by Berri Fox
“Wait!” Rafaela finally finds her voice, but it’s too late.
“Don’t worry about it. You did what you set out to do. I wish you well, okay?”
After shaking her hand, as I’m sure she’s used to with all the deals she’s been making, I turn and leave without looking back.
Sixteen
Rafaela
I feel bile rise in my throat. I open my mouth and close it again, before looking around at my family standing around me. Apollo puts his hand on my shoulder but I shrug him off and turn to face my dear little brother.
His triumphant smirk tears through me. He doesn’t even realize what he’s done. I glare him straight in the eye, channeling all of my anger and hatred.
Then, I pull back and punch him hard.
Stefano howls in pain and takes a step back, clutching his cheek. He looks shocked and confused. He opens his mouth to speak and I jump on him, slapping and hitting him. He tries to squirm away but I’ve always been stronger.
“Fuck you!” I screech at him, clawing at his stupid expensive jacket. “Bastardo!”
“Rafaela, stop!” His pathetic little voice just spurs me on.
“Bastardo! Asshole! Despicable, no good, son of a bitch, I hate you, I-”
I’m so angry I barely notice two of my father’s goons dragging me off my brother. Father is yelling something now but I don’t hear him. I make to lunge back towards Stefano but when Apollo holds me back I turn on him instead.
“How could you?” I cry, sounding more hysterical than I want to. “Apollo I know you don’t want to lose the bet but how could you be so cruel?”
He’s confused by how devastated I am, and I’m confused too. This was all just a game, wasn’t it? I didn’t need to win the motorcycle and the limoncello recipe that much, did I?
“You will calm yourself,” my father takes the moment of relative calm to interject. “Rafaela you will apologize this instant. I am most disappointed in you.”
I shake my head and meet his eyes.
“Rafaela this behavior is despicable. It is most unbecoming of my daughter and it is certainly not acceptable from anyone who considers themselves to be my heir to the family business.”
There it is. He’s dangling the carrot right in front of my face. Just a few weeks ago I would have jumped immediately, but now the whole affair seems meaningless to me.
“I don’t care,” I answer, trying to calm down. “I don’t care how unbecoming I am, or how disappointed you are. That slimy little asshole ripped apart a good, kind, honest, decent woman just to get at me and he deserves everything that’s coming to him.”
I move towards him again and he cowers. Apollo and Daniella take my shoulders and drag me back, away from the knuckleheads who now flank Stefano. They’re still loyal even if they did get carried away with Heather.
“I don’t want it anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Father says as I turn on my heel.
“The family business. If inheriting it means I have to ditch everything and everyone I love then it isn’t worth it. Give it to the brat so he can run it into the ground.”
I stalk out, not looking back even when my father shouts after me. I dial Heather’s number but she doesn’t answer.
Of course she doesn’t answer.
I keep dialing again and again as I get into my car and turn the keys in the ignition. The door opens and Apollo pulls me out. I reach up to hit him but he catches my fist.
“Don’t be a dick,” he says as he pushes me around the car. Daniella manhandles me into the passenger side and gets into the back. “I’ll drive if you’re on the phone.”
I alternate between giving him directions in my coldest voice and trying to get through to Heather. My heart clenches unpleasantly in my chest every time it goes to voicemail.
“We’re sorry,” Daniella says quietly from the back. “In our defense, it’s just a game. Why are you so upset?”
I can’t answer. We reach Heather’s apartment block but the lights are out and she doesn’t answer the door. Her car isn’t out front either.
I get back into the car shaking.
“I guess that’s that then,” Daniella ventures, sharing a look with Apollo. “Shall we go to a bar and find you a nice waitress?”
I crumple in my seat and start sobbing. It surprises me as much as it does my cousins.
“Um.” Apollo puts his hand on my back in what I suspect was meant to be a comforting gesture. He clearly doesn’t spend too much time around crying women.
“I love her. I love Heather.”
The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I love Heather. God if only I’d figured this out sooner then I never would have taken her into the lion’s den like that.
Apollo and Daniella exchange looks, wondering whether I’m telling the truth or just completely deranged. I can’t bring myself to care about their opinions anymore.
I think about Heather and Emma, about the fun we’ve had since we met and how much they make me laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my whole life as I have these past couple of weeks.
I sniff and try unsuccessfully to stop crying. I can’t believe how badly I’ve screwed this up. Now I’ve gone and ruined everything, and lost Heather for good.
Daniella passes me some tissue and then hugs me from behind, awkwardly crushing me against the headrest in the process. I’m still angry with them though. I know they were just getting into the spirit of the bet and none of us realized then that it was no longer a game for me, but they didn’t have to get so carried away.
We sit quietly for a while until Apollo suddenly turns on the engine and starts driving. “I’m taking you home.”
I’m too tired to argue, to tell him that I want to stay outside Heather’s house forever.
“Rafaela, listen to me. The three of us, we’re as good as brothers, yes? Far more than that pig Stefano anyway.”
I sniff and nod, not bothering to argue that two of the three “brothers” are actually women. I’ve always been so much closer to Apollo and Daniella than I am to Stefano. When people ask about my family, these two are the first people I think of.
“You remember when we were little, when I always fixed everything, always took care of the messes you two girls made?”
Daniella punches his arm at this comment, but he’s right. He’s always been our protector, my right hand guy, the most loyal brother I could’ve asked for.
“I’ll sort this out too,” he promises. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Seventeen
Heather
I manage to keep my composure just long enough to get out of the gates and then I collapse against a streetlight, sobbing. People rush around me, casting suspicious looks in my direction, but I can’t bring myself to care.
I can’t believe it was all a lie.
I think about Rafaela, her soft hair and beautiful eyes, how happy she looked whenever she saw me. But it’s all been an act, some kind of terrible, disgusting joke. They’re all laughing in there right now.
Laughing at me.
It begins to rain and I huddle under the beautiful new coat she bought me just a few days ago as a gift. She bought one for Emma too. At the time I was so relieved that they were getting on well, so relieved that Emma has a warm coat for winter and I won’t have to worry about how I can afford one.
And now I’ll have to send it back and work out how to afford a new one. She loves that coat.
I start walking, not sure where my feet are taking me but just knowing that I can’t stay crying right outside Rafaela’s family home. I can’t go back to my apartment either. My dad has Emma for the whole night and the thought of spending the evening alone in the dark, or of heading to his place and admitting that everything was just some twisted lie, is just too much to bear.
I head to the bookstore. The girls there are like my family, and even though Rachel and I have been clashing lately I know they’ll know what to do.
I must l
ook a wreck because as soon as I walk into the store and Rachel spots me, she orders Cody to lock up and make me some coffee. I try to speak, to tell her that I’m okay, but I end up crumpling into a heap on her shoulder instead.
“What’s happened? Are you okay? Heather, tell us,” she prompts me, rubbing my back in the same soothing motion I use when Emma is crying.
“It’s all gone so horribly wrong,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from crying the whole way here. “You were all right. She was just using me.”
As I admit it out loud I collapse into more sobs. Cody and Rachel sit on either side of me, muttering soothingly until I calm down and stop hiccuping.
I tell them everything that happened during dinner and the showdown with Stefano afterwards. Rachel hisses and Cody looks vaguely murderous.
“What an absolute asshole!” She exclaims when I finish. “He’s the most lowlife piece of scum I’ve ever heard of and he should consider himself lucky that I don’t know where he lives!”
Her outrage comforts me a little, and I rest my head on her shoulder.
“She’s an asshole too for playing this whole game,” Rachel adds. I’m so sorry honey.”
“She completely blindsided me. How could I have fallen so quickly for a pretty face and pretty words?”
“To be fair, she has a really pretty face,” Cody interjects. I let out a noise that seems to be half laughter and half sob. Cody cuddles me closer.
“It’s not your fault,” they both insist at the same time, and I’m touched at how well they know me.
“I’m supposed to be cleverer than this though. I’m a mother, I let her into Emma’s life too. How long would this have carried on?”
Neither of them speaks and I continue my rant, now more angry than upset. “How long would I have been blind to everything she was doing just because I wanted so desperately for it to be true?”
Rachel opens her mouth to respond when she’s interrupted by the tinkling of the bell as the door opens.
“We’re closed, sorry!” She calls through to the front, to no answer.
She frowns and gets up to see who’s there, when suddenly Apollo and Daniella appear in the doorway. They’re wearing black suits and dark glasses, and I want to laugh at how dramatic they look.
Before I can tell them to leave me alone they grab me, one on each side, and propel me out of the bookstore in a seemingly well practiced routine.
I hear Cody shout my name as they bundle me into the back of a black car with tinted windows and we drive away. I’m scared now. Was Rafaela angry that I left?
I swallow and think about Emma. I can’t let anything happen to me.
I raise my voice, trying to sound more angry than scared, and address them. “You can let me out now!”
Neither of them responds, though Apollo looks at me in the rear view mirror.
I try again. “This isn’t funny! I don’t know what you think you’re playing at but the games have ended, remember?”
“It’s not a game anymore,” Daniella says from the front seat, and I feel a swell of panic overtake me.
“Look, please let me out. Please, I have a little girl, I have to get back to my little girl.” I start pleading with them instead, suddenly afraid.
Daniella swings round in her seat and whips her glasses off, looking mildly horrified. “Oh, god, we’re not going to dump you in the river! Do you think we’re going to hurt you?”
Apollo laughs. “Why do you sound so confused, Dani? We basically kidnapped the girl.”
Now I’m the one who’s confused. “If you’re not going to hurt me then what are you doing?”
“We’re-oh you’ll see. Look, we’re here.”
Apollo pulls over and switches the car off. He turns around to face me, though I notice that he doesn’t take his glasses off like Daniella did.
“Look, I’m sorry for all those things I said at the house. I got over excited, and I really don’t want to lose my motorcycle.” He shrugs as though that’s an explanation and gets out of the car.
Daniella has already opened my door and firmly guides me out. I think about running and whether I could get away from them. They seem to be quite proficient at kidnapping people.
Daniella sees my expression and laughs. “Come on. It’s fine.”
They guide me into the apartment block and up to the top floor, where Rafaela meets us.
She looks surprised, and I realize that she didn’t send them to get me. My heart hurts when I look at her, though I notice she looks as much of a mess as I do.
“Heather?” she whispers, confusion and agony in her voice.
I swallow hard as Apollo and Daniella maneuver me into her apartment, looking incredibly pleased with themselves.
Eighteen
Rafaela
I don’t understand.
When I answer the door and see Heather standing on the other side, my heart starts hammering in my chest. I never thought I’d see her again, and now she’s standing right outside my apartment.
I try to step forward but my legs won’t work properly. I grip the doorframe and stare at her in confusion.
“Heather?” I whisper.
Before I can say anything else, Apollo and Daniella appear on either side of her and maneuver her into my apartment. Suddenly, I realize what has happened.
“Did…did you two kidnap her?” I ask in utter horror. They stand sheepishly but also look rather proud of themselves. The look of fear on Heather’s face confirms my suspicion.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you did this. Apollo is this what you meant by “I’ll sort everything out”?”
“I’m so glad you aren’t behind this.” Heather’s voice is small, but she starts to relax as she realizes that I wasn’t the driving force behind all of this.
I usher her to the couch and turn to glare at Apollo and Daniella. Daniella at least has the good grace to look mildly apologetic, but Apollo wouldn’t know his own bad behavior if it looked him dead in the eye in a dark alley in Queens.
I turn back to Heather and sit delicately beside her on the couch. I debate whether to take her hand or not, and eventually suck up the courage to place my palm over the back of her hand. I sigh in relief when she turns her hand upwards to grip mine lightly.
“It did start off as a bet, but I got to know you and Emma, really know you. More than I’ve ever known anyone else in my life, and then I realized that I’ve fallen for you. For real,” I say quietly.
Heather swallows hard. I see that she’s struggling to believe me, but I plow on. I need Heather to understand everything that has happened, I need her to know that I love her more than anything else.
“I gave up the family business. I told my father to suck it, to give the wretched thing to Stefano. I told him that I choose you, that I will choose you every time.”
“How very romantic.” I think that Heather is being sarcastic but as I sneak a peek up at her face I see a small smile playing around her lips.
“Well you know me, ever the hopeless romantic,” I joke weakly. She appreciates my efforts though, and squeezes my hand again.
“Is that the truth?” She asks me suddenly. I nod hard, willing her to believe me.
“It is.” We turn around when Daniella speaks, and Apollo also nods in confirmation. “You should’ve seen her crying in the car when you left and then you weren’t at home.”
“It was pretty horrifying,” Apollo adds, and I glare at him again. “Hang on, we’ll prove it.”
He pulls out his cell phone and quickly dials a number, putting it on speakerphone. As it picks up, I realize he’s called Stefano.
“Stefano. Tell Heather how your sister whipped your ass into shape after you said those disgusting things to her.” I recognize Apollo’s cold voice as the one he usually uses on our rivals, and judging from Stefano’s stutter and Daniella’s smirk I know they recognize it too.
“Um, well, yes, that…that did happen. I…I apologize, Heather. I was out of line and I can tell
that my sister has a real fondness for you.”
I roll my eyes at his stilted tone but I’m happy that he’s finally backed me up on something. Maybe he could be a decent little brother one day after all.
Apollo hangs up abruptly, cutting off Stefano’s stuttering. “Is anyone else concerned about how easy to rattle he is? If he can’t go up against Rafaela without falling apart, I doubt he’ll manage the Cordosi’s or the Rizzoli’s.”
“Rafaela’s scarier than the Rizzoli’s. And I think this is our cue to leave.” Daniella cuts in, winking at me and Heather before hustling Apollo out of the apartment.
I turn to face Heather again and feel my heart skip a beat when I see her smiling at me for real this time. She leans forward and hugs me, her forehead pressing against my shoulder, before drawing back. I groan at the lack of contact.
“Hey, Rafaela? The whole “family business” thing. Is it…legit?”
I laugh at how tactfully she tries to word her question. I muse over how to tell her, but as I go to speak she holds up her free hand.
“Actually, I don’t think I need to know explicitly. I kind of figured it out when your cousins bundled me into a car with tinted windows and suspicious number plates.”
We both laugh then, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m so sorry. Can we start again? A clean slate?”
She grins and kisses me quickly and softly. “I’d really like that,” she whispers.
We’re interrupted by a banging at the door and I groan. I’m about to tell Heather to ignore it when I hear a vaguely familiar voice on the other side.
“Heather? If you’re in there, move away from the door. We’re coming, Heather!”
Heather blinks. “Rachel?” She asks in disbelief.
The banging on the door gets louder and she runs to open it. A hoard of women I vaguely recognize from the bookstore tumble through, all clutching heavy hardback books.
“What’s going on?” I ask, making to stand. One of the women, who I recognise as the owner, waves her book at me.