The Tempted Series: Collectors Edition

by Janine Infante Bosco

  On a lighter note, I have news. I landed myself a good job in a doctor’s office. I’m just a temp for now, trying to learn all the insurance codes and all that. The doctor I work for is a plastic surgeon so you can imagine the patients. You would get a kick out of the women that parade into the office, trying to swap implants as if one would swap a pair of socks.

  Other than that, not much has changed here. Nikki is a pain in my ass, always bugging me to go out with her but I don’t have it in me. She’s become the social butterfly in our family while my wings have wilted. But, I know I’ll get my wings back the moment I see your handsome face again.

  Please be well. Please take care of yourself. I love you even though you’re trying your hardest to make me hate you.

  Love Always,

  Adrianna

  Your Reese’s Pieces

  Chapter Ten

  2014

  I stared up at the ceiling panting, trying to gain control of my ragged breath.

  “That was fucking fantastic,” Lisa panted beside me as she flipped her naked body on her side and stared at me as if I was her nirvana. She leaned over me pressing her lips to mine in appreciation for the two orgasms I gave her. I reached down and smacked her ass teasingly, keeping it light between us.

  “All right, up you go,” I said, moving her off me. “I have to get going,” I said, sitting up and throwing my legs over the edge of the bed.

  “You always have to go,” she whined, making me cringe. It wasn’t like her to be the needy woman. I picked her up in a bar six months ago, fucked her brains out, and whenever the urge strikes I call her. I’ve been straight with her from the get go by laying my cards out and telling her I’m not looking for a relationship. She was cool with our arrangement but I’m thinking the more I call her the more the lines blur for her.

  I walk into the bathroom, do away with the condom, and wash my face vigorously desperate to erase her scent from me. I grab a towel to dry my face with and turn around to find Lisa leaning against the doorway in a silk robe knotted loosely at the waist.

  “Will you come back tonight?” she asks before glancing down at her feet. She knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t be back. Not tonight, or any night. Still, she was a nice enough girl, and I felt bad hurting her so I kissed the top of her head before walking past her to get my clothes.

  “Probably not, I have to work,” I replied. It wasn’t technically a lie, in fact, I was already running late. I needed to meet Jimmy Gold at the docks in twenty minutes to straighten out a few local guys trying to push shit in Vic’s clubs. Then after that, I have to collect the money owed to Vic that he has on the streets and deal with the deadbeats that didn’t want to pay. I had a long night ahead of me.

  “So that’s it?” she asks as I pull the zipper up on my jeans. I drag my shirt over my head and grab my Timberlands from the floor, shoving my feet into them and not bothering with the laces. Once I’m fully clothed and able to make a run for it I looked at Lisa.

  “Let’s not make this more than it is,” I explain.

  She let out a sarcastic laugh before shaking her head in confusion. I reach behind me and cup my neck trying to decide what to say to her if anything at all.

  “She must’ve been something,” she murmurs.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I clip, dropping my hand from my neck fixing my eyes on her. I had never brought Adrianna up to her or any other girl I fucked. She was off limits, a forbidden topic, and one I had every right to keep to myself.

  Lisa shook her head. “Just…that whoever she was, really did a number on you.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about Lisa,” I reply roughly. “Leave it alone.”

  She holds her hands up in defeat and shrugs her shoulders. “You won’t hear another word from these lips. I promise.” Her wall was up, her tone like ice as she turned around and walked into the bathroom.

  “See yourself out.”

  So much for not another word, I thought as she slammed the door. I grabbed my keys and phone off the nightstand and got the fuck out of there before the fucking tears started.

  I climbed into my truck, reached for the door when my phone chimed, alerting me I had received a text message. I figured it was Jimmy harassing my life because I should’ve met him at the warehouse a half an hour ago. I pulled the door shut and reached for my phone. I let out a sigh, seeing it wasn’t Jimmy who had texted me, it was Adrianna. My fingers hovered over the screen debating on whether I should open the text, but because I couldn’t deny myself the sliver of her I had left. I opened the text.

  A foreign sensation came over me as I stared down at the three pictures she had sent me of Luca. I realized I was smiling and the foreign feeling was joy. It happened once a month, every time I got a text message from Adrianna with the newest pictures of her son. He had just celebrated his first birthday and the pictures she had sent were of Luca smashing his hand into his birthday cake. I scrolled down to the second picture, laughing loudly as I stared at his cute little face. His pudgy hand covered in frosting as he tried to fit it in his mouth. The third picture was of Adrianna and Luca opening the present I had sent along with my mother. I think I’m getting the hang out of buying baby presents. At least I didn’t mull over the Mickey Mouse ride-on as long as I did when I bought him a teddy bear the day after he was born. From the looks of his toothless grin in the picture, the kid likes it. He looks adorable sitting on the ride-on and his mother looks even more adorable crouching down behind him steering it.

  After Adrianna came to my apartment to thank me for being there for her when she delivered Luca, she has kept her distance. It’s what I wanted, for all three of our sakes, but fuck, it sucks. I miss her. Probably even more than I did when I was in jail because all I have to do is pick up the phone or swing by her house to see her. I’ve been tempted to do just that, more than once driving by her house like a stalker. She’s my fucking forbidden temptation.

  About a month after I kissed her goodbye the pictures started coming. Every month on the fourteenth, I get a picture of Luca, sitting beside a chalkboard that says how many months he is. I never answer her texts, just as I never answered any of the letters she sent me while I was away. I don’t know why she continues to send me the pictures or why she bothered to send all those letters but whatever the reason is, I am grateful. That little glimpse of her and Luca gets me through the darkest days. Days like today when I have to go shake down a junkie that blew his mortgage on blow and went to Vic for a loan, but decided not to pay him.

  It makes me feel like a goddamn monster to beat him senseless until his wife can’t bare the sight of him that she offers her engagement ring as payment. I stare into her sad, desperate eyes and know she hates me, wishes me death and all that but still she pulls the ring from her finger and shoves it in my face. I wrestle with my conscience, wishing I could let the woman keep her ring, I’d pay the debt myself if Jimmy wasn’t standing beside me kicking the poor woman’s deadbeat husband in the ribs.

  I snatch the ring from her, shove it in my pocket, and turn to Jimmy.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he’s relentless in kicking the guy until he doesn’t even moan in pain anymore. I grab Jimmy by the back of his shirt and pull him off the schmuck. If this jerk off put his fucking family first, shit like this wouldn’t have had to happen but he was selfish and put his habits before his woman.

  His wife’s cries ring in my ears as we walk out of their house and into my truck. Jimmy is out of breath from the beating he threw and is trying to regain it beside me, studying the eight rings on his fingers, making sure all his diamonds are intact.

  “Mother fucker! I lost a diamond,” he says, reaching for the door handle.

  “Get the fuck in the car,” I say roughly.

  “You’re not going to find the fucking thing anyway,” I peel away before he can open the door, glancing in the side view mirror memorizing the house number.

  “You’re paying for my ston
e to be replaced,” he says shrugging his shoulders as if to say it’s no sweat off his back. I grip the steering wheel tightly, doing my best not to throw him the fuck out of the car and run him over. “Take me home, I’m covered in that jerk’s blood. I’ll put in a call to Tony the jeweler, take care of the ring, and meet me back at the club and we’ll give Vic the cash.”

  “I can handle it, don’t need you making calls on my behalf.” I say through my teeth. The ring feels like it’s burning a hole in my pocket and I can’t wait to get rid of it. The longer it’s in my possession the more karma will kick me in the ass.

  I drop Jimmy at his house, happy to rid myself of my accomplice and go about getting Vic’s money. There’s an extra thousand in the envelope, which will make the boss happy and unsuspicious. I drive by Tony the jeweler, give him a thousand, and tell him if Jimmy or Vic asks he took the ring and gave me an extra grand because he had an eager buyer. Tony used to be in Jimmy’s pocket but shits changed since I’ve been home. I’ve made Tony a lot more money in the last year than Jimmy had in the three years I was gone. I know his loyalty rests with me.

  I walk up the stoop to the darkened house and knock softly on the door. The wife of the man Jimmy beat the fuck out of, the woman who looked at me as if I was the devil, stares at me much the same way she did two hours ago.

  “Please …,” she begs, choking on her sobs.

  “We have nothing left to give you.”

  I stay silent, reach into my pocket, and pull her ring out, displaying it in the palm of my hand. She stares at her ring before lifting her skeptical eyes to mine.

  “Take your ring. Make your husband get help,” I order as I reach for her hand and place her engagement ring in her palm, closing her fist around the diamond. “Then, and only after he’s been clean, tell him his debt to Victor is paid,” I look at her for a moment, wishing I could wipe the shocked expression off her face.

  “If he doesn’t get clean all bets are off and I will be back. Do you understand?”

  I watch her nod in disbelief for a moment before turning around and walking down the stairs.

  “Thank you,” she calls out her voice unsteady as if she’s not sure thanking the man who fucked her husband up is the right thing to do.

  I look over my shoulder briefly while walking back to my truck. I can’t explain why I needed to give the woman back her ring. I just did. Lord knows I’ve done a lot worse shit than beat up a junkie who didn’t pay. Getting into the truck, my phone goes off inside the console but I don’t bother answering it, I’d get to my next meeting when the fuck I got there.

  I walked through the back entrance of Vic’s lounge hearing all sorts of commotion going on behind the door to his office. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Vic’s shit it had been a long fucking day. I had a long weekend ahead of me, going up to Pennsylvania to keep an eye on Mike and Maryann Valente. I go once a week, never on a set day so I can get a better idea of what’s going on with Val’s family. Sadly, Maryann works all the time and when she’s not she keeps to herself. Mike’s a mess; running around with no direction whatsoever. It’s sad, the kid had a lot going for him with sports, but he had to go and get himself injured. It’s discouraging nothing ever works for guys like us, just neighborhood guys trying to get by in life.

  “Daddy, I’m telling you it’s not good,” Nikki said anxiously as I entered the room. She glanced at me before looking back at her old man.

  “I said I’ll take care of it,” Victor rumbled, losing his patience with his youngest daughter.

  I tugged Nikki’s ponytail teasingly before sitting down in front of Vic’s desk. She was standing next to the desk with her arms crossed when she glanced down at me and frowned. I winked at her so she knew I was just joking around with her but her frown remained in place.

  “This is your fault,” she said despicably.

  “Excuse me?” I asked confused.

  “What’s my fault?”

  “Vinny’s out of rehab and that douchebag was harassing A for money to get drugs. The bastard isn’t even out of rehab a week and he’s already fallen off the wagon. Son of a bitch didn’t even ask to see his baby! He had the audacity to tell my sister he’d sell give up his rights to Luca so he could score drugs,” she yelled pointing her finger at me. “Like I said, this is your fault!”

  My eyes pierced Victor with a steady stare. I kept my cool in front of Nikki but I was fucking ripping mad. Vic could see it in my eyes and the way I kept my fists clenched on top of his desk. Vic sighed heavily as he stared at me. I met his gaze, hoping he’d let me have a shot at this fucker, that he’d order me to be the one who took care of Adrianna’s ex but I had a better chance of seeing Jesus Christ himself.

  “I said I’d take care of it,” He thundered, glaring at his daughter. “Now go home before I call your mother.”

  Nikki rolled her eyes.

  “I’m a fucking adult, that threat lost its pull two years ago,” she snapped while pointing at me. “Fix this shit,” she warned, before walking out of her father’s office, her heels clattering across the floor.

  Jimmy cleared his throat, but I kept my eyes on Victor.

  “Where’s the money Bianci?” Jimmy asked, leaning against Vic’s desk.

  “What the fuck are you going to do about Adrianna?”

  “I said I will handle it. It’s not your concern,” Vic said pointedly, drumming his fingers along the mahogany desk.

  “I see how well you’ve handled it so far, now I’ll ask you again, what are you going to do about Adrianna?” I roared angrily.

  Victor remained silent for a moment, studying me. My guess was he was trying to determine how long he had before the animal in me surfaced. He blew out a breath and turned to Jimmy.

  “Go by my daughter’s house, make sure she and the baby are okay. When you’re done find that asshole and bring him to me.”

  “Like now?” Jimmy asked clearly aggravated.

  “Yes, now!” Victor ordered.

  “For fuck’s sake,” Jimmy groaned.

  It was eating away at me that Jimmy was being ordered and not me, but what could I do? I reached into my pocket and slid the envelope across Vic’s desk.

  “It’s all there plus another G,” I mumbled, rising to my feet. “It’s been a long day, I got shit to do.” I pushed out my chair and walked towards the door.

  “What about your share?” Jimmy asked.

  “Hey Anthony …,” Vic called, forcing me to turn around and look at him. He paused for a moment before sighing and giving me a slight shake of his head. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he lectured knowingly.

  I walked out the fucking door, knowing exactly where I was going and what the fuck I would do. So did Victor, and to my surprise, he didn’t stop me.

  Chapter Eleven

  2014

  There are benefits to being part of a powerful organization, just like there are rewards to everyone knowing who you are and what you do. They tell you what you want to know, when you want to know it, without asking questions. It didn’t take me long to get the info I needed to locate Adrianna’s ex. The degenerate had been searching high and low for product to snort, leaving a trail of his whereabouts. I tracked him back to some crack bitch’s apartment that doubles as a drug den. My guess is he is friendly with the girl and he’s either hoping she’s got shit lying around he can get his hands on or he’s banking on a drug dealer bringing her his product to cut. Either way he’s itching to get his hands on the shit and she’s his only hope.

  I climb the stairs of the apartment building not willing to ring the bell and give the asshole a chance to escape. I reach the apartment and bang on the door, anxious to come face to face for the first time with Adrianna’s ex-boyfriend. The door cracks open as much as the chain on top allows and the woman stares at me through bloodshot eyes.

  “Open the door,” I demand gravely.

  “Who the fuck are you?” she slurs.

  I roll my neck to keep myself in check before
blowing out a breath and looking into her eyes.

  “You have ten seconds to open the door or I will break the fucking thing down. I’m not looking to hurt you but I need a word with your house guest.”

  She glares at me for a moment trying to decide in the state that she’s in if I’m being truthful or if I’m playing her. In the end, she closes the door, unlatches the chain lock and opens the door wide.

  “Get him the fuck out of, here will you?” she says, closing the door once I’ve entered. She motioned to the living room turning around herself and walking into the kitchen. The back of the couch faces me and I can see Vinny sitting on it dazing out at the television in front of him. His back facing me, and to be honest, I don’t even know if he realizes that someone was at the door.

  I crack my knuckles, one by one, as I stroll towards him. I picture Adrianna and Luca for a fleeting moment and it’s all the ammo I need to bring this motherfucker to his knees. In one swift motion, I have him in a headlock, bringing him over the back of the couch. His arms flail at his sides before reaching for my forearm that is tight around his neck. I reach behind me, pull my gun from the waistband of my pants, and press the barrel against his temple.

  “You Vinny?” I grind out as he gasps for air, eyes bulging and all that shit.

  “Nod your fucking head,” his head jerks in response and pull him over the back of the couch with the arm I have lodged against his neck.

  I release my hold on him and he falls like a sack of potatoes to the ground gasping for breath and holding his neck as he peers up at me.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he manages to say.

  “Your worst fucking nightmare,” I say calmly, tucking my gun back into my pants before crooking my finger.