Innocent (Omertà Book 1)

by Anna Widzisz

  There was a moment when she started feeling better. At the beginning of December, but two days before Christmas Eve she killed herself, leaving her daughter bound to live a life without her mother in it.

  That was the day that changed everything for Lynette. She was the one to go into the bedroom and find her dead body. The tragic sight made her quiet; always swallowing her emotions and feelings deep inside. You could see her reading all the time since it was the only way she was able to run away from reality. To stop thinking about everything, at least for a while.

  It hadn’t even been a whole year ago.

  “I’m proud of you, too,” said Rosalia, kissing her on the cheek.

  Soon after, they got into the car and drove towards the city center. The dinner was to be held in one of the Famiglia’s Italian restaurants. It was supposed to be closed for them to have a private party. According to the tradition, Noah was to see his future wife before the other soldiers and their families did. That was the reason why she stayed in the foyer, with her father, where she would be introduced to Falcone. As she waited, there were thoughts in her head that made her want to turn around and run away. She couldn’t even hide her nervousness and fear, which annoyed Severo.

  “Figlia, control yourself. You’re not getting married this second. Noah won’t appreciate you acting like this, believe me.”

  As she heard the doors open, her heart went up to her throat, knowing exactly who it was supposed to be. Lynette knew that she had to show more courage. Show that she was a strong woman who feared nothing. Just like her father had taught her. Being in public always required from her to be more. The real Mafia Princess.

  She held her head up in an attempt to prove her worth. She just didn’t know who she tried to prove it to - her father, the other guests or herself. Probably all three. But from that moment on, no one held a definitive vote but Noah and Marco.

  The Falcones came into the foyer. Both sons and their father. Lynette could feel their presence and the curious eyes of her future husband on her, but she decided to keep her eyes on the Capo, whom she’d already met. The man smiled at her, but the gesture seemed somewhat fake. However, Severo didn’t appear to share her opinion as she could hear a quiet sigh of relief coming out of his mouth.

  The hardest task was still before her. Lynette didn’t want to look at Noah and have her opinion of him confirmed by his appearance, but when she felt her father tighten his hold on her back, she turned her head towards the tall, blond man.

  His face didn’t reveal anything. Just as if he wasn’t able to demonstrate emotions, which she knew wasn’t the case as soon as the man put his hands into the pocket of his pants. It prompted her to realize exactly who Noah was.

  They’d met by the lake a couple of days ago. His hair, the eyes, were the same, but the behavior had changed drastically. The moment that was supposed to be their first meeting was actually their second one. So she already knew that he was an arrogant asshole, a rich kid with an attitude, and smirk that Lynette wanted to wipe off his face. But now, there was nothing left of that man. Today he acted just as any other Made Man was expected to act.

  Lynette wondered if he’d recognized her as well. She could only guess, as she was in no hurry to ask him in front of their fathers. It would be a huge scandal if people found out that she’d snuck out of the house. Let alone that she was alone with a man. People in the Famiglia lived for such moments. Especially women.

  “Figlia, meet my friend Marco Falcone. This is Flavio and Noah, of course,” said Severo, seeing as his daughter was nowhere near introducing herself. She only nodded her head in a sign of respect.

  The Falcone men were all blond. However, Flavio had a darker shade than their father, just like Noah.

  Lynette’s eyes rested on the younger boy. He was around fourteen years old and she could tell because of the softer expression on his face in comparison to his other family members, but his height spoke a completely different story. He was a few inches taller than the girl even now when she had heels on. Which wasn’t that surprising seeing as Marco and Noah were very tall as well.

  “This is Lynette.”

  Those words were meant for Noah mostly.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” said Noah.

  His voice was different than it was at the lake. Deeper, rougher. It made her shiver slightly. Which didn’t escape his attention as he kissed her hand. That’s why he suggested joining the other guests in the restaurant.

  Inside, there were a lot of people. Severo’s captains with their wives, underbosses, and soldiers. On Marco’s right, one man appeared, which suggested that he was his Consigliere. Behind him, there were three Made Men, whom Lynette didn’t know, with women by their sides. It was unusual for soldiers to take their wives to other famiglia's territory as easily as they did. It didn’t happen most of the time. Even though they weren’t at war, it could still pose an unnecessary risk.

  They all moved towards the table to sit down, leaving Noah and Lynette behind. The man took out a small red box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a silver engagement ring with a big diamond. It had to be an expensive one, but that didn’t make Lynette like it as much as any other woman would probably have.

  He carefully took her hand and slid it on her finger, ending the most awkward part of the evening. It made the girl relax slightly. She felt anxious being so close to him. Even more than when they had been alone by the lake. Which made no sense whatsoever.

  “Don’t worry, bella. Your secret is safe with me,” Noah whispered in her ear as he pulled her chair back so she could sit at the table.

  It answered the girl’s question as to whether he remembered meeting her before. He knew exactly who she was. Maybe he’d even known when they’d first met. It could just as well not be a coincidence because, after all, there was no such thing. But there was something worse that Lynette read from his words. The man knew that she shouldn’t have been there that day. Alone. And with that, he was another person that could hold one of her secrets over her head. Not a good sign.

  At the end of the evening, there was still one unpleasant surprise waiting for Lynette. As they returned home, Severo stopped his daughter before she could retire to her bedroom. He was obviously satisfied with the way the dinner had turned out. Even more, because Noah hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Lynette throughout the whole night. It didn’t matter that they haven’t talked at all after the introduction. But as much as her father was pleased, she was even more nervous because of the attention she’d held all the time.

  It was even worse when the girl realized that Jason wasn’t there. He always knew how to calm her down, but she found herself unable to rely on his presence, seeing as Severo had decided not to have him around that evening.

  “Why wasn’t Jason there today?” She asked her father before he could say anything.

  “Because Marco found out about your good relations and I preferred not to risk a conflict. And after everything that happened, I am not sure whether I should keep him as my Consigliere.” His answer surprised her. It wasn’t often that Severo gave her an honest one, yet for some reason, he did then.

  Lynette sighed. “Padre, you love Jason like a son. Don’t change that because of me.”

  “This matter is none of your business, figlia. Whatever I decide shall be law,” he growled. “I wanted to talk to you about school. Emilio made me realize that if I sign you out right now, I risk more attention from the police. We cannot let that happen. That’s why you will stay in school. However, the situation must be taken seriously. That’s why your protection will have to be upped while in there. Noah has proposed to continuously keep an eye on you there. He is to sign up for classes.”

  Lynette burst out laughing.

  “Isn’t he like twenty years old?” she asked, angry that the man had come up with such a bad idea.

  “Sì, but your school offers additional classes to prepare people for college. And it’s merely a façade for him to be able to
stay inside anyway. I can hardly give you a security guard to follow you everywhere. Especially when the police is going to be there for quite some time.”

  ”So, in other words, I have no other choice but to agree.”

  “It’s not up for debate.” Severo stated, ending the conversation. It had already been decided and Lynette had to get used to the idea and Noah’s presence. Sooner, rather than later.

  CHAPTER 14

  Lynette

  As much as Lynette wanted to come clean about everything that was going on in her life, she couldn’t. Each time she turned something worse was happening. There was no way for her to even catch a breath between the problems that kept building up every single day.

  Because of yesterday’s events - from finding David’s body to getting engaged, she’d completely forgot about the mysterious text messages she’d been getting. Until she woke up to another one.

  From unknown: Out of the goodness of my heart, I can tell you that lying to your close ones is not a good idea. Remember that a lie has no legs.

  Each one was becoming more and more specific to what was recently going on in her life. They were far from being stupid pranks as she’d thought at the beginning. And she couldn’t tell anyone - not her father, not even Jason. No one. She was in way too much trouble as it was, and she couldn’t afford to dig herself an even deeper grave than it was at the moment. Asking Isaac for help was the only idea she’d had and it didn’t solve anything for her. Whoever this person was, Lynette knew that if they’d truly wanted to hurt her, they would have done it already. That was the only reason why she kept it a secret.

  Waiting for Noah to pick her up, she sat down on the stairs in front of her house. Playing with her phone, she tried to call Jason for the seventh time and apologize for everything that she’d caused. She felt guilty. And she actually was. For the first time, she hadn’t thought through every aspect of her decision, which was so unlike her. Because of that, she wasn’t sure if she still had Carnovale by her side. Judging by his harsh words, it was very possible that she’d lost a friend.

  Getting through to voicemail, she repeated the exact words from earlier, hoping that the man would call her back soon. She wasn’t prepared to lose anyone else.

  A loud car honk pulled her out of her deep thoughts, making her jump to her feet at once. In front of her was a black Maserati Ghibli and behind the wheel was Noah Falcone. His cold eyes were focused on the girl, looking every ounce of annoyed. He probably wasn’t the most patient person in the world.

  Lynette adjusted her bag on her arm and got in the passenger seat, softly greeting the man. She felt uneasy in his company, especially with the way he changed each time they met. The first time she’d seen him, he was more than a little annoying and stuck-up but had displayed an obvious range of emotions. During the engagement party, he’d been dressed in his most expensive suit and presented his cold and extremely dangerous side. As if he would kill someone any minute if they dared look at him the wrong way. Lynette was sure that even some elder men were scared of him. At least it seemed like it because not everyone tried to exchange words with him, in fear of saying the wrong thing.

  From the corner of her eyes, she saw him nodding so as to acknowledge her presence, but she didn’t look in his direction, even though she felt the intensity with which he was observing her. She glanced down at her hand, with the engagement ring. It still felt surreal to be able to say that she had a fiancé and, even more, that he was notorious. She wanted to know whether those rumors Jason had heard were true, but at the same time, she wasn’t brave enough to ask.

  She wondered what the people in school would say. To see her with someone like Noah. He might be a Made Man, but no one could deny his attractiveness. That was the reason why he had girls around all the time, which only meant that he wouldn’t want or need anything from Lynette until the wedding. Maybe even after. As long as he spent time with other women, she was more or less safe.

  “You don’t seem to be happy with the perspective of marriage,” Noah said, finally breaking the silence.

  It was more of a statement than a question. Lynette couldn’t really hide her disapproval around him. She seemed to be wearing her heart on her sleeve.

  His deep voice made her shiver and she considered telling him something, but her words got stuck in her throat, afraid of saying something wrong. She didn’t know how well she would be able to lie. Which was probably what Noah expected. To hear that she wanted nothing more than to get married. That it was an honor.

  “Answer me,” he hissed.

  “I’m too young,” she whispered the first thing that came to her mind, hoping that it wouldn’t offend the man next to her. It was still the truth, but rather the least of her problems related to the marriage. However, Noah seemed satisfied enough with the answer, since he turned his head back towards the road.

  “We’re not getting married yet. You’re still to graduate. But I’m willing to make a deal with you.”

  Lynette narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deal?”

  “You can hide the ring when you’re at school, but only if you stop spending time with Jason Carnovale. I don’t want you two alone,” he said and Lynette got hot under the collar as soon as the words left his mouth.

  Her father had already said that the Falcones knew about her relationship with Jason, but never did she imagine that Noah would try to put an end to it by talking to her. Severo had much more power over his soldiers than she could ever gain and one word from him would definitely go a long way. Noah’s current offer angered her, but also earned him her respect, for trying to solve it with her.

  “Request considered and denied,” she answered without thinking.

  Jason had always said that her Italian temper would be the death of her and perhaps she would prove him right one of these days. She braced herself for the punishment that was supposed to come soon.

  Instead, she heard a laugh. Noah actually found it funny, for some odd reason, confusing Lynette. That’s not what she’d been expecting. The man was a walking, talking contradiction.

  “I’ve been waiting for this attitude since yesterday,” he told her. “Even wondered which side of you was the authentic one, and really hoped for it to be the one that I saw that evening by the lake.”

  “That makes two of us,” murmured Lynette, relaxing a little. As much as the man’s arrogance annoyed her, she would choose it over that icy attitude any day.

  “Bella, I am both. They are as real as they can get. It just depends on which one I want to show at that certain moment. But you are neither quiet nor meek. So what was the reason for your behavior? Was it because of your father? Is he so bad that you can’t be yourself in his presence?”

  “That’s none of your business now, is it?”

  He seemed to have her figured out, which didn’t sit well with Lynette. It drove her inner self out and she could only hope that Noah was nowhere near releasing his monstrous side out.

  “I have all the time in the world to find out everything, bella. I will wait.”

  It had been just as Lynette predicted. All eyes went straight to them as soon as they got out of the car. Most were probably surprised to see the girl again, as they suspected she’d been charged with murder or at least taken out of school. Instead, she was on the premises once again. And she wasn’t alone.

  Seeing as Noah was at her right side, she discreetly took off the ring and put it on her other hand. Students wouldn’t see this gesture as anything more than her scratching her hand, but it didn’t escape Falcone’s watchful gaze. The corners of his lips twitched into an almost smile, once again confusing the girl. As much as he should be strict, controlling, and authoritarian as a Made Man, he seemed laid back in her company. Obviously, he had his moments and had to act differently sometimes to uphold his reputation, but Lynette was perceptive enough to see through the façade.

  “Severo wasn’t kidding when he said that you are the center of attention here. So, how are you deal
ing with all the popularity?” he joked.

  She smiled at the words, but quickly turned serious, realizing that she shouldn’t allow herself to act this way around Noah. “How did you get into those extra classes in October?”

  “No one says no to money, bella. ”

  That much was true. In her world bribes were the easiest way out of extremely difficult situations. People were greedy and always hoping to get rich. They didn’t care if their actions were good or bad, and stretched the rules and the truth whenever they felt like it.

  In the mafia it was completely different. Made Men played by their own rules and only used the greediness of the outside world for their own advantage. But the inside rules were everything to them. The words of the Capo became laws and every Made Man had to abide by them. Women as well.

  It was the only admirable thing that Lynette could find within that world. However, most of the time it was a blind trust that soldiers put in her father. They did everything he wanted and although the mafia was a murderous and sophisticated criminal organization, there was a line that people shouldn’t have been willing to cross. But still, if the Capo didn’t draw that line, it was seen as not-existent. Those lines were what Lynette couldn’t bear and tried to get away from. She already knew a lot about the business that her father was involved in, but there was much more that she probably wouldn’t want to know.

  She nodded, not really interested in the topic of mafia. Especially in school where people could hear them and invent even more lies.

  § § §

  The week went by quickly with Lynette being focused on school work and trying to blend in with the crowd. She was done with the attention she was getting and, thankfully, Noah took some of the spotlight off her. He was seen with numerous girls, flirting most of the time. People were more into getting to know who the new guy was than gossiping about the murder investigation which was still ongoing. The only difference was that the police stopped roaming the corridors, so it made it easier for Noah to take his guns with him. They were never seen from under his jacket, but having them with him could still be seen as dangerous. Lynette even considered telling him to leave them behind in the car but decided against it as he would never listen to her anyway. They barely talked unless the man started the conversation, and even though there were a lot of rumors surrounding the two, none of them was eager to address them. As much as people still feared Lynette and didn’t want to approach her, they had no problems talking to Noah, being greedy enough to make friends with someone who was clearly rich and handsome. It made no sense for the girl, but she was just glad to be left alone for once.