out, obviously annoyed we¡¯d been interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m making lunch, do you want some?¡± I asked, diverting Angelo¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Uh, well,¡± he stammers, ¡°I already ate.¡±


    I narrow my eyes at him, ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Mia,e on. You burn ramen.¡±


    ¡°That was one time!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, I need to do rounds anyways. See you at dinner.¡± He says from over his shoulder as he hurries from the room.


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡± I shake my head and turn to Carlo but instead of sharing my frustration he¡¯s silentlyughing at me. I cover the short distance between us in two strides and smack his arm.


    ¡°You burnt ramen? How is that even possible?¡± he asks when he finally catches his breath.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere to be?¡±


    He just shook his head at me and kissed the top of my head before leaving in the same direction as Angelo.


    Bastards.

 24

    Carlo


    The hinges creaked as I pushed open the door to Mia¡¯s room. We¡¯d been ying this game for two months now and I was over it. Even though we tried to act normal in front of the others I think they were starting to catch on. Elena knew what was going on, she didn¡¯te right out and say it but the sidelong looks she gave us spoke volumes.


    I understood Mia¡¯s hesitation, I had my own concerns. Hell, I thought about it every day, but I was sick of hiding. I knew from the first moment my lips touched hers that what we had was different than anything I¡¯d ever felt before. I wasn¡¯t going to let her go so we were going to have to figure out a way to make it work. I was more afraid of losing her than I was of showing weakness and that realization scared the ever living shit out of me.


    She wasn¡¯t in the bedroom but I heard the water running in the bathroom so I headed that way. We were going to figure this out tonight, she would fight it but I was ready for that, Mia never gave in easily. I stopped, leaning against the doorframe and took her in. She stood in front of the mirror washing her face in nothing but her bra and panties. Mia didn¡¯t wear much makeup normally, only getting done up when we went out or if she went into the office in the city. She didn¡¯t need it, she was wless just as she was. You don¡¯t need to embellish perfection.


    I was silent as I continued to watch her go through her nightly routine. I¡¯d seen her do it before but there was something sensual about watching when she thought she was alone. Grabbing a bottle of lotion she sat on the edge of the Jacuzzi and began rubbing it into her long legs. When she was finished she stood up and walked back to the vanity, she still hadn¡¯t spotted me. Reaching up she untied her long hair from the knot at the top of her head and let it fall down her back. She threaded her fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp and a soft moan tumbled from her lips.


    I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, I had to touch her. Moving into the room, I silently made my way behind her. This was my favorite spot in the world. Her back to my front, my arms wrapped around her. She gasped when I made contact and I smiled.


    ¡°Jesus, Carlo. You scared me!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I wasn¡¯t sorry at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve snuck up on me today. What¡¯s with all the lurking?¡±


    ¡°I was watching. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s not creepy at all.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, you fascinate me.¡± She went soft in my arms at my words. I loved it when she did that, it meant more than all the words in the world. It meant she trusted me. ¡°Come on, I want to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Uh, oh.¡±


    ¡°Rx, it¡¯s not bad.¡± I said, guiding her into the bedroom. Once we were settled in bed, me on my back and her curled up at my side, I took a deep breath and started to outline my case. ¡°I know you wanted to wait to tell everyone, but they¡¯re already growing suspicious and Elena definitely knows something is up.¡±


    She groaned, ¡°Carlo-¡±


    ¡°No, hear me out. I know you¡¯re worried about the men not respecting you but you¡¯ve proven yourself time and time again. You¡¯re good, you¡¯ve already done so much in the short time since you took over for Nicky and they can all see it. I don¡¯t want to sneak around in my own house anymore Mia, we¡¯re both adults.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that, I¡¯m-I just need more time.¡±


    I released a frustrated sigh, ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I just do. Give me another month, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a week.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I was frustrated but I would give her what she wanted. I had a feeling there was something else holding her back but if I pushed too hard I was afraid she would close me off altogether.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°For being patient with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d do just about anything for you, Mia.¡± And it was true, I would move heaven and earth to make her happy. I hadn¡¯t told her I loved her, I did, but I was scared. I¡¯d never said those words to anyone other than my mother and she¡¯d left.


    Mia


    ¡°Mmm, fuck baby, that¡¯s good,¡± Carlo groaned as his fingers sifted through my hair.


    I was on my knees in front of him, suckling at the head of his cock. I had pounced on him the second he walked into my room, barely letting him close the door before I had his belt undone and was zipping down his fly. I opened my mouth wide and took as much of him in as I could, flicking the ridge on the underside of his dick with my tongue as pulled back and plunged down again. His hips jerked and his hands in my hair tightened just the way I liked it. I loved that Carlo lost control with me, he wasn¡¯t gentle and he didn¡¯t treat me as if I would break if he was too rough. He knew I could take whatever he wanted to give me and he knew I¡¯d like it.


    On the sixth or seventh pass over the notch just below the head, Carlo¡¯s phone started buzzing. I paused my ministrations and snuck a peek up at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, whatever it is can wait.¡±


    I resumed my slow pace making sure to suck hard on the uptake, hollowing out my cheeks and causing Carlo to jerk forward again. His phone buzzed again, and again, and again. I pulled away with a loud popping noise as I released the suction on his dick.

 25

    ¡°Seriously, Carlo? Just answer it.¡±


    With a grunt Carlo fished his phone out of his pocket and answered without looking at the screen.


    ¡°What?¡± he practically shouted into the phone in frustration. As soon as the person on the other end responded his face went ck followed immediately by a tightening around his eyes. ¡°Who the fuck is this?¡± his voice was low and lethal.


    My heart started to pick up pace and I rose to my feet, concern starting to nket me. This was bad if the silent rageing off Carlo was any indication. Whoever was on the other line must have finished with whatever they had to say because Carlo quickly ended the call and made another.


    ¡°Everyone out front, NOW!¡±


    Shoving his half hard cock back into his cks he made his way over to my bedside table and grabbed the pistol he kept there. He released the clip checking to make sure the magazine was full before mming it back into ce and pulling the slide to chamber a round as he turned to leave the room. I followed behind him down therge staircase and into the foyer where some of the men looked like they were waiting on him. They all had their guns out and looked on high alert.


    What the fuck was that phone call about?


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Carlo? Who was that?¡± I demanded tugging on his arm to slow his fast clip.


    He didn¡¯t answer my questions. Instead he shrugged off my hold as he came to the front door and turned to me. ¡°Stay here Mia, I mean it. I don¡¯t know what is out there but you need to stay here.¡± Then without a second look, he walked out the front door with Angelo and Enzo behind him.


    Fuck that.


    Like hell I was going to hide out in the house while Carlo and his men put themselves in danger. Running down the hall to my office I snatched my Glock-17 and headed back to the front door. I hadn¡¯t been gone more than a minute, but I didn¡¯t know what was waiting for me. The icy droplets of rain stung on my exposed skin as I slowly made my way down the stairs to the circr driveway where the men were gathered. Angelo was on the phone barking orders at someone, Enzo was crouching down over something on the ground that I couldn¡¯t make out, and Carlo was pacing behind him with his hands in his hair. I lowered my gun when I got closer and noticed all the men had holstered their weapons.


    ¡°Carlo? What is it?¡± I asked, my voice cautious. Whatever had him spooked like this could not be good, something was terribly wrong. At the sound of my voice several pairs of eyes snapped to me, and as if they had one brain the men gathered outside started to move towards me and in front of whatever was on the ground.


    ¡°Mia, go back inside, I¡¯ll be there in just a minute,¡± Carlo said, but something in the tone of his voice and set of his eyes sent rm bells ringing in my head. It was fear mixed with pity.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked again, my voice harsher and more demanding now. The rain was pelting my body and my hair was now stered to my face, I brushed it away with my free hand as I studied the men in front of me. I was starting to get pissed, someone had better tell me what the fuck was going on and soon otherwise I was liable to start shooting kneecaps for answers.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to see this girl, go inside like the Boss said,¡± Al stated from just a few feet away from me, he was slowly creeping closer to me. I had had about enough of his shit, raising my weapon back up I aimed at his face.


    ¡°Back the fuck off,¡± I said eyeing him as I headed towards whatever they were trying to hide from me.


    ¡°Mia, stop,¡± Carlo said as he came towards me, but he wasn¡¯t quick enough. I spun around him and stopped short as I caught a glimpse of brown hair. I pushed at the men that were blocking my way and was able to shove them away enough to get a better look at the heap on the driveway.


    The pale glow from the security lights cast an eerie halo around the form. Long brown hair was tangled and matted with blood and filth, her ck dress was torn exposing far too much of her bruised and bloody body. The water pooled around her body from the rain was stained crimson.


    ¡°GINA!¡± Her name tore through my throat as I fell to my knees letting my gun fall useless by my side. My hands hovered over her, not wanting to touch her and hurt her more. My heart was racing and my breaths wereing faster and faster, I couldn¡¯t slow them down.


    ck started to surround my vision as Carlo¡¯s voice spoke the words I dreaded most.


    ¡°Shh baby, I¡¯m sorry, she¡¯s gone.¡±


    Gone.


    She was gone. The word echoed through my head as the ck took over.


    ¡­


    In the days since finding Gina¡¯s body I had been nearly catatonic,pletely in my own head and sorrow. I cried myself to sleep every night and every night I was gued with nightmares. I tried to keep the visions of what she must have gone through out of my head but my thoughts were running wild without my permission. I debated asking if anyone knew what they had actually done to her but I was scared. I didn¡¯t want my worst fears to be confirmed and I didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone, even Carlo. In fact, I was teetering on the edge of hostility, mostlymunicating in grunts and res.


    Despite my attitude, Carlo woulde to my room every night and rock me to sleep as I wept silently. Each of the hundred times I was jarred awake by a horrendous nightmare he was there, hugging me closer and whispering in my ear that it would be okay. But it wasn¡¯t okay. Everything was wrong and I felt like I was going to die from this ache in my chest.


    As I sat in the front row at Gina¡¯s funeral next to her mother, I started to recognize the world around me again, to see how selfish I had been the past week. I was not the only one who had lost Gina, but I was the reason. Gina was dead because of me. I couldn¡¯t escape the guilt I felt. They had thought she was me, they thought she was important to Carlo and that they could use her to send a message to him. The longer I sat there holding Gina¡¯s mother¡¯s hand as she sobbed, the angrier I got.


    A fire started to spread through my chest. Overshadowing the hollow ache, my heart started beating faster. My arms and legs tingled with anticipation as I started to formte a n in my head. The message may have been addressed to Carlo, but I was the one to receive it loud and clear. What no one realized yet was that I had every intention of giving the Russians an even bloodier reply.


    Home from the wake, I went up to my room and showered. I needed some time before I started asking questions I didn¡¯t want the answers to. I stood under the hot water letting it soothe my tense muscles as I tried to mentally prepare myself for the worst. I had to know, I had to know what they did to Gina and most importantly I needed to know who they were. I went through the list of information I had already. I knew the Russian crew from Pornd was responsible but I didn¡¯t know much about them. Carlo didn¡¯t go out of his way to hide things from me, but I wasn¡¯t involved in his illegitimate business dealings so there was no need for him to confide in me. I did know that the Russians were who my father had been snitching to. The same men Carlo had taken down three years ago when they attacked one of his warehouses. At least he thought he had taken them down. Three years is a long time to hold a grudge, a long time to n their revenge. I wasn¡¯t going to wait three years but I would bide my time. I would do this right. In the end, there wouldn¡¯t be a single one of them left.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    After my shower I dressed in ck ankle length cigarette pants, and a loose white chiffon blouse. I needed to feel put together and make sure I would be taken seriously when I asked my questions. If I looked like the slob I had been for the past week they wouldn¡¯t tell me anything. I blow dried my hair, and painted on ck eyeliner and red lipstick. I donned a pair of diamond solitaire earrings and slipped on a pair of bright red heels to match my lips. I took in thepleted look in the full length mirror in my closet; I already felt stronger.


    Throughout college I¡¯d opted for jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. Fashion had been the least of my worries because of the heavy schedule I had from trying to graduate early. Sinceing home I mostly wore business attire, this was different though. I felt powerful.


    Nothing would be the same as before, I had changed. The woman that stood before me in the mirror was vicious and focused on revenge. Born from the despair and anger of Gina¡¯s death.


    This was the new Mia.

 26

    Carlo


    I was in my office drinking scotch and plotting my next move when Mia stormed in.


    ¡°I need you to tell me what happened to Gina and why. I want everything you know. Do not lie to me Carlo. I deserve to know the truth. All of it,¡± she demanded as she strutted into the room and took a seat on the other side of my desk.


    I sighed, ¡°Mia, you know what happened.¡±


    ¡°Stop bullshitting me, Carlo. I need to know everything.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to make you feel better,¡± I said climbing to my feet and wondering over to the window.


    ¡°Nothing is going to make me feel better. My best friend was tortured and murdered because they thought she was me.¡±


    ¡°You know what happened, I¡¯ve told you already. They grabbed her outside of your house in Chicago, took her to an undisclosed location, killed her, and then brought her here.¡± My eyes stared nkly out the window as I recalled the same story I had told her before.


    ¡°Did they rape her?¡± she asked, her voice low but full of fury.


    ¡°Mia,¡± I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°The truth, Carlo.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said as I turned around in time to see her face go from fierce anger topletely empty, as if all emotion had been sucked out of her to prevent further hurt. That was the same look she had on her face the first day I met her in that dingy basement.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Russian crew from Pornd.¡±


    ¡°I want names Carlo,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°No, you already know too much, I will handle this. I don¡¯t need you getting any more involved than you already are.¡±


    She stood up and made her way over to where I was standing by the window. She was gorgeous, as always, but there was a hardness about her eyes now. The smell of orange blossoms flooded the air around me as she came to stand at my right side. She took the ss of scotch from my hand and downed it in one swallow. Handing the ss back to me she turned to leave. Halfway to the door she turned back and locked eyes with me.


    ¡°Make them pay, Carlo.¡±


    I gave her a sharp nod and she was gone. The realization that she would never be the same as she once was caused a sinking feeling in my gut. The emotions I felt when my mother died came rushing forward. I knew how Mia felt, I knew the internal battle she was going through. Revenge was a temptress, a siren calling out to the broken hearted. I just hoped I could save Mia from giving in and sacrificing a piece of her soul like I had so many years before.


    MiaMaterial ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As predicted, Carlo wouldn¡¯t give me names but I still got the information I needed. I knew a little about the Russian crew he was referring to, over the years I had picked up on names of key yers. Carlo didn¡¯t think I was stupid but I doubt he realized how closely I paid attention when I was home.


    There were three men that ran the crew out of Pornd; Vitaly Kashnikov headed up the crime cell in that area with his sons Ivan and Boris. From what I had heard over the years, Boris was an idiot; all muscle and no brain. Whereas his brother Ivan was smart, but arrogant and impulsive. I had heard talk about them the summer I came to live with Carlo. Ivan was eager to take control of the family, but his father didn¡¯t think he was ready and that pissed him right the hell off. It was Ivan that had nned and executed the strike on Carlo¡¯s warehouse a few years back, right under his father¡¯s nose. His father had already flipped several of our men and was biding his time but Ivan ¡®the impatient¡¯ Kashnikov was trying to prove himself and in turn made a fucking mess of things for his father.


    Carlo was outraged that the Russians had gotten away with half a million worth of guns and he made them feel it. I wasn¡¯t privy to what exactly Carlo did to crush their power in Pornd but he did. He dried up all their resources and flipped their contacts, essentially crippling their ability to make money on the west coast beyond repair. Vitaly and his sons had taken off, back to Russia, or so we thought. No one knew that they hade back. They must have kept a pretty low profile for no one toe across the news and bring it to Carlo.


    The fact that none of Carlo¡¯s contacts had discovered the Kashnikov¡¯s were back in town meant that they were probably hiding in in sight. My guess is that they were starting out with legitimate business dealings before moving on to more lucrative and less honorable ventures. The problem was, I didn¡¯t know where they were set up stateside, and I had to find out before Carlo did.

 27

    Carlo


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I shouted, slumping into my chair.


    We had been at this for hours, and we were getting nowhere. Someone, probably the Russians, had managed to fuck our transport out of southern California. There was no way we could use the trucks we usually did, all the cops along the west coast had been tipped off to what we were moving and which trucks we used to move it. That meant I had more than my fair share of dirty pigs looking for an extra bonus for their cooperation. I needed to find another way to move my shipment without costing myself a small fortune in payoffs above what I had already expected.


    ¡°Boss, we could always do smaller transports, in domestic vehicles,¡± Al suggested.


    ¡°Too risky, too many variables. I can¡¯t split a shipment this big like that, it would be too difficult to track. Not to mention manage that many drivers without one of them getting pinched by the cops,¡± I said, my head tilted toward the ceiling, eyes squeezed shut in exhaustion.


    ¡°What about refrigerated transport?¡± Mia¡¯s sweet voice floated above the grumblings of the men in the room.


    My head snapped up. I hadn¡¯t heard here into my office, and from the startled looks of my men, they hadn¡¯t either.


    She sauntered into the room, well aware all eyes were on her, and took a seat on the edge of my desk. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands, causing her skirt to hike up a bit.


    Jesus, I thought. I missed those legs. I wanted to feel her, to be inside her again. I hadn¡¯t been able to touch her the way I wanted in far too long. I sat back in my chair and studied her. I knew she was extremely intelligent but I never thought she would want to be involved in my illegitimate dealings. Certainly not sitting around trying toe up with a way to move over 5 million worth of cocaine up the western seaboard. A nce around the room confirmed my men were confused about her involvement in the conversation but were just as curious as to find out what she had to say.


    ¡°Exin.¡±


    A glint of fire lit in her eyes at my words and a sly smile stretched across her red coated lips before she spoke, ¡°Refrigerated transport, the big tankers that transport liquid gas?¡±


    ¡°Like gasoline?¡± Sal asked.


    ¡°No,¡± She responded sharply, taking even me by surprise. She was taking charge. I had seen this side of her a few times before, it was sexy as hell.


    Hopping off my desk she stalked across the room before turning to address the group again. ¡°Like liquid nitrogen. It¡¯s transported inrge refrigerated tankers and not checked the same way a normal tanker would be because you can¡¯t just open the top and peek inside. You have to have special equipment to handle liquid gas, special equipment the state does not supply to weigh stations. Therefore, the tanks are weighed and rolled. No surprise inspections.¡±


    ¡°Yeah okay, but how are we going to get our hands on a refrigerated tanker?¡± Al snorted, obviously thinking he had just outsmarted her.


    Mia just smiled sweetly and turned to me, ¡°I happen to know of a privately owned refrigerated transportpany based out of Eugene that is known to travel all the way up and down the I-5 corridor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, sweetie, it¡¯s a lot moreplicated than just finding apany on the google,¡± Al snorted again.


    I was getting irritated at his tant disrespect of Mia, but I wanted to see how she would handle the situation so I let it y out.


    She calmly walked over to where Al was sitting, hiked one leg on the table in front of him keeping her right foot on the ground and leaned down into his personal space. ¡°If you interrupt me one more time, I WILL CUT YOUR FUCKING TONGUE OUT OF YOUR FAT FUCKING FACE!¡± she screamed thest part with her nose an inch from his.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In a split second she pulled a triangr push dagger from her thigh holster, leaning back out of his face so she could swing her arm and drill his hand to the table with her knife. Her outburst caused all the men in the room to jump in surprise. No one had seen Mia like this. Ruthless, cold, calcting, exactly like she had been the first day we met, the same look on her face now that she had when she took the gun from my hand and killed her father.


    A grin spread across my face and my dick twitched. I know it¡¯s fucked up, but watching her stab a man that had disrespected her was the sexiest fucking thing I had ever seen. Al was groaning and swearing while trying to free his bloody mess of a hand. Mia simply popped up off the table and smoothed out her skirt as she turned to address the men again.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± she cast a disapproving nce at Al and his blubbering before continuing. ¡°I happen to know that the owners of this small transportpany, a husband and wife, are currently struggling financially to keep their business a float while paying for their son to finish school at Northwestern.¡± She said thest part with a smirk in my direction. BINGO she had an in, and it was perfect.


    ¡­


    I was d to have Mia back and out of her vegetative state, even if she seemed a little harder than before. We were in a good ce before Gina¡¯s death and I wanted to get back there. Not just for the sex, although I did miss it, I just missed her more. We were in this sort of limbo. I just hoped we would find our way back to each other sooner rather thanter.

 28

    Mia


    I hung back after Carlo dismissed the men and Enzo took Al to get his hand fixed up. I knew he would want to talk to me after the scene I had caused. I also knew by the smug look he had on his face while we were hashing out the details about the transport that he wasn¡¯t mad at me. In fact, he actually looked impressed.


    I hadn¡¯t nned on making a statement quite that bold but Al¡¯s condescension and chauvinistic attitude had grated on my nerves for years. I knew that if I was ever going to get any respect from Carlo and his men I needed to put a stop to that kind of behavior. I had been training with Angelo nearly every day for the past three years, I was just as strong as any of these men and smarter than most. My physical training along with my psychology degree gave me an edge on reading people and put me in a pretty good position to handle this life.


    I hadn¡¯t consciously nned to position myself in such a way, but I think some part way back in the recesses of my mind knew that I would end up here. I just never imagined it would be because my best friend was murdered. I had a n. I was going to take down the men that hurt Gina and I was going to do it alone, but I needed to set it up. I needed resources and contacts, and the only way to get those was to get right in the middle of it with Carlo.


    Carlo waited until Angelo left his office and closed the door before he spoke, ¡°Well, you sure know how to make an impression don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°He was pissing me off. He has been a dick since I first showed up here. I¡¯m not a child anymore. He needed to learn his ce,¡± I stated as I sat in the club chair across from where he sat behind his desk.


    ¡°I agree, he was disrespectful, and I would have handled it if you hadn¡¯t. I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    I quirked an eyebrow at thatment. I was only half surprised that he was okay with me taking control like that. Carlo had never treated me as less than, he always acted as if I belonged there beside him. Still, walking into a meeting and situating myself smack dab in the middle was a bold move. Luckily for me, Carlo seemed to like it.


    ¡°I want him gone,¡± I said.


    ¡°Gone how?¡± he asked carefully.


    ¡°Not like that, just not here anymore. It¡¯s for his own safety really. I swear to God if he says one more condescending, disrespectful thing to me, I¡¯m liable to shoot him in the fucking face.¡±


    Carlo nodded, considering it, ¡°Done,¡± he said with finality, ¡°So you want to tell me what that was all about? Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the fresh ideas but you¡¯ve never shown much interest in being involved in this side of the business so I have to wonder, why now?¡±


    This was it. If I yed this right, I would gain his trust and the opportunity to take down the men that killed Gina. But if I went too far, I could lose Carlo.


    ¡°I can¡¯t have a normal life Carlo, we both know that. I love the work I do on the legitimate side. I¡¯m good at it but after Gina, I want in on it all. No more surprises. I don¡¯t want to be caught off guard like that ever again and the only way that happens is if I¡¯m in the thick of it and know what is going on,¡± I paused looking down at my hands before meeting his eyes again and continuing. ¡°Shit Carlo, after the things I have seen, the things I have done. This is where I need to be and what I need to be doing. Hell, I couldn¡¯t even make it through college without killing somebody!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until the words left my mouth that I realized the truth in them. I wasn¡¯t ying Carlo like I¡¯d thought, I was being honest. I really did want this life. I wanted it for me and I wanted it for us, for our future.


    At that he chuckled a bit and sobered, ¡°You did what you had to, Mia.¡± After a slight pause he asked, ¡°Is this really what you want?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can do this Carlo. I want to.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I have conditions.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± I said, standing up and rounding the desk. Carlo had to scoot back in his chair to make room for me as I wedged myself between his syed legs and the desk, hopping up to sit directly in front of him. ¡°And you will undoubtedly get what you want, you always do.¡±


    He quirked an eyebrow at my words, ¡°Is that so? I wasn¡¯t aware that I always get what I want when ites to you.¡±


    I let out a throatyugh, hooking my foot under the seat of his chair and rolling it closer to me. ¡°Bullshit, I may fight you at every step, but you always get your way eventually.¡±


    ¡°Then why fight it? If you know that you won¡¯t win?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just not in my nature to give it to you easily. You wouldn¡¯t appreciate it if you didn¡¯t have to work for it.¡±


    ¡°Have you made it your mission to keep me humble?¡± He seemed to sense that I needed this banter and was more than willing to y along.


    ¡°Something like that, so tell me what your conditions are,¡± I said softly, lifting my feet to rest on the seat of his chair on either side of his thighs. My ck pencil skirt had ridden up with the movement and he now had a direct view of my pussy.


    ¡°First,¡± he said firmly, eyes never leaving mine. Here I was practically serving myself up for him after weeks of grief induced celibacy and he wasn¡¯t giving an inch. I knew from the bulge in his pants that he wasn¡¯t unaffected, just too damn stubborn to let me distract him. ¡°You will listen.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± It came out as a question because I was confused with the direction he was taking this conversation.


    ¡°I mean it Mia, you will listen to me. As long as you promise not to go off half-cocked then I have no realistic reservations about bringing you into the fold. It actually makes my life a lot easier if you know what is going on all the time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, realistic reservations?¡±


    ¡°I mean just that, my reservations are because I want to shelter you from all of this, when in actuality you are more than capable of handling this part of my life. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that I want to tuck you away and protect you from anything that could possibly bring you harm, but that¡¯s not realistic.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you see it that way,¡± I said trying to keep my hackles from rising at the mention of being protected. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°You can help me n, make decisions and learn about what I do but you will not be anywhere near the action.¡± I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off, ¡°No, this is absolutely non-negotiable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training with Angelo for years! I¡¯m just as good as any of your men, just as deadly.¡±


    ¡°That may be so but you are so much more valuable to me, it¡¯s not going to happen. You have been trained for the absolute worst possible situation. However, that does not mean I¡¯m going to be callous with your life and purposefully put you in danger.¡±


    I red at him. His argument was solid. I would sound like a petnt child if I protested now. ¡°Fine,¡± I said, moving to get down from my perch on the desk.


    Carlo grabbed my hips before I could get far and pulled me into hisp so I was straddling him, my skirt riding up even further, exposing a good portion of my thighs. An opportunity that Carlo didn¡¯t waste as he skated his palms up and down my legs before bringing them back to my waist. ¡°Not so fast, you think you can sit there throwing attitude with your bare cunt right in front of my face and just walk away?¡± he asked, grinding his hips into mine.


    My heartrate picked up and my breath caught at his harsh words. Heat spread through my body. It had been weeks since he¡¯d spoken to me in that tone,manding andced with lust. I couldn¡¯t hold back the moan that escaped my lips as he rolled his hips again. Iced my fingers into his hair and sank further into him and captured his lips with mine. It was a hungry kiss. I tried to pour all of my lust, anger, and gratitude into this one kiss. My hormones were going crazy after so long without feeling him like this. I was pissed that he was still holding me back and trying to protect me, but mostly I was thankful that he cared enough to give me what I wanted and allow me to be a part of this.


    He stood up, still holding me and ced me firmly on the desk. ¡°Jesus, I¡¯ve missed this, you,¡± he said breaking our contact. ¡°I was worried¡­¡± he trailed off. Fumbling with his belt momentarily, his hands shaking with need. When he finally got it unsped and his pants unbuttoned he roughly shoved them down, allowing his erection to spring free.


    ¡°You were worried?¡± I questioned, my brain finally catching up to his words.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you would,¡± he sighed, exasperated. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know, I don¡¯t like not knowing what¡¯s going to happen.¡± I had seen him excited before, I¡¯d seen him angry, and horny but never like this. He was undone, he was, upset. Had he really been worried that I wouldn¡¯t want him again?


    I trailed my palms up his chest and around his neck, linking my hands and pulling him closer. ¡°Baby,¡± I soothed, ¡°I just needed some time to get my head straight. I wasn¡¯t going anywhere, I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± This vulnerable side to him made my chest constrict. Seeing how even the thought of losing me affected him to the point where he was visibly shaken made me feel both guilty and pleased all at once. I didn¡¯t want him to worry but I was positively glowing at the knowledge that his feelings for me were so profound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever pull away from me like that again, I don¡¯t think I could take it. I thought I was going to go crazy. I didn¡¯t know what to do, I hate not knowing what to do. You confound me, I¡¯ve never felt like this before,¡± he sighed heavily and took a minute topose himself before looking into my eyes again. ¡°It¡¯spletely new territory for me and I don¡¯t know how to navigate it. I feel like I¡¯m always just one step away from fucking everything up.¡±¡±You¡¯re not the only one new to this. It¡¯s you and me, just talk to me, we¡¯ll figure it out. And if we fuck it up, we¡¯ll fix it together, yeah?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too, you know,¡± I whispered against his neck between kisses as I made my way up to his ear, ¡°the way you touch me, the way you make me moan and scream.¡± I could feel his pulse quicken against my lips and his hands snaked around me to firmly grab my ass.


    ¡°What else?¡± he asked harshly.


    ¡°I missed the way you tease me, the way you bite and pull at my skin.¡±


    He groaned and trailed his hands down my legs and back up again bringing the hem of my skirt up. I lifted my hips allowing him to bunch the fabric around my waist. ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± he said, his voice like gravel now as he caressed my thighs.


    ¡°I missed the way you worship my body, the way you make my skin break out in goosebumps right before you make mee. But most of all, I missed the way you fuck me.¡± I whispered thest part directly in his ear before taking his earlobe into my mouth and sucking.


    Carlo growled, yanking me forward so my ass was just barely on the desk forcing me to wrap my legs around him or risk falling. He pushed into me so quickly a startled cry tore from my lungs at the intrusion. It had only been a few weeks but he still stretched my tight walls. The pain quickly subsided to pleasure when he started to move. I tilted my hips, giving him better ess in our current position. Every time he mmed home he ground himself against my clit for a moment before pulling back and doing it all over again. I could feel my whole body flush as my heartbeat kicked up a notch, and beads of sweat pebbled my skin.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I moaned, tossing my head back as I started to feel my orgasm build. I could faintly hear Carlo¡¯s ragged breaths as all my other senses faded away while my whole world and all of my attention focused on that one spot between my legs.


    Carlo reached between us and pressed down on that little bundle of nerves with his thumb as his thrusts became erratic. ¡°Come for me, let me feel you squeeze my cock as you fall apart,¡± he growled into my ear.


    I was panting now, so hard I thought I might pass out, but with another firm press of his thumb I burst apart, my mouth contorted in a silent scream.

 29

    Carlo


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, my illegal business dealings are as diverse as my legal ones,¡± I said as I sat down behind the desk I had just fucked Mia on the day before. ¡°Antonio is my right hand, he handles most of the logistics on that side of things and most of my men report to him.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I thought Angelo was your right hand man,¡± she asked, obviously confused. She had only met Antonio a few times so it was no surprise that she didn¡¯t know what role he held in my operation.


    ¡°Angelo oversees security, both here and wherever else I go.¡±


    ¡°But he was with me for years in Chicago. If he¡¯s the head of your security team, why was he sent to babysit me?¡±


    Iughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You asked for him specifically. Besides, he was the only one I trusted with you at the time. Enzo too but I needed him here more than I needed Angelo.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what does Enzo do?¡±


    ¡°Enzo is ex-military. After his stint in the Marines he went into private security. He has a specific skill set, mainly extracting information and finding people that don¡¯t want to be found. Also, his military background makes him an excellent fit for managing my enforcers. He reports directly to Antonio.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s kind of like middle management? Antonio is the president and you¡¯re the CEO?¡±


    ¡°Yes, something like that.¡±


    ¡°What about Sal, Jimmy, and Al?¡± she asked.


    ¡°All enforcers, along with others, they¡¯re the muscle. They¡¯ve all been around since my father was still alive.¡±


    ¡°So what sorts of illegal business do you have?¡±


    ¡°Drugs, guns, and gambling mostly. I also have a moderately sized loan shark business that coincides with the gambling. Extortion sometimes, usually to gangs and other smaller organizations that want to sell their product in my territory. There is the asional ckmail of a political figure or judge; used as a means to an end, but for the most part that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t shakedown shopkeepers for protection?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still watching too many movies, Mia.¡± Iughed again, ¡°This isn¡¯t the old days where organized crime was able to operate in in sight. The goal is to make money without the knowledge of the general public. And who the hell says shopkeeper anymore?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, okay? I can¡¯t help it if The Godfather is my only frame of reference here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°Just one, umm,¡± she cleared her throat. I could see something working behind her eyes. It concerned me that it seemed she didn¡¯t want to know the answer to the question she was about to ask. ¡°What about women?¡±


    My eyebrows pulled together in a frown, ¡°What do you mean? The women that work for me?¡±


    Taking a deep breath she quickly asked, ¡°I mean, human trafficking, I know there¡¯s a lot of money in it. I just want to know if that is something you¡¯re involved in.¡±


    Ice ran in my veins, was she fucking serious?


    ¡°No.¡± I said my voice loud and vicious, ¡°There are a lot of things I am involved in Mia, but that is not one of them. I earn my money by providing goods and services that people want and need, not by taking away someone¡¯s free will.¡±


    Did she actually think me capable of that? Of kidnapping an innocent girl and selling her off to the highest bidder like fucking cattle?


    ¡°Mia, what the fuck? Who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what I was thinking. Of course you wouldn¡¯t be involved in something like that, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s a big business, I had to ask,¡± she looked sheepishly up at me, willing me to forgive her.


    ¡°People buy my drugs and guns because they want to. I¡¯m merely the supplier. I can reason away any slight guilt I might feel at what they do with the products I sell, but what little conscious I have left would not allow me to reason selling someone¡¯s mother, daughter, or sister like a piece of meat,¡± I stood up and towered over my desk, ring down at her.


    My blood was simmering just under the surface of my skin. I could feel the white hot rage traveling through my body. ¡°I¡¯ve killed, maimed, and stolen but that is not something I would ever do. Am I understood?¡±


    ¡°Jesus, yes, Carlo. I fucking get it okay? I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    ¡°Offend me? You basically just used me of being worse than a fucking rapist!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use you of anything, I asked a question, and I said I was sorry. That doesn¡¯t give you the right to talk to me like this.¡± She was standing now too, ring at me. Her voice never raised, instead it was quiet and strong.


    I paced over to the window, letting my breaths calm. I was upset and letting my emotions take over. I had never been like this before. I never cared about other people¡¯s opinions of me, I never cared about other people.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    You care about her, you care what she thinks.


    Mia was fucking with my head, but I was too obsessed with her to let her go. I was changing. My rtionship with her was causing me to feel and do things that I, under no circumstances, would have done before. I just had to figure out a bnce before she turned me into someone that couldn¡¯t handle this life.

 30

    Mia


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to make a trip out to Chicago to talk to Mouse,¡± I said softly, kissing Carlo¡¯s shoulder. He was awake. He always woke up before me, even in the middle of the night. Every time I woke up from a nightmare he was there, waiting to take me in his arms and soothe my nerves. Even though the nightmares were fewer and far between in recent months it was as if his body never got the memo.


    ¡°Mmm Hmm,¡± He mumbled into his pillow. It was early, the sun hadn¡¯t evene up yet but I was wide awake. My mind was spinning, formting my n, going through the possible scenarios and oues.


    ¡°Unless you think I could just call him?¡±


    Carlo groaned and rolled to his back, ¡°No, the conversation needs to happen in person. Even if the phones aren¡¯t tapped you need to be able to get a read on him in case it spooks him. Can¡¯t risk him going to the cops.¡±


    ¡°Mouse wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± I stated simply.


    ¡°Anyone is capable of anything. Just depends on the circumstance. Just because he¡¯s your friend today doesn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t be your enemy tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so when is the shipment set toe in?¡± There was no use in arguing Mouse¡¯s loyalty to Carlo. He¡¯d been burned too many times to haveplete trust in anyone, even me.


    And he¡¯s right, you¡¯re nning to go behind his back.


    ¡°Two weeks, but we¡¯ll need everyone on board before the end of the week.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll book a flight for Angelo and me for tonight.¡±


    ¡°I need Angelo here tonight, we¡¯re going over new security procedures for the men and I can¡¯t postpone. You can take Enzo.¡±


    Shit! I couldn¡¯t take Enzo with me. He¡¯d never let me out of his sight and I needed to speak to Mouse alone. Angelo was my only option, he may be the head of security but he trusted me. Probably a little too much. Angelo was tough and could handle his own but I¡¯de to learn that he was more of a tech guy than the natural protector Enzo was.


    ¡°Mouse has never met Enzo, having him there might spook him. Do you need Angelo tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. You can book a flight for the morning ande back that evening. I don¡¯t want to spend the night away from you.¡± He said slinging an arm around my middle and pulling me closer, effectively ending the conversation. Carlo


    The clock on the wall read 8 A. M. on the dot. Mia was probably flying over Montana right now and I was sitting in my office kicking myself for not going with her.


    She needed to do this on her own, I remind myself for the hundredth time. It was her idea and she had to execute it by herself. She didn¡¯t need me there holding her hand, and I had plenty to do while she was gone.


    A knock at the door tore me from my internal debate.


    ¡°Come in,¡± I called out.


    The door swung open and in walked a pixie of a woman dressed in ripped jeans and a superhero shirt. The buckles on her leather jacket andbat boots jingled as she stomped across the room and copsed into one of the chairs in front of my desk. Frankie¡¯s distain for professional attire used to grate on my nerves but I¡¯d learned to ept her as she was. There was no use in fighting her on the subject, she knew what an asset she was and there was no way I was going to let her go just because she dressed like a teenager.


    ¡°What do you have for me?¡± I said in way of greeting.


    ¡°Hey boss man, nice to see you too,¡± she said as she tossed a thick file on the center of my desk.


    I pulled the file closer, inspecting the contents. Page after page of documents, receipts, maps and pictures. All of the Kashnikov¡¯s. ¡°You got all this in a day?¡± I asked, overwhelmed with the amount of information she was able to gather in such a short time.


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m the best.¡±


    ¡°And modest too.¡±


    She simply raised an eyebrow at myment, daring me to contradict her statement. I wouldn¡¯t though, because she was right.


    ¡°Give me a rundown of what you¡¯ve found,¡± I said changing the subject.


    She settled back in the chair and tucked a leather d foot underneath her before beginning. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible not to leave an electronic trail nowadays and the Kashnikov boys have been busy. Ivan opened a strip club in Pornd and they¡¯ve both been staying at an upscale hotel in the downtown area. Vitaly has been flying under the radar more than his sons, I can¡¯t pinpoint where he¡¯s staying but I doubt it¡¯s in the same hotel since there isn¡¯t record of him. Previous records show that Vitaly is modest and low key, while his sons prefer to sh their money around. He¡¯s most likely paying cash wherever he is. Their being careful not to be in the same ce at the same time. The brothers are staying on different floors of the hotel and are almost never together. Boris doesn¡¯t seem to be doing much of anything these days besides partying. His bar tabs are astronomical. I¡¯ve included a list of ces that have shown up numerous times on their credit cards, restaurants, clubs, and things like that. There¡¯s also info on all the vehicles registered to either them or known associates. The phone records are in the back.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll let you know if I need anything else.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll keep an eye on them and let you know if there are any changes in their daily habits.¡±


    I nodded and turned my attention back to the file in front of me while Frankie let herself out.


    The information she gave me was invaluable. Now I just needed to figure out how to take them out. Mia wanted revenge, as did I, but I had to think about her safety as well. If I picked them off one by one the possibility of retribution increased tenfold and I couldn¡¯t risk her having a target on her back. I had to find a way to get them in the same ce so I could take them out simultaneously and limit the blowback.

 31

    Mia


    I¡¯d spent three years of college sneaking around Angelo, it was almostical how easy it was to ditch the guy. Not that I did it often but sometimes a girl needs a little alone time.


    When we arrived in Chicago we checked into a hotel. I¡¯d told Carlo I couldn¡¯t find flights in and out of Chicago that would give us enough time to hash out the details with Mouse and still get us home that night. He wasn¡¯t happy about it but he epted my excuse without argument.


    After we¡¯d settled into our rooms I asked Angelo to run out and get me some of the chocte gto I loved from this little deli across town. Since it was something I asked him to do often when we were living here he didn¡¯t think twice before heading out. I didn¡¯t waste any time hopping in a cab and heading over to the university.


    ¡­


    I knocked on the dorm room door and waited, praying that he was home and not in ss. I hadn¡¯t told him I wasing. There was rustling and a thud before the door flew open.


    ¡°Mia?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Mouse,¡± I said with a small smile.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He stood there, frozen in the doorway blinking at me like he couldn¡¯tprehend seeing me at his front door.


    ¡°You going to let me in?¡± I asked with a raised eyebrow.


    That seemed to snap him out of his stupor, ¡°Uh, yeah of course,e in,¡± he said gesturing me in.


    The room was cramped with a small twin bed shoved into one corner. Dirty clothes and books were scattered everywhere, exactly what you would expect from a college guy. The big difference between Mouse¡¯s dorm room and most guys¡¯ were the three giant monitors mounted to the wall in the corner with about a million cords hooked up toputer towers, modems and a bunch of other stuff that I couldn¡¯t even begin to understand.


    Mouse walked further into the room and offered me the desk chair while he took a seat on the bed. ¡°I heard about Gina, God I¡¯m so sorry Mia,¡± he said staring at his hands.


    ¡°Yeah me too,¡± I said softly.


    There was a long pause, Mouse was the first to break the silence, ¡°Whatever you need Mia, you¡¯ve got it. Just say the word.¡±


    I smiled. You couldn¡¯t bullshit Mouse, he was way too smart. The guy had been epted to practically every Ivy League school in the country. His IQ was off the charts even if his social skills were a littlecking.


    I heaved a sigh, ¡°I need your help, but if you help me you have to be careful. This could be dangerous if you¡¯re not cautious, and I can¡¯t bear to lose another friend.¡±


    It was Mouse¡¯s turn to sigh, ¡°Gina didn¡¯t die in a car ident did she?¡±


    I looked down at my hands, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I need you to find three people for me, but you have to do it in a way that no one will be able to trace it back to you. I think they might have gone semi-legitimate so you may have luck with public records. The thing is, I don¡¯t know where in the country they are, and I don¡¯t even know how to begin to search through all that information.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what info do you have on them?¡± he asked, pulling his eyebrows together in contemtion. I could practically see the gears turning behind his brown eyes.


    I cringed, ¡°Names and approximate age. I know it¡¯s not a lot to go off of. The good thing is their surname is fairly unique, hopefully that will help.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt, but with the limited information it may take me a couple days to pull anything.¡± He gestured for me to get up from the desk chair. Moving into the seat he pulled up several windows on the monitors and within seconds his fingers were flying over the keyboard. ¡°Names?¡±


    ¡°Vitaly, Ivan and Boris Kashnikov,¡± I said through gritted teeth. Even saying their names out loud made my heart race. ¡°Vitaly should be mid tote-fifties and the other two arete twenties, Ivan possibly early thirties.¡±


    ¡°These the guys that killed Gina?¡± he asked.


    I took a deep breath before I answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, Russian mob?¡±


    My head snapped up, ¡°What would make you say that?¡±


    He just shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Mia. Normal college girls don¡¯t have round the clock security. He may have been discreet but I notice more than the average person. I¡¯ve done my research, I know who your brother is.¡±


    I heaved a heavy sigh of relief, ¡°Well that makes my next proposition a hell of a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about transferring to MIT next year?¡±


    He blinked at me, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t go to MIT for your undergrad work because it was too expensive, I also know that your parents business is struggling. I have a solution.¡±


    I left Mouse¡¯s dorm feeling confident. He assured me he would get whatever he could on the Kashnikov¡¯s and that his parents would probably do just about anything at this point to keep their heads above water. Everything was falling into ce, and my hands were itching for the carnage to begin.


    ¡­


    I was met with a supremely pissed Angelo when I returned to the hotel. He was pacing in front of my bed but his head snapped up when I entered the room.


    ¡°What the fuck, Mia?¡± The anger in his voice was coated in worry.


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m fine. I just had to talk to Mouse alone. I didn¡¯t want you there intimidating him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the whole point of having me here. Intimidation works. People tend not to do stupid shit like talk when the threat of physical pain is looming.¡±


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t understand. Mouse is my friend, and he¡¯s smart enough to keep his damn mouth shut. I don¡¯t need to force loyalty by using scare tactics.¡±


    Angelo shook his head in frustration. ¡°What the hell has gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just taking an active role in the family business.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. I know you better than that, Mia. You¡¯re nning something.¡±


    Fear of being discovered washed over me but I schooled my features and red at him. ¡°I¡¯m nning my future. This is my life. I tried running away from it once and it just kepting back at me. I can¡¯t escape my destiny, I¡¯ve epted that. So instead of sitting back and letting shit happen to me I¡¯m getting in front of it. Hopefully, next time I¡¯ll see iting.¡±


    ¡°Mia-¡± Angelo started, his tone full of pity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to hear it. In fact, I just want to be alone. Goodnight, Angelo.¡±


    He stared at me for a moment before his shoulders sagged and he nodded, leaving the room. My exnation may have been meant as a diversion but it was true. I¡¯d told Carlo the same thing. The old Mia was gone, that was a fact. What terrified me was that I didn¡¯t know who I¡¯d be when I¡¯d finally tasted my revenge. When there was no more anger to drive me forward. When the empty hole in my heart returned and the only thing left were memories stained with sadness and despair.

 32

    Carlo


    There was something wrong with Mia. It¡¯d been two days since her trip to Chicago and something felt off. She¡¯d been on the phone with Mouse quite often in the past few days, saying she was finalizing ns for the transport but I wasn¡¯t buying it. Angelo had said she¡¯d snuck off to see Mouse alone. I knew withplete certainty that Mia would never cheat on me but she was definitely up to something. I just had to figure it out before she did something stupid like start a war.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± Frankie¡¯s raspy voice filtered through the phone line.


    ¡°I need you do look into someone for me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, name?¡± That was one of the things I liked most about Frankie. When it came to her job she didn¡¯t waste time, she got straight to the point.


    ¡°Mitchell Keller, he goes by Mouse. He¡¯s a hacker, lives in Chicago, originally from the Eugene area.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what do you want to know about him?¡±


    ¡°I want you to track hisputer, find out what he¡¯s up to.¡±


    ¡°Sure, it might take a couple of days, especially if he¡¯s any good. I¡¯ll keep you posted.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, and ended the call.


    Sitting back in my chair I stared up at the ceiling. ¡°What are you up to, Mia?¡± I wondered aloud but the empty room didn¡¯t have a response.


    Mia


    Tucking in thest few strands of brown hair into the wig I watched the woman in the reflection. Her face distorted in the cracked vanity mirror, detached brown eyes giving nothing away as she brushed yet anotheryer of gloss across her lips. This woman wasn¡¯t me. She didn¡¯t have a heart, she didn¡¯t think about consequences, she didn¡¯t know fear. She was vengeance incarnate.


    Tearing my gaze from the woman in the mirror I methodically gathered my discarded clothes and makeup. Stuffing my belongings into a small backpack that I ced on the center of the still made bed. I inspected the room to make sure I¡¯d wiped away any trace of my presence.


    Beneath the bleach and pine scented cleaner the heavy stench of mildew lingered in the rundown motel room. The carpet was worn, walls yellowed from years of smoke, and the curtains were riddled with cigarette burns. It wasn¡¯t pretty or even sanitary but it suited my needs just fine.


    The attendant at the front desk hadn¡¯t even batted an eye when I¡¯d shoved a hundred dor bill at him without saying a word after he¡¯d asked for my name and ID. Instead he¡¯d reached behind the desk and ced a key in my hand. His sweaty palm had lingered on mine, with the way he¡¯d been licking his puffy lips since I¡¯d walked in I could only imagine what was going through his mind. Before he could say anything I¡¯d fisted the key and made a beeline for the front door.


    The dingy white keychain marked with a ck seven had led me to a door on the first floor of the two story horseshoeplex. I¡¯d chosen the derelict motel right off the MAX line because it was the kind of ce that hosted hookers and drug addicts on a regr basis. Themon person wouldn¡¯t look too closely, instead choosing to avert their eyes and pretend that seedy ces like this didn¡¯t exist in their town. Everyone else, the homeless, prostitutes, and meth addicts, were too busy with their own problems or too far out of their minds to pay any attention.


    I pulled out my pre-paid burner phone and checked the time. It was 9 o¡¯clock, right on schedule. I needed to catch the MAX downtown and it would take at least a half hour to get where I needed to go. Leaving all evidence of myself on the center of the bed, I headed out. It would seem suspicious to be carrying a backpack around where I was going, especially the way I was dressed. I¡¯d just have toe back for it before going home.


    Making my way across the street, I kept my eyes alert. Even though the bottom feeders that frequented this area wouldn¡¯t think twice about a girl in a short dress walking out of a dirty motel they would definitely take notice of a seemingly unprotected girl walking the streets. I picked up my pace as I crossed the overpass and started to descend the stairs to the light rail tform. I could see my breathing out in puffs in front of me, the frigid winter air causing goosebumps to breakout along my bare legs and arms.


    Coming to a stop in front of the ticket booth, I slipped a few bills from my purse and fed them into the machine. I was careful not to pull out my wallet since there were a few people lurking in the shadows. I¡¯d ridden the MAX enough times with Gina when we were teenagers to know without looking which line would take me into the heart of downtown Pornd. I also knew from my experience that the tform was isted and an optimal ce for muggers to strike. I could handle a thug trying to shake me down on my own but I didn¡¯t want to draw attention to myself, and a woman in five inch heels and a clubbing dress kicking a grown man¡¯s ass would definitely draw attention.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to wait long for the train to pull up to the station. I opted to stand, holding onto a pole for support as the train started to move. My position at the front of the car gave me a prime view of the upants. Stepping onto the MAX at night was like walking into a portable melting pot. There were people from all walks of life, gangsters, teenagers, tweakers, homeless people trying to keep warm, and a lot of drunk people. Arriving at my stop I stepped back out into the icy night air but this time I didn¡¯t feel it. The only thing I felt as I walked the two blocks to my destination was the buzz of anticipation humming through my body.

 33

    I scanned the VIP booths for Boris or Ivan but came up empty. Looked like I was going to have to wait a bit longer for one of them to make an appearance. I had done my homework, I knew both of them frequented this club. One of them was bound to show up eventually. Two ginger alester I finally saw Boris sit down on one of the couches in the raised VIP section to the right of the dance floor.


    Now to just get his attention. I set my ss on the bar and made my way onto the dance floor. I slowly shimmied and swayed my way through the throng of people until I was right in front of his section. I began to dance alone letting my body roll and dip to the hypnotic beat. I peeked up at him through my hair as I continued putting on a show. He was sitting on this throne watching me.


    Good.


    A hand came down on my shoulder and I jumped, spinning around to find arge eastern European man in a ck suit directly behind me.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said in a thick Russian ent, ¡°Boss want you.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry what?¡± I yed along as the dumb club girl.


    He pointed to the dais where Boris was sitting and ring at me, looking almost mad. As if he was impatient that I was making him wait.


    ¡°Oh, um I don¡¯t know him, I think you might have me confused with someone else,¡± I said trying to sound innocent.


    ¡°No confused, youe now,¡± he said with finality, grabbing my arm and none too gently hauling me up the stairs to Boris. He pushed me forward as if to present me to Boris and turned on his heel to resume his post at the far end of the stage, keeping watch over the crowd.


    I stood there awkwardly looking around as if lost, ¡°Umm, hi.¡± I said to Boris with a coy smile. I had to give it to the guy, he was definitely not ugly. He was arge man, and from the information I gleaned from Carlo and the men, he wasn¡¯t all that smart. He was the brawn to Ivan¡¯s brains.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he responded with a nod. When I didn¡¯t say anything he continued, ¡°I saw you dancing, what is your name?¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow, game on, time to bring on the flirt. ¡°I don¡¯t make a habit of telling strange men that demand my presence my name when I still don¡¯t know theirs,¡± I replied with a slight attitude and hand on my hip.


    Heughed, loudly, ¡°My name is Boris, yeah?¡±


    I smiled and flipped my hair, extending my hand I replied, ¡°Janelle.¡±


    Hisrge hand engulfed my own much smaller one and then he pulled, causing me to fall next to him. I giggled as I plopped down on the loveseat and curled up to his left side. A brush of my breast against his side revealed a pistol holster under his arm, a rub of his leg with my left foot revealed another small gun and finally a graze of my hand down his chest proved a second holster on the right side. In a matter of seconds I had effectively identified his personal weapons and cataloged them in my mind, I would need the knowledgeter.


    I spent the next hour flirting my ass off and dancing for him. I apparently did a good job because he was up and guiding me out of the club and into his car before midnight. He had shrugged off his security. Opting to drive his Lamborghini in an effort to impress me, I¡¯m sure. Foolish move, but he didn¡¯t know that yet, he just thought I was some young girl that he picked up at a club. Little did he know that he was my prey, I had stalked him and soon I would go in for the kill.


    The drive to the hotel was short but it gave me enough time to sh some leg andplement him profusely on his car. We pulled up to the hotel and two valets came running out. The first stopped at my door and helped me out of the car, the second made a beeline for Boris and the keys. I made sure to let my hair cover my face so the valet wouldn¡¯t be able to ID meter. Didn¡¯t matter much though since the two young men seemed to only have eyes for Boris¡¯ pretentious, overpensating car. Keeping my head down so onlookers couldn¡¯t catch my face, I let Boris guide me into the hotel and up to the 32nd floor where he led me into a hugely extravagant suite. Of course I had done my recon work and knew where he was staying. I had studied theyout of the hotel marking out my exit strategy and memorizing possible alternatives in the event that things didn¡¯t go as nned. The one thing I didn¡¯t have was backup. I was on my own here, and no one knew where I was, or what I was doing. If any of Carlo¡¯s men had any inclination of what I had nned they would have never let me leave the house.


    By now they probably knew I wasn¡¯t where I said I was going to be and were bound to have started figuring out my n. Carlo wasn¡¯t stupid. As soon as he found out I wasn¡¯t in Seattle he would know that I went after the Kashnikov¡¯s. The only person that knew was Mouse, but that was only because I needed him to get me theyout of the hotel and the intel on Boris. I hadn¡¯t clued him into the timeline since I didn¡¯t want him involved any more than absolutely necessary.


    ¡°Drink?¡± Boris asked, motioning to the wet bar and interrupting my rapid-fire thoughts. My heart rate had picked up and I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my body. This was it.


    ¡°Please,¡± I said sweetly, ¡°let me, go sit down.¡±


    Boris smirked and loosened his tie as he made his way over to the couch.


    ¡°What would you like to drink?¡±


    He gave me a weird look as if to say what the fuck do you think? ¡°Vodka.¡±


    I smiled as I turned to grab an old fashioned ss and rolled my eyes, seriously this man was a walking, talking stereo type. If I had to smile at this guy for one more goddamn minute I was going to fucking scream. With my back still turned I poured his vodka into the ss and set down the carafe. With my right hand I grabbed for a napkin as my left hand unscrewed the pendant on my ne. Before I turned around I poured the clear liquid into his drink. The drug was nearly untraceable on its own but mixed with straight vodka on ice there was no way Boris would be able to detect that I slipped him something before it was toote. Sauntering from around the wet bar I put an extra sway in my hips, handing him his drink and sitting beside him.


    He sipped his drink and surveyed me, ¡°Why you so far away?¡± he asked in his harsh ent.


    I grinned at him and straddled hisp, ¡°Well, when you finish your drink, we can get much, much closer,¡± I purred the words as I wrapped my arms around his neck, and it made me want to vomit. This man was responsible for Gina¡¯s death and here I was seducing him.


    Fucking disgusting pig.


    He downed his drink in one gulp and set it on the table immediately grabbing for me on hisp. The drugs hadn¡¯t kicked in yet, and given his size I didn¡¯t know how long it would take. I could flirt with this guy, touch him, sit on hisp but I could not kiss him let alone fuck him, I had to stall.


    Shit, I did not think this through


    I went for his throat, kissing him there, it was better than having to kiss his lips and it gave me time to think. I mentally calcted the dosage in my ne and his weight, thinking he was about two fifty and the vial on my ne held about two doses for a normal person. I had given him the entire thing, it was only a matter of a few minutes before he should start to feel the effects. I started to push at his suit jacket, I might as well shoot two birds with one stone and disarm him now.


    Next I unbuttoned his shirt, making sure to take my time and slide my hands all over his chest. The coarse hair abraded my cheeks as I kissed down his neck and ventured south.


    This shit had better start fucking working because like hell was I sucking this bastard¡¯s cock.


    With his size I wasn¡¯t confident that I could overpower him or even get the upper hand. While I was contemting going for his ankle holster since he had removed his side arms and was running out of torso, a heavy handnded on my head.


    ¡°Da, good baby, so good,¡± he slurred, and that was my cue. I moved quickly grabbing the gun holstered to his ankle and rolling out of reach. I stood above him, his own gun aimed at his head.


    ¡°What? What you do to me?¡± he could barely get the words out, his tongue was thick and by the way he smacked his lips together I assumed his mouth was dry.

 34

    ¡°Just something to make things a little fuzzy. Don¡¯t worry, you will still feel everything I n to do to you,¡± I took my wig off and pulled the handcuffs from my purse. Walking over I secured his wrists behind his back and retrieved his two side arms making sure they were plenty far away. Next I lifted my skirt and unsheathed my push dagger. Kicking off my shoes I stalked back across the room, fury heating my blood.


    ¡°You murdered my best friend, you beat her, and you raped her!¡± I yelled in his face. I was so close, we were breathing the same air and it made me sick.


    Boris was looking at me with far away eyes, not even trying to defend himself. I don¡¯t think he even knew I was talking to him, but when I straightened and brought my de down across his chest he let out a pained grunt letting me know he felt it. I brought my de up this time, making a long line up his side. The cuts were shallow not reaching the muscle, just the flesh. I kept slicing him at a manic pace. I wanted him to feel it. I was going to mutte his body just like he had done to Gina.


    Once his neck and torso were covered in shallow slices, I walked back over to the fully stocked wet bar. Grabbing the container of limes along with the salt I made my way back over to where Boris was feebly trying to fight against his restraints. I set my haul on the side table and approached Boris again.


    ¡°You are pathetic, and I am going to show you how much I can make you hurt.¡± I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him on the floor, with some effort I was able to get him onto his back. He was out of it, he could feel the pain but he couldn¡¯t fight against it.


    I stood over him and grabbed for the limes first, slowly squeezing the juice onto his cuts. He cried out in pain but that didn¡¯t dissuade me. By the time I was done, not a single cut was left unsaturated with citrus juice. I smiled as I reached for the salt, pouring it all over his chest and rubbing it in with my foot. That woke him up, he was thrashing and bucking so hard that he almost knocked me over. I needed to end this soon, I had been in here too long already.


    Grabbing my phone from my bag, I pulled up the camera app and hit record; really the scene made for an especially lovely picture, it was almost artistic. The word OMERT¨¢ was carved in his skin, dozens of sh marks covered his torso and arms, even his face. The lime wedges strewn about around him added a nice pop of color, whichplimented the red salt stained blood nicely.


    ¡°Bo-ris,¡± I singsonged his name, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell your Papa and brother what you¡¯re feeling right now?¡±


    When he didn¡¯t move I grabbed my dagger and stabbed him in the stomach, not one of the shallow slices I was using before, this was deep. As soon as my de sunk into his flesh he let out a blood curdling scream for the camera, and Iughed. It was maniacal, it was wild and dangerous. I was starting to lose myself in this room. I knew that I needed to get out, but I wanted to stay and y.


    His screams slowly dissolved into groans. I kept the camera aimed at him as I leaned forward and sliced his throat from ear to ear. It took more effort than I had imagined but my knife was sharp and I had rage fueling me so I managed to get a clean cut. I let the recording roll for another minute as Boris gurgled and sputtered, finally sumbing as his blood pooled beneath him.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I turned off the recording with my left hand and tossed the phone on the couch as I stood. It took a while to roll Boris far enough onto his side to remove the handcuffs. The fucker was heavy. Moving to the sink at the wet bar I washed the blood from my knife, hands and arms watching it swirl down the drain. As the water began to run clear, the haze of bloodlust started to dissipate and reality started to seep in. I quickly sshed water on my face and neck to wash away the rest of the blood, and grabbed some napkins to dry off. I threw them into the sink and rushed over to get the ss from Boris¡¯ drink, and the container from the limes and salt. I brought them back to the sink, and quickly washed the ss and wiped my prints from everything else.


    I made another trip into the living room collecting my wig, purse and phone. Taking a lighter from my purse, I lit the paper napkins I used in the sink and watched them burn. My heart was racing. I needed to get out of here but I needed to be smart about it, make sure I covered my tracks in case someone found Boris before his brother or father. My prints weren¡¯t in any database, but I didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks.


    Slipping everything into my purse, I made my way to the mirror at the entry of the suite, recing my wig I gave myself a onceover. My ck dress camouged any blood spatter and my skin had been rubbed clean. I appeared to be a normal club girl as long as no one looked too close. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door with my arm, careful not to get my prints on the handle and slipped out into the hallway.


    I moved quickly to the elevators using my knuckle to press the call button, conscious not to fidget or make any unnatural or nervous movements in case someone approached. Taking the elevator would run the risk of more people seeing me but if someone witnessed me taking the stairs down thirty two floors it would be far more suspicious.


    The doors opened and thankfully there was no one in the elevator. Pressing the button for the underground garage I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as the doors started to close. It was short lived though, because at thest second a hand flew into the space between the doors causing them to open again, and my gaze followed the hand right up to the ice blue eyes of Ivan Kashnikov.

 35

    Carlo


    ¡°Where the fuck is she?¡± I yelled into the phone. I knew it was no use, no one knew where she was. She told me she was going into the city this afternoon for a meeting but that had been a lie. When it past eight that evening with no word from her I called her assistant at the main office and she had told me there was no meeting that afternoon. In fact, Mia had told her she had some personal business to take care of and would be unreachable for the day.


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re trying to find her but her cell was left at the estate and her car is parked at the office in Seattle, which is as far as we¡¯ve been able to track her. There has been no activity on any of her cards and she hasn¡¯t used her name for any sort of travel. I¡¯m sorry, Sir, but it looks like she was pretty thorough. I don¡¯t think we are going to find her until she wants to be found.¡± Enzo¡¯s voice came through the phone sounding calm.


    ¡°Call me if you find anything,¡± I snapped into the phone and disconnected before he could respond.


    I started pacing in front of my desk, ¡°What the fuck is she doing?¡± I asked to no one in particr. Angelo was on theputer trying to search for any sign of Mia.


    ¡°The good thing is that we¡¯re pretty sure she did this willingly. It doesn¡¯t seem like she was taken by force since she lied about where she was going and purposely left her cards and phone,¡± Angelo said from his post behind theputer.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean whatever she had nned didn¡¯t backfire. You and I both have a pretty good fucking idea of what she was, is, trying to do. FUCK!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure. We don¡¯t have anything to go on right now and assuming the worst isn¡¯t going to help us find her any faster. At this point, the best solution is to wait until morning. If she isn¡¯t back by then, we go after the Kashnikovs.¡±


    ¡°But if they have her now she could be dead by morning!¡± I shouted as I continued my pacing, running my hands through my hair. This is why I don¡¯t make personal attachments. I was going fucking insane. It was midnight and she had only been gone for eight hours. Jesus, I couldn¡¯t even imagine what I would do if she was hurt.


    ¡°If we go in half-cocked without a n and they do have her, they might panic and kill her. And if they don¡¯t have her, we just showed our hand. There are too many unknowns right now Carlo. Besides, Mia is intelligent and well trained. I don¡¯t like this situation any more than you do but if she did do what we think, she would have been smart about it. Obviously from the way she took off and covered her tracks she had thought this through. Have some faith in her, we¡¯ll get her back,¡± Angelo said with more confidence than I felt.¡±I swear if she has so much as one hair out of ce when we get her back, I won¡¯t rest until I see everyst one of those fuckers burn.¡± Mia


    My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was sure he could hear it as he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. He gave me a sidelong onceover and a head nod, I smiled weakly in return.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    He didn¡¯t know.


    I was tempted to try and take him out now, two birds with one stone, but I immediately dismissed the idea as foolish. I needed time to prepare and n, and I definitely wanted to take my time with this one. I was certain it was his call to kill Gina and I wanted to make sure his end was slow and painful, even more so than his brother¡¯s.


    As the car descended I noticed Ivan nce at me again, lingering on the half obstructed view of my face.


    Fuck! Did he recognize me? How is that even possible, am I acting suspicious?


    ¡°How much?¡± he asked with is twisted smirk.


    What the fuck?


    It took me a second to realize that he thought I was a prostitute. I covered my face with my hands and stifled augh, ¡°Oh god, I am like never wearing this dress again, I don¡¯t-I mean I¡¯m not like a hooker.¡±


    What the fuck was that?


    My nerves were getting the best of me, the first thing I could think of was to y up the part of ditzy party girl. I just hoped he couldn¡¯t see through the act. I could feel my hands starting to tremble. Shit! I quickly rubbed my nose and sniffed loudly a few times. Maybe if he thought I was high it would help make sense of why I was acting like such a fucking spaz.


    Ivan immediately took the bait. Raising an eyebrow and smirking, he reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a card, handing it to me. ¡°Well if you want to make some money let me know, we are always looking for new girls,¡± he said.


    I looked at the card in my hands.


    Ivan Kashnikov, Owner


    The Red Dragon


    251 NW Broadway St, Pornd, OR 97209


    ¡°Are you, like a pimp?¡± I asked keeping up the valley girl act.


    He smirked at me, ¡°It¡¯s a gentlemen¡¯s club, we are always looking for new dancers, and you look like you can move.¡±


    My skin was crawling but I yed along, we only had three more floors before the lobby. ¡°Maybe I will,¡± I said with a slightly defiant tone. ¡°Is the money good?¡±


    ¡°Come and find out, we¡¯re holding auditions for new dancers next Friday at seven at that address,¡± he smirked again as the doors opened, he winked at me and strode into the deserted lobby.


    My stomach rolled as the doors closed again and I began my final descent into the parking garage. I pulled out my phone and opened the Facebook app. Mouse had set us each up with a dummy profile that couldn¡¯t be linked back to either of us. I posted a stupid cat meme and tagged him in it with the caption:


    LOL!!!


    Each exmation point signifying an hour of security footage he needed to erase. Since it was a high end hotel they didn¡¯t use a closed circuit surveince system, a fact that Mouse had discovered the week before. Instead they used an inte based system that was easy enough for an experienced hacker like Mouse to infiltrate. He had been messing around for thest two days on the system, dropping feeds and making it seem like there was an issue with the software or tform connection. Eventually I¡¯m sure someone would piece together the timeline but initially it would look like another glitch.


    The doors to the elevator opened and I made my way out of the underground parking garage and onto the street with a cruel smile stretched across my face.

 36

    Carlo


    I had stopped pacing an hour ago when Enzo called to inform me that Mia had picked up her car. I told him not to approach her, just follow her and make sure she got home.


    Now I was sitting behind my desk, head in hands going over and over in my head what the hell I was going to do when she got home. I was unbelievably relieved that she was okay but I was also furious at the shit she just pulled. I swear to God as soon as she walked through that door I was never letting her out of my sight again, even if I had to lock her up.


    The door to my office opened and I jumped up. Mia walked into the room, shoulders back and head held high. She removed her wig and threw it on the side table along with her purse and keys. Kicking off her heels, she turned to the men in the room.


    ¡°Everybody out,¡± When they didn¡¯t move, she added, ¡°NOW!¡±


    At that, Angelo and Sal quickly left the room, Angelo giving me a weary look.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°WHERE THE FUCK-¡± I started, but she cut me off.


    ¡°You know where I was. Look, I know I owe you an exnation, and you¡¯ll get it but just give me a minute to wash all this shit off okay?¡± She said as she walked towards the en suite.


    I followed behind her, no way was I letting her get out of this that easy. I watched as she immediately started to strip when she entered the bathroom. First her tight ck dress followed by her bra, panties and thigh holster and push dagger. Once she waspletely naked she headed over to the shower. Turning the handle, she let the water run over her hand and adjusted the temperature, slipping into the stall and sliding the door closed as if it were any other day.


    My blood was boiling. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. If she was going to insist on taking a shower fine, but she damn well better be prepared to multitask. I quickly discarded my clothes and silently followed her. She let out a surprised gasp as I snaked my arms around her waist and tugged her out of the stream of water and to me.


    Her body was slick, pressed up against mine, her back to my front and I could feel goosebumps erupt over her skin underneath my hands. My dick stirred to life against her ass. Despite how infuriated I was at her for making me worry, I still wanted her.


    I was sure our rtionship was fucking with her head, it was fucking with mine too. I didn¡¯t know how to navigate it, how to incorporate the way I felt for her into my already existing life. Her connection to me was what had gotten her best friend killed. Gina¡¯s death had been a realization of my worst fear; that somehow someone would see my rtionship with Mia as my one weakness, the one way to get me to bend to the will of another. The one way to break me.


    ¡°Tell me what you did,¡± I said in a hoarse whisper. The relief I felt with her in my arms again didn¡¯t erase the anxiety of not knowing where she had been for the past fourteen hours.


    ¡°I killed him,¡± she said softly and covered my arms with her own.


    ¡°Who?¡± I had a pretty good idea but I needed to hear the words from her mouth.


    ¡°Boris Kashnikov.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like that she was giving me only small pieces of information, like I had to ask the right questions to unlock the answers. I was used to getting what I wanted when I wanted it, but Mia wasn¡¯t one of my men.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I slit his throat.¡±


    I spun her around and looked into her eyes. They weren¡¯t void of emotion like her tone had implied, instead they were alight with lethal calm I had learned to expect from her when she released her inner savage. I sagged with relief once I realized she wasn¡¯t in shock or reverting back to the catatonic state she had been in after we found Gina. Lowering my head to the crook of her neck, I inhaled her scent and traced the curve of her neck with my lips until my cheek rested against hers and my lips hovered over her ear.


    ¡°I am so relieved you¡¯re okay,¡± I whispered as my hands ghosted up her sides. ¡°And we will be talking about this, in detail.¡± I pulled back to look into her eyes so she knew there was absolutely no room for argument on the subject. When she nodded her acquiescence I continued, running my hands back down her sides and around to cup her ass. ¡°But right now I just need to feel you,¡± I said as I hoisted her up by the backs of her thighs forcing her to wrap her arms and legs around me. She gasped as I lifted her and shifted us so that her back was against the tiled wall. She looked down at me and a secondter her mouth came crashing down on mine.


    It reminded me of the first time we had been together, hurried and desperate. I gripped her waist and tilted my hips back to get the angle I needed and pushed forward with such force the back of Mia¡¯s head smacked against the tile. If the moan that she let out when I was finally fully inside her was any indication, she either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care. I pounded into her harder than I ever had, and with a tight grip on her hips I pulled her down to meet me thrust for thrust. She was biting and sucking at my neck, her nails sinking deep into my shoulders and her heels pushing hard against my ass.


    I circled her neck with one of my hands, the other still on her hip guiding her to me, and squeezed. Not hard enough to cut off her air supply but enough for her to feel it, feel me. She let out another long moan and I felt her clench and grow even wetter for me. I lowered my head to take one of her nipples into my mouth. As soon as I got one tight bud into my mouth, I sucked hard and tightened my grip on her neck. She went off like a rocket, her orgasm tearing through her, back arched and pussy mped down on my dick so hard I thought I might pass out.


    I thrust into her harder and faster. Letting go of her throat I slid my free hand between our bodies and swirled my thumb against her clit, chasing my own release and coaxing another out of her. I felt the tingle at the base of my spine and before I knew it, I was spilling into her with a deafening roar. She fell over the edge with me, screaming my name.

 37

    Mia


    After our shower, Carlo wrapped me in a towel and carried me upstairs to his room. I had never been inside his room before. Carlo had alwayse to me. Now that I was here, it seemed odd that we never spent any time in his space. His room was set up much like mine but instead of a bed with a gauzy canopy and light ents this room was dark. The giant four-post bed was made of cherry wood and even the bedding was a dark navy. Wey naked under the covers, my body curled into his, our legs intertwined and my head on his chest.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± he demanded, but his tone was soft.


    ¡°It¡¯s easier if I just show you,¡± I said, uncurling myself from around him and reaching for my purse on the nightstand. I pulled out the phone I had used tonight, wellst night technically since it was morning now. Pulling up the camera roll, I clicked on the video and turned the screen to Carlo. I could hear my voiceing through the speaker as I taunted Boris, his screams filled the room and I was momentarily brought back to the memory of sitting astride him and watching the life leave his eyes. Carlo snapped me out of my daydreaming.


    ¡°What the fuck were you thinking?¡± his tone immediately put me on the defensive.


    ¡°I was thinking that this fucker was the one responsible for murdering MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND!¡± I screamed thest part at him, climbing off the bed and turning to face him. I felt better on my feet despite the fact that I was bare-assed naked.


    ¡°No shit Mia! He¡¯s fucking dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Was,¡± I said steadily. My heartrate started to pick up and I could feel the fury spreading from my chest and flushing my face. ¡°He was dangerous, now he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ, Mia. You have no idea, none. God, you could have been killed!¡±


    ¡°I was careful. I nned it out and executed, just like you would have done.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, you went off half-cocked without backup into one of the most dangerous situations you could have possibly put yourself in. I wouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re right. You wouldn¡¯t have done anything, just like you haven¡¯t fucking done anything in thest two months since Gina died!¡± I was out of my mind pissed, I didn¡¯t even mean what I was saying. I knew Carlo had been looking for a way to get back at the Kashnikov¡¯s but he also had a fucking empire to run. Carlo looked at me as if he¡¯d been punched in the gut, hurt and guilt rolling off of him like waves. I hated that I had put that expression on his face, but I was still too angry to stop the word vomit spewing from my lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be pissed at me for doing what you couldn¡¯t,¡± I seethed. That seemed to snap him out of it.


    ¡°What I couldn¡¯t? You have got to be fucking kidding me! I¡¯ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer than you have. I knew where they were before your little tech friend ran the first fucking search!¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I was stunned, he what? He knew and he did nothing? He didn¡¯t even tell me.


    ¡°Yes. I knew. And yes, I kept it from you for this exact reason, Mia, because I know you. I knew that if you had the information you would go off and pull some stupid vignte bullshit like you JUST FUCKING DID!¡±


    ¡°I am not stupid,¡± I spoke the words slowly as to not be misunderstood, my voice quiet butced with unbridled anger. My father had called me stupid, it was practically a pet name growing up. No one had called me that in a very long time. I knew it was an insignificant word to get riled up about but it was like he knew every one of my buttons and he was pushing them all at the same time.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Carlo started to pace the length of the bed on his side, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, something he only did when he was exasperated. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were stupid Mia, I said what you did was stupid, because it was.¡±


    Well, that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, not. When I didn¡¯t do anything but re at him he continued.


    ¡°Look, I am not going to argue with you about this. Going after Boris by yourself was reckless and foolish. You should havee to me.¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°So you could what? Keep me in the dark some more? I. Wanted. My. Revenge!¡± I jabbed my finger into my chest, punctuating my point.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem! You weren¡¯t thinking, you were feeling. All you could see was your need for revenge instead of the big picture!¡±


    ¡°What big picture?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, how about not starting a full blown FUCKING WAR!¡± he roared.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± I asked,pletely confused.


    Carlo¡¯s nostrils red as he took several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. If I didn¡¯t know the man as well as I did I would be pissing myself. He looked massive standing therepletely naked towering over half the bed as he leaned forward staring at me unblinking.


    ¡°What I¡¯m talking about is a war between us and the fucking Russians. You just killed Vitaly Kashnikov¡¯s son, the brother of the most twisted and uncaring sociopath I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. What do you think they¡¯re going to do when they find his body? When they find the word Omert¨¢ carved into his fucking chest? Ivan is no longer contained by his father, he¡¯s been let loose and he has the money and resources to go fucking nuclear. They will know exactly who is responsible and they wille after us.¡±


    ¡°They already came after us, we can be ready for them this time.¡± Even as I spoke the words I knew how pathetically na?ve they sounded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t prepare for a madman! This is why I was waiting, biding my time. Gina wasn¡¯t an attack, it was a warning. It was Ivan telling me that he could reach me, that he had my number and he knew exactly how to hurt me. Mia, Gina wasn¡¯t an ident of mistaken identity, they knew who they had, and they wanted us to feel how close they could get.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked, the sting of fresh tears pricking my eyes.


    Carlo let out a long sigh, ¡°They sent me a video the day after we found her.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I was hurt that he had kept yet another thing from me. I had thought we were a team. I had thought we were partners, now I could see how wrong I was. He didn¡¯t want me by his side, he wanted to keep me tucked away as his dirty little secret so he could keep up his front as the heartless crime boss.


    ¡°What good would it have done for you to know?¡± he asked, his tone much more gentle than before. He was being careful with me. He had never done that before, that was one of the things l loved most about him. He didn¡¯t act like I was this fragile doll. Sure he tried to protect me but he never made me feel like I was helpless.


    ¡°I deserved the truth, Carlo.¡±


    ¡°Look-¡±


    ¡°Cut the shit. I don¡¯t need your empty fucking apologies. We¡¯re done dancing around this. You have a decision to make, either I¡¯m in or I¡¯m fucking out. No more of this limbo shit. Either you tell me what your n was before and wee up with a new n together or I¡¯m gone.¡±Carlo blinked at me, not saying a word. His fists clenched and released over and over again. I could see that his jaw was tight and that vein in his forehead was on full disy. I suddenly realized that Carlo had probably not been challenged like this since he took control after his father¡¯s death. I had just given him an ultimatum, me or his lonely throne of one.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he hissed.


    Inside I was celebrating, but on the outside I remained unmoving, staring him down just as hard as he stared me down. I wasn¡¯t going to give in. I had to show him I was serious about this. ¡°Good,¡± I said climbing back into bed. It took Carlo a minute to regain hisposure and join me. When he did his body was stiff and I could feel his anger and resistance emanating from him.


    ¡°So,¡± I started, knowing full well he wasn¡¯t going to open up without some prodding. ¡°What was your n before I went and fucked it all up?¡± A little self-deprecating humor always helped to lighten the mood, right? Carlo cut his eyes to me without moving, propped against the headboard with his head tilted back and his legs straight out in front of him. I nudged him in the side with my elbow, nothing.


    His eyes stared back at the ceiling, his breaths slow and deep. He was fucking brooding. I realized as I stared at him awestruck, his precious male ego had been wounded by my challenge.


    Men are such fucking babies.


    I moved quickly and without warning, straddling hisp and linking my hands behind his neck. His arms automatically went to my waist as if he had no choice but to hold me when I was this close. I hid my smile in his neck and whispered in his ear. ¡°Come on, baby. Tell me what you had nned.¡±


    ¡°What good will it do now?¡± he grumbled.


    You have got to be kidding me with this shit.


    ¡°Now who¡¯s not seeing the big picture?¡± I teased and he sighed.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°You said that already.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to shut up for five fucking seconds so I can tell you what you want to know or are you going to keep interrupting me?¡± he huffed.


    I narrowed my eyes at him, ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m listening.¡±

 38

    Carlo


    She was on top of me, both literally and figuratively. Mia had taken control and hadn¡¯t given it back yet, if she ever nned to. Her threat to leave hadpletely pulled the rug out from under me. She had to know by now that I wouldn¡¯t let her go for anything, let alone push her away to spare my pride. I had known it wasing. I knew she wouldn¡¯t stand by and let me run the show while I kept her protected in the dark but I didn¡¯t think it woulde to a head this soon.


    ¡°You first. Tell me what happened tonight. Everything.¡± I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Well¡­¡±


    My body went rock hard with tension as she told me how she had stalked Boris and got him to pick her up in the club.


    Her shoulders sagged with a sigh and she rolled her eyes again, ¡°Rx, I didn¡¯t let him touch anything important and I didn¡¯t let him kiss me. Just enough flirting to get him to take me back to his hotel,¡± she said the words like they meant nothing, like just hearing that he hadid a fucking finger on her didn¡¯t make me want to raise him from the dead so I could kill him all over again.


    I squeezed my eyes shut trying to block out the images my imagination was creating of her flirting with the bastard, touching him, making him want her. Fuck! I shook my head to clear it and pinned her with my gaze, ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°I made him a drink when we got back to his hotel and slipped him something-¡±


    ¡°What did you give him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°GHB,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°How in the hell did you get the date rape drug? You know what, I don¡¯t even want to fucking know.¡±


    She continued for nearly an hour, detailing everything she had done to him with what could only be exined as glee in her eyes. She told me how she cleaned the room and the arrangement she had with her friend Mouse to erase the footage from the security cameras at the hotel. Although I would never admit it, I was impressed by her thoroughness and turned on by her ruthlessness. It waspletely fucked up but I couldn¡¯t help it. The thought of her torturing a man made me want to take her hard and fast.


    ¡°Your turn,¡± she said breaking me out of my lust filled fantasy.


    ¡°Well,¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°As I said before, I was biding my time. Waiting for them to get into a position where I could take out all three simultaneously in order to minimize the blowback.¡± I said ring at her, to which she rolled her eyes and motioned for me to continue. ¡°They were being smart about it, all three of them never being in the same ce at the same time. I couldn¡¯t have eyes on them all the time, it would have been too obvious. They knew I was watching but I couldn¡¯t let on to how much I knew. They have a meeting with the head of one of therger street gangs on the west coast next week to discuss a long-term gun deal. Vitaly wouldn¡¯t be there but both Ivan and Boris would, I was going to try to n two separate attacks at the same time, one to get Vitaly in whatever hole he was hiding himself in, and the other to take out Ivan and Boris together.¡±


    ¡°How did you know about the meet?¡±


    I smirked, ¡°I know people.¡± She just red at me. ¡°Enzo¡¯s cousin Eddie is high up in the gang. He¡¯s been keeping us up to date.¡±


    She looked confused, ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Because he wanted to take over. Apparently the current leader of the gang is quite the bastard. In return for his cooperation we were going to take him out as well, making it look like a casualty from our attack on the Russians. Eddie would then take control and ensure no retaliation from the gang.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so simple.¡±


    ¡°It is. Everybody wants something and you just have to find out what it is, figure out a way to use it to your advantage.¡±


    ¡°And what do you want, Carlo?¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡±


    She nodded, her eyes hooded and a sexy smile dancing across her face.


    ¡°Right now, all I want is you.¡±


    I leaned forward bringing my hands to rest on either side of her face, guiding her towards me and slowly brushing my lips back and forth over hers. ¡°I have a feeling all I¡¯ll ever want is you.¡± I whispered before I took her mouth. It was slow and sensual, aplete contrast to every other time we were together.


    Instead of fireworks and explosions this was a slow burn, my heart rate steadily increasing as our kiss deepened. My tongue sliding over hers, for once not fighting for dominance. She melted into me, her hands glided across my shoulders and up to the back of my head. I traced every inch of her back with my hands, memorizing the feel of her, savoring her submission. She was giving me back control. I didn¡¯t know how long it wouldst so I was going to take my time enjoying it. I rolled us until she was spread out beneath me. Settling between her thighs I lifted both of her hands above her head, pinning them there while I devoured her mouth.


    Breaking away I gave her a stern look, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking move your hands, understood?¡± She nodded, although from the dazed look in her eyes I doubt my words registered. Kissing a path down her throat I slowly made my way down her body, stopping to lick and suck at each of her breasts. When I grazed my teeth over one of her nipples, her back bowed off the bed and her hands went to the back of my head, holding me there. I released her tip with a pop and circled her wrists with my hands, firmly cing them over her head again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me tie you down,¡± I said in warning. At that, her eyes red and I chuckled. ¡°Not this time, baby.¡± She smiled at the term of endearment and rxed back into the mattress.


    Continuing my path down her body I circled my tongue around her bellybutton causing her stomach muscles to tighten and her body to squirm. I smiled against her skin and lifted both of her legs over my shoulder as I sank further down the bed. I gently licked where her thigh met her body making her shiver. I could tell she was getting impatient by the way her hips were rolling, willing me to where she wanted me. I repeated the move on her other thigh and she let out a pained whimper. Settling myself I gripped her hips and brought her to my mouth, starting out slow, teasing her by alternating between soft flicks with the tip of my tongue over her clit and longps over her lips.


    After a minute of my ministrations I had to forcibly hold her hips down while I licked and sucked my fill. Her breaths wereing out in shallow pants punctuated by long moans that I could feel all through her body. Letting go of one of her hips, I circled her entrance with two fingers, not giving her any more. This elicited a frustrated growl from her as she doubled her efforts pushing her hips forward roughly in an attempt to take my fingers deeper. I yed with her for a few more minutes, changing up my movements whenever she started to get close to the edge. Without warning I plunged both fingers into her body andtched my mouth around her clit, she let out a startled scream that faded into a loud guttural moan.


    Curving my fingers inside her body to hit just the right spot, I increased the suction I had on her clit and flicked my tongue back and forth. It only took a few seconds for her entire body to start shaking so hard I nearly lost my grip on her hip. One more thrust of my fingers and swirl of my tongue sent her over the edge. Her muscles contracted sucking my fingers further into her body as I watched here apart for me, her face looking pained and her mouth open in a soundless cry. It was magnificent, she was perfection. I continued top at her pussy while she came back down to earth. Climbing back up her body, I ced the two fingers I had in her body to her lips.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Suck,¡± I demanded and she immediately obeyed, sucking and licking them clean as I nuzzled her neck. ¡°You taste yourself on my fingers? See how good you taste when I make youe?¡± She moaned as I reced my fingers with my tongue, kissing her mouth the same way I had her pussy.


    Shifting back into the cradle of her hips I groaned as I pushed slowly into her, her body still spasming with the aftershocks of her orgasm. I took her slow and hard never breaking the connection of our mouths and running my hands over every inch of her body I could reach. Her breath caught as I increased my speed and the power behind my thrusts until we sumbed to our pleasure together, our mouths swallowing each other¡¯s moans.

 39

    Mia


    I was floating in that post-orgasmic ce between sleep and consciousness, my limbs tingly and sort of numb and my head fuzzy. As I came back down I reyed thest hour in my head. He had been all around me,pletely consuming me. I couldn¡¯t move an inch without feeling him somewhere. Sex had never been like that before, not with anybody and especially not with Carlo. We were always hot and heavy, in a frantic race for the finish line, constantly fighting for the upper hand.


    This time had beenpletely different. We wanted each other just as desperately as every time we came together, but this time I hadn¡¯t fought him. He¡¯d needed the reassurance of control after our conversation. I gave it to him willingly, my way of telling him that I was his and I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I had absolutely no intention of letting him keep it but I¡¯d let him borrow it for a while.


    I felt a calmness nket me as I snuggled closer to him, my head resting on his chest with an arm thrown over his stomach. His heart beat steadily under my cheek as I inhaled his scent, a mixture of expensive cologne and sex with a hint of sweat.


    God, I love the way he smells.


    ¡°Are you sniffing me?¡± he asked and chuckled when I stilled at his question, hisughter causing my head to bounce on his hard chest.


    ¡°No,¡± I replied immediately.


    ¡°Do I smell good?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, my voice muffled against his side as I hid my face in embarrassment over being caught.


    ¡°And what do I smell like?¡± he asked, his wordsced with a teasing tone that I didn¡¯t entirely appreciate.


    ¡°Like shit, you should take a shower.¡±


    Carlo¡¯s loudugh echoed throughout the room, ¡°I call bullshit, if I smelled like shit you wouldn¡¯t have had that dopey look on your face while you were sniffing me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you and you know it,¡± he said, brushing the hair off of my face and tracing his fingertips over my shoulder and down my side causing me to shiver.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make me want to kick your ass any less forughing at me.¡± I said pulling away from him.


    Before I could get away he looped an arm around my middle and rolled us so I was pinned beneath him. I squirmed, trying to get away but he grabbed my arms and pinned them to the bed by my head. His strong thighs straddled my legs, rendering me immobile. I grunted and red at him.


    ¡°Baby, stop trying to pick a fight with me, it¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    ¡°Who said I was trying to pick a fight?¡±


    Carlo just cocked an eyebrow at me without saying a word.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but you will be.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It means I¡¯m still pissed about that vignte shit.¡±


    ¡°What do you n to do about it?¡± My heart raced at the possibilities flitting through my mind. I hadn¡¯t seen this side of Carlo in bed before tonight, but I had a feeling I could get addicted to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to spank that perfect ass, and you¡¯re going to get a few more for trying to pick a fight with me right after sex.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I did not want that to sound as hot as it did, but I couldn¡¯t help the slickness between my legs at his words.


    ¡°You put yourself in danger and you scared the shit out of me. I¡¯m going to spank your ass, then I¡¯m going to fuck you so hard you¡¯ll still be feeling me tomorrow.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Goosebumps erupted across my skin, ¡°Why?¡± I asked, my voice breathy. I was already panting and squeezing my thighs together.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Carlo


    ¡°I want Mouse here,¡± she said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fly him in tomorrow,¡± I nodded, understanding where she wasing from. She needed someone she trusted, one of her people here. If she was going to stay behind she wanted to feel like she had some semnce of control over the situation. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring in Frankie as well. She knows our set up and she can help bring Mouse up to speed.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°My tech person, Francesca Delrossi. She¡¯s been working for me for about five years. You¡¯ve met her, she works out of the main office in the city.¡±


    ¡°Francesca? The dragondy Francesca?¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a fucking genius. Plucked her up while she was still in college and she¡¯s been working for me ever since.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never actually met her. I heard about an intern that went down there once to get help with a tablet that kept freezing up and he came back nearly in tears, a grown man. You know they call her office the dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°She can be a little¡­ hostile when she isn¡¯t fully caffeinated.¡± I said, choosing my words carefully. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have much of a bedside manner.¡±


    ¡°So what makes you think she¡¯ll be able to work with Mouse?¡±


    ¡°Frankie might not have much in the way of people skills but she is the best hacker on the west coast. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be much more cooperative when she has someone around that speaks hernguage.¡± At least I hoped she would be. Frankie had always been a bit of a handful, but she was the best and sometimes you have to deal with a little crazy if you want the genius that goes along with it.


    Mia rolled her eyes, ¡°Anyways,¡± she said, switching directions. ¡°The meet with Eddie¡¯s gang and Kashnikov¡¯s crew is two days away and Ivan still hasn¡¯t made any changes to the n?¡±


    ¡°No, ording to Eddie everything is a go exactly how it was nned.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find that odd? After Boris, wouldn¡¯t he want to postpone the meet?¡±


    ¡°Not really, if this deal goes through for them it will put their family in an even better position than they were three years ago when I ran them out of town. Probably doesn¡¯t want to run the risk of spooking them.¡± I shrugged. ¡°This is their foot in the door for the gun trade, not the small time stuff they¡¯ve been dabbling in. This is the big time. We¡¯re talking millions. Once word gets out that the Kashnikov¡¯s are big enough yers to support that kind of demand and offering it at a discounted price, we¡¯re talking hundreds of millions. Ivan is smart enough not to take the chance of fucking this up over a potential threat. He still hasn¡¯t given them the meeting ce. He¡¯ll call it in about an hour before the meet takes ce. That¡¯s about as much security as you can get in this business. It¡¯s the move I¡¯d make.¡±¡±I wish you¡¯d let me go with you.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°We¡¯ve been over this Mia, and I¡¯m not willing to risk putting you in that kind of situation. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What about you? I¡¯m not willing to put you in danger. Why can¡¯t you just send in a team to handle it and stay here with me?¡±


    ¡°This is what I do. I¡¯m not going to hide out while I send my men off to handle my business. Besides, it would just create a bigger target for others to try to do what the Kashnikov¡¯s have done. I have to send a message. I have to show the world, our world, that I am not a man to be challenged.¡±


    ¡°I hate this,¡± she said solemnly.


    ¡°I know, baby, I hate it too. I¡¯m sorry I ever put you in this kind of situation,¡± I groaned and scrubbed my hands over my face. ¡°I should have just set you up in an apartment in the city until you went off to college. I never should have brought you into my world.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she gasped. When I looked up from my hands and saw the heartbroken look on her face, a feeling of dread washed over me.


    ¡°Baby, no. I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you mean it, Carlo? Because it sounded like you were saying you regret our life together, it sounded like you were saying you wish you never knew me.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± I rushed to say, ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I meant that I wish things were different, that you¡¯re involvement with me didn¡¯t put you in a position of constant potential danger. I know this isn¡¯t the life you imagined for yourself. You deserve a life where you don¡¯t have to look over your shoulder at every turn.¡±


    Her face softened, ¡°I¡¯d rather have to look over my shoulder with you by my side than not at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, baby, me too. Which is why even though I know you deserve better I won¡¯t let you leave me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to leave you, Carlo. Even though you piss me off any chance you get, you¡¯re everything to me. All I want is to be by your side. Wherever that takes us it will be worth it if we¡¯re together.¡±


    Taking her face in my hands I kissed her softly and pulled back to look into her eyes, ¡°I love you, Mia.¡± My voice rough with emotion as I spoke over the lump in my throat.


    Tears formed in her eyes and she smiled, ¡°I love you too, Carlo.¡±


    I felt my world turn upside down with those three little whispered words. My life would never be the same. Instead of running away from the slightly panicked feeling in my chest, I embraced it, just as I embraced Mia.

 40

    Mia


    It was D-day. The past two days had flown by while we discussed strategy and made the necessary preparations for what would hopefully be the take down of the Kashnikov¡¯s. Ten men, including Carlo, Angelo, Enzo, and Antonio, were getting ready to head down to Pornd where the meet would take ce. Eddie and his guys were down in Pornd already and since Ivan wasn¡¯t phoning in the actual location until an hour before they were supposed to meet we knew it would be somewhere in the Pornd area. All the ranking members of the DeLuca Family had been called in to the estate, those that weren¡¯t going with Carlo would remain with me awaiting their return.


    Mouse had arrived the day before, nervous and unsure. He tried not to show it, but the fear was written across his face. Carlo did his best to be pleasant towards my friend but no matter how he tried he couldn¡¯t mask the aura of power and danger that seemed to emanate from him. I didn¡¯t fault Mouse for being cautious of Carlo, I knew he was scary as shit to everyone but me.


    His trepidation didn¡¯tst long when I showed him the control room where he would be spending most of his time. It was like watching a kid on Christmas morning the way he lit up when I opened the door to therge room. A giant L-shaped desk ran along two walls of the room. Two work stations were set up on the oversized desk and eight monitors hung above each of the stations. I couldn¡¯t even pronounce the names most of the equipment in the room let alone identify it, but Mouse seemed to be in his element, eyes jumping around the room and his body practically vibrating with excitement. I had let him loose to y with his new toys and he had barelye up for food since, at least until Frankie showed up that morning.


    Frankie was nothing like I had imagined. She had barged into the control room that morning like a fucking Polly Pocket sized tornado, interrupting the quiet conversation Mouse and I had been having.


    ¡°Who the fuck is he,¡± she asked at full volume, pointing to Mouse, ¡°And why the fuck is he in my spot?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Mouse said standing quickly, ¡°I¡¯m Mouse.¡± He gave her a painfully awkward wave, and I had to stifle myughter. Mouse was a lot of things but smooth wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡°That only answers my first question, now tell my why the fuck you are in my room and sitting in my spot,¡± she huffed, blowing a stray hair out of her face while simultaneously trying to maintain her hold on herputer bag and a case of Redbull.


    Enzo walked in silently behind, ¡°Frankie!¡± he said loudly startling her and causing her to jump which, in turn, caused the case of Redbull bnced on her arm to tip. She scrambled to keep a hold of it but it toppled over. Enzo lunged forward and caught it before the cans hit the ground, righting himself he red at her, ¡°I saved your precious energy drinks, now you owe me. y nice with Mouse here, okay? He¡¯s here to help you.¡±


    She scoffed, ¡°One, you scared me with the creepy prowler thing you do which caused me to lose my grip so technically, since you were the cause of the potential disaster that discredits any owing on my part for your hand in averting said disaster. Two, I don¡¯t need any fucking help.¡±


    She stomped over to the desk, her fire engine red messy bun bouncing against her ck stic rimmed sses that sat perched on top of her head and plopped her stuff down at her station. She was wearing ck leggings, converse and a Gonzaga University sweatshirt that had been cut at the neckline causing it to fall off of one of her slim shoulders. My best guess was that she was about five foot, and barely tipping the scales at a buck ten. The girl was tiny but her attitude wasrger than life.


    Turning to me she smiled brightly, all previous hostilitypletely absent from her expression. ¡°You must be Mia, nice to finally have another vagina around here,¡± she said, and pped me on the shoulder before plopping down in the chair Mouse had just vacated.


    I nced around to see if I was the only onepletely in shock over all that was Ms. Francesca Delrossi. Mouse was staring at her with his mouth hanging open and Enzo just shook his head while looking up at the ceiling as if he were praying for the strength to handle this feisty little thing.


    I blinked a few times before I remembered myself, ¡°Nice to meet you Frankie, this is my friend Mouse. He¡¯s a fellow hacker and he¡¯s here to help with the surveince.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look up from hooking up herputer when she responded, ¡°Appreciate the thought, but I don¡¯t need any help.¡±


    I stood up slowly and looked down at her. I understood where she wasing from, but now she needed to understand where I wasing from. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a suggestion,¡± I said firmly, ¡°I trust that you will be able to get Mouse up to speed by the time the men head out this afternoon.¡±¡±I-¡± she started to reply.


    I held up my hand to stop her, ¡°Look Frankie, I get it. But now I need you to get me. I¡¯m not asking you to let Mouse help you, I¡¯m telling you. Now, you¡¯re feisty and I like that about you, but your pride needs to be checked at the door. Mouse is an asset, use him. I¡¯ll be back to check on you guys in a little while, okay?¡±


    She blinked a few times then a smirk stretched across her face, ¡°You got it Bossdy,¡± she said with a nod.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I smiled and walked out the door with Enzo on my heels. When the door clicked behind us I turned to Enzo. ¡°Is she always like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be interesting,¡± I said as I made my way down the hall.


    ¡­


    We only had about five hours before the meet. The control room was crowded with people getting ready and going over ns. I nced over to where Carlo was talking to Angelo and Antonio; the two men may have been brothers, but they looked more like twins. I hadn¡¯t gotten to spend a lot of time with Antonio and before this week I had only met him a handful of times. He was even more reserved than Angelo, which was saying something, and he had this nk look in his eyes that made me more than a little weary of him.


    Walking over to the men I sidled up next to Carlo, hoping to get a few moments alone with him before they left. It didn¡¯t take long for him to wrap up his conversation. I had to force myself not to roll my eyes at him as he confirmed ns with the brothers for the one thousandth time.


    ¡°Hey, you have a second?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. We have a few minutes before we need to head out, let¡¯s go into your office,¡± he said guiding me out of the room with a hand on the small of my back. That was another thing that had changed over the past couple of days, Carlo was no longer holding back his affections. He didn¡¯t make a show of it but the men caught on pretty quickly and aside from a few sideways nces it was business as usual.


    He led me into the office and closed the door behind us. Turning to him, I reached up and linked my hands behind his neck, his hands automatically going to my waist. ¡°I love you,¡± I said, and stretched up on my toes to kiss him. What started out as a soft and slow kiss quickly dissolved into deep and hungry battle of lips and tongues.


    Carlo was first to break away, ¡°As much as I would love to bend you over your desk right now, we don¡¯t have time, and I need to stay focused on what I¡¯m about to do If we¡¯re going to pull this off,¡± he whispered into my ear, his words were a direct contradiction to the soft kisses he was trailing down my neck.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°I just wanted to get in a few minutes of alone time before you left.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a lot more than a few minutes when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? How long?¡± I asked feigning innocence.


    ¡°How about forever?¡± he asked, dropping to one knee and pulling a small velvet box from his pants pocket.


    I couldn¡¯t keep the shocked look from my face, ¡°W-wha-¡± I stuttered, unable to form a coherent thought with him in front of me holding thergest, most exquisite ring I had ever seen.


    ¡°I was going to wait until tonight but,¡± he shrugged. ¡°This feels right.¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Mia, I can¡¯t promise you that I won¡¯t mess up or that I will always do what you want me to, but I what I can promise you is that I will do everything in my power to make you happy and safe. I want you by my side for the rest of our lives, each step of the way. I never thought I was capable of feeling for someone what I feel for you. I wasn¡¯t expecting you when you came into my life but one look into your eyes and I knew there was something different about you, something that called to me. I won¡¯t say you¡¯re my other half because you¡¯re so much more than that. You¡¯re my partner, my equal, and together we make a matched set.¡± He pulled the ring from where it was nestled into the box and held it out to me, ¡°So, Mia, will you allow me the honor of calling you my wife?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t breathe. The air had actually been sucked from my lungs and no matter how much I tried, I couldn¡¯t fill them again. Carlo had just proposed, he was currently proposing. My mind was scrabbling to make sense of the situation, to register everything he had just said but my wheels were just spinning. I stood there staring at him. I was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open but there wasn¡¯t a thing I could do about it. I was frozen.


    ¡°Mia, baby?¡± He pulled back a little, the smile on his face growing stiff, ¡°If it¡¯s too soon, I understand, I just thought¡­¡±


    All of a sudden everything mmed into me at once, and I took in a huge gulp of air. Images of us over the past three years yed out in front of me in fast forward. In all my life I had never been as happy as I had been when I was with Carlo. No matter what we were doing, even if it was just a phone call or a text, he was always the highlight of my day. Did I want that for the rest of my life? I didn¡¯t even need to think about it.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I screamed and lunged for him. He grunted as I collided with him, sending both of us to the ground. His arms wrapped around me and he rolled us so I was beneath him, my head cradled in his hand.


    ¡°Just to rify, that was a ¡®yes¡¯ that you screamed at me, right?¡± he asked chuckling.


    ¡°You bet your ass it was.¡± I replied smiling so big my cheeks hurt.


    ¡°Thank God, you had me worried for a second there.¡± His tone was light but the look in his eyes revealed the truth in his words.


    Pulling my left hand up between us he slipped the enormous diamond ring on my finger. I immediately did the thing that every girl does the moment she gets engaged; I stretched my left hand out and gazed at the ring. It was a cushion cut yellow diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller white diamonds that also trailed along the top of the band, I had no idea how many carats it was but it was definitely heavy on my finger.


    ¡°It was my mothers,¡± he said quietly.


    I nced up at him and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, I love it. I love you.¡± I said, craning my neck to kiss him.


    Thunk, Thunk, Thunk. There was a loud knock at the door, then we heard Enzo¡¯s voice filter in from the other side, ¡°Boss?¡±


    Carlo¡¯s forehead came to rest on my own, ¡°I have to go.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I smiled and kissed him once more, ¡°I¡¯ll be here when you get back.¡±


    We made our way back down to the control room, this time hand in hand. As soon as we walked into the room things started moving at an even faster pace than before. Men were loading their guns and strapping on their holsters while others were packing extra ammo into bags. Before I knew it Carlo was standing in front of me again kissing the breath out of me. In front of everyone. I was shocked, but I guess since we were getting married discretion was out the window. Carlo pulled back and looked into my eyes.¡±I love you,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Love you, too.¡± I returned, equally as softly.


    I had been so caught up in the moment I hadn¡¯t noticed the room grow deadly quiet until I heard Frankie¡¯s voice break the silence.


    ¡°Damn, that ring is fucking huge!¡±


    Of course the only other woman in the room would zero in on the rock currently taking up residence on my left hand. Iughed and smiled at her. The men gave Carlo and me a few rounds of ¡®congrattions¡¯ before Enzo signaled for the group to head out.

 41

    Carlo


    We had just gotten the call from Eddie. The warehouse we were headed to was about fifteen minutes outside of Downtown Pornd, in a long since forgotten industrial district. There were ten of us total in three separate SUVs, each taking a different route after exiting the interstate in an effort to minimize any suspicion. We didn¡¯t know what kind, if any, surveince Ivan had on the ce so we needed to take every precaution to arrive without detection.


    I twisted around from my ce in the passenger¡¯s seat to address Angelo, ¡°So we¡¯ll park on this service road here,¡± I said indicating to the ce on the map where we would leave the vehicles and walk the rest of the half mile to where the abandoned warehouse was located. Pulling up the blueprints of the building Frankie had sent me on my tablet I continued, ¡°Antonio will take his men in first and set up on the tform connected to the catwalk. Enzo and his team will be hidden on the far side by the shipping docks, and you and I will be in an alcove closest to the entrance. As soon as they shake hands you throw the sh-bangs and Enzo and Antonio¡¯s teams will quickly take out Ivan¡¯s men and Eddie¡¯s leader.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss.¡±


    ¡°You and I will then move in and grab Ivan. The welding goggles and earplugs will give us maybe a thirty second lead on recovery since we know that they¡¯reing. It¡¯s not much time but if all goes as nned he¡¯ll still be out of it when we get to him,¡± I said, sitting back in my seat. Our n was to take Ivan out of there alive. I needed him to tell us where his father was, only then would I kill him. I wasn¡¯t going to risk the blowback this time, I wanted them all gone before I went back to Mia.


    Mia


    ¡°They¡¯re in ce,¡± Mouse said without taking his eyes off the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a visual on Kashnikov¡¯s convoy, they¡¯re ten minutes out,¡± Frankie called out, pulling up a satellite feed on one of her multiple screens. I could see three dark SUVs making their way down the road to the warehouse where the meet would be. Enzo¡¯s cousin Eddie and his men were just pulling up to the location and Carlo¡¯s team was already in ce inside the warehouse.


    I watched as Kashnikov¡¯s crew got closer. My stomach was in knots and I couldn¡¯t shake the thought that something wasn¡¯t right. I couldn¡¯t ce why or where it wasing from, but worry niggled at the back of my mind. By the time Ivan¡¯s convoy pulled up to the warehouse I was practically on top of Frankie watching the screen with the satellite feed.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said, pulling out the monitor that was mounted on an adjustable arm and moving it off to the side. ¡°Now you can get as close as you want without squishing me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I responded distractedly. I could hear Mouse in the background radioing in what we knew to our men in the warehouse, but my eyes were still glued to the screen.


    After a few minutes when they still didn¡¯t make a move to go inside the warehouse I called out to Sal. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they going inside?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± His voice sounded far away and I could feel myself starting to panic.


    We needed them inside the warehouse for our n to work. All of a sudden there was movement, but only one set of men moved towards the warehouse. The others stayed by the vehicles.


    ¡°Can you get closer?¡± I asked Frankie, my tone urgent and strained. The knot in my stomach grew heavier, this was not good.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± she said as she typed wildly. ¡°This is as close as I can get with a clear picture.¡±


    The view was close enough to see the figures moving towards the building but not close enough to see what they were doing or identify them. My heart was pounding in my chest as the three figures approached the entrance of the building. I could hear the blood whooshing in my ears as the same three figures started running away from the warehouse.


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted when an explosion echoed through our live audio feed.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Frankie shouted, ¡°Shit! Mouse, tell them there¡¯s another sting! This one¡¯s going to be bigger.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked snapping my gaze to her.


    She pointed at the satellite feed, ¡°Grenadeuncher.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Sal eximed.


    I zeroed in on the screen where a figure standing next to one of the SUVs with a long tube like devise on his shoulder. I watched in horror secondster when the entire warehouse went up in mes.


    Carlo


    I could hear Mouse¡¯s voice in my ear, giving us a y by y of what was going on outside. The fact that it had been more than five minutes since Kashnikov had arrived and they still hadn¡¯t made their way into the warehouse was concerning. I exchanged a dubious nce with Angelo and I knew he felt it too. Something wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°They¡¯re approaching the warehouse,¡± Mouse ryed. I crouched back down into position as the door to the warehouse opened. We didn¡¯t have a visual on the door from our position but Antonio did up on the catwalk. I heard Mouse in my ear shout ¡°Shit, they¡¯re running, get the fuck out of there!¡± At the same time Antonio screamed ¡°Grenade!¡±


    Several sts ripped through the warehouse, the noise enough to cause my ears to ring. Angelo and I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to put in our earplugs since we needed to hear Kashnikov enter the building. Dust and debris were everywhere. I rolled to my stomach since I had been knocked back by the force of the st, coughing and blinking through the smoke and whatever else was in the air after the explosion. I looked to my right and found Angelo in the same condition, only he had a small cut above his eye that was seeping blood.


    ¡°You good?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I groaned as I stood up, ¡°let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡± As soon as the words left my lips I heard Mouse¡¯s warning over my radio. I had enough time to make eye contact with Angelo before an even bigger explosion rocked the building.


    ¡­


    I heard faint screaming and gunfire in the distance, everything was muffled. I had been thrown back against a cement wall, about eight feet from where I had been before the st. My body protested when I tried to move, and from what I could tell, at least one of my ribs was broken. Taking stock of my body I realized aside from the ribs and probably a concussion I didn¡¯t seem to be injured anywhere else. Although from the looks of the smoke filling therge warehouse if I didn¡¯t get out of here soon I wasn¡¯t going to stay that way.


    ¡°Angelo,¡± I called out, which threw me into a coughing fit. The smoke was getting thicker by the second, making it more difficult to see what was going on around me. I gritted through the pain and pushed up onto my hands and knees, the movement making my head start to pound. I could see Angelo passed out a few feet away from me. Crawling over to him I checked his pulse, breathing a sigh of relief. It was strong so he was likely just knocked unconscious.


    The shooting and shouting had stopped so I stood up to get a good look at my surroundings. The pallets that were hiding us from the main section just minutes ago had fallen over nearly blocking us into the alcove. There was a small space to the far right that was still clear, slowly making my way over I took a cursory nce around. No one, nothing but smoke. I creeped around further,ing to a stop just inside the main part of the warehouse. I couldn¡¯t make out much with the smoke but what I did see made my stomach sink.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Orange mes licked up the walls on the far side of the warehouse where a giant hole took up the space that had been Enzo¡¯s hiding spot before the attack. I couldn¡¯t tell where the gunfire I had heard before hade from since I didn¡¯t see anything but rubble and fire in front of me now.


    We¡¯ve got to get the fuck out of here before the entire ce goes up in mes.


    I turned back around to grab Angelo and get the fuck out of this ce and immediately backed up again when I came face to face with the barrel of Ivan Kashnikov¡¯s gun. I saw an evil smirk cross his face and a glimmer of victory in his arctic eyes before everything went ck.

 42

    Mia


    I felt tears start to prick at my eyes and my nose started to tingle as I watched the mes billow out of warehouse. I heard Mouse calling for the men in the building over and over again, I felt like I was going to throw up. My thoughts were in a tail spin.


    What if nobody made it out alive?


    A crackled voice came over the radio, snapping me out of my wallowing. I couldn¡¯t make out what it said since it was so garbled but the fact that it wasing in at all meant that at least one of our men was alive. Hopefully there were more with him. I shook my head, mentally scolding myself for almost breaking down, again.


    I didn¡¯t have time for that shit. With Carlo unable to call the shots the responsibilitynded on my shoulders. I couldn¡¯t let my thoughts drift to the ¡®what ifs¡¯, I needed to focus on what I could control, what I could change. Taking a deep breath I stood up taller and pulled myself together. I had men out there and I needed to get them home.


    ¡°Are you able to identify who was trying to make contact?¡± I asked, turning my focus on Mouse.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    He sighed, ¡°No, the audio is rough. I¡¯m trying to buff it now to get at least something from it but they¡¯re all on the same circuit so there¡¯s no way to trace it back to any one person.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we have movement,¡± Frankie announced, bringing my attention back to the satellite feed once again. The two groups of men hade to stand together, or face off, I couldn¡¯t tell with the quality of the picture.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. Eddie is a total hot head and his friends are even worse,¡± Frankie said shakily, it was the only time I had heard her sound less than confident. I made a mental note to ask her how she knew Enzo¡¯s cousin after this was over.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I hissed. You couldn¡¯t mistake the bodynguage of Eddie¡¯s crew. The four men had drawn their weapons on Kashnikov¡¯s men.


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Frankie yelled at the monitor, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking do it, Eddie. You can get out of this, just fucking use your head!¡± As if he could hear her one of the men lowered his weapon and turned to speak to the other men who were still pointing their guns. Someone from Kashnikov¡¯s crew stepped forward and it looked like he was talking to them. One by one they each slowly lowered their weapons, one of the men from Eddie¡¯s group stepping forward.


    ¡°They¡¯re shaking hands?¡± Sal asked.


    ¡°It looks like it, maybe they are still making the deal,¡± Mouse piped up.


    Eddie and his men turned back to their cars but before they could make it the Kashnikov crew opened fire. All four of the men dropped to the ground and didn¡¯t move again.


    ¡°NO!¡± Frankie let out a blood curdling scream. The look of devastation on her face was soul crushing. I knew what that felt like. It was the same feeling I had when we found Gina, as if you¡¯re whole world just stopped.


    She folded in half in her chair and alternated between dry heaving and hyperventting. I snatched up the trash can from the corner and hurried over to her. Dropping to my knees I ced the can at her feet and softly stroked her hair down her back.


    ¡°Mouse, no matter what, DO NOT lose your visual on them, understood?¡± I called out orders from my position on the floor. ¡°Sal, I need you to get on the radio and keep trying to contact someone, anyone.¡±


    ¡°On it,¡± Mouse replied, taking over the satellite feed.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Sal said, making his way over to the radio equipment.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I whispered, continuing to rub Frankie¡¯s back, ¡°I need you to try to take deep breaths for me okay? You have to try to calm yourself down.¡± She nodded her head but her breathing was even more erratic than it had been a moment ago. At least the dry heaving had stopped. ¡°Come on, try to match my breaths, okay?¡±


    I took deep exaggerated breaths in and out, having done this with Gina once when she was tripping hard from something she took at a party. Just thinking about Gina made my heart hurt. There was literally a pain in my chest every time a memory of her would creep into my thoughts. I hoped one day I would be able to remember her without feeling like this. Frankie struggled to match my breathing and after a few minutes she was able to take normal breaths again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask if you¡¯re okay because that¡¯s a stupid question. I am going to ask what you need from me. Can you tell me what you need, Frankie?¡±


    ¡°Water?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said sweetly. Getting up, I walked over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the room. When I opened it I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. It was full of Redbull. There was one bottle of water in the door and every other inch of space was upied by Frankie¡¯s habit. As I made my way back over to her, I called out to Mouse and Sal.


    ¡°Any changes?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kashnikov¡¯s men went into the building,¡± Mouse whispered gravely and hesitated as if he wanted to say more but wasn¡¯t sure if he should.


    ¡°What?¡± I questioned impatiently.


    ¡°They started to drag the other guys into the building with them,¡± Mouse chanced a nce at Frankie and I followed his gaze. She was sitting up in the chair but her head was down and her eyes were squeezed shut.


    ¡°How long has it been since the second explosion?¡± I asked, changing the subject. We all knew that if they were dragging Eddie¡¯s men into the burning building then they were definitely gone. If not from the gunshot wounds then from the fire.


    ¡°Eight minutes,¡± Mouse replied.


    ¡°How is this ce not crawling with cops yet? I know we pay well but we sure as hell don¡¯t pay well enough to keep them off of something like this.¡± I said, resuming my position at Frankie¡¯s feet and handing her the water. ¡°How¡¯s your breathing?¡±


    ¡°Better,¡± She said between drinks of water.


    I took the bottle of water out of her hands and set it on the desk. Reaching out to grab either side of her face, I tilted her head up so she was looking at me. ¡°Look, I know this situation ispletely fucked, but you have a decision to make right now. You can walk out of here and go home, or goy down in one of the guest rooms and grieve, sleep, whatever you want. Or, you can stay and help us get the rest of our men back and take this bastard down. It ispletely up to you and no one is going to judge you or think any less of you no matter what choice you make, understood?¡±


    She nodded, took a deep breath and cleared her throat, ¡°Let¡¯s make this fucker pay.¡± Her voice was a little shaky but the intention wasn¡¯t, she was on board.


    ¡°Good, I need you to get onto the scanners and hack whatever system you need to find out why there hasn¡¯t been any police activity yet. I want to know how you blow up a building without the police getting called.¡±

 43

    ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded again and turned back to herputer, put on her headset and started frantically typing as she searched for an answer to my question.


    ¡°Sal, anything yet?¡±


    ¡°No, just some garbled chatter. Whoever it is, their transmitter must have gotten damaged in the st.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I need you to get the rest of the men up to speed. I¡¯ll stay here with Mouse and Frankie.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± he said and hurried out of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got something,¡± Frankie called out, ¡°Looks like there was a bank robbery twenty minutes ago and a five-rm fire thirty minutes ago. Police and Fire have been contacted about the st and they¡¯ve been dispatched but they¡¯re still fifteen minutes out.¡±


    ¡°Pull up the satellite and track their progress. Mouse, what do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing yet. Kashnikov¡¯s men haven¡¯te back out of the building.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    That got my attention. Why the fuck would they willingly spend any amount of time in a fucking burning building? ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± I said as understanding hit me, ¡°They¡¯re going after whoever is inside. Keep an eye on the back entrance of the building where our guys came in. There is at least one of them alive in there and I want to know immediately if he makes it out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And pull up a second feed over where the SUVs are on the service road. Someone might have made it out and we didn¡¯t catch it.¡±


    I paced behind both of them, my eyes bouncing between all three satellite feeds. I yed with the ring on my left hand. It had been mine for less than a day and already I couldn¡¯t imagine what it would feel like to lose it, and I didn¡¯t want to find out.


    Come on, baby, show me you¡¯re still alive.


    ¡°They¡¯reing out the front!¡± Mouse announced.


    I moved quickly to stand behind him, watching as three of Kashnikov¡¯s men dragged a motionless body to the back of one of their SUVs. The man was wearing bulky tactical gear which meant he was one of ours. Even though I couldn¡¯t make out a face from the image I knew in my gut who it was.


    ¡°Carlo,¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Mouse muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mia.¡±


    The look of pity on his face pissed me off, ¡°He¡¯s not dead.¡± I said harshly, probably a little too harshly since even Frankie flinched at my tone.


    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t know for sure. You¡¯re right, we should hope for the best.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, Mouse. He¡¯s not dead because Ivan doesn¡¯t want him dead. He needs him alive.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± This time it was Frankie who spoke up.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s going to use Carlo to get to me,¡± I gritted out, my jaw was clenched so tight the muscle was starting to spasm. I watched as they loaded him into the back of the vehicle and took off. ¡°Follow them. I want to see where they¡¯re taking him.¡±


    ¡°Shit, okay. You know, Boss-Lady this is a lot more difficult than I make it look. I can¡¯t control the satellite like that. I¡¯m going to have to hack into the traffic cameras and fucking bunny hop to keep up with them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do, just get it done and don¡¯t lose them.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯sing out of the building. There are two, no wait they¡¯re carrying someone. There¡¯s three of them. Looks like they¡¯re headed to the service road,¡± Mouse called out.


    ¡°Thank God,¡± Sal said from the doorway.


    ¡°Two more just walked out, looks like one of them is limping.¡±


    ¡°As soon as they get to the service road you start blowing up everyone¡¯s phone. I want to know who made it out,¡± I said. ¡°Frankie, where are we on Kashnikov?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still following them. They¡¯re flying down I-5 right now.¡± She said breathlessly, her eyes ping ponging from one screen to the next.


    ¡°Good. Stay on them and tell me if anything changes.¡±


    ¡°What did I miss?¡± Sal asked.


    ¡°Ivan has Carlo, he¡¯s alive but we don¡¯t know for how long. Frankie is following his convoy now so we can figure out where they are taking him. From what we can tell five of our men made it out and it looks like they¡¯re headed to the service road. That¡¯s all we know right now.¡±


    ¡°Police and Fire just arrived,¡± Mouse said, ¡°The first group of three made it to the SUVs. I¡¯m calling their phones now.¡±


    ¡°Let me know when you have someone on the line,¡± Turning back to Sal, I asked, ¡°Did you brief the rest of the men?¡±


    ¡°I did. They¡¯re ready to go when you are.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Go give them an update. Once we find out where Ivan is going and assess the injuries of the men that were in the fire, I¡¯lle down and brief everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± he said heading for the door. ¡°And Mia,¡± he called out, causing me to turn and look at him, ¡°You¡¯re good at this. We¡¯re going to get him back.¡±


    I gave him a nod and went back over to Mouse, ¡°Do you have anyone on the line?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got Antonio,¡± he said handing the headset over to me.


    ¡°Antonio?¡±

 44

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he rasped and he stopped to cough, ¡°I¡¯ve got Angelo and Enzo with me. Enzo¡¯s pretty messed up,¡± he wheezed, followed up by more coughing.


    ¡°Okay, there are two more headed your way. Ivan got Carlo, he¡¯s alive and we¡¯re tracking them. I don¡¯t know about the other five.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡±


    ¡°Wait for the other two then you guys need to get out of there. I want you to head south towards Salem. I¡¯ll have Mouse send the address to your navigation systems.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. The cops just got to the warehouse so you¡¯re going to have to go around them. Do you need me to get you the alternate route off of the service road?¡±


    ¡°No, we have it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a doctor waiting for you at the safe house when you get there. We¡¯re going to pack up and head out as soon as we have confirmation on where they¡¯re keeping Carlo.¡±


    ¡°See you then,¡± he said and disconnected the call.


    I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down an address, ¡°Send this address to their GPS systems then shut everything down and pack it up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    ¡°Frankie, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°They split up, but lucky for you I was always really good at that hide the ball in the cup game when I was a kid-¡±


    ¡°Frankie!¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°Jesus, yeah, I¡¯m still on the right car. They headed east on I-84 then circled back towards downtown.¡±


    ¡°Okay, st-¡±


    ¡°Stay on them. Yeah, I got it the first six times you said it.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose. I was starting to get a massive headache and it was only going to get worse. Pulling out my phone I dialed the number I¡¯d memorized when I was twelve. He picked up on the first ring, ¡°Hello?¡± his voice sounding tired.


    ¡°Michael? It¡¯s Mia. I need your help.¡±


    ¡­


    I headed down to brief the men with Mouse and Frankie in tow. The address Frankie had tracked Ivan to burning in my hand.


    251 NW Broadway St, Pornd, OR 97209


    It was the address of the club Ivan owned, the same one on the card he had given me the night I killed his brother. I had a feeling that¡¯s where they were headed when Frankie had mentioned they looped back around towards downtown but I wanted to be certain. Carlo¡¯s life depended on this game of cat and mouse Ivan and I were ying and there was no margin for error.


    When we walked into the great room all conversation stopped. I looked around at the room full of men, most of whom I had only just met a few days ago, all of them looking to me for guidance.


    Jesus Christ! What the fuck am I going to do?


    I had zero experience here, but I couldn¡¯t risk letting someone else take over and Carlo not making it out of this thing alive. I had watched Carlo for years, living in this world with him. I may not have the experience but I knew what Carlo would do. Evaluate and execute with any means necessary.


    ¡®Fake it ¡¯til you make it.¡¯ Gina¡¯s voice echoed in my head and I took a deep breath. With both of them in my head I might just be able to pull this off, I thought.


    ¡°We have the address where Ivan took Carlo, the club he owns in downtown Pornd. From what I can tell this is his home base, but we don¡¯t have any more information at this point. Angelo, Antonio and Enzo are alive. There are two more unidentified men that made it out of the fire but their condition and names are still unknown. I¡¯ve sent them to a safe house south of Pornd where a doctor will be waiting to treat them for their injuries. The other four men have been confirmed dead. I want you all to grab whatever you think we might need while we¡¯re in Pornd, guns, and ammo, whatever. We¡¯ll leave in thirty. Any questions?¡± Holy shit, I did it. Please don¡¯t have any questions, I thought as I looked around the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got one. Why does Ivan have such a hard-on for you?¡± Frankie asked, her face awash with confusion.


    ¡°Because I sent him a video of me slitting his brother¡¯s throat.¡±


    Carlo


    My head is pounding. I groan and try to reach up to grab the back of my head where the pain is only to realize my hands are numb and I can¡¯t move my arms. Blinking rapidly I try to focus on my surroundings, the lighting is low but I can tell the room is fairlyrge. There¡¯s an industrial sink in the corner and bare shelving along two walls. One door is directly in front of me, and from what I can tell, there aren¡¯t any windows. My best guess is that I¡¯m in some sort of basement. I can hear music, not the actual song but the base ising from above me. The air is heavy with the smell of mildew and garbage. Where the fuck am I? Thest thing I remember is Ivan Kashnikov holding his gun up to my face and I have absolutely no way to tell how long ago that was. There¡¯s a screeching noise as the door opens and Ivan walks in nked by tworge men dressed in ck suits.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake, good,¡± he says in his slight ent.


    Ivan is wearing a suit as well, and he makes a show of taking off his jacket and handing it to one of the men. Ivan isn¡¯t as tall or as broad as his brother was. His hair is slicked back with so much product is shines against the glow from the single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. The dim light casts shadows across his pock marked face and highlights a silver scar stretching from his left temple to his jaw. Those ice blue eyes stare daggers at me as he removes his cufflinks and rolls his sleeves up to his elbows. The image gives me a weird sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. I¡¯ve been in this situation before, except I was Ivan and Gino was me. Thinking of Gino reminds me of Mia and my heart constricts. I wonder if she knows I¡¯m alive or if she¡¯s grieving the loss of me. I have to hope she knows I¡¯m alive and sends someone to find me.


    ¡°So, Carlo, is it okay that I call you Carlo?¡± he asks, ¡°Ah, of course it is, right? We¡¯re old friends after all aren¡¯t we?¡±


    When I don¡¯t say anything he continues.


    ¡°So, Carlo, I¡¯m going to exin to you what is to happen. You are going to tell me how to get your little girlfriend alone and I will make your death slightly less painful, yes?¡±


    I spit at him, ¡°You¡¯re not getting shit from me,¡± I seethed.


    ¡°Now, where are your manners? Didn¡¯t your mother teach you not to spit? Oh wait, she¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Just like your brother,¡± I said smirking at him. That got him to break the yful act.


    ¡°You son of a bitch! I¡¯m going to make that little whore of yours pay for what she did to my brother! First, I make her pay on her knees, then on her back, and finally I make her pay with her blood.¡±


    Motherfucker! I was going to kill him.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t like that do you? What, you think that little cunt whore is something special? She¡¯s just another bitch that needs to be put down.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    ¡°I kind of hoped you would make this at least a little difficult for me. The infamous Carlo DeLuca, you would think it would take more to, how do you say, rattle your cage?¡±


    ¡°Do your worst,¡± I said stonily.


    ¡°I n to.¡±

 45

    Mia


    I stared at the taillights in front of me as I drove down I-5. We had a caravan of ten vehicles carrying thirty five people and enough guns and ammo to start World War III. I had no idea how many men I would need to pull off this rescue but I felt better knowing I had an army at my disposal if necessary.


    Frankie sat in the passenger seat staring out the window. She hadn¡¯t said a word since we got in the car over an hour ago. I knew she was hurting, I just didn¡¯t know why. I wanted to give her the time to process, but after the adrenaline high of everything that happened today I was starting to crash and I needed someone to talk to so I could stay awake.


    ¡°So are you going to tell me how you knew Eddie?¡± I cringed after I realized I referred to him in the past tense.


    She took a deep breath and looked up at the roof of the car, ¡°I knew you¡¯d ask, just didn¡¯t think it would be this soon.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I said, giving her an out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just a long story.¡±


    ¡°We have another two and a half hours, is that enough time?¡± I asked.


    She huffed out augh, ¡°Yeah, I think I can squeeze it in. I grew up with Enzo and Eddie. We lived on the same block in this shitty little neighborhood in the shittiest part of Seattle. Enzo and Eddie¡¯s moms are sisters and they grew up with my mom so naturally they¡¯ve forced us all together since birth. Eddie is, was, two years older than me and Enzo is two years older than him,¡± she stopped to clear her throat and continued, ¡°Enzo and Eddie babysat me a lot when we were kids. All three of our moms were single parents. Enzo¡¯s dad died when he was a baby and Eddie¡¯s took off before he was even born. My dad was still around but let¡¯s just say he was a special brand of dirt bag. Those boys practically raised me and I idolized them.


    ¡°I remember this one time when I was in fifth grade, so I was about ten or eleven at the time, my mom had taken my dad back, again. Of course, in true clich¨¦ deadbeat dad fashion, my father was a wife-beating alcoholic. It was a Saturday and I was supposed to meet the guys after lunch so we could go watch the skateboarders at the park.


    ¡°That day my dad was already out of his mind drunk in the living room, full out screaming at the TV, breaking shit, piss assed drunk. I remember being so scared to leave my room. I don¡¯t even think he realized I was still in the house at that point. Anyway, it was almost an hour past the time I was supposed to meet the boys and I heard a knock at the door. I knew it was going to be bad. See, my dad hated Enzo and Eddie¡¯s moms. He thought they were the reason my mom kept kicking him out, which in hindsight, they probably were. ¡°I ran out of my room and straight to the front door to try and head off my dad but as soon as I started to open the door he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back. I¡¯m a small person, and even though I was at least ten at the time, I was about the size of an eight year old. My dad was not a small man. When he jerked me back, he broke my arm in two ces, apound fracture, which is basically your bones getting twisted and snapped at the same time. Well, when he had grabbed me I was already opening the door so the boys got a front row view of the whole thing. I remember being on the floor in so much pain and looking up to see them standing in the door.


    ¡°Enzo took one look at me and lost his shit, barreling into my dad so hard that when they fell it shook the entire house. My dad was so blitzed it was barely a fight. Enzo just kept hitting him over and over again until Eddie pulled him off. They took me back to their house and Eddie¡¯s mom took me to the hospital to have my arm set. We told the doctor that I fell while I was skateboarding but I doubt he bought it. That night my mom kicked my dad out for good and those two became my saviors.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, ¡°I had no idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, most of the guys don¡¯t know about our history. Really, just Carlo and Angelo. Neither of them know about what I just told you though, so I would rather you kept that under wraps.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything, but I do have a question if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°If you and Enzo work for Carlo, how did Eddie get involved in a street gang?¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Enzo joined the marines¡¯ right after high school, and with him gone Eddie kind of lost his way. He started hanging around with the wrong crowd and the next thing I knew he was getting locked up for robbing a liquor store. ssy right? Anyways, when he got out he was a full-fledged gangster, and not the sophisticated kind like Carlo. I¡¯m talking low rider driving, saggy pants wearing, hold your gun sideways because it looks cool gangster. It was ridiculous. He was a total asshat.


    ¡°Prison changed him, made him harder than he¡¯d ever been. At that point, Enzo and I were already working for Carlo and once again Eddie felt like the odd man out. He¡¯d kept his distance for the past few years. We only really ever saw him on holidays and the asional family birthday. He refused to speak to Enzo for years. I¡¯d kept in contact with him but it was only about a year ago that he started talking to Enzo again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Frankie.¡± I said, trying to keep the pity out of my voice and failing miserably.


    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What about me?¡± I asked, I didn¡¯t expect the tables to turn on me.

 46

    ¡°I may not be used to all this girl power bonding shit but I¡¯m pretty sure that me unloading a pile of dirtyundry on you constitutes you doing some sharing of your own.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± I asked, a little apprehensive. It¡¯d been years since I¡¯d extended my circle of trust to anyone new, but Frankie had worked for Carlo for the past five years. If Enzo and Carlo trusted her, I would too. Besides, after what we¡¯d been through today and the dedication she¡¯d showed me, it felt as if I¡¯d know her for years. I needed a female friend like Frankie in my life, someone to confide in other than Carlo, someone to rte to.


    ¡°How did you and Carlo meet? I mean we all know the whole sister thing was a crock of shit otherwise things would get pretty awkward when your kids starting out with tails.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Kids?


    I shook my head at the thought, I couldn¡¯t even consider wandering down that rabbit hole right now.


    ¡°Umm, we met when he¡­ Jesus this is going to sound bad. We met when he tried to kill me. Well, he didn¡¯t really try to kill me. He had just nned to kill me.¡±


    God, I hope she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m a total fucking nutcase.


    ¡°What in the actual fuck? Are you fucking kidding me?¡± she screeched. I winced as the sound echoed through the car. ¡°Holy fucking shit, you are serious!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds.¡± I said exasperated, then I thought about it for a minute, ¡°Actually it is. It¡¯s exactly as bad as it sounds.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave me hanging like that! Exin.¡±


    I heaved a sigh, ¡°My father worked for Carlo and his father before him, and he turned rat, started selling secrets to the Kashnikov¡¯s. You see, Carlo has this policy where if you betray him he kills your whole family. So he brought me and my mother to where he was holding my father because he nned to kill us in front of him as punishment for his betrayal.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, fuck! How old were you?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen, now stop interrupting. I let you tell your story without the fuckingmentary.¡± I wasn¡¯t really angry with her. In fact, her reaction was almost funny.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll shut up. But for the record, your story is way more fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Dully noted. As I was saying, Carlo nned to kill us in front of my father. The thing was, me and my parents did not have a good rtionship. My dad pped me around quite a bit and my mom just ignored it because she was happy it wasn¡¯t her getting the beating. So when Carlo told me what was happening and I realized that my mom knew what was going on and didn¡¯t do a thing to protect me, I freaked the fuck out. Since Carlo could see that there was no love lost between me and my parents, he let me live and took me under his wing. That was the best day of my life.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that is actually kind of romantic in a totally twisted and fucked up way.¡±


    ¡°Aww, thanks!¡± I said in an annoyingly peppy voice. We bothughed and continued to trade stories for the rest of the drive to Salem.


    Pulling up to the familiar two story home brought reality crashing down on me again. I didn¡¯t know if I was ready to see Gina¡¯s parents again but I didn¡¯t have a choice. I had to get Carlo back and they were the only two people in this city that I trusted. Parking behind one of the SUVs in the driveway, I looked over to Frankie who had fallen silent since we pulled off the highway. I had sent Sal and the other men to a nearby hotel since there wasn¡¯t room for everyone at the house.


    ¡°You ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We climbed out of the car and headed up the walk to the front door. Before we even hit the first step up to the porch the front door swung open and Pauline, Gina¡¯s mom, stood in the doorway. She immediately burst into tears and rushed towards us.


    ¡°Mia, oh Be. I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here!¡± she said as she flung her thin arms around me pulling me into a tight hug.


    ¡°Hey, I missed you too,¡± I said hugging her back. Pulling away I turned to the woman beside me, ¡°Pauline, this is Frankie. Frankie, this is Pauline.¡±


    Frankie extended her hand, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Pauline swatted her hand away and pulled her into a hug. Caught off guard, Frankie awkwardly patted her back. ¡°A friend of Mia¡¯s is a friend of ours. Whatever you need while you¡¯re here don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Can you show us where the men are? I don¡¯t mean to be rude but time is of the essence here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sweetheart, I understand. Come on in, they¡¯re in the front room,¡± she said drying her eyes with the back of her hand and leading us into the house. I felt bad for not calling more often to check on them. She was obviously still having a hard time after Gina¡¯s death. I had been so caught up in my own mission for vengeance that I didn¡¯t even stop to think about them. Once this was over, I promised myself I would make more of an effort to reach out.


    Angelo and Antonio were sitting on the couch across from Michael speaking in hushed tones while two other men sat on the opposite couch with Michael. As soon as they heard use in Angelo and Antonio stood.


    I raised my hand to ward off the questions I saw brewing in their eyes, ¡°Sal and the others are setting up at a hotel a few minutes away, and we¡¯ll debrief them in the morning after we have a n.¡±


    Before anyone else could say anything, Frankie spoke, ¡°Where¡¯s Enzo?¡± she asked, panic evident in her voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s resting. I¡¯ll take you to him,¡± Pauline said from behind her, ¡°and then, I¡¯ll go put on a pot of coffee. Looks like it¡¯s going to be a long night.¡± She guided Frankie out of the room and down the hall.


    Taking a seat next to Angelo, I focused my attention on Antonio, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±

 47

    ¡°I was up on the catwalk with Matteo, Leo,¡± he said gesturing to the two men sitting stoic on the couch next to Michael, ¡°And Nico. I saw them throw the grenades in the door. I tried to warn the men but it all happened so fast,¡± he took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. It was the most emotion I had ever seen from him and it made me feel for him. Antonio was clearly carrying some serious guilt over what happened today, but for the life of me I couldn¡¯t figure out why. I made a mental note to ask Angelo about itter. ¡°The first st wasn¡¯t that bad, not causing a lot of damage, just enough of a distraction for us to reveal ourselves. The second explosion came so fast we didn¡¯t have time to prepare. One second Mouse was warning us and the next it was chaos. Nico lost his footing. I couldn¡¯t get to him in time and he fell.¡±


    He cleared his throat before continuing, ¡°The ce was filling up with smoke, and since we were so far up it got thick fast. I knew where the others had been ced so I made my way down to find them. I came across Enzo first. He was the only one out of his group that made it. He had burns on the right side of his body. The worst of it was a piece of shrapnel stuck in his leg, but he could still walk with some help. We started to make our way over to where Carlo and Angelo had been. It took us a while since half the fucking building was on fire.¡± He had stared at the floor while he recounted the events but now he turned his dark gaze to me, his eyes so dark they were almost ck as he addressed me, ¡°But when we got close enough to see through the smoke, Ivan and his men were already dragging Carlo out.¡±


    ¡°You saw them taking him?¡± I raged, shooting to my feet to tower over him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fucking do anything?¡± Reaching around my back, I pulled my gun from the back of my pants and aimed it at his head, ¡°Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn¡¯t blow your fucking brains out right here you disloyal fucking pig.¡±


    ¡°Mia, you have to know, if I thought for one second we stood any chance of taking them out and saving Carlo I would have tried. They were just so far away and we were in no position to attack.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, you could have tried!¡±


    ¡°Mia, I was there. There was no way any of us would have made it out alive if we¡¯d tried to intervene, and Carlo could have been caught in the crossfire,¡± Enzo said, making his way into the room with Frankie at his side. Her eyes were rimmed red and her face was blotchy as if she had just finished crying. They made their way over to arge recliner, Enzo settling himself down and Frankie perching herself onto the arm of the chair beside him.


    I took a minute to calm myself. I was letting my emotions run wild and I needed to mp it the fuck down for Carlos sake. ¡°Fine, tell me the rest,¡± I said through a clenched jaw as I put my gun away and took my seat again.


    Relief shown in his eyes before he went back to staring at the floor, ¡°We made our way over to the alcove where Carlo and Angelo had been. When I made it through the debris, I found Angelo on the ground. I thought he was dead,¡± he paused swallowing down his emotion before continuing, ¡°He was unconscious but breathing and I couldn¡¯t get him to wake up so I pulled him out to where I had left Enzo and together we drug him around to the back entrance. It would have been easier to go out the front but we couldn¡¯t risk walking right into Ivan.¡±


    ¡°What about you two?¡± I asked the two men Antonio had identified as Matteo and Leo.


    Leo, I think, spoke up, ¡°Matty here got pinned down by some fallen equipment, and I stayed behind to help him while Antonio went after the others.¡±


    epting his exnation, I turned to Antonio again, ¡°How the fuck did they know you guys were there?¡± I asked. My blood had started to heat as I listened to Antonio recount the events of the day, and it was positively boiling now. ¡°Do you think we could have another rat?¡± I asked the question that had been niggling at the back of my mind all day. It was one of the reasons I sent all the other men to the hotel, I only wanted my most trusted men involved in nning Carlo¡¯s rescue.


    When did they be my men?


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Enzo spoke up first, ¡°Our guys are solid. It¡¯s possible they had the ce under some sort of surveince. We swept the warehouse for bugs and there were no cameras so maybe they had eyes in the sky.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Enzo,¡± Angelo spoke for the first time since I¡¯d arrived.


    I nodded, ¡°Okay,¡± I took a deep breath, ¡°Frankie was able to track Ivan back to a club in Pornd. That¡¯s where he¡¯s keeping Carlo. I have an idea how we can get in but you¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Angelo asked, his whole body tensing at my words.


    ¡°The night I killed Boris, I ran into Ivan on my way out of the hotel.¡± I paused and looked around to see a mixture of shocked and confused faces.


    ¡°You did WHAT?¡± Michael, who had remained silent up to that point roared, getting to his feet and towering over me. I closed my eyes at his outburst. I knew he was upset because of his concern for my safety, but I wasn¡¯t the scared little girl he used to know. I needed to make sure he realized what I was capable of now that I was all grown up.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Michael,¡± I started, but I was cut off by Pauline who had just entered the room.

 48

    ¡°Michael,¡± she said in stern tone, ¡°Mia is a grown woman and from the looks of it she is the one running the show here. If you have something to discuss with her, you can do it in privateter.¡± She didn¡¯t as much as flinch when he red at her for a full minute before taking his seat again. Go Pauline! ¡°Now, who wants coffee?¡± I had been so distracted by her interruption I hadn¡¯t even realized she was holding a tray when she walked in.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to Pauline as she handed me a coffee, giving me a look that told me we would be having wordster but she wasn¡¯t going to say anything in front of my men. I returned her look with a wan smile and an appreciative nod.


    ¡°As I was saying, Ivan approached me that night and gave me his card. He told me the club was holding auditions for new dancers this Friday and toe in if I was interested. I was wearing a wig and hid most of my face but I¡¯m sure with the video I sent he¡¯s put two and two together and knows the girl in the elevator was me.¡±


    ¡°Does he know what you look like? Without the wig and all, I mean,¡± Antonio asked.


    ¡°I have no idea. Carlo kept me pretty well hidden but given what happened today I think it¡¯s safe to say he¡¯s probably gotten his hands on my picture.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Angelo eximed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Frankie said quickly.


    ¡°Like hell you will,¡± Enzo seethed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you,¡± she red at him. ¡°I can totally do this,¡± she said turning to me.


    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯d have to audition. We¡¯ll need you to get us a count of how many are in the club and you¡¯ll have to get us in through the back entrance. I doubt you¡¯ll be left alone long enough to do that before the audition so you¡¯ll have to gain ess by actually getting hired on.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, that¡¯s easy. I¡¯ve been taking pole-dancing sses for the past three years. I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Enzo growled next to her, his face turning a strange shade of reddish purple.


    ¡°What? Lots of women do it nowadays. It¡¯s an awesome core workout,¡± she looked truly perplexed by his anger at her preferred form of exercise.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be a stripper.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you saying I¡¯m not hot enough to be a stripper?¡± she asked her eyes nearly bugging out of her head.


    ¡°What, no, I just, shit!¡± he floundered, there was no way he wasing back from that one. It was almost funny watching him try to find the right answer to the question, finally resigning to the fact that he lost that round.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± I said quickly before anyone else could protest, ¡°Frankie will go in and audition tomorrow. Ivan said the auditions were at seven and the club opens at nine. The question is, do we go in before it opens or after?¡± I asked pulling out a copy of theyout I had Frankie print out before we left the estate, smoothing it out on the coffee table.


    ¡°If we go in before the ce opens we run the risk of getting caught without an excuse before we get to Carlo. We should wait until the club opens. At least that way if we run into someone we can exin ourselves without drawing too much attention.¡± Antonio spoke up.


    ¡°But the possibility of civilian casualties increases tenfold if we go in when it¡¯s open.¡± Enzo reminded us.


    ¡°Enzo¡¯s right, I¡¯m not willing to risk more attention by getting an innocent bystander mixed up in this. We go in after Frankie auditions and before the club opens. From what I can tell, this is the dressing room here,¡± I said pointing to the room on the blue prints. ¡°There¡¯s an entrance just outside of it that leads to the side alleyway. That¡¯s where Frankie will let our men in. My best guess would be that they¡¯re holding Carlo in the basement. It¡¯s the only space other than the office that isn¡¯t used for the business.¡±


    ¡°Here, let me see that,¡± Antonio said reaching over to pull the paper towards him. ¡°There¡¯s a hallway right here. It looks like that will lead to the stairs down to the basement.¡±


    Over the next hour we hashed out our n. Sal would provide a distraction at the front entrance hopefully diverting the attention of the security team while Frankie sneaked Angelo, Antonio and myself in the back entrance. Enzo, Matteo, and Leo would stay back in the car with Mouse. As soon as she let us in, Frankie would go down to where Mouse and the others would be parked and wait for us. Once we confirmed we had Carlo they would meet us at the entry of the alleyway.


    ¡°She needs a fake ID,¡± Angelo said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that Ivan¡¯s business isn¡¯t on the up and up but she looks underage and they might ask for it.¡±


    ¡°Mouse can handle that,¡± I responded off handedly.


    ¡°He¡¯s just going to whip up an ID? They have holograms now, it¡¯s not that simple,¡± Frankie said.


    Iughed, ¡°That¡¯s how Gina and I met Mouse. He makes the best IDs. That¡¯s how he was able to get away without getting a job while we were in college,¡± I said offhandedly. It wasn¡¯t until the words left my mouth that I realized I had just brought up Gina in front of her parents. I looked over at Michael and Pauline. His head was down but she was smiling softly at me, tears glistening in her eyes. Sadness washed over me. These were good people, they didn¡¯t deserve to lose their daughter like that. Pauline cleared her throat, breaking the silence before I had a chance to wallow in my guilt.


    ¡°Okay, so tomorrow we¡¯ll take Frankie to the salon and shopping while the guys get everything else set up,¡± she said smiling brightly.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I just stared at her like she had grown another head. How the fuck could she think of shopping at a time like this?


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°For such a smart girl, sometimes¡­¡± She trailed off shaking her head, ¡°Did either of you bring clothes fit for an exotic dancer?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    I blinked a few times and nced at Frankie, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I didn¡¯t even pack a bag,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Don¡¯t worry, I know a ce we can go to get an outfit and shoes. We¡¯ll go to the salon and get you waxed and your nails done and probably a blowout. I¡¯ll do your makeup when we get back,¡± she said simply. I was still stuck on the fact that she knew a ce to buy a stripper outfit. She must have read my thoughts on my face because she sighed and gave me a condescending look, ¡°I wasn¡¯t always a wife and mother, Mia. I was young once too so stop giving me that look.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I rushed to apologize. ¡°Let¡¯s try to get some sleep. We can go over this again in the morning,¡± I said standing up and stretching out my back. The men followed suit and Pauline ushered everyone to their rooms.


    I was exhausted but as Iy in bed that night I couldn¡¯t get my brain to turn off. I kept running through the events of the day over and over. There wasn¡¯t anything myself or anyone else could have done differently to change the oue. I turned onto my back and stared at my ring, reflecting the moonlighting in through the window, casting little beams of light across the ceiling. ncing over to the nightstand, the clock read 2:37 am. I realized I had been separated from Carlo for just shy of fourteen hours and each moment felt worse than thest. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sent up a prayer that our n would work and in less than twenty-four hours I would have him back.

 49

    Carlo


    Ivan had left shortly after our confrontation, although he did it reluctantly. One of his men came into the room and whispered something in his ear when he was taking a break from beating me. He left with the promise that he would be back to finish the job.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The music I¡¯d heard when I first woke up had stopped hours ago, at least I thought it was hours ago. I was still having a hard time trying to gauge the passing time. My best guess was that it was sometime in the early morning. I tongued my split lip, and tried to adjust myself on the chair to a less ufortable position. My ribs and head were killing me, but they were just superficial wounds. I¡¯d had worse.


    I just hoped Ivan stayed away long enough for someone to find me. The exhaustion was starting to wear on me. I was only able to nod off for a few minutes at a time, the pain and position didn¡¯t allow me to stay that way for long. I was tied to a metal chair, each of my legs bound to the legs of the chair and my hands were tied behind me and to the bottom of the backrest.


    My arms were immobilized at tailbone level which caused my shoulders to be pulled at an odd angle, and after hours in the same position every muscle in my back was screaming in agony. Flexing my wrists, I smiled when I felt the ckened rope. Since Ivan left I had been working at my bindings, twisting and pulling, trying to loosen them any way I could think of. I finally had feeling back in my hands and feet so I was a little morefortable than I had been.


    My suspicions about the time of day were confirmed when Ivan waltzed in the door, ¡°Good morning, I trust you slept like shit?¡± he asked, going through the same motions he had the day before with his suit jacket and shirt. I almost scoffed at his slight ent. Ivan had worked hard over the years to lesson his Russian ent in an attempt to sound more educated. Ivan was a proud man, he kept up with appearances, despite his seedy businesses. It was pointless. Everyone who dealt with him knew him for the thug he was, and no amount of refining could change that.


    I just red at him.


    ¡°Shall we pick up where we left off?¡± he continued, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and slipping them on.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not man enough to hit me and make it hurt? You¡¯re pathetic,¡± I sneered at him and spit at his feet. A couple blows with the knuckles to my already broken ribs could puncture a lung and kill me a hell of a lot faster than I¡¯m sure he wanted to. I needed to buy as much time as I could so my men could get to me.


    ¡°You motherfucker!¡± he screamed, but removed the knuckles before stalking over to me. He pulled back and swung his fist, connecting with my jaw with a loud crack. Dark spots disrupted my vision. I blinked them away just as hended a second blow to my gut causing me to double over, at least as far as I could with my wrists still bound behind my back.


    ¡°Tell me how to get to her!¡± he screamed an inch away from my face. I smirked as I noticed his ent got thicker with his temper.


    ¡°Fuck. You.¡± I could feel the blood dribbling down my chin as I spoke. ¡°I¡¯m done ying with the hired help, Ivan. I want to talk to your father, where is he?¡±


    Heughed, manically, ¡°He¡¯s gone. Your little bitch took both of them away from me.¡± He must have seen the confusion cross my face because he continued, ¡°My father was the one that found Boris. Just the sight of what your cunt whore did to him caused him to keel over of a heart attack!¡± He produced a knife from an ankle holster and circled me once. I tried to brace myself for whatever he nned to do next but the pain was too much and when he stabbed the knife into my left thigh all the way to the hilt I screamed out in agony. That sick smirk stretched across his face again, ¡°That¡¯s the reaction I¡¯m looking for. Now the real fun can begin.¡± He said pulling the knife from my leg and causing me to scream out again.


    ¡°I am going to do to you exactly what she did to him.¡± With a snap of his fingers the bald man who had been guarding the door walked in with a canister of salt. Ivan took it from him and poured it over the wound on my thigh. The burning was incredible and I had to mp my jaw shut to keep from crying out. He repeated the process over and over with shallow cuts over every inch of exposed skin he could find.


    Once he was finished, he pulled out a cigar from his discarded jacket and settled against the sink in the corner of the room, admiring his handiwork. The puffs of smoke billowed around his head as he lit the cigar. After a few minutes he pushed off the sink and slowly paced toward me, a glimmer of sick pleasure in his eye.


    ¡°You know, eventually you are going to tell me how to get to the girl. You could save me a lot of time and yourself a lot of pain if you just tell me now.¡±


    I stayed silent, nothing I said would do any good at this point. No matter what he did, no matter what kind of sick torture he dreamed up, nothing wouldpare to the immeasurable pain it would cause me if I were the reason Mia was harmed in any way. The worst thing you could do to someone is hurt the person they love most. I knew that from personal experience, using that little fact to my advantage countless times.


    After my mother died I vowed that I would never form another rtionship like that, that I would never allow anyone to burrow their way that deep into my heart. Some part of me knew though, the first time I looked into Mia¡¯s eyes, that she would be the one to break down those walls and force me to feel again. I still wasn¡¯t quite sure how she did it, but throughout the years she chipped away at my cold exterior, making meugh and smile again, bringing light into my dark world.


    The sharp burn of Ivan¡¯s cigar to my chest broke me from my reverie. The searing pain didn¡¯t subside when he lifted it from my skin. Instead it continued to scald and fester as the ash mixed with my blood and scorched flesh. I didn¡¯t cry out or scream this time, I wouldn¡¯t give him the satisfaction. He got little more than a grunt from me as he continued to pepper my skin with thick circr blisters.


    I counted twenty-two stings before I passed out, abination of pain and exhaustion pulling me into darkness.

 50

    Mia


    I walked into the kitchen the next morning showered, dressed and in search of coffee. I hadn¡¯t expected anyone else to be awake yet so I was surprised to find Pauline leaning against the counter sipping a cup of coffee. She smiled at me when I entered the room like she had been waiting for me.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said, more like not at all. The clock on the coffee pot read 6:30 am.


    ¡°Me either. Have a seat I¡¯ll make you a cup,¡± she motioned for me to sit across from her at one of the barstools. Iplied and waited for her to continue. I¡¯d been around Pauline enough over the years to know when she was gearing up for one of her ¡®talks¡¯. ¡°Sweetheart, you know we love you like you¡¯re our own, right?¡± she asked as she poured some creamer into a mug.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said, wondering where she was going with this.


    ¡°And you know we only want what¡¯s best for you, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I drew out the word like a question. She was starting to scare me.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking this up, aren¡¯t I?¡± My mouth dropped open. I had never heard Pauline swear. She was the kind of woman that would say fiddle sticks before she dropped an f-bomb. Noticing my expression sheughed, ¡°Oh please. You¡¯re an adult now, you can handle my swearing.¡±


    ¡°I guess, it¡¯s just weird is all.¡±


    Sheughed again, ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you have children. It took a long time after having Gina to kick my dirty mouth. But that¡¯s not what I wanted to talk to you about,¡± She set the cup of coffee in front of me and continued, ¡°I want to talk about that,¡± she said, pointing at the ring on my finger.


    I looked down at my hand unable to keep the smile from my face, ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°I just want to make sure you¡¯re making your decision with a clear head. This is a big step and there are a lot more hurdles to jump when you love a man like Carlo.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked confused.


    ¡°Well, what about this mess that we¡¯re in the middle of right now? Honey, this isn¡¯t going to be thest time someone tries to hurt you or Carlo and you need to think long and hard about that. Can you handle it if this happens again and again? Is your love going to be strong enough to endure it?¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I sighed and looked down into my coffee, ¡°I know it might happen again, but I love him. I can handle the bad as long as I get the good, you know?¡±


    She smiled widely at me, ¡°That¡¯s what I needed to hear,¡± she said patting my hand, ¡°If you ever want to talk, I¡¯m just a phone call away, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, feeling lighter than I had before. I didn¡¯t even know I wanted her approval but now that I had it, it felt right. Pauline wasn¡¯t my mother but she was the closest thing I had ever had to one.


    ¡­


    We arrived back at the house a little after four that afternoon. We¡¯d gone shopping for an outfit for Frankie and to the salon to get her ready for her audition. When we entered the house the men were once again in the front room, this time with Mouse and Sal as well.


    ¡°Is everyone caught up to speed?¡± I asked, instantly slipping into ¡®Boss-Lady mode¡¯ as Frankie so affectionately called it.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all ready to go when you guys are,¡± Antonio said with a nod. I had been unsure of him before but I was starting to warm to him.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to get ready. We¡¯ll leave here at six,¡± I responded with a nod, following Pauline and Frankie up the stairs.


    ¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let you guys talk me into wearing a slutty school girl costume. I think I just single handedly set feminism back twenty years,¡± Frankie said trying to tug the skirt down as she stood in front of the mirror. ¡°How the fuck am I going to wear this outfit on the street without getting arrested for indecent exposure?¡±


    ¡°Rx, it¡¯s a means to an end. It¡¯s not the end of the world if you y up the patriarchal fantasy for one night,¡± I said, ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t go to the club in your costume. You change there. No one is going to see you. At least no one that will be alive in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, that makes a lot more sense,¡± she turned around to look at me, ¡°How do I look?¡±


    I took a minute to study her, ¡°You look hot,¡± I said truthfully. Her fire engine red hair was done in fullyers with the ends curled. She had put her foot down when Pauline tried to give her pigtails. Her makeup was heavy but not to the point where she looked like a hooker, maybe just a slutty club girl. The white cap sleeved button down tied just below her breasts. Underneath she had a white bikini top which peeked through the open buttons of the top. For someone as tiny as she was, she had a decent amount of cleavage to work with and filled out the top perfectly. The skirt was about the size of a belt, just barely covering everything in the front, but if she turned around you could see the bottom of her ass cheeks sticking out underneath the material. Knee socks and seven inch Maryjane¡¯spleted the look and brought her five foot nothing frame nearly to eye level.


    There was a knock at the door, walking over I opened it. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked in way of greeting.


    ¡°I came to tell you¡­¡± Angelo trailed off, his eyes locked onto where Frankie was standing behind me. ¡°Oh, shit. Enzo¡¯s going to, fuck, this is not good.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s just going to have to suck it up,¡± I said, feigning confidence, ¡°What did youe up here for?¡±


    ¡°Right, everyone is ready to go when you are,¡± he said, he tried to focus on me but his eyes kept wandering back over my shoulder to Frankie.


    Fucking men.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be down in five,¡± I said shutting the door in his face.


    ¡°Hurry up and change before Enzoes up here,¡± I ordered as I turned around. ¡°If he catches you looking like before we leave he¡¯ll go ballistic so move your ass!¡±


    Frankie nodded and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and t-shirt, packing her costume up in a duffle bag I handed to her.


    I snuck a nce at myself in the mirror. I had opted for skinny jeans, knee high boots, and a long sleeve ck thermal top. My gun was tucked into a holster at the back of my waistband, my thin top doing little to conceal it. I had knives tucked into right boot and another small pistol secured in my left. My hair was pulled away from my face in a high ponytail. I looked and felt like I was ready for battle.


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± I asked as Frankie zipped the duffle and turned to me.


    ¡°Not about dancing. Maybe a little about taking my clothes off but, like you said, all the guys that see me are going to be dead before the end of the night so it doesn¡¯t really matter, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Once we¡¯re in, you¡¯ll go out the back and meet up with Mouse and the others.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded and we headed downstairs.

 51

    Frankie


    The car ride to the club was ufortable to say the least. Enzo kept ring at me like I would catch fire if he just stared hard enough. I understood that he was protective and he didn¡¯t want me in any danger but this caveman act was getting ridiculous. I tried to keep my mouth shut, I really did, but by the time we got off the highway and into the city I had had enough.


    ¡°What the fuck is your problem?¡± I hissed at him across the seat.


    ¡°Are you fucking serious, Frankie? What¡¯s my problem? You cannot be that fucking na?ve. You¡¯re going into a fucking strip club operated by a fucking Russian mobster without backup to audition to be a motherfucking stripper!¡± he hissed back at me. ¡°You¡¯re going to take your clothes off for the man that just fucking killed Eddie!¡±


    I reared back like I had just been pped, ¡°That was a low blow,¡± I seethed, ¡°I¡¯m doing this so you have a way to get in, kill that fucker, and save Carlo. Stop taking your shit out on me.¡±


    ¡°Franny, I-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare Franny me right now, don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± I said, my voice wobbling a little. He used to call me that when we were kids before I wised up and got people to start calling me Frankie, now he only used it when he was in trouble or trying to convince me to do something. ¡°Enough!¡± Mia shouted, turning around in the passenger seat to face us, ¡°Enzo, we fucking get it okay. You don¡¯t want her in there, but she is an adult and she made her choice. You need to stop acting like a little bitch and pull up your big boy pants. She¡¯s doing this as nned, all of us are. So get your goddamn head in the game and focus on your fucking job!¡±


    They red at each other for a full minute before she turned back in her seat. Enzo didn¡¯t as much as look at me for the rest of the ride.


    ¡­


    Walking up to the front door of the club I handed the bouncer my brand new ID courtesy of Mouse. The license said my name was Emma Milligan, all the other info aside from my address and ID number was the same. The guy barely even nced at the birthdate before handing it back to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for an audition?¡± I said nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t have an appointment or anything but a friend of mine told me you guys were holding auditions for new dancers,¡± I rambled on.


    God I¡¯m bad at this.


    He just waved his hand towards the door, ¡°Go see Lana at the bar. She¡¯ll tell you what to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks,¡± I said, trying to sound sweet, it did not work. He just grunted and went back to ying with his phone.


    I pulled open the heavy door and walked inside. There was a hostess podium but it was empty so I wandered past it and around the heavy ck curtain. The room was long and narrow and curved slightly to the left. There was arge stage set up directly in front when you walked in. I could see part of a second, smaller stage towards the back of the building and off to the left. There wererge high-back booths set up all along one wall and tables set up on the main part of the floor. Looking to my right I saw a long bar, but nobody was behind it.


    Walking towards the bar I called out, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Just a second,¡± A female voice called back from somewhere off to my left. I turned to where the voice hade from in time to see a petite blonde woman emerge from the hallway. ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I heard you were holding auditions today for new dancers?¡±


    She looked surprised, ¡°Yeah we are. You¡¯re early, I like that. Most of you don¡¯t know how to use a fucking watch. No offense,¡± she said.


    ¡°None taken,¡± I responded.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll show you to the back where you can get changed. Here,¡± she pulled a huge three ring binder from behind the bar and handed it to me, ¡°these are the songs we have, pick one out. I¡¯ll get it from you when Ie back to get you for the audition.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said and followed her back down the hall she hade from. As we turned the corner to the dressing room I spotted the door that would lead to the alleyway.


    Lana caught me looking, ¡°If you need to go out for a smoke you can use that door, just remember to wedge something in it so it doesn¡¯t close all the way. Otherwise you¡¯re shit out of luck and you¡¯re going to have to walk all the way around to the front.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I said with a nod and followed her the rest of the way into the dressing room.


    ¡°You can put your shit in one of the empty lockers. If you make it through the audition I¡¯ll get you a lock for it. We don¡¯t have assigned stations, no matter what the other bitches tell you, so sit wherever and get ready. Just make sure you pack up all your shit before you leave the room otherwise someone will snatch it, yeah?¡±


    I nodded again.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let the boss know you¡¯re here. Get changed and pick out your song, I¡¯lle to get you in ten,¡±


    After I changed I opened the binder Lana had given me. The binder was divided into sections by genre so I flipped to the tabbeled ¡®rock¡¯ and started going through the pages looking for something I was used to working out to. I had just found my song when she walked in again.


    ¡°You ready?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I showed her the song and followed her back out to the main room. Lana walked over to the DJ booth and queued up my song choice before guiding me over to the main stage where four men were seated at the rack, waiting.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to ask you a few questions then they¡¯ll signal me to start your song,¡± she whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said and walked up the small staircase to the stage.


    Grabbing the towel off the railing along my way, I stalked across the stage making my footfalls heavy and adding an extra swing to my hips. I grabbed the pole with the towel in my left hand, and turned so my back was to the men, with the pole directly in front of me, and my legs spread shoulder width apart. I made a show of wiping down the pole all the way to the floor, keeping my legs straight so they had a full-on view of my ass. When I was done, I threw the towel off to the side and turned around to face the men, hand on hip and attitude in full force.


    Ivan sat on the far right, arms crossed in front of him. I didn¡¯t recognize any of the others. The man in the middle spoke up, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Emma,¡± I replied.


    He nodded, ¡°Stage name?¡± Shit, I hadn¡¯t thought about that.


    I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, ¡°Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°We already have one of those, pick another.¡±


    ¡°Clementine.¡± Where the fuck did thate from?


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said, nodding to Lana to y my song, ¡°Show us what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    I turned around to face the pole as the beginning of Halestorm¡¯s I get off started to y. I started out slow, holding onto the pole with one hand, leaning my body out and letting my hair fall to one side while my other hand untied my shirt. I took it off and tossed it to the side leaving me in my white bikini top. As the song started to pick up, I gained more speed and as soon as the chorus started I hopped up, hooking my leg around the pole never breaking the spin. I continued to climb as I spun around and around.


    Using my upper body strength, I braced my arms and let go of the pole with my legs so my body was parallel to the stage for a few turns. Swinging my legs back in, I wrapped them around the pole above me so my head was pointed down and the front of my body was facing my audience. The momentum from my body weight threw me into an insanely fast spin. Releasing my hands I stretched out and arched my back. Untying my top, I flung it to the side of the stage.


    For the next three minutes I danced my ass off, pulling off the most intricate moves I knew in an effort to secure what would be the shortest employment in history. I opted to only go topless for the dance, mostly because I had no idea how I was supposed to remove my skirt while I was dancing and didn¡¯t want to look like an idiot. The song wasing to an end so I started climbing again. Once I was at the top I flipped upside down and let myself drop until my face was less than a foot from the stage right as thest words of the song rang out over the speakers. cing my hands on the stage I released my legs one at a time bringing them back down so I was doing a bridge before I slowly stood up. Walking over to my clothes I calmly, but quickly secured my bikini top.


    Once I was finished I walked back over in front of the men, ¡°So?¡± I asked.

 52

    ¡°You start tonight,¡± it was the same guy that had spoken before, ¡°We open at nine so stick around and pick out your set list.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said and made a beeline for the dressing room.


    I was pulling my small purse out of the locker when Lana walked in, ¡°You did well out there, how long have you been dancing?¡±


    ¡°About three years,¡± I said honestly.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive. Here¡¯s your lock, thebination is written in tape on the back. You¡¯ll need to pick out eight songs for your shift tonight. You can get them to me or Puck it doesn¡¯t matter which.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Puck?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s the DJ, he¡¯ll be here in an hour or so.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Okay, thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem, why don¡¯t youe sit at the bar and wait? It¡¯s still early and none of the other girls have shown up to audition, you can pick out your songs up there.¡±


    ¡°Umm, sure okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± I said. As soon as she walked out of the door I turned back to my purse, pulling out my phone and sending a text to Mia.


    Me: All good, got hired on. You guys ready?


    Mia: Perfect, ready when you are, how long?


    Me: 5 min.


    Mia: How many are in there?


    Me: Four men and a female bartender, DJ will be here in an hour. No other girls are here to audition yet.


    Mia: Got it, the boys will keep out any new girls. I¡¯ll text you when we¡¯re at the back door.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing bitch?¡± Lana¡¯s voice screeched from behind me, I hadn¡¯t heard here back in. I turned quickly but she was standing right over my shoulder and caught me by the hair, forcing me to lose my bnce on my heels and crash to the floor. ¡°Who do you work for? I knew you were up to something you skank!¡± I tried to wretch free from her grip but her hold was too tight. She had moved behind me now, pulling me up by my hair she continued to scream at me, ¡°I asked you a fucking question, who do you work for?¡± she asked throwing me face first into one of the vanity mirrors. I felt a pop when my face hit the mirror and blood started gushing from my nose. She had let go of my hair when she threw me so I was able to turn around and face her. My hand cupped my nose and when I pulled it away there was blood pooled in my palm.


    ¡°You fucking cunt,¡± I yelled, my voice nasally from the impact. I may be small but I was not a pussy. This bitch just barked up the wrong fucking tree. I lunged for her, catching her off guard and forcing her back into the lockers causing them to rattle. I prayed no one would be able to hear us over the music that was ying on the main floor. I punched her in the face with my free hand.


    Fuck that hurt!Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The bitch had a hard fucking head, I shook my hand out which gave her the opportunity to pounce. She knocked me to the floor and we rolled around struggling for the upper hand. She easily had six inches and thirty pounds on me but I was a scrapper who¡¯d grown up with two boys nearly twice my size. I quickly maneuvered my body so I was on top of her and she was facing down.


    I frantically searched for a weapon since hitting this bitch with my fists seemed to cause more damage to me than her. I spotted a bottle of Jack Daniels on one of the vanities just out of reach. At that exact moment she bucked, trying to get me off of her, it gave me the boost I needed to grab the bottle by the neck. I swung as hard as I could and the bottle exploded over her head, cascading bits of ss and liquor over both of us. She dropped like a fucking rock and didn¡¯t move. I stood up on shaky legs and made my way to let the cavalry in.


    Mia


    ¡°Sal is in ce,¡± Mouse called out from the back of the SUV where he bnced aptop on his knees. From what we could tell the club had security cameras at the front and back entrance but Mouse couldn¡¯t find their system which meant they were either on a closed circuit or they didn¡¯t work. We just had to hope that the distraction Sal provided was enough that if the cameras did work no one would be watching when Frankie let us in. Sal, dressed like a bum, was going to cause a scene at the front entrance hopefully giving us time to get in without detection.


    Frankie: All good, got hired on. You guys ready?


    Me: Perfect, ready when you are, how long?


    Frankie: 5 min.


    Me: How many are in there?


    Frankie: Four men and a female bartender, DJ will be here in an hour. No other girls are here to audition yet.


    Me: Got it, the boys will keep out any new girls. I¡¯ll text you when we¡¯re at the back door.


    ¡°Cue Sal. Antonio, you and Angelo go ahead, I¡¯ll be a few paces behind you,¡± I said as we climbed out of the car. Once Antonio and Angelo were out of earshot I turned to Enzo in the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°If shit goes down you call for backup and then get Frankie and Mouse out of here, understood?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    I slowly made my way to the back alley of the club. We¡¯d parked two blocks down and around the corner so it was a short walk. Careful to make sure no one was watching, I ducked into the alley where Antonio and Angelo were waiting. Pulling out my phone, I text Frankie again to let her know we were there. After a minute the door opened and Frankie stumbled out, her shirt torn and blood dripping from her nose and lip.


    Angelo caught her before she hit the ground while Antonio grabbed the door before it mmed shut. I rushed over to Frankie, ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The bartender,¡± she coughed and tried to take a deep breath, from the disgusting gurgling sound her nose made when she tried to breathe it was probably broken. ¡°She saw the text, bitch tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°Dressing room, I hit her over the head with a bottle.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we need to get you back to the car,¡± I said.

 53

    ¡°I¡¯ve got her,¡± I jerked around at the sound of Enzo¡¯s voice behind me.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked confused.


    ¡°I text him,¡± Antonio said.


    Handing Frankie off to Enzo I nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I watched for a moment as Enzo picked Frankie up bridal style and swiftly turned the corner towards the car, the limp from his injury yesterday more exaggerated with the extra weight.


    Antonio was first in the door, sweeping the hallway before giving us the go ahead to follow him. When he started to make his way down the hall that would lead to the basement I pulled back.


    ¡°You guys go ahead. I have something to take care of first, and I¡¯ll meet you down there.¡±


    Angelo started to protest but I held my hand up, ¡°Go, now,¡± after a brief pause he nodded and followed Antonio down the hall.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but seeing Frankie beaten and bloody triggered something inside of me. It was like looking at Gina. All the anger I had felt after her death came bubbling back up to the surface. I had just met Frankie but I considered her a friend and the thought of losing another one to these fuckers sent me into a murderous rage. My protective instincts had been put into overdrive and I wanted to ughter everyst one of these bastards.


    Turning to my left I made my way into the dressing room, pulling my gun I edged the door open with the toe of my boot. A petite woman with obviously fake breasts kneeled beside a woman that was starting toe to, groaning.


    ¡°Oh my god, Lana. What happened, do you want me to get d?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking move, bitch,¡± I said as I kicked the door closed and locked it behind me. The girl opened her mouth to scream and I cut her off. ¡°One fucking noise and I will shoot you between the eyes,¡± I said, my voice cold as I moved towards the women. The one with the shitty boob job scuttled backwards on the floor, trying to get as far away from me as she could.


    Good, I thought, she should be scared.


    Stalking over to her I snatched her up by her over processed hair and quickly brought the butt of my gun down onto her temple, she instantly went limp. Tossing her off to the side I made my way back over to the woman that was just barely starting to wake up when I walked in. Her hair was matted with blood and littered with ss shards. From the smell of it Frankie had broken a bottle of liquor over her head. By the time I made it back to stand over her she was fully awake, if just a bit foggy.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked, and I noticed her slight Russian ent.


    ¡°Someone you don¡¯t want to fuck with, but unfortunately for you, you didn¡¯t get the fucking memo before you hurt my friend.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    She spit at my feet, ¡°Fuck you, you stupid American whore!¡± She tried to roll over on her hands and knees but winced when she put pressure onto her right hand and fell to one elbow.


    Iughed, ¡°I wish I had time to y with you for a bit, but I¡¯m on a schedule. So this will be quick, but I promise it will be painful.¡±


    Holstering my gun I kicked her onto her back, grabbing a scarf that was hanging over one of the dressing chairs that hadn¡¯t been tipped over. I climbed on top of her, pinning her arms beneath my knees and shoved the scarf into her mouth. Reaching down I pulled a knife from the inside of my boot, I spun the knife in my hand until it was firmly in my grasp. Rearing back I sunk the de into the spot just below her corbone on her left side. Her screams were muffled by the scarf but I covered her mouth with my left hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear, ¡°Shh, it will be over soon, you should think twice before sticking your nose into other people¡¯s business. Too bad you won¡¯t have the chance to make that mistake again.¡± I jerked the knife out of her body, a fine mist of blood spraying over both of us.


    Her frame was shuddering from the pain and blood loss, but she was still trying to buck me off of her. That wouldn¡¯t do. Moving my right leg off of her now useless left arm, I brought my knife up again and caught her underneath the ribs. I grinned as I heard the wet coughing noises she was making from behind the gag.


    It won¡¯t be long now, the voice in the back of my head whispered.


    Lana was going in and out of consciousness. The blow to the head from earlier coupled with her lung filling with blood was getting to be too much for her body to handle. It was just as well, I had to get down to Carlo.


    ¡°y time¡¯s over sweetheart,¡± I said on a sigh. ¡°Time to die.¡± I swiftly brought my knife back up and slit her throat in one smooth movement. I was getting good at that. I didn¡¯t know whether to be terrified or impressed.


    I quickly wiped my knife on her shirt and got to my feet. Slipping the knife back into my boot, I pulled my gun back out and slowly opened the door to the hallway. It was clear. Making my way down the hall I reached another door that would lead me to the stairs. The lock had already been broken, I assumed by either Antonio or Angelo. As I slipped into the stairwell and slowly began my dissent, I heard angry voices.

 54

    Carlo


    A loud noise startled me out of the darkness. It took me a second to get my bearings again. I was alone in the room, still tied to the chair.


    Bang. Bang. CRACK!N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The wooden door to the storage room flew open, shards of the doorframe soaring everywhere. My eyes burned from sweat and unshed tears, and I had to blink a few times to clear my vision. I recognized Antonio and Angelo immediately. Angelo came rushing towards me as Antonio guarded the door.


    ¡°Carlo, shit!¡±


    ¡°Hurry,¡± I croaked, my voice hoarse from dehydration. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. They probably heard that.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss,¡± he said as he sawed through the ropes that held me captive, ¡°where are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere, don¡¯t worry about that right now, just get me fucking loose,¡± I said as I felt the bindings on my wrists cken and blood surge into my arms as I brought them around in front of me. The pain in my shoulders and back was excruciating.


    ¡°There,e on,¡± Angelo said as he freed my legs.


    He ced one of my arms over his shoulder and moved to help me up, but as soon as I was on my feet my legs gave way and I felt a pop as another of my ribs was disced by the weight of my body. I let out a moan of pain that caused Antonio to move from his post at the door toe to my aid. It took both of them and all the strength I had left to get me out of that room.


    As soon as we crossed the threshold into the main part of the basement we were greeted with the barrels of two guns and Ivan¡¯s sickeningugh.


    Mia


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going? We were just starting to have fun,¡± Ivan¡¯s cruel voice drifted up the stairs.


    ¡°It¡¯s over Ivan, you lost,¡± Carlo¡¯s voice sounded strained but it was still strong. Even though I couldn¡¯t see him, the conviction in his voice told me he was okay and gave me the strength I needed. Creeping down the stairs, careful to use just the balls of my feet so the heels of my boots didn¡¯t make noise on the cement stairs, I made my way to the bottom and peered into the room.


    Ivan had his back to the stairwell, and two huge men nked him. Angelo had an arm around Carlo and looked as if he were holding him up, his other arm was pointing his gun at one of Ivan¡¯s men. Antonio was on the other side of him, also facing off with the second bodyguard. Ivan didn¡¯t appear to be armed, instead his stance was causal as he continued to taunt Carlo.


    ¡°Oh you poor man, too many blows to the head has you confused. There is no way out. You¡¯re on my turf, with my men on you. No one is going to save you now.¡±


    I crept out of the stairwell, my gun aimed at the back of Ivan¡¯s head. Carlo saw me but quickly averted his eyes and spoke directly to Ivan, giving me time to get in ce.


    ¡°Even if you do kill me, it¡¯s not over. My men are loyal. They¡¯ll hunt you down and destroy you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ivanughed harshly, ¡°Is your precious cunt whore going to avenge you? Please, that little bitch wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about this game we y.¡±


    I took my time getting to Ivan, cautious not to give my position away. When I was just a few feet away I nodded to Antonio and Angelo and spoke, ¡°Checkmate, bitch,¡± I said, my voice causing all three to turn around. I pulled the trigger as soon as Ivan spun to face me, catching him right between the eyes. Antonio and Angelo fired at the same time, taking down Ivan¡¯s men. The echo of gunshots was still ringing through the dank basement as all three men fell at my feet.


    It took me a moment to gather myself. Ivan was dead, but this wasn¡¯t over. I still had to get Carlo out of here. I leapt over Ivan¡¯s still body and rushed to Carlo, his face was swollen and covered in dried sweat and blood. My hands hovered over him, not wanting to hurt him more by touching him. His shirt had been torn open and every inch of his exposed torso was bleeding or bruised. ¡°Baby, are you okay?¡± I asked, a stupid question but I couldn¡¯t help my worry.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just get out of here. Someone had to have heard.¡±


    ¡°Right,e on then,¡± I said, pulling out my phone and dialing Mouse. I started to speak as soon as he answered the phone, not letting him get a word in, ¡°We have him, we¡¯reing out. Have the men meet us. We don¡¯t know who else is here.¡±


    ¡°Got it, they¡¯re on their way.¡±


    We made it up the stairs and into the main hallway, Angelo and Antonio practically carrying Carlo¡¯s broken body. I was in front, so focused on the back exit door I didn¡¯t notice therge man with a gun pointed right at me until he had already pulled the trigger.


    Carlo


    We had to get out of here, I knew of at least one more of Ivan¡¯s men that knew I was down there. If d was in the club and heard the shots we were still in danger. It took both Antonio and Angelo to help me up the stairs. The stab wound in my thigh coupled with my broken ribs made it almost impossible to walk on my own.


    Mia was in front of us as we made our way down the hallway. I saw movement to the right as we approached where the hallway opened up to another corridor. Time slowed as I saw d emerge with his gun held out in front of him, pointed directly at Mia. Terror gripped me and I used thest of my energy to lunge for her, calling out her name in warning as d pulled the trigger. I felt white hot pain sear through my side, and then nothing as the ckness enveloped me once again.

 55

    Mia


    It all happened so fast, one second I was staring down the barrel of a gun and the next I was being pushed to the ground. I heard several shots go off before I had a chance to pull myself up. When I flipped over my blood ran cold. Carlo was lying motionless beside me, blood seeping from a wound on his right side just under his arm.


    ¡°CARLO!¡± I cried and scrambled to him, my knees slipping in therge puddle of blood that was already pooling underneath him. I tried to put pressure on the wound but the blood just kept pumping out between my fingers. ¡°Do something!¡± I screamed, not knowing who exactly I was talking to.


    ¡°Move,¡± I heard from above me before I was lifted up and ced a few feet from where I had been kneeling beside Carlo. Enzo¡¯srge frame blocked my view as he began to work on Carlo. In my hysterics I hadn¡¯t even noticed him and Leoe through the back entrance.


    My breathing was erratic. I couldn¡¯t focus on anything but Carlo¡¯s still form.


    No, no, no. This can¡¯t be happening, not after everything we¡¯ve been through. God wouldn¡¯t be this cruel. Please, I prayed, please let him be okay.¡±We need to move fast, he¡¯s lost too much blood. Get him up, Matty is waiting with the car at the entrance to the alley,¡± Enzo¡¯s voice was harsh and cold as he issued orders to the other men. Without hesitation all four men lifted Carlo and rushed out the back door. My body was numb as I stepped over the goon that had shot Carlo and followed woodenly behind them. I watched them load Carlo into the back of the SUV, Enzo climbing up with him. I took my ce in the front seat and turned, staring at Carlo¡¯s gray face as we rushed to the hospital.


    ¡­N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Once we pulled up to the emergency room entrance, Antonio leapt from the car and ran insideing back a momentter with several nurses wheeling a stretcher behind him. The hospital staff moved fast, transferring Carlo to the stretcher and rushing him into the building. I trailed behind them as fast as I could, not willing to let my gaze drift from his face. I was abruptly stopped by a nurse before I could follow them past the double doors.


    ¡°You have to stay here, we¡¯re taking him back into surgery.¡±


    I opened my mouth to protest but Angelo cut me off, pulling me to his side he spoke to the nurse, ¡°This is his wife. Please let us know as soon as you have any information about his condition.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Now can one of you please tell me what happened?¡±


    I turned to Angelo, panic in my eyes. I had no idea how to exin this.


    ¡°If you¡¯de with me I¡¯ll exin,¡± Antonio said smoothly from behind me, guiding the nurse away to the corner so he could speak to her privately.


    ¡°What are we going to do if they call the cops? Don¡¯t they have to report it if someonees in with a gunshot wound?¡± I asked Angelo frantically.


    ¡°Rx, Antonio will handle it. We have a few cops in the area that are on our payroll, they¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s no official report. Nowe sit down.


    ¡­


    We waited for hours without any word on Carlo¡¯s condition. My mind raced and the tears fell down my face in a constant stream for hours. Frankie came to sit beside me, wrapping one of her small arms around my shoulders as she spoke softly into my ear. ¡°He¡¯s going to be okay, I can feel it in my gut. Carlo is way too stubborn to die,¡± I gasped at her words, a sob ripping through my chest followed by a fresh wave of tears. I buried my head in her shoulder and wept.


    A soft voice filtered in over the sound of my sobs, ¡°I¡¯m looking for the family of Carlo DeLuca?¡±


    I stood up so suddenly I had to brace myself on Frankie¡¯s shoulder to avoid falling over, ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± I croaked.


    The woman walked over to me slowly, as if I was a wounded animal she didn¡¯t want to spook. She wore green scrubs and her white sneakers squeaked across the linoleum as she approached. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Marshall, the lead surgeon working on your husband. We did everything we could, he¡¯d lost a lot of blood¡­¡± A whooshing sound filled my ears, effectively blocking out the doctors words. This couldn¡¯t be happening, my head grew hazy and dots formed in my line of vision. ¡°Coma, only time will tell¡­¡± her words filtering through.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, snapping back into reality.


    ¡°He¡¯s in a medically induceda. We did everything we could to repair the damage, but we won¡¯t know the extent of his injuries or recovery time until he wakes up. We had to remove his spleen because it was ruptured by the bullet. Thankfully no major arteries were damaged. One of his lungs was punctured but we were able to stop the bleeding. We¡¯re going to keep him unconscious for a few days to give his body time to heal from the trauma before we take him off sedation. They¡¯re getting him settled into a room now, I¡¯ll have a nursee out in a little bit to bring you to him. Only one visitor at a time though, since he¡¯s in the ICU.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, thank you,¡± Angelo said beside me. I hadn¡¯t noticed hime up while the doctor was speaking.


    The doctor nodded and made her way back through the double doors.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± I said to no one in particr. I was still in shock. I had thought for sure she was telling me he was dead. My head hurt, the exhaustion of the day taking its toll on my body as I sagged against Angelo.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± he repeated, wrapping his arms around me and supporting my weight. ¡°He¡¯s going to be okay.¡±


    ¡­


    True to her word a little whileter a nurse came and led me to Carlo¡¯s room.


    ¡°Now honey, I need to prepare you, he¡¯s pretty banged up and since he¡¯s sedated there¡¯s a breathing tube down in throat. Do you understand what I¡¯m telling you?¡±


    I nodded numbly and followed her into the room. I didn¡¯t know what I expected since she had just exined what condition he was in but the sight of him lying prone on the hospital bed with wires and tubes hooked up to him caused me to let out a tortured cry. I slowly approached his bed, my hand over my mouth, muffling my sobs.


    ¡°They say they can hear you when they¡¯re under like that, might help to talk to him a bit. Let him know you¡¯re here. I¡¯ll give you some privacy, just press the red button if you need something,¡± she said and left the room quietly.


    I pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down, reaching for his hand, careful not to disturb the IV. ¡°Hey baby,¡± I said, my voice wobbly with tears. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can hear me but if you can I want you to know how much I love you. I need you to pull through, we have a wedding to n,¡± Iughed, because it sounded ridiculous and trivial but I wanted it, ¡°And once you¡¯re better, I¡¯m going to kick your ass for scaring the shit out of me.¡± Iid my head on the bed next to him and continued to talk, describing our future and repeating the words ¡®I love you¡¯ over and over again


    ¡­


    I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I was being woken up by the same nurse that had brought me to Carlo.


    ¡°Hey honey,¡± she said quietly, ¡°I need you to hop up for a minute so I can check his vitals.¡±


    I stood up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and letting her get the readings she needed.


    She turned to me when she was done, ¡°Visiting hours are long over and my shift is almost up but I pulled a few strings and as long as you don¡¯t cause a fuss or get in the way, they¡¯re going to let you stay with him, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, tears forming in my eyes. I felt like all I¡¯d done since Carlo had been shot was cry but I couldn¡¯t help it, my emotions were all over the ce. ¡°That means so much to me, thank you,¡± I said again.


    She patted my shoulder and walked out of the room without saying another word.

 56

    Carlo


    I could hear voices, but I couldn¡¯t tell what they were saying, like I was under water and people were speaking above the surface. I tried to take a breath and coughed, something was in my throat. I tried to grab at it but my arms were pulled back. I heard yelling and movement, but when I tried to open my eyes to see what was going on I was blinded by a bright light. There was a tingling sensation in my arm that traveled up and through my body as my muscles rxed and floated off into nothingness again


    The next time I came back through the darkness I was able to breathe. I felt something squeeze my hand. ¡°Carlo?¡± I heard, I would know that voice anywhere. Mia. I had no idea where I was but Mia was with me so it had to be okay, she was safe. Thest thing I remembered was pushing her out of the way of d¡¯s gun.


    I tried to speak but my throat was on fire. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t talk, I called the nurse. Just rx. Everything is going to be okay,¡± she soothed. I tried to open my eyes again, the light was still blinding but I was able to squint and after a while, my eyes adjusted. Turning my head to where her voice hade from I saw her. Tears in her red rimmed eyes spilled over when she smiled at me. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± I tried to speak again but the burning was too much. It felt like I had swallowed sandpaper.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to talk,¡± she said sternly, ¡°You¡¯re in the hospital. They took you off the drugs that were keeping you out a while ago. The nurse said you¡¯d feel groggy, don¡¯t worry, its normal.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Just then a nurse walked in, ¡°Ah Mr. DeLuca, d to see you¡¯re awake. I¡¯m going to check your vitals and the doctor will be in to examine on you in a minute.¡±


    She moved around the room to the opposite side of the bed Mia was upying and looked at the machines I was hooked up to. ¡°Everything looks good considering, your blood pressure is on the low end of normal but that¡¯s to be expected with the heavy sedation you were under. I¡¯m going to ask you a series of questions. Don¡¯t try to speak, just nod or shake your head. Got it?¡± she waited for me to nod before continuing, ¡°Okay, is your vision normal?¡±


    I nodded.


    Walking around to the foot of the bed she lifted the nket exposing my feet, ¡°Can you feel this?¡± she asked running the end of her pen up the length of my foot. I jerked my foot away and nodded.


    ¡°Good, can you move your arms for me?¡±


    I lifted my arms one at a time and set them back on the bed. I was starting to get irritated. She was treating me like a fucking invalid. Mia seemed to sense my frustration because she spoke quietly into my ear, ¡°You¡¯ve been out for four fucking days, she¡¯s just doing her job. Don¡¯t be an asshole.¡±


    I looked at her in shock. Four days? What the fuck happened to cause me to be unconscious for four fucking days?


    ¡°Now, Mr. DeLuca, do you have any head or neck pain?¡± The nurse asked. I nodded, my head was pounding. The rest of my body was sore too but it was my head that was killing me.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal with the sedation. As soon as the doctor checks you out I¡¯ll give you something for the pain.¡±


    ¡°How long until he can go home?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be up to the doctor, honey. I know you¡¯re eager to have him home but right now the best ce for him is here where we can keep him under observation.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you Florence,¡± Mia said giving the nurse a soft smile.


    The nurse, Florence, gave her a quick pat on the arm, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let the doctor know you¡¯re awake ande back with some medication for the pain and some water for your throat,¡± she said and left the room leaving Mia and I alone.


    ¡°She¡¯s been here every day since you came in,¡± Mia said noticing my confusion at her ease with the nurse, ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be up here during non-visiting hours but she called in a few favors and got them to let me stay. I haven¡¯t left since you got here.¡±


    She¡¯d been here for four days? Where did she sleep?


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. I thought I lost you. There¡¯s no fucking way I¡¯m leaving your side until you¡¯re safe at home.¡±


    The door opened again and a tall woman in a white coat walked in. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Dr. Marshall,¡± she saiding to the side of the bed and looking over the same machines that the nurse had. ¡°Your vitals are good. I think it¡¯s safe to say we¡¯re out of the woods here. It will take some time and you¡¯ll need to take it easy while your body heals but from what I can tell, you should make a full recovery. We¡¯ll keep you here for a few days and get you on the right medication dosage to manage your pain at home. Now, your wife mentioned that you¡¯re from the Seattle area. I have a colleague up there that I¡¯m going to rmend you to see. He¡¯s one of the best rehab specialists on the west coast, and he¡¯ll make sure your recovery goes smoothly.¡± I gave Mia a sideways nce when the doctor referred to her as my wife. She just shrugged and returned her attention to what the doctor was saying.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky man, Mr. DeLuca. Not many people would be able to recover from this kind of trauma. Thankfully you¡¯re young and healthy so that will be a big factor in the speed of your recovery. Florence will give you some pain medication for any difort you¡¯re feeling. In a few hours you should be able to speak in short sentences. It will take some time for the pain to subside since you were on the venttor for several days but you should be speaking normally in a day or two,¡± she said and turned to Mia, ¡°Do you have any questions for me?¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you, Dr. Marshall.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said and exited the room as quickly as she¡¯d entered.

 57

    Mia


    It had been two weeks since Carlo had been released from the hospital and he was doing remarkably well given the injuries he¡¯d sustained. He was off the stronger of the pain meds, only taking the asional pill when he¡¯d over done it. The most difficult part about his recovery was trying to get him to rest. Everything was slowly starting to get back to normal, at least normal for us.


    At the moment we were lying in bed. Having just woken up from a nap, I was curled up to his left side, careful not to put any weight on his ribs that were still healing. ording to the doctors, since three of his ribs had been fractured on the left side they would take almost as long to heal as the incision from the surgery and the gunshot wound.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you hungry?¡± I asked. ¡°I can have Elena bring something up.¡±


    Carlo heaved a sigh, wincing at the pain it caused. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mia. I¡¯ll let you know if I¡¯m hungry. I just hate beingid up like this. I have shit to do.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to do other than be here with me. The guys have everything else under control.¡±


    He growled, ¡°Doesn¡¯t make me feel any better. I should be running my business, not them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get that tone with me, you¡¯re the one that jumped in front of a fucking bullet. It¡¯s your own damn fault.¡±


    ¡°What was I supposed to do? Let you get killed?¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Cocky bastard. ¡°So, did the shipmente in all right?¡±


    ¡°We are not talking about work right now. I¡¯m enjoying this moment, don¡¯t fucking ruin it by micro managing. Everything is under control. The shipment came in without issue, just like thest one. I will let you know if something changes. Just focus on getting better, okay?¡± So far, we¡¯d used Mouse¡¯s parents¡¯pany to haul in two shipments from the southern border and both had been executed exactly as nned.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve been doing, Mia. I need a fucking distraction otherwise I¡¯m going to go insane.¡±


    ¡°You need me to take your mind off things for a while?¡± I asked coyly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking tempt me, woman,¡± he growled, ¡°You know I can¡¯t do any strenuous activity for another six weeks, and what I have nned for you is most definitely a strenuous activity.¡±


    Iughed, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about that. I have some news that I¡¯ve been waiting to share with you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, concerned.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I propped myself up on one elbow and looked down at him with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    Mia


    It had been two weeks since Carlo had been released from the hospital and he was doing remarkably well given the injuries he¡¯d sustained. He was off the stronger of the pain meds, only taking the asional pill when he¡¯d over done it. The most difficult part about his recovery was trying to get him to rest. Everything was slowly starting to get back to normal, at least normal for us.


    At the moment we were lying in bed. Having just woken up from a nap, I was curled up to his left side, careful not to put any weight on his ribs that were still healing. ording to the doctors, since three of his ribs had been fractured on the left side they would take almost as long to heal as the incision from the surgery and the gunshot wound.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you hungry?¡± I asked. ¡°I can have Elena bring something up.¡±


    Carlo heaved a sigh, wincing at the pain it caused. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mia. I¡¯ll let you know if I¡¯m hungry. I just hate beingid up like this. I have shit to do.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to do other than be here with me. The guys have everything else under control.¡±


    He growled, ¡°Doesn¡¯t make me feel any better. I should be running my business, not them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get that tone with me, you¡¯re the one that jumped in front of a fucking bullet. It¡¯s your own damn fault.¡±


    ¡°What was I supposed to do? Let you get killed?¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Cocky bastard. ¡°So, did the shipmente in all right?¡±


    ¡°We are not talking about work right now. I¡¯m enjoying this moment, don¡¯t fucking ruin it by micro managing. Everything is under control. The shipment came in without issue, just like thest one. I will let you know if something changes. Just focus on getting better, okay?¡± So far, we¡¯d used Mouse¡¯s parents¡¯pany to haul in two shipments from the southern border and both had been executed exactly as nned.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve been doing, Mia. I need a fucking distraction otherwise I¡¯m going to go insane.¡±


    ¡°You need me to take your mind off things for a while?¡± I asked coyly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking tempt me, woman,¡± he growled, ¡°You know I can¡¯t do any strenuous activity for another six weeks, and what I have nned for you is most definitely a strenuous activity.¡±


    Iughed, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about that. I have some news that I¡¯ve been waiting to share with you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, concerned.


    I propped myself up on one elbow and looked down at him with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    End of book 1

 58 (book 2)

    Eddie


    They thought I was dead. They still had no idea that I¡¯d plotted my revenge, made nice with the Russians, and double-crossed them.


    My entire life I¡¯ve lived in the shadow of my cousin. He was bigger, stronger, smarter, more charming, and more sessful. He was the golden boy to my ck sheep. He took everything from me when he went off to be a hero. I was alone in the shadow he¡¯d left behind, but I made my way, carving a path of my own. One that would lead me to the crossroads where I could finally face him and show him what I had be.


    They had underestimated me my whole life, but I was about to show them what I was capable of. How fierce and cunning I could be. I learned patience, lurking on the edge of the shadows for years formting my n andying the groundwork. He¡¯d left me for dead outside that warehouse and it had only solidified my hatred for him.


    I sat in the idling car watching them. They were all there. He was sitting between my mother and my aunt, the perfect son and nephewforting them while they cried over the empty casket as it was lowered into the ground.


    There was nothing left of the bodies that had been dragged into the warehouse, thanks to some serious explosives I¡¯d set off just before the police and fire department had arrived. I had to make sure there wasn¡¯t enough evidence to positively identify all of the bodies. There were enough obliterated body parts strewn about that warehouse that it would take years for the police to put it all together. Not that they would.


    I¡¯d made sure that Marco¡¯s body was near the entrance so it wouldn¡¯t be too severely damaged. Just like I¡¯d nned, they were able to identify him quickly, which ultimately put the entire case on the back burner. Marco was the leader of the Diablos after all, just another street thug. No one wanted to waste time and resources on identifying a bunch of lowlife gang bangers.


    Frankie had witnessed Kashnikov¡¯s men shoot me and drag my lifeless body into the building; she had no reason to question what she¡¯d seen. So even without physical evidence of my death, they moved forward with the funeral. They¡¯d given up on me so easily and now they were burying an empty fucking casket.


    Anger boiled in my gut as I watched himfort her and pretend to be distraught. It was all an act. If he¡¯d ever actually cared, he wouldn¡¯t have turned my family against me. He wouldn¡¯t have taken everything that was mine.


    He¡¯d stolen the heart of the girl I loved, but I would get her back. Because above all else, I had one undeniable truth that guided my way.


    She. Was. Mine.


    Present


    I¡¯m broken. But I¡¯m good at pretending.  I pretend I have it together, but I don¡¯t. I pretend that he doesn¡¯t affect me, but he does. I pretend I don¡¯t care, but I do. I pretend that every time he looks at me with those nk eyes that it doesn¡¯t break my heart, but it does.


    Every goddamn time.


    Each morning I promise myself that today is going to be the day that I finally stop pretending and get over him. But each day my heart crumbles a little bit more when I realize I don¡¯t have the strength to stop loving him. No matter how much I will myself not to; no matter how much my heartbreak has turned to anger and resentment there are still the tiny pieces of my heart that remain intact and hope that one day he¡¯ll let me stop pretending and love me back.


    The heart is a stupid thing. No matter how well you convince the mind of something, you simply can¡¯t reason with the heart. That¡¯s why love is so devastating.


    It¡¯s not logical; I can¡¯t convince myself to stop loving him. There is no form or algorithm to fix my broken heart. I just have to suffer through the pain and hope that one day it will ebb. Until that dayes, my anger will keep me sane. I never knew it was possible to love someone and hate them at the same time, but it is, and I do. God knows I have every right to.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I asked as I walked into Mia and Carlo¡¯s massive kitchen. Mia was standing at the ind and attempting to assemble what appeared to be asagna.


    Mia¡¯s head snapped up. ¡°What?¡± she asked, bewildered at my abrupt introduction.


    ¡°When you invited me for dinner I assumed Elena was cooking. I¡¯ve heard stories about your attempts in the kitchen, and whatever you¡¯re doing right now is just solidifying my preconceived notions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± she protested.


    ¡°Lasagna is meant to be inyers, not all mixed together. Dude, it looks like you upchucked in the pan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault!¡± Mia shouted abruptly. ¡°The noodles kept tearing and then the ricotta wouldn¡¯t spread and it all just kind of¡­ fuck!¡± In her frustration, she threw her arms in the air causing the spoon she held in one of her hands to fling sauce across the kitchen. I had to duck to avoid a tomato-sauce facial.


    ¡°Jesus, pregnancy is making you crazier than normal,¡± I said, shucking my leather jacket as I made my way farther into the kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± she said, pointing the spoon in my direction. ¡°I am not hormonal; I¡¯m just frustrated.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± I said, the sarcasm in full force which earned me a signature death re from the mama-to-be.


    ¡°I just wanted to make a nice dinner for everyone. Is that so fucking wrong?¡± she asked, throwing the wooden spoon into the pan of mush.


    ¡°Dial back the temper tantrum,¡± I said, inspecting her setup on the counter. ¡°You¡¯re only oneyer in, so you have enough to start over.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± I said disposing of the monstrosity and pulling out a clean pan. ¡°Start with a little bit of sauce on the bottom so the noodles don¡¯t stick. Now,y the noodles in a singleyer in the pan. Be gentle with them,¡± I warned.


    Mia followed my instructions, albeit slowly. From what Angelo had told me, the woman was positively hopeless when it came to cooking. She could take out a Russian mob boss without breaking a sweat, but ask her to make anything more sophisticated than Easy Mac and she fell apart-go figure.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Elena?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mia sighed. ¡°She helped me make the sauce and stuff, scribbled down some instructions and left. I didn¡¯t think it would be thisplicated.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said ignoring herst statement, because it wasn¡¯tplicated. Not really, but I¡¯d been assemblingsagna since I was five. ¡°The key is to spoon small amounts of the ricotta mixture all over so you don¡¯t have to spread it very far to cover the noodles.¡±


    Mia continued to follow my instructions, and in a few minutes, we had a perfectlyyeredsagna.


    ¡°Where did you learn to cook?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°My mom?¡± I said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I immediately regretted my words when I saw Mia¡¯s lips purse and she gave a quick nod.


    Good job, Frankie, remind the pregnantdy about her own shit-tastic parents.


    ¡°Mia-¡± I started, but she cut me off.


    ¡°So it says here that I need to bake it covered for the first part and then uncover it for thest few minutes to let it brown. What do I cover it with?¡±


    ¡°Foil is fine,¡± I said, letting her drop the ufortable subject with ease. She quickly focused her attention back to the pan, covering it in foil before cing it in the oven.


    Mia and I had grown close in the past couple months. I guess it wasn¡¯t that surprising considering the shit that we¡¯d been through together in such a short amount of time. Since we were the only two females in the inner circle of the DeLuca family, it was pretty much inevitable that we¡¯d be each other¡¯s confidant.


    While we had gotten close and we had shared secrets, but she didn¡¯t know all my secrets, and I was certain I didn¡¯t know all of hers. There were things about our pasts that we¡¯d discussed briefly but didn¡¯t get into details-just enough to understand some of ourmon history. Mia and I were cut from the same cloth. Neither of us were very touchy feely, so we gave each other allowances. We didn¡¯t push, and it worked.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It had to work, because just admitting some of the secrets I held buried in my mind to myself had my stomach rolling. The thought of actually telling another person and letting the wounds bleed out in front of them had pain slicing through my heart. It was bad enough I tortured myself in the dark.

 59

    ¡°So, you going to tell me what the whole Betty Crocker kick is about?¡± I asked as Mia started on the sd.


    She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little early for nesting?¡± I asked when she didn¡¯t borate.


    Mia let out a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want my child to grow up like I did. I want to be a good mom.¡±


    ¡°You realize being able to cook doesn¡¯t make you any more of a mom, right?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, cing her hands on her small belly. ¡°I want this baby to have a family-a real family. Carlo doesn¡¯t have a lot of family, and I have none. You guys are the closest thing we have. I¡¯m sick of being isted out here. That¡¯s why I invited everyone over for dinner. Carlo and I have spent years alone, so it¡¯s time to start letting people in, building a foundation for our kids. I mean, what if something happens to us?¡±


    ¡°I get it. So is this going to be like a thing? Dinner, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like it to be. My grandmother used to have us over for Sunday dinner every week when I was a kid; I¡¯d like to continue that tradition for my own kids.¡±


    ¡°So who all did you invite?¡± I asked casually.


    ¡°You, Angelo, Antonio, and Enzo, but he couldn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked automatically.


    Mia gave me a sideways look causing me to cringe, but she didn¡¯t call me on it. ¡°I don¡¯t know; he just said he was busy but he¡¯ll be here next week.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So, what else do you need help with?¡± I asked changing the subject.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Mia and I spent the next hour preparing the rest of the meal. We discussed ns for her and Carlo¡¯s uing wedding, which she¡¯d decided had to happen before the baby was born in July. I¡¯d tried to talk her out of it. Trying to n a wedding in a matter of a few months while pregnant was a recipe for disaster, but she was determined. When Mia wanted something, she got it.


    Dinner was nice, albeit a little awkward. Before Mia, Carlo had been closed off and cold, even towards his cousins Angelo and Antonio. He¡¯d made a point in the past not to socialize with his employees. I guess it was smart not to make attachments in our line of work. Mia wasn¡¯t having any more of his antisocial behavior, and because Carlo would do anything to make Mia happy, he gave in.


    ¡°We have another shipmenting in next week. Is everything ready?¡± Carlo asked, directing his attention to Antonio.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s set. The arrangement Mia worked out with Mouse¡¯s parents has worked well,¡± Antonio replied as he picked at hissagna. It may not look all that pretty, but it still tasted good. I kicked him under the table when Mia wasn¡¯t looking causing his head to snap up. Giving him a stern look I deliberately took a bite of my food, never breaking eye contact. At least he had the decency to look contrite.


    ¡°Can we please not talk about business? This is supposed to be a family dinner, not a fucking board meeting,¡± Mia said angrily, stabbing at her sd.


    Carlo reached over and ced a hand over hers. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°So, Antonio, Angelo, how¡¯s your mother?¡± he asked in an, albeit stilted, attempt to shift the conversation.


    Angelo shifted in his chair ufortably, clearly not having expected the new line of questioning. His eyes shifted to his brother before moving back to Carlo.


    ¡°She¡¯s well; thank you for asking. So Mia, have you made any new wedding ns?¡± he asked, immediately changing the topic yet again.


    I gave the brothers a curious look. What had that been about? If a single, straight man asked a woman about her uing wedding ns, you could bet your ass they were avoiding something. I¡¯d have to keep my eyes on them, there was definitely something up there.


    Of course I¡¯d done my homework on everyone I¡¯de into contact with since I¡¯d started working for Carlo. Angelo and Antonio¡¯s mother Donate was Carlo¡¯s aunt on his father¡¯s side. From the intel I¡¯d gathered, she and her husband had nothing to do with the business. Instead, they¡¯d opted to live the high life without ever getting their hands dirty. From the little information I¡¯d gleaned from Angelo over the years it hade as quite a shock to their mother when both Angelo and Antonio had decided to start working with Carlo, and had be quite the point of contention.


    As a rule, the men never discussed their mother or any sort of family connections. Not for the first time, I wondered if it was a form of protection for themselves and their families. After all, that was why Carlo had been so keen to keep his connection with Mia under wraps for so long.


    Carlo had always called his organization a family, but aside from financial support, he¡¯d never taken a vested interest in anyone from what I could tell. It seemed that Mia had different ideas though. It could¡¯ve been the pregnancy, or what had happened with the Russians infiltrating the ranks of the DeLuca family, but she seemed determined to create a close bond between who she considered to be the leaders in the family.


    ¡°Frankie?¡± Mia¡¯s voice called, pulling me from my spection.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, trying not to make it obvious that I hadn¡¯t been paying attention.


    ¡°We¡¯re still on for dress shopping next week, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. Text me with the time so I can put it on my schedule,¡± I said smiling through the dread I felt at stepping foot inside a bridal boutique.


    ¡°Good, finding a dress that will cover this thing in a few months is going to be a bitch,¡± she said rubbing her belly once more. Again, I saw Carlo¡¯s eyes dart down to her stomach and that slight smile pull at the corner of his lips.


    There was a change in him. He¡¯d always been sharp and hard, but she¡¯d domesticated him somehow. The way Carlo watched her when she wasn¡¯t paying attention or how his eyes would soften whenever she absentmindedly rubbed her belly, it was obvious he was a man in love. While I was happy he and Mia had found each other, their every look, touch, and kiss reminded me of what I didn¡¯t have.


    Which is why I made an excuse to leave immediately after dinner. There was only so much nauseating happiness I could take before I sumbed to self-pity and curled into the fetal position. Besides, Enzo wasn¡¯t there, and the longer I stayed, the more I tortured myself wondering what he could be doing-or who. I¡¯d spent too many years missing him and wondering where he was and what he was doing. I couldn¡¯t afford to let myself fall down that rabbit hole of darkness and pain again, because there was no end.

 60

    Present


    ¡°Mom?¡± I called out when I walked into the dark house. I¡¯d bought the small house on the outskirts of Seattle for her and my aunt five years ago. I couldn¡¯t stand the thought of them living in the shitty neighborhood I¡¯d grown up in.


    Usually the house was warm, filled withughter, and the smells of home cooking, but not anymore. It was quiet as I walked through the foyer and into the living room. It was cold, like someone forgot to turn on the heat and the February chill had seeped into the house.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I called again, louder this time. My breaths came faster and I could feel my pulse beating harder in my neck. Nothing looked out of ce as I scanned the room; it was just a feeling. The house felt cold, lifeless, and empty. I searched the ground floor and found nothing, not a single light left on or a dish in the sink.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I made my way up the stairs to my mother and aunt¡¯s rooms on the second floor. I¡¯d stopped calling out; it only raised my anxiety level every time the empty house echoed my calls. I heard a whimpering from my aunt¡¯s room as I stepped onto thending at the top of the stairs. Quietly, I pulled my gun from my waistband and crept across the wood floor to her door, careful not to make a sound.


    When I reached the door, I noticed it was cracked open, revealing a dark room and nothing else. With my free hand, I slowly pushed the door open. The adrenaline was pumping through my system so rapidly it felt like my heart would beat out of my chest. I was trying my hardest not to think the worst.


    Two forms lie in the bed, one curled around the other. Stepping closer, I saw the smaller of the two was silently sobbing, shoulders shaking, and every few seconds she would inhale sharply. My aunt.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I whispered.


    Therger of the two lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Enzo? Oh honey, I didn¡¯t know you wereing,¡± she said, sliding off the bed from behind her sister and leading me out into the hallway.


    ¡°You scared me, I was calling your name and you didn¡¯t answer,¡± I said when we entered the hallway.


    She hushed me and closed the door behind her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must have fallen asleep. It¡¯s been a hard day,¡± she said giving me a pathetic smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What can I do?¡± I asked immediately.


    ¡°Sweetheart,¡± my mother sighed cupping my cheek with a weathered hand. ¡°My sweet boy, you look so much like your father, you know that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯ve said that before, Mom. What¡¯s the matter with Aunt Rosa?¡± I asked impatiently.


    ¡°He was such a handsome man,¡± she continued wistfully.


    ¡°Mom,¡± I urged.


    She clucked her tongue and patted my cheek. ¡°Nothing you can fix. The heart needs time to heal.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She was looking for Mama¡¯s old recipe book; she wanted to make a cake.¡± Sheughed pitifully and shook her head. ¡°Just trying to keep busy, you know? Anyway, she came across an old photo album. I found her on the floor crying over baby pictures of Ed-¡± her voice cut out on his name and she had to clear her throat before she continued. ¡°It¡¯s a terrible thing to lose a child, the worst loss a person can suffer. It¡¯s just-it¡¯s not how it¡¯s supposed to be. We fear it, but know it¡¯s a possibility to lose a spouse and we expect to lose our parents-but never a child.¡±


    I pulled her into my chest, cradling her head with my hand as she cried. Every one of her tears was like a knife to my heart. If I hadn¡¯t agreed to let Eddie be a part of our n with the Russians, none of this would have ever happened. His blood was on my hands. The only thing worse than the guilt was the fear that my mother and aunt would somehow learn the truth and see me for the monster that I am.


    Frankie hates me; she has to. She¡¯d been cool towards me for years. The way she looked at me now, it¡¯s like it hurts for her just to see my face, so I¡¯ve stayed out of sight. Not that I¡¯d really spent a lot of time with her in the past few years; she didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near me, and I couldn¡¯t me her.


    I was an asshole.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered into my mother¡¯s hair. I was sorry for a lot of things. It seemed to be amon theme for me.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No need to be sorry. You¡¯ve done so much for us. She just needs time; we all do,¡± she said softly, pulling away and patting me on the chest. Her dark hair was streaked with white and her eyes looked more tired than usual. She¡¯d worked so hard to provide for me when I was young. I just wanted to be able to protect her, but I kept failing. The worst part was that no one knew that it was my fault Eddie was dead. I¡¯d brought him into the fold. I¡¯d asked for his help setting up the Russians. It was my fault my aunt couldn¡¯t get out of bed, it was also my fault Frankie had that haunted look in her eye. I wanted to protect everyone I loved, but you can¡¯t protect someone from the grief you caused.

 61

    Frankie


    Present


    I tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter as I sifted through my mail. As usual, nothing but bills. I started pulling off my clothes as I headed towards my bedroom. I needed to catch up on some quality Netflix time, and the only way to binge watch was to do so on the couch wearing sweats.


    I pulled my favorite pair of leggings out of the drawer and wiggled them on. Walking over to my vanity I thumbed my favorite hoodie. It was old and brought back memories better left in the past, but it always made me feel safe. After the way I¡¯d been feeling today, I needed a littlefort.


    On my way out of the room something caught my eye. I stepped closer to my dresser and picked up the framed picture that had beenying facedown.


    That¡¯s weird.


    It must have fallen over somehow. I stared at the picture for a minute, remembering a time when things were a lot lessplicated. It was a picture of me, Enzo and Eddie from when we were little kids. I¡¯d always loved this picture, even when I was a little girl. I was squished between the two boys. Enzo and I were looking at each other andughing and Eddie was ring off to the side with his arms crossed in front of him. I couldn¡¯t remember why he was mad, but it was so like him to be pissy about something or other. I ced the frame back on the dresser with a sigh.


    Why do I torment myself like this?


    I wandered into the kitchen, grabbed a pint of ice cream, and settled on the couch for my nightly ritual of Netflix bingeing. Instead of paying attention to the TV, I found myself drifting into old memories.


    Age 14


    12 years earlier¡­


    ¡°Why do you have to go? Why can¡¯t you stay?¡± I cried, clinging to Enzo¡¯s sweatshirt.


    ¡°Franny, we¡¯ve been over this,¡± Enzo said softly, taking my face in his hands and raising my head so he could look me in the eye.


    ¡°But what if you get hurt?¡± I asked desperately. Enzo sighed, brushing away my tears with his thumbs.


    ¡°Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? It¡¯s only eighteen months, I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long time!¡± I wailed, wrapping my arms tight around his waist and burrowing my face in his chest.


    Enzo¡¯s arms came around me and he held me tight. I always felt safe when I was with him and I felt especially safe when he held me. ¡°Shh. Franny, it¡¯s going to be all right. I promise,¡± he said rubbing my back soothingly.


    ¡°Enzo, darling. It¡¯s time,¡± Marce, Enzo¡¯s mother, reminded him softly.


    He pulled back and took my face in his hands once again. ¡°Hey, have I ever broken a promise to you?¡± he asked gently.


    ¡°N-No,¡± I hupped. He hadn¡¯t-not once. Enzo always kept his promises no matter what. He was the only one I could rely on. Even Eddie broke promises to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. I promise. Now I need you to promise me something. Can you do that?¡± he asked, his eyes imploring me to agree. I nodded, but kept my mouth closed. I was afraid I¡¯d start sobbing again if I tried to talk. ¡°I need you to promise me that you¡¯ll stay safe. Eddie¡¯s got your back if you need it, but be smart. I need you to be safe,¡± he repeated. ¡°Okay?¡±


    I sniffed and nodded again. ¡°Okay,¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said and kissed my forehead before releasing me. I shivered as a cold breeze hit my bare arms. Enzo noticed and unzipped his hoodie. ¡°Here,¡± he said, offering it to me. I took it and shrugged it on. It smelled like him, and I immediately feltforted.


    We were standing outside saying our goodbyes before Enzo¡¯s mother drove him to the airport to report for boot camp. I tried to keep the tears at bay as I watched him embrace my mother and his aunt. He gave Eddie a half handshake, half hug. He said something to Eddie when they pulled away, but the wind caught his words before I could hear what it was.


    Eddie just nodded his head once with a pissed off look on his face. He¡¯d been in a permanently foul mood ever since Enzo had announced he¡¯d enlisted in the Marines three months ago. I was upset, but Eddie was furious. Every time I tried to talk to him about Enzo leaving, he¡¯d get pissed and leave the room. I wasn¡¯t sure why he was so angry, but I guessed it was just his way of dealing with it.


    Eddie, his mother Rosa, my mother udia, and I headed inside the house after waving Enzo and Marce off. Rosa had moved in with Marce after Eddie¡¯s father took off when she was still pregnant. It was just Marce and Enzo since Enzo¡¯s father had died in a car ident the year before. They¡¯d lived together ever since, raising Enzo and Eddie more like brothers than cousins.


    I settled myself on the couch and curled up, wrapping Enzo¡¯s hoodie around me. I felt miserable, like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest. My best friend was on his way to start one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and pretty soon he¡¯d be shipped off to a war zone.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He¡¯d exined why he thought it was the only option, and just because I understood it didn¡¯t mean I had to like it. His mother cleaned houses for a living and had been diagnosedst year with arthritis which meant she wasn¡¯t going to be able to continue manualbor for long. Enzo needed to find a way to support his family, and the military was the best option for an 18-year-old. The sign up bonus alone was enough to help pay some of the past-due bills and help supplement his mother¡¯s ie so she could afford to cut back on her hours.


    I kept telling myself over and over that it was the only way and he¡¯d be fine. Enzo was strong; he was the strongest person I knew. He¡¯d be okay, he had to be okay.


    ¡°Stop fucking crying,¡± Eddie hissed from above me.


    I lifted my head from my arms and looked up at him. He¡¯d never talked to me like that before-ever. ¡°W-what?¡± I asked, bewildered.


    ¡°I said,¡± Eddie gritted out, ¡°stop fucking crying. Don¡¯t be so selfish. If you¡¯re still blubbering like a little baby when Marce gets back, it¡¯s just going to upset her more. She¡¯s the reason he¡¯s doing this in the first ce. Imagine how she feels. Do you want her to feel worse?¡±


    Hot tears cascaded down my cheeks. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry- ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, just stop crying,¡± Eddie said fiercely. ¡°And I don¡¯t just mean for today. Every time you talk about him and cry about the fact that he¡¯s gone it¡¯s going to remind her. Do you want that? Do you want to remind her that it¡¯s all her fault?¡±


    I shook my head and wiped my eyes with my sleeves. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Marce. She¡¯d always been so good to me. Eddie was right, I was being selfish. I wasn¡¯t the only one that was losing Enzo-we all were.


    I took Eddie¡¯s words to heart and kept my tears to myself until I was alone in my room. For 562 days, I¡¯d turn off the light, curl up in my bed, and let my tears soak my pillow until exhaustion pulled me under. I wrote Enzo 78 letters while he was away. Every week I¡¯d sit down and tell him everything that he¡¯d missed.


    Almost immediately after Enzo left, Eddie started hanging out with Johnny and Emanuel. We¡¯d gone to school with them for most of our lives, but Enzo had always made sure we stayed away from them. They¡¯d dropped out and were running with a bunch of thugs from the neighborhood. I knew better than to go when Eddie invited me along. They were trouble. Eddie started hanging out with them more and more as the months progressed. Johnny had a car, which I guessed was part of his appeal. His cousin Juan had ¡®hooked him up¡¯-whatever that meant. Pretty soon Eddie wasing hometer andter or not at all. He was barely ever at school and he stopped going altogether after his junior year.


    Enzo was gone. Eddie had left me to fend for myself. I was on my own.


    The first day of my sophomore year was torture. Without Enzo there to stand up for me or Eddie to scare people off, I was fair game. Being small and nerdy had put a giant target on my back. The girls were catty and the boys were mean. I didn¡¯t have any friends of my own, because I¡¯d spent most of my time with Enzo and Eddie. I was adrift in an ocean without a life vest and I had no clue how to swim.


    I adapted though. Keeping my head down, I focused on my school work. When I wasn¡¯t at home or doing homework, I was on myputer. My strategy of avoidance worked remarkably well, and pretty soon I was basically invisible. The hours I spent locked away in my room proved to be beneficial. I lived on message boards and in chat rooms, scouring the inte for everything I could find on hacking and programming. Eventually my hobby became my passion. I may not have had much control of the people around me, but behind my keyboard, anything was possible.

 62

    Present


    ¡°Uh, Frankie?¡± Josh, my assistant, called from the door to my office.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked, distracted. I was currently balls deep in a system upgrade and didn¡¯t have time to chat.


    ¡°You have a delivery,¡± he said nervously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t order anything,¡± I said, lifting my head from myputer screen. Instead of seeing Josh, I saw a giant bouquet of flowers-roses and lilies, to be exact. They were my favorite. My pulse spiked. ¡°Is there a card?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no.¡±


    ¡°Did you get a receipt or anything?¡± I asked urgently.


    Who the fuck would send me flowers? And how did they know which ones were my favorites?


    ¡°No, the delivery guy didn¡¯t give me anything.¡±


    ¡°Leave them on the bookshelf; I¡¯ll deal with itter. No more interruptions, Josh. I mean it,¡± I said sternly.


    ¡°O- of course,¡± he stuttered and sort of half-bowed as he left my office and closed the door behind him.


    Ignoring his idiocy, I hurried over to the bouquet. The card from the flower shop was attached to the vase, but there wasn¡¯t a note or any clue as to who sent it.


    I sat back down at myputer and pulled up the site for the flower shop. There was only one person who had ever given me these flowers, and they couldn¡¯t be from him. It was impossible.


    They had an online order form that you could fill out without going into the store, but you¡¯d have to pay by card. Picking up the phone, I dialed the number to the shop. The phone rang twice before a woman answered.


    ¡°Emerald City Flowers, this is Nina, how can I help you?¡± an overly cheery voice said.


    ¡°Yes, I just received an arrangement but the card must¡¯ve fallen off in transport. Would you be able to look up the order and tell me who ced it?¡± I asked sweetly. My normal tone probably wouldn¡¯t have worked.


    ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry about that. I can look it up by delivery address. Does that work for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I said, and ryed my office address to her.


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see. Ah, here it is. Oh dear, it looks like this was an online order. The only name attached to the order is John and nost name. Do you know a John?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks like you might have a secret admirer.¡± Her giddiness was almost palpable over the phone.


    ¡°Can you tell me the name that was on the credit card used?¡± I asked, trying to ebb the harsh tone my anxiety was causing. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°Well, normally that would be againstpany policy, but it appears it was a prepaid gift card, so there was no name. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was no pro-¡± I hung up the phone before she could finish.


    Sitting back in my chair, I considered my options. I could hack into the flower shop¡¯s system, get the card number and try to trace where it was purchased. If someone went through all the trouble to use a fake name and prepaid card, they probably paid for the card with cash.


    I was suspicious by nature; it was something that had been instilled in me a long time ago. Between my asshole father and the neighborhood we grew up in, you could never be too careful. Maybe thedy at the shop had been right; maybe it was just a harmless admirer.


    It was probably just a coincidence.


    My phone chimed with a reminder on my desk, pulling me away from my internal debate.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said aloud when I read the notification. I was due to meet Mia for lunch in fifteen minutes, then we were going to look at wedding dresses.


    Yay me.


    After grabbing my phone and gathering everything I¡¯d need to work from home for the rest of the afternoon, I snatched a Red Bull from my mini fridge and headed out. Maybe I¡¯d get some peace and quiet if I worked from home. I spared onest nce at the flowers on my bookcase before I closed and locked my office door. That mystery would have to wait.


    Stepping out of the building, I hurried down the sidewalk towards the restaurant. Mia and I had decided to meet at the restaurant, since anytime she came into the office, she was inundated with people needing something. It was as if only an act of God could get her out of there in less than an hour.


    A fine mist of rain coated me quickly as I made my way down the block. It wasn¡¯t really rain just kind of a haze of moisture, which wasmon faire for the Pacific Northwest. Keeping my head down, I pushed forward focusing on avoiding puddles more than on where I was going.


    I was jostled when someone shoved passed me, causing my bag to fall off of my shoulder.


    A distinct cologne filled my nostrils and I physically recoiled. There was something about that particr scent that triggered an onught of memories. Guilt immediately pulled heavily on my heart as I remembered why the cologne had been familiar. It was the same kind Eddie used to wear.


    Shaking the thoughts from my head, I turned around to catch the back of the douchebag as he hurried down the street. He was wearing a ck sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, shoulders hunched, and his hands in his pockets.


    Fucking asshole.


    Thankfully I was able to catch my bag before it hit the ground. I hitched it farther up on my shoulder and continued on.


    I should have just stayed in bed today.


    ¡°Hey, sorry I¡¯mte,¡± I said as I slid into the booth across from Mia once I finally made it to the restaurant, damp and irritated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been here a minute,¡± she responded without looking up from her menu.


    ¡°So does the baby ever want anything other than Italian food?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mmm, It¡¯s all about the pasta. Whoa, did you swim here?¡± she asked, finally looking up at me.


    ¡°Yep, better tell Carlo to start building an ark,¡± I deadpanned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that too loud. With how crazy he¡¯s been acting, I wouldn¡¯t put it past him.¡±


    Iughed. I had to. She was calling him crazy? They were both batshit.


    ¡°Seriously, he¡¯s driving me nuts. I can¡¯t even leave the fucking house without a shadow. It¡¯s worse than it was when I was in college,¡± sheined.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a shadow now,¡± Imented, scanning the busy restaurant.


    ¡°Matty¡¯s in the car outside and Angelo is in the bathroom. He¡¯ll be back any minute,¡± she answered dryly.


    As if on cue, Angelo appeared at the end of the booth and squeezed in beside Mia, who reluctantly moved over to make room.


    ¡°Hey, Frankie. So what looks good?¡± he askedpletely oblivious to the sideways death re Mia was giving him.


    ¡°Dude, seriously? It¡¯s girl time; get your own table.¡±


    ¡°But- ¡±


    ¡°No buts. Go,¡± I demanded, pointing at an empty table about ten feet away for emphasis.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make me eat alone?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mia shouted, pushing his shoulder. ¡°I swear to God, if you don¡¯t get the fuck out of this booth right now I¡¯m going to fucking stab you with a butter knife.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, fine. I¡¯m gone,¡± Angelo said getting up and moving to the free table.


    ¡°Un-fucking-believable,¡± Mia seethed. ¡°Since when do I have to threaten bodily harm to get one of my men to listen?¡±


    ¡°Since Carlo came back, and as much as I love you, he¡¯s scarier.¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± she muttered and returned her attention to her menu. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at how bent out of shape she was about having someone worrying about her.


    ¡°Why do you keep looking out the window?¡± Mia asked, after our waiter took our order and left.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, sorry. I¡¯m just feeling kind of off today,¡± I said absently.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said waving her off.


    ¡°Bullshit! Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Christ on a cracker, I got some flowers delivered at work today, but I don¡¯t know who they¡¯re from,¡± I admitted.


    Her nose scrunched up and her brows furrowed, ¡°You got flowers?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to look so surprised?¡± I griped.


    ¡°Whatever. There wasn¡¯t a card or anything?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s what¡¯s weird. I called the flower shop and the order was ced online using a just the name John and prepaid card.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that,¡± Mia said. ¡°I don¡¯t like it at all. It¡¯s too soon after everything went down with the Russians. Do you have any idea who it could have been?¡±


    ¡°No, I thought maybe my mom, but flowers aren¡¯t really her style and she definitely wouldn¡¯t go through the trouble to hide that it was her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not seeing anyone are you?¡± she asked. Her tone told me if I¡¯d been seeing someone and neglected to tell her she was going to skin me alive.


    ¡°No. Come on, I would have told you if I was seeing someone.¡±


    ¡°What about old boyfriends?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have old boyfriends,¡± I said, shifting ufortably in my seat. I really did not want to get into this with her right now. Angelo was too close and if there was even a chance he could hear I didn¡¯t want to risk it. Not to mention the subject would bring up other shit that I didn¡¯t want to discuss with anyone-even Mia.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± she said trailing off. ¡°Oh my God, are you gay?¡± she asked suddenly.


    ¡°What? No!¡± I hissed. ¡°Keep your fucking voice down!¡±


    ¡°Well how am I supposed to know? You¡¯re a fucking hermit. Seriously, you¡¯re a litter box away from being a crazy catdy, and then you go and say something like that, I¡¯ve got to wonder.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh before I looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I don¡¯t do boyfriends. The hookups that I have are few and far between-never a repeat-and they know nothing about me. It couldn¡¯t be one of them, okay?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve never had a real rtionship?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Seriously? I¡¯m twenty-five, not forty.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just kind of weird. No boyfriends in high school or college? You¡¯ve never been in love?¡±


    Heat rose in my cheeks and an ache settled in my chest at her words. ¡°Nope. I was a loner in high school after Enzo left and Eddie took off to do whatever the fuck he wanted. In college I was too busy focusing on school and hacking to bother with a boyfriend. I like it the way it is. If I have an itch that needs to be scratched, I go out and pick someone up. It¡¯s cleaner that way, no messy feelings to get in the way,¡± I said flippantly.


    Mia narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not buying it, but she didn¡¯t push. I liked that about her; she knew when to let it go. ¡°Okay, so no ex-boyfriends. Has anything else happened that was out of the norm?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Thedy at the flower shop said it was strange but didn¡¯t really make a big deal about it. Maybe it¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, trying to convince myself more than Mia.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe. I don¡¯t know. I think you should consider taking some security with you for a while-just in case.¡±


    ¡°You have got to be fucking kidding me. Were you not justining about your security detail?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°That¡¯s because mine is totally unprovoked. The flower thing is creepy, and in our line of business, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± She said thest part quietly. Her eyes were unfocused and she was staring off into nothing. Suddenly she shook her head and cleared her throat. ¡°I think it would be a good idea, at least for a little bit. If nothing else happens then we can forget about it.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Frankie-¡± she started to protest but I interrupted her.


    ¡°I can be just as stubborn as you, so just drop it. This is a one-off incident; in fact, we don¡¯t even know that it¡¯s an incident at all. Getting flowers isn¡¯t exactly threatening, Mia.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you have to promise me that if anything else weird happens you¡¯ll let me know right away, okay?¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± I said, both relieved and a little leery that it had been fairly easy to convince her to back off. Before I had time to consider it further, the waiter brought us our food.


    ¡°Thank God, I¡¯m starving. Eat fast, we have an appointment at the dress boutique in half an hour,¡± she said, digging into her bowl of pasta with reckless abandon.


    Note to self: don¡¯t get between a pregnant woman and her food. You might lose a finger.


    After lunch, we drove a few blocks over to the boutique. Matty and Angelo happily stayed in the car while we headed inside for what could only be my personal version of Hell.


    ¡°Oh my God,¡± I whispered to myself when we walked in. We were greeted by a sea of tulle,ce, and sparkles. I instantly wanted to run.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this great?¡± Mia asked excitedly. She was beaming from ear to ear. ¡°Normally I¡¯m not huge on shopping, but this is different. I¡¯m getting married!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, must be really exciting.¡±


    What did I do to deserve this?


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to get married at some point? Come on, it¡¯s every girl¡¯s dream.¡±


    I just shrugged.


    ¡°Please! One day you¡¯re going to find the perfect man and fall in love and I¡¯ll be there to make fun of you the whole time,¡± she said confidently and turned her attention to the attendant that was approaching.


    You can find the perfect man and fall in love, but if he doesn¡¯t love you back, it¡¯s not exactly happily ever after.


    ¡°You must be Mia. Oh look at you-such a young bride, and you¡¯re positively glowing! I¡¯m Helen. I¡¯ll be assisting you today,¡± she said brightly. She was a tall woman in her mid-forties, and a little on the thin side, which was entuated by her tight pencil skirt and tailored peach jacket.


    ¡°Yes, and this is my friend, Frankie. She¡¯s going to help me pick out a dress,¡± Mia said politely.


    The woman cut her gaze to me and pursed her lips disapprovingly as she took in my ck leggings, biker boots, and leather jacket.


    I lifted my chin, meeting her eyes in defiance. I wore my leather jacket and bad attitude like armor. Because the louder they were, the less likely someone was to take a chance on getting to know me. My prickly exterior prevented me from letting someone in who would eventually disappoint me.

 63

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said dismissing me and turning her attention back to Mia. ¡°So, do you have any idea what kind of style you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°A-line for sure, something that flows. The wedding is at the end of April and I¡¯ll probably be big as a house by then,¡± Mia said rubbing her belly.


    The woman blinked, looking from Mia¡¯s belly to her face and back again. ¡°I see,¡± she said critically. ¡°Well, that¡¯s very short notice; most dresses we sell are custom to order. Usually, a bride picks out her dress anywhere from six to twelve months in advance. Along with the quick alterations you¡¯ll need leading up to the wedding, it might be difficult to find what you¡¯re looking for here.¡±


    Oh, hell no.


    I was about to jump in and give this judgmental bitch a piece of my mind when Mia spoke up, ice dripping from her words as she addressed the attendant.


    ¡°What¡¯s yourst name Helen?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I fucking stutter? What is your motherfucking name?¡± Mia¡¯s voice was steady but she was livid.


    Oh shit, there¡¯s a lot of white in this room. It¡¯d be a bitch for our cleaner to take care of a mess in here.


    Helen stiffened and looked down her nose at Mia. ¡°I really don¡¯t think- ¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to think, you fucking cunt! I asked you what your fuckingst name is!¡± she screamed, advancing on the woman.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°J-Jones,¡± she stuttered, taking a step back.


    Hearing themotion, another woman rushed to the front of the store. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± the younger woman asked, her eyes round as saucers as she took in Mia¡¯s aggressive posture and the trembling older woman in front of her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said. ¡°This woman was incredibly rude and disrespectful to me and my friend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, what can I do?¡± the younger woman asked.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Mia said, waiting for her to introduce herself.


    ¡°Amanda,¡± she said hurriedly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything, Amanda. I¡¯m handling it,¡± Mia said without breaking eye contact with Helen as she pulled out her phone.


    She snapped a picture of the startled woman, fiddled with her phone a bit and put it to her ear. ¡°Angelo? I just sent you a picture. Her name is Helen Jones. Get on the phone with the owner of¡­¡± she leaned over and caught sight of the sign on the front desk, ¡°La Rouge Boutique and have her fired,¡± she demanded. There was a pause, then, ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck if you have to buy the motherfucking store to do it. Get. It. Done.¡± Mia ended the call and turned back to Helen, ¡°You might as well pack up your shit now. You¡¯ll be unemployed within the hour.¡±


    ¡°W-what? W-who are you?¡± Helen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the future Mrs. Carlo DeLuca,¡± Mia said haughtily, and then as if a switch had been flipped, she turned to Amanda with a sweet smile. ¡°I¡¯m looking for an A-line dress, something flowy.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, I¡¯ll pull a few things for you. Follow me,¡± Amanda stuttered.


    Holy fuck. Mob Queen bridezi is a million times scarier than the shit they y on those reality shows.


    Present


    ¡°Ie bearing money,¡± Leo said as he walked in and set a duffle bag on my desk. We were in my office at the hotel where all my enforcers brought the loan payments in to be counted and recorded.


    ¡°Everyone paid?¡± I asked, opening the bag and starting to sort the bills. I had a process with my men. They¡¯d bring me the cash and wait while I counted and recorded all the payments. If they were short we¡¯d find out together. That way no one was even tempted to skim off the top.


    ¡°Sacks gave us a little action but we got what was due,¡± he said gettingfortable in the chair on the other side of my desk.


    ¡°What kind of action?¡± I asked, more curious than worried. Sacks was a skinny little dickhead who was almost always into us for at least a couple grand, and as soon as he was paid up, he couldn¡¯t wait to borrow again. The guy had a serious gambling problem.


    ¡°Tried to slip out the back at Casa, but Michael was there waiting. Didn¡¯t take much convincing before he coughed it up,¡± Leo said with a smile. I nodded my approval.


    ¡°You and Michael working well together?¡± I asked as I ced a stack of twenties in the bill counter. Matty, Leo¡¯s old partner, had beenid up after the warehouse explosion a few months ago and wasn¡¯t up to chasing around people that owed money quite yet. I put him with Michael, Gina¡¯s father, thinking both of them might learn a thing or two, and I was right. Since they¡¯d started working together, they¡¯d be one of my best collection teams.


    ¡°Really good, actually. He¡¯s kind of old school but some of his tricks still work,¡± he grinned.


    ¡°Good. Here,¡± I said, handing him a piece of paper as I finished recording thest payment.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked looking at the single name and amount due on the paper.


    ¡°Franco. He¡¯s been dodging the other guys for a few weeks now. Need a fresh set of eyes on him; it¡¯s time for him to pay up-either cash or flesh.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Leo responded, nodding in understanding, his face finally turning serious.


    Yeah buddy, this is a big deal, better start fucking acting like it.


    ¡°Dismissed,¡± I said. I looked back down to the ledger and noted I still had two more deposits expected toe in before the end of the day.


    My phone buzzed on the desktop and I picked it up to see a text message from Angelo.


    Angelo: Next time, you get wedding duty


    Me: What did she do this time?


    Angelo: Couldn¡¯t justin about a rude employee, made me make an offer on the fucking store so she could fire thedy herself


    Me: You¡¯re joking


    Angelo: Wish I was


    Me: Still, not taking on your babysitting duty


    Angelo: At least your girl is behaving


    Me: Not my girl


    Angelo: Yeah okay


    I locked my phone and mmed it down on my desk with more force than I¡¯d meant to. Frankie wasn¡¯t my girl-never really had been-but that had been my own stupid mistake. I had no one to me for the one that got away but myself. Shaking my head, I tried to focus on the ledger in front of me, but it was useless. The numbers on the page blurred into memories I¡¯d long since locked away.

 64

    Age 20


    10 years earlier¡­


    I was finally home after nearly two years of weekly letters and sporadic satellite calls home; I was finally standing in my childhood home surrounded by practically everyone I knew. Friends and family packed wall to wall into our tiny townhouse drinking and eating. Some girls I remembered vaguely from high school were dancing in the middle of the room.


    Everyone was there to wee me back from my first overseas tour, I should feel grateful that so many people wanted to celebrate with me, but I felt trapped. The press of bodies all around me,ughter filling my ears, and all I wanted to do was lock myself in my old bedroom and be alone. Well, maybe notpletely alone.


    Frankie had written to me every week, sometimes with news about what was going on back at home while I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, sometimes questions about what I was doing. I¡¯d looked forward to her letters, even the ones that were just a single page, telling me what they¡¯d eaten for dinner and about the exams she was studying for. Seeing her messy handwriting scrawled across the page wasforting.


    I wrote her back, but not as often as she wrote to me. There wasn¡¯t a lot to tell her about, at least not a lot I could tell her. If I let her know just how dangerous things really were she¡¯d lose her mind with worry, and I didn¡¯t want that. I didn¡¯t want any of them to worry; it was useless. Their concern wouldn¡¯t make me any safer. It was up to me and the men in my unit to worry about IEDs and insurgents-not the people we left at home. I didn¡¯t tell her about the roadside bombs, the snipers, or the active shooters. Even thousands of miles away I was protecting her, the same as always.


    Instead, I wrote to her about the crappy food and the fineyer of dust-like sand that covered everything out in the desert. I told her about the characters in my unit. Hooch, the awkward hillbilly from West Virginia, who would tell us stories about his great granddaddy who still made moonshine up in the mountains. Ortiz, the consummatedies¡¯ man, who had seven different women from his home town sending him care packages and nude pictures to ¡®keep his spirits up¡¯. Tarzan, the resident jokester of our group, and the time he got extra duty for 45 days after running naked around camp yelling ¡®the red coats areing¡¯ at the top of his lungs.


    I painted the picture of a bunch of guys out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do to pass the time but act like idiots, which was partially true. There was enough down time for us to swap stories and basically act like the 20-something guys we were. There were plenty of times though, when shit got serious fast and those same menpletely transformed in the span of seconds. One minute someone was dancing around with a pair of skivvies on his head making us allugh and the next he was assembling his rifle and donning his gear ready to be the soldier he¡¯d been trained to be.


    A group of people to my right burst outughing, pulling me from my thoughts. Scanning the room, I caught sight of her by the back door talking to some guy that I¡¯d gone to school with and my blood started to heat. I didn¡¯t like the way his head was bent close to hers, and I definitely didn¡¯t like the way his hand came up to move a loose strand of hair behind her ear.


    Not. At. All.


    Setting my beer down on the side table, I pushed my way through the crowded room a little more forcefully than was probably necessary. Coming up behind her I ced a hand on her small shoulder and red at the guy. I couldn¡¯t remember his name, but I knew he was a couple years younger than me-maybe Eddie¡¯s age-it really didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was he knew she was off limits. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there, and he made up some excuse about getting a refill, even though his cup was clearly full, before taking off for the backyard.


    Frankie swiveled around, her mouth practically hanging open in shock.


    ¡°What¡¯d you do that for?¡± she asked incredulously.


    I red down at her, my jaw set. She was so smallpared to me, especially since I¡¯d filled out quite a bit while I was away. She¡¯d filled out too, I¡¯d noticed, but in apletely different way. She was still petite, but the cut-off shorts and tank top she wore left absolutely nothing to the imagination.


    ¡°Come here,¡± I grumbled, taking her hand and pulling her up the stairs and into the hallway away from the party.


    ¡°Ouch! Shit, Enzo. What the fuck?¡± sheined once I released her.


    ¡°Stay away from that guy,¡± I growled, knowing full well that I had no right to demand anything from her, but I couldn¡¯t help the possessive instinct I¡¯d felt when I saw her talking to him.


    ¡°Why? We were just talking,¡± she said, her brows furrowed in confusion.


    ¡°Bullshit! He was trying to get in your pants,¡± I said, raking my eyes down her body and back up again before continuing, ¡°what little of them there¡¯s left, that is. Jesus, why don¡¯t you go put on some fucking clothes?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? There is nothing wrong with what I¡¯m wearing. Why are you being a fucking asshole right now?¡± she asked, punctuating her question with a shove to my shoulder.


    I could feel my jaw tick with anger. ¡°Every guy down there has been eye-fucking you all goddamn night, and I¡¯m sick of fucking watching it. Go put on some clothes so I don¡¯t have to fucking kill someone, okay?¡± I ground out through gritted teeth.


    She blinked up at me in shock, then she burst outughing. I waited, stunned as she continued tough, going as far as to bend over and hold her stomach. ¡°Oh my God,¡± she breathed, when she¡¯d finally caught her breath again. ¡°You almost had me going there for a minute. Jesus, Enzo, you have the overprotective big brother thing down, but you can stop now,¡± she said, patting my chest before turning to walk away.


    That just pissed me off. My arm shot out and hooked around her middle pulling her back toward me before I backed her into the wall, stepping in close and invading her space.


    ¡°I am not your brother,¡± I growled an inch from her face.


    Her eyes widened and her cheeks started to burn. ¡°I know, I just meant- ¡±


    ¡°I know what you meant, and you¡¯re wrong,¡± I said bending my head closer to hers. Frankie¡¯s breath caught when I ced my hands on her hips. ¡°Franny-¡± I started, but was interrupted by a voice at the end of the hall.


    ¡°Frankie, your mother wants you,¡± Eddie¡¯s strained voice called out. I jerked my head up and immediately took a step back, letting my arms drop to my sides.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    What the fuck was I doing?


    Eddie was staring hard at us. No, he was staring at Frankie, like he was pissed about something. None of us said anything for a long ufortable minute, and then Frankie broke the semi-standoff, squeezing past Eddie and rushing down the stairs. I watched her go and dread filled my stomach. I had a feeling I¡¯d just seriously fucked up.

 65

    Eddie


    Age 18


    10 years earlier¡­


    I stood still as a statue watching them. He had his hands on her hips, their heads pressed together and I wanted to kill him. The rage built in my body, crawling up my limbs, and the buzzing in my head increasing. It was wrong. She was mine. He didn¡¯t get to touch her.


    ¡°Frankie, your mother wants you,¡± I said, my voiceing out strangled with thinly-veiled anger.


    Enzo¡¯s head snapped up, and he took an automatic step away from Frankie, his arms falling to his sides. I watched as her face fell for just a moment at the loss of his touch before she fixed her expression to neutral. My eyes bore into her; I was sure she could feel the fury in my gaze. She held my eye for just a moment before casting a cursory nce at Enzo out the corner of her eye and squeezing past me towards the living room.


    Her arm brushed against mine, and the tropical scent from the lotion she wore filled my nostrils, causing my eyes to involuntarily close for a moment. I knew exactly which scent she used; I knew everything about her. I¡¯d watched her, memorizing every detail. In the past two years since Enzo had left, my fantasies had gotten more vivid and detailed, and mypulsion to watch her-to fill every moment with her-had be impossible to ignore.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I spit out harshly.


    Enzo¡¯s head drew back in shock at my tone and his eyes narrowed on me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why were you touching her? You don¡¯t get to do that. You¡¯re leaving again. Are you trying to make it harder on her?¡± Guilt. Guilt always worked on people, especially the weak ones. It was the easiest way to get someone to do what you wanted. I¡¯d learned long ago that too many people cared too much about what other people thought and guilt was one of the strongest and easiest emotions to y upon.


    Enzo¡¯s face hardened. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, Eddie,¡± he said angrily and went to walk past me, but I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.


    ¡°It is my business; I¡¯m the one that has to pick up the fucking pieces!¡± I seethed.


    ¡°It¡¯s only two more years,¡± Enzo argued, ring down at me.


    ¡°Then she goes off to college. Are you going to follow her? Or convince her to stay home? That¡¯s not fair.¡±


    ¡°We can figure it out,¡± Enzo said running a hand over his shaved head.


    ¡°She¡¯s sixteen, what the hell do you think you¡¯re going to figure out?¡± I pressed, noticing his frustration.


    ¡°Why do you care? She said you haven¡¯t even been around since I left!¡±


    I narrowed my eyes, biding my time as I thought of a reasonable excuse. I couldn¡¯t tell him about the fantasies, the thoughts whirling in my mind of all the things I wanted to do to her. All the things I knew I would give into if I was alone with her for too long.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy. This isn¡¯t about me,¡± I gritted out. ¡°You¡¯re too old to be lusting after a teenage girl. You need to back off.¡± Satisfaction bloomed in my chest at the stunned expression on Enzo¡¯s face.


    ¡°It¡¯s Frankie. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trolling the fucking high school. Nothing is even going on yet, so don¡¯t give me that shit.¡±


    Yet. That word stuck in my head. No, it could never be. I wouldn¡¯t allow him to ruin her for me. ¡°You¡¯re right, it is Frankie, and you don¡¯t own her.¡±


    He blinked, tilting his head to the side and inspecting me closer. Yeah, we¡¯d grown up together, but he didn¡¯t know me like he thought he did. No one did. No one knew the things that yed out in my head; I kept them secret, hidden from everyone. They only got the Eddie I wanted them to see.


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡± he started then paused before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Eddie; you just can¡¯t. How long?¡±


    ¡°How long what?¡± I asked, confused for once at what he was talking about. I didn¡¯t like it. I was always three steps ahead. I didn¡¯t like not being in control of the situation.


    ¡°How long have you wanted her?¡± he asked, defeat in his tone.


    I looked down at the dingy carpet of the hallway, the same cheap brown carpet that had been there since we were kids, parts of it bald from years of traffic. The whole house was run down and stank of mildew and age. I hated this ce.


    I swallowed hard and looked back up at my cousin. ¡°For as long as I can remember,¡± I said keeping my voice low.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The truth was the fantasies had started out tame when we were children and increased as we got older until every night I would lie awake ying out the most disturbing of my fantasies while I touched myself. Finally finding sleep when my mind was filled with images of her bloodied body and my own release filled my hand. I knew it was wrong-not normal-but I also knew that eventually I wouldn¡¯t care. In the meantime, he couldn¡¯t have her.


    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± Enzo growled, turning to m a heavy fist into the wall. The music from the party drowned out his outburst, but the hole in the drywall remained as evidence.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to me. Please,¡± I pleaded with him. My resentment toward my cousin had grown exponentially over the past two years and it turned my stomach to grovel, but it was the only card I had left to y.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, begging with his eyes for me to deny it.


    ¡°I love her,¡± I said simply. It was about the only honest thing I¡¯d said to him the entire conversation. In my own twisted way, I loved her.


    Enzo looked away from me, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he stared at the wall covered in pictures from our childhood without really seeing any of them. Finally, he turned back to me, eyes shuddered and face nk. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t make a move, but neither will you. You¡¯re my blood, and I¡¯m not going to fuck with that over a girl, even if it is Frankie. But you have to promise me you won¡¯t go there either,¡± he demanded.


    I felt my eye twitch, a reflexive response to being told I couldn¡¯t have what I wanted but I nodded my head, aware that I wasn¡¯t going to actually follow through with it.


    Enzo let out a breath and tipped his chin to me. ¡°I need a fucking beer,¡± he said pushing past me to join the party.


    Once he was past me, I let the grin I¡¯d been holding in spread across my lips. I¡¯d won. Enzo was nothing if not loyal and he¡¯d given me his word that he wouldn¡¯t touch her. I, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t loyal to him; I had no reason to be.


    Frankie was mine and I¡¯d have her one day.

 66

    Present


    ¡°Oh, Mia, I almost forgot. I saw the cutest crib set online the other day. Here, I saved the picture,¡± I said pulling up the camera roll on my phone. I clicked on my most recent picture and handed my phone to Mia. ¡°Scroll through, I saved a couple of them.¡±


    ¡°I love the mustaches, skulls. Yeah, no way Carlo¡¯s going to go for that, are you?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Carlo said sternly, ring at me over the top of his wine ss.


    ¡°Can¡¯t me a girl for trying,¡± I said with a smirk.


    ¡°I like the lime green and ck; that works for a girl or a boy,¡± Miamentated as she continued to scroll. ¡°Whoa, peaceful Frankie, that¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked. Confused, I snatched the phone out of her hand to look at the picture she was talking about. My stomach dropped to the floor when I got a good look at the photo. It was of me, asleep in my bed. Whoever took the picture had been standing over me. The thing was, I didn¡¯t know who took the photo.


    ¡°Oh my God. What the fuck?!¡± I shrieked and threw the phone onto the table as if it¡¯d burned me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Enzo asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.


    My hands were shaking as I brought them to my mouth. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Who? Why? How? I hadn¡¯t been on a date in over a year, let alone had anyone in my house while I was sleeping. ¡°Someone was in my apartment,¡± I choked out finally.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Carlo asked, snatching the phone off the table before Enzo had a chance. He red down at the screen, his scowl deepening the longer he stared. ¡°Is there a chance it was someone you knew? Maybe you just forgot?¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Enzo barked out before he ripped the phone from Carlo¡¯s hand. He stared at the photo for a long while, his face growing harder with each passing second.


    I scoffed, ¡°No. No one has been in my apartment in months and there definitely hasn¡¯t been anyone there while I was sleeping. Oh God, the flowers!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got to be the same person,¡± Mia said, her hand unconsciously stroking her swollen belly.


    ¡°What flowers?¡± Enzo asked.


    ¡°Last week a bouquet of flowers was delivered to my office. They didn¡¯t have a card or anything so I called the flower shop. When thedy looked up the receipt she told me it was an online order made using a prepaid card, and the only name on the order was John.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell anyone?¡± Enzo demanded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it meant anything,¡± I said.


    ¡°Jesus, do you have any idea who it could be? Old boyfriend?¡± he asked, spitting out thest part as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.


    ¡°No,¡± I responded automatically.


    ¡°No?¡± Enzo questioned, narrowing his eyes in my direction. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Frankie, even if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely, we should check out everyone,¡± Mia chimed in.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone; drop it,¡± I said firmly.


    Enzo was still ring at me from across the table, as if he didn¡¯t believe me. Well, he could just go fuck himself because there was no way I was going to talk to him about my sex life, orck thereof.


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t stay there; at least, not until we find out what¡¯s going on,¡± Enzo demanded.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, immediately put off by his authoritative tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe, Frankie. You need to be where people can keep an eye on you. This isn¡¯t something to take lightly. This guy was in your apartment while you were asleep and you had no idea!¡± Enzo said, his tone almost usatory, as if it were my fault some peeping Tom had snuck into my loft.


    ¡°Enzo¡¯s right,¡± Carlo said. ¡°You can stay here.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, Boss man, you¡¯re my employer-not my dad,¡± I sneered. ¡°Besides, what am I supposed to do? Move in here forever? If I up and leave my apartment, we might not ever find out who it is.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay with you,¡± Enzo said. His tone suggested that the offer wasn¡¯t up for discussion, but I wasn¡¯t having any of it.


    ¡°Like hell you will,¡± I rallied back.


    ¡°Frankie, this isn¡¯t a fucking argument. The answer is no. That¡¯s final!¡± Enzo barked.


    ¡°Well you didn¡¯t exactly ask a question for there to be an answer to now did you? I¡¯m not leaving my apartment and no one is staying with me. I have a gun and I can take care of myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you stay by yourself while some psycho is on the loose!¡±


    ¡°Let me? I¡¯m a grown-ass woman! You don¡¯t own me and I don¡¯t take orders from you,¡± I said, my rage barely controlled as I faced off with the brood of a man sitting across the massive polished wood table. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to protect me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. Stop being so fucking stubborn, Franny.¡± Enzo heaved a frustrated sigh, scraping his hands roughly over his head. ¡°You need to be smart about this. I need you to be safe.¡±


    Ice ran through my veins at his words. I¡¯d heard those words before. I need you to be safe. He¡¯d said that to me each time he left me, like it was my responsibility to keep him from worrying.


    He¡¯d called me Franny, the name he used to call me when we were kids and he wanted to get his way. He was using our past against me, trying to make me remember so he could manipte me into giving in.


    ¡°Please¡­ You haven¡¯t given two shits about me in years,¡± I snapped and stood from the table, the legs of my chair unpleasantly scraping against the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I lost my appetite. I¡¯m going to go home. Alone.¡± Enzo¡¯s eyes narrowed at my usation; I could see the tick in his jaw indicating his agitation from where I stood.


    ¡°You can leave, but I¡¯ll follow you,¡± he said, his tone almost threatening.


    ¡°That¡¯s called stalking, Enzo. I¡¯ve apparently already got one too many of those.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what you call it, I¡¯m going to protect you!¡± he growled, his voice was still low but I could see the anger brimming just below the surface.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been perfectly fine letting me handle my own shit for years, so why are you all up in my business now?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter; I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh,e off it, enough with the heroplex bullshit. You know what? I don¡¯t even give a shit why. You don¡¯t have a right to order me around. You¡¯re off the hook. I¡¯m telling you right now that you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I shrieked in frustration.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re my fucking wife, that¡¯s why!¡± Enzo roared, mming a heavy fist on the table.


    Silence filled the room. The shock of everybody at the table was like a living breathing thing. I could feel it in the air. I¡¯d never seen him so angry before, but I didn¡¯t have time to process that because my own rage was taking over.


    My face burned with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. His words sliced through me and tears started to prick the back of my eyelids. What an asshole! He knew what bringing that shit up would do to me and he did it anyways.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t treated me like your wife in a really long time,¡± I said coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself trying to start now,¡± I gritted out before turning and bolting for the door.

 67

    Present


    Heat traveled up through my back. My anger was alive and trying to w its way out of me. I didn¡¯t usually show emotion, let alone anger.


    The military taught me not to let my personal feelings affect my mission. Everything was tactical-stay cool, do the job, and get out. If you didn¡¯t, you were dead. I¡¯d adopted that mentality when I joined the marines and it stuck with me even years after I was out.


    I rarely let anything other than logic dictate my actions. But when I saw Frankie across the table trying to look and act like she wasn¡¯t scared, I lost it. Just the thought of somebody hurting her made me lose the grip on my tightly-held control.


    What pushed me over the edge was that she was fighting with me about her safety like she didn¡¯t care. Telling me I was off the hook like I could ever just flip a switch and stop worrying about her. I would never be able to do that with Frankie. Someone else, sure, but not her. Never her.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I said through gritted teeth. I was on myst nerve. How could she be so fucking casual with her own safety?


    ¡°Why?¡± she shouted, exasperated.


    That was it, I snapped.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re my fucking wife, that¡¯s why!¡± I bellowed, mming my fist on the table to emphasize my point. Everyone who¡¯d been sitting around the table fell eerily silent. The look of pain that shed over Frankie¡¯s face made me immediately regret my outburst.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    I chanced a look at Carlo to my right. He was leaned back in his chair watching me with a quirked eyebrow. He¡¯d known, but no one else had. Of course, all it took was a public records look up to see that Frankie and I had gotten married eight years ago, and there was no divorce on file. Mia was sitting stock still, but her eyes were bouncing from Frankie to me, her mouth hung slightly agape.


    My eyes fell back on Frankie, standing on the other side of the table. A pang of shame squeezed at my heart when I noticed her hands were trembling slightly and her nose was red, which meant she was about to cry. I¡¯d done that. I brought up the one thing that I knew would break her. I was the worst kind of asshole.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t treated me like your wife in a really long time. Don¡¯t hurt yourself trying to start now,¡± she said, trying to sound hard and angry, but I knew her too well to be fooled. She was just barely holding on, a fact that was confirmed when she bolted for the door.


    I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head hang, both hands syed on the table in front of me while I tried to calm myself down. It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Is someone going to exin what the fuck is going on?¡± Mia asked, agitated.


    I looked around the table at the people that had be like family to me, noticing the shocked and confused looks on their faces. I¡¯d have to exin myself eventually, but it would have to wait. Frankie was my first priority.


    I moved to go after her but instead came face to face with an angry Mia.


    ¡°What in the actual fuck?¡±


    ¡°God, Mia,¡± I groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to do this right now. I¡¯ll exinter.¡± I sidestepped her, careful not to jostle her for fear Carlo would probably shoot me. I heard her screeching as I made my way out the front door. It was going to take a lot to calm her down this time-poor bastard. But I had my own woman to worry about.


    Jumping in my car, I raced down the long driveway-memories and worry clogging up my headspace as I merged onto the highway headed for Frankie¡¯s apartment. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯d outed us like that. Frankie had been working for Carlo for close to four years now, and neither of us had breathed a word to anyone about our marriage, no matter how much of a joke it was.


    It was going to take a lot to get back in her good graces, not that I¡¯d been there much in recent years. I¡¯d been able to let her keep her distance. I deserved it after all, but that was when I knew she was safe. With an unknown threat looming, I couldn¡¯t afford her the luxury of distance anymore.


    She may hate me, but I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I wouldn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t let her down. Not again.

 68

    Age 22


    8 years ago¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± I called out as my mother, aunt, and I walked through the front door to Frankie and udia¡¯s house. There was no need for knocking; udia would justin about having toe all the way to the front door.


    I¡¯d been home for almost a week after my final tour overseas and udia had invited us over for dinner. By the smell of garlic mingling through the house, she¡¯d pulled out all the stops. There was no response, but I could hear low voicesing from the kitchen, so I made my way towards them, my mother and aunt trailing behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll figure something out,¡± udia cooed over Frankie who was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. The second she looked up at me I knew something was wrong. Her nose was red and her face was blotchy, which could only mean one thing; she¡¯d been crying.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked concerned, rushing over to Frankie. Even when we were kids I couldn¡¯t stand to see her cry. I didn¡¯t know why but there was just something about seeing her upset that made my gut twist and a panicky feeling take over my body. I¡¯d do anything to make it better for her.


    I crouched down in front of her and took her head in my hands. ¡°Franny, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She shook her head and pushed a piece of paper towards me. ¡°They denied my financial aid.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± I asked grabbing the letter and standing up. I skimmed the contents of the letter quickly. ¡°They¡¯re denying you because your dad diedst year?¡± I asked disbelievingly.


    ¡°No, they¡¯re denying me because we cashed in the life insurance policyst year and apparently they count that as ie.¡±


    Frankie¡¯s dad had finally drunk himself into an early gravetest year when he¡¯d been driving drunk and ran his car into a tree. Since he and udia had never officially divorced, and she was still listed as the beneficiary on the policy, all the money went to her and Frankie. It wasn¡¯t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but udia had used the money to pay off the loan on the house. There wasn¡¯t even a dor left.


    ¡°What am I going to do?¡± she asked aloud, resting her head in her hands once again. ¡°It¡¯s already June; it¡¯s toote to apply for schrships. I can¡¯t take out that much in student loans.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± udia reassured her again.


    Frankie let out a frustrated sigh and raised her head again. ¡°They look at the past two years¡¯ taxable ie, so it won¡¯t be until after my sophomore year that I¡¯d qualify. I guess I¡¯m not going to Gonzaga.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said immediately. ¡°You¡¯ve been dreaming about going there for years; we¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to figure out; even just two years there without financial aid is just too expensive. With tuition, books, room and board, it¡¯s going to be almost a hundred grand, and that¡¯s just for two years. Not to mention whatever financial aid doesn¡¯t cover for thest two years. We don¡¯t have that kind of money, and I¡¯d never be able to pay that much back in student loans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± I pleaded with her, but she just shook her head.


    ¡°You have other people that depend on you; I¡¯m not going to let you help pay for my school when I can go tomunity college.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± I started, but my mother cut me off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just take a breather; we can pick it up again after dinner. We¡¯ll figure something out, sweet girl,¡± she said, kissing Frankie¡¯s head as she passed by.


    Dinner was a quiet, everyone¡¯s mind clearly upied. The empty chair where Eddie usually sat was a stark reminder that he was behind bars for the better part of the next two years. That, coupled with Frankie¡¯s news, curbed the idle dinner conversation.


    ¡°I wish you could just use my GI Bill. I¡¯m not going to use it,¡± I said halfway through dinner.


    ¡°What¡¯s a GI Bill?¡± Frankie asked around a mouth full of garlic bread.


    ¡°It¡¯s basically guaranteed financial aid for people who¡¯ve served at least four years in the military and it¡¯s transferable to your children or spouse. It wouldn¡¯t cover the entire cost of Gonzaga but it¡¯d cover most of it,¡± I said shrugging. ¡°I don¡¯t know all of the details, because I never nned on using it.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Too bad I can¡¯t just marry some guy in the military; that¡¯d solve my problems,¡± Frankieughed and everyone elseughed with her. Except me.


    ¡°What if you could?¡± I asked, interrupting theirughter. My mother¡¯s eyes darted to me from across the table.


    Frankie furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°What? Get married?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°To who? I¡¯m eighteen. Who¡¯s going to want to marry me just to help me with school?¡±


    ¡°Uh, me, obviously.¡± I was starting to feel less than confident with the strange looks I was getting from around the table, but I pushed on. ¡°Franny, think about it. I¡¯ve got a GI Bill that¡¯s just going to go to waste, and you need money for school. It¡¯s a win, win.¡±


    Frankie¡¯s cheeks med and she let out a nervousugh. ¡°Wow, Enzo, you have such a way with words. Every girl dreams about getting proposed to at the dinner table with the words ¡®it¡¯s a win, win¡¯ being the selling point,¡± she said sarcastically.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious, this could work,¡± I implored.


    ¡°I guess it could¡­¡± She shook her head, a disbelieving smile spread across her face. ¡°God, Enzo, this is crazy. Holy crap, are we getting married?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think we are,¡± I said, locking eyes with her before we both burst intoughter.


    ¡°Am I the only one that thinks this is a ridiculous idea?¡± asked my Aunt Rosa.


    ¡°If it helps Francesca get a college education, I¡¯m not going to stand in her way,¡± udia said firmly.


    ¡°Marce, you can¡¯t be okay with this. The church will never approve- ¡±


    I interrupted before my mother had a chance to answer. ¡°The church doesn¡¯t have to approve. It¡¯s just a piece of paper. We¡¯ll go down to the courthouse and get it done.¡±


    ¡°Marce?¡± Aunt Rosa eximed again.


    ¡°My son is an adult; he can make his own decisions. Who he takes as a wife and why is none of my business,¡± my mother said, with a wink in my direction.


    I smiled broadly. ¡°We¡¯ll go down to the courthouse tomorrow and get the application. Problem solved.¡±


    Frankie shook her head again. ¡°This is fucking insane,¡± she muttered.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Language!¡± udia scolded. ¡°You may be eighteen and about to get married but you¡¯re still under my roof.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± she said and had to stifle anotherugh.


    The rest of the dinner went by uneventfully. My aunt didn¡¯t say anything else for the rest of the meal; instead, opting to stab forcefully at her ravioli. We left the Delrossi home with ns for Frankie and me to meet up the next day so we could go get the application for a marriage license. By the end of the week I was going to be a married man-at least on paper.


    When we got home, Aunt Rosa headed straight for her bedroom without a word to either of us.


    ¡°Why is she so upset?¡± I asked my mother.


    ¡°I think she always wished Eddie and Frankie would end up together one day.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not really together. You understand that, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, for now. We¡¯ll see how time changes things,¡± she said, patting my cheek.


    ¡°Mom, this is just so she can go to school,¡± I protested.


    She smiled softly. ¡°One day, your eyes will open and you¡¯ll see what I see, then you¡¯ll know.¡± She kissed my cheek and headed to her bedroom without another word.


    If she only knew how clearly I was seeing.

 69

    Frankie


    Present


    I held the tears in all the way home. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. He¡¯d pulled that shit on purpose to get to me. He didn¡¯t deserve any more of a reaction than he¡¯d gotten.


    It was dark and eerily silent in my apartment when I got home. My heart was pounding in my chest as I rushed around turning on every light and double-checking the windows and doors. Once I was satisfied there was no one else there with me and no possible way for someone to get in, I went to my bedside table and pulled out the gun Enzo had given me for protection when I first started working for Carlo.


    I¡¯d never had a need for it. My contribution was behind the scenes, and only a handful of people knew that my work for the DeLuca family went beyond my legitimate IT job. Enzo had taken me to the outdoor shooting range Carlo had set up in a clearing far out on his property, so I knew how to use it. I just wasn¡¯t particrlyfortable with it.


    Taking a shaky breath, I ced it on the nightstand, along with a box of ammunition. I didn¡¯t keep it loaded, even though I realized that an unloaded gun would do me absolutely no good in an emergency. Having a loaded gun just a foot away from my head every night while I slept freaked me the fuck out. Staring at the gun, I wondered if the situation arose, would I be able to pull the trigger?


    A loud banging on my front door caused me to jump. My breath caught, blood whooshed in my ears, and my pulse pounded. I slowly slid the magazine into ce, switched the safety off and chambered a round, just like Enzo had taught me. My hands were shaking as I slowly crept to the front door. I had to switch the gun from one hand to the other so I could wipe my mmy hands on my pants.


    The pounding on the front door started up again, the sound echoing loudly off the exposed brick walls of the apartment. This time though, the pounding was followed by Enzo¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Frankie, I know you¡¯re in there, open up!¡± he hollered through the metal door.


    I let out a huge breath I hadn¡¯t known I was holding and rushed forward pulling off the security chain and flipping the two deadbolts before flinging the door open. I was so relieved it wasn¡¯t someone trying to kill me that I didn¡¯t even think about how furious I was with him just moments ago.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Enzo eximed as he clocked the gun in my hand. ¡°Here, give me that thing.¡±


    He took the gun from me, closing and locking the door behind him. He didn¡¯t say a word as he went around the apartment checking all the windows and locks. My anger from before had rekindled and was burning in my stomach again as I watched him do exactly what I¡¯d done not ten minutes before.


    Does he think I¡¯m ipetent?


    Finally satisfied, he came back to where I stood. I hadn¡¯t moved an inch since he walked in.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked abruptly before he had a chance to say anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I said. I was out of line, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I need to keep you safe. This isn¡¯t something I¡¯m going to give on; I don¡¯t want you to get hurt. Your safety is my top priority-always.¡±


    I scoffed, I had to. His words wereughable, because my physical safety was the only thing he cared about. The hurt he¡¯d caused me over the years was immeasurable; just because it didn¡¯t leave physical scars, didn¡¯t make it any less painful.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, Franny- ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± I warned.


    Enzo groaned and ran a hand over his head. ¡°Sorry. But I¡¯m serious. Someone came into your apartment while you were sleeping without you knowing. Do you have any clue how fucking dangerous someone like that is? It takes a lot of balls to do something like that, or an insane person. Either way, it¡¯s way too dangerous to let you stay here by yourself.¡±


    I considered his argument. He was right, of course. I¡¯d been determined to not let some crazy person run me out of my home or give into Enzo, but the moment I¡¯de home to my dark apartment, I knew that staying alone wasn¡¯t going to be an option.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said choosing what I hoped was the lesser of two evils. ¡°You can stay here, but I have conditions.¡±


    Enzo cocked his head to the side slightly. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You sleep on the couch, don¡¯t eat my food without asking, don¡¯t touch my shit, and hands off the Red Bull. Don¡¯t even fucking ask.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± he said, a stupid grin tugging on the corners of his mouth.


    I rolled my eyes. The least he could do was pretend he wasn¡¯t enjoying my surrender. Leaving him standing there, I stalked to my bedroom and mmed the door. I wasn¡¯t trying to act like a child, but he brought out the worst in me-always. After I changed into my pajamas, I realized I hadn¡¯t given him any bedding for the couch.


    So much for my dramatic exit.


    Pulling a pillow off my bed, I headed out to the living room, stopping in the hall to pull out a sheet and spareforter from the closet. Enzo had made himselffortable on my couch, feet kicked up on the coffee table, one hand resting on the back of the couch while the other flipped through the channels.


    Just seeing how casual he was pissed me off. It was the only reaction I allowed myself. Because if I wasn¡¯t angry about it, I might¡¯ve found that I liked having him in my space, sitting on my couch and channel surfing like it was the most natural thing in the world.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said sharply, throwing the bedding as hard as I could at his face and turning on my heel to storm back into my bedroom. Before I reached the hallway he called out to me.


    ¡°Thank you, Frankie. I mean it. Thank you for not fighting me on this.¡±


    I paused for a second. I didn¡¯t have anything to say in response so I just nodded sharply and hurried to my room.

 70

    Present


    She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra.


    Fuck me.


    She came out in the tiniest shorts I¡¯d ever seen and an old baseball T-shirt with some kind ofic book character on it. The shirt was so worn it was practically see through. How the hell was I going to keep my dick in my pants when she pranced around the apartment looking like a nerdy lingerie model? Jesus, and those sses, talk about librarian fantasy.


    I turned off the TV and settled into the couch. It was a leather sectional, so it fit my tall frame. It wasn¡¯t exactlyfortable, but I¡¯d slept on worse. Frankie¡¯s couch was like heavenpared to the cots they gave us to sleep on when I was overseas.


    Staring into the darkness, I thought about the promise I¡¯d made Eddie all those years ago, before Frankie and I were even married. He¡¯d made me promise not to take her; it was an impossible request. Anyone who spent any amount of time could see how hard it would be to stay away from her. She was maic.


    There was a sweetness in her that she didn¡¯t show many people, an innocence that I¡¯d worried had been lost along the way, but I¡¯d seen it in her eyes tonight. She was scared. Even though her words were to the contrary, her eyes were begging for me to protect her, and I always would. Especially when she didn¡¯t think it was necessary, because that was when she needed it the most.


    I had a secret though; I was terrified. Not only did we not have any idea who was stalking her, but I knew the more time I spent with Frankie, the more my willpower was bound to crumble until there was nothing left but dust. We¡¯d taken the road of avoidance; we hadn¡¯t breathed a word about being married to each other for six years. Instead, we pretended it never happened. I¡¯d thought about filing for divorce after she graduated from college, but she¡¯d never mentioned it so I held out hope that someday the forces that kept us apart would disappear and somehow we¡¯d find our way to each other.


    I¡¯d married the woman I loved eight years ago, but I¡¯d never allowed myself to be the husband she deserved-if she even wanted that anymore


    I was awake before Frankie¡¯s rm went off the next morning. I checked the doors and windows again; everything was still secure. What I couldn¡¯t figure out was how the hell someone could get into her house without her knowing it. It just didn¡¯t make sense. There was no sign of forced entry on any of the windows or doors, and ording to Frankie, she was the only one that had a key to her ce. Since she owned the apartment, there wasn¡¯t even andlord that had ess.


    After folding the nket I¡¯d used, I headed into the kitchen. I was rummaging around in the cupboards looking for coffee when she came in. She was wearing the same thing she¡¯d had onst night with the addition of knee-high Batman socks. Her epic nerdiness shouldn¡¯t get me hard, but it did.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she yawned, wiping sleep from her eyes. In her sleepy state, she¡¯d apparently forgotten she was mad at me.


    ¡°Looking for coffee,¡± I said, looking everywhere but at her smooth bare thighs. ¡°Actually, where¡¯s your coffeepot?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have one,¡± she grumbled and shuffled toward the fridge.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I questioned as my eyes tracked her ass across the room. She opened the fridge and bent down, reaching to the back of the bottom shelf. I was mesmerized, everything around me fell away as I stared at her tight little ass, all perfect and round, held high in the air, the perfect angle for¡­


    ¡°Because I have this,¡± she said with her head in the fridge. She interrupted my ogling by standing up with a can of Red Bull held high. Of course, her insane caffeine addiction couldn¡¯t possibly be satisfied by coffee.


    ¡°Right, breakfast of champions.¡±


    She popped the tab and took a drink before turning to face me. She blinked a few times and coughed. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing clothes?¡± she demanded.


    I looked down at myself then back up at her. ¡°I¡¯m wearing pants.¡±


    She huffed out a breath and red at me. ¡°New rule. Shirts are required at all times.¡±


    ¡°But not pants?¡± I asked with a smirk. A blush was starting to rise on her neck, and I took great joy in the fact that my body was the reason for her difort.


    ¡°All clothes, all the time,¡± she gritted out.


    ¡°What about in the shower? That could be kind of difficult.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed further. ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick,¡± she said and stormed off to her room.


    I just shook my head andughed to myself. At least I knew she wasn¡¯tpletely unaffected by me. This was going to interesting.


    After I dropped Frankie off at work, I headed to my apartment to grab a few changes of clothes. I had no idea how long I¡¯d be living with Frankie, but I figured it would be safer to limit my belongings to one bag. There was no telling how she¡¯d react if my things started taking over her house. I was likely to lose a nut.


    We fell into a somewhat easy routine throughout the rest of the week. I¡¯d drop her off at work, go to work myself, and be back to pick her up at the end of each day. We¡¯d order takeout and Frankie would retreat to her bedroom to do whatever it was she did, leaving me with free reign of the TV-which was fine by me.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Friday evening, Frankie went to dinner with Mia to discuss wedding ns, and I was more than happy to let Angelo take over security detail for the night. Instead, I spent my evening sweeping her apartment for bugs and cleaning my guns.


    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t need to walk me up. I¡¯m fine!¡± Frankie said as she pushed the front door open.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit. There¡¯s a fucking psycho peeping Tom out there stalking you. Of course we¡¯re going to make sure you get upstairs and into your apartment safely,¡± Mia said from the doorway.


    ¡°Okay, fine! Good night, I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow,¡± Frankie said waving them off and closing the door. ¡°Jesus, you¡¯d think I was a fucking inmate with the way they¡¯re fucking on me,¡± she said turning around.


    ¡°They¡¯re just worried-we all are-so cut them some ck. Especially Mia, she¡¯s been through enough; thest thing she needs is something happening to someone else she cares about. She might burn down the entire west coast,¡± I said, returning my attention to the task at hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.


    I raised an eyebrow and lifted the gun in my hand. ¡°Cleaning my guns,¡± I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, because it kind of was. There were pieces of at least seven different gunsid out on the coffee table.


    ¡°Why are you doing it in my living room? You¡¯re just going to leave these thingsying around? Why do you have so many?¡± she demanded angrily.


    ¡°Where else am I supposed to do it? Besides, I¡¯m not leaving anythingying around, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve got kids running around. I¡¯m sure you know better than to y with a gun,¡± I said, ignoring her question about the number of guns. I was a man; there was no such thing as too many guns.


    Apparently I¡¯d said something wrong because her face kind of crumpled for a second, then she set her jaw and spit out, ¡°Fuck you,¡± before stomping to her room, which she¡¯d just about perfected the past week and leaving me sitting on the couch, gun in hand, confused as all hell.

 71

    We found the letter Saturday afternoon. Frankie was sifting through a week¡¯s worth of mail that had piled up on the kitchen counter when an envelope without a return address caught her eye.


    ¡°Enzo,¡± she called out. Her voice had a panicked edge to it which caused me to rush out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, my wet feet leaving a trail behind me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, my heart rate returning to normal when I saw no immediate danger. My relief didn¡¯tst long once I noticed she was standingpletely still, unnaturally so, as if she were afraid to even breathe. She raised a piece of paper in my direction with a trembling hand.


    I took the letter from her and read it aloud.


    Frankie,


    Why are you doing this to us? He should not be there. He¡¯s going to ruin everything. He¡¯ll corrupt you, turn you against me. Do not listen to anything he says, he¡¯s a liar! Your bodyguard will not keep me from you. I¡¯m still watching. You are mine. You belong with me!


    I¡¯ming for you.


    ¡°Let me see the envelope,¡± I barked out. She reached down to grab it from the pile of mail in front of her, but her hands were shaking so badly, she dropped it twice before finally handing it to me.


    The envelope was postmarked five days ago from the same zip code as Frankie¡¯s home address. I didn¡¯t want to scare her more-so I didn¡¯t mention it-but it had my stomach rolling. This psycho was close, and he¡¯d been watching her so carefully that he was able to respond immediately after the first night I¡¯d stayed over.


    I snatched my phone off the counter and dialed Angelo. He picked up on the second ring. ¡°Enzo?¡±


    ¡°Do you still have that contact in the police department?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Which one? I have a lot of contacts,¡± he repliedzily.


    ¡°Do not fuck with me right now!¡± I roared, causing Frankie to flinch.


    Damn it.


    I didn¡¯t mean to scare her. I took a deep breath and continued through gritted teeth. ¡°The forensics woman.¡±


    ¡°Mallory? Yeah, I¡¯ve got her number. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°He sent a letter.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± he responded, and I heard him rying the information to someone in the background before he came back on the line. ¡°Do you have any idea who it is?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Carlo says to bring the letter to thepound, and we¡¯ll have Mallorye over and check it out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll head out there now,¡± I said and disconnected the call. Turning my attention back to Frankie, I noticed her face had gone white, except for her nose, which was bright red.


    Shit.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, trying for a gentle tone, but my voice came out rough instead. I cleared my throat and tried again, ¡°Frankie?¡±


    ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± she whispered, her voice cracking on thest word.


    I rounded the counter and pulled her into my arms. ¡°Shh, you didn¡¯t do anything. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find out who it is. When I find him, I¡¯ll make sure he can never get close to you again. I promise.¡±


    Her arms squeezed tight around my waist and she started to sob. ¡°I¡¯m so scared,¡± she tearfully admitted.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe; I¡¯ve got you,¡± I whispered over and over again as I rubbed circles on her back.


    Her tears eventually subsided, and when her breathing returned to normal, she pulled away from me, wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. It was big on her, the sleeves falling well past her hands-it was a men¡¯s hoodie. The realization had my jaw clenching painfully.


    She sniffed, oblivious to my sudden burst of jealousy. ¡°Dude, the rules still stand, go put some fucking clothes on!¡± she shouted, and I had tough. She may be scared, but she was still my Frankie.


    After I was sufficiently dressed, I put the letter in a stic bag and we headed out to the DeLucapound to meet the others. Hopefully Angelo¡¯s forensic friend, Mallory, could find something that would lead us to whomever the stalker was.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know who it could be,¡± Frankie whispered, interrupting the silence we¡¯d been driving in for the past twenty minutes.


    ¡°It might be someone you¡¯ve never even met before,¡± I said, chancing a nce at her. Her head was resting on the window and she was staring out at the trees as we raced down the highway.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It feels so personal, like the person knows me or something.¡±


    ¡°Well, who knows how long he¡¯s been watching you. You can learn a lot about a person from just paying attention.¡±


    ¡°He sent me roses and lilies, Enzo. Stargazer lilies.¡±


    Fuck.


    Dread filled my chest and bile rose up in the back of my throat. Whoever was doing this was closer than I¡¯d thought. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I asked, trying not to sound angry, but I was furious. This could be just as much about me as it was about her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, there was just so much going on, and then you dropped the ¡®hey by the way we¡¯re married¡¯ bomb and I just didn¡¯t think about it.¡±


    ¡°How did you know they weren¡¯t from me?¡± I asked through a lump in my throat.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my birthday,¡± she said sharply.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve sent you flowers when it wasn¡¯t your birthday,¡± I argued.


    She sighed heavily. ¡°You use the same florist every time, you would never have them delivered to work, and you always write a card.¡±

 72

    Frankie


    Present


    The rest of the drive to Carlo and Mia¡¯s home was silent. The ramification of the flower realization was huge. Very few people knew me well enough to know some of the intimate details that this stalker knew, and even fewer people knew that Enzo still sent me flowers on my birthday every year. I¡¯d lived alone for years, and he always had them delivered to my house. I¡¯d never told anyone, not even Mia.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I could ever look at those flowers the same way again, and as irrational as it was, that was the thing that was most upsetting. I was shaken to the core that someone could take the one thing that I still shared with Enzo after all these years of emotional torment and defile it.


    As soon as we walked through the door, Leo ushered us into a conference room towards the back of the house that I hadn¡¯t even known existed. A petite woman in her early thirties was sitting at the conference table. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a tight bun and she wore jeans and a sweatshirt, definitely not trying to impress anyone. I liked her instantly. She¡¯d been talking to Angelo but turned her attention to us expectantly when we walked in the room.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Mallory,¡± she introduced herself politely. ¡°Do you have the document?¡±


    Enzo handed the letter over to her but didn¡¯t back up; instead, he towered over her with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. She eyed him curiously, but she wasn¡¯t intimidated. She did, however, look annoyed.


    ¡°You¡¯re in my light. You mind backing up a bit and letting me do my job?¡± she asked, her polite demeanor still in ce but her eyes held an edge of authority. Enzo grunted and took a step back. It wasn¡¯t a big one though, which earned him the stink eye from Angelo.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mia?¡± I asked, hoping to divert their attention for a while so they¡¯d let the poor woman work.


    ¡°Antonio took her down to Salem to visit Pauline and Michael,¡± Angelo replied, one eye still on Enzo.


    ¡°Did you tell her about the letter?¡± I asked, hoping like hell he hadn¡¯t.


    That got his attention. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t spoken to her since Enzo called. Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just rather not worry her. She¡¯s got the wedding to n and she¡¯s nearly five months pregnant; she doesn¡¯t need the added stress.¡±


    He eyed me curiously, but nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut, but you better check with Carlo; he might¡¯ve already said something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him before I leave,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Okay, so the envelope is a lost cause. Since it clearly went through the postal service there¡¯s no telling how many people touched that thing. However, I was able to lift a few prints from the letter. Which of you touched it?¡± Mallory asked from her seat.


    ¡°We both did,¡± Enzo answered curtly.


    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll need to get samples of both your fingerprints to rule you out and see if there are prints from any unknown persons.¡±


    Pulling out a card and ink pad, Mallory waved me over to go first. She rolled each finger in ink and transferred the print onto the card and repeated the process with Enzo.


    ¡°How long will it take to match the prints?¡± Enzo asked when he was finished wiping the ink from his fingers.


    ¡°Not long. Have a little patience big guy,¡± Mallory said without looking up from her magnifying ss.


    Enzo went back to his brooding while she worked. I, on the other hand, was racking my brain for who it could possibly be. The letter and address on the envelope had been typed, so there weren¡¯t any clues to be found there. The fact that we had nothing to go on was driving me insane.


    ¡°It¡¯s clean,¡± Mallory announced, much to everyone¡¯s disappointment. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger,¡± she said in response to our umtive groans and curses.


    ¡°Back to square one,¡± Iined.


    ¡°There is something that might be useful. See here,¡± she said, pointing to a particr part of the text. ¡°He uses positive contractions but not negative contractions.¡±


    ¡°He? So it¡¯s for sure a man?¡± Angelo asked.


    ¡°The letter is aggressive and direct so you¡¯re most likely dealing with a man, yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it unusual? The thing with the contractions?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, but yeah, I¡¯d say it¡¯s unusual. It¡¯s not the fact that he¡¯s sometimes using them and sometimes not. What is strange is that he only uses positive contractions. Not many people do that. If you were to read this out loud, it would sound strange and stilted. The good thing is, if you get a hold of something else this person has written, there¡¯s a good chance you¡¯ll find the same pattern.¡±


    We thanked Mallory and left. I couldn¡¯t find Carlo, so I was sure I¡¯d get a call from Mia at some point berating me about not keeping her in the loop, but I didn¡¯t care. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up on the couch. The events of the day had left my mind spinning and my emotions drained.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it could be someone from your past do you?¡± I asked Enzo on the ride home.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure; but if it was, it would be someone we both know.¡±


    He was right. We¡¯d grown up together, so everyone he knew, I knew as well. Except¡­ ¡°What about the guys in your unit? Did you ever show anyone my picture or anything? Tell them about the flowers?¡± I was legitimately asking because it was a possibility we hadn¡¯t explored yet. It wasn¡¯t just because I wanted to know if he talked about me.


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± he said distractedly. ¡°I mean, I had a picture that I kept on me, and one of us together hanging in my bunk. Anyone could have seen it, but no one ever knew about the flowers. And if it had been one of them, this would havee to a head a long time ago. I haven¡¯t been in the military since before we got married.¡±


    I inwardly flinched every time he said the word married. It was as if he thought since the cat was out of the bag, he could just bring it up whenever. Ignoring the ache in my chest, I pressed further.


    ¡°What about after the Marines? You did private security for a while, right? What about those guys?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said immediately, his entire demeanor changing.


    ¡°No? Care to borate?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the same thing. The people I worked with, and especially the people I worked for, weren¡¯t the kind you open up to. You don¡¯t give them anything they can hold against you. I didn¡¯t talk about you, ever. The one picture I kept on me? No one ever saw that.¡±


    ¡°Is that why I could only send emails and couldn¡¯t write you letters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    We¡¯d never talked about that job. It was as if he went from the Marines to Carlo with just a ck cavern of nothingness in between. After his second tour overseas, he¡¯d been a little rougher around the edges, but he was still my Enzo. The three years he¡¯d spent working private security though; they¡¯d changed him. Only, I was starting to realize he might not be as different as I¡¯d originally thought.


    ¡°Why are you different around them than you are when we¡¯re alone?¡± I asked suddenly.


    Enzo¡¯s eyebrows mmed together. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t spent a lot of time alone together in¡­ a while, but you act differently with me. But then today when Mallory was looking over the letter, you were a total asshole.¡±


    ¡°You call me an asshole daily, so am I really that different?¡± heughed.


    ¡°See, right there! You cracked a joke and thenughed. You¡¯d have never done that at the house.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. When I¡¯m around those guys I¡¯m working. Even when I¡¯m not, I still keep the mentality. But with you, it¡¯s different. I don¡¯t have to prove anything to you, you already know everything there is to know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°What don¡¯t you know about me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Plenty.¡±

 73

    Present


    Plenty.


    The word kept rolling around in my brain as we made our way back into the city. She¡¯d said there was plenty she didn¡¯t know about me; I wondered if that meant there was plenty I didn¡¯t know about her.


    Frankie headed straight for her room to change when we got back to her apartment. I¡¯d never understand that. Those legging things she wore all day were basically pajamas, so why she felt the need to change as soon as she got home was beyond me. Although, on second thought, if it meant she broke out those shorts again I was all for it. I was still having dreams about those things.


    She came rushing out of her room a few minutester murmuring ¡°No, no, no,¡± under her breath as she tore through the living room and kitchen searching for something.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My sweatshirt-the hoodie I was wearing earlier-have you seen it?¡± she asked as she frantically lifted up the couch cushions and tossed throw pillows out of her way.


    ¡°What? No, I haven¡¯t seen it; you probably just forgot where you put it,¡± I said sitting on the couch she¡¯d just ransacked.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I always put it on the chair in my bedroom when I take it off. I never put it anywhere else. Why are you still sitting there? Get up and help me find it!¡± she screeched.


    My hackles went up immediately; she wanted me to get up and search for some guy¡¯s sweatshirt? Like hell.


    ¡°Why do you care so much about the thing. It¡¯s just a hoodie.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s mine!¡±


    ¡°It looked like it was a men¡¯s sweatshirt,¡± I said offhandedly.


    She stopped her searching and whirled around on me. ¡°Did you take it? I swear to God, Enzo¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t fucking take it, but I¡¯d like to know who¡¯s it was.¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s mine,¡± she said, returning to her search.


    ¡°I meant before it was yours. Did it belong to an old boyfriend? Is there someone you¡¯re not telling me about? Because even if you don¡¯t think this guy is capable of it, he could still be the stalker.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± she protested.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I challenged.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s you!¡± she snapped, turning to face me once again.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the sweatshirt you gave me before you left for boot camp,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°You kept it this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay! I like to¡­¡± she trailed off mid-sentence. ¡°No,¡± she breathed and took off down the hallway towards her bedroom and I followed close behind.


    Coming to a stop at the doorway to her bedroom I watched her pick up a picture frame that had been set facedown, with an unsteady hand. ¡°The first time I came home and this was facedown I thought it¡¯d just fallen over,¡± she exined, flipping the frame over. She screamed and dropped it as soon as she caught sight of the picture inside.


    Confused, I picked the picture up off the floor to examine it. Through the cracked ss I could see what had caused her reaction. I remembered the picture well. It was Eddie, Frankie, and me when we were kids, except my face had been scratched out and the words ¡®he¡¯s a dead man¡¯ were carved cruelly over my body.


    ¡°He was here again,¡± she breathed. ¡°How did he get in? You changed the locks; we were only gone for a few hours.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Calm down. At least now we know this isn¡¯t just about you, it¡¯s about both of us. It might help us find this guy. Is there anything else that looks out of ce or missing?¡± I asked.


    Fear crossed her face and tears started to fill her eyes. She started to shake her head violently then turned and dove to the floor at the foot of her bed. Reaching underneath, she pulled out an old hat box and scrambled to remove the lid, letting out an agonizing moan when she was finally able to get a look at the contents of the box.


    ¡°Why?!¡± she wailed between sobs.


    I walked around the bed and sunk to my knees in front of her. She was screaming ¡®why¡¯ over and over again so loud that I was sure someone would call the cops. I reached for the box and pulled it toward me to inspect the contents.


    Inside the box were hundreds of bits of paper crudely cut up into pieces. I noticed one of therger pieces looked like the corner of an envelope and had the words ¡®Free Afghanistan¡¯ written on it in lieu of a stamp. They were my letters.


    There were a lot of pieces that were ck with white splotches too, but I couldn¡¯t tell what they¡¯d been. I moved the box out of the way and scooted closer to Frankie who¡¯d curled into herself, her entire body heaving with her sobs.


    ¡°Franny, baby,¡± I said softly, stroking her hair from her face so I could get a look at her. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the stress of the stalker thinging down on her all at once or the loss of her keepsakes that was causing her to break down, but I just wanted to fix it. I¡¯d write her a thousand more letters if it meant she¡¯d stop crying.


    ¡°Franny,¡± I tried again, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into myp. She burrowed into me and I held her tight while she cried. It took nearly an hour to calm her down enough to get her to talk but even then, she didn¡¯t say much.


    ¡°Were those my letters?¡± I asked when she¡¯d finally regted her breathing again.


    She pulled away from me slightly, swallowed hard and nodded. ¡°Yeah, your letters and some pic- pictures.¡± Her voice broke on thest word and I squeezed her tight again.


    She had a paper clutched in her hand. It was a corner piece-not from one of the letters-that looked like it was a picture, but the paper wasn¡¯t quite right. The part of the picture that was visible was just ck surrounded by a thick white boarder, but she was holding it so tightly that I knew it had to mean something to her. I wanted to know what it was exactly that had pushed her over the edge, but it wasn¡¯t the time for those questions.


    ¡°I need you to pack a bag. We¡¯re leaving,¡± I said firmly, praying that she wouldn¡¯t argue.


    She nodded, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°My ce.¡±

 74

    Age 24


    6 years earlier¡­


    Twelve months.


    It¡¯d been twelve long months since I¡¯d seen her. Anticipation buzzed through my body as I made the four-hour drive from Seattle to Spokane to see her.


    My wife.


    I loved the way that sounded, but only in my head. If I said it aloud, she¡¯dugh. To be fair, she¡¯d probably think I was joking, but it still stung. As much as I wanted her, as much as I wished one day she¡¯d be mine in every way, I knew it was impossible. I¡¯d made a promise to Eddie, my cousin, my brother in every way that counted, that I wouldn¡¯t be with her.


    It¡¯d been four years since I¡¯d made that promise and I¡¯d been kicking myself every day since. I married her two years ago, but aside from the innocent kiss we¡¯d shared in front of the judge and our parents, I hadn¡¯t touched her. A marriage of convenience, her mother had called it, but it was anything but convenient to me. No, being legally bound to your best friend that had grown up to be the woman of your dreams and being forbidden to touch her was most definitely not convenient.


    Pulling off the interstate, I followed the directions the electronic voice on my GPS was giving me. Thest time I¡¯de up for a visit, she was still living in the dorms. But while I was away this past year, she¡¯d moved into a small apartment off campus. At least this time I wouldn¡¯t have to stay in a hotel. I sent her a quick text to let her know I was five minutes out and popped a breath mint.


    My knee was bouncing and my heart was thumping double-time when I pulled into herplex. I didn¡¯t know why I was so nervous; we¡¯d yed this game for years. I¡¯d go away, thene back, and after the initial excitement wore off, all was exactly as it¡¯d been before. Except this time, we were older, married, and unsupervised. I pulled my truck into a guest parking spot and hopped out, grabbing my rucksack from the back.


    Frankie was hurling down the stairs as I walked up the sidewalk to her unit. On the third step from the bottom, she flung herself at me and I had to drop my rucksack in order to catch her. Sheughed as I spun her around and around. I kept going until I was dizzy, just so I could hear herugh a little bit longer. Less than a minute with her in my arms, and the dark cloud I¡¯d been carrying over my head for the past two years was already starting to fade away.


    I am such a fucking sucker.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here!¡± she squealed when I finally put her down.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to finally be back home,¡± I said, pulling her in for another hug.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she insisted, pulling me up the stairs to her apartment. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the grand tour.¡±


    She pulled me through the crowded pub, not stopping until we reached the far end of the bar near the small dance floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really go out very often, but I thought we should celebrate,¡± she yelled over the music.


    ¡°You going to tell me how you got your hands on a believable fake ID?¡± I asked, leaning down to speak directly in her ear.


    ¡°Never,¡± sheughed and turned to waive down the bartender. The ce was so packed that I had to stand directly behind her in order to stay out of the way of the cocktail waitresses that were running from the floor to the bar and back again.


    ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°Four shots of tequ and two coronas,¡± Frankie called out pping cash on the bar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this often, huh?¡± I whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Shut up and drink,¡± she said turning in ce and handing me a shot. She sprinkled salt on both of our hands and handed me a lime. ¡°On the count of three, one, two, three!¡± she screamed.


    I winced as the liquor burned my throat, but Frankie didn¡¯t look like it¡¯d fazed her at all. She immediately handed me another shot and repeated the same process as before. Once both shots were down, she handed me my beer and led me to a table in the corner between the jukebox and the dance floor.


    ¡°I call bullshit,¡± I said as soon as we were seated.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I call bullshit,¡± I repeated. ¡°This isn¡¯t your first rodeo,¡± I said pointing to the bar.


    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t go out much. I didn¡¯t say anything about not drinking,¡± sheughed and took a swig of her beer. The light from one of the neon signs reflected off the ring she was wearing. When she put her beer down again I caught her hand, inspecting it.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing your wedding ring?¡± I asked, confused. I was certain I¡¯d never seen her wear it after I put it on her finger two years before. My mother had insisted that we exchange rings; it was the only thing she¡¯d put her foot down about.


    ¡°I wear it on the rare asion that I do go out so guys won¡¯t hit on me,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want guys to hit on you?¡± I asked, praying she answered in a way that didn¡¯t make me want tomit murder, because if she told me she had a boyfriend, I might just do it.


    She shrugged. ¡°Just not interested.¡±


    I could live with that response.


    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you ever wear your ring to ward off the hordes of women that flock to you?¡±


    I barked out augh. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve ever had hordes of women flock to me, but if I ever do, I¡¯ll make sure to slip on this bad boy,¡± I said, patting my chest.


    Frankie cocked her head to the side and eyed me curiously. Reaching into my shirt I pulled out the ne I¡¯d worn since my firstmunion. On the chain right next to my Saint Christopher medallion, was my gold wedding band. She smiled softly at me, holding my gaze a fraction of a second longer than usual before taking another drink and looking out over the dance floor.


    I wanted her to look at me like that again, like I was good, like I was worth something. I hadn¡¯t felt like a good person in a really long time. Pulling the chain off I unsped it and let the gold band drop into my hand and slipped it on my left hand before tucking my medallion back under my shirt.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like getting hit on.¡±


    She tried to hide her smile, but I caught it.


    ¡°Do you want another beer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, please, and two more rounds of tequ.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She was tiny after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I promise, I¡¯m not going to get sloppy drunk and make you hold back my hair.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hold you to that,¡± I called over my shoulder before getting swallowed by the crowd. The number of people in the bar had nearly doubled in less than an hour. No wonder Frankie insisted on getting a table right away.


    It took me nearly twenty minutes to get our drinks and navigate my way back to our table. When I finally broke through the crowd, I saw that Frankie was no longer alone. There was a guy sitting next to her at the table. He¡¯d leaned in to say something in her ear, and she was straining her neck to get away from him.

 75

    ¡°Frankie,¡± I called out in question as I approached the table. She didn¡¯t seem scared, just annoyed. I didn¡¯t want to make a scene if she knew this guy, but the way his arm was casually thrown over the back of her chair made me want to shoot him.


    The guy didn¡¯t turn towards me when I ced our drinks on the table. ¡°Fuck off, she¡¯s busy.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Get off me, Chad,¡± Frankie growled and pushed him away. Her rejection didn¡¯t deter him for long because he dived back into her neck.


    ¡°Come on, baby. You know you want to,¡± he cajoled, this time wrapping one arm around her shoulders and cing the other on her thigh, either in an effort to keep her from getting away or convince her to stay; I didn¡¯t know which, and I didn¡¯t care.


    I¡¯d been trying to y it cool so I wouldn¡¯t embarrass her. This was her school after all. She had to see these people every day and they didn¡¯t live in my world-the world where the consequences weren¡¯t the same, where killing was as natural as breathing. But seeing his hands on her had thest strands of my self-control snapping.


    Walking around the table, I gripped him by the cor of his Polo shirt with one hand and ripped the hand that had been groping her thigh away with the other. Hauling him up and out of the chair, I turned him to face me.


    ¡°Leave her alone,¡± I said coldly, releasing him once he was steady on his feet.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± he sneered, jerkily righting his disheveled clothes.


    Ignoring his question, I looked to Frankie. ¡°You good?¡± I asked roughly.


    She gave me a sharp nod, but her eyes darted around the bar. I followed her line of sight, noticing a group ofrge men at the edge of the dance floor watching the altercation. ¡°I¡¯m good, Enzo,¡± she confirmed, telling me with her eyes to let it go.


    Satisfied with her answer, I turned back to the asshole. He was still standing there, waiting for me to respond to his earlier question. We were about the same height, and while he had an athletic build, I had at least thirty pounds of muscle on the guy. A fact he seemed to take notice of when I stepped forward-into his space.


    ¡°All you need to know is, the next time you see Frankie, you¡¯re going to turn around and head in the opposite direction.¡± I said, my voice low and calm. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going give you a free pass for the shit you just pulled and let you walk away and keep your pride intact, but know this, if you so much as breathe in her direction again, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re breathing from a tube for the rest of your life. Do you understand me, Chad?¡±


    He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat before darting his eyes behind me to his friends. Puffing out his chest, he took a step back and scoffed, ¡°Whatever,¡± he said loudly so his friends could hear, ¡°I don¡¯t want her anyways; she¡¯s a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I married her,¡± I smirked, grabbing my beer off the table and taking my seat next to Frankie.


    Chad looked from Frankie to me and back again, his eyes wide. ¡°Whatever dude, I¡¯m out.¡±


    Iughed and watched him hurry off to his group of friends. Frankie smacked my arm and mumbled something that sounded a lot like ¡®asshole¡¯ under her breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, handing her one of the shots I¡¯d brought back.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said grabbing the tequ shot and downing it without the fanfare. ¡°What did you say to him? I couldn¡¯t hear over the music.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just told him to stay away from you,¡± I shrugged, because it was basically what I¡¯d said.


    ¡°Yeah fucking right, and for the record, you did not marry me because I¡¯m a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think,¡± Iughed.


    ¡°What the fuck ever, buddy. Now shut up and drink!¡± she yelled, handing me thest shot.


    I paused before taking my shot to watch her throw hers back. Her throat worked as she swallowed, and I was instantly turned on. Adjusting myself discreetly under the table I racked my mind for something that would distract me from the growing bulge in my pants. But that was the thing about Frankie; nothing could deter my attraction to her. For the past four years, even though it was wrong and I¡¯d made the conscious decision not to go there, my desire for her had never waned.


    ¡°So, who was that guy?¡± I finally asked. I¡¯d tried to ignore it, but it bothered me that someone felt they could get that close to her without her permission and the fact that she didn¡¯t seem to think it was a big deal.


    ¡°Ugh, Chad. He¡¯s the resident yboy, but he¡¯s harmless. He hit on me at a frat partyst semester and I turned him down; he¡¯s been smitten ever since. Just another guy that¡¯s never heard the word ¡®no¡¯ before. Eventually he¡¯ll get bored and move on,¡± she said with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Just be careful, Franny. Guys like that don¡¯t take rejection well, and I just wounded his ego.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m pretty sure you telling him we¡¯re married was enough to scare him off, but I¡¯ll be careful. I promise.¡±


    ¡°You have the mace I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said rolling her eyes.


    ¡°And the Taser?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, yes. Enzo, I¡¯m perfectly safe. I promise.¡±


    ¡°And what were you doing at a frat party anyways?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Jesus,e on let¡¯s dance,¡± she suggested, ignoring my question.


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t dance.¡±


    Walking around the table, she stood in front of me and wiggled her hips. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t always have to be the tough guy,¡± she urged.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go find someone else to dance with,¡± she said and disappeared onto the crowded dance floor.


    Motherfucker.

 76

    I took a long pull of my beer before getting up and following her. Because I¡¯d follow her anywhere, even the goddamn dance floor.


    She¡¯s going to pay for this one.


    I pushed through the crowd of sweaty bodies searching for her. She was small so getting a glimpse of her before I was standing right in front of her was going to be difficult. Luckily, it was a small ce so after shaking off two blondes that hadtched themselves onto my arms in an effort to convince me to dance with them, I found her. Thankfully, she was dancing by herself, but much to my dismay, there were several guys standing around her waiting for their chance to jump in.


    Not today, assholes.


    I came to stand beside two guys that were watching Frankie¡¯s hips roll and sway to the beat, trying to figure out what my next move was going to be. I wasn¡¯t lying when I¡¯d told her that I didn¡¯t dance, but I was sure as hell not going to stand by while some other guy¡¯s hands were all over her.


    ¡°The things I¡¯d like to do to that ass,¡± one of the guysmented as I pushed my way past them.


    ¡°That ass belongs to my wife. Back the fuck off!¡± I growled, giving the guy that¡¯d spoken up a healthy shove before I broke through the circle that had formed around Frankie.


    Apparently I¡¯d be exceptionallyfortable with calling her that in the past eight hours.


    Hooking her around the waist, I pulled her back into me so her back was pressed to my front. She stiffened suddenly and stopped dancing.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me,¡± I whispered in her ear before she could break away. She instantly rxed, her body melting into mine as she began moving her hips to the beat again. I didn¡¯t do much dancing, instead opting to let her dance around me while I swayed back and forth and red at anyone that looked in her direction.


    ¡°Oh God, I love this song,¡± she eximed turning to face me once again. My hands snaked around her waist to rest low on her back. What I wouldn¡¯t have given in that moment to slide my hands lower and get a grip of that tight little ass.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. The beat was good but I had no idea what song it was. When I was overseas my unit had been split between metal and country; we didn¡¯t get a lot of dance music.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me,¡± she said, linking her hands behind my neck.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, my heart thundering in my chest at the words that I¡¯d prayed to heare from her lips for so long.


    ¡°The song, it¡¯s Please Don¡¯t Leave Me by Pink.¡±


    The song. Of course.


    I pulled her closer and we swayed together slowly while the song yed out. It wasn¡¯t a slow song but I didn¡¯t care. I just wanted to feel her body against mine. Her shirt had ridden up in the back, and I ran my thumb back and forth over the exposed skin there. It was so soft. Everything about her was soft and weing, and all I wanted to do was sink inside her and make her feel as good as she made me feel.


    ¡°Shh, we¡¯ll wake my neighbors!¡± she hissed as we stumbled up the stairs to her apartment.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one making all the noise,¡± Iughed when she dropped her keys for the second time. Scooping them up, I quickly unlocked the door and held it open for her.


    Frankie copsed onto the couch and struggled to pull off her boots, finally giving up and lifting her foot in my direction. ¡°A little help?¡±


    Her hair was syed out on the cushion and her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol or the cold-I didn¡¯t know which. She was beautiful, and I had her all to myself. I just wished I had the courage to finally make her mine. Taking her booted foot in my hand I slowly unzipped and pulled it off, letting it drop to the floor with a loud thud. I repeated the process with the other boot, never breaking eye contact with her.


    By the time I was done, my dick was rock hard. Getting to undress her, even if it was just her shoes, was the sexiest thing I¡¯d ever experienced. From the way her breaths wereing faster, I wasn¡¯t alone in that thought. Frankie stood from the couch and walked over to me slowly, almost as if she were unsure of what to do.


    Her fingertips were the first to make contact with me as she tentatively trailed them up my chest. I stood stock still. I didn¡¯t know what she wanted and I didn¡¯t want to misread the situation and make her ufortable. We¡¯d danced around our attraction to each other for years, but neither of us had ever taken it to that level, for different reasons I¡¯m sure.


    I should¡¯ve stopped her. I knew I should, but I didn¡¯t want to.


    My hands itched to feel her skin again, but I kept still, letting her take the lead and let me know how much and how far she wanted to go. If she wanted me like I wanted her, I¡¯d give it to her, no matter how much my mind screamed at me that I shouldn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t deny her anything.


    ¡°W-why aren¡¯t you touching me?¡± she asked quietly, so quietly that if I hadn¡¯t been straining to memorize every hitch in her breath, I wouldn¡¯t have caught it.


    ¡°Do you want me to touch you?¡± I asked, my voice rough with need and desperation.


    Turning her face up, she blinked those big brown eyes at me. ¡°Yes,¡± she said quietly, her voice just slightly trembling.


    I granted her request, taking her in my arms gently and letting my hands find that strip of bare skin on her back that I loved so much. Frankie still hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off of mine. She held me captive in her gaze as her hands wandered over my shoulders and around my neck where they syed at the back of my head. Her eyes fell to my lips and she wet her own before her gaze flicked back up to mine.


    ¡°I need you to tell me what you want, Franny. I don¡¯t want to get it wrong,¡± I admitted, giving her waist a squeeze.


    Her breath wasing in pants now, the pulse in her throat thumping along to the same beat as my own. ¡°I want you,¡± she whispered.


    All my self-control shredded hearing those words fall from her sweet lips. I brought a hand up to gently wrap around her throat, I could feel her pulse thrumming under my thumb-it was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.


    Lowering my head slowly I caught her lips, kissing her softly. I forced myself to go slow, enjoy every second, memorize every inch of her. I had no idea if I¡¯d ever get the chance to be with her again, so I had to burn every detail into my mind, so if this was the only time I got to be with her like this, I could remember it.


    She moaned when I slipped my tongue past her lips, deepening the kiss. My reaction was visceral, the hand on her throat flexed gently, eliciting another wanton moan from her, while my other arm brought her closer. My erection pressing urgently into her stomach, I swallowed her gasp as I picked her up and walked her into the bedroom.


    cing her at the foot of the bed, I took my time peeling each article of clothing off her. I slid her jacket off first, the buckles and studs nking against each other as they fell to the carpeted floor. Reluctantly, I tore my mouth away from hers, needing to be able to see her so I could believe it was actually happening, and I wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    Her breath hitched as my hands slid under her shirt and made their way up to take it off. I paused. I couldn¡¯t go any further until she told me it was okay. I didn¡¯t want her to regret this, but I was terrified to ask. I¡¯d been in more life or death situations than I could count, but I was paralyzed in fear that she¡¯d tell me this was a mistake.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°I need to hear the words, Franny,¡± I urged. I¡¯d never been this adamant with a woman before, but Frankie wasn¡¯t just any woman. She was my Franny. I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself if she wasn¡¯t all in with me.


    She smiled and raised an unsteady hand to my chest. ¡°I want this,¡± she said more firmly.


    ¡°Just promise me you¡¯ll tell me if you want to stop, okay?¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± she agreed and lifted her arms so I could continue removing her shirt.


    Following her lead, I slipped the soft fabric up and over her head. My mouth went dry when I saw thecey ck bra she wore underneath. I had to take a breath to calm my nerves because suddenly she wasn¡¯t the only one whose hands were trembling.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I said, slipping my fingers under the hook at her back and unsping her bra. I kissed a trail from her shoulder to her corbone as I slid the straps down her arms. Reaching behind my head, I pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the ground before capturing her mouth again. This time I didn¡¯t waste any time deepening the kiss. She whimpered, her nails digging deep into my shoulders as she pulled me closer.


    I pulled away again, but this time I dropped to my knees in front of her. Popping the button of her jeans free, I took my time to kiss the smooth skin of her stomach. I gently started to tug them down, my tongue darting out to lick across one of her hip bones. She shivered at the new sensation and her fingers raked over my head, trying to find purchase on my short hair as I finished removing the rest of her clothes.


    Standing up slowly, I lowered her to the bed and quickly pulled off my boots and shucked my jeans. I kissed over every inch of her skin I could get my lips on, my hands following the path my mouth made. I worshipped her, not wanting to miss the opportunity to show her how much I craved her.


    I didn¡¯t stop until she was spread out beneath me, her hair a messy halo framing her face and her body flushed with need. Her hands were all over me, caressing, and holding me where she wanted me. My body was on fire, every touch from her edging me closer to losing what self-control I had left.


    Sliding a hand down between us I strummed her clit a few times, swallowing her gasps. Moving further down I slid a single digit into her tight heat.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I groaned, feeling how she squeezed my one finger and imagining how tight she¡¯d be when I finally sunk into her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the ma-matter?¡± she asked on a moan as I added a second finger.


    ¡°Nothing baby,¡± I said, pumping my fingers. ¡°You¡¯re just tight as hell, and I need to make sure you¡¯re ready before I take you.¡±


    She whimpered; whether it was at my words or my ministrations, I didn¡¯t know. I continued to work her over, pressing my thumb to her clit as I maintained the steady rhythm of my fingers dragging in and out of her. Her legs started to shake and her back arched off the bed. She was close, but I stopped anyway. The frustrated growl she let out almost made meugh, but I was too busy sliding down the bed and between her legs. I wanted to feel here apart on my lips; I wanted to taste her desire while her screams echoed in my ears.


    Recing my thumb with my mouth Itched onto her clit and sucked hard. The sudden sensation had her calling out my name, begging me not to stop. Curling my fingers inside of her I rocked them back and forth as I continued tove at her clit. It didn¡¯t take long for her to break apart, her hands fisting the sheets at her sides as she cried out in pleasure.

 77

    I wiped my mouth on the sheet before crawling over her. A sense of pride bloomed in my chest as I watched her pant and whimper,ing down from her orgasm. I¡¯d done that; I¡¯d pushed her over the edge until she was sated and I was going to do it all over again.


    Picking up her hand I kissed the finger that wore the ring I¡¯d given her. She opened her eyes and her gaze automatically locked with mine. I trailed kisses up her arm, over her shoulder and along her neck until I reached the spot just under her ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous when youe,¡± I whispered hoarsely.


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re gorgeous when you make mee,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Iughed, leaning down to take her mouth again. I couldn¡¯t get enough of her soft lips; they were puffy with overuse but they were perfection. I¡¯d spent years wondering what her lips would taste like, and now that I was allowed I couldn¡¯t help myself. I had to kiss her.


    I situated myself between her thighs, skating a hand up her leg and over her hip, across her stomach and up between her breasts, finallying to rest over her heart. The contrast of my rough hands against her soft skin was mesmerizing. My hands looked so big on her tiny body. She was so small, I felt like I might break her if I wasn¡¯t careful.


    Lowering myself to my elbows, I hovered above her, my bodypletely eclipsing her small frame. Raising a hand, I brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her softly again. I positioned myself at her entrance and pushed forward just an inch. Her tight walls squeezed the head of my cock making me want to surge forward, but I held back, slowly rocking my hips back and forth and working myself into her a little at a time until she was able to take all of me.


    Once I was fully seated inside her, I paused, letting her adjust while I took a couple of steadying breaths. Her walls were fisting me so tightly it was almost ufortable and I felt like I was going to go off at any second if I didn¡¯t calm down.


    Before too long she started to gently pitch her hips forward in an effort to get some friction. Answering her silent plea, I began to move, slow at first and building to a steady rhythm, her gasps and shallow breaths spurring me on. I couldn¡¯t stop running my fingers over her neck, face, and through her hair; she felt like warm silk everywhere I touched.


    Bnced over her, my forearms on either side of her head, I kissed down the column of her throat, enjoying the vibrations from her moans as I moved inside of her. Frankie¡¯s hands slid over my slick skin, traveling over my shoulders, down my arms and back again, anywhere she could reach. She was learning my body, just as I had done to her earlier. It was as if we were both equally terrified that this would end, and we¡¯d be left with nothing but our memories.


    She started to pulse around me, which in turn, had the base of my spine tingling and my balls tightening before I was ready for it to be over. Sliding a hand between us I pressed my thumb to her clit, pulsing in time with every thrust.


    I surged forward, picking up my pace just as her pants bled into moans. Finally, I started to feel her body shudder beneath me, her moans getting louder. I drove into her faster and harder, chasing her to the edge as much as myself. As soon as I heard the high pitched keening of her release, I let go, stilling and spilling into her with a grunt.


    When I was finally able to catch my breath, I rolled us so she was syed out, half on me and half on the bed. We stayed quiet for a long while, we didn¡¯t speak. We didn¡¯t discuss what it meant or what would happen. We justid together, bodies intertwined, letting the silence speak for us until I rolled her over and started all over again.


    I groaned and turned my face away from the sunlight streaming in the room only to get a face full of coconut scented hair. Memories of the night before started to surface and I instinctually tightened the arm I had wrapped around Frankie¡¯s waist. I pulled her closer towards me, her back to my front and breathed in the scent of her warm skin.


    It took me a minute to realize that I¡¯d slept peacefully through the night. Hell, it was the first time in years that I hadn¡¯t woken up in a cold sweat with a thundering heart and visions of the things I¡¯d done dancing in my eyes. She¡¯d given me something that I never thought I¡¯d get again. She¡¯d quieted the demons and given me peace without even knowing it.


    I trailed my hand down her body. She was warm and pliable, and most importantly, still naked. Lifting her leg, I rested it on my own thigh, opening her up to me. My hand glided along her smooth skin until my fingers found her clit. She stirred as I began stroking her lightly, her body moving in time with my fingers.


    ¡°Mmm, good morning,¡± she murmured into the pillow.


    ¡°Morning,¡± I grumbled, kissing her shoulder.


    I yed with her for a few more minutes, kissing her neck and dipping my fingers into her wet heat before bringing them back up to rub her clit.


    ¡°More,¡± she pleaded, pushing her ass against my hard cock. I wasn¡¯t going to protest.


    Lifting her leg higher on my own, I positioned myself at her entrance and slid in on a groan. I heard her breath catch in her throat as I pushed fully into her. I took my time,zily pumping into her at a slow and steady rhythm. We moved together slowly, letting our bodies leisurely build towards climax. It was perfect. Our hips rocked together unhurriedly, until we both shuddered with our own release. We fit in every way. She was my home, where I belonged.


    I winced when I pulled out of her, feeling the loss of her around me all the way to my bones. Kissing her shoulder softly once more I rolled to my back, stretching out,pletely content. I wanted to hold onto that feeling but I wasn¡¯t sure how. Everything had been so intensest night as if neither of us could keep it bottled up for another second. But in the light of day, once the lustful haze of this morning¡¯s activities cleared, all the ramifications of what we¡¯d done snapped back to p me in the face.


    It wasn¡¯t just the two of us in a room together. There were other people to consider-our families-Eddie. Lead filled my stomach at the thought of him. He was my brother in every sense of the word, and I¡¯d have to find a way to make him understand because the alternative was not something I wanted to consider. There was no way we could go back to the way things had been; we¡¯d all but spoken the words as we made lovest night and this morning. Because that¡¯s exactly what it had been-love. I¡¯d worshiped her bodyst night and cherished it this morning. There was no denying my heart as I looked to the other side of the bed and took in her beauty-my wife.


    ¡°Frankie, we ne-¡± I started, wanting to ease any worry she may have, but she interrupted me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it awkward,¡± she said quickly, pushing out of my arms and sitting up in the bed.


    My heart shuddered, and I sat up. For some reason I didn¡¯t want to be lying down for this conversation if she wasn¡¯t with me; something told me it would put me at a disadvantage.


    ¡°Tha-¡± I started to respond, but once again she cut me off.


    ¡°Stop, really. I don¡¯t want to have this conversation, there¡¯s nothing to even talk about.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not,¡± I replied in a monotone voice, sounding much less like a question than I¡¯d meant it to. My stomach was sinking; the tion I¡¯d felt when I¡¯d first woke up quickly dissipating.


    ¡°Nope,¡± she agreed and then continued her rationalization without letting me respond. ¡°It was just built up sexual frustration. You¡¯ve been overseas and I¡¯ve been too busy with school to have any sort of social life. We¡¯re mature adults and it was just sex. It¡¯s not like it meant anything; we were just two friends scratching an itch.¡±


    Anger burned in my gut. She really didn¡¯t give a shit. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of vulnerability in her face. She was stone cold. I felt ice run through my veins, so apparently all the waxing-poetic shit running through my head a minute ago waspletely one-sided.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Right,¡± I nodded standing up and pulling on my jeans. ¡°Do me a favor?¡± I asked over my shoulder.


    ¡°Sure, what¡¯s up?¡± she asked adjusting the sheets around herself in an effort to cover up the body that I¡¯d just been inside. More than anything, that move infuriated me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep this under wraps; Eddie would be pissed,¡± I called out pulling my shirt over my head.


    ¡°Why would Eddie be pissed?¡± she asked slowly.


    ¡°Because we agreed neither of us would touch you, and obviously,¡± I said scanning her up and down, ¡°I did.¡± It was a dick move and I knew it, but her attitude pissed me off, and for a minute, I just wanted to make her feel as shitty as she¡¯d made me feel.


    Her mouth dropped open in shock for just a moment, then her eyes narrowed and she started to scream. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? You guys made an agreement like I was fucking property?¡±


    Shit.


    ¡°We just-¡±


    ¡°No! Fuck you, Enzo. Get the fuck out of my house!¡± she screamed, climbing from the bed and dragging the sheet along with her. She shrieked profanities at me while pushing me toward the front of the apartment.


    I turned around as soon as we¡¯d reached the front door, my pack having been unceremoniously shoved into my chest. ¡°Would you calm the fuck down?¡± I yelled over her.


    She went eerily silent. Squinting her eyes at me, her jaw locked down tight. ¡°Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House,¡± she gritted out in a deadly calm tone.


    I¡¯d seen pissed off Frankie, but this wasn¡¯t her. The woman in front of me was enraged; livid even, and that was fine by me. She¡¯d just taken something that I¡¯d been sure was real and made it out to be meaningless.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I barked out, flinging open the door and stomping noisily down the stairs towards my car.


    The drive back to Seattle was a blur, my mind racing over what I could have possibly misread. There was nothing, she waspletely with me, present for every move, she¡¯d wanted it just as bad as I had, but for some reason something had shifted for her in the light of day. Frankie had made our night together out to be a slip up, apse in judgment instead of our beginning.


    To her, I was a mistake.

 78

    Eddie


    Present


    The blood seeped out of her unmoving body and onto the concrete at an incredible rate, calming the chaos of my mind and thickening the metallic smell hanging in the air as the stain on the ground grew. I watched her tanned skin grow pale, her brown eyes hidden beneath her colorless eyelids. She was perfect, but when my eyes tracked up her lifeless form andnded on her hair, the buzzing started to build in my head again. It wasn¡¯t right.


    NO, NO, NO, NO! The hair isn¡¯t right. It has to be right!Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I took a step closer, then another, my breathing out in pants with the anxiety my thoughts caused, mixed with the anticipation of what I needed to do to fix it. Once I was standing over her prone body, I crouched down, lowering a gloved hand into the scarlet puddle. I could feel it¡¯s warmth through my glove, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I knew I shouldn¡¯t risk leaving any part of me here with her, but I had to know what her blood slicking my skin felt like.


    Ripping the glove off my right hand, I tossed it to the side before lowering to my knees and straddling her thighs. Leaning farther over her until I was hovering directly above her, being careful to brace my left hand outside of the pool of her blood.


    Slowly I let my ungloved hand slip into the thick, sticky fluid, excitement pulsing through my body at the sight of it against my skin. I rubbed my fingers together, closing my eyes at the satisfying slip and slide. It felt like stroking a piece of silk, and I was almost dizzy with the pleasure of it. I¡¯ve killed before, but never this close-never like I¡¯d dreamed and fantasized about for years.


    I wanted to take my time enjoying the feel of it, and the absence of the noise in my mind, but I didn¡¯t have the time. ncing around the dumpster towards the end of the alley, I confirmed we were still alone. The dingy alley I¡¯d forced her into was empty and silent; the dumpster blocked the light from the street, but the full moon hangingzily above the tall buildings glowed bright, allowing me to admire my handiwork. The only sound I could register was my own heavy breathing and the rapid thumping of my heart.


    The buzzing in my head was already starting to stir, my brief moment of peace slipping away from me. I needed to get out of there, but I had to make it right first. I couldn¡¯t leave her here unless it was right. Dipping my hand back into the pool of blood, I coated my hand before gently caressing her hair back away from her face. I continued to spread the bright red blood over the blonde strands, my movements growing more frantic as I found pieces that I¡¯d missed. It had to be right. She wasn¡¯t blonde. Her hair was red. It had to be red.


    Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. RED.


    I repeated it in my head until the word felt right, until her hair was saturated in her own lifeblood, until she was perfect. Standing up slowly, I stepped back, admiring my work and breathing in the heavy scent of her life that lingered around her for just a moment before I snatched up the previously discarded glove and headed for the street.


    Even as I walked to my car three blocks down, I knew that this sated feeling I had would pass and the cravings would w at me until I fed them. Already I was starting to feel the itch beneath my skin start to build; it wouldn¡¯t be long before I needed another.

 79

    Frankie


    Present


    ¡°Here, let me grab your bag,¡± Enzo said, reaching over me to retrieve the duffel-I¡¯d hurriedly packed-from the trunk.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I protested, but it came out more forceful than I¡¯d meant it to be. After all, I knew he was just trying to help, but everything that¡¯d happened today had set my nerves on edge, and thest thing I wanted was to be coddled. At one time I may have appreciated Enzo¡¯s fussing over me, but not anymore. I didn¡¯t want to depend on him or anyone else, they¡¯d just let me down.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, ¡°it¡¯s just¡­ I can do it myself, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Enzo said cautiously, eyeing me as I hoisted my bag from the back.


    He led me up the walk to a small house just outside of Seattle. I was suddenly struck with the realization of how much we¡¯d grown apart over the past six years. There was a time when we knew everything about each other, down to what kind of toothpaste the other preferred. I hadn¡¯t even known he¡¯d moved out of his apartment in the city, let alone bought a house. It broke my heart all over again knowing how close we had once been and how quickly it all fell apart.


    ¡°When did you get this ce?¡± I asked as he guided me through the front door.


    ¡°Few years back, not here much though,¡± he said offhandedly.


    He wasn¡¯t home often? Was he staying with someone else? Did Enzo have a girlfriend I didn¡¯t know about? I¡¯d have to look into his credit card statements and see if I could find something. I¡¯d forced myself not to use my skills to snoop through his life for the past several years, but I wasn¡¯t sure I could stop myself this time-not with the possibility of Enzo spending his time with another woman.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Enzo ordered, interrupting my thoughts.


    ¡°Stop what?¡± I asked, thoroughly confused. We hadn¡¯t even gotten up the small staircase to the main level of the house yet. I had no idea what I could have possibly done wrong already.


    ¡°I can see the gears turning in your head. I¡¯m not here often because I spend a lot of time either at the hotel in the city or at thepound.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I saidmely, I didn¡¯t have anything else to say in response. I couldn¡¯t argue that I wasn¡¯t thinking about where he was staying when he wasn¡¯t home. He knew me too well. We may not have discussed the finer points of our personal lives in the past few years, but Enzo still knew me better than anyone else. Time or distance didn¡¯t matter-not when someone knew your soul.


    ¡°And no, I¡¯m not seeing anyone,¡± he added under his breath as he took my bag and led me the rest of the way into the house.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask,¡± I snapped back, instantly cringing at my sharp tone. It made me sound defensive and gave way too much insight to my actual feelings on the subject.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to. I knew that¡¯s what you were wondering. Here, you can sleep in my room and I¡¯ll take the couch. Sorry it¡¯s not much, but I don¡¯t have a bed in any of the spare rooms or anything.¡±


    ¡°I can take the couch; it¡¯s your bed,¡± I argued, only for the sake of my own sanity. Even if I stripped off all the nkets and washed them, I knew as soon as I got into that bed I¡¯d be surrounded by his scent and I¡¯d never get any sleep.


    ¡°Franny, please don¡¯t fight me on this, okay?¡± He sounded exhausted. For the first time, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes-he wasn¡¯t sleeping. Maybe this whole stalker thing was wearing on him more than I¡¯d thought.


    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± I relented.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll let you get settled. I¡¯m going to order a pizza,¡± he said moving to leave the room.


    ¡°Hey, Enzo,¡± I called out after him.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he asked turning to me in the doorway.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°What I was thinking about¡­before,¡± I hedged, not wanting toe right out and admit I was curious about his romantic life, because I didn¡¯t have any right to be.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s what I would have been wondering if you¡¯d said something like that to me,¡± he said with a tight-lipped smile before heading back down the hallway from where we¡¯de.


    I watched his back until he disappeared around the corner. My nose started to tingle and hot tears pricked my eyes. No matter how angry I was with him, watching him walk away always broke my heart all over again. I was confused, angry even. What gave him the right to say something like that to me? He¡¯d made his choice a long time ago. Had he changed his mind? He wasn¡¯t allowed to change the rules on me like that.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Enzo¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind me, making me jump.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Dude, what the fuck? How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?¡± I yelled, swiveling around to give him a piece of my mind. But I stopped dead in my tracks. My throat was suddenly dry and I couldn¡¯t swallow. He was hanging in the doorway. At least it looked like that. His arms were raised above his head, his hands resting on the top of the doorframe as he leaned into the kitchen. He was shirtless-again. His tan skin taut against bulging muscle. His jeans were slung low on his hips revealing a happy trail that made me anything but. Remembering my annoyance, I flicked my eyes back to his face ready to read him the riot act only to see an infuriatingly sexy grin gracing his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m making dinner,¡± I snapped turning back to my chopping.


    ¡°Is there a special asion?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s been two solid weeks of pizza and takeout. I just wanted a decent home-cooked meal. I don¡¯t know how you can eat the way you do and still look like¡­¡± I trailed off, not wanting to finish my sentence and give him any more reason to keep that smug look on his face.


    ¡°Look like what?¡± he pressed, and if I knew anything about Enzo, it was that he was a persistent fucker and wasn¡¯t going to let it go.


    ¡°Healthy. With the way you eat, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not sporting a beer gut,¡± I said evenly, picking up the cutting board and dumping the onions in the pot.


    ¡°I work out,¡± he said simply.


    ¡°Mmm hmm,¡± I murmured looking around for the olive oil, finally finding it in the cupboard above the stove. ¡°Jesus, seriously who puts shit above the stove? It¡¯s like putting stuff in the cupboard above the fridge, only a giant can reach that high,¡± Iined straining to reach the bottle. Suddenly, he was at my back, one hand braced on my hip as he reached over my head and easily pulled the bottle down.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± he whispered in my ear as he ced the oil on the counter before stepping away. I instantly missed the warmth of his body pressed against mine. My skin broke out in goose bumps as I instinctively remembered another time when his body had been pressed against mine like that; except back then, there had been significantly less clothes involved. Bracing my hands against the counter I took a deep breath.

 80

    ¡°Don¡¯t do shit like that,¡± I said, my voice hard. Straightening I went back to the task at hand, pouring oil into the pan to saut¨¦ the onion for the sauce. If I kept moving, maybe he wouldn¡¯t see my hands shaking.


    ¡°Shit like what?¡± Enzo asked, leaning a hip on the counter beside me and crossing his arms over the broad ne of his chest.


    I red at him as I added the garlic to the pot, which just earned me a smirk. Having a giant, half-naked man in the kitchen while trying to cook was not as fun as it sounded. I worked around his bulk in silence while his eyes tracked my every move as I continued to build the sauce adding crushed tomatoes and spices.


    ¡°We ever going to talk about it?¡± Enzo asked peering over my shoulder as I stirred the sauce.


    ¡°Talk about what?¡±


    ¡°About what happened,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re referring to,¡± I hedged for what felt like the millionth time. I didn¡¯t know what exactly he wanted to talk about, but I could bet that it was something I most definitely did not want to discuss. ¡°Please move. I need to start on the meatballs,¡± I said grabbing a bowl and dumping ingredients in with more force than necessary.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Enzo sighed heavily, ¡°About everything. Hell, about anything. We haven¡¯t talked about anything important in years!¡±


    My head whipped around towards him. ¡°Aren¡¯t I the woman here? I¡¯m the one that¡¯s supposed to want to ¡®talk¡¯-not you,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°How very modern of you,¡± Enzo deadpanned, and I couldn¡¯t help it, but Iughed.


    ¡°The past is the past, Enzo. I¡¯d rather just leave it there, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I do mind. I¡¯m sick of acting like we barely know each other when we¡¯re the two people in the world that know each other the best. I want to be able to talk to you and not worry about what I say,¡± he urged.


    ¡°So you want to move on?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. I just want us to get back to normal. It¡¯s been a long time. You can¡¯t possibly still be mad at me.¡±


    I froze, my hands stilling in the bowl as a lump formed in my throat. My nose started to tingle, but I sniffed and squeezed my eyes shut willing the tears back. After a moment, I cleared my throat and whispered, ¡°I was never mad; I was hurt.¡±


    Enzo¡¯s eyebrows mmed down over his eyes, ¡°What?¡± he asked incredulously.


    ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said firmly, shaking his head emphatically from side to side.


    ¡°Excuse me? No?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. That is bullshit! In case time has warped your memory, I¡¯ll give you a refresher. You threw me out of your apartment. You didn¡¯t want anything to do with me when I got back. Not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°You promised someone that you wouldn¡¯t be with me. You humiliated me, and you left me,¡± I said moving to the sink to wash my hands.


    ¡°You threw me out!¡±


    ¡°I was upset. We¡¯d just spent the night together, and then you told me you¡¯d already promised Eddie that you¡¯d never be with me so we had to keep it to ourselves!¡± I rallied back.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that said we were scratching an itch. You¡¯re the one that acted so fucking callous. What the fuck was I supposed to do? You acted like it was fucking nothing-like I meant nothing!¡± he roared, backing me into the counter.


    Tears sprang to my eyes. I hated that just being around him caused every one of my emotions to hover at the surface, waiting for the absolute worst time to make an appearance.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t nothing,¡± I whispered, my voice cracking on thest word.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. All I knew was that I had to think of something to protect myself, because you¡¯d just ripped my fucking heart out and shit all over it!¡±


    I reared back, my face a mask of shock. He was still looming over me, panting with the effort of barely-controlled rage. My head spun and my vision tilted sideways.


    You¡¯d just ripped my fucking heart out and shit all over it.


    You¡¯d just ripped my fucking heart out.


    It was like someoneing to you and telling you that the color you¡¯d always known as blue was actually yellow. For the past six years, I¡¯d held on to one truth: Enzo never wanted more. He¡¯d never loved me like I loved him. But now, the same man was standing in front of me telling me that I broke his heart. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°I tried to call you,¡± I blurted out. ¡°After, I mean. I wrote to you, I called, and nothing. Why?¡±


    ¡°I needed time,¡± he said evenly.


    ¡°And I needed you,¡± I whispered, pushing away from the counter and forcing him to take a step back. I wanted to run, I wanted to take off and find somewhere to hide out, but I couldn¡¯t; he¡¯d just follow me. So instead, I did what I did best. I pretended.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± he askeding to stand directly behind me at the stove.

 81

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. Back up. It¡¯s hot and you¡¯re not wearing a shirt,¡± I warned as I put the first few meatballs into the pan to brown.


    At the pop and sizzle of the oil Enzo backed up a step but he was like a dog with a bone and just wouldn¡¯t fucking let it go.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked softly. ¡°Obviously I did something, otherwise you would¡¯ve forgiven me by now. I want to fix it. Just tell me so I can fix it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something you can fix!¡± I yelled. My nerves were frayed at the ends and every time he opened his mouth, it felt like a shock to my system.


    ¡°What happened? Tell me what the fuck happened!¡± he shouted back.


    ¡°Nothing! Absolutely nothing changed, everything stayed exactly the fucking same. You left, like you always do.¡±


    He reared back as if I¡¯d pped him. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Well, in case you haven¡¯t gotten the memo yet, life¡¯s not fair.¡±


    ¡°I was in the military. I couldn¡¯t just go AWOL because you wanted me to stay home.¡±


    ¡°What about after you got out? You didn¡¯t have to go back overseas; that was a choice.¡±


    ¡°It was the only job that I had experience doing. I had to make money, Frankie. I didn¡¯t hear youining about it when your tuition came due.¡±


    It was my turn to be shocked. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised though; they say that the people you love the most have the power to hurt you the worst, and from the pain his words caused, I¡¯d say they were right.


    ¡°I never asked you to do that; you offered,¡± I gritted out.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± he screamed and paced the length of the kitchen, his hands rubbing angrily over his head. After a fewps he came back to stand next to me. ¡°Franny, I didn¡¯t mean it. I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    I sighed, suddenly exhausted from bleeding out all our old wounds. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Can we just stop talking about this shit, please?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for now,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°Enzo, there isn¡¯t anymore-¡± I started but he cut me off.


    ¡°There is. I¡¯m not going to stop until we talk this all out. I can¡¯t live like this anymore. I can¡¯t have you so close and still feel like we¡¯re a million miles apart. But for now, let¡¯s take a break and enjoy dinner, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said, closing my eyes, already weary for the part of the conversation that hadn¡¯t even begun.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    After dinner, Enzo insisted that I go sit down while he cleaned up. It didn¡¯t take much persuasion on his part. After the emotional hurricane we¡¯d gone through earlier I was exhausted. I slumped on the leather couch and clicked on The Avengers. I¡¯d seen the movie a hundred times but I never got sick of watching it. It seemed like a good choice since I was wearing myic book panel leggings, sporting a riot of different heroes in different situations.


    I was a nerd, there was no getting around it. I¡¯d embraced it long ago. It¡¯s hard not to notice the difference between you and other girls your age when you¡¯d rather spend all your time ying with yourputer and watching crime-fighting aliens in spandex than go to the mall and make up dance routines. By the time I¡¯d got around to realizing that I actually enjoyed some of the ¡®normal¡¯ stuff girls my age did, I¡¯d alreadybeled myself a nerd and just kind of went with it. I liked not having to fit into a box. I could wear or do whatever I wanted and no one blinked an eye because I was the weird one.


    In college things got easier, being a nerd was actually considered a fairly good thing, since being smart was far more important than it had been in high school. Since I was aputer engineer major I was surrounded by people just like me, and being the sole female in apletely male-dominated program made me fairly popr, something that I enjoyed far less than I¡¯d expected.


    I was so distracted by my inner musings that I hadn¡¯t noticed Enzoe into the room until he picked up my legs and sat himself on the couch before cing my feet across his thighs. My body immediately tensed at the contact.


    ¡°Are you going to keep staring at the TV all night or are you going to talk to me?¡±


    I sighed, turning to face him. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to talk.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve said. what do you want to talk about?¡± I asked, my words clipped as I drew my legs off hisp and adjusted myself so I was sitting up.


    ¡°How about how you turned to fucking stone when I touched you. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s up with that. I just didn¡¯t want to be touched.¡±


    ¡°But you were never like that before; you were practically clingy,¡± his voice rising in frustration.


    ¡°Clingy?¡± I asked through gritted teeth. If this was his way of trying to get me to open up to him, he was failing miserably.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that and you know it. It¡¯s just you never used to be bothered by me touching you. If I remember correctly there was a time when you seemed to really like it.¡±


    ¡°Bringing that up is not going to make things better.¡±


    ¡°So what, we¡¯re just going to continue to pretend it never happened? Are you seriously okay with that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not. Jesus, Frankie, we can¡¯t just erase our past; it doesn¡¯t work like that. I¡¯ve spent thest six years wondering where the fuck things went so fucking wrong and hoping like hell we¡¯d somehow find a way to fix it. I finally have you alone where you can¡¯t run and you¡¯ve still been throwing up walls and mming doors for weeks. What¡¯s it going to take?¡±


    I blinked at him. He wanted to fix things? He¡¯d been thinking about it for the past six years? My stomach started to churn as his confession started to sink in.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything before?¡±


    ¡°I tried, but you avoided me like the gue when I came back. I¡¯d almost lost hope that you¡¯d ever have a real conversation with me again, and then¡­¡± he trailed off.


    ¡°Then what?¡± I prompted. I wasn¡¯t about to let him off that easy.


    ¡°After the explosion at the warehouse, when we were at Michael and Pauline¡¯s, you came bursting into that room like a tidal wave. It was the first time in years I¡¯d seen you look at me like you cared.¡±


    ¡°Of course I cared. What the fuck is wrong with you? You almost died; Eddie did die. What makes you think that I wouldn¡¯t have cared?¡±


    ¡°Can you really me me? You hadn¡¯t strung two sincere words together towards me in six years. Hell, you hadn¡¯t willingly touched me in six years, and all of a sudden I¡¯mid up and youe busting in, tears in your eyes and you crawl into bed with me.¡±


    ¡°I was upset,¡± I said, as if it exined everything. He was right of course. I¡¯d spent years avoiding physical contact with him; it just hurt too much to feel his skin on mine and have it not mean the same thing as it once did.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± he replied, clearing his throat. He was thinking about Eddie, he always got quiet when someone brought him up.


    ¡°I miss him too. I know it¡¯s probably wrong to say, but I miss the old Eddie, the one from when we were kids. When we all grew up, he got, he just didn¡¯t¡­ God, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, and we both sat in silence for a long while before he spoke again. ¡°Can you forgive me?¡± he asked, his eyes trained on his legs stretched out and propped up on the coffee table.


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re asking me to forgive?¡±


    ¡°Everything I guess, for being an asshole, for not calling, for leaving?¡± he said, thest one more of a question than an apology.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You were my best friend, then you left. You¡¯d always been there to protect me, then you were just gone. I didn¡¯t know how to be by myself; you never taught me.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t alone. Eddie was still there. I made him promise to take care of you before I left.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t really work out that way. As soon as you were gone, so was he.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you have to understand that it was my only option at the time,¡± he pleaded.


    ¡°God, I sound like such a pussy!¡± I growled through the tears that had started to spill down my cheeks.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I¡¯m not that girl; I¡¯m not pathetic and helpless. But you made me that way and then you took off and I had to figure out how to be apletely different person. You ripped the security nket away, and while I¡¯m thankful for it in hindsight, it doesn¡¯t make what I went through any easier.¡±


    ¡°Did, did something happen?¡± he asked, the fear on his face clear.


    ¡°No, God no, nothing like that. I was just lonely.¡±


    He breathed out harshly and nodded once, ¡°Thank God.¡±


    Iughed bitterly. ¡°Yeah. Look, I forgave you for that a long time ago. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. I guess we just never talked about it before.¡±


    He gave me a pointed look and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°What else?¡± he asked.


    Well that¡¯s not a loaded question.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit. You were fine after I came back, then when I came to visit you, things changed.¡±


    I snorted. I couldn¡¯t help it, but it was the understatement of the fucking century. ¡°Yeah, things changed. You were a fucking dick.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. You acted like I was some drunken mistake. What the fuck was I supposed to do?¡± he asked, angercing his words.


    ¡°I was giving you an out,¡± I said turning wide eyes onto him. He had to realize I was just ying it cool.


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t need or want one,¡± he said staring right back at me. The expression on his face was so intense I had to look away.


    ¡°I thought you did,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking joking,¡± he said quickly moving to his knees on the floor in front of me. We were face to face now, and I couldn¡¯t avoid looking at him.


    ¡°Jesus, Frankie. When we were kids all I wanted to do was be around you. You were my best friend, too, and I wanted you around just as much as you wanted me. When I left, you were still just a kid. Then when I came back from my first tour-fuck! You weren¡¯t a kid anymore, but I was still enlisted and I knew I had to go back. Then there was Eddie.¡±


    ¡°What about Eddie?¡± I asked the question I¡¯d been wondering about for years.


    ¡°You remember my homing party after my first tour?¡± he asked, as if I could ever forget.


    ¡°When Eddie came up to find me and we were in the hallway,¡± I said, beginning to understand.


    ¡°After you went downstairs he told me that he was interested in you. We agreed that we would both back off. Mostly I just wanted him not to try anything while I was gone. Even then, I knew that I¡¯d have a hard time staying away from you.¡±


    ¡°You made it seem like- ¡±


    ¡°I know what I made it seem like, and yeah I was being a dick. I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± he said looking down at our joined hands in myp. I hadn¡¯t even realized he¡¯d grabbed them when he was talking.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± I echoed his words from before. There were a lot of things we were both sorry about. The regrets of our past hung heavy in the air.


    ¡°So after that night, when you threw me out, I just kind of shut it down. I needed time to get over you,¡± he said, his words slicing through my already battered and bleeding heart.


    ¡°Right,¡± I said pulling my hands out from under his.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said gently, reaching for my hands again. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it worked.¡±


    Hope bloomed in my chest, and the tears that had been slowly leaking out before started to pour down my cheeks unchecked.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Franny, no. How could it? There¡¯s no amount of time that could erase what I felt for you-what I still feel for you.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I started to reply but he cut off my words with a hard kiss.


    One minute my heart was breaking, and the next it was so full of something I couldn¡¯t even exin. I felt like it would explode. My body lit up at the feeling of his firm lips on my own tear-softened ones. His arms snaked around my waist and I clung to his shoulders, eager to get as close as possible. I had to feel his skin against mine, soak it all up just in case it wasn¡¯t real. I¡¯d hung onto the memories of our night together for all those years, and if I was getting another shot to make them again, I was going to take it. Fear be damned, I needed him.


    I got a distinct sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when he picked me up off the couch and walked me back to his bedroom. It felt like we were getting a do-over, and this time, maybe-just maybe-we¡¯d get a happy ending.


    ¡°Enzo,¡± I said as he set me on the bed, finally breaking our kiss. I began to shake as he started stripping my clothes off.


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve got you,¡± he murmured, pulling off my top and revealing a simple purple bra. His eyes didn¡¯t focus on my barely covered breasts though. Instead they were locked on what hung between them.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± I breathed out the question, unable to make my voice sound normal.


    ¡°We¡¯re starting again,¡± he said, lifting the gold band that hung on a chain around my neck and kissing it once before letting it fall back into ce.


    ¡°Starting what?¡±


    ¡°Us,¡± he said firmly. I waited for him to borate, but he just leaned in and kissed me again. All my questions faded away to the back of my mind as heid me out and his hands began to wander.


    His movements were slow, methodical. He kissed every part of my skin he could reach, his hands zing a trail for his mouth. I let myself enjoy the feel of him all around me, taking my time tomit every inch of his body to my memory as he reacquainted himself with mine.


    My whole body trembled when he finally pushed into me and we both panted with the intensity of it all. He didn¡¯t let my eyes wander from his, and we watched each other as we moved together. Every roll of his hips and graze of his fingers was calcted and timed precisely to have my heart racing and a steady throb pulsing between my legs.


    I called out his name on a moan as I shuddered my release, finally letting my body soften beneath his just as he found his own climax. His heavy body nketed me and the tears came back full force. Only this time, they weren¡¯t brought on by the dark cloud of despair that I usually felt after sex. Instead, I felt relieved. I felt safe for the first time in years.


    We spent hours wrapped up in each other, apologizing and making promises with our bodies that our voices didn¡¯t have the courage to make yet.

 82

    Present


    For the second time, and hopefully not thest, I woke up with the woman I loved stered to my side. Being with her again felt right. I had missed her, but I didn¡¯t realize how much until I finally got her in my arms again.


    There were still things we needed to figure out, but we had time. I wasn¡¯t going anywhere and I sure as hell wasn¡¯t letting her go again. We needed to find out who the stalker was and be done with it.


    Iid in the morning sun staring at the ceiling and racking my brain for clues about who this guy could be, and the same as every other time, I came up with nothing. I was missing something; I just didn¡¯t know what. Maybe there was something she hadn¡¯t thought to tell us about. There had to be something this guy left behind, a clue to who he was, no one was a ghost.


    Frankie stirred next to me and I shifted to get a better look at her.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I said smiling down at her.


    ¡°What time is it,¡± she asked groggily.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got time before we have to get up,¡± I said reaching for her.


    ¡°I asked you what time it was, not whether we had time for round three,¡± she grumbled into the pillow.


    Apparently I haven¡¯t fucked the snark out of her yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s six, and it would be round four, not three.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot. You should probably try harder next time,¡± she said propping her head up with a hand.


    I growled andunched myself at her, rolling us both so she was pinned beneath me. She screamed and pretended to struggle but she wasughing so hard it wasn¡¯t much of a fight before I had her wrists caught in my much bigger hands above her head.


    ¡°Try harder, huh?¡± I teased, running my nose up the length of her neck before kissing the spot just below her ear and making her squirm.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she breathed. ¡°You¡¯re just kind of rusty; I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get better.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Is that why I had you screaming my name-what was it-five or six timesst night?¡± I asked securing her wrists in one hand so the other could roam her body.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at f-faking,¡± she stumbled on thest word, still trying to keep up the charade as my free hand hitched her knee up around my hip.


    ¡°Liar. I know your body better than you do. You couldn¡¯t fool me if you tried,¡± I whispered, my words ghosting over her breast before I dipped my head and took one peak into my mouth.


    Frankie let out a cross between a squeak and a moan, arching her back and pushing herself closer to me. ¡°Kind of cocky, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I groaned, releasing her nipple. ¡°Confident, not cocky,¡± I said before rolling off her and climbing out of the bed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked sitting up. Her hair was a nest of tangles around her face, ck makeup smudged beneath her eyes. She looked like a mess, but she was still beautiful. It almost made me want to crawl back into bed and show her just how well I knew her body. Almost.


    ¡°We have to get ready for work,¡± I said with a smirk and started towards the bathroom.


    ¡°Cocksucker,¡± she muttered just before I felt a pillow hit the back of my head.


    Iughed and chucked the pillow back at her. ¡°Afterst night, I¡¯m pretty sure that title belongs to you,¡± I called over my shoulder, making it into the bathroom just in time to escape the next pillow being hurled my way.


    I flipped on the tap in the shower and waited for it to heat up as I pulled a towel from the cab. When I turned back to the shower I caught Frankie¡¯s backside just as she slipped into the ss stall before closing the door.


    ¡°Thanks for heating up the water for me,¡± she called out, and I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Things were okay. There wasn¡¯t any of the awkwardness that had been there before; it was just us. Myughter died in my throat when I saw her silhouette arch to wet her hair through the frosted ss. Before I even registered what I was doing, I pulled open the door and slipped in behind her.


    So much for making her wait for it.


    ¡°Dinner two nights in a row? I could get used to this,¡± I saiding up behind her to see what she was cooking.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she said, pping my hand away when I made to pluck a tomato out of the sd bowl.


    ¡°I wanted to talk to you about something,¡± I said trying to keep my voice from giving away my nervousness. We hadn¡¯t talked about itst night and I was suddenly terrified.


    ¡°You with the talking,¡± she teased with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°I need you to be serious for a second,¡± I said turning her to face me. Her eyebrows knit in confusion and a little frown pulled at the corners of her mouth.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Last night, we didn¡¯t. I mean, I didn¡¯t use anything. I guess I just want to know¡­¡± I trailed off. I¡¯d never had to have the conversation before because I¡¯d never forgotten protection, but with Frankie it hadn¡¯t even urred to me.


    I clocked the moment she realized what I was asking because her jaw clenched and her eyes went hard.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine, I¡¯m covered,¡± she said turning back to the stove.


    What the hell?


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said gently guiding her back towards me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied, giving me a thin smile before her eyes wandered to anything and everything but my face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not nothing. Something¡¯s bothering you,¡± I said, taking her chin and forcing her gaze back to me.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t think about it either. Kind of unbelievable actually,¡± she scoffed.


    ¡°It was intense-not a lot of time to think-but I¡¯m clean just so you know,¡± I said hesitantly. I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on in that head of hers but I wanted to give her whatever peace of mind I could.


    Sheughed. ¡°Yeah I didn¡¯t doubt that, but either way it¡¯s toote now. We can fill our penicillin prescriptions together. Maybe the pharmacy offers a twofer.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, rx. We¡¯re all good. Now for the real question,¡± she said looking straight at me with a serious expression.


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°Mashed potatoes or rice with your chicken?¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± I breathed out, shaking my head at her antics.


    Sheughed and turned me around by the shoulders. ¡°Now go take a shower while I finish dinner. You¡¯re all sweaty from your workout.¡±


    ¡°I thought you liked me sweaty?¡± I asked as she gave me a shove in the direction of the hallway.


    ¡°I do, just not when I¡¯m eating.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a joke in there somewhere,¡± I called out and ducked into the hallway before she had a chance to throw something at my head.


    That night Iid awake reying in my head our conversation from earlier. Something had bothered her, and despite my efforts she wouldn¡¯t tell me what it was. Just kept brushing it off as nothing, but there was something she wasn¡¯t saying, I just didn¡¯t know what it was.

 83

    Age 20


    6 years earlier¡­


    I¡¯d messed up. I acted like an immature idiot. I was trying to make things easier for both of us by just brushing it off, acting like it was no big deal, but it just blew up in my face. For weeks, I reyed the look on his face when I¡¯d told him it was ¡®just sex,¡¯ and the way his expression went from confused topletely nk in the blink of an eye. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized it was the wrong thing to say, but it was toote to take it back.


    The way he looked at me-I couldn¡¯t get it out of my head-like I was something stuck to the bottom of his boot. Then him exining how he and Eddie had negotiated over me like I was a toy that they couldn¡¯t agree to share, so they put it where neither of them could have it. I hadn¡¯t realized how easy it was for the person you loved to make you feel worthless.


    It was as if the butterflies, that I felt every time I heard his voice or read one of his letters, had turned to lead, sinking into a tight ball in the pit of my stomach. I¡¯d pushed him out of my life in a fit of anger and embarrassment and he¡¯d heeded my words,pletely disengaging. I¡¯d tried to call, sent texts, emailed, and nothing. Every attempt I made to contact him went unanswered.


    I was still pissed that he¡¯d treated me the way he had, but as angry as I¡¯d been when he left, I knew that I couldn¡¯t stay mad forever. We¡¯d been through so much together, and I couldn¡¯t imagine any version of my reality where he wasn¡¯t a part of my life. I decided to give him time to sort through everything that had happened between us. God knew I needed it. Eventually we would get over the awkwardness and get back to the way things had always been.


    ¡°Nothing will ever be the same again,¡± I whispered into the silence. I was sitting on the edge of the tub staring at a little stic stick that had the power to change everything.


    When I waste, I told myself over and over that I was smart and things like this just didn¡¯t happen to smart girls; there had to be a mistake. I never forgot to take my pill-ever. This kind of thing only happened to girls who were careless and key, not girls like me. I wasn¡¯t even twenty-one yet, I didn¡¯t know how to be a mom, I didn¡¯t even feel like an adult yet.


    I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity and denial for an hour before I picked up my phone and tried calling him for the hundredth time since he¡¯d left my apartment three weeks ago. I mentally willed him to answer, hoping somehow he would know that I needed him and decide to pick up. It didn¡¯t work. As ast resort, I dialed the number I¡¯d memorized when I was eight, my hand shaking as I listened to it ring out. Finally, the line picked up and a familiar voice greeted me.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Frankie,¡± I said, my voice shaky.


    ¡°Oh, sweetheart, is everything okay?¡± Marce asked, worry in her tone. Must¡¯ve been mother¡¯s intuition or something, but I wasn¡¯t about to pour my heart out to his mother before I even had a chance to talk to him about my situation.


    Our situation.


    I had to remind myself that I wasn¡¯t alone. Just because I couldn¡¯t get a hold of Enzo didn¡¯t mean he would let me go through this by myself once he knew.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied. ¡°I just can¡¯t get a hold of Enzo and I was hoping¡­¡± I trailed off, not knowing what I had been hoping for.


    ¡°Oh, I, umm. He didn¡¯t tell you?¡±


    The ball of lead in my stomach grew heavier. ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    I heard her take a deep breath before she spoke. ¡°He leftst week. He¡¯s in the Middle East somewhere, not sure where but you know he can¡¯t tell us that sort of thing. Security and all that,¡± she rambled.


    The tears I¡¯d been holding back broke through and a sob escaped my lips before I had a chance to muffle it. He¡¯d left. He didn¡¯t even say goodbye. He just left-again.


    ¡°Frankie? Honey, are you okay?¡± Marce asked again, her voice strained with concern.


    I cleared my throat and sniffed, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my sweatshirt as if having a tear free face would make me sound more convincing when the next lie came tumbling through my lips.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. We¡¯ve been missing each other¡¯s calls. I¡¯m sure he left a message telling me how to contact him. I¡¯ve just been too busy to check them. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure.¡±


    ¡°I am. Thanks for letting me know,¡± I said quickly.


    ¡°Are you sure- ¡±


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine. I promise. Listen, I¡¯ve got ss in twenty minutes, and I have to go.¡±


    ¡°All right, love you,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Love you too, bye,¡± I said hurriedly and disconnected before she had a chance to say anything else. I quickly turned off my phone. Marce was surely already dialing my mom¡¯s number, and she¡¯d be calling to check on me in a matter of minutes. I couldn¡¯t deal with lying to her right now-I¡¯d fall apart.


    It took me four weeks to pluck up the courage to make a doctor¡¯s appointment. It was just a technicality really. I knew I was pregnant, but just the thought of another person knowing before Enzo did made me feel physically sick. Or maybe that was morning sickness, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    The paper on the exam table crinkled under my thighs as I ufortably shifted, trying to getfortable while I waited for the doctor. I was surprised when the nurse asked me to take my clothes off and put on a gown. I¡¯d thought they would just have me pee in a cup or take some blood and that would be that. I wasn¡¯t expecting an exam. My heart thundered in my chest as I looked around the room. There was a 3D model of a baby inside the womb and several posters that depicted the progression of pregnancy. My head started to spin with thoughts of how the fuck something that big was going toe out of me.


    My panic was interrupted by a quick knock on the door. It opened and a middle-aged woman, with blonde hair tied into a tight bun at the base of her neck, walked in. She smiled as she came to sit on the stool in front of theputer.


    ¡°Hello, Francesca. My name is Dr. Decker.¡±


    ¡°Frankie. Please, call me Frankie,¡± I said, my voice wobbly with nerves.


    ¡°Okay. So Frankie, ording to the urine test, you are, in fact, pregnant,¡± she said simply, as if she hadn¡¯t just confirmed the end of my life as I knew it. I stared at my hands in myp, unable to meet her eye.


    ¡°From your reaction,¡± she continued, ¡°I assume it wasn¡¯t nned?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I whispered, shaking my head.


    ¡°I see. Have you thought about your options?¡± she asked gently.


    My head snapped up. ¡°No,¡± I said again, my voice stronger this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t options. Not for me.¡±


    Her brow furrowed. ¡°Frankie, honey, only you can make this decision. I¡¯m just here to make sure you have all the information you need to make it, okay?¡±


    I gave her a tight-lipped smile. ¡°I know. Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m having it, the b-baby that is.¡±


    She smiled kindly. ¡°All right, so why don¡¯t we get a picture of your baby?¡±


    ¡°Picture? You can do that? Already, I mean?¡±


    Sheughed. ¡°Yes. Why don¡¯t you lie back and put your feet in these,¡± she said, pulling up the stirrups from the end of the table. She must have seen the confused look on my face because she continued. ¡°At this stage the only way to get a picture is with an internal sonogram.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± I asked, still not understanding.


    ¡°We insert this wand,¡± she said, holding up something that looked more like a dildo than a medical instrument. ¡°And the head here is ced up against your cervix. That¡¯s the only way to get a clear picture when the fetus is this small.¡±


    That sounded like torture, but I really wanted to see what it looked like so I just nodded andid back as she rolled what looked like a condom over the wand. I decided it was best if I didn¡¯t watch what she was doing and instead tried to make out shapes in the tiled ceiling while she worked.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s the father, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± I didn¡¯t like the way she made it sound like she already knew the answer before I spoke, like she¡¯d alreadye to some foregone conclusion about my situation just because I was young. Not that it wouldn¡¯t have been right; but still, it rubbed me the wrong way.


    ¡°My husband is overseas, private security,¡± I said without thinking. It was true anyways. She didn¡¯t know that I hadn¡¯t actually spoken to him since the conception of this little tadpole.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said surprised.


    Neither of us said anything else for a long while as she got everything prepped and calibrated the machine. My face burned with embarrassment and difort as she positioned the wand.


    So not the doctor visit I was expecting.


    ¡°There we go,¡± she said as a whooshing sound echoed from the machine.


    ¡°That¡¯s the heartbeat and you can see the baby right there,¡± she exined, pointing to a blob on the screen. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re measuring at right about seven weeks which puts your due date at January fourth.¡±


    A stubborn tear leaked out of my eye as I listened to the galloping beat and stared at what was apparently my baby.


    My baby.


    Fuck, I was going to be a mother. Enzo was going to be a father. My stomach tightened at the thought. He was on the other side of the world doing God knows what, and he had no idea. I¡¯d tell him, of course-just as soon as he returned one of my calls.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll print out some pictures for you to take home,¡± she said, pulling me from my thoughts.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered and tried to discreetly wipe my eyes.


    I left the doctor¡¯s office with four ck and white blotchy pictures of my baby and the first smile I¡¯d felt in weeks pulling at my lips. It was short lived because as I drove home the thought that he might think I got pregnant on purpose to trap him had me spinning into a full-blown panic. It had never urred to me that he might not be happy about the situation. For some reason, my fear had overshadowed any thoughts of his reaction. The more I thought about it, the more I worried about his reaction.


    What if he thought he had to make right by me? We¡¯re already married, what if he wanted to be with me? Would it only be for the baby?


    The idea that he would choose to be with me just because I was pregnant had bile rising in my throat. I didn¡¯t want to trap him, and no matter what he said, I would always wonder if that was the real reason. No, we couldn¡¯t be together. As much as I wanted it, I couldn¡¯t bear the thought that he¡¯de to resent me. We could just be friends, like before.


    Friends could raise a baby together without hating each other, right?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the doctor said, her eyes soft and full of sympathy.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I felt my heart crack in two, I actually felt it. All the air left my lungs and my vision blurred with tears.


    No, this can¡¯t be happening. I did everything right.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked, my voice hoarse with emotion.


    ¡°I wish I could tell you. Sometimes the pregnancy just isn¡¯t viable and your body rejects the embryo. It¡¯s nothing you did, sometimes it just happens.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I could hear the desperation in my own voice. Maybe it was a mistake. If she would just check again, she¡¯d see that she was wrong the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. There isn¡¯t a heartbeat. I¡¯m so sorry, Frankie.¡±


    I shut my eyes and turned away from her pitying expression. I didn¡¯t want or need her pity. It had only been two weeks since I¡¯did on this same table and she¡¯d printed off pictures of my baby. They had been tears of joy then. Now all I felt was sorrow, deep in my bones. I wanted to die. It was my fault. My body had rejected my baby. I couldn¡¯t even begin to process that.


    Enzo.


    I hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to tell Enzo yet, and now the baby was gone. I¡¯d started to get used to the idea of being a mother just to have it ripped away from me without any reasonable exnation. It wasn¡¯t fair, none of this was fair.


    ¡°Do you want me to call someone? There are some things we need to go over before you leave, but you probably shouldn¡¯t be alone right now,¡± the doctor said, cing a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Are you sure? A friend, maybe?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone. It¡¯s fine. Just tell me what I need to do.¡±


    She sent me home with a prescription, except this time it wasn¡¯t for prenatal vitamins. I was supposed to take a pill that would help ¡®move things along¡¯ since it could take weeks for my body to naturally dissolve the pregnancy. She said it would be a good idea to have someone with me when I took it since the drug could cause severe cramping and it would be an ¡¯emotional experience.¡¯ She¡¯d actually said that, like I wasn¡¯t already having an ¡¯emotional experience.¡¯


    Even the pharmacist gave me a sympathetic smile when I filled my prescription. It was as if I couldn¡¯t escape it. The doctor had been unnervingly detached. The fact that she didn¡¯t call it a baby anymore didn¡¯t escape my notice. She kept using words like embryo and referring to it as ¡®the pregnancy.¡¯ It made me want to scream.


    When I got home, I put on a pair of pajama pants and the sweatshirt Enzo gave me when I was fourteen, needing thefort of it. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat on the couch staring at the little pill in my hand. Taking it would mean that it was real. I stifled a sob, willing myself to keep it together for just a little bit longer. I took a deep breath and popped the pill into my mouth, chugging half the bottle of water to wash it down.


    Then, I cried. I curled up on the couch and let everything wash over me. It was real. My baby was gone, and the only person in the world I wanted with me wasn¡¯t even returning my calls.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!