Revenge. Hired hits. A way to get to the parents, like this mother suspected with the death of her son.
And yet, somehow, my family always seemed to pull me back in.
Or, at the very least, try.
“I don’t know how I’m gonna pay you, Mr. James,” she said, sniffling.
“I don’t want you to worry about that right now. I’m already going to take your case,” I said.
“But, I wanna pay you something. I’ve heard you’re good. I don’t wanna come in here and take advantage of you.”
“We’ll work out some sort of a settlement. A monetary amount to sue for, if that’s what you want. But, if we try this as a criminal case, that isn’t possible.”
“I don’t want to sue the man. I want to put him away for what he did to my son.”
I nodded. “Then, I don’t want you worrying about the money. We’ll figure out what happened to your son and we’ll get the person responsible put away. You have my word on that.”
“But, Mr. James--.”
I held up my hand. “You sit here as long as you need to in order to recuperate. However, I’m going to get a jumpstart on some phone calls I need to place.”
“Thank you so much,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me just yet. Because if this is the kind of fight we’re delving into, this will be the easy part.”
The woman leaned back into her chair and I picked up my phone. Violet peeked her head in and I drew an ‘X’ in the air, signaling for her to push any meetings I might have had out into the end of the week. Already, it was Wednesday, and I was about to dive head-first into a murder case. Which would undoubtedly take up my weekend.
And any chance I had at seeing Giana again.
You have to call her. It’s been five days.
I shook the thought from my head and placed my first phone call. Which was to the police department. It didn’t take me long to track down the murder I was talking about, and they knew the drill. Packing up everything from evidence to witness testimonies in an effort to get everything over to me quicker. And thankfully, I didn’t have to call the police department I’d just torn to shreds by revealing Officer Buckley’s true intentions in court earlier.
Because men and women in blue tended to stick together until hard evidence showed they shouldn't.
After getting off the phone with the police department, I placed a call to the hospital Mrs. Agatha said he’d been taken to. Which already had me routed to the morgue. I wasn’t sure if this was the kind of call to have Mrs. Agatha listening in on, and as if on cue, Violet knocked on the door.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the bus will be at the corner in about ten minutes for you, Mrs. Agatha,” she said.
The woman stood. “Thank you so much for your time. And listening to me. And taking my case, Mr. James.”
“Hello, yes. This is Eli James. I need to speak with Dr. Patton, please. Yes, uh huh. Thank you, I’ll hold.”
Then, with the phone crooked against my shoulder, I stood to shake her hand.
“We’ll be in touch. Give my secretary your contact information, and I’ll keep you updated every step of the way,” I said softly.
She shook my hand gratefully, then I tossed Violet a thankful look. I stood there, watching the two ladies walk out of my office, as Dr. Patton came to the phone. One of the few public works morticians who actually enjoyed his position in life, I talked with him about the young boy. What he might have looked like. The fact that he would’ve been shot at least three times. Things like that.
And once Dr. Patton was able to locate his file, he promised to have it scanned and emailed to me. Along with crime scene photos and autopsy pictures.
“Knock knock.”
I stumbled dropping the phone back into its receiver as that voice hit my ears. I whipped my head up, my jaw dropping to the floor in shock. Violet stood behind him, mouthing how sorry she was as he stood there. On crutches, with a black eye and a shadowed jaw. But, nonetheless, upright.
“Julian,” I said.
“What a warm welcome from my older brother,” he said.
“I--hello. Come in.”
I watched him limp in on his crutches before standing face-to-face with me.
“Everything all right?” I asked.
“I’ll get straight to the point, since I don’t think either of us want to be here right now,” he said.
“You know that’s not--.”
“Dad is well, Eli.”
I paused. “What’s wrong?”
“At this point, it could be anything. Cancer. Congestive heart failure. The three heart attacks he’s already had. Dad’s a tank, but he’s not infallible. His body is finally giving out on him. Slowly, but surely. And you have to come back to the family.”
“Ah.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t give me that response. You knew this day was coming.”
“No, I didn’t. I think I made my position on things very clear when I chose this route instead of the one you took.”
“I didn’t have a choice because of you!”
I sighed. “You always had a choice, Julian. We all do.”
“Well, that choice wasn’t worth losing my family. Like you apparently want to shake us,” he said.
“You know that’s not--.”
“You have to come and take your rightful place as patriarch of the Diliano Family. It’s yours, and yours alone, to have.”
“I stepped away from that lifestyle. Away from the family. So, I guess that means it’s your position to take.”
“I don’t want the position.”
“Then, tell Dad that,” I said.
“You know damn good and well what happens to me if I tell Dad that,” he said.
“Well, judging by the fact that I’m still alive, I’d say not really.”
“You’ve always been the favorite, Eli. You’ve always been favored by him.”
“Says the man who denied seeing me straight to my face on the phone with Mom.”
“Can you blame him? You’re an embarrassment right now,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said flatly.
“Anytime, big brother. But, it’s time for you to stop dallying about. It’s time for you to cut ties with this lawyer nonsense and come home.”
“Funny, I had a feeling one day you’d end up sounding like Mom.”
He lunged at me, but he didn’t get very far. I watched him stumble around, trying to navigate his crutches as he fell against my desk. Violet attempted to intervene, but I held up my hand. There was no use in intervening. My brother didn’t have a pot to piss in when it came to fighting me right now. He couldn't even defend himself, if attacked.
“You let Mom and Dad know that I’m standing in my rightful place. Right now. This office. This business I’ve built. This is my rightful place. And if they don’t like it? They’re more than willing to cut all ties with me,” I said.
“You’re an idiot,” Julian hissed.
“And you always have a choice, brother.”
He shot me a look before lumbering out of my office on his crutches. He slammed the door behind him, causing me to sigh as I heard him tripping over himself in the lobby. I flopped down into my office chair. I went to go pick up the phone and continue placing calls, until my mind rushed back to Giana. Back to those beautiful hazel eyes of hers. Back to that thick, curly mass of hair that felt like home to my fingertips. I moved my hand away from my phone, choosing to gather my things instead.
Hopefully, Giana was a fan of random drop-in moments.
12
Giana
“I’m really glad you showed up at my door tonight,” I said.
“I’m not going to lie, I was worried you’d turn me away. You know, after not calling in five days,” Eli said.
“Well, maybe try calling after two or three days this time around.”
He chuckled. “Duly noted.”
As we sat there in his car overlooking the city of New York, we
ate our takeout. Well, it wasn’t technically takeout. We ordered into the Italian place where he wanted to take me, and we got it to-go. And he was right. The food was outstanding. The salad was perfection, the noodles and sauce for the chicken alfredo was all made fresh in back. And the ice-cold tiramisu kept calling to me, its smells intoxicating.
“Mm, mm, mm. This is delicious,” I said.
“I’m telling you, it’s the best Italian place in town,” Eli said.
“And those breadsticks? Those had to be fresh made, right?”
“Almost everything in that place is freshly made. The dough for their pizzas. The noodles. All their sauces. The desserts are made from scratch. That place is the real deal. I’ll never eat at another Italian eatery in this city after eating at that place.”
“You and me both.”
He paused. “So, I got a drop-in from someone at my office today.”
“Oh?” I asked.
I looked over at him and saw the apprehension crawl across his face.
“If you don’t want to talk about it--.”
“I do. Don’t get me wrong, I do,” he said.
“Then, what’s with the face?” I asked.
He snickered. “I’m worried about what you might think.”
I paused. “Julian came to see you, didn’t he?”
“How did you know?”
“You have the same reaction I’d have if someone from my family came to see me on a whim.”
He snickered. “Yeah. I suppose that’s true.”
“What did he have to say?”
I took another bite of my salad before placing it down at my feet. I couldn't hold off this pasta a second longer. I had to eat it while it was still piping hot. But, I also wanted something more for my face to do, just in case he dropped a bomb on me, or something.
“He told me Dad isn’t doing well. And that the family wants me to come back and be the patriarch,” he said.
And I sure as hell didn’t mute my face on the topic.
“They want what?” I asked.
He snickered. “Yeah. Don’t worry. It was hard for me to keep my poker face on.”
“Are you going to go back?”
“Are you worried I might?”
I shrugged. “Maybe a little bit.”
“To be honest, I don’t know. I mean, I want to see my father before he passes. Because I know that’s what this means. But, I don’t want my coming to see him to be misconstrued and start yet another fight. For all the things my father has done, everyone deserves peace in their dying days.”
“I can get behind you on that sentiment.”
“I just--I don’t know, Giana. My mind has been a bit everywhere since Julian came strolling into my office. And you were the only person I thought about that I wanted to see afterward.”
“Because I understand?” I asked.
“And because I missed you.”
His words made me smile, but then I felt guilt settle in my gut. If he was confiding in me with something like this, then I needed to be honest, too.
About what happened with Nurse Cabot in her office today.
“Well, since we’re on the confession train, I’ve got something to tell you, too,” I said.
“Oh? Something good, I hope,” Eli said.
“Technically, yes.”
“Technically?”
I paused. Did I really want to tell him this now? Did I really want to announce that I’d been offered a head nursing position at a different hospital in a different city? With better pay and better benefits and better… everything?
At the last minute, I decided against it. Because I wanted to see where things might go between Eli and myself first. If things tanked, then sure. I’d take the job.
But, if things went well…
“There’s a position at another hospital she wants to submit my name for. It’s nothing big. She just wanted my permission before submitting my application and stuff for it,” I said.
“Application,” Eli said.
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s not uncommon for head nurses to do that kind of thing with their staff. But, I probably won’t take it. I’m kind of gunning for the head nurse position at Lennox. So, a move wouldn't make sense right now.”
“Gotcha.”
“It was just this weird conversation that came out of nowhere, you know? It makes me wonder if Nurse Cabot is considering not retiring next year, like she thought.”
“Giana?”
I turned to look at him. “Yeah?”
“Are you sure that’s all there is to it?”
I debated on coming clean with the truth, but I didn’t want to scare him off. I didn’t want this to end because of a decision I wanted to make with my career. Because right now? Seeing where things went with that glorious man was just as important to me as my career.
There would be other ‘head nurse’ positions in the future.
“I’m sure, Eli. It was just one of those things that shocked me. Got my mind churning on career moves and what I really want out of all this and things like that,” I said.
And after a brief moment of silence, he nodded.
“Well, is it a position you want?” he asked.
“Eventually, yes. My end goal is to be head nurse.”
“What if they offer you the job at this other hospital?”
“They probably won’t. Nurses need at least ten years in the field before applying for a position like that. I’m still on year eight. And that’s if I’m being a bit generous with my internships throughout college.”
“Giana.”
“What, Eli?”
“What if they offer you the job?”
I didn’t like the fact that he was harping on this question.
“They won’t. But, if they do, I probably won’t take it. I want a very specific position in a very specific place. I’m not leaving anytime soon. So, don’t you worry over it. Okay? It was just something shocking that happened at work, and I figured I’d tell you about it since you told me about your shocking thing. That’s all. Okay?”
I placed my hand against his knee, trying to reassure him. But, I saw him looking at me sideways. Did he know I was lying? Well, telling half the truth, technically. Kind of. Shit. I felt as if I’d dug myself a hole I needed to get out of, and quickly.
“How’s your food?” I asked.
He sighed. “It’s fantastic, like always.”
“I noticed you didn’t get a dessert. Do you want to split my tiramisu with me once you’re done?”
A grin slid across his face. “What makes you think I didn’t already have plans for dessert?”
“Oh, really? You naughty boy. Think your car’s big enough to handle us?”
“My car?”
I paused. “Oh.”
“Wait, what?”
“Shit,” I said, giggling.
“Why my car?”
“Holy hell, I completely misread that situation!”
I fell apart in laughter as I set my food down onto the floorboard of his car. I held my stomach, laughing until I almost cried. I fell back against my seat, leaning it back so I could gaze through the opened sunroof of his car. And as his face came into view over mine, my laughter slowly ceased.
“You have the naughtiest mind, Miss Giana,” he said.
“Hey, you’re the one that mentioned the whole ‘dessert’ thing. I just thought you were talking about in the car,” I said.
“I have to admit, that’s something I’ve never indulged.”
I smiled. “Is that an opening for me to offer up the idea of indulging it tonight?”
And when his lips came down against mine, the food surrounding us was forgotten about. The tiramisu fell to the back of my mind. His hand cupped my cheek as his tongue slid against my own, filling my mouth. I moaned down the back of his throat. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pulled me up from my seat, pulling me into his lap. And as I reached down for the gears of his seat, I slid us all the way back.
“Time for you to experience something new,” I whispered against his lips.
Prompting him to slide my dress all the way up over my ass cheeks.
13
Eli
I knew she was lying. Hiding something. Not telling me something. I didn't know why, though. Was she scared of my reaction? Had I given her a reason to be scared of--?
“Mmm, Eli.”
Fuck.
I gripped her ass cheeks as she ground against me, already rocking my car on its chassis. My tongue slipped down the back of her throat, opening her up for me. I felt her wet pussy against my pelvis. My cock hardened and leaked with want for her. My hands slid up her back, fisting her hair and drawing her lips away from mine.
So I could nibble down the length of her neck.
“Oh, yes.”
“Mmm.”
“Eli!”
“Shit,” I growled.
I couldn't get my belt undone quickly enough. The way her soaked panties coated my pants was too much for me. Her lips fell to my neck. She kissed and licked. Nibbled her way down my pulse point. I shivered against her as her breasts fell to my chest, pressing into me and molding to me in all their perfect ways.
“Giana,” I groaned.
She reached into my pants, pulling my cock out. And as she stroked it, I slid her panties to the side. Her juices dripped onto my fingertips. She was so ready for me. So wanton. And as she positioned herself over me, sweat dripped down the nape of my neck. My head fell back to the leather seat of my car, gazing into the dark, mysterious eyes of this woman hovering above me.
And when her eyes met mine, she sank herself down my cock.
“Shit,” she moaned.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
I gripped her hips and pulled her all the way down. I watched her eyes roll back and felt her body collapse into mine. How amazing she felt. How warm. How tight. I pulled the shoulder of her dress off to the side, biting down into the meat of her shoulder. She whimpered against me as I drove into her. Sharp, rotund thrusts that bounced her body on top of mine. The windows fogged, leaking with our liquid lust down my tinted glass windows. Her hair fell into my face, creating a blanket that shut me off from the rest of the world. She was perfection. A molded angel sent from heaven to fit me in all the right ways.
Eli (Sinful Shadows Mafia Book 2) Page 9