by Rumer Raines
I shake my head and drop to the couch. I look at the key and look around at the house that I am now living in. This can’t be my life. I have managed to connect with people that are nice and giving and this just can’t be my real life. I need something to snap me out of this before I forget what real people are like. The cell phone rings and I practically jump out of my own skin. It’s been so long since I have had a cell phone that when It rings my first thought is that Garth will be on the other end and he’ll be pissed off at something that I didn’t cause. The ringing stops and it starts once again. I reach over and press the answer button on the phone.
“Hello,” I answer and I can hear the nervousness in my voice. Has he caught up with me? My gut is screaming that these Deluca’s are too good to be true, maybe I am right and they are.
“Do you think you can get your ass to the club early today or would you prefer I get special permission, Princess Adele?” Alex the Bastard asks as I close my eyes and snap back into my reality. They aren’t all good and this Is the proof that I needed.
Alex
Last night was pure hell. It didn’t need to be that way if all my staff was working. One was too upset to stay and one had special privileges and could leave early. Once the bar closed, I sent everyone home and told them I would take care of cleaning up the next morning. I didn’t think it was fair to them since we were short staffed. As I walk into the club my anger grows as I look at the mess. The tables are all cleaned, but I have a shitload of glasses that need to be washed and I need to take inventory so I know what I need to order. I’ll be damned if I am going to do this shit alone. I am going to call Adele and make her come in to do her part. I go to the office to pull the employee records and grab her phone number. I don’t want to hear any of her excuses and I am not going to call and check with Frank first. The phone rings and she doesn’t answer. I guess little princess thinks she is going to sleep in this morning. I redial the number and on the second ring, she finally answers.
“Hello.” I wonder if this bitch has caller ID because I can hear the fear in her voice when she answers. She probably knows it’s me and she has a right to be nervous.
“Do you think you can get your ass to the club early today or would you prefer I get special permission, Princess Adele?” I bark into the phone.
There is hesitation in her voice, but she advises that she can come in early if she is needed. I close my eyes to keep my temper in check when she says this. Why would she have been hired if she wasn’t needed? She acts like she is doing me a favor.
“I guess you wouldn’t have been hired if you weren’t needed,” I advise and there is silence on her end. Bitch probably hung up on me.
“What time do you need me to come in?” she finally asks.
“Be here in thirty minutes.” I hang up, since this is, as far as I am concerned, the end of discussion. I toss my phone onto the bar and I realize that I just made an asinine move. This is Chicago and I didn’t even look at her address. It’s still early and she may not even be dressed. I told her to be here in thirty minutes and she probably won’t be able to get here in that time. I smile to myself, thinking that if she doesn’t, I can always fire her. It’s what Thomas and I both want to happen anyway. I work on the time cards so I can turn them in to Frank for processing and watch the clock to see if Princess will get here on time.
Adele
I don’t know how Alex can possibly be blood-related to Frank and Alexis? He is the biggest asshole I have had to deal with since Garth. He calls me at the last minute and tells me that I need to be at the club in thirty minutes? It took us at least thirty minutes to get here last night and I am not even dressed yet. I look at my cell phone and text a message to Nick asking him to hurry back and indicating ‘911.’ While he is on the way, I run into my backpack and grab my jeans and t-shirt. I assume the bastard isn’t expecting me to dress up for dish washing? I throw my hair back into a ponytail and run to put on my shoes. Within ten minutes, the doorbell rings and there is a pounding at the door. I grab the key and swing up the door.
“I am so glad you’re here, I need a lift to Deluca’s,” I advise as I put my hand on his chest to push him away from the door. He tilts his head and closes his eyes as I rush past him to his truck
“You said ‘911’ so I would rush back and give you a ride to the club? I left you a car key. Why in the hell didn’t you just take the damn car?” He asks once he’s in the driver seat and after slamming the door.
“I won’t drive that car. They have given me enough and I just can’t do it.” I tell him as I stare out the window.
“If you 911 me again and I rush back and there really isn’t an emergency. You’ll need 911 once I get there,” he advises and I look back at him and see he is dead serious.
“I’m sorry. Do you think you can have me there in twenty minutes?” I ask and he looks over at me with a glare.
I get to the club in exactly thirty-two minutes. Nick drops me off at the back entrance in the alley. I push open the door and thankfully it is unlocked. I expect Alex to be standing at the door staring at his watch when I walk in. Luckily, I don’t see him, so I check the clock again. It’s indicating I would be three minutes late, but if he isn’t here to see me walk in I am on time as far as I am concerned. I hear the office door slam shut and Alex walks out and heads down the stairs. He notices me and as expected, he checks his watch. He narrows his eyes at me as he approaches and I can only assume he is wondering if I got here on time.
“What time did you get here, Adele?” he asks as he stands in front of me.
“I was here on time. You said thirty minutes and I was here. Granted, I did have to break most driving laws to keep you happy, but I guess that is part of the job,” I say with the phoniest smile I can force myself to make at him.
Alex tilts his head and is about to say something when the back door opens and slams shut. We both turn to see Nick approaching us and he lifts his hand with a set of keys dangling from them.
“You left your keys in my truck, Adele. Call me when you’re done here and I’ll come pick you up.” Nick advises and he nods his head at Alex as he leaves.
I watch the back-door close after Nick walks through it and return my attention back to Alex. He suddenly looks angry. I suppose he always looks angry, but there is something different in his eyes. He turns away from me and heads to the bar.
Alex
My father was Mafia. He groomed me to be Mafia while Frank played a cop. I know when people have connections and when they don’t. I can smell it on them. It’s in the way they walk and the way they talk. I was groomed to live the life. I had my suspicions about Adele from the minute she showed up. Frank always can find the good in people. He was a cop, so perhaps he sees the innocence in everyone he meets. Alexis is more like him than she is me. She is sweet and innocent. She would probably drop dead from shock if she knew our family was Mafia. I don’t blame her for being taken in by Adele. I do blame Frank because he should have known better. The minute I laid my eyes on her, I knew she was hiding something. It was something big and I felt the walls she built around herself. She wanted to keep people out so they wouldn’t figure out her secrets. I had no idea what that secret could be until today.
When that guy walked in to bring her keys, I knew my assumptions were correct. He had mob written all over him. I have never seen him before, so he’s obviously not connected to us. The look on Adele’s face when he walked in was priceless. She didn’t want me to see him either, but unfortunately for her, I did. I wanted to pull out my gun and demand answers from her. I needed to get the fuck away from her before I did just that. I won’t go far since I can’t trust her enough to leave her alone. What in the hell does this lying bitch want? I am so mad that she not only played Frank, but she fucked with Alexis too. Alexis isn’t involved with this shit and Adele used her to get in.
“What exactly do you want me to do?” She is asking as she stands near the bar.
I close my eyes to
rein in my temper before I really do pull out my gun and shoot her. I should talk to Frank before I do anything because he will notice if she goes missing.
“How about you start with the dishes,” I ask and I look away and towards the gun that we keep behind the bar.
“The dishes? Don’t you have someone to do the dishes or maybe a dishwasher?” she asks and I am about to snap.
“I would like you to wash the glasses. Just so you know, we do have someone that normally does that. However, we were short staffed last night and rather than have someone do the job for two people because your ass didn’t have to fulfill your duties, I let everyone leave this shit for today.” I snap at her.
“I’m sorry. Am I allowed to put them in the dishwasher?” she quietly asks.
“Yes. Just so you know, I hate the water streaks that come from it, so I would prefer you hand dry them,” I tell her as I head to the alley. I need to get the fuck away from her. I keep replaying that guy bringing in her keys. I wonder who he is and what family does he belong to? When Lola first showed up she had ties to New York, but we work together since she and Frank got married. Has another family moved into Chicago? Can I even address this with Frank or will he just believe that she isn’t involved? I pace the alley enough to calm down and head back inside to where Adele has started hand drying the glasses. I stand next to her and start grabbing glasses to put them away and she raises an eyebrow to look at me. She is suspicious and I want to let her know that she should be because I am very suspicious of her too.
“Who was that guy?” I ask and she tilts her head to look at me.
“What guy are you talking about?” she asks. Does this bitch really want to play games with me? She has no idea how badly I want to kill her.
“The guy that had your keys. I am assuming he brought you in?”
“Why do you want to know?” She stops wiping and looks up at me as I grab the next glass and put it away.
“I want to know because he looks like bad news. I don’t want you bringing any of your shit into my club.”
“You can tell he is bad news from the ten seconds it took him to bring my keys? I wish I had those super powers,” she smirks and I feel my temper rising.
I practically drop the glass and after inspecting it for cracks, I then turn towards her.
“Listen, you little bitch. I have been very nice to you since for some reason Frank likes you. That guy is not allowed anywhere near Deluca’s. You will have serious problems if I have to mention this again.”
Adele’s eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something. As she does the back door once again opens and Frank walks in. He looks between me and Adele and moves to the bar.
“Is there a problem here? Frank asks and both Adele and I shake our head. He looks back at Adele and tilts his head. I turn to look at her and I notice that her eyes have gotten watery. I roll my eyes knowing this bitch is about to start crying and putting on a major ‘pity me show’ for Frank and I will be the villain.
“Adele, is everything ok?” Frank asks again but this time his voice is softer.
“I am fine. Alex was just being Alex and laying down his law,” she says and I look at her and close my eyes. I know this will be a fight in a few minutes.
“I am glad you’re both here. I have to leave town for a few weeks,” Frank says and I move to the other side of the bar to stand next to him.
“Where are you going? Is everything ok?” I ask.
“Everything is fine. Lola and I are just taking the kids to New York for a few weeks so they can see their grandparents,” Frank responds and we both turn back to look at Adele who suddenly looks pale and faint.
“Can I see you in my office for a few minutes?” Frank asks me and I realize it’s time for that fight. I nod my head and he looks back at Adele letting her know he’ll talk to her before he leaves. I roll my eyes as I head upstairs.
I am waiting for Frank in the office when he finally arrives after talking to Adele.
“What the fuck was going on, Alex?” He practically yells as he closes the door.
“Nothing,” I answer as I cross my legs.
“Alex, she was practically in tears and I thought she was going to faint when I mentioned leaving town!”
“I can’t help it if she really likes you, Frank. I wonder what Lola would think about that?” I look up at Frank and he is seething.
“I am going to ask you this one more time, Alex. What the fuck was going on?”
“Okay,” I chuckle and stand. “What is going on is that Princess Adele has connections. This guy dropped her off and I know the fucking mob when I see it and he’s it.”
Frank shakes his head and turns away from me walking back to his desk.
“She isn’t connected, Alex. You’ll just have to trust me. I need to go to New York and when I return she had still better be here. If she isn’t, we are going to have major problems when I return.”
I tilt my head and can’t believe the shit I am hearing. “Whatever you want Frank,” I say.
“I think I am going to ask Oliver to check in while I am gone. I know he does his sex club shit and stays in that area, but I don’t trust you…” Frank starts but I cut him off.
“Wait. You’re going to leave her a fucking babysitter, Frank? I will not fire her while you’re gone. Will that make you happy?” I tell him as I shake my head.
“Tell me you won’t do anything to make her quit either, Alex,” Frank continues and I shake my head.
“Adele will be here when you return,” I tell him although I am not happy about it.
Frank and I leave his office and he moves straight to Adele. I stand at the top of the stairs watching them. I am sure he’s assuring her that I will be nice and won't bother her when he is away. He’s telling her some shit like that because as he talks his eyes keep moving to me on the stairs. She has a secret and I think Frank knows what it is. I honestly believe those secrets are mob-related and involve that guy who was here earlier. I don’t understand why Frank would protect her. He now has just as much dirt under his nails than the rest of us do. Why would he protect her? Maybe I need to go further than Frank? Maybe I need to talk to Alexis to find out about Adele.
When Adele finally breaks away from Frank, I head down the stairs. He meets me once I am at the bottom and says that she’ll be working the normal closing shift while he is away. Before he leaves, he reminds me that Adele is to still be working at Deluca’s when he returns. I nod in agreement.
Adele
It takes several hours for Alex and me to get the club ready for the night. There are a few hours before I had to be in and I want to go home to take a nap. I am terrified that Frank is leaving town and that Alex will totally be in charge. He doesn’t like me and the feeling is mutual. When Frank mentioned that he would be gone, I noticed that Alex’s eyes darkened when he looked at me. He is going to torture the hell out of me while Frank is away. I don’t know if I should go back and wait for him to fire me or just call in to quit. I doubt I’ll be working at the club when Frank returns. Why should I put myself through the harassment? It’s been a while since I had to work for a boss that I didn’t like and one that didn’t like me. When Garth and I moved in together he had me quit my job. I did so gladly since I hated the boss I had at the time. Now that I think about it, I should have kept the boss and gotten rid of Garth. The torture at home was ten times worse than the torture I experienced at work.
I walk to the back to grab my backpack and text Nick asking him if he can pick me up. It takes him a few seconds, but he texts that he’s close, so he’ll be at the club in ten minutes. I ask him to meet me two blocks over and I would start walking. I am not sure why but Nick set off Alex when he came in with my keys. The last thing I need is for Alex to see him pick me up. Especially when I must work in a few hours, I just don’t want the hassle. Nick responds with question marks, but I just give him the corner I will be standing at. I don’t see Alex as I leave and I thank God for small favors. I
close the door and head off to meet Nick. Luckily, we get there about the same time, so I jump into the Suburban and he pulls off. He turns to look at me and I turn to stare out the window.
“Is there a reason I am picking you up on corners?” Nick asks.
“I have had a really bad day Nick. Can you please just drop me off and not ask a hundred questions?”
“Fine. You need to drive the car. It’s in the garage and it’s available. I don’t know what your problem; is if people want to be nice to you, let them.” He says and I close my eyes wishing he would just shut the hell up.
We pull into the driveway and Nick starts to get out. “Where are you going?” I ask as I slam the car door.
“I am going to do a sweep of the place. Frank would expect me to, so I am going to do it,” Nick informs me as he walks past me and into the house.
Once it’s all clear, he points out the garage door opener and picks up the car key from the coffee table. He hands it to me and walks out the door. When I have locked up, I drop the key back on the table and pick up the glass that is on the table to take it back to the kitchen. I stop the minute I get into the kitchen and walk back into the living room. I don’t recall taking out a glass? It was early when Alex called and I didn’t even have time to grab breakfast. Where did this glass come from? I stare into the glass and there is a brown liquid inside. I lift it up to smell what’s inside and its bourbon. I don’t drink bourbon, but Garth does. I glance around the house and everything is still in place. I know I am just being paranoid because Nick did a sweep of the place and there is no one here. I am just unsettled I tell myself once more. The glass was probably here when I got here yesterday and I just didn’t notice. Nick said that this place is used for the family when they visit. I am only being irrational I chant to myself as I back into the kitchen to wash the glass and put it away.