SLICK

by Peavey Marshall

  "So?" His father leaned back. "Nothing will happen if you win," he stated. "I laid out the foundation for you, Franco. I used Gallo's daughter, I even found out about that kidnapping story. Is there a reason that you need to fear?"

  Franco swallowed hard. "I just think... that marrying Callista doesn't mean that all rules will break. She's not one to listen to—"

  "What!" The growl his father emitted sent terror through Franco. "She's a woman!”

  "Father..." he started softly. "Does this really need to happen?"

  Francisco Castellano chuckled and that was even more horrifying than his anger. "Are you getting soft on me, Franco? I told you why we are doing this." He stood up, palms flat on the desk. "For your sister, for Elena!”

  Franco bit the inside of his cheek until he drew blood. The iron taste kept his heart from hurting. It kept his tears from falling. He had already doubts over Elena's death. She couldn't seek out Castor Luciano unless somebody had told her. But he had never questioned what his father told him. He had no reason to.

  Unlike his mother, Francisco had cared for him and raised him to the best of his ability. It never crossed his mind that he would treat his son as a tool for his revenge. But now, bringing up Elena to curb his concerns was enough indication.

  He was indeed a pawn.

  "You are getting soft, aren't you?" Francisco narrowed his eyes. He straightened his spine as chilling words left his mouth. "Maybe Benjamin can beat some sense into you."

  Franco felt his heart drop.

  ***

  CHAPTER 28

  Callista arched an eyebrow as she read Franco's text. He had said that he couldn't meet her because he had an emergency. Caly gritted her teeth. She felt annoyed. She had planned on sharing her entire plan to Franco but he canceled? On her?

  No one cancels on her!5

  Caly decided to go to Castle after changing into a white turtleneck and black leather skater skirt. Her ankle boots clicked on the marble foyer. She decided to go without Thomas. She didn't know why. Maybe she trusted Franco now.

  The hotel was bustling with people as usual. She went to the reception desk but the girl said Franco didn't want visitors. Callista crossed her arms. "Really? Tell him everything will be over if I can't see him tonight."

  The girl nodded hastily and spoke on the phone's receiver. She turned to me. "You can go up, Miss."

  She went straight to the elevator and pressed the button to Franco's floor. Caly needed to talk to him so she could make everything clear to Castor. The thought made her heart clench. But she couldn't falter. She needed to win this game even if it meant she would break her best friend's heart.

  Caly bit her lip as the doors opened. Franco met her by the glass door. His white long-sleeved shirt was open, revealing his toned abs and pale chest. His blue eyes were like clear skies. "I told you I have an emergency."

  "In that look?" She lifted an eyebrow before walking past him. Caly threw her shoulder bag on the couch and slumped down, one leg over the other. She flicked her raven tresses over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

  Franco swiveled away from the door to face her. He ran a hand through his messy locks. "We're this close now? That we can talk about our problems?”

  Callista noted his brittle voice and scrutinized Franco's ashen face. She shot up, marching to him. "What's wrong with you?”

  He stepped back and Caly caught him wincing. Franco groaned in distress.

  "What happened?" She clutched his arm and made him sit at a wooden stool near his study table. Callista noticed the ointment and a glass of amber liquid. She yanked at his collar and peeked at his back, seeing several red streaks. There were lacerations and some were bleeding. She gasped in outrage. "Oh mio dio!”

  Franco straightened his shirt, jerking away from the girl's touch. "It's okay."

  Callista ran her teeth over her bottom lip. "Who did this? Your father?"

  He reached for his glass and drank the alcohol. "I'm okay."

  "You're crazy!" She yelled at this point. "Take off your shirt!”

  Franco gulped his drink some more. He shot her a peeved look before he sighed at the thunderous gleam on the woman's eyes. He cringed as he lowered his shirt just enough to display his wounded back.

  Caly began cleaning his injuries and putting the ointment. "You owe me big time for this."

  "I told you not to come," he grumbled.

  "What are you going to do if I didn't come?" she replied, placing bandages on the wounds.

  "It'll heal on its own."

  Callista finished and dragged another chair to sit in front of him. She waited until Franco's deep blues locked on hers. "Marry me.”1

  "W-what?" Franco spluttered. He wiped at the sweat that formed on his brow. "Are you crazy?"

  "I've been planning to repay you since I found out you were the boy who saved me back then," she stated. "And that desire got stronger after seeing this mess!”

  Franco fixed his shirt to cover his shoulders. "You're offering me marriage because you want to save me?"

  "Yes." Callista folded her arms, tilting her head at him. "And if it happened, you and the Lucianos can finally stop fighting. Win-win. I did something my father wanted me to do and I paid my debt."

  "No." Franco shut his eyes before it flashed in raging sapphire waves. "Marriage doesn't work like that. You don't even love me."

  "I like you. That's enough for now," Caly responded. Her features remained calm and calculating. "We can divorce after.”

  "I don't believe in divorce," he declared. "If you choose me, it's a lifetime commitment.”

  "What? Divorce is—"

  "See? We can't even agree on this." Franco cut her off.

  "But..." Caly inhaled deeply, breathing through her nose. "If we marry, I need you to be by my side against your father."

  Franco's mouth parted in shock. "Now, you want me to overthrow my father?"

  "Why not?" She shot back. "Look at what he did to you!"

  "He didn't do this!"

  "He killed Elena!" Her voice rose, harsher than what Franco was used to. "Or did you forget that?"

  Franco's jaw tightened. His gaze turned to steel. "He is my father," he muttered, enunciating each word with conviction.

  "That's stupid."

  "Really?" Franco shot her a challenging look. "Aren't you doing this for your father too? You can't cut off family with a snap, Callista.”

  Callista gulped the knot on her throat. She licked her lips. "So? Is that a no?"

  Franco rubbed at his nape. He let out a long sigh. "Let me think about it."

  "That's good enough," she said.

  ~~~~

  Castor Luciano scanned the gleeful faces of his batchmates. The sake he was drinking wasn't even enough to numb his heartache. He knew Callista. That girl had already chosen.

  And it wasn't him.

  "You're still here?" Victoria Salinas sauntered to his table with another plate filled with sushi. Her brown eyes settled on him. "It's gonna be okay."

  He scoffed. "Thanks, nerd."

  Tori rolled her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. "And I was betting on you."

  "What are you doing here?" Castor snatched a tissue off the table. He began shaping a flower just so his hands were occupied. He didn't want pathetic thoughts to flood his mind. "Didn't you and Caly went to Mallorie?"

  "Yeah. But Mal was watching this movie—365 days? Yeah.”

  "The mafia one?"

  Tori's eyes bulged out. "You know it?"

  "Yeah." Castor laughed, placing the flowers he managed to make on the blue-covered table. "Let me guess, Callista started cursing in Italian?"

  "Of course, she did." Tori shook her head, eating a tamagoyaki. "Twenty minutes in and Mal couldn't take it anymore so she kicked us out."

  "Maybe I should have kidnapped her also." He let out a rueful smile, eyeing the bunch of paper flowers he had arranged on the table. "Though I'm pretty sure she would castrate me.”

  Tori sighed heavily. "I
have seen you looking at her since middle school. And I believe, that kind of love will definitely get rewarded," she said with a small smile. "Maybe not in the way you expect. But it'll come."

  "Aw, nerd. You getting cozy on me?" He teased and pulled out the pen from his blazer. He wrote a number on one of the tissues and handed it to Victoria. "This guy has the best milkshakes.”

  "Really?" Tori exclaimed, accepting the piece of paper.

  Castor nodded and was about to say more when his phone rang. It was an unknown number but he answered as the call continued. "Who is this?"

  "Uhm, this is Lisa. We—I need to tell you that..."

  He remembered the drug pusher from the club. PJ had told him they were tailing the dealer today. "What happened?"

  "We followed the drug... the drug deal and—there was a...a shootout and—"

  "Where are you?" He jumped from his seat and ran to his car as Lisa tried to explain the situation in a broken voice. He stepped on the gas, ignoring the angry honks of other cars in his direction.

  Castor reached the hospital in record time. He saw the curly-haired brunette in front of the emergency room. "Hey!"

  Lisa stood up, wiping the blood off her hands on her jeans. "Uhm..."

  Before she could speak, PJ came out from the left hallway. His eyes widened as he saw Castor. The bags under his eyes were darker as he strolled to the young boss.

  "Tell me!" Castor demanded.

  PJ reached him, fingers digging into his shoulder as if to keep him from falling. Their eyes clashed. Turmoil meeting horror. "He's gone."

  "Who?" he growled, masking how his voice trembled in fear.

  "Vincent.”

  Castor whirled around and punched the wall. It didn't erase the gaping hole in his heart. He did it again. And again. Until blood smeared on the white walls.

  "Cas!" PJ yanked him off. His hands clapped his shoulders repeatedly, eyes filled with persuasion. "It's okay, kid. This happens. You know this!"

  And hearing that made Castor feel like shit.

  He had known Vincent since they were children. He was his friend. He was... he was family and Castor was supposed to be okay that he died?

  He couldn't accept it.

  His eyes burned before he slapped PJ's hands away. Castor Luciano clenched his wounded fists and went to hide in his car, not knowing that the day wasn't finished punishing him.

  ***

  CHAPTER 29

  Death was not foreign to Castor Luciano. From the day he was born, death embraced him in its arms. His twin brother had died in his mother's womb and his mother had never forgiven him for it. Five years later, his older brother had died after trying to save him in the fire and again his mother's hatred doubled.

  And now, Vince had died.

  His life kept getting extended while the people important to him kept dying.

  The chaos in his mind caused him to drive towards Callista's house. He had no courage to go inside though so he waited in his car. He kept his stare on the gates, hoping she'd appear and magically vanish his misery.

  His wishes were answered as she stepped out of a white Lexus. Castor's head jerked upwards, squinting at the scene where Callista and Franco talked like good friends.

  Castor's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as Caly pressed a kiss on the man's cheek. There was no sound but he was certain that something shattered. His phone rang and Callista's number flickered on the screen.

  He ignored it that a message popped up instead.

  'why'd u call? something wrong?'

  He didn't have the heart to dump his problems on the girl's lap, not when she looked so happy. So he drove away. Castor reached his house, looking forward to drinking a bottle of bourbon. His plans went awry as his men occupied the living room. Bottles of alcoholic drinks and ashtrays were scattered in the living room.

  "Boss, come here." PJ stood up, ushering him to their group but he shook his head.

  "You lot enjoy," he said and headed straight to the kitchen. Castor met the curly-haired woman—Lisa, he recalled. "What are you doing here?"

  "I was worried about PJ. He got hurt too," she replied. Her small eyes raked over his form before stopping on his face. "You okay?"

  Castor grabbed a glass and poured the bourbon from his stash. He eyed the slender girl, taking in her concerned looks that tug at his heartstrings. How he desired someone to gaze at him like that.

  So, he kissed her.

  And regretted it after one second. All he could think of was how Callista tasted, vanilla and roses and electricity. Fuck. He'd never move on at this rate.

  "Shit. I'm sorry," he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. He was ashamed and hurt. He needed to clear his head. Covering up his wounds with a quick fuck was the worst idea. "I didn't mean it."

  "Yeah." Lisa cleared her throat. "You probably need that rest. I'll take care of things here."

  "Thanks." Castor shook his head out of the stupor of sadness that enveloped him.

  He managed to drag himself to his room, diving headfirst to his bed. He was tired. His muscles ached and his fists burned.

  But more than that, his heart was broken.

  People called him the Boss, Luciano's heir, Blackjack, and other daunting nicknames. But those meant nothing at all. He wasn't fearless. He wasn't strong. He wasn't brave.

  At his very core, he was just a loser.

  He let warm tears fell from his eyes as his heart clenched in pain. His mother was right. His brothers deserved to live more than him.

  ~~~~

  Callista woke up early to go to Castor's house. She couldn't wait to tell him about her plan anymore. She didn't want to put it off in case she got scared again.

  She entered the mansion and frowned at the mess in the living room. There were beer cans and bottles. Was there a party she wasn't invited to? Caly scoffed and trudged to the kitchen where she heard the sounds of someone cooking.

  Callista saw a girl. Her hair was tied in a bun atop her head as a large shirt covered her body. It was her best friend's shirt. "Who are you?" she demanded.

  The girl whirled from the stove, gulping in fear as she eyed the newcomer. "Uhm, hello. I'm Lisa."

  "I'm Callista." She didn't have the reaction Caly hoped for. "Genovese."

  "Oh." She scrambled for words. "Miss Callista, good morning."

  She hummed and took a seat on the dining table. "You can continue."

  Lisa was about to go back to her frying when Castor strolled in a grey shirt and loose jogging pants. He put down the phone on his ear. "Lisa, I need you to come with me to Queens after an hour. Understand?"