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“Not here,” he says matter-of-factly, in business mode. “Wait until we get to Nitro.”
Jake is intense at the best of times, but tonight he is fucking scaring me. His brows are pinched in concentration, and I notice him looking behind us a few times like we may be being followed.
“Okay, well what did you say to the girls on the way out?” I ask, trying to broker a peace deal.
“I told them we are heading to Nitro. I figured that they may follow us and give Alf back at the bar a break.”
I nod in approval. At least one of us is thinking straight tonight. We sit in silence for the remainder of the short journey as the car weaves around the streets.
Looking at Jake, I notice he is clenching his jaw and cracking his knuckles which tells me that he is thinking of something, and I know that something has to do with the man we saw appear from the darkness. The man who Frankie went to. Sebastian Romano.
17
Frankie
“Look, I don’t particularly want to know or even talk about who you are sleeping with, but of all the fucking people in Boston, you chose a Marshall?” Sebastian’s voice started calm but rose in volume toward the end of his statement, making me jump a little in my seat, because he is really scary when he gets angry. I mean, I was expecting his wrath, so it comes as no surprise, but I feel like a little girl getting reprimanded by her father.
We are currently upstairs in the small kitchen, me sitting at the timber table and Sebastian is walking up and down the small space creating a dent in the floorboards. Sofia and Alf are manning the bar downstairs, both needed due to the large crowds that have descended tonight all because of Marco and Jake turning up again.
Our little neighborhood bar is currently ranking on Twitter, which for any other business owner they would be a reason to be ecstatic. But for us, it is bad, and I am pretty sure that I will be put on lockdown for at least another week until it all blows over. The third time in a matter of weeks and even though the past week with Marco has been bliss, I have a feeling this week won’t be.
I am trying to escape the long reaching arms of my papa. Trying to build a new life, albeit quietly under the radar as much as possible, but here I am about to be grounded by Sebastian. Oh, the irony of it all.
“I didn’t want this to happen, it just did!” I sound like a whiny teenager, and it’s not a good answer, I know, but I have to say something. I don’t know how to articulate to Sebastian my feelings for Marco because words just don’t do it justice. That, and I am pretty sure that Sebastian hasn’t had this type of relationship before so he can’t understand how strong my feelings are. He hasn’t met his person, hasn’t had this feeling, where you literally feel like you cannot live a day without them. For me, Marco is my person, there is no doubt in my mind.
Sebastian shakes his head at me. He stops pacing and puts his hands on his hips, looking at me in disappointment and that makes me feel remorseful.
When we first saw each other, I jumped into his arms and we greeted each other like a family reuniting, which we are. But as soon as we got upstairs, the greetings ceased, and he immediately started quizzing me about Marco. I didn’t stop to think that of course Sebastian would have eyes on me at all times. One of his men obviously saw Marco come to my place, and Sebastian certainly saw him at the bar tonight and is acutely aware of the large crowd gathering downstairs.
“Fuck, Sorella,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “What the absolute fuck did you think was going to happen? I have put my life on the line to protect you. Alf and Sofia have put their lives on the line to protect you. You have only been hiding for nine months now, and you are already sleeping with the most popular man in the city. He is drawing attention to the bar, you know that right? You are going to get us all killed!” My heart deflates. How could I have been so selfish and stupid? Of course, I didn’t think it all through.
“I’m sorry, Fratello, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking. He is just so amazing, and I have never met anyone like him. He is kind, funny, strong and smart. He is everything I want in a man. I just got carried away. I am so sorry,” I mumble and murmur in between tears.
Tears of sorrow that I know I need to give Marco up, tears of sorrow at the pain and fear I have caused my brother, Alf, and Sofia. I have acted like a loved-up teenager, and now I am getting treated like one.
“You need to end it. You need to end it right away. You can’t see him again. Ever!” Sebastian is harsh but it is warranted, and his eyes pierce mine with a look that would have many quivering in fear. I look at him glumly, the tears in my eyes overflowing onto my cheeks and I nod. I have no words. I lived under papa’s roof and could never have my own life, and here I am on my own for the first time ever, and still, I cannot make my own decisions.
I am frustrated and heartbroken, but I understand the ramifications and I agree. I need to stop seeing Marco. The realization that I can’t continue our relationship, even as friends, hurts me more than anything.
“I’m sorry, Sorella, but that is just the way it has to be right now,” Sebastian says remorsefully, coming up to me and giving me a big brotherly hug. Rubbing my back, he knows I am hurting and I am grateful that he at least acknowledges it.
He pulls away and looks at me. “Now, we need to talk,” he states, as he takes a seat across from me at the kitchen table, like we are getting down to business. I sip my cup of tea, he sips his whiskey and I wipe my tears from my cheeks and wait patiently to hear the news he brings.
“I have heard from some acquaintances that Enzo has another love interest. He still hasn’t forgotten about you, but there is a new woman in his life. Papa is not pleased, but I think Enzo will forget about you soon and marry his new girlfriend. But, Papa will continue to look for you. Fuck, Papa is ropeable and is driving us all crazy trying to find you. He has a team over in LA scouring the streets, and a team in New York that continue to monitor all your usual haunts. He hasn’t spoken about coming back to Boston in a long time...” Sebastian pauses, and I give him a look of hope.
“But,” he continues wearily, and I sag back down in my seat. “But he will. He has people everywhere. Everyone is looking for you.” I know that this tires him out. Not only is he doing his work and managing businesses for papa, but at the same time, he is keeping me hidden, financed, and he is in regular contact with Alf to ensure my safety.
Sebastian is a tall, intimidating man. He trains daily, is extremely fit, and the women love him and his brooding good looks. But he has a reputation of being dangerous, and men cross the street so they don’t have to walk past him. If only they knew how much of a kind, gentle soul he really is.
Sure, he has done some things for papa that he doesn’t talk about, but I know they are few and far between because he wants no part in organized crime. So like me, he is biding his time until papa retires to Sicily, so he can clean up the family business and remove us from any threats.
Our family has many above board, legal businesses, and this is the side of our organization that Sebastian manages now and wants to expand when he takes over. It is all just a matter of time. A waiting game. We need to be patient and wait for the right time.
I sigh. I am usually patient, but I hate all this waiting. I am only 25, but I could be waiting years before I can live a normal life. The sooner Sebastian leads the family, the better it will be for me too. I can’t wait for that day, and I pray it happens soon.
I grab my phone. Sebastian looks at me with a knowing look and nods, willing me to do it but I can’t. Not over text messages. “I will call him when I get home,” I say dropping my head into my hands, not wanting this to be my reality.
Sebastian scowls at me but nods. “I trust you to do the right thing with this, Sorella,” he replies and takes another sip of his whiskey.
