by Eden Rose
I laugh and take a sip of wine. "Your turn," I say as I take a bite of food. "When did you come to America? Where are you from? We need to make up for our first date conversations."
" I'm from Vienna. My family came over when I'm twelve. My parents settled in to Brooklyn and that is when things started to change."
"Like?" I put my fork down and drink another sip. "Come on, we are getting married. I think I should know."
"My family was having a hard time adjusting to life in the States. The parents would argue a lot over money. After a few months, my dad got a job in a coffee shop. Then a few months after that, he started to speak English more, his clothes got nicer and we moved into a nicer house. It is strange because my mother hated everything," he stops to take a drink and a bite. "By the time I'm fifteen, I noticed that all of these men in suits started to come over and have stacks of money. I loved their confidence and I started to follow my dad around."
I cut into my food and take a bite. Delish. "Yes? Then what happened?" I put my fork down and lean over the table to look at him in his eyes.
"Well, my dad's friends turned out to be affiliated with a crime family. I started to do errands for them. Running a package to places and picking up the packages. When my dad is brought up through the ranks, I'm brought up too," his voice is proud but then he turned ashamed. "My initiation is magical. I will never forget it."
"What did you have to do to get in?" By this point I have lost all interest in eating.
" I'm not proud of this." His brown eyes leave my gaze and look down at the table cloth.
"Please tell me," I stare at him trying to get him to look at me.
Finally, he looks at me but his eyes are not filled with love anymore. They are filled with shame. "I had to shoot a rival family member."
"Mr. Moretti? I'm sorry to bother you," the man in the suit looked very scared. "Someone just came onto the boat and says that they need to speak to you."
Vincent pulls out something and puts it on his lap. He scooches my chair closer to him and whispers that he loves me. "Okay, send them in."
In walks three men in suits with smiles. "Pop! This must be the little woman!" The men nudge each other and I look at Vincent with a confused smile.
"Savannah, this is Harry, Sonny and Sammy. They are three of my really good friends from the family. What can I do for you?" He looks from me to them. Sammy must be the same Sammy as the one from that horrible night. I'm relieved that I'm starting to make connections.
"Sonny, how about you and Savannah go get some more wine," Harry says as he dismisses me and Sonny.
As I stand up, Vincent reaches his hand out and grabs my elbow. "Are you okay with this?"
"Yes, of course." Did I really have a choice? I didn't think this is a decision I got to make.
Sonny reaches his arm out so I could loop my arm through it. "My lady." Sonny kisses my hand and starts to lead me into the cabin.
"Hey Sonny, just remember I have a glock on board!"
We walked into the cabin and Sonny is laughing.
"So, what are you guys doing here?" I ask as I take a seat on the lounger. Since I couldn't get the information from Vincent, I decided to pump him for the information.
"Family business," he said as he sat across from me. "Are you enjoying your holiday?"
"Yes," I look at him with questioning eyes. " I'm sorry, but I really don't know why you are here."
"Like I said family business," he crosses his legs. "So, when is the big day?" He asks while looking at my hand.
"Two months." This small talk is very awkward. " I'm going to see if Vincent needs more wine." I stand up and walk up the couple of stairs and hear one of them talking.
"He went into her place, and there is someone in there..."
"So... how did it happen?"
"The stranger pulled out a gun... By the time Adamo turned around, he is shot."
I drop the glass in my hand on the deck. All three of them turned to look at me as I cover my mouth to not scream. "I wanted to see if you needed a refill." I felt the need to explain what I'm doing here.
"Shit. Savannah, come here," Vincent ushered for me to come to him. I shuffled my feet over to his chair. "Adamo went to your apartment to pack some of your things so you could be moved in to my place by the time we got back." He folds me into his arms but after getting off of his lap, I squeeze him back before walking away.
I leaned against the railing as far away as I could get from them. "And? I thought I said I didn't want him in my place."
Vincent and the others cough as Sonny joins them.
Sammy is the one that spoke up. "Do you know of anyone who would come into your place?"
"Um, I guess so. We just divorced. What are you getting at?"
Harry spoke up and waved at Sonny. "Someone was in your place. Adamo came to your place."
"I do believe I have followed you to that point," I snap as my patience grows thinner.
"The person shot Adamo in your kitchen," Sammy replies and looks at my face. "I didn't want to tell you. I kept telling them to leave you and Moretti alone to celebrate. Who would break into your place?"
"Joel," I whisper as I turn to face the water. "So, you are saying that my ex husband killed your associate?"
"Yes." I'm not sure who answered me.
"So, what is going to happen?" I knew the answer. I don't know why I asked it. "Blood for blood."
"Baby doll, I'm really sorry."
"You promised me that you would keep me in the front of your mind at all times. Now you want to hurt him? Don't get me wrong, I hate him. But not that much." I kept my back turned to everyone. My cheeks started to get warm and I tried to not cry. "Are you sure it is him?"
"Ye-" someone started.
"Wait!" I spin and hold my hands out. "He is at my apartment? He had a gun? He is expecting me to be home, not him?"
"That seems like the case," Sammy says.
My breathing got heavy and I slipped from the railing to the boat deck. "Oh no! Where is Annie? She didn't go back to the city right? Wait, how is Adamo?"
Vincent stood up and walked over to where I'm and sat down. "So..."
"He died, didn't he?"
All four of them nodded. Vincent is the one to speak to me. "I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore. I'm also sure that you know what is about to happen."
I nodded my head and turned so I'm facing the water with my shoes dangling off. "I got divorced a week ago, and then engaged, find out that my ex husband is wanting to kill me and now my future husband wants to kill him. Did I get everything right?"
"Yes, that is everything," Vincent said as he rubbed my back. "We are working on strategy here. You probably don't want to hear this."
"Til the casket drops, right?" I ask and turn from my perch off the boat. "What do you need to know?"
"You are really going to help us?" Sammy asks.
"Duh."
*Chapter 33*
I walked into Deluca's on that Friday night wearing a pencil skirt, and a tight button down shirt. I made sure to take off my canary ring and the bracelet, but left the earrings in. Now all I have to do is wait.
The host came up with my martini and say: "Miss Cavanough? Your guest just arrived."
"Thank you. Please have him meet me here." I took a deep breath and straightened my back. Man up, Savannah!
"Thank you so much for agreeing to go to dinner with me," Joel said as he sat down. "So what happened?"
"Vincent and I broke up. I realized that I'm still in love with you," my voice catches and I felt like I could vomit.
"I knew you wouldn't want to live that life," he ordered a bottle of red wine for us. " I'm glad you called. So, what do you want to talk about?"
I decided to play dumb. "My apartment was broken in to. Now I can't live there because I don't feel safe. Do you still have that guest room available?" I try my hardest to smile and look flirty.
"Yes, of course. Darling," he leaned over the
table to reach for my hand, "you wouldn't have to sleep in the guest room. You can sleep in our bed."
The waiter came by and I almost choked. It is Vinny. "Hello, I will be your server for this evening. What can I interest you and this beautiful woman in eating?" He winked at me and Joel cleared his throat.
"My wife-" I spit the gulp of my martini out. "We will have oysters for an appetizer and she will have the cob salad and I will have a steak medium. Please?" He scooped our menus up and gave them to Vinny who slipped me a note.
Sorry for the curve ball, that's all it said. Bastards.
"So, when were you wanting to move in?" He asks me while pouring himself a glass of wine. "I would love to help you move." Joel poured me one and handed it to me. It is moments like this that made me remember that we didn't always have bad times.
There were some good days when he showed an interest in what I'm doing and he is sometimes a romantic. I remember this one time where he left a rose on my pillow before I went to sleep for a month. Each rose held a quote about love.
This man before me, even though it is too late, is showing me those moments where I loved him more than my own life.
"Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?" He rubbed the back of my hand and brought it to his lips. I told myself to be repulsed by this, I shouldn't fall into this trap, but I still wanted to believe what he said to me. Words were what I knew with him and there were times when I felt as if I were married to his words.
Someone tapped my shoulder. When I went to see who it is, I'm greeted by a smiling Sammy. "Miss Cavanough? You have a phone call."
"Thank you, please excuse me," I put my napkin on the table as I stood up. "I won't be a minute."
Vincent met me at the entrance to the kitchen. I could feel my cheeks turning red and I'm highly nervous to be put in this situation.
"Savannah, you are doing wonderful," Vincent said as he hugged me. "Only a few more minutes, I promise."
I felt incredibly guilty for my trip down memory lane while Vincent is holding me. I'm such a bad person. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm really scared. This is making me so nervous," I blurt out. "Okay. He keeps calling his wife, this is weird." His hands gripped on my shirt very tight.
I turn and walk back to the table taking deep breaths. Joel is looking at his phone, and as I approached and took my seat, he set it down so that screen is on the table.
"Before we eat, how about we dance?" Joel stood up and offered his hand to me. I took it and walked to the middle with him.
I put my arm around his neck and he took my other hand in his and started to dance. We didn't say much. I find this weird that we are dancing as one would for the first wedding dance, since we never did this at our own wedding. The band is playing jazz and I tried to block out the fact that Vincent is staring me down. His eyes could burn a hole through my body and set this whole place ablaze.
"This is nice, I missed the way you feel in my arms," he says as he spins me around and dips me.
The deejay is playing "Read Your Mind" by Avant and I got really horny. Avant's voice just takes my body over and I get so turned on that I could have touched myself right in the middle of the dance floor. But then I'm snapped back to reality as my ex husband tries to kiss me and I bypass it by pretending to fall.
"Yes, it is," I say as I try to be serious and not to show any of my mixed feelings. Being around Joel is dangerous for my psyche. I can't be around him when he is sweet and then the next time I see him I want to stab him in the throat with a fork.
"Let's go back and eat," he stops dancing as the second song stops. Joel tries to put his arm around my waist, but I bypassed him. I can't have him touch me too much. Its like a sink hole, once you stand in the right spot you get sucked in.
Imagine my surprise as we approached our table to see Millstone and Sammy sitting at there.
"The gig is up you two," Millstone says and stands up with Sammy. "Let's discuss our business in private and not in the middle of a restaurant. Savannah, you are coming too."
I look up at them and stood up. "All right, as you wish."
Sammy comes with us and stands behind me with his hand on my back. "Don't worry," he whispers in my ear.
Don't worry? Really? That is a statement that causes everyone to worry!
"Where are we going?" I ask as we leave the restaurant.
"My office, its above this restaurant. Joel, how stupid are you? You are going to get yourself killed!" Millstone says as we climb the stairs.
"I know, I should have guessed. I never would have thought that my ex wife would join in on this," Joel looked at me with hate in his eyes. It's amazing how fast he can shatter the love that he once showed me with in a few minutes.
We walk into the office, and Millstone immediately sits behind the desk and Joel sits on the other side. Sammy sat next to me on the couch and I knotted and unknotted my hands. I guess I'm making Sammy nervous because he put his hand on top of mine to have me stop.
"We all know why we are here," Millstone starts. "Savannah's apartment and the associate."
"Yes, that is correct. You knew this is going to happen. Let's discuss business." Sammy texted someone and Vincent walked into the room. He looked at me and seen me looking nervous. I could see his anguish.
"Joel, Millstone? I see that I'm late for this meeting. Savannah, please move over." Vincent sits down next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. To anyone else this would seem like a comforting gesture but I knew it is strictly a possessive stance. "You know why we are here. I'm just making sure you know what's going to happen." I gasp as he continues. "This has got to end. You killed my associate while breaking into her apartment! We... We all know what his motive is, Joel. You wanted to shoot her and then had the nerve to show up to dinner?" He chuckles and then takes a deep breath for control. "That is absolutely the dumbest concept I have heard." Vincent let's out a chuckle.
"Well, I'm not aware as to whether or not Joel was breaking into her apartment. The hit wasn't ordered. We are handling this through our ranks," Millstone says. I seriously could sit here all day and listen to these men talk. I love the proper aire in which they are speaking. Actually, it kind of sounds poetic.
"He broke into her apartment and shot my associate and this isn't an order? What is going on within your family?" Sammy says with disdain in his voice..
"Let's discuss logistics. We know what set Joel off. Its that comare over there who is creating all of these problems," Millstone says and I feel like I could slip through the cracks on the floor.
I gasped when he called me that. I can't remember how many times that I have said it makes me feel like I'm a two dollar whore. Concern tensed up when I let my gasp out.
"That is what started it. However, you escalated the situation by bringing a gun to her apartment," Vincent looks at Joel. "Now, my associate is dead and we have a score to set. You and I need to discuss what this score will be like gentlemen."
"Joel, get out!" Millstone orders and Joel leaves. "Blood for blood, right?"
"Yes," Sammy says. "Its your choice as to how we should settle this. What is his punk ass rank?"
"He is an associate. He's not made. I don't care what you do to him. However, I would hate to start a war, especially so close to your upcoming nuptials. Joel did go to her apartment looking for her. He has gone a little insane." This man is seriously the definition of a psychopath! He is literally discussing killing someone as if he were ordering dinner.
"Hit the mattresses. Millstone, we should take a walk," Vincent stands up and looks at me. "I will be back." They left with Sammy and I sat there by myself.
I'm so confused. What does hit the mattress mean?
Joel walked into the room I'm in and sat at the desk.
"You set me up," he said.
"You broke into my place to kill me," I shot back at him.
"Savannah, look... I'm so sorry for everything that I did to you. I know that you are serious with him, but I want you back." Joel
takes a big gulp and looks at me in my eyes. If I didn't know him so well, I would have missed his watery smile. "We can sell the penthouse and start over. Please, baby, I know you and you know me. I will give you everything you need and want. All you need to do is just be yourself."
I had tears forming behind my closed eyelids. "That is everything I wanted you to say. It's too late now. Joel, I'm sorry, but it's too late." I blink my eyes a few times to clear the tears because the last thing I want is for Joel to know that he still affects me.
"Baby, just give me a chance. We can go to England like you always wanted."