by Ivy Knight
"Why are you asking? We're going to Italy. Did you forget?" My head turns to Cole and I catch his hand waving in front of his neck telling Kai not to say anything.
"You knew?" I gasp. "And Italy, why? I thought we were targeting your brother's men that have taken residency in the city."
"We will, but they can wait. I have men keeping eyes on them twenty-four seven. Going to Italy now, will be more beneficial for us."
"And why exactly?"
"Giuliano Tieri," Kai's two words causes my skin to prickle with small goosebumps.
"You're going to form an alliance with the Italian mafia?"
"Yes."
"Under what proposition?"
"If they help us when we need it and we end up taking over the US, their matters will be completely their own with no interference from us as long as it isn't harming us in anyway. Plus, with my promise to you, they get the extra cash with prostitution under their belts and not ours."
"Okay, let's pretend Giuliano agrees to your terms, what about the Russian mafia? You'll be their first target if they find out about our alliance with the Italians."
"I've dealt with them already, they owe me from a while ago. I gave them the same proposition as the Italians, but instead, I asked for their loyalty not their help. So if my brother does go to them for help, he won't be getting it."
"And what if Giuliano refuses?"
"Then after my brother, his mafia will be next on my list."
"I think you shouldn't even waste your time with that and just write their names down. Compared to your brother, you have less credentials. From the minute your brother was born, your dad starting teaching him how to fight and run a gang. Nick learned until the age of eighteen and you probably got in a solid six to eight years."
"How do you know about my dad?" Kai questions. His eyes zoning onto me.
"Google, and that doesn't matter. Nick has more states, men, weapons and money under his control than you do too. Even an uneducated delinquent would know what team to root for if statistics were everything."
"Then it's a good thing that statistics aren't everything. And Summer, since you put up such a good argument of why Giuliano shouldn't agree to this alliance, I want you to be in the meeting with me. I want you to convince Giuliano why we're going to be winning this war and not my brother," my mouth gapes open.
"We're leaving in an hour, get ready everyone."
Chapter 30
"I'm Xavier White's daughter, okay? I am the Summer White that you knew," I harshly whisper into Alessio's ear. He stops struggling under me and glares with pure anger.
I gulp getting off of him. Everything's in his hands now. He knows who I am.
...♛...
One day ago
...♛...
The first memory I ever remember having, is when I was five and Vince told me that our mother was never going to come back. He said that I was the one responsible for it. Back then, I never knew what he meant so I just cried, blaming myself for the atrocity.
Now, I know that there was nothing I could've done. The doctors had warned my mother of the consequences if she decided to continue on with her pregnancy.
I don't know why, but Vince found every way possible to destroy my inner being from ever since I can remember. But standing in front of this red oak door, a part of me says that I've been here before. This is a memory before that moment.
The door creaks open revealing an old man wearing a tux. This is exactly what I had expected when Kai told us we were going to the estate of a Mafia boss.
"Right this way," the servant gestures us in. Kai and Alec both walk in first with Cole and I in their footsteps. The estate is gorgeous. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the ground, tables or the various vases standing around. The walls glow as if they were recently polished and the home smells like a deep scent of roses.
We come to a stop in the living room, where an old man and what I assume is his son, waits for us. Both of them dressed in their finest handmade suits, look more extravagant than the expensive paintings hung all around the room.
"Kai Black," Kai introduces himself shaking hands with Giuliano.
"Giuliano Tieri," the older man says. From his grey hair to his defined wrinkles, it's easy to tell that this man is past his mid-forties. The most raveling thing to me is that I could paint a perfect picture of the man almost ten years younger and not because his son is standing next to him, but because there's a part of me saying I've seen this man before. "It's a pleasure meeting the man himself."
"The pleasures all mine," Kai rebuts.
The man standing next to Giuliano clears his throat catching all our attentions. Guessing that was the point of his action, Giuliano's face brightens with realization.
"This is my only son, Alessio Tieri."
My eyes scan over the man probably around the same age as Nick. Like any greek god, his figure is sculpted to perfection tightly packed under a black suit. His face contoured by the light, defines every feature on his face. From his thick eyebrows to his ripe lips, he is nothing but a show stopper.
Alessio and Kai shake hands.
"These are my main members Alec Jenson, Cole Baker -"
"and April Salvatore," Alessio cuts off Kai using the fake name I decided to use in the gang world. My eyebrows rise in question as Alessio makes his way towards me. Kai's eyes follow Alessio curiously.
Alessio takes my right hand from my side and gently lands a kiss on the back of it. His hands are soft, the exact opposite of mine which could be compared to an unpaved road.
"I've heard a lot about you and the things I've heard, cannot be called rumours because everything seems to be true."
"And what have you heard, Alessio?" he smiles letting out a sly chuckle.
"A ruthless killer with no emotions in her eyes. A girl who most consider to be the descendent of Satan."
I smile thinking whether I should take that as a compliment or not. I honestly didn't know that I was that well known.
"I'm sorry I can't say the same in return. Maybe we'll get acquainted in the two days of our stay."
"We will, April," the specks of gold surrounding his auburn eyes, glow as he says that.
Giuliano clears his throat gaining our attention, "All your luggage has been settled into your rooms and Carlton here, will escort you there. We'll see each other at dinner in about two hours."
"This way," Carlton directs. We all start to follow him, but I'm stopped by a soft grip around my wrist.
"Come with me," Alessio whispers into my ear. I feel his front pressing against my back. My eyes trace forward at the three boys not even noticing that I was stopped.
Why does Alessio want me to come with him?
To ask the question, I turn around. I frown when I notice he had disappeared from the room. I spot him halfway up the stairs in the foyer and decide to follow.
"So how'd a girl find herself in such a mess?" Alessio asks without evening bothering to check if I'm behind him.
"I ask that myself every day," I reply. "Where are we going?"
"I need to show you something," he says.
"I just met you, what do you need to show me?"
"You'll see," he replies. I follow him to the end of the hall. Some of the paintings hung on the walls send a feeling of deja vu.
Alessio stops at one of the doors and takes out a pair of keys to unlock the door. He takes a step back and gestures for me to open it. I glance to the side, suspiciously eyeing him before I take a grip around the golden knob and twist the door open.
The first thing I see is all the furniture in the room buried under a blanket of dust. The blinds closed, I switch the lights open. The room is small, filled with an unexplainable vibe. Some of the walls have pencil marks hinting that this used to be a toddler’s room.
My feet step on the ground cautiously. A part of me feels like this is some sort of trap. As my eyes roam around, they land on a picture set on the dresser. Even from ten feet away, I can tell who the picture was o
f. I walk closer to the picture and take the frame in my hands. I wipe off the dust.
"Oh my gosh," I whisper shocked. My mind blown. This is a picture of Alessio and I when we were kids.
...♛...
"Father said we're going to get married when we're older," Alessio speaks.
"You're old," I respond continuing to play with my doll. My daddy brought me here for my birthday.
"Summer, what do you want for your birthday?" Alex asks. That's what I call him, his real name is too hard for me to say.
"Mommy."
"Okay, but I'll need time. I promise you that I'll search everywhere for your mom and never stop looking until I find her," he says.
"Promise?"
"I promise," I smile when I spot his eyes glow.
...♛...
I clear my throat setting the picture frame down. He knows me. He knows who I am and he brought me here to test my reaction.
"So how'd you like my surprise?" Alessio asks.
I turn around putting on a perplexed expression.
"What surprise?"
"Come on, Summer. I've been following you. It's not a coincidence that you have the same name as Xavier White's supposedly dead daughter. Smart move trying to use a fake name, but I did my research. When I heard that a female was helping Kai take over America, I was intrigued. My men pulled out everything on you. All your adoption records and every sob story you made up to hide the truth from Kai. But you can't hide from me,
I knew you better than your own brothers knew you. We were supposed to get married and I made it my duty to make sure you stayed safe until were old enough to get married. I failed at protecting you, Summer."
"Are you done?" I ask irritated by the amount of truth bombarded on me. It feels like I'm about to lose I've everything I've been working for.
"I'm not Summer White. My name's April Salvatore. I don't know what you're talking about. Don't you think that Kai would know if I was someone else? Alessio Tieri, I am here for business, not for some false accusations. If you have nothing important to talk about, then excuse me. I have better things to do," I walk past him towards the door.
"You're gonna have to tell me what you're up to, April. Helping your kidnapper's brother is new, even on my charts."
"Nicholas Black never kidnapped me," I state. With a racing heart, I exit the room. Halfway down the hall, is when I feel like I can actually breathe.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I had forgotten about the alliance my father made with the Italians. How could I be so naive?
When I was five, my father made an alliance with Giuliano. That my father's only daughter aka me, and Giuliano's only son would be married whenever they felt suitable. I remember my father telling me about it when I was around eleven, but I never understood the concept of marriage then. All I knew was that this handsome guy always dropped by to hang out with me because we were one day supposed to be married. Looking at it now, Alessio could be considered a pedophile. I'm not even eighteen while he's almost twenty-three. Leader's never do think about anyone else besides their own benefit, it's truly ridiculous.
And what does Alessio want? What if he threatens to expose me in front of everyone? I could kill him, but having the whole Italian mafia on my back isn't exactly on my wish list.
My thoughts are broken my three men around their twenties carrying a tray of brownies in their hands. We meet half way down the staircase. Each of them are undoubtedly a part of the mafia.
"Can I have a brownie?" I question hungrily eyeing the brownies. To support my case, my stomach growls.
The three men look at each other and have a silent conversation where the verdict ends up to be a yes. I grab two brownies, but one of them takes the second one out of my hand.
"One's enough," he says.
"Fine," I pout shoving the one in my mouth. This brownie is unusual tasting, but I'm too hungry to ask and swallow the content in my mouth. I thank them with a big smile.
"Have fun!" they yell as they continue up the stairs.
What is that supposed to mean?
...♛...
An hour and a half has passed since we've arrived and I've been sat in my room reading. It's not something I do quite a lot, but I'm not complaining. It's actually really calming to just sit and read.
I hear a knock on my door so I put my book down on the nightstand. Kai walks in wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
"Time for dinner."
"Okay," I get up from the bed. I look myself over in the mirror and fix my hair before we walk out.
"Where'd you disappear off to earlier?"
"I got lost," I lie trying to force a tone of embarrassment into my words. Suddenly, my body goes from one hundred and sixty pounds to over a thousand.
"Oh, my God."
Chapter 31: Part One – Kai’s POV
"What happened?" I stop and look back at Summer. Her eyes wide open, her pupils shrink. She clears her throat and blinks several times trying to regain her composure.
"Nothing, mhmh," she clears her throat. I eye her skeptically. She left the group earlier and I feel like she's hiding something from us. She doesn't know anyone here, so I really can't pinpoint what she could be hiding.
I turn back around and carry my way into the dining room. If I had to describe this home in one word, it would be extravagant. It's almost three times larger than my home in Chicago. Looking at more educated people like Giuliano, inspires me to do things that most deem impossible. Other's success motivates me to do better. It's like I'm driven off of their success.
We reach the living room and are greeted by Giuliano and his son. Alec and Cole were both already seated so I take a seat beside Cole. Following everyone's gaze, I watch Summer recklessly taking a seat. First her bulging eyes catch everyone's attention and then the way she loudly scoots her chair out and in.
"Are you okay, April?" Giuliano asks suspiciously. Everyone waits for her to respond.
"Yeah, I'm good," her smile widens more than usual.
I clear my throat deciding it's best to keep the attention off her.
"Thank you for having us, Giuliano."
"Again, we only ever have the best, Kai. So consider it a compliment," he claims. I nod knowingly. Without wasting another second, the servants walk out and start serving us.
We all dig in and continue on with a light conversation regarding no matters of business. Just light topics like the weather and Giuliano's childhood. From my peripheral vision, I watch Summer gulp down her fifth glass of water. My eyes trail down to her untouched plate.
"Summer, what's wrong?" I whisper.
"Nothing," she says not so convincingly. There's something wrong with her. She's drinking water as if her mouth is drier than the Sahara Desert and she fades in and out of deep thoughts. It's like she's thinking about twenty things at the same time.
The fork, halfway into my mouth, I pull it out abruptly when I feel Summer's hand on top of my dïck through my pants. I cough trying to cover my surprise and grab a glass of water.
"What are you doing?" I hiss.
"What?" she whispers back innocently.
"Get your hands off my dïck," I scold.
"Huh?" she looks down at her hand and blushes. Pulling her hand back, she apologizes.
"I need to go to my room, come with me."
"Why?" I ask.
"Please," she begs.
"Are you okay? You don't beg. Ever."
"Please, I need you," she pleads. I clench my jaw at the amount of confusion running through my brain right now. This is not the Summer I know. If she stays here any longer, she's going to fuck everything up.
"I'm sorry, but Summer and I have to cut this dinner short," I apologize getting up from my seat. My jaw clenches when I realizes I said her name.
"Anything serious?" Giuliano questions.
"Just something we remembered and has to be done as soon as possible," I respond. He nods approving my dismissal and I relax when no one points out my mi
stake.
Summer gets up and I let her walk in front of me. I notice her footing is heavier than before. Her whole weight is settled down on the foot in front before she picks up her other foot slowing her down.
We walk into her room and she locks the door.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
She turns around with her back leaning against the door. Her eyes closed as she bites down on her bottom lip.
"I can't stop thinking."
"What?"
"I can't stop thinking about every single night we've slept together and did nothing else. How your boner goes useless every morning when it pokes me in my back."
"In other words, you're hørny as fuck," I conclude. Bulging eyes, deep thoughts and she's hørny... she's stoned. "You're stoned, aren't you?"
"What?" she almost squeals. "No, I don't smoke. Well, I smoke, but not weed. That shits too much for me. Can you stop changing the subject? I want you."
"I can't fucking believe that you got stoned," disappointment and anger laces my voice. "You could ruin everything for us, you know that?"
"The only thing I know is that I'm hørny, Kai. I've fucking never felt like this before and I want you," she sighs heavily. No warning in advance, she paces over to me and locks her lips with mine. Her hand grabs at my hair as she tries to make me kiss her back. It takes everything inside of me to hold back.
She is fucking insane. Is she fucking sexy and beautiful? Yes. When she laughs it's like the whole world has stopped spinning. Summer is beautiful in every sense of the word, but this would never work. We're too alike. This relationship would be unaccountable. There's too much about her that sets me off. Thing's that she hides, certain things that she does, they confuse me. They remind me that I don't actually know her. How can I be in a relationship with someone who I don't even know?
Not even that, but caring is a weakness. If I am to takeover America, I can't love anyone. By the way she acts, she could be dead at any given moment or even kidnapped to be used against me as leverage.
I know better than to have feelings for anyone especially Summer. Her sorrows and happiness will never be mine.