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“Okay.” I reply. I still don’t believe this is what they want, but I’ll go along with it. For now.
“Great.” Says Luca. “Now, onto business. You said Joseph is our rat. Tell us what you know.”
CHAPTER NINE
Livianna
FOR HOURS THEthree of them questioned me. I told them everything I could. I didn’t hold anything back. They seemed to appreciate my candor and honesty. It felt good to unload to someone who understood my burden. They too have things they can’t share with anyone else. Private Mafia business needs to stay just that. Mafia business. Being at the top of the totem pole, there are only so many people that they can confide in.
Massimo and Luca are lucky they were friends long before they become Boss and Second. The two of them have a solid foundation that they can lean on when they need to. It’s visible to anyone who pays attention. They talk, in partial sentences. Complete each other’s thoughts. The cohesiveness is astonishing. Even to me, and that’s saying something. I’ve observed people and interactions for as long as I can remember, and no one else’s connection comes close.
You can also sense that things are changing with them. Not bad changes necessarily. You could call them growing pains. Luca now has Elena. He hasn’t forgotten Massimo, and Massimo has accepted Elena as part of the pact. It’s fun watching their playful banter. It’s clear that she won his trust. She won everyone’s.
She’s also a badass. Slightly scary. Quick to whip out her knife. Which makes me flinch for mine. I’ve been keeping it in the pocket of the pants she lent me. They are a bit tight, but I’ve stolen one of Massimo’s sweatshirts so I don’t feel as self-conscious. I have a big ass. I know it. I’m not ashamed of it. But these leggings are unforgiving. The fabric is stretched to the point you can see the color of my underwear beneath them. They’re pink. The sweatshirt is big on me and easily falls to mid-thigh so it hides my bum. Still, I’ve found Massimo looking. It brings a smile to my lips when I catch him. He has no shame, and I’m finding I like that about him. A lot.
After the meeting, I was exhausted. But Massimo and I still needed to talk. His parting words from the other day are still lingering in the back of my mind. I decided to broach the subject over dinner. He had pizza brought up to us. The two half eaten pies sit in front of us. I am done eating, while Massimo continued to graze. Now is the time.
“What did you mean the other day when you said I was being hunted?”
He sighs, and tosses his crust to the table. “I shouldn’t have said it like that. We aren’t even sure how much anyone else knows.”
“Knows what?” I ask.
He pulls me onto his lap. I’m straddled his hips. My knees barely reach the cushion, his thighs are so thick. “About you. We know we aren’t the only group that knew you were meeting with various members of the families in town. You pissed a lot of people off.”
Shit. I knew that would happen. I wanted to slow down the jobs. Spread them out more. They wouldn’t have been able to find connections as easily if I had. I did my best with the parameters I was given. Wore tons of make-up and dramatic eye shadow and liner. A slutty wardrobe that differed completely from my usual, casual, covered attire. I know in the grand scheme of things they aren’t significant changes and if anyone knew me they could tell it was me without difficulty. At the time it still made me feel better. Now, not so much.
“What’s going to happen?” I try to keep the panic out of my voice.
“We need you to stay here.” He says. His words sting. They are a reminder of my first few days here. I don’t really have the desire to run. I like Luca and Elena. And I really like Massimo and want to see where our attraction will take us. It might not be forever. That idea hurts more than I thought it would. Could he and I have a forever?
“So, I’m still a prisoner. A captive in a new cell.” I lean my forehead against his.
He sighs. “I don’t want you getting hurt. You’re free to roam the compound. You don’t have to stay in this room, or this house. Just please don’t leave the grounds. Luca, Val, and I are gathering intel. Trying to see if anyone has identified you. We have some allies out there. When we explain the circumstances, and expose the rats you found in their organization it should smooth things over.”
That plan sounds promising. “What about school? I have class. I’ve already missed too many lectures.”
He doesn’t answer. His mouth closes tightly. He’s hiding something. Something he knows will piss me off. “Tell me.” I demand.
Massimo’s hands grip my hips tightly. It’s like he’s trying to keep me from leaping off his lap. The gesture doesn’t help me remain calm. If anything, I’m more alert to his tells. “I called the school. They’ve given you a leave of absence.”
I try to jump, just as he predicted. I don’t want him touching me right now. I don’t want his affection. How dare he! I may not be a book nerd, or a scholar, but I liked school. I liked learning even if I hated studying. “How could you? Why would you do that? I’m supposed to graduate in a month.” No, no, no. I’ve worked too hard. I promised my mother I would go to college. I need to graduate. I promised.
His hands move to my back. I can see he wants to pull me closer to him. I read his intention and use his loosened grip to escape his grasp. My feet carry me over to one of the windows. I stare out it without really seeing.
I can feel his presence behind me before I hear him. He’s creepy quiet when he wants to be. “I won’t apologize.”
“Of course not.” I scoff. I’m sure he can count the number of times he’s apologized in his life on his hand.
He wraps his arms around me and spins me to face him. “I need to keep you safe. Do you get that? Do you feel this?” He takes my hand and moves it to his chest. His heart is beating quickly. “I’ve never felt this way before. I get we don’t know each other well. If you were anyone else, I would have fucked you and left you already.” My eyes widen at his blunt honesty. “I don’t want to do that with you. I don’t want you to be a one and done. I want to see what the future can hold.”
“You want a future with me? You want to do the whole dating, marriage, and babies?” I realize too late what I said. Who the hell mentions marriage and babies after a day of dating? Are we dating? Do we have a title? Does he want a title?
“Stop thinking.” He boops me on the nose. It’s effective. It draws me out of my head.
“Did you just boop me?” I ask with a laugh.
He smiles. “I did. Needed you back with me. You can escape into your mind later.” He gives me a kiss on the forehead then continues. “You already know I haven’t trusted many people in my life. Even fewer are women. I trust Greta, Luca’s mom, and now I trust Elena. That was it.” I should feel offended he didn’t mention me, but I know he’s not done sharing. “And now I trust you. Like you said. I didn’t want to. My gut was telling me to trust you, and I normally trust my gut. With everything that has happened, all the rats Elena uncovered, I wasn’t sure anymore if I could trust it. So I kidnapped you and tried to get you to talk. When you refused, it made me fear the worst.”
