by Melony Ann
All of our mouths fall open. It’s dad who recovers the quickest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack or does it come naturally?”
Ryan’s grin widens. “It comes naturally.”
“You’re lucky you’re my son. If I didn’t love you, I’d shoot you.”
I laugh. “Even you aren’t a cold-blooded killer, dad.”
He glares, but we all see the smile. “Down to business. We have a new threat, and it’s unlike anything I’ve seen. At least not for a long time.”
“How long have you known and not told me?” Ryan asks.
Dad sighs. “A while. I’ve been running surveillance and gathering intel.”
We all look at each other before looking back at him. I take a deep breath. “Who is it? Why all the secrecy?”
Dad looks at me, then down at his hands. “Because this threat… It’s… It’s big. They’re a growing mafia. They’re… close to us in size and power.”
“What?” Nick asks incredulously. “Dad, how could you keep that from us?”
Ryan stands and paces as he runs his fingers through his hair. “You’ve never kept me in the dark before. Any of us. Even if you thought it was small and insignificant and they didn’t need to know. You knew I’d tell them anyway. We don’t keep secrets. You taught us that. Why now?”
“To protect my family. I needed information. That’s why I’ve had you go on so many of these smaller missions. I needed to be free and available if I needed to be, but these other smaller deals needed to be done.”
Ryan collapses in a chair and lets out a huff. “Ridiculous. You’ve been running us into the ground, dad. And now you expect us to be alert and ready to go tonight to take down a band of assholes that are just as big and just as powerful as we are? You’re fucking insane.”
“I didn’t have a choice, Ryan.”
“Right,” Ryan growls.
“Stop it. Everyone just stop it,” I say holding up a hand. “None of that helps us now. We need to figure out tonight. Obviously, we’re all tired.”
“There’s no way we can go out and participate in this,” Nick says rubbing his head. “I have a perpetual headache that won’t go away. One of my professors told me that if I fail another quiz, I’ll fail the class.”
“If I get a single question wrong on my final, I’ll fail,” I say. “We have to figure this out.”
“We can’t just leave him hanging. I’ll go,” Ryan says, defeated, as he stands. “I need to go take a fucking nap.”
“Ryan, wait,” Nick says. “I owe this family everything. I’ll go. You and Jason focus on school.”
“No. Your grades and Jason’s are lower than mine. I’ll work it out.” Ryan leaves the room, and dad slumps in his chair.
“Dad,” I start. I don’t like going up against my father of all people, but I know Ryan. He’s been conditioned to believe nothing is more important than this mafia. He’s accepted this is his destiny long ago. I don’t doubt he wants to take over. Ryan has big plans for our mafia. None of which he’s going to be able to do if he keeps putting it above himself, and his own damn needs. “He’s just as fucking wiped out as us. He’s not going to be his best. None of us are.”
“I’m starting to see that, son.” Dad sighs and wipes his hands down his face. “I’ll get a team together. I’ll have to take Lorenzo and maybe Blake. I’m sorry, boys. I really thought you all just wanted a Friday night to yourselves.”
Nick shakes his head. “We’ve been on missions almost every single day this entire month. We can’t do this and sustain our schedule at school. It’s not feasible.”
Dad nods. “I know. I understand now. We’ll make it work.”
I let out a relieved breath. “So… who’s this mafia?”
“It’s the Lucinio Mafia. They’re based out of Los Angeles. They have a few factions in the bigger cities like we do, but they haven’t bothered us.”
“Why now?” Nick questions.
“I don’t know. My intel says they’ve been around for a while. Generations. It seems like they’ve taken territories we aren’t in, but the person leading now has decided to expand.”
I chuckle. “So, they’ve decided to take over territory from a powerful mafia that everyone knows something about? Must have a death wish.”
“I don’t think that’s the game here. I think their plan is to expand, and I think they believe they can take us. My sources say they’ve grown over the past few years exponentially. It’s quite possible they’ve been lying in wait. Just waiting for the perfect moment to attack us.”
“It seems to have shaken you,” Nick says.
“I won’t lie to you. It’s scary. Truly scary. I’ve never come up against someone as big as me. Your grandfather and great-grandfather are to thank for getting us to the point we are. I’ve spent most of my life maintaining this. I never anticipated the need to expand. I thought we were untouchable. I was wrong.”
“Is there a way to do this mission tomorrow? Give us a day to recoup?” Nick asks
“No. I’m sorry, but no. We have an opportunity. You boys know better than anyone that when we have an opportunity, we need to take it. We may not get another chance.” Dad looks sadly down at his desk a moment before he stands. “I’m sorry I refused to see what this was doing to you boys. I’ve been focused on one thing and one thing only, and I’ve ignored what it’s doing to you. I won’t make that mistake again.”
I look at him as Nick and I both stand. “You know now. You understand. That’s what matters. What’s the plan now?”
“The plan is that you boys rest and concentrate on your studies. I’ll get the best of who we have, and we’ll strike tonight like we planned.”
Nick chews on his lip and looks at us both with concern. “Are you sure? If this Lucinio Mafia is as big as you say, you need to know that those out there have your back. You always feel safer if you have family out there.”
“This mafia is family. You know that, son.” Dad claps Nick and me both on the back and walks towards the door of his office. “I need to talk to Ryan. I probably owe him a bigger apology than I owe the both of you. I’ve been pretty hard on him.”
“He’s tough, dad. He can take it,” I say with a soft smile. Dad nods as Nick and I head for the stairs. We don’t say a word until we get to the top. “I don’t know whether to sleep or study.”
“Sleep. The answer is sleep. I’ve gotten six hours in three days. I’m not sure how I’m still standing.”
“Lucky that final for your criminal class isn’t tomorrow.”
“Thank fuck for that. I’m dead on my feet.”
I glance at my door before looking back at Nick. “Hey, about Penelope.”
He shakes his head and holds up a hand. “Don’t. Don’t start. I’m asking her to marry me. We’ve been together for four years now. We know how we feel about each other and that’s all that matters, Jas.”
“I know. I get it. I don’t agree, but you know that. I’m just… about the account.”
“Jason, she’ll be on it eventually.”
“But why now?”
“Because we’re getting married.”
“Nick.” I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. He puts a hand on my arm.
“I know you don’t trust her. I know Ryan doesn’t. But I know her. I’ve been with her a long time. I trust her. She’s not a gold-digger. She isn’t going to clean me out.”
I open my eyes and look him directly in his. “I really think you need to hold off on giving her access to your accounts. You have access to part of your trust fund now. That means so will she.”
“Please trust me. Penelope isn’t going to fuck me over. Just because you guys don’t like her doesn’t mean she isn’t a good person.”
“She’s always talking about the stuff you do for her. The dinners. The trips at the end of the semester. Things you buy her. Nick, open your eyes. You’re miserable with her.”
“No. I’m not. She makes me feel like a real pe
rson. Sometimes I feel like this larger-than-life character in some weird movie about a life I don’t even belong in. She grounds me. Penelope is my way of making sure I don’t become some vicious killer.”
“You’d never do that.”
“Wouldn’t I? I don’t feel anything when I shoot someone. I turn all emotions off and put it in the back of my mind. I can’t say I enjoy it. That would make me a sociopath. I’m not. But I don’t feel anything. Dad could tell me right now to shoot someone. I wouldn’t even question it. I’d do it. Not only because I trust him, but because I don’t feel anything. Penelope makes me feel. Can’t you understand that?”
“Nick, I understand that part of it, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect yourself. You don’t and you shouldn’t give her access to your accounts. Set up something for the both of you that’s separate. I know you don’t think she’s capable of it, but you have to watch your back.”
“She might piss you and Ryan off, Jason, but she’s a good person. She wouldn’t hurt me like that. It’s not in her nature.”
I try to hold down my frustration, but it’s obvious my brother is blinded by whatever spell she cast on him. He can’t and refuses to see her for her true colors. It’s easier to see it if you aren’t involved, but I hate the fact that he won’t listen. I know she’s going to hurt him. I can sense it, and I’m not the only one. Everyone can see it, but no one will approach Nick.
“Look. Everyone says you need to learn the lesson for yourself. I’m the only one who’s trying to make you see it. Just think more about it.”
He sighs. “Fine. I’ll think more about it.” He looks longingly at his room. “I need sleep.”
I nod. “Me, too.” He stalks off to his room, and I enter mine with a yawn. I glance at him as he shuts himself in his room. I close my door and fall, exhausted, onto my bed. I don’t have the foggiest idea what I’m thinking as I drift into a hard, much-needed sleep.
Chapter Six - Nick
My heart is racing. I haven’t felt this scared since my parents were killed. I can’t breathe. Everything is telling me to run.
Instead I force myself to take a few deep breaths and focus. I inhale the fresh May air. I let myself relax into the grass I’m lying in. I close my eyes and let the sun warm me. My blood eventually stops humming in my ears, and my heart begins to slow.
Next to me, Penelope hums softly to herself as she picks the pedals off a flower. I open my eyes and watch her. She’s so beautiful. Her gorgeous red hair falls in waves down her shoulders and cascades down her back. Her emerald green eyes catch the sunlight, and golden sparkles dance across their depths.
I reach up and softly brush my fingers across her creamy, silky skin. “You’re so beautiful, Nel.”
She looks down at me with a soft smile before abandoning the flower and cuddling into my side. “You say that all the time. I never get sick of it.” She smiles a bright smile, and her eyes crinkle as she bites her lip. I reach up and run my fingers through her satiny locks. She pulls away with a teasing smile. “Do you know how long it takes me to get my hair to look good for you?”
“I don’t care. You’re beautiful just the way you are. You don’t need to spend so much time glamming up.”
“And look like a slug on the arm of one of the richest men in the world? I don’t think so.”
“Does the money really matter that much?”
“Of course not, baby. But I don’t want to make you look bad.”
“That’s not possible. You’re what makes me look so good.”
She laughs quietly as I run my thumb across her lips. I lean forward to kiss her. When our lips meet, the familiar fire that always starts low in my stomach ignites. I part her lips slightly with my tongue before deepening it and diving in. As she always does, she melts into me, though a little reserved. I slide my hand up and down her back before resting it on her ass and pulling her closer to me.
“Nick,” she moans. I love how needy and hot she gets for me so quickly. She presses against me and grips my shirt. Her tits hit my chest, and I groan. I grip her ass tighter before realizing where we are.
I pull back a little and tug her hair to bring her back to reality. “We’re in the middle of Central Park, honey.”
She bites her lip, and her cheeks redden. “Sorry. I always get a little carried away when it comes to you.”
I smile as we sit up. “Same here. It’s been that way ever since we met.”
She beams shyly at me before focusing on the spread in front of us. “So… what’s all this?”
I pop the cork on her favorite chardonnay. “I thought we could celebrate. Our first year of college is done.” I pour us each a glass and hand her hers. She takes it with a soft smile and digs into the grapes and cheese assortment I brought.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.” She takes a sip of her wine, and I take a sip of mine to hide my smile. Digging a hole in my pocket is a one karat diamond ring on a yellow gold band. I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to give it to her. I think I found it.
I reach into my pocket and take out the ring. “I might be able to think of a better way.” I shift and drop to one knee. She stares at me wide-eyed with her wine glass halfway to her mouth.
“Are you…?”
“Penelope, I love you. I’ve been in love with you since we first met. I think you felt the same. I trust you implicitly. I’m glad I can always be myself around you and not what everyone sees me as. You’re such a caring passionate woman. You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
She nods as her eyes fill with tears. She throws her arms around me. “Yes! Oh my God, yes! Yes!”
I wrap her in my arms and kiss her neck as I breathe a sigh of relief. “I really thought you were going to say no.”
She pulls away and looks in my eyes. “Are you kidding? Why would you think that?”
I shrug. “I’m from the ghetto, Nel. You’re way out of my league. I’ve never forgotten how lucky I am.”
“You are lucky. But so am I. I’m lucky to have a man willing to take care of me and get me out of the hellhole I live in.”
I smile and tug her down onto the blanket next me as she admires her ring. Penelope may have had a worse life than me. She didn’t grow up poor. She never had to worry about food. Her parents got her anything she wanted. The problem was they were never there for her. I know all too well how that feels. No matter how close I had become with my Crane family, the scars left by my parents when I was a kid never really disappear. Every time I look at Penelope and how hurt she gets when her parents jet off to some far away land, my own wounds open up.
“You’ll always have me.”
“I’m counting on it,” she says softly against my chest. We stay in the park wrapped in each other's arms until the sun starts to set. Penelope looks up at me. “It’s so pretty. You should’ve asked me now to marry you. It would’ve been perfect.”
I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. “It felt right.”
“Maybe we could stage something. You know. For the media.”
“Why would we do that? I hate the media. My whole family does.”
“Well, they love you and your family. One of the Crane brothers off the market is really big news.”
I sigh and sit up, letting her go. “Nel, we try to stay out of the media. They tend to find us and snap their pictures, but we don’t seek them out. You know that.”
She bites her lip and sighs as she sits up and starts gathering everything together, getting ready to leave. “I thought it would be good publicity considering how your family is never really getting that.”
“We don’t care, Nel. That’s why the media and tabloids like us so much. They can make up anything they want to, and we never respond.”
“I still don’t get it. Why allow them to trash you?”
“Because we don’t care about them. We know who we are.”
“Most mafia families tend to try and make the
mselves look good.”
I shrug and stand as she finishes gathering everything. I help her up and then bend to grab the blanket and fold it. “We aren’t most mafias.”
She shakes her head as we walk to my car. After we get everything packed away and settled, I take off, heading home. We drive in silence until I pull into my driveway. After I park in the garage, Penelope looks at me.
“Don’t you think good publicity is a good idea?”
“I really don’t care one way or the other.”
“Then let me plan something for the press.” Her eyes light up when I glance at her. “Please? You could propose at sunset.”
“I already proposed.” I take her hand and hold her ring finger up. “See?”
She laughs. “You could propose every day, and I’d still love it.”
I laugh as I get out of the car. “Once was enough. I don’t know how the words came out. I was nervous as fuck.”
She takes my hand as we walk in the house. She holds her ring up, admiring it again. I can’t help but swell with pride at how much she loves it. I glance around the house and usher Penelope upstairs. I don’t want to face my family right now. All I want is her. Touching and petting and her rubbing against me has me so far off the deep end I can’t think of anything but her underneath me.
“What’s the hurry?” she giggles and the sound goes straight to my cock. I glance over my shoulder and open the door, impatiently pulling her inside. Seconds later, I have her pushed up against the door with my tongue in her mouth, and my hands on her tits.
I groan into her mouth. “Fuck, I’ve wanted this all day.”
“Mmm…” Her hand finds my cock. She rubs and squeezes it, and I nearly come in my jeans.
“Don’t, honey. You don’t know how close I am.” She keeps rubbing and squeezing and my eyes roll back in my head. I take a step back to catch my breath and gain control over myself.
She whimpers and pouts as she looks up at me through her lashes. “Nick…”
I smile devilishly as I tug her to the bed. She giggles and bites her lip. I love when she plays shy. I know better than anyone that she isn’t shy at all. My point is proven when she starts stripping me of my clothes as soon as we reach my bed.