My Mobster

by J. L. Drake

  “Helena!” he yelled, his voice cracking. “Send Evangeline in here.”

  My throat bulged with resentment. “Dad, back the hell off. I’m not a kid. I’ll talk to her tonight and find out what she knows. You’re too sick to deal with this.”

  “Sta ta zee.” He grabbed a fistful of my shirt. “I can’t believe you. I can’t trust you when it comes to this chick, can I? She has your balls in a vise. You aren’t thinking straight.”

  “Um, hi.” Evie stepped into the room, her attention boomeranging between my dad and me. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  My dad released my shirt, his face red and his eyes like daggers. “You could say that.”

  “Evie—” I slipped my hand into hers “—we need to ask you a few questions.”

  “Cut the bullshit, Gian.” My dad pointed a shaky finger at Evie. “Tell me everything you know about Alix Trincher.”

  “Alix Trincher?”

  “Yes. Alix Trincher. Bloody Alix. Vor.” His voice dropped to a gritty whisper. “Do any of these names ring a bell?”

  Evie tipped up her chin, her flame-colored hair dancing around her shoulders. “No. Why?”

  I squeezed her hand and tugged her closer to me. “Did Kevin ever mention that name?”

  “Not that I remember. Is he an artist?”

  My dad barked out a laugh. “No. He’s a fucking psychopath who wants to meet with you and Gian tomorrow.”

  Her eyes widened. “Me? Why would he want to meet with me?”

  “Hell if I know.” My dad leaned against the wall, tiredness etched into every line of his face. “You two need to make an appearance at Carmine’s at two. My brother will join you.”

  “He’s going too?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I think you’ll need someone with you. Alix is bringing his son.” He pushed away from the wall. “Now, get outta here. I’m going to bed,” he grumbled, exiting the room with an uneven gait.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-THREE

  Evangeline

  I sat a table in the back corner of Carmine’s, Gian on one side of me and Dominick on the other. Starched white linens covered the tables, and red drum-shaped pendant lights hung over every table. The smell of garlic, basil, and fresh bread filled the air.

  Last night, Gian didn’t offer much information other than we had a meeting with Alix Trincher and his son, whoever he was, and that Kevin had gotten tangled up with him. Other than the staff and us, the restaurant was deserted. Still, Gian’s eyes routinely scanned the entrance behind me while his other hand periodically tucked inside his suit, fingering his gun.

  Dominick hadn’t said one word to me since he joined us ten minutes ago. On the off chance I had misread the blatant hints that he disapproved of me at the engagement party, I couldn’t ignore it right now. I offered my hand when Gian introduced us again, and he looked at me like a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe.

  Gian tapped his fingers on the table. “So what’s the plan? They should be here in the next ten minutes and you haven’t said a single thing.”

  Dominick grunted, his dark gaze glued to the front window. “We see what they want.”

  “And if they push for access to our territories?”

  Dominick brushed some invisible lint on his jacket. “We tell them to fuck off.”

  “Nico thought I should negotiate,” Gian said. “See if we could come to terms that were mutually beneficial.”

  “I’m not going to negotiate with these animals,” Dominick said, slicing his hand through the air. “They don’t have anything I want.”

  “You should make that clear to Nico.” Gian folded his arms across his chest, and his chair creaked. “Because he thinks we should bend over and take it up the ass. I’m starting to think he’s lost his edge.”

  The bell over the front door jingled, and my muscles pulled tighter. Gian and Dominick stood, not ready to come face to face with the man known as bloody Alix, I froze in place. My heart sounded like machine gun fire in my ears. My breath became shallow, and I felt like someone had stuffed a plastic bag down my throat.

  “Evangeline,” a familiar coarse voice echoed through my ears.

  I jumped out of my seat and whirled around, a huge smile splitting across my face. “Kon? What are you doing here?”

  My brother looked the same, yet different. I hadn’t seen him in over three years. He’d lost the baby fat on his face. He was all sharp angles and high cheekbones. Dark tattoos peeked out of the cuffs of his shirt, stretching over his first knuckle. His light blond hair, so like my mom’s, was longer than the last time I saw him.

  His pale blue eyes roamed all over me as if he didn’t believe he’d find me in one piece. “We’re checking in on you.” My brother stretched his arms wide. “Come here and give me a hug.”

  I took one step forward, and Gian grabbed the back of my shirt, yanking me against his chest.

  “What the hell is going on, Evie? How do you know him?”

  “This is my brother, Konstantin. You know, the one in the Army. I told you about him, remember?”

  “He’s not in the fucking Army. He’s in the Russian mafia, and your father is Alix fucking Trincher,” he snarled, releasing my shirt and pointing a finger across the room.

  My gaze followed his finger, landing on a man hovering near the entrance. He had an arrogant sneer on his face. Deep grooves lined his forehead and the corners of his dark brown eyes. His red hair was liberally threaded with silver. His wide shoulders tapered to a slightly thickened waist.

  Long-buried memories pushed to the surface. A man with bright red hair pushing me on the swing in the backyard. A thickly accented voice whispering something in my ear at bedtime. A man with my name tattooed on his forearm.

  Nausea swam in my gut. My heart thumped hard, and my vision blurred. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know that man.” My voice sounded more hopeful than convincing.

  Gian’s eyes narrowed and the muscle at the corner of his jaw twitched. “Don’t lie to me.” His hands dug into my shoulders. “Was this the plan all along? First, you help your dad bury your ex under a mountain of debt, then you move on to me. Tell me, what’s the favor your father’s going to want from me? Money? Blood?”

  “Get your hands off my daughter.” Alix stalked forward, his nostrils flaring and his eyes burning like the pits of Hell.

  Gian shoved me to this side and ripped his gun from his holster. “Back the fuck up.”

  I clumsily tugged on the side of Gian’s suit. “No, Gian. Stop. Don’t do this.”

  My brother lunged forward, circling his arms around Gian’s waist. Everything happened in slow motion. They tumbled backward, hitting the tiled floor with a loud oomph.

  The gun skittered across the tile, stopping near my feet. One punch turned into ten until they morphed into a mass of swinging and kicking limbs. The sound of flesh hitting flesh punctuated by grunts boomed through the otherwise silent restaurant.

  A scream split my lips. My knees rattled, threatening to buckle, and I leaned into the table so I didn’t fall. “Please. Please,” I said so many times I lost count.

  Tony materialized from the kitchen, sinking one hand into Kon’s hair and the other into the back of his shirt, pulling him off Gian. Gian scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from his nose and his chest heaving. Tony wrangled Kon across the restaurant with his arms behind his back.

  Kon spat a mixture of blood and saliva on the floor. “Get your fucking hands off me.”

  Dominick stepped forward. “Tony, let him go.”

  Tony’s head jerked to the side. “Are you serious? He jumped Gian.”

  “Release him right now,” he said, enunciating each word. He advanced to the front door of the restaurant and flipped the lock. “They came here to talk. We’re going to hear them out. Then, they will leave, right, Alix?”

  “I don’t have a problem with that as long as pretty boy over there keeps his hands to himself.” He raised his arms i
n the air, and I saw the last three letters of my name peeking out of the sleeve of his shirt.

  No way. This isn’t happening.

  Shock rippled through me, and I couldn’t look away from him. His eyes looked like my eyes. His hair resembled mine interspersed with gray. That bump on his nose was eerily similar to the one I saw every morning in the mirror. Bile burned the back of my throat, and I staggered into the chair behind me, my heart racing and my mind buzzing with a dozen contradictory emotions.

  “He’s my dad,” I whispered, my entire body vibrating and my chest incredibly tight like I couldn’t suck enough oxygen into my lungs. “I haven’t seen him since I was five. I didn’t remember much about him. My mom called him Al when I was younger. Then, she stopped talking about him entirely after he disappeared. He was more like a ghost than a real person.”

  My eyes sought out Gian. His head was bowed, his face was pinched, and his shoulders drooped with something akin to defeat. “I’m so sorry, Gian. I didn’t set you up. I promise. I would never hurt you or your family intentionally.”

  I reached out my hand, pleading without words for him to say something. Anything. I didn’t know what to do. My heart squeezed with the urge to comfort him, but deep down, I knew he wouldn’t welcome my touch.

  Gian cursed under his breath, his eyes glazed with rage and darkness. He shook his head, clearly unable to believe what was happening. “We’re all busy men. Let’s get this over with. What do you want, Alix?”

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Gian

  I looked everywhere except at the woman who’d stolen my heart one piece at a time. She might as well have cleaved open my ribcage and wrenched my still-beating heart out of my chest. A bitter brew of humiliation mixed with hope churned inside my gut.

  Humiliation because I had fucked up. I should have made sure I knew everything about her before I invited her into my life for real. Hope because every cell inside of me wanted to believe she didn’t have anything do this with this. I’d witnessed her reaction when her mom called and mentioned her dad. Her reaction wasn’t fake, not entirely.

  Dammit, how did this happen? How could the one woman I should stay far away from end up being my sister’s best friend, and the one woman I wanted more than any other?

  “I want to clear up something first,” Alix said, his voice gruff.

  I curled one hand around the top of a chair, and my knuckles whitened. “Go ahead.”

  “Evangeline is telling the truth. I haven’t had any contact with her for nearly twenty years. As for her ex, I only screwed with him because I couldn’t stand the thought of my daughter marrying that schmuck.”

  Evie gasped. “What? Why would you do that?”

  Alix flicked his wrist. “He was a piece of shit. All I had to do was dangle a little bit of money and a piece of ass in front of him, and he took the bait. Believe me; you’re better off without him. You don’t want a man who can be manipulated so easily.”

  “You had no right.” Evie’s voice cracked on the last word. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

  He shrugged. “I did it for me as much as I did it for you. I wanted you to give up your acting pipe dream and move back to Nebraska, and I didn’t want anyone using you to get to me. As long as you’re in New York, you’re a liability. I can’t protect you here.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to get my rioting thoughts under control. “But you’re okay using her to get what you want. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” I sneered. He’d been playing with Evie’s life behind her back. He didn’t even have the guts to come out of hiding until she had something he wanted.

  He flung one beefy arm wide. “The stars aligned. What can I say? While I love my daughter, that doesn’t mean I’m above capitalizing on an opportunity that lands in my lap.” He chuckled. “You know, I always considered her a burden. Boy, did she prove me wrong. She reeled in a member of the Trassato family. I’ve been trying to negotiate with your father for years, but she batted her eyes, showed a little leg, and bam—” he punched his fist into the air “—she secured a proposal from you in a matter of days.”

  I snatched my glass of wine off the table and took a huge gulp, feigning amusement. Underneath my tailored suit and lazy grin, my blood boiled, and my skin crawled. I wanted to defend Evie. At the same time, I instinctively knew that was exactly what he expected from me. He wanted me to fly off the handle and show my hand. He wanted to know if I’d fight for her, and how much I’d be willing to give up to keep her.

  “As enlightening as your little speech was, let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?”

  “I want access to all of the Trassato controlled territories to expand my business.”

  While not unexpected, Alix’s demand reverberated through the room with the force of a grenade.

  “No,” Dominick said firmly. “That’s not happening.”

  “Then he’s not marrying my daughter.” Alix pointed his finger at Evie. “You. Get up. We’re going.”

  Konstantin stomped across the room and seized Evie’s arm, trying to pull her to her feet. “We need to leave.”

  She slapped his hand. “Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere with you or that maniac.”

  “Get over yourself. You’re engaged to a fucking capo, not an altar boy. Do you know what that means?”

  I lunged at her brother, snagging him by the collar of his shirt. “You touch her again, and I’ll fucking kill you.”

  His nose flared. “Is that a threat?”

  “No.” I shoved him backward. “It’s a fucking promise.”

  Dominick’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Let her go, Gian. Your engagement is over. I won’t negotiate with them, and even if we did, you could never trust her. She’s toxic.”

  “Don’t touch me.” I sidestepped his hold. “This isn’t over.”

  “Like hell it isn’t. You’re done with her.” He ripped his gun from a holster around his waist and jammed the barrel against my chest. “I’m not bending over so you can marry this puttana.”

  “Shut the fuck up. Don’t talk about my fiancée like that!” I roared, my vision narrowing. I swatted the gun away from my chest and pinned Dominick against the table. He didn’t fight me. He stood there with a fucking smirk on his face. “Do you understand?” I seethed, glaring at him. “Do you?”

  “You think you can threaten me?” he scoffed. “You may be my nephew and godson, but that won’t stop me from putting you in your place.”

  “Go ahead,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Enough!” Evie jumped out of her chair, her eyes wide with panic and her hand clutching the sleeve of my suit. “Gian, can I talk to you alone for a second?”

  I released Dominick and dragged her by the arm to the kitchen. The staff froze mid-task. “Get the fuck out of here!” I yelled.

  Knives, plates, and pans clattered to the floor.

  “Move!” I repeated, my eye twitching like a fucking lunatic.

  Three men in white shirts and black pants scurried out the back door with their eyes glued to the floor.

  “We can’t be together anymore,” she said, her lips quivering.

  An adrenaline-laced tremble shot down my spine. “We’ll find a way to make this work.”

  “Maybe, but at what cost, Gian? What will you have to give up? And at what point will you start resenting me? Resenting us? I can’t let you do this.” Her voice wavered, her gaze dancing around the room.

  “Let me take care of this, sweetheart.”

  “What happens if you have to walk away from everything—your family, your friends your life—to be with me? Are you okay with that? Is that even possible?”

  “It won’t come to that.”

  “You don’t know that. They could kill you. Your family could disown you.”

  I shrugged. “Some things are worth fighting for.”

  She wiped her hands down the sides of her thighs. “I don’t want to fight.”

&nbs
p; “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t like what you do. I don’t like what my so-called family does.” She sucked her lower lip into her mouth. “I don’t want to be a part of that life. I want to dance, act, and sing, without worrying if someone will take a shot at me when I’m driving down the street, or worse.”

  My heart stuttered. “Yesterday you told me you loved me, and now, all of a sudden, you have a problem with what I do? I don’t buy it. Not for a second, Evie. Don’t push me away again because you’re scared.”

  She lifted her head, looking straight at me. “Gian, take a step back and think about this. Our relationship has been a colossal disaster from the start. I never wanted this. You never wanted this. We were forced into this situation. It was supposed to be temporary until we could bow out unscathed. Now I have the chance. We both do, and we need to take it.”

  I captured her chin, forcing her to look at me. “That’s what you want? You want to bail on us without trying?”

  We locked gazes. I refused to look away first. Her eyes glistened. I bent my head, pressing my lips against hers, my grip still firm on her chin. Even though she didn’t kiss me back, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting her.

  I tasted her salty tears, felt her sorrow. I smelled her delicate jasmine scent.

  A half-gasp, half-whimper escaped her lips, and she pulled back. When she looked up at me, she swallowed, her eyebrows pinching together.

  “I don’t want to try. It’s not worth it. We’re not compatible…not for the long run. We have different goals and dreams, and now’s the time to pursue mine. I have to put myself first, and that means walking away from you and this whole mess before it destroys me.” Her words came out ragged and grief-stricken.

  “Give me a little more time.”

  “No. I’m walking out the door now, and I don’t want to see you again. Don’t try to contact me. Don’t try to find me. Just let me go. It’s for the best. You know it, and I know it.”