by Cala Riley
I sink to my knees in front of him and reach for his belt.
“What are you doing?” He attempts to push me away.
I slap his hand and get his belt undone, moving to the button. He grabs my hands and pulls me to my feet. “Mia, What the hell?”
Tears prickle my eyes. He doesn’t even want me for sex. He lied.
“What the fuck do you want from me then, Lo? You kiss me then tell me it was a mistake. I go on a date to try and forget you, and you show up ruining it. We have some weird kind of sex that fucking ruined me, and you disappear. I try and move on, and each step I take, you pull me back. Finally, I give in and try and give you what I think will get me out of your system, no-strings-attached sex, and you stop me. What the fuck do you want from me?”
The tears are now fully streaming down my cheeks. He takes a step forward, reaching for my face, but I turn away. He drops his hand to his side.
“Damn it, Mia. I’m trying to save you! You deserve better than me. You’re perfect. An angel. Mio piccolo angelo. You shouldn’t be tainted by my evil. I’m not a good man, Mia. I have done things you should never have to hear about. If I take you like I so desperately want, I would ruin you. I can’t risk it.”
My tears dry up at his admission. “I thought you were different, but you’re just like everyone else.” I switch to a mocking tone. “Poor little Mia. She’s too innocent for her own good. We have to protect her and treat her like she’s a child.” I take a deep breath. “Fuck them and fuck you. You think I haven’t seen stuff? Hell, you think I haven’t done evil things too? I have. I thought you could see past the façade I put up, but you’re just like them. All you see is the innocent virgin who needs to be protected. Well, I have news for you. I can protect my fucking self and have been for a majority of my life. If I wanted, I could destroy everything without anyone noticing!
“You know what, we’re done here, Lorenzo. Don’t talk to me, don’t look my way, don’t even think my name. I don’t exist to you anymore. Do you understand me?” I gesture between us. “This is over. I don’t ever want you to come within a hundred yards of me again. Not even if it’s to protect me. I’m so beyond over you that you’re dead to me. I will let Bash know this new development.”
I don’t wait for his response. I turn on my heel and storm out of his house. He brought me here, but I can’t turn back and ask for a ride now. Seems I’m stuck walking. I make it to the garage before his car starts up. I take off at a run. It isn’t until I’m several buildings down that I turn and hide behind a dumpster. I hear the engine as he slowly scans the streets. I know it’s immature of me, but I can’t deal with him right now. I watch the lights as he turns into the alley I’m in. For a moment, I think I’m caught, but then he backs out and heads back toward his building.
My heart hurts as I realize he has probably already given up looking for me. I head back to the street and look each way. I don’t see his car anymore. I make a left and continue back in the general direction of my house. Several minutes later, I tense as I hear a car pull up. I turn expecting it to be Lorenzo. I’m not quite ready to face him yet.
Instead, I find a young gentleman peering out at me.
“Hey, do you need a ride or something?” He fidgets like he’s uncomfortable asking.
“Actually, can I borrow your phone? I lost mine.”
More like I’m an idiot and left my purse at Lorenzo’s place.
The man sighs in relief.
“Sure.” When he goes to hand it out to me, I see a tattoo peeking out of his shirt.
“Is that a Catalini Tattoo?” It isn’t like Lorenzo’s. His looks much more intricate, but it looks like a faint outline of the crest, similar to the guys who came to get me from the clinic.
“Yes.” The man looks surprised.
I round the car and jump in the passenger seat. “My name is Mia. I’m friends with Sofia, Don Catalini’s woman. Can you give me a ride there?”
His eyes widen at my admission. He probably doesn’t know what to do with the information.
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.”
He takes off as I hold his phone in my lap. He starts chatting, and I make noncommittal noises. It seems he’s nervous. I don’t blame him. Bash still scares me sometimes. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s head over heels in love with my best friend, I would be scared to even speak to him. Lorenzo protecting me has helped too.
I lean my head against the window and close my eyes as I think about Lorenzo. I was an idiot to let myself fall in love with him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop it. He wormed his way into my heart by befriending me first.
I think back to the first time I officially met him. It seems so long ago. I had been waitressing for some meeting for the Catalini family. After we served dessert, each of the men came up and were tipping us. Some of them were hitting on me. I would smile sweetly and thank them..
Then Lorenzo walked up. He barked at the men to move along, then stood by my side, his hand resting at the small of my back. My heart raced at the electricity flowing between us.
If I had to pinpoint the moment I fell for him, that would be it. There was something about his dark, broody exterior speaking directly to my heart. I recognized the darkness in him. I thought he also recognized mine. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I open my eyes and see we’re going the wrong way.
“Do you know where Bash lives?”
The kid jumps and looks at me. I didn’t even realize he had gone quiet.
“Yeah. Of course. Everyone knows where Don Catalini lives. There was an accident on the fastest route. I had to take a detour.”
I take a better look at him. This kid is nervous, but not in a “I’m about to meet the boss” way. He seems more nervous in a squirrely way.
I ask him a question about the nonsense he was talking about earlier. and he smiles. While he starts to prattle on again, I angle his phone away while I unlock it and dial Lorenzo’s number.
“Hey, isn’t that Clearview Parkway?”
“Yep.” The kid looks nervous again.
“Are we on Cross Island Parkway?”
He visibly swallows hard. I sure hope Lorenzo is listening and he’s still willing to help me.
∞∞∞
Lorenzo
“What did you do, Lo?” Sofia screeches in my ear.
“I didn’t mean to let her get so far! I wanted to give her a little space. I thought she would be waiting outside for me to take her home. I didn’t think she was stupid enough to leave my property.”
I growl at the thought. I lost Mia. I slam my fist down on the steering wheel.
“You’re such an idiot!”
I don’t disagree. I’m an idiot. She has every reason to be pissed at me. She’s my best friend. I admitted things to her that I have never even admitted to Bash or Gio. I just wish I could move past this self-hatred to accept what she is, or had been, offering me.
My other line rings. I don’t recognize the number. My heart races.
“I have a random number calling. I’ll call you back.” I click over without waiting for a response.
“Mia?”
There is no response.
“Hello?”
I make out a background noise and then her voice.
“What street are we on?”
“Northern Boulevard,” someone says in the background.
“Listen, I know you aren’t taking me to Bash’s. Where are you taking me?”
“I’m sorry, miss. I wish I could take you to Bash. He’s offering a reward for you.”
I clench my fists as I whip the car around in the direction he said they were.
“Who is?”
“Fillipo Alfonsi. He promises not to hurt you. He only wants to question you.”
My knuckles are white as I race through the neighborhood, willing her to be okay.
“Do you really believe he won’t hurt me?”
“I do. Fillipo isn’t a bad man. He’s going
to be a great boss one day. He’s going to make things better for the family. No more living in fear or death for one little mistake. He’s going to make us more modern.”
Keep him talking, Mia.
“Does he live down Douglas Road? We are turning here because he lives here?”
“You can try and memorize the way all you want. Once you’re in his compound, there is no way you will be able to leave.”
“We’re going to his house?”
“Of course. Where else would we be going?”
I pull out a burner I keep in the car and dial Bash.
“Yeah?”
“Fillipo has Mia. She’s being brought to his house. I need a team. Now.”
“Shit.” I take in movement in the background. “I’m sending a team now, but shit. We are at least twenty minutes out, Lo.”
I slam my fist on the wheel. “Get here as fast as you can! I’m pulling onto his road now.” I hang up.
“Here we are. Just answer his questions and he will let you go.”
I hear something clunk and wait for more. There’s a faint voice, then a door slams. I try to listen closer, hoping to catch something, but all is silent now. She must have left the phone in the car. Smart woman. I hang up as I pull over a quarter of a mile down, leaving my car on the side of the road. I grab the handgun I keep in the glovebox and check the chamber. I pull out the one in my waistband and do the same. I jump out and pop the trunk. Once there, I take my shirt off, pull on my bulletproof vest before putting my shirt back on. I slam the trunk shut as I head toward the house.
I stick to the shadows as I study the perimeter of Fillipo’s home. There is a tall wall surrounding the entire property, but it’s not guarded like Bash’s. There aren’t men posted up on the walls. I climb the wall in the back corner and peek over before pulling myself completely over. No one is around, so I drop as soundlessly as possible as I turn and pull my gun. I stalk closer to the house and peek through the windows.
My gut tells me I need to move fast, but I know I need to do my due diligence. Acting on emotions is what gets you killed. You get sloppy and make mistakes.
After deciding which is the best place to breach, I reach down and text Bash.
Lo: ETA?
I ask.
Bash: 7.
Shit. Too long. I need to get in there.
Lo: Breaching left side upstairs window.
I don’t wait for a response. I climb the tree right next to the house. Once on the roof, I walk over to the window I spotted from the ground. I glance in and find it’s dark other than the light coming from the hallway. It’s an unoccupied bedroom. I try to open the window, but find it locked.
I curse under my breath as I think of my next move. I hear a female scream inside, and I don’t think. I punch the window as anger fills me. I jump through and surge to the door. I make out someone running down the hall, so I grab my stiletto and open it. As soon as the man flies into the room, gun pointed toward the window, I come up from behind and wrap my hand over his mouth as I stab him in the base of the neck, twisting my knife as it goes in. The man makes a strangled scream as he starts to fall. I gently lower him to the floor as I look in his wide eyes. He’s still awake, so he just stares at me, trying to speak. I don’t hesitate. I slit his throat before I jump up and go back to the door. I glance each way and see the coast is clear.
The screaming has stopped, which only pumps up my anger and anxiety. I can only imagine what Fillipo’s doing to her right now. I fight back the urge to let the blind rage take over. I haven’t felt this uncontrolled in a long time. Even the last time Mia got kidnapped, I was pretty well put together. Something has changed for me. I don’t know what it is.
I take inventory of the upstairs and find nothing. I slowly make my way down the steps, my eyes taking everything around me in. At the bottom of the stairs, I quickly glance around. I see two men standing outside a door talking with one another. I know in my gut Mia is behind that door. I check my phone once more.
Bash: 2 mins
I glance around the room, looking for something to distract them with. When I don’t see anything, I do the next best thing. I throw my flashlight into the stairs.
“What was that?” one of the men asks.
“I don’t know. Go check it out,” the second voice says.
I crouch down at the bottom of the stairs as I wait for the man headed my way. I listen to his footsteps and send a thanks to God that he’s coming from the left, the same side I’m hidden on. It’ll give me an extra second to take care of him. As soon as he clears the bottom of the stairs, he’s looking up instead of where I’m hidden. I jump up and grab each side of his head before twisting it quickly. The crack can be heard down the hall as the man falls to the floor in a soft thud.
“Jerry?” the other man says. He starts to walk toward the end of the hall. Just when he’s about to me, his radio crackles and a voice comes through.
“There’s been a breach. Left wall. I repeat. There has been a breach.”
You can make out gunshots in the background as the man talks.
“Shit.” The man turns to return to his post, but I jump out and snap his neck, just like his buddy.
Before he hits the ground, I’m already moving toward the door. I press my ear to it and listen. I can’t hear anything. I’m about to investigate the hall when I catch her voice. I don’t hesitate. I bust into the room.
The room in question is a large office. Fillipo is sitting behind his desk with two guards on either side of him. Gina, who has been missing since she lured Sofia into a trap, is sitting on the edge of the desk next to him.
“Lorenzo. How nice of you to join us. I hear your men are outside.”
I grunt as my eyes flicker to Mia, who is on her knees with her hands tied around her back. She looks up at me, and her eyes are cold and unfeeling.
She’s fire and ice. You’ll fear the cold but crave the burn.
I focus my eyes back on Fillipo.
“What do you want, Fillipo?”
“What do I want? Ha! I want what’s rightly mine! Bastiano is not qualified to run this family. He’s too young and dumb. His father was a cruel man, and he will treat his men just as bad. This family needs a strong head to rule it, not some child!” he rants.
I grit my teeth. I want to raise my gun and put a bullet between his eyes. If Mia wasn’t here, I would do it. I wouldn’t even care about the guards who would probably kill me in return. Instead of arguing, I make my demand.
“Let Mia go. You have me. I’m worth more to Bash than she is. That’s what you want, right? A hostage?”
His cold, humorless chuckle fills me with dread. This isn’t about Bash.
“Oh no. Miss Mia here is about to tell me what she did to my son.”
“I told you,” she starts, “I tried to save him. He bled out. There was nothing I could do.”
“Lying whore,” Gina mumbles.
“Like you, Gina?” I interrupt. “Why don’t you tell me what you have been up to? I mean, other than betraying the family and sucking this guy’s old, wrinkly dick.”
Gina walks around and slaps Mia. I itch to jump forward, but those guns trained on me and Mia stop me.
“I didn’t betray the family. I betrayed Tony. He’s a sniveling bottom-feeder who had no future! He was a sorry excuse for a lay. Fillipo is the family. He’s the future. You’re betraying the family! Both of you.”
I grit my teeth at her words. She’s delusional.
“What about his wife, Gina? Do you really think he’s going to leave you for her?” I see the doubt creep in at my words.
“Enough!” Fillipo looks to her before he slams his hand down on his desk, making Mia jump.
I want to reach out and curl her into my arms. The blinding rage from before starts to cloud my vision.
“This isn’t the time, Gina. Get your ass back over here.” Fillipo narrows his eyes on Mia. “Now, you, don’t lie to me, little girl. My men examined the body. It was
a stab wound, but it could have been repaired. Instead, it looks as if someone sliced his artery with something other than a knife. Something jagged. What can you tell me about that?”
Everyone is silent a moment. Then Mia laughs. It is similar to her normal laught, but seems a bit off.I
“You want to know about your precious son? Fine, I’ll tell you. As he laid on that floor looking into my eyes, he was crying. Tears falling down his face. I thought it was from the pain of the wound, but it was a different kind of pain. While you argued with the others, he begged me to end his life. Do you want to know what he said when I asked him why? He said because he couldn’t live under your rule anymore. He would have rather died than face the consequences from your actions. I took pity on him and gave him what he wanted. His last words were to thank me.”
Fillipo jumps up and comes around the desk just as I surge forward. Gina is right next to him, ready to do whatever he needs. He’s about to Mia when his guard grabs his arm.
“Sir, they have breached the house. We need to go. Now.”
He kicks his foot out and hits Mia in the face. He pulls a gun out, and I leap forward, covering Mia with my body. I feel two bullets hit my back as the guards pull Fillipo away. I don’t move as the pain sets in.
“Mia, are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Mia. Answer me.”
I roll off her, and she turns to look at me. “I’m fine. Are you okay? Lo, where did you get shot? Let me help.” Her hands search my body for a wound, but I grab her face and pull her down to me.
“Mia Russo, don’t you dare do that to me again. If you’re mad at me, go to the other room, but don’t you ever leave my house again, especially without protection.” I pull her lips to mine and capture them.
“Lo, I need to make sure your okay.” Mia tells me between kisses.
“All the bullets hit my bulletproof vest. I’m okay, it just knocked the wind out of me.”
I finally see what she has been saying. There is a darkness inside her that matches mine. If only I had seen it sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.
She pulls back from my lips. The smile she flashes me is worth a million bullets.