It was hard for Angel to concentrate on picking something when the cashier came out from behind the counter to watch them closer. Therefore, he just grabbed a pack of powdered doughnuts, not wanting to make his brother any later.
Dominic took them to their elementary school every morning before he went to his classes at the middle school, which always caused him to be late. The school was going to fail his older brother if he continued with his tardiness.
“You better be paying for those, boy, and I want to check all your backpacks before you leave. You little shits are sneaky nowadays,” the foul-looking cashier spat at Dominic.
Now Angel understood why everyone was staring at them.
Looking down at his dirty clothes, he figured it didn’t look like they had enough money to afford a pack of gum.
“We have money,” a young Dominic growled back as he picked up a honey bun for himself.
The cashier laughed in their faces. “Yeah, I bet you do.”
A flash appeared behind his brother’s eyes. Even though he was only thirteen, his height and stature made him look older.
Taking a step toward the man, Dominic growled once more, pulling out a twenty-dollar bill their father had thrown at them earlier, “I. Said. We. Got. Money.”
Sure, they weren’t rich, but money was never the issue. With their father being who he was, people would give him their life savings if they thought he wanted it badly enough. The issue was parenting.
Turning his back to them, the cashier headed toward his spot behind the register. “Good, then pay for your shit and get outta here.”
“Do you know who our father is?” Dominic asked so coldly that the obese man stopped in his tracks. Then a simple whisper revealed a name that had the customers scurrying to leave. “Lucifer.”
The eyes that had stared at Angel in suspicion now held fear. In that moment, he would never forget how it felt like thousands of dung beetles covered his body as their tiny legs skated across his skin.
The old man began to stutter, about to piss himself. “I-I-I didn’t know. I-I’m s-sorry.”
“Matthias, get the candy you wanted,” Dominic ordered his little brother without taking his eyes off the cashier.
Matthias wasted no time obeying, grabbing the gummies he had originally picked up and holding them with his second choice of plain doughnuts.
Putting the twenty back in his pocket, Dominic grinned as they all began to leave. “If you’d like, I’ll have my dad come by to pay you back?”
All the cashier did was violently shake his head from side to side.
“Thought so.” Dominic spat on the floor before leaving.
It was everything Angel could do not to run from the eyes and the whispers that had travelled through the air, but he hadn’t. Instead, he had chosen to walk steadily beside his proud older brother while making a silent promise to himself that he would do whatever it took not to have the beetles crawl over his skin again …
…The doors he stood beside flew open as students started to file out. He waited until it seemed like no one was left when the door flew open again, two giggling girls coming out. The tall brunette already belonged to a Caruso, but the short one was the one who had already gotten under his skin.
Following behind them with Tom, he whispered over to him, “Exactly who did Lucca assign me to watch?”
When his question was answered with a single smile, Angel’s eyes went back to the short, troublesome brunette.
Adalyn.
It was a nice name … for an unfortunate girl.
Six
Chicken Nuggets Wait for No One
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were the girls’ long days, having two classes in the morning and one in the afternoon, giving them time for lunch in between. They usually went to the cafeteria during their break, which gave them a couple of options, or one of the few fast food options in the school’s mini food court—Adalyn’s obvious favorite.
They also usually met Elle and Maria at the cafeteria, but Adalyn wondered if they might eat off campus today, considering who was just a few feet behind her, following her, distracting the hell out of her.
“You okay?” Lake whispered for her ears alone.
No. “Yes.”
Her friend’s face didn’t look like she had bought the lie.
Reaching the cafeteria, Adalyn was shocked to see the other girls already sitting at a table with their food. By the look on Maria’s face, she didn’t seem pleased, especially as she watched Angel take a seat at the table next to theirs with the other Carusos.
Honestly, Adalyn’s face didn’t look happy either, but hers was because of the food on Elle’s plate, which consisted of beef tips in some gross-looking brown gravy, and Maria’s plate, which was the same every day—some leaves from the salad bar. Ew.
“That looks good, Elle. I think I’m gonna get that.” Lake eyed her plate.
Adalyn practically choked on the bile coming up from her stomach. “The hell it does!”
“I think it tastes pretty good,” Elle said, taking a bite.
Even Maria made a disgusted face at her. “That’s why I got a salad.”
Rolling their eyes, they all snapped at the beautiful blonde who cared about her appearance a little too much, “You always get a salad!”
“You’re really gonna eat that gross stuff that looks like it cost them five cents to make?” Adalyn looked at her BFF, praying she said no.
“I grew up on poor people food, remember? I was raised to never turn down good-looking, cheap food. You two will never understand.” Lake looked back at her friend and Maria, knowing Elle had grown up frugal, too.
“You’re nasty, and I can’t believe you’re gonna make me eat leaves instead of going to the food court.”
“I’ll take you,” a laidback voice spoke, making them all turn their heads to see Angel appearing as laidback as his voice.
“Really?” she asked, contemplating it, even though that meant she would be alone with him. She then looked toward Tom to see if he would even allow it and was answered with a nod.
Hm, I don’t know if I should …
Maria flipped her hair. “Salads taste goo—”
“Let’s go.” Adalyn quickly stood, cutting off her nonsense and hurting the blonde’s feelings, if she even has any.
“This is to pay for her food.” Tom handed a platinum card to Angel.
Adalyn was already halfway to the food court before he placed the card in his pocket. Chicken nuggets wait for no one.
“I’ll take the twenty-piece nuggets.” She smiled at the cashier before turning to look at Angel. “You want anything?”
“Um, no thanks.”
While he handed the card over to the cashier, a beautiful bag filled with nuggets was brought to the counter.
“Thank you, God,” she said, taking the bag and filling it with ketchup packets before going to a small table.
Angel joined her as she pulled the contents from the bag and began pouring out ketchup to dunk the nuggets in.
Popping one in her mouth, she tried to break the awkwardness between them. “You sure you don’t want anything?”
A nod was all she got from the tatted man sitting across from her, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed in front of him. He looked like he had not a care in the world.
“How’s your first day going?” she asked, trying to start another conversation with him.
This time, all she got was a shrug.
Her blood was beginning to boil now. She didn’t care for his attitude and wondered if she had a penis, would he talk to her then?
“Are you ever going to say more than two words to me?”
“I said I would take you here, not talk to you,” he told her simply.
Smiling big, she couldn’t help herself. “And I said I wouldn’t tell anyone about your thieving hands, but it just might slip out.”
His black depths flashed at her before a long, ink-covered hand reached out towa
rd her. She didn’t know what to expect and was shocked when he took a nugget from her pile and dipped it in the ketchup.
“You talk a lot.”
She pulled them closer to her. “And you steal a lot.”
“You can’t really eat all those, can you?” he asked before placing the stolen one in his mouth.
“Watch me.”
Going back to his uncaring pose, he was the one to keep the conversation going. “Does Lucca always buy your food?”
It took her a second to realize he must have been referring to Lucca’s name being on the card Tom had given him. She thought it was a weird question for him to ask, yet she figured she wasn’t telling him anything he wouldn’t know soon enough. “He makes sure we’re not only safe here at school, but taken care of, too.”
The hidden look on his face was telling her he had an opinion on that.
“Something wrong about that?”
Reaching over slower this time, he took another nugget. “I think he babies you girls.”
She couldn’t be more appalled. “He does not.”
“Does, too. I doubt any woman or girl in the Caruso family has a job.”
Adalyn had to actually think for a second. “That’s not true at all.”
“Are they married to soldiers?” he asked, knowing all too well what the answer was.
So what? “The ones who are married to men higher up all have children to take care of—that’s a job.”
“Yes, it is, but not all mothers have the luxury to get to be stay-at-home moms.”
“I know that, but what do you want me to say? Sorry that Lucca and our family are letting us get an education to work in the future? It’s not like we’re being lazy.”
Stealing another nugget, he smiled devilishly as he dunked it into the ketchup generously. “No, but you are spoiled.”
“Will you stop stealing my freaking nuggets!” She pulled them even closer to her and to the very edge of the table. “And I’m not spoiled! I feel sorry for the women in the Luciano family,” she scoffed.
“You shouldn’t. We take great care of them.” That devilish smile still clung to his lips as he finished with a wink that almost made her forget about his sexist comment.
“I bet you do,” she said so sarcastically she hoped he couldn’t hear the secreted swoon in her voice. However, she was sure he noticed by the smug look on his face. Instead of mentioning it, though, he said something else as he leaned back.
“Your friends are coming.”
“Is Maria with them?” Taking a bite of a nugget, she could only hope.
Crossing his arms over his chest, his face went back to not giving a fuck. “Unfortunately.”
She actually chuckled before she remembered she was supposed to hate him. “Thief.”
“Brat,” he whispered under his breath as he got up to let the girls have the table.
Dammit, Adalyn, get yourself together.
“How were your nuggets?” A suspicious-looking Maria asked as she sat down next to her.
“Amazing.”
When Maria went to open her mouth, she stopped her.
“I swear to God, if you say your salad was, too, I’ll take your heels off and pull a Maria on yourself.”
The pretty blonde snapped her mouth shut.
Elle’s big blue eyes became curious. “What’s a Mari—”
“Maria,” Lake began quickly, knowing the subject needed to be changed, “can you please tell Adalyn that there’s no unspoken rule that, if you go to McDonalds at one in the morning, you’re automatically considered a fat-ass, no matter your size, but if you go with a friend, it’s considered ‘cool’?”
As she reached to steal a juicy nugget, it didn’t take her a second to answer, “I can’t because it exists.”
Seven
Channing Fucking Tatum
Walking through her front door, she huffed, beginning to mumble underneath her breath, “Stupid jerk. Asshat. Dick—”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“N-nothing,” she quickly replied, taken off guard. She hadn’t seen Vincent sitting on the couch when she had come in.
He suspiciously looked at her for a moment. “You sure about that?”
Remembering how Angel had ignored her completely on the way home, she was about to open her mouth and tell him how much she hated men at the moment, when “Yes” came out instead. Just as well. She would save it until she got really pissed off. “Why are you here?”
“Last time I checked, this was still my home.”
Throwing herself down on the couch, she sunk into it. “Oh yeah, I forgot you have, like, five homes.”
“I have three.” Lifting three fingers, he began to list them. “My dad’s, my penthouse, and here.”
“Aren’t you always over at the Caruso house? That’s like four.”
“We don’t really hang out over there much anymore since we got the penthouses. Plus …” Vincent paused for a second. “Lucca may or may not have banned me from the house for the time being.”
Busting out in laughter, she could barely get her words out. “He banned you? What did you do now?”
“He didn’t like the way I smiled at Chloe; said I was flirting with her.”
“Were you?” She laughed even harder.
“No! That’s just my fucking face!” he yelled over her cackling, getting frustrated.
It was true; it was just his face. Her stepbrother was a pretty boy, born with a gorgeous face. His striking baby blue eyes didn’t help either. Flirting came easy to him with the countless girls and women who had thrown themselves at him, and now he didn’t even have to try to flirt. It was just … his face. It was like if Jonah Hill smiled at you; it would just be a nice gesture. But if Channing Tatum smiled at you, then … I don’t know about you, but I’m goin’ to my grave claiming Channing fucking Tatum flirted with me.
She was also missing the obvious—him being grossly happy with her best friend. Sometimes she really missed her brother’s old, slutty ways when she wanted McDonalds at one in the morning.
“I’m sorry.” She tried to contain her laughter. “It must be so hard being beautiful.”
Vincent nodded in agreement, clearly not getting her sarcasm. “It’s a curse.”
“Oh God.” Adalyn got up, going to the kitchen. She’d had enough of pretty people shit after Maria earlier today. “At least Maria has a brain,” she whispered to herself.
“Did you say something?” Vincent asked, following behind her.
“Nope.” Grabbing an apple from the counter, she bit into it while looking at her brother, who looked like he had something to say. “Are you gonna tell me why you’re here or not?”
Picking up his own apple, he took a huge bite of what looked like half the apple. “I came to hang out with my favorite sister, is all.”
“Only sister,” she corrected.
“And,” Vincent continued, clearly getting to the point, “to see how your day went.”
“How my day went?” Staring at him, she quickly realized why he was here. “Does Angel have anything to do with it?”
“Maybe.”
“My day was fine. You can leave now. Bye.”
“Don’t be like that, Adalyn. Lucca’s the one who made me ask you. He wanted to make sure you felt comfortable with Angel.”
Lucca? “Why wouldn’t he just ask me himself?”
Vincent took another bite of the apple, obviously not wanting to answer until she shoved him hard enough. “Probably because he knows you’re in love with him.”
“I am not!” she lied, of course.
Rolling his eyes, he saw right through her. “Like hell, you’re not. I wouldn’t be surprised if him saying darlin’ is your ringtone and his face is your screensaver.”
Excuse me?
Actually, that’s not a bad idea …
“Don’t you have orders you need to go follow or something?”
“Fine.” While he threw the core of his apple away, hi
s tone got serious. “For the time being, Angel will be your bodyguard, and even though I don’t like it, Lucca insisted. You’ll tell me if he does or says anything the family should know, right?”
Gulping down the lump in her throat, she hoped she had somehow become a better liar in the last thirty seconds. “Of course.”
His baby blues stared at her a moment longer before he nodded and started to leave, making her sigh in relief. She had seen it in his eyes that he didn’t trust Angel for one second.
“Vincent?” she quietly called, making him stop.
Turning around, she now saw hope in his eyes that there was something she knew about Angel that he didn’t. “Yes?”
“Do you happen to have a picture of Lucca?”
Angel sat on his bed, rolling the horseshoe ring between his fingers before placing it on his nightstand.
Does the ring belong to you? the brunette’s voice rang through his head.
Pulling out his phone, he searched through his contacts, then stared down at the picture that now filled the screen. It was of a slightly younger version of him with his arm wrapped around a beautiful, smiling girl.
Bella.
Eight
Dear Heavenly Father, If You Want to Keep Me A Virgin…
She took a deep breath as the car pulled up. She had decided to start over with Angel and was going to give him a pass for yesterday since it had been his first day on the job. That must have been why he’d treated her that way.
When the car stopped, she slid in, shutting the door behind her, and smiled wide, determined to make this a great day. “Morning, boys.”
“Morning,” Tom replied, putting the car in drive.
It hadn’t been his response she’d been waiting for.
Sitting there patiently, waiting, she realized the tatted one wasn’t going to give her a response.
Okay …
Adalyn took another deep breath, wanting to try again. “So, how was your first day, Angel?”
“Fine.” It was a quick, almost irritated response.
Angel (Made Men Book 5) Page 3
