by S. C. Ellen
My eyes wander over to him. “Too bad it looks like she hates his guts.”
“That would make her one of the many women who probably do.”
Suddenly, the lights dim, and the curtains fall open.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I will be your entertainer for the night. Don’t worry, gentlemen, even though we are technically at a strip club, I’m not that kind of entertainer—unless your signora wants a private show later on, then I will happily oblige!” The crowd laughs at the cheesy Italian man.
“Said that joke to a fella once, and he came back with my mother!” The crowd erupts into laughter again, earning even a small chuckle from me.
“Without further ado, this is for the man of the hour, Vincenzo Pentalini. Happy birthday, boss.”
My eyes find my father in the middle of the crowd, nodding toward the man on stage, and everyone else shouts their well wishes. My mother sits on his right, the only day she would ever be inside of this club.
A famous Italian jazz song flows from the man, causing a mix of whistles and cheers to sound.
I pick up my fruity cocktail that another waitress sat down in front of me, and I connect my gaze to the man sitting next to me.
“Salut. To a well-deserved night out.”
We clink our glasses together, and his eyes never leave mine even after he takes a sip.
“You look heavenly tonight, mio angelo.”
My heart speeds up at his words, or maybe it’s the alcohol coursing through my veins, but a blush creeps up on my cheeks.
Carson gets up from the table, swiftly.
“Care to dance?” he asks with an outstretched hand, and I feel my heart beat quicker in response.
However, I hesitate.
“It’s just a dance, Alayna.”
Telling myself not to think too much into it, I stand and put my hand in his as he leads us out onto the dancefloor.
Bodies slow dance to the sound of the singer’s voice, with the beginning lyrics to one of my favorite classic jazz songs.
Carson pulls my body close to his, and in no time, we are swaying to the music.
My eyes survey the crowd, noticing everyone’s eyes are glued onto the two of us.
“Everyone’s staring, including my dad,” I whisper to him, feeling heat rise in my cheeks from the attention.
“And?” he replies, swirling me around from the watchful gazes of everyone. “Like I said, it’s just a dance.”
“Yes, but this looks…misleading.”
“People are always going to talk, Alayna. You shouldn’t care what people think.”
“Easy for you to say, Carson. You’re not the principessa of La Cosa Nostra.”
“You’re right, I’m not. I’m the second-in-command, and if shit goes down, it’s my responsibility to lead this familia. I have more important shit to worry about than what meaningless people have to say about me. As do you.”
I peer up at the man before me, filled with so much knowledge for someone who is only 28 years old. My mind wanders to what trials and tribulations life threw at him for him to become how he is today.
The alcohol flowing through my system makes me brave, “Tell me something about you.”
He looks hesitant at first before answering. “What would you like to know?”
My mouth speaks before my brain can stop it. “Everything.”
His eyes cast a dark look over mine, leaving me entranced in them. “Everything? How about something more specific?”
I rack my brain for the endless stream of questions and settle on one I know will get me some answers. “That night when you told me about you growing up in New York, I asked you about your family and you said you never met them…why?”
If it weren’t for the quick tightening of his jaw, I would have no other indicator that the question affects him because his face gives away no emotion. But I see it, that tiny haunted moment of pain.
“They were murdered.”
My stomach drops at his answer, and I curse myself for reminding him of his parents’ tragic death.
However, I know he isn’t one for sympathy, so I continue on. “Any siblings?”
His hand tightens against my waist. “She was adopted at the age of 1, and I’ve never seen her again.”
“Do you think you would ever want to reach out to her someday?”
He shakes his head, “What she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.”
“But it hurts you.”
Our eyes lock, and I can see I struck a nerve.
“You can’t hurt once you’ve lived so long without a soul, Alayna.”
I break away from his piercing gaze and continue to move slowly in his arms.
There are layers to this man I’ll never stop peeling, some darker than others, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to uncover all of him anyway.
He twirls me around in his arms, and I gracefully connect my body with his again.
I smile up at him, attempting to lighten the mood. “Who taught you how to dance so well?”
A hint of a smile plays on his lips. “My mother. I can briefly remember her love for music and dance. I guess she wanted me to have that gene, as well.”
“Your mom sounds like a wonderful woman.”
“She was.”
He spins me into a dip, the music changing into a beautiful stream of violins.
More bodies file out onto the dancefloor, and from the corner of my eye I can see my father sending a disapproving glare directly our way before heading into his office.
There’s a brief, short, moment that passes, where I consider stepping away and ending this tantalizing dance with Carson, but then I look up at him again and fall helplessly into the pull of our connection and the answers I’m finally receiving.
Before I can ask another question, Carson interrupts me with his own.
“When you were younger, did you ever think that we’d come to meet someday?”
I chew on my bottom lip, a blush threatening to rise. “I asked my father every day to take me to New York so I could meet you.”
“Really?”
I nod, “I even wrote you letters, but I never knew how I would get them to you.”
His expression is one of shock. “What made you so compelled to write a complete stranger?”
I mull it over in my head before I respond. “I dealt with loneliness a lot as a child. I had Tessa, but she was dealing with her father’s death at the time, and I couldn’t go anywhere or have any friends who weren’t mafia affiliated, so that was obviously limited. It was a very sad time for me, and I thought that maybe talking to you…you could possibly relate. Not to mention, I’ve never left the state of Michigan, so going to New York sounded like a dream.”
His hands tighten on my waist. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, letters or not, I don’t think I would have helped you much anyway…”
“Yeah? Well, maybe I could have helped you.”
“You did.”
“How?”
He dips me again and slowly pulls me back up. “I think I like the idea of more dancing, and less talking.”
I mock him, “Who said I wanted to do either?”
He mischievously grins. “Your mouth says you don’t, but your body says you do. You think I don’t notice everything about you, mio angelo?”
“N-no,” I stutter, becoming more and more heated under his penetrating gaze.
“Well, you’re wrong. I’m no fool when it comes to you, Alayna. You can’t outsmart someone who does it for a living. I’ve got you figured out.”
A sprout of bravery overcomes me. “And maybe I’ve figured you out, as well, Carson.” His eyes flash with interest, so I continue, “I know you care more than you let on, and maybe a naïve part of me does, too.”
He pauses for a moment, with contemplation taking ahold of his bright green eyes, before he shakes his head. “Trust me, mio angelo, I am not the guy for you.”
I am taken aback. “Who said I th
ink you’re the man for me?”
The mischievous look appears on his face again. “Don’t think I don’t see the way you look at me, Alayna.” He turns us, pulling me even closer towards his body, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I told you, I notice everything. Including the way your thighs unintentionally clench whenever I walk into a room, or the way your breath hitches and you bite down on those fuckable lips whenever I’m near. And I bet right now, your pussy is dripping wet with the thought of me taking you.”
My cheeks are blazing at his words. He is right, but I would never admit that out loud. My cheeks turn a deep shade of red, and before I can respond, we are interrupted by Jase.
He whispers something in Carson’s ear too low for me to hear.
Carson nods and steps away, sending me one last look that tells me to hold on to that conversation before they both disappear into the back rooms with one of the familia’s business associates.
The musician takes a break and the music changes to more current songs, and I spot a sulking Liliana still sitting next to her father.
I’m in front of her in seconds. “Me. You. Dancefloor. Now.” I pull her up by the hand and we head onto the dancefloor together.
After dancing to more songs than I could count, my feet are screaming at me. Red-bottomed heels are cute to wear—not to dance in.
The rest of the night, Carson deals with a few familia things, and Liliana and I have parked ourselves by the bar.
“Ugh, that Elliot guy has been grating on my nerves since he walked in!” She grabs onto her hair, pulling it lightly. “He looks at me as if all I am is a vagina on legs!”
I snort, blaming it on the one-too-many shots I had. “Come on, Liliana, you are gorgeous. He just can’t help himself, apparently.”
“Well, his foolish charm won’t work on me. Thank God my dad left with your mother earlier, because I swear, he was two seconds away from ripping into that guy. And, oh please! Me? Look at you, Alayna. You have the hottest guy literally eating out of the palm of your hand, and you’re clueless about it. During the whole twenty minutes we’ve been standing here, I lost count the amount of times Carson has looked over, and his eyes were glued right on to you.”
My eyes unconsciously drift over into the corner where he stands, talking to Elliot. Just like a magnet, our heated stares find one another. My mind and body are begging to be close to him again and finish the enticing conversation we were about to have.
I know I should stay away, but like a spell, I’m compelled by him, and I can’t force myself to wake up from my daze.
Unfortunately, our trance is short-lived, when a member of the familia walks into the club, and without warning, drops to his knees with a pool of blood coming from a fatal chest wound.
The whole vibe of the club immediately shifts and soon after, a group of unfamiliar men file in, strapped with AK-47s.
“Alayna! Get down!” I hear Carson shout. Before I can register what happens next, chaos erupts with a stream of a thousand bullets flying through the air, showing no mercy.
Glass is shattering and people are screaming everywhere.
I am forcefully pulled behind the bar.
Panicked, I see the familiar face of the man who just saved me from a spray of bullets. “Fuck! Are you hit anywhere?” Carson’s questions are tuned out by the noise.
He shakes me impatiently, needing a response. My eyes are wide, and I can’t stop my hands from shaking, but I manage to finally answer him. “I’m fine!” The only thing I can think about is who I was standing next to before this all went down. “Liliana…” I whisper with tears welling up in my eyes, thinking the absolute worst.
With Carson’s body still wrapped protectively around me, he responds, “Elliot got to her the same time as I got to you. Don’t worry about her, she’s in good hands.”
With relief running through me, I nod my head.
He takes out his pistol from the back of his suit and skillfully takes aim.
His gun goes off, and he shoots one of the intruders in the arm, incapacitating them from any further assault. He then takes out another man with a clean single shot.
He turns his attention back towards me, and then to my father’s office door.
“I need you to stay in this fucking spot for me. Do not move. Do you understand me?” He attempts to move from behind our hiding spot, and I immediately pull him back down.
“You can’t go out there! You’ll be killed!” I desperately cling to him with all of my might.
“Don’t worry about me. Everything will be okay.” I register the compassion that is held in his voice, and I know he is skilled enough to hold his own, but I still just can’t let him go out there.
“Stay here, Carson!” A tear escapes, as I frantically attempt to make him stay with me.
He wipes it away with his thumb. “I have to help our men out there, and your father. I’ll come back for you, I promise. I’ll always come back for you.”
And I don’t know if it’s because he just practically saved me from a thousand bullets heading my way, or the vulnerable position we are both in, but before I can process what I’m actually doing, I grab him, pulling him to me, and kiss him.
I kiss him like it’s the last time I’ll ever see him again, because at this point, this could be our first and last kiss we’ll ever share.
His free hand fists into my hair, and I willingly open my mouth as he deepens the kiss.
He pulls back with hunger in his eyes and leans in for one more.
It was a quick kiss, but it was enough to get my already-pounding heart beating a little faster, and I want more of it.
“Under no circumstance do you leave from this spot.” He runs one last hand down my cheek before he takes off.
Now alone, I am crippled by the terrifying realization of what’s going on around me. Bullets are still flying around in every direction, and I am basically trapped in this spot.
Suddenly, a man appears out of nowhere, finding me. A sick sneer dances across his face as he takes aim directly at my heart. My eyes close shut ready to accept fate’s cruel ending for me, when a bullet suddenly shoots the man down, rendering him dead.
My ass then kicks it into high gear. I know I said I wouldn’t leave from this spot, but if I stay here any longer, I’ll for sure be dead right along with this guy.
I’m not in the best of hiding places, not to mention I’m unarmed as well.
I say a quick prayer, before I take in my surroundings.
I note an exit that leads to the outside of the building, but who knows if there are more men out there? I quickly throw that plan out.
I look to my left and see a door a couple of feet away that leads to the basement. If I can get to the basement, maybe I’ll be okay. I just need to get there without being caught, or getting my head blown off.
I grab a discarded drink tray as a shield and crawl my way to another opening under the bar that will hide me. I almost lose my courage to go on, but I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths.
“You can do it, Alayna. You got this,” I whisper out loud to myself.
I slowly peek over the ledge and almost puke at the sight I’m met with. Tables are turned over, bodies are everywhere, and men are shooting from all sides of the club.
I pull away from the scene and regather my thoughts. Just a couple more inches, and I’ll be safe. The only problem is I won’t be covered by the long bar anymore, I’ll be in the direct line of fire.
Before I overthink myself to death, I gather up some much-needed courage and set off. I crawl to the door with only a tray to shield me.
A stray bullet flies past my head and hits the wall a couple of inches away from me, nearly causing me to pass out right then and there. Another bullet grazes my shield and I almost buckle under from fear.
By the grace of all things holy, I finally reach the door and attempt to turn the knob. My hand slips from how sweaty it is, and in a moment of pure adrenaline and panic, I try the knob
again, and with one last-ditch effort it opens. I dive in, locking the door behind me, and run down the staircase.
I am then trapped in a vise grip and shoved to the side of the wall. Before I can scream, a hand is placed across my mouth and another around my neck.
I am terrified, as I try my hardest to remember some of the defense moves Carson taught me.
I muffle out a scream. “Get off of me!”
The person instantly releases me from their harsh embrace, and the light switches on.
It’s my stupid brother Jase.
“What the fuck? Alayna?” Anger is evident in his tone, but so is relief.
“You idiot! I thought I was about to be killed!” I am panting at this point. My hands are on my knees, and I am breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth to try and catch my breath.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Al. I didn’t know it was you.” He runs a hand down his face with a heavy sigh.
“What are you doing down here anyway?”
“Dad wanted me to guard the safe down here. He had a feeling some shit would pop off tonight.”
That safe holds everything and anything valuable to the mafia and my family.
The gunshots can still be heard firing off upstairs, and I just know that it’s going to be devastating once it’s all over with, and I can only pray that my loved ones are out of harm’s way. Including Carson.
He flicks off the light and takes ahold of my upper arm, leading me into a cramped closet full of papers and some more boxes.
“Don’t leave from this spot even if you hear something going on. I have to keep watch. I’m going to lock it, and once everything is over, I’ll come and get you, okay?”
I reach out for his hand, “Be safe, Jase.”
“Always.” And with that Jase closes the door, and I am left in darkness.
It’s at that moment that I understand the severity of the mafia, and how brutal it can be. Innocent people are dead right now, all because of what? An ongoing feud that seems to have no end? Over what? Some shitty parts of land? Drugs?
It’s pathetic.
Closing my eyes and resting my head against the wall, I slide slowly on to the floor. I let a few tears escape, silently praying for all the lives up there. The damned. The guilty. The innocent. All the lives that this existence has affected.