Knox.
All fear and worry went out the window as Letty looked up at the man who she loved to hate, and hated to love. He was a dear friend of hers once. That all vanished the second Miles got arrested. Letty wished Knox would get lost and forget his way back to Carrion. She wished that his fate and the fate of Miles had been reversed.
With a raise of her right eyebrow, Letty greeted the most complicated of all the Capadonnos.
“Knox Capadonno… the proverbial thorn in my side,” Letty said, giving him a fiery look.
“Letty Alves… woman of my nightmares.”
His comment earned a chuckle from Letty. Although she could not stand the man, she was so happy that he arrived when he did. Despite Letty’s reservations about Knox, even she had to admit, Knox Capadonno was a sight to behold. His eyes were brooding and dark with a glint of mystery in his gaze. His dark brown hair was neatly coifed and appeared soft to the touch. He had a firm jaw and the stubborn Capadonno nose like his father. Standing at six foot one, Knox was tall (but not as tall as Miles), with broad shoulders, strong hands and a gorgeous smile. He wore a beautiful slate gray Italian suit from Armani’s signature rack and a pair of black leather Ferragamo shoes that looked like they had recently been polished. Knox Capadonno was the man of any woman’s dreams on paper. In reality, he was a bit more challenging than that.
Casting Letty a smoldering smile—it was such a smug expression in Letty’s opinion—Knox spoke.
Asking in a nonchalant tone, Knox begged the question, “What’s goin’ on?” in the most casual tone possible.
Shaking her head in disbelief as a smirk creased her face, Letty peered up at Knox with a pair of arched eyebrows.
Knox, the big shot DA from New York City, is making small talk. I wonder what tricks he has up his sleeve for this evening. Whatever it is, I don’t plan to stick around long enough to find out.
“Ask him,” Letty whispered as she pointed over her right shoulder. Michael was still in the parlor, climbing into his bed for the evening. Letty hoped he stayed there.
“How’s he been?” Knox asked in a seemingly sincere tone of voice.
You could never be too sure with Knox.
Rolling her eyes, Letty replied, “Full of hell. I just calmed him down. Don’t get him started again.”
Flashing his most dazzling smile at Letty, Knox said, “Would I do that?”
Yes.
“No. Of course not. Not Mr. Perfect…”
Pointing a finger at Letty, Knox winked just before he departed the foyer. If any other guy pulled that maneuver, it would be cheesy, but somehow Knox makes his sly gesture look cool.
He makes me sick, Letty thought as she sized him up from head to toe.
Knox’s shoes tapped against the cool marble as he cut into the parlor, leaving Letty standing alone in the foyer. Rolling her eyes behind Knox’s head, she walked to the door and slammed it shut.
“Hey Pops! I brought you some cannolis!” Knox said in an excited tone of voice. He held up a white paper bag for his father to see.
“Did someone die?” Michael asked.
Letty’s eyes went wide as she glared at Michael.
That was inappropriate!
Knox caught her gaze and asked, “What?” with a perplexed look upon his face.
Letty’s lips were still though, and she had no intentions upon telling Knox what had happened.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Knox laughed charmingly as he waved off his father.
Yup. Because Michael Capadonno is such the kidder.
“Can’t a guy just stop by to see his father?” Knox asked innocently as he leaned in and kissed his father once on each of his cheeks.
“Okay, big time… and lemme guess! You just happened to be in the neighborhood, right?” Michael asked with a look of total disbelief on his face.
“As a matter of fact…” Knox began with a smile on his handsome face. “I just had dinner with an old friend at Tia Marie’s,” Knox said, referring to an Italian restaurant on the other side of town. Knox lowered himself into a leather wingback chair that sat beside Michael’s bed. Bending his knee to rest his foot on his left leg, Knox made himself comfortable as he pulled the box of cannoli from the white paper bag.
“Want one?” Knox asked his father as he popped open the box. “They’re from Marguerite’s in Manhattan.”
Michael appeared unimpressed as he shrugged his shoulders. “Doubt it’ll be as good as my mother’s, but it couldn’t hurt.”
“Jeez, Pop… Don’t act so excited,” Knox said sarcastically as he gave Letty a sly wink.
“Well. Don’t just stand there. Pour me a drink!” Knox demanded of Letty as he shoveled his cannoli in his mouth.
Raising an eyebrow at the man, Letty asked him with a serious tone, “Are your legs broken?”
“You’re the maid, right?” Knox asked with a sly wink.
“Why, because I’m Latina?” Letty asked, ready to beat Knox over the head with his box of cannoli.
“Your words, not mine,” Knox said with his mouth full of his pastry.
“That’s racist. Don’t be an ass.”
“Too much talking,” Knox said as he reached for Letty’s mouth. Holding her lips sealed with his fingers, he looked at Letty with a pair of amused eyes.
“Sassy mouth! I’ll take a shot of Patrón. Make one for yourself, too, you look a little…” he said as he peered Letty up and down from the high bun that sat atop her head to the brown riding boots that she wore on her feet. “Stressed.”
Batting away Knox’s hand with a hard swat of her arm, Letty gave him her best resting bitch face.
“Knock your shit off!” Michael yelled at Knox, tossing his newspaper at his son. Rather than walloping his leg, he sent the daily headlines raining down upon his lap.
“Jeez, Pop! You are full of hell.”
“Oh, please. You haven’t seen anything!” Letty blurted out, losing her tongue for a moment. She caught a hot glare from Michael and a perplexed look from Knox.
“What?” Knox asked, clearing hoping that Letty would elaborate.
“Nothing…” Letty replied as she walked away towards the kitchen.
“Don’t forget my shot! Get one for Pops too!” Knox insisted.
“Trust me, Knoxxy, you don’t want me to make you a drink. You probably won’t wake up in the morning.”
Knox raised an eyebrow as a cocky simper creased his face.
“For years, I never knew what my brother saw in you… but I’m getting a glimpse. You’re a little firecracker!”
Letty turned on her heel ready to read Knox Capadonno his last rites but once again Michael came to the rescue.
“HEY!” Michael screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes damn near bulging from their sockets. “She ain’t here for you!”
“That’s right, Knoxxy. I’m not,” Letty replied as she winked at him.
“What’s his is mine, you know. I’m the executor of his estate,” Knox replied smartly.
“Lucky duck. One drink coming up.”
That bastard’s getting a shot glass full of Ex-lax.
As Letty trotted out of the room semi-amused and fully annoyed, the front door crashed open again.
“Uncle Mikey!” A high-pitched voice called out as a pair of stiletto pumps clicked against the floor.
Oh, my God. So much for keeping this psycho away from the house.
As Letty turned to walk into the kitchen, she glanced back and watched Rumor Capadonno, mob princess, strut in with her older sister, Sonora Capadonno, bitchier mob princess. They crossed the parlor and smothered Michael with attention. He looked happy to see them as he gave them his cheek to kiss.
“What are you two doing here?” Michael asked with an amused smile on his face.
“Figured we’d stop by and see how you were doin’!” Rumor said in a high-pitched voice as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Hey Unc! Where’s Rainey! She should totally co
me out with us!”
“Oh, she had turned in early—” Michael began, but before he could continue his statement, a loud noise had come from the upstairs hallway.
A bedroom door slammed as a series of loud footsteps tromped across the hardwood floor. Descending the spiral staircase, Rainey had gotten changed, throwing on a short black dress, black combat boots, fishnets, a ripped jean jacket and at least three layers of makeup and rage on her face. Her face looked like she was about to kill someone herself. Giving her a glance, Letty felt bad for the girl. That quickly faded when Daddy’s little girl opened her mouth.
“Rainey, where are you going?” Michael asked with a nervous tone to his voice.
“OUT! I need out of this fucking prison!”
“Rainey, babe. What’s the deal?” Sonora asked.
“Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!” Raine screamed out.
The word nothing in the Capadonno family meant something. A big something. Not pressing the matter, Sonora and Rumor followed Raine out of the parlor and out the front door, slamming the door behind them.
“Damn, Pops! What did you do now?” Knox asked as he gave a semi-amused look towards the foyer.
“Nothing,” Michael said darkly as he eyes stared at the ceiling.
“Indeed,” Knox said as he wiped his hands on a clean napkin.
Suddenly, the front door crashed open again as Sasha broke through with her hands full of groceries.
“Daddy… Knoxxy…” Sasha said with a smile as she swept through with her arms full of bags.
“YOU!” Michael said.
“Me?” Sasha asked with a defensive look upon her face.
“Oh, this should be good. I need to stop by more often!” Knox exclaimed with a happy smile on his face.
“Shut up, Knox! Daddy, what is your problem?” Sasha asked with an agitated look on her face.
Poor Sasha looked every single one of her thirty-seven years. She ran ragged keeping the house stocked for the Capadonnos, and as far as daughters went, she was a pretty decent one. She tried. She looked out for Michael and her brothers and her younger sister. Sasha went to church and tried to set a good example. That counted for a lot in Letty’s book.
“You bought sauce!” Michael yelled out.
“Daddy! I work full time. I’m always running around doing something whether I’m teaching Sunday School, keeping Landon out of trouble, keeping Raine from getting jumped and helping Dustin with various errands. Can’t you give me a break?”
“YOU BOUGHT SAUCE!” Michael reiterated at a higher level.
“When do I have time to make gravy?”
“Sundays,” Michael said.
“Nope. Sunday school, then church, and brunch. Then I come home and make supper for sixteen ungrateful relatives!” Sasha spat.
“Tuesday mornings… That’s the one day a week I can actually hit the gym. Do you see my thighs? It’s been three years since I gave birth to Arianna! Three years! I can’t have one morning at the gym?! I can’t walk past the construction site by work without the guys whistling at me and commenting on my ‘big booty’!”
Michael laughed at the big booty comment, and Knox’s eyes lingered over his sister’s frame as a snide smile crossed his lips.
“What about Saturdays?” Michael asked.
“Really?” Sasha rebutted as she flipped her hair off her shoulder.
“Really, yaself! We’re Italians!”
“We’re Americans!” Sasha said, her hands flying about as she talked. She always talked with her hands.
Michael growled loudly.
“Your ancestors are rolling in their graves!”
“More rolling?” Letty asked as she carried out two tall glasses from the kitchen. “Hey, Sasha…”
“Hey, Letty. I hope he hasn’t been too much trouble.”
“Nah, he’s fine,” Letty lied to her.
She knows all about her father. She doesn’t need me to educate her on that.
“What’s all this grumbling about down here!” Dustin asked as he walked down the steps in a pair of black lounge pants and a white tank top.
“Hey, Dust…” Knox said waving to his brother.
“I haven’t seen your ass since Christmas…” Dustin said casting his brother an annoyed look. “What brings you around?”
“I was in the neighborhood,” Knox insisted.
“Mmmmhmmm. Yup. Sure,” Dustin said clearly not believing a word his brother said.
Suddenly, the front door slammed open again.
“Jesus Christ, this place is like Grand Central Station tonight!” Michael yelled.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately ate them.
Landon’s deep voice called out from the foyer, “We’re home. Guess who’s here!”
But as Landon crossed the entryway of the parlor and met eyes with Knox, he knew that there was a huge problem. Gently pushing Landon aside, Miles Capadonno walked into the room with the weight of everyone’s gaze upon him.
“Shut the fuck up!” Dustin yelled out as he landed his eyes on his brother Miles.
Miles nodded at Dustin and smiled. He gave his sister Sasha a kiss on her head. His eyes avoided Knox completely. Miles’s eyes quickly zoned to Letty’s face. He didn’t smile. He didn’t grimace. He gave Letty no clue as to what he was thinking.
Letty felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her heart sped in her chest. As her eyes collided with Miles’s gaze, she dropped both glasses to the floor, shattering them into a million pieces.
Breathe, Letty. Breathe. He looks different than I remember, but all I can see is those eyes and the fierce stare that holds me hypnotized.
“Letty,” he said in a deep voice so full of hunger and inflection that the sound of it nearly caused Letty to explode on the spot.
Stepping over the broken glass, Letty moved towards him, unsure of what she would say or do. She felt dizzy. The room felt like it was spinning fast around her.
He stands at six and a half feet tall, with muscles and brawn and tattoos. I want to run my fingers through his long soft beard. The man is six feet six inches of lickable, fuckable tantric ink, attitude and muscles.
Letty’s cool was shaking out of control as Miles cut the distance between them.
It is taking everything in my power to keep myself from fainting like an idiot. It has been seventeen years since I’ve seen Miles’s face. I’m not the scared, skinny little teenager that he left behind. I have curves. My curves have curves. He probably thinks I’m disgusting. I’m also not the same sweet little girl I was before. He took a piece of me, and left behind a broken woman. When I didn’t hear back from him, I was crushed. I was willing to wait. I was willing to support him and stick by his side. He sealed our fate when he forgot about me.
Letty breathed heavily as tears began to well in her eyes. Miles inched closer and Letty began freaking out. An ache in her chest panged as the man that was her everything stood right before her looking nothing like she remembered. It made her realize how much time they had lost. The thought ripped Letty’s heart out. Despite all her strength earlier, despite her resilience in not running in the face of danger, Letty panicked. Grabbing her bag off of the console table, Letty brushed by Miles without a hello.
“Letty!” Miles called.
Letty turned around and looked at him, her chest heaving with the stress of the situation. Miles’s eyes were so full of hurt and need that it broke Letty’s heart all over again.
I’m having a full blown panic attack.
“Letty! Wait!” Miles called out with deep concern in his eyes.
I can’t.
Letty crashed out the front door feeling like a complete idiot. Her panic was raging out of control.
I’ve been waiting my entire adult life for this moment, and now I’ve blown it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miles never talks to me again.
Standing on the front steps of the Capadonno mansion, Miles called out to Letty again, but she was too embarrassed and mortified to tu
rn around.
Why the fuck am I freaking out? I can keep calm in a room full of mobsters but in the face of Miles, I crumble. Why am I breaking? Why am I crumbling when this was the day I looked forward to for my entire adult life? The one thing I vowed never to do again is the one thing that caught me up. I promised myself I wouldn’t trip into any feelings. I’m stronger than this. I’m smarter than this. What the fuck is happening? It’s like I am a teenager all over again. The fact of the matter is, I never stopped loving him.
As Letty approached her red Acura that was parked along the Capadonnos’ long driveway, she felt a rough hand grip her arm. Whipping her around to face him, Miles grabbed the lapels of Letty’s jacket and pulled her in close to him.
“I don’t know what you’re runnin’ from, but it sure as hell ain’t me,” Miles said in a growl of a voice.
Miles’s face didn’t look angry. He looked deeply concerned. Tears rushed down Letty’s face as she faced Miles for the first time in almost two decades. Fear and panic, mortification and relief all rushed through her body at once.
“You might not love me. You might hate my guts… but Letty, I have never stopped loving you.”
Not allowing her to get a word in, Miles’s mouth rushed Letty’s, pressing her up firmly against her car. His tongue licked the tip of Letty’s own and as she clenched his white t-shirt, the faintest of growls ripped from his throat.
It is the most thrilling experience of my life thus far. It is a wicked combination of want and need, give and take. Our spearmint scented exchange is enough to send my sanity over the brink.
“Miles…” Letty whispered.
“You wanna leave, leave. But I will never stop loving you,” Miles said as he let go of Letty.
Now it was his turn to turn his back on Letty. Before she could say another word, Miles had vanished through the tree line, heading back to the Capadonno compound, leaving Letty in a state of shock.
Miles Away (Carrion #1) Page 8