High Stakes (A Dark Romance)

by Vanessa Waltz

  * * *

  Sunday is lonelier than usual, because it’s the day I usually have dinner with Maria’s family and she’s still not back. Instead, I spread the huge course catalog over my legs and try to figure out which classes I’ll register for.

  That would, of course, require picking a major. It’s something that still eludes me after all this time. Growing up, I entertained the notion of becoming a policewoman. I wanted to find those responsible for my father’s murder. Justice. Revenge. It’s all the same, isn’t it?

  Anyway, I figured out long ago I didn’t have the right temperament to become a cop.

  Besides, I’m a criminal now.

  Fear pricks all over my skin as I realize how deep I’ve sunk into this job. It was only supposed to be temporary, but things changed. I spend more time looking up ways to become a better dealer and poker strategies than focusing on my future at Columbia.

  I was so eager to get ahead that I never let myself stop and think about it for a moment. How am I supposed to know what I like when I’ve been working all my life? Every single available moment was spent earning another dollar. And it still is.

  Shoving the huge book aside, I pull my laptop over my knees and browse the Internet. Checking my mail, CNN, the local news.

  Long Island murder had mafia links

  Carmine Calautti, 23, was gunned down outside a deli store, police said Monday.

  Calautti is suspected to be a low-level associate of Giacomo Vittorio, boss of the Vittorio family.

  It’s proof that the Vittorio-Rizzo feud still rages, sources believe.

  “This was a retaliation,” a source said. “Calautti stole a truck of suits in Jersey that was under the protection of the Rizzo family. They’re sending a message to the Vittorios that anyone who encroaches on their territory will be dealt with ruthlessly.”

  Calautti had a lengthy criminal record, including several counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

  My heart thumps a dull beat behind my chest as I click away from the page.

  One week ago.

  Was that what caused Vincent to leave so quickly after he received that phone call?

  A hollow feeling opens somewhere in my chest, somewhere close to that horrible emptiness that blew open when my father died.

  I don’t know what to do about it.

  My mind feels like a vice by the time midnight rolls around, and I’m tossing in bed. When Vincent’s face swims in my head, I feel a chill like a cold finger running up my spine. My sheets feel constricting and I throw them back, leaning upright and my bare feet hitting the cool floor as I step into the darkness that I fear so much. I run quickly into the bathroom and flip the light switch, my pulse racing.

  It’s really quite pathetic to be so old and still be afraid of the dark.

  Splashing water over my face, I grab the hand towel and pat it dry. I wince as I look at my reflection. Sunken eyes, pale skin, puffy cheeks, and hair in desperate need of a brush. I grab my brush handle and attack my head with it, obsessed with making it look better even if I’m only going back to sleep. A sound creaks through the living room that makes me freeze in the middle of brushing my hair. I listen hard, hearing nothing but the slight buzz of the light and the traffic in the street outside. Still, I turn off the light and make a dash for my bed, for the safety under the covers.

  The clip of shoes on the wooden floor makes me scream and a brutal, male hand grabs my wrist. He yanks me into his body and smothers my scream with his hand. I elbow his side hard, but it’s like elbowing a brick wall. It glances off his rock hard body and then he wraps his arm tight around me, so that I can’t struggle. I inhale a shrill gasp, hearing his heavy breaths in my ear, feeling the strength of his body that’s impossible to overcome. I’m going to die.

  His lips kiss me behind me ear and I struggle madly, attempting to stomp his feet, but they’re made of hard, black leather. It hurts me more than it hurts him.

  “Nice to see you, too.”

  A callous, gritty voice that I recognize very well growls in my ear. He plants more lecherous kisses on my neck, and a pleasurable shiver runs up my leg.

  “Vince?” My voice mumbles through the hand. He slides it down my face before his thumb caresses my bottom lip. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  His low chuckle vibrates through my back. He’s still holding me as if I’ll burst out of his arms the moment he lets go. That deadly energy has taken over him again. I’m only wearing panties and a t-shirt, and I can feel him stiffening behind me. Still holding me hostage, he bends down and yanks my panties down, his hand smoothing over my stomach and dipping down to rub circles around my clit.

  “I was in the neighborhood,” he whispers in my ear.

  It doesn’t take long for me to shudder with a moan. Suddenly, he bends me over so that I catch the edge of my bed. He wrestles with his pants and his hardness throbs against my entrance. I inhale sharply as he shoves forward, impaling me in one swift stroke. His hand curls around my hipbone, pulling me back as his other grabs a fistful of my hair, pulling hard.

  There’s something incredibly hot about being taken like this in the dark. I cry out, my back arching as Vince pounds me relentlessly. His grip becomes crueler as his thrusts deepen; striking a spot that makes me groan. My legs shudder as energy builds up with each ruthless thrust, my head is yanked back and it’s painful, but I don’t care. I don’t want him to stop.

  He buries himself to the hilt and keeps my hips against him, and finally I’m set off, my orgasm heating my skin. He pulls out and groans, stroking himself to make him come.

  Both of us finished, we stumble towards the bathroom and I flip the light on, gazing on his face for the first time that evening. Vincent’s face shines with a red mark below his eye, and then I see the state of his suit. It’s torn in several places and dirty, like he’s been in a fight.

  He sees the worry in my eyes and his hands soothe my shoulders. “It’s all right, Adriana.”

  “But you’ve been in a fight!” I gently touch the red mark on his face and he winces. “What happened?”

  He gives me a sharp, suspicious look. “I’m fine. Let’s take a shower.”

  Geez.

  I start to protest, but Vince is already stripping the rest of my clothes off. I sigh as he strips his suit off, throwing it unceremoniously on the ground, before I turn on the shower. I wait until steam fills the small bathroom before climbing inside. The small shower really isn’t tall enough for him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He hisses in pleasure as the hot water beats down on his sore muscles.

  The sight of his naked body beaded with water droplets, rivulets running down his muscular thighs, makes me want him again. He looks beautiful with the water moistening his face and hair. Vince takes me in his arms, the heat of his body flush against mine, and kisses me. The red mark on his face inflames with the heat and I feel a dull throb in my chest.

  “Does this have anything to do with Calautti?”

  All the drowsiness leaves his face as he grabs me by the shoulders, pinning me against the cold tiles. “What?”

  “I read about it in a newspaper article.”

  His face relaxes somewhat. “No,” he says. “You shouldn’t read those stories. They’re all bullshit.”

  I’m somewhat perturbed by his outright lie. “Then why did you get tense when I mentioned the name?”

  Vince gives me a look. The look that reminds me that he’s not an ordinary man. “Don’t get cute with me, Adriana. You have no idea how dangerous it is for someone like you to ask those questions.”

  “Someone like me?”

  “Someone who knows too much for their own good.”

  I swallow hard, not quite understanding him, but my skin recoiling as if he just made a threat. I’m sleeping with a captain, I remind myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe.

  Still, he softens his words with a kiss, one that makes the butterflies inside flutter.

  After we’ve dried off, Vincent shr
ugs back on his clothes.

  “Please stay with me.”

  He hesitates, shoving his leg in his trousers. The sea of disquiet in my soul suddenly rises over my head in a huge wave.

  “I’ll be gone before you wake up.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Vince follows me, slipping behind me into bed. There’s no space for him to move away from me, but he doesn’t want to anyway. His arm curls around my waist and his breath billows over my neck.

  “I hate being alone in this place. Anyone could just burst in and kill me.”

  He smiles against my neck. “What? It’s a college campus. Who would want to kill you?”

  “People get killed all the time for no reason.”

  “What’s this coming from?”

  I turn around to face him in the dark. He’s completely shrouded in darkness. It makes it easier to talk to him. I stare at him the dark, willing myself to see his eyes, but I can’t. My mouth opens and closes.

  “It’s true. It happens.”

  “Yeah, but that’s something you don’t ever have to worry about. Least of all when you’re with me.”

  “Don’t you worry about it?”

  His hands stop stroking my waist as he considers it for a moment. “No.”

  It can’t be true, and yet his voice is clear and strong. He’s not going to get killed. Other people, maybe, but not him. How I wish I could have that calmness in my life. What’s it like not to worry?

  “You can’t spend your life thinking about what could or might happen. That’s no way to live.”

  A long sigh leaves my mouth. “You’re right.”

  He reaches out and pulls me into his chest like I’m a ragdoll. The steady heartbeat calms me. It’s utterly peaceful. I’ve never felt this safe in my life. When I’m with him, I’m not afraid of the dark.

  He is the dark.

  Chapter 7

  Tap.

  It sounds like footsteps, like the noise Vincent makes when he walks across the floor. Vincent? Who’s Vincent?

  Tap.

  Their shoes walk all over our floor, dirtying the hardwood floors as men in suits circle around the still body like vultures, taking Polaroids.

  My knees are still filthy with Dad’s blood.

  I’m the last of him. His blood dries on the floor. Soon it will be washed away and his body will go in the ground to rot and I’ll be the only thing left in the world keeping half of his DNA alive.

  Tap.

  “What’s this kid doing here?”

  Someone grabs my shoulder roughly, turns me away from the scene as they pull me into another room. A grizzled, old man looks at me through bushy, dark eyes.

  “I need you to tell me what happened.”

  I can’t talk. What just happened? It’s like I’m in another dimension and his words echo out to me, trying to contact me.

  “Listen, sweetie. You need to talk to us. We need to find out who did this to your Daddy.”

  Grabbing the blanket on the couch, he wraps it around me because I’m still shaking. It’s not from cold, but I cling onto it. Daddy used to sleep on the couch, sometimes, and Mom would cover him up with the blanket. It was the only tender thing I ever saw her do.

  “Call social services,” someone says.

  Tap.

  Waking up from the dream is like swimming through a dark, murky pool. I clutch my sheets against my chest like it’s the blanket.

  “Delivery!”

  I almost fall out of bed when someone knocks on my door. The clock on the wall reads: 9am. It’s way too early. I yank open the door, and a youngish guy stands in front of me, holding a paper bag.

  “Good morning! You’re Adriana Baldino?”

  I blink. “Yeah.”

  He hands over the bag to me, which is quite heavy. And warm. Puzzled, I glance back at him.

  “I didn’t order anything, buddy.”

  “It’s already paid for. Bye!”

  He turns around and leaves as I back into the room, confused. There’s a note taped on the outside of the paper bag. I unfold it.

  Good morning, beautiful.

  - V

  Laughing, I set it aside and open the paper bag. A delicious, spicy smell fills the room and I reach inside, grabbing the styrofoam box. Inside, there are a couple Italian hot links and a croissant. I smell the freshly baked, flakey dough and I bite right into it, moaning when it falls apart in my mouth. There’s also a cup of cappuccino in a styrofoam cup. I smile to myself and bring it all into my room, carefully stepping around Maria’s luggage. She came in late last night.

  Grabbing my phone, I step back out and call Vince’s number.

  “Hello there.”

  Right away, my heart thumps when I hear his gravelly voice.

  “Good morning to you, too.”

  “You got it?”

  “That was really sweet of you. Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing much. Just thinking about you.”

  Smiling, I take a sip of coffee. “Yeah? How come?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because I like you so much.”

  He sounds almost troubled by that. I grin against the phone, twirling a loose strand around my finger. “Well, I don’t.” I wince and immediately regret it. I’m so bad with men.

  Vince takes it in stride. He laughs a deep bellyful. “Smartass.” The laughter dies and Vince sighs into the phone. “There’s a big game tonight.”

  The way he says it makes tense. “Big game?”

  “Yeah. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “Okay.”

  “All right, hon. I gotta go.”

  “Thanks again. Bye.”

  * * *

  Maria is too jet-lagged to argue with me, which suits me just fine. She looks up at me periodically over her laptop, which flashes with pictures from her trip.

  “The guys in France, oh my God, Adriana. You wouldn’t believe. They’re all so thin and they have a real sense of style. It’s amazing.”

  Vince walks through my mind and I smile slightly. “They make them okay here.”

  She gives me a wry smile over her laptop. “What, like your gangster boyfriend?”

  “Leave him be. He has more class than any guy I’ve ever met.”

  “Look, I totally get it. He’s powerful, rich, handsome—”

  “Good taste in furniture and clothes,” I smirk at her. “Great in bed.”

  She makes a face. “Do tell!”

  Oh, Hell no.

  My face burns at what Vince might say if I told her about any of it. “He’s also smart, funny, charming, generous and the list goes on and on.”

  “They’re always charming at first, and then once they’re married they beat their wives and get fat and lazy and ugly.”

  I snort. “You’re basing that off of what? Godfather I? Vince isn’t like that.”

  She shakes her head, giving up. “You know who he is! I just don’t get it.”

  No she wouldn’t. Maria with her wealth and her huge, supportive family could never understand what it was like to lack so conspicuously what everyone else had all my life.

  “Being with Vince is exciting. I get to do things normal people don’t, and I make a hell of a lot of money doing them.”

  My face burns when I hear the knock at my door. “It’s him. Maria, be nice.”

  Sitting back against the wall, she crosses her arms and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, fine.”

  I walk down the room with a bit of difficulty in the Black Halo dress and answer the door. Vincent wears another one of his suits with a navy-blue tie and he gives me a quick peck on my cheek before nodding behind me.

  “How are you doing?”

  I turn around and see Maria leaning against the wall in her pink pajamas, looking surly. “Okay.”

  He raises an eyebrow and his eyes find me again. “Ready?”

  “Yeah, I’m just going to get my clutch.”
/>   I spin around and glare at Maria, warning her to be polite while I grab my purse.

  “So, what do you do?”

  My teeth grate together as I hear her ask that question. He replies with some bullshit response that makes her laugh.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  Sweeping past him, I turn around to give her another glare as we leave the dorm. He takes my hand when we walk across the street to the car, his face uncharacteristically tense. When we get inside the car, he sits there for a moment.

  “Adriana, tonight is really important. This is an executive game, probably the highest stakes you’ve ever done, but that’s not only why it’s important. My boss will be there along with most of my associates.”

  His gaze cuts at me. His boss? Does he mean Giacomo Vittorio?

  “Okay,” I say bracingly.

  “I know you’ll be great, but I’m just letting you know. It might be…intense.”

  The car pulls out of the parking spot as Vince wrenches the wheel. The streetlights shine into the car, over his smooth face. His hand snakes over the middle and takes my hand in his. His smile is reassuring. Confident. He won’t let anything happen to me.

  I hope.

  * * *

  “Cesare.”

  An Italian man with a very prominent Roman nose nods to Vince and opens the door, revealing a large room filled with people. Just like the first time, there’s a large banquet of food, but there are only men inside. Wise guys eye the cocktail waitresses as they sip from their glasses. Male voices are chatting, booming with laughter. They’re intimidating men whose eyes aren’t afraid to look at me. I even see them pointing at me and grinning.

  Clinging to Vince’s arm and remaining glued to his side is the only way I’ll make it through this party.

  “Cesare, how you doing? Hello, Adriana.”

  Paulie gives me a polite nod as he greets his capo.

  “Good. Where’s the boss?”

  My hand tightens around his arm. No, not yet!

  “He’s in the other room, I think.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to him in a little bit.”

  My Italian paramour gives me an amused glance as he tugs at my arm, but I’m glued to the floor. “What’s the matter?” he asks when Paulie walks off.