Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous)

by Montes, E. L.

  “I’m Vinnie, a friend of Marky’s.”

  Vinnie? The name sounded familiar and then it dawned on me from my recent conversations with Marcus. “Oh yes! He’s mentioned you lots of times. He refers to you as his ‘right hand man.’” I laughed.

  Vinnie nodded with a wide smile. “Yeah, that’s what he tells me. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He reached out his hand, and I took it.

  “Nice to finally meet you too. I don’t meet many of Marcus’s friends, but he talks fondly of you.”

  “Ha, that’s good to know. So next time he’s grilling me about a job, I’ll make sure to mention that.”

  “Don’t tell him you heard it from me!” I stabbed a finger at his arm.

  “I won’t, although, it’ll probably save my ass.” We both laughed.

  Vinnie and I continued to talk as we waited until the lights went off in the room, getting our attention. “Okay, everyone, Marcus will be here in five minutes. Please gather around.” Theresa’s voice pierced through the room. My heart crushed heavily against my chest as I straightened my posture but remained against the wall. I could hear footsteps scattering around the hardwood surface as people attempted to reach the entrance. After a few minutes, the whispers had died down when tires screeched along the driveway.

  My lips curled into a smile after I heard the car door shut following the sound of Marcus and Jimmie’s voices. The sound of their boots crunching against the gravel surface came closer as their laughter erupted. After the jingling sound of the keys, the door opened, and then the lights flicked on.

  “Surprise!” Everyone yelled.

  Stretching my neck, I tried to look over the crowd that had formed around Marcus. I had yet to see him and had totally missed his reaction. I knew he was in the center of the crowd because I could hear family and friends yelling and wishing him a happy birthday. There was no way I was going to be able to push through that crowd, so I stayed in place until I felt I could get to him. “Happy birthday, Baby!” Theresa squealed. My eyes moved toward the right, where I saw that Theresa had thrown her arms tightly around Marcus. My entire body relaxed at the sight of him. He seemed thrilled by everyone’s presence. When he finally looked up, his eyes locked with mine. After thanking his mother, he made his way toward me.

  With a bright smile, I moved forward toward him until we met in the middle. “Happy birthday,” I mouthed. Without a single word, he pulled me into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I looked up. “Have you been drinking?” I asked, the answer written all over his eyes and the smell of beer lingering on him.

  With a lazy smile, he pulled me in tighter, “Yeah, Jimmie and I were playing a drinking game.” He shrugged. Laughing, I shook my head and reached up for a kiss. “Marky!” Uncle Marty shouted from behind. Marcus pulled away from the kiss and rolled his eyes before he turned around. Uncle Marty held two shot glasses in his hand and gave one to Marcus. The both of them clinked glasses and downed the shot. More family members approached him with drinks.

  “Sorry, Mia.” Jimmie said from beside me.

  Crossing my arms, I looked up at him and smiled. “No, it’s fine. As long as he has good time, that’s all that matters.” Sighing, I looked over at Marcus, who was surrounded by a few more men with shot glasses. “As long as he behaves too.” I knew how Marcus could sometimes turn into a sloppy drunk as I recalled our unpleasant encounter at Club21 with Boston Barbie.

  Jimmie placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m usually the first person that’s against Marcus drinking, but trust me. He’s been doing well with it.” He shrugged and averted his stare toward Marcus as well. “And we really had fun hanging out.” I simply nodded with a bright smile. It was nice to hear that they enjoyed themselves together. After a few minutes, I went toward the bar that was set up for the night and grabbed another martini.

  Within the next hour, I was approached by a few family members and friends of the DeLucas. The party was going well, and I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. Marcus and I barely had time to look at each other, but I expected that when his house was flooded with over eighty guests. Feeling more at ease, I settled onto a bar stool and continued to sip my drink. That was when I saw Jeremy approaching me. His lips curled into a small grin, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that there was something troubling him.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching in and tapping a kiss on my cheek.

  With both brows pinned together, I studied him, “Hey. Everything okay?” I searched behind his shoulder. “Where’s Megan?”

  Jeremy averted his eyes as he sank into the stool beside me. “I’m not sure. She’ll probably show up though.” Raising a finger at the bartender, he ordered himself a shot and a bottle of beer.

  “What happened, Jeremy?” He didn’t answer me, but instead waited patiently for his drinks. After the bartender placed his drinks on the table, Jeremy downed his shot and chugged the beer. “Jeremy?”

  He ordered another beer and then turned to face me, annoyed by my continued badgering.

  “She found out about us.”

  Taken aback, it took me a few seconds to collect my thoughts. “What do you mean us?”

  He grabbed the new beer and took a long pull but kept his eyes remained on me. “She knows that we slept together . . . several times.”

  “What?” My heart began to race. This could not be happening. “How did it come up?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t even know. First, she asked about my past relationships, and then she asked playfully if you and I had ever hooked up, and it just slipped. I wasn’t sure if you had told her, and I wanted to be honest.”

  I tried to think of words to comfort him. I knew Jeremy was beginning to develop strong feelings for my cousin, and that information could ruin them as a couple. As I placed my hand on his shoulder, I caught sight of Megan. She was stunning in a red mini cocktail dress. The light brown waves of her hair framed her face beautifully. Her eyes were usually hazel with a hint of yellow in them, but her golden and brown eye shadow caused her eyes to have more of a green sparkle. She stood tall with her shoulders straight as she waved her hand awkwardly at me. A tiny smile formed on her lips.

  Taking in a deep breath, I leaned into Jeremy. “Megan is here. I’m going to have a talk with her. Everything will be okay.”

  He couldn’t help himself as he twirled around in the stool and stared at her. His brows kneaded together as his eyes stared at her with so much passion. His body slightly jerked as he stopped himself from moving toward her. Megan looked away, ran a shaky hand through her hair, and let out a breath. I patted Jeremy’s shoulder one last time to assure that I would take care of it, and moved my way toward Megan. Every step I took, I began to come up with several scenarios of how it might play out.

  I wrapped my arms around her when I reached her and pulled her into a tight hug. “You look so beautiful, Megan.”

  Her arms returned the gesture as she hugged me even tighter. “You do too, as always.” Her voice cracked a bit.

  “Let’s go out back where it’s quieter so we can talk. Okay?” I asked. We broke from our embrace after she nodded and walked toward the back yard side by side with our arms interlocked with one another.

  As we stepped out onto the cobblestone patio, the cool breeze whipped through us, giving me a slight chill. There were a few guests in the tent where the band and tables were set up. Others were lurking around the patio, drinking or smoking cigars as they laughed and enjoyed the party.

  Spotting an empty corner, I nodded my head towards a seating area. Megan led the way and then sat down on one of the wicker chairs. I took a seat across from her, crossed my legs, and leaned in, placing my elbow on my knee.

  Megan leaned back into the chair as she crossed her arms, and turned her head to study a group of men that were laughing on the other end of the patio. “I guess he told you.” She had finally spoken in a low tone.

  “Not much, but he did, in fact, say that he told you about him and me.”r />
  A mocking laugh escaped her lips. “More like it slipped.” She paused, shook her head, and then turned her chin to fully look at me. “You know, Mia, the fact that the two of you slept together doesn’t bother me. Well, it does a little, but I know it happened before I came along. I think what bothers me the most is that, despite all of the women he’s been with, the last person I thought I ever had to compete with was you.”

  It was shocking to hear her say that. I leaned in closer. “There’s no competition, Megan. None. Jeremy and my relationship can be a bit difficult for others to understand. When we slept together, it was after Michael’s death, during a time that I felt so much sadness and loneliness.” I forced a smile. “Jeremy even said he kicks himself in the ass for allowing it to go as far as it did, because I was so vulnerable. Don’t get me wrong. He did not take advantage of me, but I just wanted to forget about the pain, and at the time, I thought that was the only way to go about it.” Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath, and after exhaling, I opened my lids. “Now, thinking back on it, it was dumb, wasn’t it?”

  “No, it’s not dumb. I understand. I also see how close you two are. He opens up to you more than he does to me. I wonder if he’ll ever be like that way with me.”

  Scooting toward the edge of my seat, I reached and placed my hand on her knee in a way to comfort her. “Don’t you see how special you are to him? I’ve never seen him react towards any woman the way he has with you. He truly cares about you, Megan. He’s frightened. That’s all. Jeremy has issues with commitment. I think it might have to do with dealing with his parents’ divorce at a young age. He’s afraid if he lets all of his feelings out that they might get ripped away from him.”

  Megan sat there in silence for a moment, considering what I’d said. Leaning toward me, her eyes glistened as she held back tears. She placed her hand on top of mine, “Do you really think he cares for me as much as I do for him?”

  A smile of assurance touched my lips. “Yes, I truly believe he does. I know Jeremy, and he is completely strung out.” She laughed out loud and quickly wiped away two tear drops that escaped. “Go talk to him, Megan.” She pressed her lips together and nodded. Before standing to leave she pulled me into a tight hug.

  “Thank you so much, Mia. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Now go get your man.” We laughed together, gave one last squeeze, and then she left in search of Jeremy. Feeling a bit better and dazed from the alcohol, I sank into the chair, tossed my head back, and stared into the night sky.

  Dinner hadn’t been announced yet, and I was already exhausted. What a long day it had been. I was looking forward to snuggling in bed beside Marcus. I could hear his laughter coming from somewhere in the house. It wasn’t hard to miss. It’d made me smile, knowing he was enjoying himself, and the exhaustion I was feeling was well worth it. When I thought of making my way back in, I heard a familiar voice come out of the darkness. “My night has just gotten better. Well, if it isn’t the one and only Mia Sullivan.”

  My. Entire. Body. Froze.

  Every sound around me went faint. All I could hear was the sound of my heart thrashing against the cage of my chest. It burned as I tried to gasp air through the tightness of my throat. My mouth went dry, the palms of my hands beaded with sweat, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Every thought about the man behind that voice sped through my mind. I wanted that moment to pass, for him to go away. I sat with my eyes shut tightly, dreadfully hoping and wishing that that moment was a nightmare. But it wasn’t. The sound of his shoes treading against the cobblestones came to a halt. Fear had crept into my veins as I felt his presence directly beside me.

  Then rage.

  A wrath of emotion erupted deep within me. I was fuming with anger, my shaky breathing became heavier, and my skin seared with heat. I fought against my will and my eyes flashed open. His frame slightly hovered over me as he stared down at me smiling with a grin that I wanted desperately to smack off his face. Removing the cigar from between his teeth, he let out a quick puff and gave a curt nod. “Don’t you remember me, sweetheart?” Oh, I remembered him alright. I remembered him with every fiber of my being. Anyone who was ever so unfortunate to meet him could never forget.

  Lou Sorrento.

  At that moment, I stood to face him. He tilted his head aside, and his lips curled into a full-toothed grin. He looked exactly as I remembered: his salt and pepper hair was his only age indicator. Although he wasn’t taller than Marcus, he still stood as a powerful man—a man with a power that came from years of barking off orders. A man that could put a gun to someone’s head and pull the trigger with a smile splashed across his face. A man without a care in the world except for himself, not even my brother.

  Angrily, I bit down on my lip as I stared at him with nothing but hate. Although I stood calm, my mind was screaming and racing with so much rage. I visualized myself shoving him to the ground and pounding my fists into him until I saw blood. That bothered me. I was never a violent woman or wished harm against anyone, but being in the presence of Lou possessed me to be one. Who gave Lou Sorrento the right to walk this earth? He deserved to be six feet underground, not my brother. Michael deserved to be alive, not Lou.

  Who gave him the right!

  I slightly shook my head as I tried and fought back the tears. I would not give him that. I would not show one ounce of fear or the effect he had on me. Lou Sorrento, did not value any of my emotions: good or bad. He deserved one thing and one thing only: death.

  I wished him a long and painful death.

  His eyes slightly squinted as he took another puff of his cigar. “You’re bleeding, sweetheart.” He glanced at my lips.

  His remark distanced me from my trance. Confused, I wiped my hand along my chin. Blood was dripping from my lip. I’d bitten down so hard that I’d punctured through the flesh. The metallic taste of the blood was potent as I sucked my bottom lip in, squeezing as much as I could. “Excuse me.” I mumbled as I made my way past him. I rushed away from Lou, as fast and far as I could.

  I rushed through the crowded room in search of anyone familiar. I finally spotted Megan and Jeremy by the bar, laughing and flirting, in a much better state than earlier. I headed toward them. As I got closer, Marcus came into view. He was beside Jeremy, ordering more shots. “There’s my girl.” He said with a huge smile. “Where you been? I missed you.”

  After a few deep breaths, I forced a smile and leaned into his open arms. “I’ve been around. Are you having fun?” I tried to steady my voice.

  “I’m having a blast. Thank you for everything. I love you.” He leaned in and planted wet kiss on my cheek.

  I wanted nothing but to join in his happiness at that moment, but after the encounter with Lou, I couldn’t push him away from my thoughts. Clinging to Marcus, I tightened my eyes and desperately tried to rid myself of the memory of the man I hated more than anyone or anything.

  “Hey.” Marcus placed two fingers under my chin and lifted my face so that he could look at me. “Are you okay?” Although he wasn’t slurring, I could tell how much alcohol he had consumed by the bloodshot look in his eyes. That was exactly where I wanted to be, in the same drunken state of mind as him.

  “I don’t think I’m drunk enough.” I mumbled.

  A smile formed along his lips. “Well, let me take care of that for you.” He reached over to the counter where there were a few filled shot glasses and grabbed two. Handing me one, we clinked glasses, smiled, and downed the shots. The warmth and burning sensation that the shot of whisky caused was a better reaction than I’d anticipated. Nodding, I glanced at Marcus and asked for another one.

  That night, I would get rid of the pain, the bad memories, and allow alcohol and Marcus to take it all away.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  MARCUS

  “Dinner is ready. Sorry for the delay.” My mother announced.

  By that time, there were so many guests in my home, and all I wanted was the night to end. I looke
d around as all the guests followed my mother’s directions toward the back where dinner would be served.

  Mia stumbled into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her to stay balanced. I’d been drinking since this afternoon with Jimmie, and I still wasn’t as intoxicated as she was at that moment. Leaning into the side of her face, I brushed a few tendrils of hair behind her ear as I whispered, “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Her eyes flashed up toward me. “No, your mother will be angry if we miss dinner.” She hiccupped.

  Smiling, I ran the back of my fingers along her soft cheek. “She’ll be fine, Mia. Let’s go upstairs.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and maneuvered her toward the stairway.

  Mia came to a stop, causing both of us to slightly jerk. She turned to face me. “But, Marcus, it’s your birthday. We can’t end it early.” She swallowed and stared at me with beady, gleaming eyes. “We haven’t even sung happy birthday yet.”

  Megan came up beside us. “Do you need help, Marcus?” I quickly glanced around and saw that Jeremy had remained seated by the bar.

  “Yes, please. Can you take Mia up to my room? It’s the last door at the end of the hall.” Nodding, Megan tossed Mia’s arm around her shoulder. “I’ll be up in a few, Mia.” She caved in with a simple nod and allowed Megan to guide her up the stairs.

  I ran a hand over my face as I let out a deep sigh. I was beyond drunk. But I was able to handle my liquor better than Mia, obviously.

  “Marky! You’re a hard man to get a hold of.” I felt a hand clasp my shoulder and turned to see who it was.

  “Lou, I didn’t think you would make it. Did you just arrive?” Thankfully, Mia was upstairs and had just missed him. I relaxed my shoulders.

  “And miss my nephew’s thirtieth? Ah, that hurts.” He placed his hand over his chest, pretending that he was wounded. “Nope, I’ve been here for about an hour now. I was catching up with a few old friends.” He looked around me. “So where’s that gorgeous girl of yours? We ran into each other earlier. She seemed upset and left. I hope I didn’t scare her off.” Lou’s eyes squinted, and he focused on my reaction to that comment.