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I had plans that consisted of a nice bottle of red wine, a bubble bath, and a certain book that was steamier than my bathroom. I hate that Luca’s face pops up immediately as I think about being naked in the privacy of my home. Placing all my frustrations from Luca onto Jonny, I try to hit him where it hurts.
“You’re just like our dad.” Jonny hates it when I refer to Pierre Mancini as my dad. The actual comment, he’s proud of. He wants to be our father in every way and admires him. My pure existence is a thorn in his side. And I wonder if it’s because he’s been tagged as my babysitter countless times throughout the years, or something else.
“You two do fight like siblings,” his betrothed Milana says.
Jonny is not a nice man. He gives Milana the death glare, which even makes me stay quiet. The thing is, there are five years between Jonny and me, and more gaps between Jonny’s two younger brothers and me. Altogether, there are three Mancini boys; the other two are twelve and seventeen. They’re just now starting to be brought up into this world. I’ve seen them but haven’t had any interaction with them. It’s not like how Jonny and I have always been pushed together.
“Tell me, why did you turn down the business program?” My chest squeezes at his question. Jonny has made a lot of silent accusations. Maybe Luca was right and more people are aware of my illicit business. I wanted to go into accounting, but business was booming, the money too lucrative. If I left, I would be starting over from scratch. And to be honest, I’ve come around to living here.
It also doesn’t help that I’ve had to place my mother into a home, with her multiple sclerosis becoming more aggressive. I’ve already had to accept my father’s money to help me with that. Accepting his money to send me to school seemed wrong, when I knew it was against my mother’s wishes.
I had to do something to make ends meet, and this is how I came up with my business.
“Hey, Jonny.” I turn to see Coy jumping into the back of the car. He kisses me on both cheeks. “I take it you’re my date, Aly.”
I fight my eye roll. Disrespect is a big crime, and I don’t have the energy to apologize for it tonight. Reverting to my silent, meek persona, I absently stare out the window. It’s not that Coy is a bad guy; he’s cute and has always been kind to me. But I can’t misconstrue those as real qualities of being honorable or friendly. The quiet ones are always the worst.
Coy places his arm across the back seat, trying to be casual. Turning from the window, I lift my brow, causing him to laugh. “Relax, Aly, I don’t bite.” Bending closer to my ear so no one else can hear, he murmurs, “I’m stuck here just like you. We might as well enjoy ourselves.”
That brings an unwanted smile to my lips, and he pokes me knowingly. I watch our territory limits disappear as we head into an area close to the Rossi family’s land.
“Why are we here?” I ask.
“Coy and I need to take care of some business before we head out. Like I told you earlier, I didn’t have time to be late.”
My body freezes up, and I already know something is wrong. “Coy?” I’m unsure of what I’m asking. Jonny and Coy have been best friends growing up. Both are made men because of who their fathers are.
“You worried about me?” He winks. “I knew I liked you.” He squeezes my shoulder. Lately, Coy has been around Jonny whenever I am. I have no doubt he’s the type of man my mafia family would love to court me. Hell, maybe they’ve already had talks and this is the start of it.
Jonny interrupts him, “Stay here, girls.”
Falling against the back seat, we resemble sitting ducks, and I’m not about to be some damsel in distress. I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life. The area is vacant, making my skin crawl. There should be people on the streets and children on the playground across the road.
We watch the men strut away full of confidence. They don’t check over their shoulders, their postures relaxed. “We need to leave,” I say under my breath, but it’s clearly heard. I don’t recognize the building as one of the family’s. Jonny’s typical bodyguards and men stand on the street. They’re stiff, their eyes darting all around as they stand guard. The eerie tingle that shoots up my spine tells me something is wrong.
“Aly, I love you, but you need to learn to listen. Not listening will get you killed.” Milana replies. I want to scream that maybe her dear old Jonny shouldn’t bring her to a business deal before a date. It’s bad manners and stupid.
“Listening is going to getyoukilled. I thought you wanted marriage and the whole happily ever after story. You’re not going to get it if you’re dead.”
She scoffs, clearly not wanting to disobey Jonny.
I don’t bother going into a tirade about why marriages are never a happily ever after anyway. But I have her on this point.
“I trust Jonny.” Milana nods her head certain of him, refusing to question anything.
The men go into a storefront, and I step out of the car. Slipping off my four-inch heels, I walk barefoot across the street. The area is vacant, not a soul in sight. Dread coils inside of me, fearing this is a setup. If Luca let me answer my phone, I would be safe in my little apartment, on my way to being happily tipsy.
Gunshots are heard, my eyes opening wide. Last time I heard a gunshot was five years ago when I met Luca. I watch Jonny running out of the building toward the car. Milana is hysterically screaming, and moving around franticly. My eyes dart from the door to the car, waiting for Coy. Maybe I should have stayed in the vehicle after all. I’m about to rush back, when I’m tugged backward.
“What the hell are you doing here?” My body already recognizes it’s Luca. He smells like gun powder, metal, and a hint of cinnamon.
“Let me go!” I try to knee him, but he’s too smart for that, moving away from my favorite move.
Coy comes out of the building in no rush, flipping his gun around his fingers like this is everyday stuff. He’s whistling as he struts toward the car. His feet stop, and I can hear him call my name. Our eyes meet, and he lifts his gun, pointing it at me—or Luca, but I’m the one in front.
Jonny turns the engine on, and I watch it all happen in slow motion. A bottle filled with what I’m assuming is gas and a cloth on fire is tossed into the car. Gunshots follow as Coy runs toward me. All hell breaks loose, the explosion and heat throwing me and Luca to the ground.
The back of my head hits the cement border of the kids’ playground as I hear guns and yelling. A rough pain shoots up my arm just before strong arms lift me. I expect Luca to be cradling me, and I want to hug him.
