“Ahhh, I understand. Family obligation is important. What does yours do?” Giano asked, bringing a piece of garlic bread to his mouth.
“Castillo Trade Enterprises.”
Giano bit into the bread, chewing slowly as he studied Paul. “Castillo, you say? As in Robert Castillo?” Giano questioned, and my curiosity was piqued at his reaction to the company name.
“He’s my grandfather,” Paul answered as he shoved a ridiculously large mouthful of spaghetti in his mouth, causing him to slurp the last piece and sauce to drip down his chin. Disgusting! Did he have no manners?
“I’ve heard of them. When the fall of Valencia Fabrics came a few years ago, I do believe Castillo’s came in and saved the company from closing its doors completely,” Giano replied, making me wonder just what he knew of our dinner companion.
Valencia Fabrics—the name sent a cold shiver through me. It was the company my family had started when they had come over from Italy generations before—the finest fabric imports on the east coast, Papa Valencia had always told me. The company provided high-end silks and designed fabrics for curtains, furniture, and anything an upscale interior designer could dream up. My father had hated the business, but it had been his duty to work for the family. Why was Giano bringing up my family’s company now? What did that have to do with Paul and his family? What did it have to do with tonight?
“I’m not let in on those talks yet. After college, my grooming will begin, father says. I do know, in recent years, we have acquired a few new companies on the brink of closing for one reason or another.”
“It’s good they keep you out of it until you are of age. I respect that. I once did business with your father myself.”
I watched the exchange between the two, and I couldn’t help noticing there was a sinister tone to Giano’s voice and an underlying hatred that even I could feel, causing the tension in the room to spike. Paul seemed unfazed as he continued to consume his pasta.
Turning to me, he smiled, marinara sauce still on his lips, which made my stomach turn in disgust.
“Did you make dinner, Lina?” Paul asked with his mouth full of pasta, grossing me out more.
Giano sipped his wine, hiding his smile at my reaction.
“I did not.”
“Actually, I picked this up from Mama Zappia’s. I do believe that’s your grandmother’s restaurant if I have made the connection to your family correctly.”
I watched as Paul swallowed hard, realizing Giano had studied him long before he had come there that night. What did Giano know? Why was Paul tied to my father’s business? It still nagged at me. Had the Castillo family had my family killed to take over the business? Questions went crazy in my mind. Suddenly, I was unable to eat.
“It sure tastes good. Thank you for the dinner invitation,” Paul replied quietly.
Giano sat back and sipped his wine smugly, knowing the boy had figured him out now.
I began to clear the dishes, knowing I couldn’t eat anything anymore. I didn’t care about manners or whether anyone else was done or not. I needed tonight to be over as the anxiety of my past filled me.
Once I had the table cleared, Paul stood to leave. He reached out and held my hand, and I tensed at his grip as I felt the heat burn through me in Giano’s stare. Then I walked Paul to the door where he kissed my cheek before stepping outside.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Lina. Once you have the color of your dress, let me know and I’ll make sure to match your corsage.” He turned his stare to Giano behind me. “Mr. Diamante, it’s been nice meeting you. I’ll see you around.”
“Sure you will. Give your father my well wishes, Paul Castillo.” His name rolled off Giano’s tongue in a manner that sent fear up my spine.
Paul nodded, walking away as Giano stepped in front of me and shut the door.
He walked away as if nothing had happened, and yet again I was left alone with my hundreds of questions. After a moment, I shook off my thoughts and made my way to my room. Getting ready for bed, the questions still played on repeat in my mind.
As I stood at the window, I stared into the starless night sky. Certainly, Paul didn’t know who I really was. This was all a coincidence with his family taking over my family’s business.
My cell phone chimed from the nightstand, and I sighed, thinking it was Randi wanting an update. However, looking at the screen, I was left speechless.
Need to cancel. I didn’t know who your dad is, my bad. Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked Mandy. Paul
He hadn’t known who my dad was! I huffed and stomped around my room angrily. It wasn’t that I had some desire to go with him in the first place, but seriously? He was cancelling because of Giano? A man who wasn’t really my father in the first place? Anger built and then it hit me like a wrecking ball.
Why did it matter who my dad was? What about Giancarlo Diamante made me unable to date?
I threw my phone across the room where it hit the bookshelf before falling to the floor.
“Please, do tell, whatever did that phone do to you?” Giano’s voice came from my doorway.
“Paul has to cancel taking me to homecoming.”
“I assumed he would after our meeting this evening,” Giano said, completely calm, as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
“What!”
“My business is a small community of certain types of gentlemen, so word gets around. Blood is not good between Castillo and me.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said, angel. The blood between Castillo and me is bad, so it is no surprise to me he wouldn’t want his son to be anywhere near me. Until you mentioned his name, I hadn’t realized they had moved to the area from their last location. I’m slipping.”
“Why do they care about Paul being around you?”
A menacing look crossed Giano’s face. “His father is a smart man to keep his son away from me and anyone associated with me. You must stay away from Paul for your own good as well as his.”
“Why?”
“Doesn’t matter. Discussion is over. You have school tomorrow, so get some rest.” He turned to leave. Looking over his shoulder at me, his expression was solemn. “I’m sorry tonight didn’t go as planned for you. When the time is right, things will work out. Goodnight, angel.” Without another word or glance back, he took off down the hall.
My heart was beating fast, and my palms were sweating. I was confused, frustrated, and actually hurt that Paul had cancelled the way he had. I wanted to talk to Giano. I wanted to talk to anyone. I had so many questions and no one to even ping ideas off of since no one knew my secrets except the man who had just left here with more of his own.
“Stay,” I whispered to the air around me, knowing he couldn’t hear me yet wishing he was with me to sort out my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been three weeks since Paul canceled our homecoming plans. In the meantime, Mandy had attached herself to his hip. Every time they passed by me, Paul gave me a chin lift, while my one time friend rolled her eyes in disgust.
I couldn’t help wondering what she knew about me that changed her mind so easily about our friendship. Was it really so easy to discard someone? Sure, she only knew what I allowed her to know, but I thought there would be some sort of girl code or something. Did she actually know about my father, or was this normal teenage drama?
The days passed with Randi still talking to me, but that was about it. As I wandered through the hallways, people turned away so they didn’t make eye contact. I heard the whispering, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was being said. What had I done to them?
They were really all strangers, yet suddenly I was the one with the scarlet letter to be shunned. Why? Because Paul Castillo had decided not to take me to homecoming? Was it really that serious?
The past few weeks had been hard, and the more days that went by, the worse things seemed to get. My locker had been trashed twice, and my phon
e kept pinging with texts from an unknown number with the words “We know who you are.”
Did they really?
Anxiety filled me, and I knew Giano could sense it because he kept asking me what was wrong. I brushed it off, giving the excuse that my period was coming, but that was another lie. I was going to spend my eternity in Hell for the many lies I had told as it was, so what was one more to the pile?
I made it through the day, barely. Once home, it wasn’t long before Randi showed up. We headed up to my room, and for once when she saw Giano, she didn’t have the dreamy stare she usually got that screamed out she was having inappropriate thoughts about the older man.
“What’s up?” I asked, climbing onto my bed.
Randi paced nervously, which wasn’t like her at all; as a result, it set me more on edge.
“People are talking.”
Yeah, I know people are talking, I wanted to scream. I didn’t, though. It wasn’t her fault. Well, if I wanted to be a complete bitch about it, yes, in a way it was since she had agreed to go for me before I could say no. But it wasn’t her fault that my life was one giant secret with so many lies entwined there was no way to clean up the mess.
“What are they saying?” I asked, trying for nonchalance and failing.
“Well, Paul said that his dad said that your dad— -,”
“Cut to the chase, Randi.”
“They are saying that Giano is a hit man.” She immediately looked to the floor as she ended the sentence.
“What!” I screeched as emotions cut through me.
“Paul says his dad told him that Giano is a contract killer and that everyone should stay clear of you.”
“And everyone believes this?”
With gossip, Randi seemed to come to life, like she had forgotten she was talking about me, the person sitting right in front of her. She sat down in the chair at the end of my bed and watched me as her eyes danced with mischief.
“Get this. You’re really supposed to be dead!” I gasped as she laughed. “You, dead! Can you believe it?”
“Oh, my God,” I whispered.
“Supposedly, you were in the car when your mom died. Now, according to the hallway chatter, your dad spent a ton of money on plastic surgery because you survived, but no one knew until Paul told his dad who he was dating.”
The room spun. Angelina did die in a car accident with her mother. Was Giano really a hit man? Questions and thoughts all played in my mind. I grabbed my head as it began to pound in pain.
“I am not dead. I did have surgery,” I whispered. Only, Angelina was dead. The real Angelina, that was.
“Don’t sweat it. You know it’s like the game of telephone, and the story gets embellished a little more with each person who tells it.”
“Easy for you to say,” I whispered, fighting back tears. If only she knew how true parts of the rumor were…
I felt like a ball of yarn that was unraveling, and I couldn’t find a way to wrap it up the same way it had come undone. The secrets, the lies, all went so far back in time I didn’t know what the truth ever was in the first place.
“It is kinda hot in the mysterious and scary way to think of Mr. Diamante as a contract killer.”
I looked up at my friend in pure shock. How could anyone think that?
“They really believe he would do that?”
“Who cares what any of them believe? You know he wouldn’t hurt anyone, so let it go. As soon as they have someone else to talk about, this will pass. You were never noticed before Paul and his big mouth, so once this is over, you will once again be Sister Angelina, the pure one.”
Easy for her to say.
“I hope you’re right,” I muttered, meaning it in more ways than one.
I hoped she was right that Giano wouldn’t hurt anyone; therefore, he couldn’t be a hit man. I also hoped, sooner rather than later, they all found someone else to talk about before my skeletons fell out of the closet. Nothing about me was pure. If they knew, everyone would agree.
Her phone chimed with a text. “It’s Mandy; I gotta go. See ya tomorrow, Lina.”
Without replying, I walked her to the front door. After she was gone, I was left frustrated with everything and everyone.
Two years was all I had left to bide my time and get out of there. I would miss Giano, but I didn’t know what was real anymore. He was like the stranger living with me. The more I thought on it, the more I was the stranger living with me. I didn’t know who I was. I wasn’t really Angelina Diamante, but I was no longer Fallyn Valencia.
At dinner, I was quiet, and it didn’t go unnoticed. Not that Giano and I had long talks and quiet walks, but we did go over my day every single night. However, this was one time I wished for the safety of solitude.
“Care to share your troubles, angel?” Giano opened up.
I hesitated then blurted out, “What exactly happened to Angelina?”
He paused, something flashing in his eyes I had never seen before … possibly regret.
“She was in the car with her mother.”
Boldly, I continued on, “I knew that, but why didn’t you report her death?”
He smirked dangerously. “It was my car. They weren’t supposed to be in there. In my world, you never show all your cards.”
For the first time in all those years, I was actually afraid of Giano. I wanted to ask him more questions, but the look in his eyes told me I should let it go, so I dropped my head and looked at my plate.
“Castillo shouldn’t groom his son for the business. He obviously shared information he shouldn’t have, and young Paul has the loose lips of a whore working the corner.” I looked up at Giano and saw his eyes were still cold, but he was as calm as usual. “Don’t let this bother you, angel. No one knows who you are. Any ramblings of the young man will pass.”
“He says you’re a killer,” I whispered.
“And what if I am?” There was no hesitation in his response. He hadn’t raised his voice. He had replied as if we was talking about the weather.
I watched the man across the table from me, and I couldn’t help wondering if I was in over my head.
I wanted to ask him so much more, but fear seized me, and I stopped myself. I felt as if I knew nothing of Giancarlo Diamante. I felt like we had come full circle, and he was back to being my stranger once again.
And what if I am? replayed in my mind.
What could I do about it? What did I care to do about it? I felt dizzy. I felt overwhelmed. More than anything, I felt like I was in big trouble.
Chapter Fourteen
Fingers penetrate. The burn … Oh, God, the burn.
Shut it down, Fallyn.
One Mississippi. Two Mississ—
Make it stop. Please, make it stop.
The stranger stood over my bed, and my father’s eyes were wide in shock as the knife sliced across his throat. His blood covered me.
Those eyes … the stranger’s eyes. I knew those eyes!
I startled awake, covered in sweat. My breathing was erratic, and my chest physically hurt as the panic overtook me. Those eyes in my dreams—the eyes from that night were the only thing I could see of the stranger who had saved me from one hell and brought me to a new one. He had brought me from one house of secrets and lies into another one.
Giano was at the door, watching me as I tried to calm myself. Instinctively, I glared at him as he moved toward my bed, and like many times before, he reached out to cup my chin. Rather than lean into his affections, I pulled away.
“What is it, angel?”
“You … you…” I stuttered. “It was you that night.”
“Was it? Are you so sure? It’s been years, Fallyn.” He gently pushed my shoulder back, pressing me to lie back down. He brushed his knuckles against my cheek, and everything inside of me craved his touch.
Was I that deprived? One minute, I thought he was the one who had killed my family, and the next, I wanted any attention I could get from him. I was totally and com
pletely crazy to be all over the place with this man who was still a stranger in so many ways. Years later, I still had more questions than answers. Yet, the minute he touched me, I melted and all seemed to be forgotten. Seriously sick and twisted—that was me at my core.
“Relax, angel. It was a bad dream. You’ve had a stressful time lately, so of course the mention of your family would bring the dreams back.”
“Will you ever tell me the truth? I need to know what happened to them.”
“Does it make a difference? Think on that, angel. You are here, healthy, safe, and for the most part, a happy, young woman. Do you really want to dig up a past that was already so dark?”
Every time he alluded to my past, part of me wanted to shout out, what do you know of me? Think on it. I had thought of it so many times through the years. I not only wanted to know, but I truly, to the very depths of my tarnished soul, needed to know.
“I need to know,” I whispered.
“Need and want are two different things. I believe you want to know in this moment. But the need to know … I disagree as you have done fine for all these years without dredging up the past.”
I sighed, sensing he wouldn’t budge at least for tonight.
“Stay?” I asked, needing him to keep the nightmares away.
Without missing a beat, he climbed in beside me, and I snuggled close. Trying to sleep, I counted to myself, and before I knew it, I found I was counting the even breaths of the stranger beside me. I truly felt as if I knew nothing of him other than he had given me a new life.
Breathing deep, I inhaled his natural musk and found comfort in his embrace. I knew it was wrong, but everything in my life was wrong. It went all the way back to the beginning. Maybe I was one of those people who just wasn’t meant to get it right.
I closed my eyes and matched my breathing to his.
His weight was over me. I inhaled sharply as fear gripped me.
“Shhh…” he whispered against my neck as his hot breathe came down on my skin. He trailed kisses up my chin, pausing at my mouth.
Brushing past my lips, he followed my chin down to the other side of my neck, testing me.
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