Chapter Sixteen
Angelo
Two weeks had passed since the funeral. Gia was still distant with no signs of returning to me anytime soon. She blamed me for her mother’s death, even though I had no leads on who killed her or any sign of getting Gia the justice I’d promised. With everyone on high alert after the bombing, my dad had insisted I stay at his compound in South Jersey. All of us were sleeping under one roof like one dysfunctional, unhappy family.
By the time I reached the second-floor landing, about to make my descent, someone knocked on the front door. Our guards opened the door, ushering someone inside. A light flicked on in the living room, causing me to stop in my tracks because that meant my father had slept on the couch again. He would either crash on the sofa, or he wouldn’t come home at all. My mother knew all about the woman he’d kept on the side and hated him for it.
“Lorenzo?” My dad strolled down the hallway toward to front door, surprised. “Have you lost your mind coming here, and at this hour?”
Clutching the railing, I sucked in a deep breath. Gia’s dad was the last person I’d ever expected to show up at our door in the middle of the night.
“I know we made a deal to keep our distance, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Don’t worry no one followed me here.”
“Of course, we can talk,” my dad said. “But this is not the time nor the place.”
“This will be the last time. I can’t handle the fallout from your war. My wife is dead, and my daughter is falling apart. We can’t be linked together anymore.”
“Lorenzo,” my father said, lowering his voice, so I had to strain to hear him. “Our families have been in business together for a long time. Together, we could rule the city.”
“At one time, that was my hope, too, Angelo. If anyone understands there are necessary evils we must conquer, I do. But I cannot put Gianna or her future at risk. She’s the only family I have left. Surely you must understand the position I’m in.”
Hearing Gia’s name made my heart skip another beat, before dropping into my stomach like an anchor hitting the ocean floor. I knew where this was going without Lorenzo finishing what he’d come to the house to say.
Shoes clacked against the floor beneath me. The sound traveled to the back of the house and to the kitchen, followed by chairs scraping along the tiled surface. Their voices were too distant to hear, so I crept down the stairs, hoping to catch part of their conversation. The closer I got to the kitchen, the easier it was for me to hear the end of their conversation.
“A car bomb,” Lorenzo said to my father, with hatred in his tone. “That was how you killed Scags and his men.”
“I didn’t order a hit on your wife,” my father spat back, defensive.
“Gianna is all I have left, apart from my company. Your Mafia war will not interfere anymore with my life. I am through with you, Angelo. I wish there was some way to work this out, but I don’t see another option other than to sever ties. I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me. I can’t help you anymore. There’s too much blood on both of our hands.”
“The war between my family and Enzo is almost over. Is the arrangement with the Irish not working out?”
“Yes, it’s working out great,” Lorenzo said. “Gia likes Connor. He’s good to her.”
My blood ran cold from his words, sending a chill down my spine.
Has Gia moved on with a fucking Irishman?
No fucking way.
“I’m glad to hear it, Lorenzo, but you didn’t come here to discuss your protection detail.”
“I’m running for mayor. I am doing this for my daughter and her future. If there’s one thing we both understand, it’s the importance of family.”
“Family is everything,” my father said, which caused me to wince. He was almost never home when we were kids. Ma was the one who had instilled the importance of family in my brothers and me.
“Then, let me go, Angelo. It’s not just my company. I can’t run for mayor with ties to criminal organizations.”
Lorenzo had sworn an oath to my father, one that required my father’s endorsement for him to break.
“You made it to City Council with ties to us.”
“It’s not the same, and you know it,” Lorenzo said.
An awkward silence passed between them before my father spoke again. “There will come a time when I will need a favor.” My father’s voice was almost a whisper, and I clung to the spindle at the bottom of the steps, gripping the wood in my hands, as I strained to hear, hanging on every word.
“What kind of favor?” Lorenzo sounded hesitant, as he should.
Owing a debt to my father was like signing a contract with the devil in blood. He would make you wish you’d never met him.
“That’s the beauty of a favor, Lorenzo. You never know when you will need one. I’ll be in touch.” My dad smacked Lorenzo on the back, as he said the last part, causing him to cough.
“I’m a man of my word,” Lorenzo said. “But this favor starts and ends with me. Promise me that Gianna will never be indebted to you.”
“Because we are old friends, I want to grant your request.” My father’s tone was firm and with no room for argument. “But I might need your help with the construction business in the future.”
“I won’t have a company for her to run if you go through with this, Angelo. I’m a reasonable man, as are you, so please take my request into consideration.”
“Fine,” my father said. “I will call on you when the time comes. Until then, my old friend.”
“Thank you, Angelo,” Lorenzo said, relieved.
A few seconds later, their footsteps grew closer to the living room. Lorenzo murmured his thanks in Italian, and then, my dad escorted him outside. When he came back into the house, my father closed the door behind him and stared up at me. The look in his deep brown irises could have turned me to dust.
He climbed up the steps until he was standing over me. “Did you hear my conversation with Lorenzo?”
I nodded. There was no sense in lying. My dad was a human lie detector.
“Forget the name Gianna Carlini, do you understand me?” He leaned so close I could feel his breath on my face.
“But—” I attempted to protest before he cut me off.
“No buts, Angelo. You are never to speak to Gianna again. Leave her alone.”
“No,” I shot back with fire behind my words. “Gia will be my wife someday.”
“I haven’t seen her around lately,” he growled. “From what I hear from the O’Sheas, she wants nothing to do with you. This should make it easy for both of you to move on.” He leaned against the wall and shook his head. “You are my namesake, Angelo. I expect more from you than your brothers. Do not let me down.”
Always the obedient one, I didn’t argue with my father. He owned everything and everyone in the city. We were nothing more than pawns in his game. I could only hope Gia would one day forgive me for the sins of our father’s past.
Chapter Seventeen
Angelo
I should have listed evading the cops as a special skill on my law school application. After dodging the Feds for the third time today, Sonny and I were getting good at it. It was like old times, long before we knew how to do illegal shit without getting caught.
“On your two o’clock,” Sonny said to me, as I stuffed the money in my pocket, drawing my attention to the unmarked car rolling past the alleyway. “We have to go.”
Avoiding the cops was a normal day for both of us. But we hadn’t had to run through the city to do it since we were in high school. My time apart from Gia was making me do stupid shit I never would have done if she were around. Making collections on foot between breaks from school wasn’t the smartest of ideas.
Scanning my surroundings, I pressed my back against the wall and watched the car creep by us. “Head down Diamond Street and cut through the Quad. They won’t follow us with all those people around. Then, we can make a run f
or the parking lot and stash the money in my trunk.”
Sonny nodded and followed me down the vacant alley with his hand up to his forehead to block the sun from his eyes. “Next time, we do this by car. Fuck running around like assholes.”
I picked up the pace. “There won’t be a next time. I graduate next week.”
He smirked. Even though he would never say it, Sonny respected me for following through with school. I never thought I would get a bachelor’s degree let alone a master’s degree in jurisprudence. Someone had to look legitimate in this family, and I was the only one smart enough to pull it off.
We hauled ass across the quad and into the throng of students. Fraternity brothers were on the lawn watching sorority girls lather up their bodies with tanning oil. With graduation around the corner, people were busy with finals. Some were already cleaning out their dorm rooms.
I looked over my shoulder at the unmarked car which was creeping down Broad Street and picking up the pace. Raising my middle finger in the air to the agent behind the tinted window, I smiled and darted through the Quad. This wasn’t one of my finer ideas for losing a tail, but I had to improvise.
Oblivious to my surroundings, I turned around too late and crashed into someone. It was Gia. She had a stack of books that fell from her hands. One of them hit me on the shoulder, and the rest were scattered on the grass next to us.
I flashed a cocky grin that made her lip curl in anger even though I seemed to have the opposite effect on her nipples. She was probably wet for me, too.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Blushing ten shades of pink from her cheeks to her neck, she rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t hey, beautiful me, Angelo.”
I sunk to the ground to collect her books and was planning to help her with them when she stole them from me.
She turned her body away from me, and I grabbed her wrist. “Wait. Can we talk, G?”
“Take your hands off me, Angelo.” She spoke with venom in her words and fire behind her beautiful blue eyes. “We can’t…” she trailed off.
Her words sliced through me. I never meant to hurt her. I wasn’t the one who killed her mother, but she blamed me.
Gia wiggled free from my grasp, the sexual tension burning between us like a lit match. I wanted to bend her over and fuck some sense into her.
She smiled, but it wasn’t for me. I turned to see who had commanded Gia’s attention. A man, about the same age as me, stalked toward us. He wore dark jeans and a tight black shirt that hugged his muscular frame.
As his eyes met Gia’s, he smiled back.
“Ready to go, babe?” He slid his arm across her shoulder, pulling her close. Then, he turned to look at me. “Lo, hey, I didn’t see you there.”
She’s mine.
Gia was always mine.
Or at least she was supposed to be with me.
Anger seethed through me, but I had bigger problems than Connor O’Shea—like the cops who were too damn close to breathe.
“Take good care of my girl, O’Shea, or I’ll put a bullet in your skull.”
Gia gasped. Connor didn’t even flinch. He was a crazy motherfucker like me, which made him perfect for the task of protecting Gia.
“We’re going to be late for class,” Gia said to Connor with her eyes on me.
Grabbing Gia by the hip, he steered her away from me. “What was that all about?” He attempted to whisper the words but failed.
I couldn’t hear Gia’s response, her tone so low and soft—I already missed the sound of her voice.
If the Feds weren’t within eyesight, I would have run after Gia. I had to maintain appearances for the sake of my family.
Gia looked over her shoulder at me with sadness in her eyes. The man next to her held her close, but the intensity and passion between us sizzled through the air, making me all too aware of her energy. I folded my arms across my chest, engaged in a stare-down with the only girl I’d ever loved.
We had unfinished business.
I lost her once. I would not lose her again.
But I had to be smart.
Chapter Eighteen
Gia
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling Angelo had left behind. I craved his touch, wanting him even more after our encounter. But I knew it was impossible. My father needed me. Even after three weeks apart, I was still broken and fucked up.
As we settled in our seats, Connor O’Shea, my new friend and personal bodyguard, handed me my textbook, notepad, and a pen. My dad was concerned for my safety twenty-four seven. While Connor looked the part of a college student, he was five years older than me and was too much of a caveman to be in this class. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
Sleeves of tattoos ran down his muscular arms. There were only a few spots left on his pale skin to ink. He was the complete opposite of Angelo with his bleach blond hair and freckled cheeks. He was cute but not sexy, street smart but not book smart. No one compared to Angelo Morelli. He was my world. My life started and ended with Angelo. Spending weeks away from him cut through my chest like a machete.
Connor tapped me on the shoulder, keeping his voice low. “Are we going to talk about what happened back there with Angelo?”
I took a sip of the coffee I grabbed on the way to class and sighed. “Nothing happened. We ran into each other. It wasn’t planned. I promise.”
“Yeah, but you took off through the Quad. I lost you long enough for you to run into Angelo. Look at the situation from my perspective. Think of how it looked.”
I frowned at his words. “It was nothing. I promise. Please don’t tell my father about this. He will have a stroke.”
Connor flipped the lid open, let out a big gulp of air, and blew the steam off his coffee. “You have to stay away from him, Gia.”
I sunk into the chair and tried not to roll my eyes at him. Sometimes, Connor annoyed the hell out of me. As part of his job, he was overprotective and always up my ass, but we were also becoming friends, which made the situation with Angelo even more awkward. Whether I would admit it to myself or not, I still cared for Angelo. I wished there was a way for us to be something. Anything. I missed Angelo so much I couldn’t breathe without him.
I let out an exaggerated sigh, blowing a dark curl in my face. “I know the drill, Connor. My dad freaks out if I even mention Angelo’s name.”
“He has a lot riding on his run for mayor. This is not the time to be seen with a Morelli. All it would take is one picture on the front of the newspaper, and it could kill his campaign.”
I chugged half the cup, the warm liquid running down my throat. “If anyone knows how important this is to my dad, it’s me.”
After my mother’s tragic death, all eyes were on my father. Her passing made our family famous. People sent flowers, cards, food, and even money to our house. I hated the fact my dad was making his campaign about family and fighting crime. It seemed so ridiculous to me. His opponent would drag his past through the mud. So, I was doing this as a favor for my dad. He needed something to go right for once.
I glanced at the door as it opened and Angelo strolled into class. The gentle swagger in his step and the way he carried himself made my core throb with need. The hunger that brewed inside me was insatiable. He was so much more than just the son of a Mafia boss to me. But we were a bad combination.
Midway through the lecture, I was scribbling notes for the final, when I looked up and saw Angelo burning a hole through me. He licked his lips, drawing my attention to his mouth. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted his lips on mine.
I tilted my head toward the back of the room and Angelo caught on fast. He nodded as if he understood, and then he turned around in his seat.
“I have to run to the ladies’ room,” I whispered to Connor and slid out from the desk. He began to push himself up from the chair, and I covered his hand with mine to stop him. “I’ll be fine on my own. Stay here and take notes for me. I can’t afford to miss anything.”
“No, I’m c
oming with you.”
“It’s a girl thing. I might be a while.”
He outwardly cringed at the idea of periods and women problems. “Okay, but don’t take too long.”
“Promise.” I lifted my purse from the chair next to me. “I have my phone. Nothing will happen.”
He gave me a worried look which quickly turned into a closed-mouth smile.
I crept out the back door of the auditorium and hung a left until I reached the women’s restroom. The hallway was desolate, save for a few people rushing to class. Anxious about meeting Angelo like this, I bit my lip, trying to ignore the nerves creeping up from my stomach and into the back of my throat. I leaned against the wall and waited for Angelo. He showed a minute later with a cocky smirk on his lips.
“We don’t have long,” I told him. “Connor will worry if I’m gone for too long and will come looking for me.”
Angelo shrugged. “Like I give a fuck about Connor O’Shea.”
“We have to find a way to see each other. Next week is graduation, and the only time I get to see you is at school, with Connor hovering over me. I miss you, Angelo.”
He cupped my face in his hands and backed me up against the wall, our lips inches apart. “I need to taste you, G.”
“I need to feel you,” I whispered. “But not here. Connor will come here first.”
Angelo led me by the hand down the hallway with our hands intertwined. Most of the rooms were locked, but Angelo found one which was vacant. We stepped inside, and he locked the door. He pulled down the shades to cover the windows, leaving us in darkness.
Angelo cupped my ass with his big hands, his erection digging into my stomach. He lifted me up and onto a long desk in the front of the room. The cold marble top sent a chill up my legs, but nothing compared to when Angelo spread my thighs, finding his place between them.
Planting hungry kisses on my lips, Angelo didn’t waste any time exploring my body. His hands traveled beneath my shirt and bra to cup my breasts. He massaged my nipples, giving them a little pinch, as his tongue tangled with mine.
The First Sin (Sins of the Past Book 1) Page 12