UnWanted

by Piper, M.

  “Ford, my brother, is coming in to town this weekend,” I stammer, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.

  “And you, my girl, are going to spend it at the biggest party Vinny’s ever thrown.” He shrugs. “A free weekend out of the bar scene, Reagan. The Gold Coast of Chicago, nonetheless. You’re about to see things you’ve never dreamed of. Look at it that way. You were caught dealing, and you’re being rewarded with a free vacation.” He rolls his eyes and walks around his desk, leaning back against the front of it and looking down at me, still in this fucking leather chair.

  I want to scream at him it’s not a free vacation. It’s a weekend being the club owner’s arm candy. Probably being fondled by a bunch of drunk men while wearing the mandatory barely there swimsuit set I’m sure I’ll be forced to wear and not making any fucking money.

  “Monday afternoon you’ll be right back here. Making all the tips again. And it’ll be like nothing ever happened.”

  Doubtful.

  I push up and move around the opposite side of the chair, heading straight for the door without another word. It’s late. Or early, whichever way you look at it. But I’m tired, and tomorrow I have to tell my brother he can’t come visit me.

  And then I have to lie to him. Again.

  “Hey, I have some bad news,” I say, falling to my mattress. This thing is the nicest thing I own, and only because sleep is the second most important thing in my life. Second only to making sure I make it in this city.

  “I feel like you’re full of that lately.” Ford, one of my older brothers, says. “My dog died, Reagan. And Mack and the twins are going to Florida to visit her parents for the week and I can’t because of work. So please, if you’re canceling on me, just go ahead and send the knife all the way through my chest. I can’t be alone. You’re my only hope,” he whines. Legit whining. I groan and sigh, feeling overwhelmingly guilty for cancelling on him again. Last time it was a weekend I was supposed to visit home for his birthday party, but work came up, again, and I couldn’t get off.

  Sometimes it feels like when Dean knows I have something with family going on, he makes sure it’s ruined. Neither of my brothers have met Dean nor do they know the type of people I work for, and it’s probably for the better. Ford’s not too protective, but Lincoln…he’s worse than my own father.

  “Fuck, you’re dramatic, big brother.”

  “Is it working?” I hear the smile in his tone and shake my head.

  “No. I don’t have a choice in the matter. The boss is bringing me along on a business trip.” The lie feels horrible, but I can’t exactly tell him I’m being blackmailed into spending a weekend as my boss’s whore. He’d have me locked in his house with no way out within hours.

  “Your boss? I didn’t think you liked the guy?”

  “I don’t. But, he’s my boss and I can’t exactly tell him no. Plus, it’s a free vacation, Ford.”

  “Can I come with you?”

  “No. Idiot.” I laugh. “Are you seriously down in the dumps? I’m sorry about Yellow. He was a good dog.” I close my eyes and try not to let the knot in my throat force the tears through. I didn’t make it home to see him. And I haven’t made it home since. Talk about a sucky sister.

  “Nah,” he chuckles. “I’m fine, just giving ya a shit time. I think I’ll steal Carter for a bit so Lincoln and Wren can have time alone with the new baby.”

  I laugh and can’t help the tear that falls. God, I miss home.

  “That’s sweet,” I say. “Hey, I gotta go, ok? I’ll call when I get back next week?”

  “I’m coming up there when you get back. Be ready,” he warns.

  I laugh and end the call, then groan and roll over in bed.

  In thirty-six hours I’m leaving for a weekend I wish was already over. And I still have to pack…but sleep sounds so much better.

  “This is fucking ridiculous.” I punch the unlock button to my car a little harder than needed, but it’s hit that or hit something else and I don’t need another broken hand. I’ve done that before and it was a pain in the ass.

  “Just for a few hours. And if I know our uncle, he’s going to have the boat stocked with girls.” Gabriel, my younger brother, nudges me and grins. “You know what that means?”

  “STDs?” I quip, laughing it off. “But seriously, Gabe. Those chicks are all strung out looking for their next hit. We’ve seen it how many times before? The New York party two years ago almost landed us in jail with those strung out bitches. Never anything decent worth picking from.” I pull out into Chicago traffic and roll to a stop almost immediately, puffing out air in frustration.

  “You’re the one who wanted to live here Nico. Can I just point that out?” He shakes his head, rolling down his window and lighting up.

  “Fuck, Gabe. Put that shit away. There are cops all over this road.” I smack him and he holds it low, grinning at me.

  “Want a pass?”

  “No, fucker.” I shake my head and glance down at my watch. I have an hour to get to work, and that’s after dropping this dipshit off at our apartment.

  I’ve been applying for jobs with drug agencies to be a traveling salesperson and I finally landed one. I thought I wanted to come to Chicago a couple years ago, but all I really wanted was a change. Now that I’m here I want out. Crazy how the grass is always greener.

  “Misty’s coming over tonight.” He takes another long drag and breathes deep, sighing on the exhale.

  “I’ll head out for a bit,” I grumble, tapping the steering wheel as traffic starts to move ever so slightly.

  “You don’t have to. We’ll turn the radio up.” He winks over at me and I chuckle, shaking my head.

  “I’m good.”

  “You’re too good, Nico. You’re a D’ Angeli. Be wild. It’s in your blood.” He nods at my briefcase in the back seat. “That shit’s not gonna get you too far with this bloodline. Just so you know. Accept it, man.”

  “I’m not like her, Gabe. I’m getting out.”

  “Suit yourself.” He pats me, leaning back in his seat.

  Thankfully traffic opens up and I drop him off with just enough time to get to work.

  “Tomorrow,” he says, nodding at me and giving me the look that says I better not back out. I roll my eyes and pull away from him, wondering why I was cursed with the family who likes to dabble with the illegal shit to have fun.

  I was born the unfortunate son of Maria D’ Angeli, unwed and no father in sight, my mother raised us as best as she could. With her brother’s, my uncle’s, help of course. He’s a wild card, and I only trust him about fifty percent of the time. I’ve seen him seriously dick some people over, but he loved his sister, my mother, and would do anything for us.

  I think. My childhood was pretty rough. When Gabriel came along I was almost five years old and let’s just say I had to grow up pretty fast. I watched my uncle be the man he is, and early on formed a love/hate relationship with him. He’s not a horrible man, but he’s done some pretty dark shit. Never to me, but I’ve never been stupid enough to cross him either. I’d like to think that he wouldn’t turn his rage to me if I ever fucked up, but with my mom gone I’m not sure what he’d do anymore. Her death changed the dynamic of this family.

  This party tomorrow at his Gold Coast mansion is his yearly celebration. Fuck if I know what he’s celebrating, but I do know that he does it every year and it’s always a blowout event. Between the booze, the drugs, and the women any man would die happy on that property. Not this man. Not this time. I have a drug test coming up next week so the fun will come with a limit this weekend. Hell, ever since New York the parties have come with a limit. I’m not about ending up in jail, or dead with a needle in my arm, and most of his girls are walking petri dishes, full of diseases.

  So no, I guess you could say I’m not looking forward to this party tomorrow.

  Not. At. All.

  “Wakey, wakey!” Gabe jumps on my bed, splashing cold water all over my face.

  “The f
uck, dude?” I groan, wiping the beads off my eyes and glaring at him, swinging a punch that lands on his bicep.

  “Party time!” he yells, running out of the room. The man’s a twenty-one year old child.

  I grumble to myself, grabbing a pair of trunks and sandals. I emerge from my room to Gabe sitting at the island, drinking an energy drink already and flipping through the half-dressed girls on his dating app.

  “The fuck you doing up so early? The party doesn’t start for hours.” I grab a coffee cup and toss it under the instant coffee maker I insisted on buying when we moved in. My brother doesn’t drink coffee and I need it right away in the morning so it worked out perfect.

  “Uncle Vinny texted last night. He’s got a new batch of fresh faces ready to party this morning. They’re up bright and early and ready to party.” He wiggles his eyebrows and smacks his gum. “New faces, man.”

  “New meth head faces you mean?” I chuckle behind my fresh coffee mug. “No thank you. But,” I take a sip. “I know I can’t get out of it, so let’s get going. Maybe I can get so black out drunk I’ll just pass out and not have to deal with anyone.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Gabe clasps me on the back and laughs.

  The drive to my Uncle’s property is about an hour away from our apartment. By the time Gabe has his wardrobe for the day picked out and we make it through traffic, we’re arriving just before noon and already there’s a slew of people here. This building and the three around it belong to my uncle. The crowd he’s hosting this weekend isn’t out of the ordinary, but it always blows my mind that he knows this many people.

  “Boys!” Vinny calls as we make it to the roof-top social area. Honestly, it’s more of a party pavilion, with fully equipped stereo system, tapped kegs, and all the drugs you could possibly imagine.

  “Hey Uncle Vinny,” I say, going in for the hug he never lets us get away without. “Huge crowd this year.” I grab a glass of amber liquid from a passing cocktail waitress and glance down at her ass in the tight black shorts she’s wearing. She’s not bad.

  “Way bigger than I anticipated.” He pats my brother on the back. “Gabe.” Vinny glances at him and they exchange a look. One I know too well. I nod at both of them and walk away, because they’re about to embark on a conversation I don’t want to be involved in.

  My brother grew up under Vinny’s wing. When we moved here from New York, Vinny leaned on Gabe as the go-between for a lot of the family business issues that I didn’t want to be involved in. Gabriel gets paid well; he’s a smart kid. I’ve tried talking him out of the drug dealing, but he’s happy doing just what he’s doing. It used to break my heart, watching him deal with those people, but now I just want out of it all. Break the ties and set out to make a name for myself.

  The party’s filled with faces I remember from parties in the past. I never have a choice in coming to these, and not that I care too much because all the free food and drinks for an entire weekend is well worth it. But this year it feels different. This year is the first year that I have a real plan for my life. It’s the first year I can say that I have a career and a job to go home to, and that makes a difference.

  “Your glass is empty. Want another one?” A waitress, full tits and nipple piercings pushing against the bright white bikini top she’s forced to wear, is staring at me with a tray full of drinks.

  “I do,” I say, replacing a full glass from the tray with my empty one. She bites her lip watching me take my first drink and I lock eyes with her. She’s cute. She’s a worker bee here, which means she’s more than likely not carrying half the shit my uncle’s girls are. Maybe today won’t be so bad after all. I’d like to see those piercings in person without the cloth barrier.

  Her eyes go wide when they land behind me and her stature straightens.

  “Mr. D’ Angeli,” she says, nodding to him. All flirtatious features suddenly gone at the approach of my uncle and I roll my eyes, taking a long drink of the beer she handed me.

  “Ms. Danielle. I see you met my nephew.” He puts his arm around my shoulder and I go stiff. He smells like day old booze and it’s only lunch time.

  “Yes, sir.” She flicks her eyes to me. “I’ll see you around.” She scurries off and leaves me standing there with the one man I’d rather not be around today. I needed an easy in, easy out. Being around him isn’t easy.

  “Take a walk with me, boy.”

  I start to walk with him because he’s giving me no choice with his hand firm on my shoulder. He moves us towards the doors to head inside, into what he calls his ‘pad.’ He’s never brought me in here before, but I’ve never been too eager to see the other side of these tall glass tinted walls.

  “I heard you have good news for me,” he says, stepping inside and grabbing a waiting cigar.

  “I do. I actually just got hired at Johnston and Steele.”

  “I heard! A reputable company. Congratulations. They’ve been around the prescription drug world for what, ten or twenty years now?” He walks me into a large room scattered with people and snaps his fingers.

  “Yes, sir,” I say, watching as a woman immediately walks over to him on his command.

  Not just any woman, either. A woman he wouldn’t normally bring to something like this. A woman who doesn’t look like she wants to be here, nor is she strung out on any drugs. There’s no track marks on her arms. Her face and eyes are clear. Her eyes hit mine when she makes it to his side and my dick jumps to attention.

  Well, I’m fucked.

  “This is Reagan.” My uncle’s arm grips her wrist and pulls her closer to him. She stumbles and I want to reach out and help her.

  “Nice to meet you, Reagan.” I’m trying not to stare at her, but she’s utterly exquisite. A pinch of a badass, but when her eyes hit mine I see the sweet girl hiding inside. How, I’m not sure. I’ve never looked this close at any of my uncle’s girls before. But this one’s different.

  This one doesn’t belong here.

  “She’s yours. Think of her as a congratulations on the new job,” he says, nodding at her then glancing at me. Her eyes go wide and panic sets in as her features all tighten. This chick would be terrible at poker.

  “Mine?” I cough out mid drink. “I’m sorry, what?” I have to let out a laugh. Women don’t ‘belong’ to men like he thinks. He can’t just hand her off like that.

  “Of course…I mean I could always keep her.” He looks at her again and before I know what he’s doing, he’s reaching out and groping her tit. Right there in front of me! Her eyes close briefly but when they open, they’re on me and they’re a fire of fury and rage. My eyebrows shoot up briefly before I’m able to mask my surprise. I’ve never seen him bring someone so…vanilla…to one of these parties. My uncle chuckles, realizing she’s not reacting the way he desires, then probably just to prove a point, reaches between her legs and cups her hard, making her gasp.

  “I’ll take her,” I blurt to distract him, seeing her obvious discomfort.

  I’ve watched him manhandle and fondle girls before, but they all wanted it. They all begged for it.

  This girl wants nothing to do with it.

  “Good. I almost regretted letting go of her,” he says, a fake pout falls to his lips then he’s removing his hand from between her legs and bringing it to his nose, his eyes glaring at Reagan as he takes a deep breath. Her eyes stay locked on me, wide and pissed. His interest has switched from me to that poor girl, and as nice as it should sound it makes me fucking rage. Because she doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.

  “Can I get you a drink?” I blurt to her, my words not making sense in my own head but I need to get her out of this situation. She’s too good for these people, and the more drunk my uncle gets the more handsy and forceful he gets. It won’t sit well on my conscience knowing I didn’t try. I can take her back to my room and make the best of the weekend. Whatever that may be.

  The girl lets out a small growl and her fists clench.

  “You can’t just�
�” she starts to yell but Vinny holds his hand up, effectively shutting her up immediately.

  “I can, though. Remember?” He grins when her shoulders slump and winks at her before nodding at me and I feel like I could vomit with guilt.

  Taking a girl like this? This isn’t me. I’m not a fucking pig!

  Her eyes roll and I sigh. She’s feisty. She’s sexy. She’s snarky. She’s also not going to last all weekend with my uncle. I can take her. Keep her safe in my room. Then get her back home safe on Monday. Easy.

  “Thank you, Uncle Vinny.” I watch the girl’s eyes narrow and know I need to get her out of here before she makes a scene.

  This better be worth it.

  Furious doesn’t begin to explain it.

  I’m not fucking cattle. I’m here because he’s blackmailing me. That’s it. He’s been crossing the fucking line all day, though, and Dean’s going to get a fucking earful when I get back. And probably a lawsuit threat. He can’t fucking treat someone like this. We’re rapidly reaching a point where I’d rather have dealt with the legal ramifications of having those drugs on me than being here.

  Vinny’s been pissed at me since I showed up here this morning with a suitcase packed full of clothes, dressed in old sweatpants and a t-shirt from my brother’s college that’s since been turned into my painting shirt. He didn’t find it funny at all, and soon had me stripped down by one of his assistants and handed this tiny fucking bikini to wear all weekend. He even took my phone, and by the anger on his face when he had to do it, I’m not certain if I’ll be getting it back. Like I said earlier, I’m pretty good at fucking shit up.

  I was told I’d be a gift tonight. That I’m useless to Vinny since I’m his employee and he doesn’t want that lawsuit, but instead I was being used as a gift to a family member. I had assumed it’d be an old wrinkly asshole I’d have to hide in the bathroom from. What I didn’t expect is the good-looking nephew to come walking up.

  The nephew hesitantly takes my hand when I offer it to him, trying to play up the fact that I want to be here even though I want to rip Vinny and Dean’s balls off right now. If there is a bright side to this, it’s the fact that I’ve been handed off to the nephew. The hot, ripped, nephew. Dark skin, dark eyes, dark hair…and a happy trail that dips into those swim trunks and makes me want to dive in after it. I can deal with this all weekend.