Andrea The Beginning (Holy Trinity, #1)

by Adriana Brinne

  I look at myself in the mirror, feeling beautiful and sexy. I settled for a tight satin pearl white dress that has a slit up to my left thigh and showcases my long legs. My hair is straightened to perfection and hangs all the way down to my back.

  I sit down on the loveseat and add the final touches to this getup, my mom’s signature red Louis Vuitton stilettos.

  My bathroom door opens and reveals a gorgeous Fallon, with an annoyed look on her stunning face. I detect worry as well.

  She is not happy at all with me right now. I led her here under false pretenses. I may have told her it was just the two of us for a movie night. If I would have told her the truth, she would’ve come up with an excuse to not show up. “I can’t believe you are making me interact with these muggles. This friendship is terminated.”, she sighs and walks to the door, but just before she grabs the handle, I call out to her.

  “Fallon, please do this for me.” It’s crazy how in so little time, Fallon has become a part of me. I can’t go a day without speaking to her. When she’s around I feel like I’m not alone in this world, like someone likes the real me and not the fame that comes with my mother’s name or the fear that my father’s name invokes in others.

  Abruptly and without knocking, Valentino opens the door to my room with this crazed look in his eyes while staring at me and it appears, he’s trying really hard not to meet Fallon’s gaze. Oh, I am definitely finding out what’s going on between them. “Everyone is waiting for you, you’re late.” That’s all he says before he turns around and makes a move to exit the room.

  “Wait, what is it with you and your brother not knocking or waiting for permission to enter a room?” They really need to stop that, it is annoying.

  He shrugs without a care in the world and leaves the room.

  There’s something seriously wrong with that dude, he acts like a sociopath. “Do you two know each other?” I ask the question I've been meaning to since their encounter last week.

  She’s still staring at the spot Valentino was occupying a second ago.

  “Earth to Fallon.” I wave my hands in her face. – She snaps out of it and looks down at what she's wearing. – “Do you think I should change? Wear something a little bit more presentable?”, she asks me.

  “Why? A couple of minutes ago you didn’t want to be here?” I remind her.

  “Yeah, well I changed my mind. I think it will be fun to mess with the Volpe and Parisi brats.” – she grins but it doesn't reach her eyes.

  “Uhm, sure that’s why you want to stay.” I laugh.

  She flips me off before heading to the walk-in closet to change out of her Captain Marvel pajamas. She’s more eager now about this evening than she was thirty minutes ago.

  LUCAN

  I step out of my brand-new matte black Maserati. It was a gift for my eighteenth birthday courtesy of Tommaso Volpe. There are four cars and a red Ducati parked in the Nicolasi driveway.

  “I guess dear brother, as per usual we’re the last ones to arrive.” My middle sister mutters from the back seat of my car. She’s annoyed because our baby sister called shotgun first.

  I brought my sisters with me since they are both old enough to know the ins and outs of the Volpe business. The time for the three families to choose the new capo is fast approaching and my sisters have never shied away from this life. We settled this a long time ago; the family believes in women being just as capable as men to run a business and rule the three families, but the girls made it known a long time ago they didn’t want to be head of the Volpe family. They have dreams and goals they want to pursue, and trading drugs and guns isn’t part of their future plans.

  Giana is seventeen and out of the two of us, she’s the one that looks and acts most like our mother Natalia Volpe. She has our mother’s sun-kissed skin tone, straight dark brown hair, and kind green eyes. She is freakishly smart, strong, compassionate, and would do anything for her family and the people she considers hers. People usually mistake her for a shy and weak girl, just because of her introverted personality but try messing with the ones she holds dear to her heart and I’ll guarantee you, she will break every single bone in your body without breaking a sweat. She looks so much like our mother that sometimes it gets too hard to breathe when I’m around her.

  She’s not her.

  She would never betray us.

  My sweet Cara, on the other hand, is fifteen going on thirty. She’s an old soul that one. If it wasn’t for her being my father’s replica based only on her looks, I would think she was adopted. My baby sister is the product of an affair between my father and one of his many mistresses. Even though a lot of people in the family look down on my sister because she is the product of adultery, for some unknown reason she is our father’s pride and joy. Cara is tall for her age, almost 5’10 with fiery red hair, gray eyes, and a line of adorable freckles across her nose.

  I wanted to hate her when my father first brought her home, loving her felt like the ultimate betrayal to my mother, but with just one look at her sweet face, I fell in love. I knew I would do anything to protect her.

  Always, just like I would protect Giana.

  I could be something more than what my future has in store for me; more than just a fucking common criminal wearing expensive suits. I could’ve pursued my dream of studying art and one day owning my own studio somewhere far away from this shit place, but there’s no one to lead the Volpe family and protect my sisters if I’m gone. So yeah, I stay and do what's expected of me.

  For them.

  Giana wants to study criminal justice. The irony of her choosing that field when her father and brother are criminals, but I’ll always have her back, no matter what path she chooses.

  Cara has her head stuck in the clouds and wants to travel the world, model for every expensive high-end brand that she owns and read comic books.

  Always so odd my sweet kid sister.

  I sometimes worry her heart is too soft for this world and I fear one day this life will break her spirit. I’ll do everything in my power to keep them from any harm, if anyone tries to hurt my girls, I’ll bleed them dry and bathe in their blood.

  “Stay close to me and for all that is holy stay away from the twins, especially Lorenzo.” — I make sure they know I mean business. Giana nods and Cara grins. – “I’m talking to you topina.”, I warn my youngest sister.

  She’s trouble.

  I don’t like the way she stares at Enzo, with stars in her eyes and like he hangs the very same stars in her sky, especially when he only has eyes for Giana. That clueless fuck.

  What a fucking shit show that will be.

  Lorenzo will never put his hands on either of my sisters, I’ll cut them off and feed them to that ugly beast he has for a pet before he gets a chance to do so.

  The front door opens and the devil himself greets us.

  “What took you so long, gorgeous?” It’s clear Enzo is talking to Giana. I sense Cara’s mood change and I can also see the sadness and disappointment in her eyes.

  “Fuck off, Nicolasi, and stay away from my sister.” I threaten him and push him out of the way before ushering my sisters inside.

  “Come on, Volpe. You know Giana and I are meant to be.”, his tone is dripping with sarcasm.

  This fucker keeps breaking my baby sister’s young heart, without even realizing it.

  “Stay the fuck away from them Lorenzo, I fucking mean it.” I wait for my sisters to enter the Nicolasi mansion before putting him in a headlock.

  “I’m not playing man, at least do it for Cara.” He is not blind; he’s aware my baby sister has a crush on him. So, why-the-fuck does he taunt her and flirt with Giana right in front of her?

  I release him and make my way inside the Nicolasi mansion.

  If I would've looked back to where I left him standing, I would have seen the utter devastation in his crazed eyes just by the mention of my fifteen-year-old baby sister’s name.

  This is going to be a long-ass night.

>   12

  Dodici

  BASTARD

  “Oh dear, what an awkward situation.” - Maleficent

  ANDREA

  Fallon and I walk down the long staircase that leads to the main room of the mansion. I follow Fallon’s gaze while it travels all over the room. The look of awe that takes over her entire face only makes her more endearing to me. She’s not a trust fund baby like the rest of us, that is one of the many reasons why I’m so comfortable around her. There’s nothing fake or douchey about her.

  I glance around the room and notice the butlers and maids located all over the room making sure everything goes smoothly and that the guests are all taken care of.

  So extra for just a gathering between a couple of people.

  “Damn, bitch! I knew your family was rich, but this place makes Paris’s crib look basic as fuck.” – Fallon exclaims so loud that Roberta and a few of the staff members stop what they're doing and stare at her in disapproval. Odd enough the younger and less bitter ones try their best to stifle a laugh.

  Fallon is anything but subtle.

  How did someone as good and genuine as her survive this place for so long without anyone in her corner? What have you’ve been through Fallon?

  She steps away from me and walks to the huge window that has the best view of the gazebo. The look of awe never leaves her face and, in this moment, I admire how truly beautiful and unique Fallon is. When you first meet her, you might overlook her raw beauty because of her unique sense of style and her crazy hairdos. You might not understand her obsession with everything Marvel or her weird love for Lord Voldemort. Some might think of her as a weirdo and might take offense of her real- as- fuck and larger than life personality. You might see her as bitchy but all I see is a beautiful soul with lots of opinions that she’s never afraid to voice.

  She’s always beautiful, but today she looks like she stepped out of a high fashion show. Her dark black locks run down her back in perfect waves with some fake green hair extensions we added. I did her makeup following a tutorial of one of Youtube’s most influential makeup gurus and I’m quite satisfied with how the look turned out.

  She’s wearing one of the dresses Benedetto sent for me to try on for the evening, a short, strapless black dress that we paired off with some black combat boots. I offered her one of my Jimmy Choo’s, but she told me she wouldn't be caught dead wearing those heels.

  She told me she wouldn’t feel like herself, so she added some black lipstick and her favorite black widow choker. I find myself smiling while staring at her. I swear Fallon is everything good and fun in the world.

  We’re both lost in our own heads that we don’t even notice the arrival of our guests for the evening. The children of the current mob bosses of Detroit, aka the next generation of criminals.

  Both Fallon and I turn and come face to face with three stunning girls, one has a smile on her face while the other two appear like they would rather be anywhere else but here.

  The beautiful but very young redheaded girl, with the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen on a person, approaches us first and in a sweet but high-pitched voice introduces not only herself but the other girls behind her.

  “Hi, I’m Cara Volpe. You could say I’m the Iron Man of this gang.” She points to the girls behind her and then holds out her hand for me to shake. – “I am so excited to finally meet you! I’m a big fan of your mom, she is one of my top favorite supermodels.”

  She offers me a sincere smile and there’s no malice in her tone when she whispers how sorry she is for my loss. She has no idea how grateful I am that she didn’t say it out loud. I don’t want anyone’s pity, especially not tonight.

  Not ever.

  “And you are?”, the sweet girl is talking to Fallon now.

  “I’m Fallon, leader of this two-girl gang. You could say I’m the Batman to her Robin, Sheldon to her Leonard, the...” she’s rudely interrupted by one of Cara’s sisters. “Yeah, we get it Cara, you found your nerd soulmate. Can we carry on now?” The blonde bombshell with the bitchy attitude says in a bored, almost robotic tone.

  “Oh hush, no one’s talking to you Arianna.” Cara fires back at the blonde stranger that dismissed us and that is now walking to the sitting area without a care in the world. I’m no stranger to catty behavior so if she thought she could intimidate; she is so out of her league.

  Cara on the other hand has a sweet and almost gentle vibe, she also seems very mature. The roundness and almost baby like factions of her face shows how young she is. Maybe fifteen? Regardless, she is gorgeous with flaming red hair and big, expressive gray eyes, she could easily fool anyone with how grown up she looks.

  I feel eyes on us.

  The twins.

  Valentino is looking at Fallon with so much disdain that it’s almost scary. Lorenzo on the other hand looks like an addict that hasn’t had his fix in days. Before I have time to look in the direction, he was looking at just seconds before, his gaze collides with mine and the weirdo smiles at me.

  He has the creepiest smile.

  It’s like smiling pains him and it shows.

  He looks demented.

  Jesus, I already pity the poor girl that ends up with that nutcase.

  Lorenzo is forgotten when I feel goosebumps rise on the back of my neck. I feel him before I see him. Lucan.

  He’s staring at me from across the room with a predatory smile on his handsome face. Ugh, why does he have to be so attractive? Tonight, he looks like the future boss of this city, wearing black slacks and a button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the first two buttons undone. His light brown hair is slicked back, and I can see a tattoo of wings on either side of his neck. At this precise moment he really looks like a vengeful angel. A wicked and very dangerous angel with a sinful grin on his stupid face and an evil twinkle in his eyes.

  Yup, Lucifer.

  God’s favorite but most fucked up angel.

  He’s coming my way now and I can’t stop looking at him. Ugh, I probably look like one of the botched Barbie’s staring at him like he’s God's gift to mankind.

  My moment of insanity is over as soon as he opens his mouth. “Sei bellissima stasera principessa.” He speaks perfect Italian, of-fucking-course.

  Why do these people keep talking to me in Italian? I don't understand half of the shit they say. My mom taught me Spanish because her mother was Puerto Rican. She also wanted me to be bilingual and know more about her culture. My dad wasn’t around so I didn’t have the chance to learn Italian, although ever since I’ve arrived, I’ve picked up some from Benedetto and the maids.

  Basically, how to ask for help, for food and to curse at someone. The basics you know.

  “You should stop referring to me as princess, it is beneath me really.” I sass him just because I enjoy the look on his face when I challenge him. He doesn’t fall for it and stares at me with an amused look on his face but there's also a challenge behind those blue eyes of his.

  He leans in and whispers so only I can hear. “I think what you meant to say is thank you.” —We are chest to chest now and I can smell a mix of mint and cigarettes on his breath. — “I did call you beautiful and all”, he chuckles so arrogantly that I suppress the urge to slap the stupid grin off his face.

  The nerve of this guy.

  He called me beautiful, so what? Does he expect me to fall on my knees, or worst on his dick because he complimented my looks?

  I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice him reaching for my face. He's so close that his soft lips gently brush mine. He’s not satisfied with the distance between us, so he pulls me closer and wraps both of his arms around me. I don't know why I’m not stopping whatever the hell this is but clearly the smart bitch in me takes a back seat. I make the dumb mistake of meeting him halfway, but he pulls back with the cockiest smile on his annoying face. Lucan turns and looks at everyone in the room that stopped what they were doing and now are witnessing my humiliation.

  His laugh
is cruel, and he obviously intended for me to look like a fool in front of everyone here.

  He set me up.

  “Did you actually believe I would kiss you?”, he laughs. I swallow my shame and keep my head up. I won’t give away how embarrassed I am. How disappointed I am in myself for letting this asshole make an idiot out of me.

  “Like I would ever taste the lips of a bastard.”, he says with a disgusted look on his face. “Your own father didn’t want you, what makes you think I would?”

  There it is.

  He went for the kill.

  I hear gasps behind me and a “Not cool bro” from one of the twins. I’m not sure which one.

  Does his immature jab stings? Yes, but I’ve heard worse, this doesn’t faze me.

  I don’t know what I did to him to be treated this way, but two can play this game.

  From my peripheral vision, I see a pretty pissed off Fallon coming towards us. I stick my hand out as a signal for her to stop and let her know that I got this. I offer the room my best smile, the one I only reserve for my enemies.

  They will never see me broken or bleeding.

  Over my dead-fucking-body.

  “I may be the bastard child of Demetrio Nicolasi, but I was the light of Valeria Turner's life. She loved me so hard and so fully that I never doubted her love for me, not for one second. I never felt less than the other kids that did have fathers. She showed me her love every day until the day she died.” I tell him with a cruel smile.

  “Now, you Lucan, I pity you. Your mother skipped town and never looked back.” - I whisper the next sentence so only he can hear. There is no point in hurting his sisters. I bet he did not see that coming. I learnt this bit of valuable information from Fallon. The girl loves gossip just as much as she loves superheroes. I’m thankful for it because the information came in handy tonight.