by Soraya Naomi
“Are you even listening?” she chides.
“No.” I place my hands around her waist and kiss her behind the ear.
She sighs, appeased, as we watch the Chicago River in the distance. Eagerly, I take out an envelope from my back pocket and hold it in front of her face.
Her hand flies up to snatch it. “What’s this?”
“A surprise,” I explain.
She slides out the tickets and exclaims, “Oh, this is the best. Tickets to the MGM Grand David Copperfield Theatre in Las Vegas!” She peppers kisses on my cheek. “I can’t wait to go this weekend.”
“I’ll have you all to myself for two days,” I say with a pleased voice.
My phone chimes in and I fish it out of my pocket while keeping one arm around Rosa. Henry’s name flashes across the screen. I’ve been involving him in a lot of Syndicate business because he’s trustworthy. However, hackers are usually associates who get paid for their discretion but aren’t true members. Therefore, I’ve endeavored to show Adriano and Luca how valuable he is.
I slide my thumb across the phone to answer, “Hey.”
“Logan, I have some good news, my friend. I’m your newest member,” Henry states smugly.
“How?”
“I just came from the hospital. James and Adriano fought about how long they need to keep Cam intubated while her chances of recovery lessen now that she’s been in a coma for four months. Her doctor told Adriano that James, as the next of kin, decides. So Adriano was furious and asked me to marry them. He signed the certificates, post-dating them to before Halloween, and we forged her signature. I’m going into City Hall’s system now to change their records. Adriano’s promised me membership if I do this before James finds out.”
“What? Adriano and Cam are married now?” I question, and Rosa swivels around, brows furrowing. I put Henry on speaker and place my finger on my lips, so she nods.
“Yes,” Henry answers. “Adriano and Cam supposedly married before she slipped into a coma, so Adriano is now her husband and decides about her treatment, not James.”
Rosa’s mouth drops open in shock.
“And James doesn’t know?”
“Not yet,” he replies.
“When did all of this happen?” I ask.
“Just now. I’m driving away from the hospital with the certificates.”
“To do what?”
“I’m going to change their marital status, and then I’m quitting my job at City Hall. This is the chance I’ve been waiting for. I’ll be the first hacker who’s pledged in as an official member.”
“That’s good news. Congratulations, man. I’ll discuss it with Adriano to make sure you can initiate soon.”
“Perfect. I’m going to finish this up.” He cuts the call.
“Oh, shit. I wonder how my father will react,” Rosa mutters.
“Me too.”
“I’m going home,” she comments, completely astonished.
“I’ll drop you off.”
Rosa entangles our hands and leads the way out.
I’m curious to see how this unfolds; how angry James will be. Although, what are his options? He’s a Consigliere. Adriano is his boss. But how Adriano handles this will come in handy for me when the time comes to inform James about Rosa and me. I’m also his superior, and he can’t defy me.
This is how the mind alters once one becomes a mafia man. The power seeps into the psyche and there’s a sense of indestructability. It’s impossible not to get seduced by it.
Ultimately, we all lie, cheat, and steal to hold on to moments of happiness. Even people whom we least expect.
CHAPTER 26
Rosalia
I hurry out of Logan’s car at the end of the street so that no one sees him and walk toward the main entrance of my parents’ house. Unlocking the front door, I close it quietly and tread through the foyer toward the kitchen where my parents are arguing.
“I told you this would happen. This is your fault!” my mother yells at my father.
“What do you want me to do, Alessa? Don’t blame me for all of this,” he counters.
“Mom, Dad?”
They whirl around, and my father rubs his hand over his chin furiously.
“I heard Adriano married Cam. Are you fighting about that?”
“Yes,” my father answers and adds, “But I can’t do anything about it. We all just need to accept it. He’s the boss. I’m not anymore.” His eyes cut to my mother.
I have no problem with it. Besides, the tension in here is unbearable, so I leave them to their quarrel to pack my bag for my weekend getaway with Logan.
***
“That show was amazing,” I say to Logan as we clear out of the theatre.
“It was actually fun, cricket.”
I smile. His actions and words in the last three months have solidified his place in my heart. He’s the first man I’ve ever loved. The playboy he was before has not once resurfaced, and while I was scared that I’d be just a fling to him, the last few weeks have proven that we belong together. We’ve been in a committed relationship for a while, and I want it to last forever. My heart was attracted to him even back when he just saw me as a girl. Yet he’s the only man who’s ever made me feel like a woman. He’s just himself when he’s with me and I’m just myself with him. For all of these reasons and also because he hasn’t pressed about my virginity, I want to give him that part of me that already belongs to him.
It’s time I let everyone know I’m in contact with Mykhail, so Logan and I can be together out in the open without any secrets. Mykhail’s gone back to classes and hasn’t seen anyone following him, and we’ve found a babysitter for Adam for when one of us can’t be with him. Yet I’m still reluctant to forge a new lie; that I happened to talk to Mykhail again when he returned to college.
Logan checks his phone, frowning. “Did you get a call?”
“From whom?”
“From your parents.” He shows me the message on his device.
Adriano: Cam woke up.
“What?” I yank open my purse to get my phone and see that I’ve been contacted as well. I told my parents I’d be in Las Vegas with friends.
“Let’s go home,” Logan offers around a smile, tossing his arm over my shoulder.
“I can’t believe it,” I mutter before he tows me with him.
***
Within five hours, we’re back in the Loop where I arrive at the hospital alone. Logan will come by later, or else it’ll look too suspicious.
My father and Adriano are talking to Cam, who’s sitting up in the bed with her hands on her four-month baby bump, her auburn bob neatly combed back.
“Cam?” I run over to her to hug her, but she feels so fragile.
“Hey, Sis,” she croaks out in a soft voice.
“I’m so happy you’re awake. How long have you been up?”
“I started waking gradually two days ago.” She coughs and Adriano gives her a cup of water to gulp down.
“How are you feeling?”
“Strange.” She waves to her stomach. “Obviously.”
“I know. You’re going to be a mommy.”
“And you an auntie.”
“What’s the procedure now?” I probe, glancing from her to Adriano. The dark circles of worry around his eyes have finally disappeared.
“I feel very weak, so we’ll focus on getting my strength back. I’ll start physical therapy in a few days.”
“That’s great. You did take a long time to wake up, woman,” I joke.
She chuckles. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
After four months, a time of healing starts for my family. Unfortunately, this period also causes some distance between Logan and me, forcing me to delay informing Logan about Mykhail, yet again.
Though, in life, it all comes down to timing. And I’m about to find out that timing is more important than I realize.
CHAPTER 27
Rosalia
Cam recovers steadfastly
within four weeks. Throughout this period, my attention is divided among my classes, keeping Cam company at the hospital, taking care of Adam, and sneaking around with Logan.
Mykhail and I are becoming tired and careless regarding this hiding, so I choose to finally confide in Logan since we’re in a good, committed place. I decide to stick to my plan and tell him that I talked to Mykhail after he returned to campus. Only, it’s too late.
The day Cam’s released from the hospital, I’m running behind after babysitting Adam. When I arrive at her room, there’s a commotion in the hall, but neither Adriano, Cam, nor my father is in sight.
The hall is swamped with extra Syndicate men, and I then I hear a guard mutter, “...Dimitri Medlov.”
Dimitri? And why have they doubled security?
Anxiousness flares up. I run back to my car where I see Logan screeching out of the garage. Without thinking it through, I jump into my vehicle and try to shadow him. However, I’m having a difficult time trailing him through the darkened streets since he seems to be in a hurry as he drives to a plain apartment building in the Loop.
I park a block away and walk toward the building’s back entrance. Peeking around the corner, I rear backward when I spot two SUVs with tinted windows and a silver-haired man in a tailored suit, who I swear resembles the president, stepping into one of the vehicles.
Dumbfounded, I squeeze my eyes shut, believing I’m imagining things. Maybe it was just someone who looks like the president? No, there were two guards who looked like secret service around him too.
In a daze, I sink to the ground. What’s Logan involved in? Was he meeting with the president?
Panicked, I call Mykhail and snarl, “Did your father have any business with the freaking president you didn’t tell me about?”
“What?” he retorts. “What are you talking about? Where are you?”
“Answer me!”
“No, not that I know of. I do know some senators were regulars at the sex club, but no one as high up as the president.”
“Well, something’s going on. Stay inside with Adam until I get there.”
When I hear noises in the distance, I creep back to my car, doing my best to stay hidden. Trapped in my endless thoughts, I plop into the seat and rub my palm over my forehead.
“Were you following me?” a low voice asks from behind me.
I shriek in alarm, jerking my gaze back over my shoulder into Logan’s furious sapphire eyes as my heart pounds in my chest.
CHAPTER 28
Logan
“Were you following me?” I demand, arcing a brow and sliding forward on the back seat in Rosa’s car.
Her head whips around to me, guilt written all over her face as I glare at her. I’m still processing all the information I received during my CIA meeting where the fucking president showed up, and I don’t know if Rosa saw him or not.
“Yes. I saw you driving out of the hospital and there were so many guards there. What’s going on?”
I ignore her question. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere. I just walked around to look for you,” she replies, glancing away for a split-second.
My trained instinct warns me; she isn’t being honest and isn’t thinking through her answers.
Sadly, right now, I don’t have the time to deal with Rosa. Goddammit, I need her to be safe. I’ve been confiding in her too much about business.
“Nothing’s going on,” I lie. “Cam’s at home. You need to go home too.”
She wants to ask more, but I’m already moving out of the car, bending low to her window as she pushes the button to roll it down.
“I expect you to go to your pool house now, Rosa,” I order, and she nods with a puckered brow.
I’m too preoccupied and stride away, watching her drive past me as I sprint to my convertible.
***
All the high ranking men, except Adriano, are assembled around his desk in his office at Club 7 when I drop the bomb to my underboss, Luca, and two Consiglieri, James and Carmine.
“What exactly happened? You were called into the CIA office and then what?” Luca asks from behind the desk as I sit opposite him with James and Carmine to my left.
“I was called into the office. Tara Kaden, the senator whose campaign we’ve sponsored, was there to inform me that my superior at the CIA had been terminated along with several other higher ups in the senate who were all clients of Dimitri’s sex club. Apparently, Dimitri used Russian slaves – the girls we found on his estate and handed over to the bureau – and some have contacted the Russian embassy. The Russians contacted the White House and are not pleased, but the president has been denying all rumors of a human trafficking business in Illinois. Now, as we set it up, the FBI built their case after Henry and I methodically went through all the Ukrainian documents, which the U.S. government isn’t aware of. And the FBI assured that Dimitri was prosecuted, although a lot of CIA members tried to get him free. The higher ups in the FBI and the CIA are working against one another while this has become a huge issue for the current administration. So huge that they need the mafia to help them. The president explained he’s had the secret service investigating us. He knows I’ve defected and has pictures of all of us, including spouses. He’s ordered us to break out Dimitri and kill him after ensuring that every trace of the Ukrainian empire is erased, which means hacking into FBI systems. We’ve been given a six-month deadline and full immunity if any of us is ever linked to the Chicago Syndicate.”
Luca looks away, neither pleased nor displeased.
James tells us, “Then we have a new concern. We still have a liability walking around. There’s one more outsider who knows about our setting up Dimitri, and that’s Mykhail.”
That also crossed my mind.
“I guess we’ll have to capture Mykhail anyway,” Luca ponders out loud. “This is a prosperous relationship for us. One we can’t afford to screw up. It shouldn’t be difficult for my soldiers to find a college boy. And there’s also a little kid with him. Logan, I want you to locate Mykhail. I don’t think our soldiers have been actively searching for him, but maybe someone has seen him. Contact me when you know more,” he finishes.
Standing up, I nod to continue with business. Much to my chagrin, I can’t meet Rosa.
I call Henry and we follow leads all night, well into the next day, when I discover Rosa has been lying to me for a long time. I find out that while I’ve worshiped her with my faithfulness and patience, she may have been using me for months.
CHAPTER 29
Rosalia
In secret, I call Cam when I get back to my pool house. I was afraid to go to Mykhail when Logan ordered me to go home. He’s never ordered me before, so I knew he must’ve been onto my lie about whether or not I saw him with the president.
“Hey, Rosalia.”
“Hey, Cam. Are you okay? I was at the hospital earlier. You were already gone, and there were a lot of guards walking around.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. There’s a Syndicate issue.”
“With Dimitri Medlov?”
She’s silent.
“I overheard the name.”
“Oh. Yes, with him. But it’s being handled. Don’t worry. I’m fine and happy to be home.”
“Okay, call me tomorrow. Night.”
So the president is involved with the Syndicate and Dimitri? I’m astounded by how high up corruption goes.
Perplexed, I climb into bed, yet I don’t get any sleep the entire night.
***
The next morning, I meet Adam and Mykhail at a coffee shop near their apartment building, and since the terrace isn’t crowded, we hide inside.
“We need to talk to the Syndicate,” I tell Mykhail, who has Adam in his lap. He’s eating a blueberry muffin that’s smeared all over his mouth.
“And then what?”
“I don’t know, but something’s up with your father, so they’re bound to start looking for you. It’s always better to come clean than to be caught.
”
“But what could be up? Dimitri’s been sentenced,” Mykhail points out.
“Why would the president of the United States talk to a Syndicate member?” I counter.
“Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he was talking to his CIA agent, and maybe Logan hasn’t defected at all.”
I let out a loaded breath. “No, I don’t believe that. I know Logan. And it’s too coincidental that I heard Dimitri’s name at the hospital for the first time in months on the same night.”
“That’s true—” He looks out the window and then his gaze shoots back to me. “Duck! It’s Logan.”
Glancing outside across the street, I dip down just before Logan steps out of his luxurious white convertible. Hurriedly, I throw a twenty dollar bill on the table.
In a rush, Mykhail whispers to Adam, “Let’s play a game and see who can crawl out the fastest.”
Adam goes down on all fours and sneaks out to the other entrance that leads into the mall. As the barista laughs at us, we shadow him, dashing around the corner of the shop and speeding through the busy mall without being seen. I grimace while panic claws at me.
Outside, I say to Mykhail, who’s clutching Adam in his arms, “You can’t go home.”
“I have to try to get my fake IDs. Maybe they haven’t discovered my apartment yet?”
“Okay, give me Adam.”
“No, you contact Logan and talk to him. You can’t have Adam with you when you confide in him in case he turns against us, Rosalia.”
“I don’t like this,” I mumble. “Be careful, okay? And if you see anything strange, don’t go into your apartment, please.”
“I won’t take that risk with Adam. I’m going home and coming to your pool house.”
“Okay,” I mutter as he takes off.
When I call Logan, he doesn’t answer, so I keep trying – since I have to walk around the mall to return to my car – to no avail.
It takes over forty minutes before I pull into the driveway that leads to the pool house. While biting my nails anxiously, I march to the entrance, unlock the door to slide it open, and go inside, shrieking when I realize that I’m not alone.
