“Your order sheet doesn’t match what he brought,” Loretta explained in a huff. “I’m not a fan of the three strikes policy. I say once and you’re done.”
Johnny shrugged. “We hit a snag with our supplier, so this was the best we could do.”
Fallyn kept her polite smile in place. “Okay. This’ll be the last order, then. Have a nice day, Johnny.”
Johnny was a middleman, working for a boss who was at times unreliable, but Fallyn could tell by the note of desperation in his tone that the loss of this stop on his route would be ill-received by Johnny’s superior. “Are you sure? Maybe I could get him to come down on the price a little for the next order.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but no thank you.” She ushered him out and exhaled her frustration. She turned to Loretta with a calm smile. “Not to worry. I’ll figure something out.” Fallyn knew her words rang false. Suppliers took a few days to put a new stop on their rotation, and they had only enough eggs and dairy to make it through just the one day, if that. Fallyn set to rectifying the problem, calling every vendor in the book. Each of them quoted her with a price far above what she’d been paying, and couldn’t put her on the rotation until the next week. She was determined to fix the problem without having to turn to her brothers, but when nine o’clock rolled around, Killian strode into the kitchen to find his sister elbow-deep in frustration.
“What’s wrong, Fally?” he greeted her warmly.
“Nothing I can’t fix. Just a crummy day so far.”
Killian sat down in the seat across from hers and tapped his pointer finger to the messy desk. “What can I fix?”
“I could use a hug. How about that? That would fix worlds.”
Killian narrowed his eyes at Fallyn’s avoidance but walked around the desk and wrapped his arms around his dainty sister, looking over her shoulder at the list she was going down. “What happened to Gill? Isn’t he doing your dairy? Why are you looking for a new supplier?”
Fallyn sighed, resting her temple to his hip. “He sent me barely half my order today. You know the rule. One strike, so I fired him. Now I’ve got to replace him, but everyone is so much more expensive. I really, really don’t want to raise my prices.”
Killian rested his hand on his sister’s shoulder and took out his cell phone. He dialed one of the vendors already crossed off her list and spoke in clipped tones to the owner. Once he told the man his name, the price magically fell to two-thirds what Fallyn had been quoted. He handed the phone to his sister. “Tell him what you need to get through today. He can make a special rush for first-time clients.” When Fallyn glared at him, he shrugged. “What? Didn’t you want to find a reliable supplier? Problem solved.”
“I didn’t want it solved like that,” she snapped, taking the phone. Fallyn placed her order, set up a regular delivery schedule and handed the phone back to Killian. “Look, I appreciate you helping, but I didn’t want to get my way by intimidation.”
“How do you think you got such a good deal with the last guy?”
Fallyn’s mouth dropped open. “I brokered that deal, Kill. I found him, set up the schedule and made that connection.”
“Of course you did,” Killian simpered, patting her head to patronize her. “You’re a good little business woman.”
Fallyn seethed, but kept her choice words to herself. “I’m going to go help the girls out front with the tables.” She stood abruptly and left him in her office.
24
Infiltrating the O’Keefe Family
Fallyn bussed tables and took over for Jen when she needed a quick break, smiling at the customers and ringing up orders quickly to pare down the line. When she looked up and saw James in her line, Fallyn’s eyes widened, panicked that Killian would see him, or worse, Vince, when he arrived for his weekly meeting with her eldest brother. “Hello, what can I get for you this morning?” she greeted James politely.
James understood by her tone that he was to be on his best behavior. “Two cups of coffee and a couple muffins. Whatever kind, I don’t care.” Then under his breath he murmured, “I just had to see you. I know I’ll see you on Saturday, but I missed your face.”
Fallyn did her best not to make eye contact and filled the order quickly. When her brother came out of the kitchen to restock the shelves for her, she shot James a look of warning. “Fally, do you need me to make more coffee?” Killian inquired.
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks, Kill. But the bag’s empty out here. Could you bring out one from the back to restock it?”
Killian was mere feet away from the man who’d been kissing his sister and had no idea. The rush of deception was heady, and gave Fallyn the gumption to shoot James a covert smile. Killian was focused on the giant bag of coffee, which he was holding precariously, searching for the opening.
“That looks heavy,” James commented to Killian, freezing the blood in Fallyn’s veins. “Here, let me help you.” James walked around behind the counter and helped Killian lower the bag to the floor.
“Thanks, man.” Killian stood up straight and stretched his back, extending his hand to James, who shook it with an amicable smile. “That was heavier than it looked back there.”
“James,” he introduced himself, noticing that Fallyn kept her head down and away from them. “I work just down a couple blocks at Fulsom, Wesson and Smith. I can smell the coffee from there, so I couldn’t just stand back and let you run out.”
“No kidding. My kid brother’s a paralegal there. Danny O’Keefe. I’m Killian.”
“Huh. Small world. Miss? Could I get another coffee and muffin with my order? I’ll take one to your brother and make myself a new friend. Do you own this shop?” he asked Killian, knowing that would get Fallyn talking.
Killian made to open his mouth, but Fallyn answered quicker. “No, this is my shop. I’m the owner. And thanks for helping. Your order’s on the house, especially since part of it’s going to my brother.”
“Your brother?” James pointed between Killian and Fallyn quizzically. “You two are related?”
“Killian’s my eldest brother,” Fallyn told him with a note of warning that he was treading on a dangerous tightrope.
“Wow, three kids. I’m an only child, so I can’t picture what that must’ve been like growing up.”
Killian was in the mood to smile, and sensed no hint of their budding relationship. “Actually, there are eight of us.”
James did a good act, bugging out his eyes and raising his pitch. “Eight kids? That’s incredible! Are you all close like this? I mean, working together must be great. See, that’s the problem with being an only child. No built-in friends.”
Killian closed the lid on the industrial coffeemaker. “Well, we’re all playing baseball in the park tonight. Do you play?”
“Only for fun. Your whole family plays together? That sounds so great.”
“Come on by tonight. Seven o’clock toward the east end of the park. Bring your mitt and be ready to cream the other team. Seamus gets too cocky, don’t you think, Fal?”
“Hmm? Oh, sure. Yeah, Seamus needs to be taken down a peg.”
“Do you play?” James asked Fallyn.
“Not well, but yeah. I’ll be there.”
“James,” he greeted her, extending his hand.
Fallyn pursed her lips, shaking his hand slowly. “Fallyn. Nice to meet you.”
James cast her an evil self-satisfied grin. “I guess I’ll be seeing you all tonight. Thanks for the coffee. I’ll be sure to introduce myself to Danny.”
Killian slapped his hand in parting, unaware of Fallyn’s gusted exhale of relief.
25
Irish Girls
When Vince strolled into the store not two minutes later, Jen had returned from her break. Fallyn cleared off a table in the corner of the store for the two to sit in. When she made to leave, Vince waved her back. “Have a seat, Little Keefer. I need the status report on how my things are selling. Any changes?”
Fallyn’s cheek
s were pink as she sat next to her brother across from Vince. The cheery cream walls with lavender moldings and teal wall hangings told her to calm down, but she didn’t listen. She twisted her fingers in her lap. “We sell out by the end of the night, but I don’t think we have the space for more. The order’s good as it is for us, at least. You?”
Vince was leaning back in his chair with his ankle crossed over his knee. “Well, we could use another ten percent, preferably your éclairs. They sell too well for us to keep the customers happy. Do you put something in them that makes them so addictive? I admit, I tried one, and they’re the best I’ve ever had. You mind showing me how you make them?”
“Only if you admit Irish girls are the best at everything,” Fallyn insisted, pursing her lips to keep her nerves hidden.
Vince smirked, the dimple in his left cheek teasing her. “Oh, Irish girls. Always surprising me.”
“I can only stay until ten,” Killian informed her.
“I’m not worried about Vince. It’s the henchmen I don’t want here when I’m by myself.”
Vince pressed his hand to his heart. “I’m losing my reputation if you’re not a little bit afraid of me.”
Fallyn pfft’d and waved off his feigned affront. “I’m afraid you’ll make a mess in my kitchen, but I can handle it.” She was walking down a dangerous road, letting him stay without her brother’s watchful eye. “I’ll leave you to your meeting, guys. Come on back when you’re done, Vince.” She kissed the top of her brother’s head before moving back into the kitchen, worried at the things she was considering.
Fallyn wiped her hands off on her apron and then went back to piping the rest of the custom cake she’d been working on, hiding out with her confection. Loretta was elbow-deep in sudsy dishes on the other side of the kitchen. Even though the newest hire who came in at noon was in charge of custom orders, Fallyn wanted to get a head start on the work to keep her hands from shaking and her mind from wandering.
When the low voice she’d been waiting for greeted her, she nearly dropped the frosting she was refilling her bag with. “You scared me!” she scolded him, worried that a simple “Hello, Fallyn” from Vince would be read into by Loretta and reported back to her brothers as naked time with the enemy.
“You were going to school me on baking, since you’ve clearly got the market on that.” Vince teased her, sitting on the stool near the stove. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Go on. Impress me, Irish girl.”
Loretta looked on Vince with a healthy fear, noticing his gun sticking out of his belt. “Pumpkin, did you get a chance to fill the dairy order?”
“Yes. They’ll be here tomorrow.” Fallyn tried not to cringe at the childish nickname her employee addressed her with in front of Vince. He quirked his eyebrow at Fallyn to show his amusement.
“But we’re short for today. Do you want me to run to the store and pick up what we need? I’m all caught up here.”
Fallyn frowned, certain they would have enough supplies for the day’s work. Then it dawned on her that Loretta wanted to run away whenever Vince was in the room. “Sure. Here,” she walked into her office and pulled out a small lockbox, taking out a few bills. “This should do it.” She handed the fistful of cash to Loretta, who was halfway out the door with car keys clutched in her sweaty palms.
Once Fallyn was alone with Vince, her own palms began to sweat. She refused to look at him as she went back to frosting her four-tiered wedding cake. “I trust you got my note,” Vince said when it was clear Fallyn wouldn’t break the silence. He watched her nod, scrutinizing her every move. “I admit, I haven’t written a note to a girl in decades.”
“All that does is remind me that you’re old,” Fallyn quipped, her back to him. “But it was a lovely note. How are things going with getting your end of the city cleaned up?”
“Lots of resistance from the ones you’d expect it from. I don’t know why I thought getting rid of the cocaine itself would fix it all. They’ve found new suppliers from out of town and keep running our city into the ground. Had to have a chat with one of the sources last night.”
“I know exactly what ‘have a chat’ means. How bloody did it get?”
“Eight more bodies in the river, none of them ours, so it was a productive chat.” He paused, wishing she would turn around. “Fallyn?”
“No,” she ruled to whatever it was that he wanted from her. She knew that she couldn’t look at his handsome face, his angular jawline or his broad shoulders.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Still no, and you know why.”
Vince stood from his stool and walked slowly towards her, the predator and the prey. When his arm slipped around her to palm her stomach from behind, he pressed up against her to whisper in her ear. “I thought you were going to teach me how to bake. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”
Fallyn’s eyes fluttered shut as she leaned against his chest, her heart stuttering at the danger he presented. “We can’t, and you know it.”
“We can’t bake together? Killian seems to think we can. He trusts me.” Vince tugged on a lock of her hair, inhaling the scent before burying his lips in the tresses. “Things are changing between our families, tesoro. I’m working hard to make sure they do. It won’t be like it was. Pretty soon, that’ll all be just a bad memory.”
She wanted to believe him, but knew it wasn’t that simple. “Pretty soon? My stitches only came out a few days ago.” She turned in his arms to finally look at him, her chest pressed against his. “I’m so proud of you and Killian for all that you’re doing. I really do believe that one day, it’ll be a good world where our families get along like they used to. The streets will be safer. Everything will be better because of you two.” She shook her head, casting her blue eyes filled with regret up at him. “But I don’t see a world existing where us being together will be seen as a good thing to them.”
Vince skipped over the parts he didn’t like, adoring her lovely face she finally left exposed to him. “You’re proud of me? I haven’t heard that in a long time.”
Fallyn’s nose crinkled. “I can’t imagine that’s true. You’re doing so much. You run businesses that thrive without Papa D’s drug money. You’re making your territory safer for your people. You’re making peace with age-old enemies. Who wouldn’t be proud of all you’ve accomplished? Our parents left a mess for you and Killian, but you’re both set on making something beautiful.”
Vince watched her praise him with unconcealed wonder after he ruled she was not mocking him. “You really think that about me?”
“I’m sure I’m only one of the many who do.”
Vince lowered his head and kissed Fallyn once, fending off the sexual beast that wanted to devour her whole. He felt her melt in his arms, savoring the sweetness of her that he could taste in each movement of their malleable lips. “Dolcezza, I’m falling hard for you. Please tell me you’ll help me find a way for us to be together.”
Fallyn shook her head too quickly, the confusion weighing heavy on her. “You know I went on a date!”
Vince chuckled, and the sound was rich and velvety. “Oh, amoroso, that only plays in my favor. That you think there’s anyone out there better for you than me? Tell me all about the poor soul who’s soon to have his heart broken. What’s his name?”
“James.”
Vince’s grin had a glint of evil to it, the dimple in his left cheek making him look younger and impossibly more handsome. “You look guilty. Like you know you want to be with me, but you’re trying to convince yourself there’s anyone better for the job. Keep dating him. I love a challenge.”
Fallyn pulled back, her head darting around to make sure no one was in the kitchen. Then she tugged on his shirt, leading him to her office where she shut the door on logic and gave in to her desire.
26
The Things We Shouldn’t Say
Vince had her pressed up against the wall, his kisses hard and laced with the fear of getti
ng caught. “No one talks to me the way you do,” he admitted between kisses. “No one believes in me like you do.”
“That’s not true,” she panted, twining her fingers through his and letting him pin her hands above her head. Her eyes were wide at how easily she took to the position of restraint, and she worried she had lost the ability to say no to him. “Vince, I feel all the things you do. I keep trying to ignore it, but I’m too deep in it now. I’m… I’m…”
“You wore the red skirt for me,” he growled in her ear, palming her thigh through the material, hiking her skirt up to an indecent height so he could run his finger along her smooth skin. “Did you think about me while you got dressed this morning? Did you want me to want you this badly?”
“Yes,” she admitted, ashamed and excited as she gave a fruitless struggle in his grip.
“You don’t get to move. You decided to tease me with this skirt? The least you can do is hold still while I get a good look at you in it.” He kissed her while his free hand roamed her thigh beneath the material. “I’ve been wanting this for too long. I need you.”
In the next breath, her passion twisted to mourning as he kissed her again. “Stop!”
Vince released her from his hold, slowly deflating as he stepped back, supporting her jelly-like body in his arms. “I tried to stay away last week. It’s not working for me. I can’t pretend I’m not in this.”
“Well, you’re going to have to.” Fallyn righted herself and stood taller in his arms. “This will just have to be happy memories that stay in the past. We can look back on all of it and smile, knowing we shared something beautiful and nothing bad came of it.” She begged him with her eyes. “We have to.”
He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her lips again, soft and gentle. “But I want you. We’re good together. I know you feel it.”
Fallyn’s knees were weak. “You can’t possibly know that. We’ve never even had a day together. We only know the family end of each other. I don’t know what your favorite book is, how you like your burgers, how you…”
Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1) Page 14