Reckoning (Vincent and Eve #2)

by Jessica Ruben

“I know it’s last minute, but another candidate canceled while I was reviewing your file. I’m glad the timing works for you. Goodbye.” She clicks off. My mind is spinning so quickly; I can barely form a coherent thought.

  I inhale and exhale, attempting to get my bearings. I need to weigh the risks and benefits of staying here in New York City versus leaving. For one, if Vincent’s enemies do find out about me, my life could be in jeopardy. On the other hand, I don’t want us to break up. I can write letters from California—wherever. The thought of losing him—no! I can’t even think of it. I breathe deeply. I need to go see Vincent and tell him about my interview and everything I’ve learned based on previous case law. Maybe once he knows I’ve agreed to leave the city, he won’t force me away from him. Maybe I can help him to win this case. Or, appeal.

  I shut the books in front of me and take care in putting them back where they belong. I pull my purse off the wooden desk and it hits the floor with a clang.

  I get down to SoHo and square my shoulders, stepping off the subway. It’s a cool night, but my excitement is keeping me warm. For a moment, I pause, wishing I had a better plan of what to say. Maybe I should stop by the corner deli, grab a coffee and a cookie, and plan my words. I’m debating my next move when a group of girls enter the building. They strut into the lobby, and for reasons I don’t completely understand, I follow straight behind them.

  They’re in skirts so short, I can see the bottom of their asses. They’re wearing sky-high heels and chunky rhinestone jewelry; add in fake tits and red lips, it’s clear they’re walking sex.

  My heart pounds.

  We enter the elevator together and I listen to them talk about a girl named Alessandra, and whether or not she brought the party favors. It doesn’t take much to guess what they’re referring to. I’ve never seen girls like this in this building; it’s strange.

  The elevator stops at the fifth floor, and we step out together. One of them flips her bleached blonde hair to the side and reaches into her bra to push her boobs up, instantly giving her the look of larger cleavage. I’m standing there, feeling like a ghost. They don’t notice me, and I’m completely silent.

  They strut to apartment 5B and I ask myself if I’m dreaming. I stare at the apartment number on the outside of the door. This is it. This is our home. I finally gain the courage to step inside.

  The apartment is filled with smoke and loud music. Bodies are everywhere. Half-clad girls dance throughout the space, some dancing on top of our coffee table. Where is Vincent?

  I see a man with a buzzed head. I move forward through the crowd quickly and touch his shoulder, my heart skittering in my chest. When he turns around, I suck in a hard breath. It’s a complete stranger. The man looks big, dirty, and tough. Biting a cigar and staring me up and down, he chuckles. “Hey, baby.”

  I turn and walk forward, entering the kitchen that is now littered with bottles and cigarette butts. It looks like people are blowing lines near the stove—each taking turns bending down, holding one nostril as they inhale hard.

  “Eve?” A hand grabs my elbow and I spin around. It’s Tom. “What the fuck are you doing here?” His voice has no inflection, but I can see the anger pulsing at his neck. His bloodshot eyes tell me he’s halfway to gone.

  “W-where’s Vincent?”

  He laughs sardonically, his hand still wrapped around my wrist like a vise. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Please, Tom. I know he’s leaving. I just need to speak to him. For just a minute.” I’m talking too fast, the desperation in my voice obvious. At this point, I’d beg on my hands and knees if I had to.

  “Do you have any idea how much you have fucked up our lives?” His voice rises in volume. “I warned you months ago, and now because of you, not only is my best friend going to jail, but I have to accompany him there. You couldn’t just keep your legs shut, huh? You had to tempt him with your ‘I’m so innocent’ act. Well, fuck you! You deserve whatever happens next. Do me a favor and don’t transfer. Stay right the fuck here where the wolves will chew you up.” He drops his head, spitting at the ground in front of me.

  What have I done?

  He lets me go and I make my way into the corridor, my pulse rapidly beating. There’s a couple by our bedroom door, practically fucking against the wall. Who are these people? Is this Vincent’s other life? It feels like I’m walking through a nightmare.

  I push open the bedroom door.

  My eyes immediately lock with Vincent’s.

  He’s sitting on our bed with his pants unbuttoned. Without a shirt, his tan wide chest is on display; from his right shoulder down to his bicep, I see an intricate tattoo. One hand is on a bottle of vodka, and the other makes its way up the shoulder of a blonde. He pushes her down to her knees. I hear her exclaim, “Finally!”

  I stumble backward, the wall catching my fall.

  Vincent chuckles. “Well, well. What do we have here? You came to say goodbye? See me off?” He looks down at the girl. “Did I say you can stop?” He grabs the back of her hair as she eagerly pulls his pants down to his ankles, leaving him in nothing other than his black briefs.

  “Vincent?” My voice cracks along with my heart. “This c-c-can’t be. No.” I shake my head from side to side.

  “Didn’t I tell you we were finished? Get out of my apartment.”

  I feel bile rise up my throat. I must be losing my mind, because the next thing I know, I’m trembling and nodding at the same time. The room feels smaller as my breathing accelerates. “V-Vincent? P-please…” Tears blur my vision as I sink to the wooden floor. This can’t be real. I hear laughter. This isn’t him. This isn’t me. Who am I? The girl turns to me, licking her lips. Her hands spread on his thighs.

  I move my gaze, noticing that his eyes look dead. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was Antonio Borignone sitting on the bed before me. I stand up, tearing his cross off my neck and pulling his keys out of my bag, throwing them across the room. For a moment, I notice the stricken look in his eyes, but I’m too distraught myself to care. I run through his apartment, and out the door.

  I find a cab to take me back to campus. I’m hysterically crying, and it’s ugly. Tears blur my vision. I throw some cash to the driver as I exit the car. I vaguely realize that people are stopping to stare at me, but I couldn’t care less. Somehow, I take out my phone to call Janelle. I can do nothing but cry into the phone.

  I get to my dorm room and immediately collapse to the floor; I can’t make it the few feet to my bed.

  Janelle shows up. I must not have locked it, because she walks right inside the door. Dropping down to her haunches, she immediately hands me two pills. I swallow them down without any water. Minutes pass, and I feel like I’m floating above myself. We move to my bed, where I tell her everything. She shushes me, combing back my hair with her hands.

  “And tomorrow is my interview with Stanford. I was supposed to be there while Vincent was in Nevada. To be closer to him.”

  “Don’t worry, Eve.” Her voice is soothing and understanding. “It’s for the best. You need to leave here. Vincent is right. It’s not safe for you.”

  “I’m dying, Janelle.”

  “No, sweetie. You aren’t dying. Your heart’s just broken.”

  CHAPTER 25

  VINCENT

  The moment Eve stumbles out of my apartment, I stand up and button my pants, throwing the girl off me. There’s no fucking way I’d touch her. The last woman I’m going to feel is Eve. Only Eve. I stalk out of the bedroom door, shirtless, and pound on the wall. “Everyone, get the fuck out!” I yell. People scatter like rodents.

  I get back into my bedroom and take out a small envelope from my desk drawer. Picking up my necklace off the floor, I kiss the cross and drop it inside. I’ll give it to Angelo for safekeeping while I’m away. This necklace doesn’t belong to me anymore.

  CHAPTER 26

  EVE

  I wake up to people loudly whispering in my room. I see Janelle in a pair of m
y pajamas—and Angelo. His dark hair is slicked back. He’s pacing my room.

  They turn together when they see I’m no longer sleeping, and Angelo steps to me. “Oh, Eve. Oh, God.” Tears fill his eyes. “I never shoulda let you come here. I didn’t think he’d see you. I didn’t know. I shoulda told ya that Vincent was here. Oh, Eve.” He drops next to me, the tightening in my chest excruciating. “After all your hard work! We can’t let you lose it. Come on. Let’s get you washed up, and then we’re leaving.”

  “L-leaving?” My voice croaks.

  “Yes. Your interview with Stanford is in two hours. If everything goes well, and they accept you, you’ll go out there.”

  “But, Vincent...” I say his name and the tears begin again. I know in my heart he was only trying to push me away. He just has to hear me out that I’ll leave to the West Coast. I can forgive him for last night, right?

  “Eve.” Angelo clears his throat. “There’s something you need to know. Now, you know I’d never lie to you, right?”

  I nod my head and see Janelle staring at me. Her eyes are wide and sad.

  “Eve, Vincent has been with tons of women this year. Your sister filled me in on what happened between you guys.” He takes a deep breath. “He was lying to you, doll.”

  “No. That was all just for show. He only pretended to be with Daniela.” I move my eyes to my sister, who stares at me with absolute pity on her face.

  Angelo touches me compassionately with a warm hand on my shoulder. “No, doll. Not for show. Three weeks ago, he was at one of the clubs getting a blow job from one of the waitresses in the bathroom. Take a look at Daniela’s social media accounts. He has been with her, too, quite a lot. They were never exclusive, but I know for a fact he’s been with her. And recently, they’ve been together more than ever.”

  “That’s impossible!” I say vehemently. “No. He just shows up to take pictures when she needs them. He just—”

  “No, sweetheart.” His face turns ashen. “I’m telling you the truth.” I look down at Angelo’s trembling hand. “You trust me, don’t you? Open your social media accounts. See for yourself. None of what you see are lies, doll.”

  I finally open up my social media, the same ones I’ve been avoiding for months. Typing in DANIELA COSTA into the search box—what comes up is enough to make me sick. It’s all here, in color.

  Vincent is a liar.

  CHAPTER 27

  EVE

  Surprisingly, the interview with Stanford goes amazingly well. Janelle gave me a Xanax while we headed over to Mr. Farkas’s office; that shit works wonders. By the end of the interview, he actually shook my hand and with a wink, told me he’s looking forward to seeing me in the fall, as a full-scholarship student.

  The only thing left to do is finish off my semester as quietly as possible and find a way to reorganize my grants. Ms. Levine forwarded me an e-mail with all of the grant information on it. I should be able to contact everyone and let them know about the move.

  Angelo brings me back to my dorm where he hands me off to Janelle. I hug him goodbye and then step into her arms, immediately crying again. We binge watch Sex and the City and fall asleep to Carrie screaming at Big to stop fucking up her life.

  I wake up alone. Janelle must have left to work. For a moment, before my mind fully wakes, I breathe easily. But then, I take the phone off my side table, scrolling through today’s headlines:

  Mafia Boss, Intellectual scholar, and Scheming Mastermind Vincent Borignone Pleads Guilty.

  Vincent is going to prison. Seven to ten years.

  CHAPTER 28

  EVE

  I move my brain onto automatic. I have eight more weeks of school until finals, and then I’ll head out to California. I put on a pair of comfortable sweats and grab my backpack. The second I enter the dining hall to get myself some coffee and a bagel, the entire room gets quiet. I glance around, knowing something is coming. Luckily, for me, I’m in too much emotional pain to even care. All I can think about is getting out of this city.

  Daniela steps up to me, all long legs, skinny jeans, and loose sweater. She takes the coffee out of my hand and spills the hot liquid over my head. I gasp as the scalding wetness seeps straight through my hair, down to my clothes, and onto my pants.

  “Oops,” she enunciates every letter. The dining hall is so quiet, I can hear someone in the back clearing their throat.

  “Does everyone see this girl?” she yells and every single person turns their head; it’s a collective gaze. “This girl fucked Vincent behind my back. Ruined his life. Told the Feds lies to get him in jail, because he wouldn’t be with her. Let’s all make sure to give Eve Petrov a little extra attention, huh?”

  I hear gasps.

  My life is falling apart.

  CHAPTER 29

  EVE

  One month later

  My last final came and went yesterday. I’m shocked to have completed my first full year of college. Angelo is on his way to take me to the airport, and I still have a few odds and ends to pack. Although I insisted I could get to California on my own, he surprised me with two tickets to San Francisco International Airport. From there, we’ll rent a car and drive the thirty minutes to Stanford. He said he needed a vacation anyway, but I know that he just wants to make sure I’m settled and comfortable. Luckily, Stanford is allowing me to begin over the summer, which is quite a relief. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be able to graduate from college in only two more years.

  Saying goodbye to Janelle and Claire was difficult, but necessary. The past two months have been excruciating. Janelle has tried to come over as often as she can, but it’s difficult with her schedule. Claire and I still chat, but it isn’t easy for her when I’ve become the most hated girl on campus.

  Daniela managed to spread every vile rumor possible about me. Not only am I called a whore to my face, but people are actually saying that I fuck guys for tuition. People seemed to think it was funny to accidentally spill food or drinks all over my clothes or head. It didn’t take long for me to realize that while I was no longer in the middle of the ghetto afraid for my life, the people here can be just as terrifying. The entire school now sees me as a slut. I’m the girl who put Vincent Borignone behind bars.

  Vincent’s warnings about his rivals finding out about me still knock around in my head. But I guess Daniela was good for something; the rumors she spread make it pretty clear that I’m not his ex-lover, but a bona fide enemy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cartel sends me a goddamn fruit basket at this point.

  I pull my stringy hair back with a tie, unconcerned with the fact that I haven’t worn makeup in months and I haven’t washed my hair since last Saturday. The only thing I care about now are grades and moving on with my life.

  One thing is for sure: the world doesn’t owe me shit. But, I’m prepared to work hard and succeed at my goals. I still intend on going to law school after I finish my undergraduate degree. None of my plans have to change.

  I’m still working through the fact that Vincent and I are totally done. While I do think we had love, he always made it clear that there was another side to him. I guess I was too dumb and blind to notice. I wish I had someone to really talk to about it all. But the truth is, no one can relate to what happened to me. Talking about it is nothing but futile. I just want to bury my feelings, along with the memory of him. It’s too painful to deal with.

  That’s not to say I haven’t had compulsive conversations with him in my head. They go something like this:

  “Vincent! Why? How could you do that to me?”

  “I just wanted to know what it felt like to have someone at home.”

  Or, other times, he’d say:

  “I just couldn’t control my urges; I’m a sexual man, and I was never willing to say no to a woman.”

  And every so often, he’d say:

  “No baby. I made Angelo lie. I had to save you from my enemies. I had to make sure you had no hope left so that everyone knew we were over.”

>   Somehow, I vaguely remember him whispering something about art the night he came home before he broke things off. But for the life of me, I can’t remember what he was talking about. But what good would it do, anyway? He wanted me gone, and he got his wish.

  I look around my now-empty dorm room. I can’t believe that only a few hours ago, this space was filled with books and clothes, and now, it’s completely abandoned and empty. It’s oddly wistful.

  I can smell Angelo coming down the hall and let out a quiet laugh. Finally, he steps inside, placing a warm hand on my back. “Ready, sweetheart?”

  Somehow, his scent makes me feel secure. I take a deep breath before handing him two pieces of luggage to bring down to the car.

  ***

  LaGuardia Airport is mayhem, but Angelo and I make it to the gate with a few minutes before boarding. Before we get onto the plane, I stuff my hand in the small zipper pocket inside my purse, trying to find a piece of gum. I feel something hard. I pull it out and lift it closer to my face to inspect it. It’s a silver boot charm.

  “What is this?”

  I hand it to Angelo, and he looks at it. “It looks like a boot.”

  “No shit,” I laugh. “But why is this here?”

  He chuckles. “How the hell am I supposed to know? You girls have tons of random junk in your bags.” For a moment, I remember Claire’s gigantic bag, and I smile.

  But of course, my mind starts racing. The only charms I’ve ever had were from the keychain Vincent gave me. But, why is it here? Could it have fallen off the chain? Maybe Vincent had something to do with this—did he remove it off the keychain? Was he trying to tell me something? I swallow back tears as I get on the plane. My mind is probably playing tricks on me, looking for anything as a sign of hope.

  I walk onto the flight, handing my ticket to the stewardess. She smiles kindly, gesturing to my seat.

  I pause, turning around to Angelo behind me. “You didn’t have to get us first class.”