by Avery Hawkes
“I have an idea, kill him, grind him up into sausage and feed him to Mr. Armento.”
“We’ll add that to the list, but maybe we should come up with solutions that are less … I don’t know … bloody?”
She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head, her short hair waving in front of her face.
“Hey” I told her, leaning in to softly touch her forearm. She didn’t stop me, which was surprising. “This is the job we came here for. I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to get over it fast.”
Despair flashed over her face and for a second I thought she was going to burst into tears. Instead, she turned her body away from me and watched the buildings pass from the passenger side window.
I guess I was going to have to figure it out myself.
The car rolled up to the event and I realized there was a red carpet. There was a small amount of glamour in the life of a club owner, but not this much. When the door opened, the lights started to flash, taking of pictures of us even though we were nobodies. I got out first, then helped Piper from the car with a hand.
She took it with a gleaming smile. It was plastered on her face, looking as out of place as a bad wig. Her eyes told me something else, get me out of here. I leaned in to her ear.
“It’ll be fine,” I whispered.
She didn’t respond, but instead focused on the photographers. Once they realized we weren’t celebrities or anyone important, they moved on to focusing on the next car.
I placed my hand on the small of her back, feeling the curve of her waist to her hips under the fabric of her dress.
Keep it together, I told myself. There was no time for me to become distracted over how sexy Piper looked next to me. The task at hand was much more important.
The building that the event was being held at was old and finely constructed. There were large, white pillars that framed a fine wooden door. Guards stood at the front as women in tight dresses checked guests off the list. We started walking toward the entrance. In my heart of hearts, I hoped that we didn’t both look like fish out of water. I knew I felt like one.
When we got to the entrance I introduced myself to the woman at the door and she waved us on into the party.
It was lovely. People from all over the world had flown here just for this event. Models moved from person to person, offering food and drinks from Michelin star chefs.
People were covered in jewelry that glimmered in the light of the chandeliers. We stood back and watched the glamour for a few seconds, unsure of where to go and what to do.
“Would you like a drink?” I asked, eyeing the bar on the far right-hand corner of the room. Immediately Piper grabbed my arm like her life depended on it.
“I’ll come with you.” She leaned in to me to whisper firmly through gritted teeth, “Don’t you DARE leave me alone here.”
I pretended like she had shared an interesting fact with me and then led her through the large room to the bar. Multiple bartenders moved back and forth, making people cocktails and serving wine. While I could have probably asked a waiter to bring me a drink, I didn’t want to stand awkwardly while waiting for people to serve me.
I walked up to the bar and ordered myself a whiskey and Piper a glass of wine. When I turned to carry the glass back to her, she had turned white as a sheet, staring across the room like she had seen a ghost. I turned my head to see if someone had been murdered somewhere in the ballroom, but there was nothing other than pretentious chatter and flashy dresses.
“Are you alright?” I asked as I stepped up to her.
She jumped a little bit, but then scrunched up her face.
“Nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the wine from my hand, “It’s nothing,” she repeated.
I looked out at the crowd again, trying to see if I missed something the first glance around. When I turned back, Piper had vanished from my side.
“Damn it,” I turned three-hundred and sixty degrees and couldn’t find her.
“It looks like your date has left you,” the voice of an older woman said to my right. She was wearing a sequined dress and was arm-in-arm with a grey-haired man.
I bowed a bit by my waist and flashed a smile. “I assume she needed to powder her nose.”
The woman lifted her hand to me, so I look it and gave it a kiss. She giggled.
“I’m Cassie Levine and this is my husband, Joshua Levine,” she said.
“Levine? Of Levine fashion?” I asked, shaking the hand of her husband.
“The very same,” Cassie said. “And who might you be?”
I had been so distracted that I had forgotten to introduce myself. “Of course. I’m Luca Rossi.”
“Rossi?” Joshua looked up, thinking. “I haven’t heard of the Rossi family. What business are you in?”
“Ah, entertainment,” I thrust my hand into my pocket and pulled out the cards that I had been given by the Mafia. They were red on one side, with a club logo on the other. My name was embossed into the white side, along with contact information for a new phone and email address I had been given.
“What sort of entertainment?” That seemed to catch her interest.
“I own multiple clubs around Europe and the United States.”
“A club owner!” The older woman clapped her hands together. “Seems to be an exciting and popular business to get into these days.”
My ears perked up at that. “Why do you say?”
“We just met a man who was the owner of multiple clubs as well,” she said. “What was his name …”
“Robert,” her husband reminded her.
“Ah yes, it was Robert,” she glanced over the crowd of people. “We saw him right over there—oh yes, there he is, with the bright blue suit!”
She had enough manners not to point, but the bright blue suit was difficult not to see. The man was tall and talking to a pair of Italian women who were laughing at his jokes.
He looked handsome, young, a guy who I would probably hang out with if my job wasn’t to utterly destroy him.
“Oh yes,” I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. “I think we know each other, actually.” I smiled and lightly touched the fashionista’s forearm. “Actually, I must go say hello to him, it was a pleasure meeting you both. Ciao.”
“Ciao darling!” she said with a wave.
I made a beeline through the crowd, leaving my drink with a passing waiter. I had forgotten about Piper totally; the only person I could focus on was the man in the blue suit.
“And then I said, you can’t kick me out, I bought the place!” Robert said boisterously, followed by the girls bursting out laughing- perhaps a little too loud- at his story.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt,” I said, stepping in to the group. Both women were beauties with long curly hair and dark lips. They raised their eyebrows and looked at me like I was scum at the bottom of their stiletto heels.
“One second,” Robert said, turning to look me over. He looked cocky, sure of himself, but so was I. I met his firm gaze with one of my own, I wouldn’t be the first to look away. The girls laughed nervously and turned to speak to each other in Italian.
“Hello, are you Robert Georgeson?” As I spoke I offered my hand to him. He took it and we shook hands.
“Yes …”
“My name is Luca Rossi.”
The man looked bored all of a sudden, like I was taking him away from his game. I felt bad for him in a way, I often got annoyed when someone interrupted my chase for tail.
However, as I looked at him I realized I was looking at someone I wasn’t anymore. Luca, the stuck up kid with a failing club. Luca, the womanizing asshole. Now, I was Luca the married man and owner of a respectable business.
“Luca …” he was trying to figure out why I mattered to him.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” I said straightening myself. “You’ve built quite the business for yourself. How do you do it?”
<
br /> I had fed his ego and he puffed up a bit. Luckily, everyone who was anyone was at this party- no room for the common man here. He had to know that I did hold some power, but I was going to keep those cards close for as long as I could.
“Hard work and a talent for partying” he said seriously. “That’s all you need to get anywhere.”
“I couldn’t agree more. What was it that first got you into the nightlife business?”
“I’ve always have had a passion for entertaining people. Now, I just do it for my job. I’m truly blessed.”
The guy could have been a better liar; I could tell by the way he fidgeted as he talked that he was lying. In any case, I nodded like I didn’t notice.
“I’m interested, what business are you in?” he asked, turning it back on me.
“Oh, similar,” I said casually.
He raised his eyebrows. “Similar? Clubs? Restaurants?”
I shrugged. “Oh, nothing much, this and that. I work in entertainment and now I’m dipping my feet into the European market.”
“European ...?”
“Clubs, mostly,” I smiled. That seemed to make him feel a bit more at ease. Whenever I talked about being a club owner, it usually told people that I knew how to party. People who partied weren’t seen as threats to cut throat business men.
“WOW,” Robert laughed and nodded toward the two girls standing next to him. “Hear that ladies, this guy’s a club owner too!”
They both smiled politely, probably because they were both planning to go home with the man in the bright blue suit.
“You have any in the area?” he asked.
“Oh yeah, there’s a few in Italy, France, multiple in the states.” I wasn’t used to being a business mogul yet, and the idea of owning a dozen clubs around the world sounded classier than having a few trashy clubs in New Jersey. If I was going to pretend to be on the level with everyone there, I was going to go all the way.
“Do you have a ladies night?” One of the girls asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I knew that look from my days in Jersey.
“Yeah,” her friend chimed in. “Do you offer free drinks to pretty ladies?” she winked.
Robert cleared his throat and looked at me like I had stolen his thunder, even if it was his fault.
“Actually, we would love to visit, we’re in Florence for a few more nights and looking for things to do.”
“Actually, we are opening up my first bar this weekend in Florence.”
“Really? Well then we will have to visit it,” he tilted his head, “What is it called?”
I blinked a few times, enough so that Robert noticed.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
“Oh no, I-I just have so many businesses it’s difficult to keep them straight.” I reached into my pocket to grab my wallet. I knew that in it I had a few of my business cards. I gave him one.
“Call me when you get there. The place is called, um …” I glanced over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of some gaudy jewelry. “Garnet.”
“Garnet,” he glanced over the card and nodded to me. “I’ll be there, maybe we can talk about your foray into European clubs while visit. That is, if you’ll be in town.”
“Definitely,” I said, nodding. “I’m visiting all of my clubs while I’m on this side of the water. We’ll treat you well at Garnet, the VIP experience.”
Robert smiled, “I’m glad to have met you, Luca,” he said, giving me a firm handshake.
Maybe a bit too firm.
“Now, if you'll excuse us, we’re off to get some drinks at the bar.”
“Enjoy,” I said as the three passed me, heading back toward the open bar.
When they were gone, I allowed myself to relax. What the fuck had I just done? I told my enemy to just waltz into my club on opening weekend.
No. This was a good thing. I tried to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. If I could get him alone in Garnet, I had a better chance of pulling off the job that Franco wanted me to do.
My brain was running at full blast, trying to figure out exactly how I’d come up with a game plan in less than 24 hours, when I realized that I hadn’t seen my wife in a long time.
“Piper,” I said under my breath, walking through the crowds of fancy people. She was nowhere to be seen. I stopped a waiter who had been walking around with wine glasses.
“Excuse me, have you seen a slender woman with cropped hair and a red dress? Kind of angry or distressed?”
As soon as I mentioned anger, recognition flashed across the Italian man’s face.
“Maybe … I see her. She’s very drunk. Outside, I think?” his accent was heavy, but I was able to understand enough. Near the west end of the ballroom were two large doors that lead to a balcony. People talked and laughed under hanging lights and outdoor heaters. I saw a flash of red and pushed my way through the crowd.
I hoped to God she wasn’t making a fool out of herself like she had done at our wedding. When she drank out of anger, she did not make the best decisions.
As I broke free from the large crowd, I got a better view of her. She was standing on the balcony, empty glass in her hand. I could see that her makeup was smeared on her face, like she had been crying.
Standing next to her was a man in bright blue, Robert.
I paused in mid-step as I scanned their faces, body language, everything. Piper was shaking and I could about see the vein in her neck. People around her were starting to stare.
Robert looked different than the cocky man I had seen, peacocking around the two Italian girls. In fact, I didn’t see them anywhere near him. His eyes were wide and pleading.
Piper threw her drink in his face, then turned to leave and he grabbed her. Immediately, rage filled my entire body. I gritted my teeth and started forward, pushing a waiter aside. Had the guy tried to hit on Piper? Was he trying to hurt her? The fact that I was trying to gain rapport with Robert left my mind. The Mafia and the job I had to do left my mind. All that stood in front of me was Piper, who desperately needed my help.
Those few steps seemed to take forever with my mind going a million miles an hour. When I finally got to the two, quite a few people were staring. The douche bag was still holding onto Piper's arm, trying to pull her aside so they could talk. Piper was cursing, but I couldn't tell exactly what she was saying. All I knew was that, I had a fist and it needed to go into the guy's face.
It happened fast, like these things usually do. I tapped Robert on the shoulder and he ignored me, focusing on keeping my wife in his grip. I tapped him again, this time with more force.
"Mind your own—"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence. I slammed my fist into his face, sending him flying back toward the crowd. People gasped as he stumbled back, making room for the fighters. The asshole touched the spot on his face I had hit, right on his cheekbone.
"Luca!" Piper gasped, her brows knit together. While she didn't look like she approved, I took her lack of yelling as a sign that she didn't mind me stepping in.
Robert straightened and turned to face me, cracking his knuckles.
"Stay away from her," I told him, my voice booming in the room. People murmured in both Italian and English. Robert raised an eyebrow, looking at me like I was a piece of trash.
"Mind your own business. This is between me and the lady," he replied. Piper gritted her teeth at that and I realized from how she had acted, it went deeper than Robert trying to hit on her. Piper had started acting more edgy than usual whenever his name was brought up and had become white as a sheet when we arrived … they knew each other.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, but I stood my ground anyway, moving to stand by Piper's side.
"This IS my business," I said. "You put your hands on my WIFE."
That made Robert second guess himself, and he blinked a few times. He turned to Piper who looked more than uncomfortable next to me.
"Is that true, Piper?" he asked, his voice had turned from sure of
himself to fragile. I immediately realized that he thought Piper belonged to him.
She looked up at me and gave me a sort of half-smile, then took my hand in hers.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, we're married."
Robert's eyes narrowed. "Who do you work for, Luca? Do you work with Piper, with the men who own her?"
He spat in my direction.
Fuck.
"Just stay away from her, alright?" I said.
"Piper," Robert moved forward, his arms spread out. "Piper, I can help you. I escaped from their shadow and you can too."
I stepped in front of the woman. "Don't talk to her."
"I can talk to whomever I please," he spat back. He looked at Piper and his face softened.
"Piper, please, I need to talk to you. Just, five minutes."
Piper's eyes were wide as she looked up to me and then across to Robert. Finally, she turned away.
"I'm alright Rob, just leave me alone."
"Please—" Rob went to grab her again but I wouldn't allow that. He wouldn't place a hand on her again. I threw another punch at him, but this time he was prepared. He ducked and then sent a fist into my stomach. I gasped in pain, but recovered quickly enough to get away from him before he could throw another punch.
I lunged at him, throwing us both to the ground. We wrestled for a while, fists flying. A few of my punches connected, but not as many as I wanted.
Robert found himself on top of me, trying to get me in a strangle hold. My fists hit his side, aiming for his kidneys.
From out of nowhere, a heel hit Robert swiftly in the face, sending him flying away. Piper stood above me, looking like a goddess in her tight, red dress. I stood up, preparing for another round of fighting with Robert, but Piper pulled at my arm.
"Follow me!" she said, looking around frantically.
My brain was still in the fight, so I hadn't noticed when the sirens turned up. Looking back at the ballroom, I could see security trying to make their way through the crowd. Piper was pulling me toward a side staircase that lead from the balcony down to the gardens below.
I nodded, my head spinning from the fight. As we started to leave, I heard Rob yell, trying to get our attention.
"This isn't over," he said, wiping blood from his cheek. He lifted his other arm, my shining business card flashing at me. "Expect me."