by Bethany-Kris
Don’t shame me.
Right.
Joel could be an entitled, cocky asshole. Just seeing him chatting with someone affiliated with the Vegas Cosa Nostra family made a chill run down Alessa’s spine. Joel Trentini only talked to syndicates when he was looking to set something up. Alessa tried to keep up to date with most of the important events in the Outfit. That way, little came as a surprise to her.
Nothing was happening other than the feud between the four major families and tonight, three of those families were sharing a space for the sake of a wedding. Maybe if it kept on this way, the Conti family would eventually be pacified into reconciling. Alessa hoped so.
She didn’t like the fact that her brother was making small talk with a syndicate like he didn’t want anyone else to hear. Little problems had a way of growing much bigger and Joel was sneaky sometimes. He thrived on drama when he figured he had something to win from it all.
The only thing her brother could possibly do was force the divide between the families wider. Alessa didn’t want to see the Conti family pushed further away than they already were. The DeLucas would surely follow the Conti side now that Ben DeLuca was dead after being shot at the Trentini home weeks ago. Theo and Dino DeLuca were much closer to the Conti family than the Trentinis.
The Rossi family was still a toss-up.
Where did that leave Adriano Conti?
Where did that leave Alessa?
Thinking about Adriano made a dull pain settle into Alessa’s heart. Adriano, Riley Conti’s only son, was another casualty in the Outfit’s mess. Because his father was fighting with Alessa’s grandfather, their families had been pushed apart. The two had never put any titles on one another that would get them into trouble with the Outfit. Adriano had been the one person who got close enough for her to let in besides her sister. She kept her heart protected, because her availability was never guaranteed as the granddaughter of the boss, but Adriano had a way of breaking through her walls.
Nothing was ever easy.
Alessa cleared her throat and downed the rest of her drink, not wanting to stay on those thoughts for long. A form crept in beside Alessa, making her tense. Dean Artino said nothing as he watched the guests mingle. Alessa wondered what game the guy was trying to play with her today.
Dean backed off on Alessa a lot over the years, but he still managed to insert his nasty self into her life every once in a while. Mostly, Adriano’s presence kept Dean at a safe distance. Her grandfather and brother had always considered Adriano a chaperone of sorts for Alessa, one that wouldn’t cross any lines and knew the rules.
They didn’t know a damn thing. Alessa and Adriano broke those rules in the back seat of his 1969 Camaro SS just after her seventeenth birthday.
But with the Conti and Trentini families fighting, Alessa was left without her chaperone. Dean had apparently taken notice as he’d been around a lot more lately, leaving Alessa feeling ickier than ever.
“Evening, Alessa.”
“Dean,” Alessa greeted politely.
She figured there was no reason to be rude to the man. Not yet, anyway.
“I didn’t see you at Ben DeLuca’s funeral,” Dean said, giving her a look from the side.
Alessa shrugged. “I was there.”
In the back, far away from Dean.
“Sad day,” Dean murmured.
“It was.”
Dean laughed. “No, I meant today.”
Alessa’s brow furrowed. “Why is today a sad day? The wedding was beautiful and the couple is happy. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
“DeLucas shouldn’t marry lower than their status,” Dean said in explanation. “That would be like Abriella running off to marry whoever she wanted. Lily married into the Rossi family. That’s a goddamn shame.”
“You forget your last name isn’t DeLuca, Dean.”
“My mother’s was.”
Alessa fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Just because Ben was my grandfather’s underboss—”
“Soon to be my father,” Dean interjected lowly.
“What?”
Dean grinned. The sight was almost predatory in nature. “With Ben gone, a seat needs filled in the family. Terrance might have looked to Riley as an underboss for a while but with the whole mess going on right now, that isn’t going to happen.”
“Dino DeLuca,” Alessa said instantly, referring to the bride’s oldest brother. “He’ll be considered the head of the DeLuca family with Ben dead.”
Dino was a Capo in good standing, and for the most part, ran a great portion of the DeLuca crew alongside his now deceased uncle, his brother Theo, and Dean’s father.
“He could easily step into Ben’s spot,” Alessa added.
“Sure he could,” Dean agreed. “Except that nasty trial he’s got coming up. Everybody knows Dino is going to spend the next twenty years behind bars, doing hard time. And before you toss out Theo DeLuca’s name, let me stop you. The guy is too young.”
Adriano was young, too, Alessa thought, but he had a great deal of control with the Conti crew.
“Like you’re any better?” Alessa snorted indelicately. Her politeness had run its course where Dean was concerned. “You’re only twenty-two.”
“I said my father, not me.”
Alessa shivered, hating the very thought of Dean getting any higher in the mob than he was. As far as she knew, Dean wasn’t made, yet. His father, Walter, didn’t have a high enough standing to give his son the button just because he wanted to. Dean didn’t have the family clout behind him that others in the Outfit had.
But if his father was being considered for Terrance’s new underboss …
Christ.
That would all change.
“Such a shame,” Dean repeated quietly, shaking his head as he continued watching Lily Rossi dance with her brother. “I don’t know why Ben stood for that. She married down, Alessa. Ask anyone.”
Alessa didn’t have to. “She didn’t marry down. You’re just being a snob.”
Dean smirked. “You’re not any different. Besides, with my father higher, he’ll want to align me with someone of a strong name. How do you think you’ll feel about being an Artino?”
Oh, God.
“Not going to happen,” Alessa said shortly.
“You say that now …”
“I’ll say that forever.”
Alessa practically spat the words at him.
She hated this man.
Dean shrugged like it didn’t make a difference. “They’ll want to strengthen the families, Alessa. The war between the Conti and Trentini families has divided all of us in one way or another. Even if the DeLucas aren’t fighting with your family, we’re fighting with someone else’s family. Think about it. Your grandfather is mad at the Rossi family for retaliating on Riley Conti without his permission. Laurent Rossi is digging his heels in on the fact he didn’t do a thing, even though we all know he did.
“Somehow, they’re going to need to reinforce the bonds to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Dean said with a cold smile as he turned to stare Alessa down. “The best way to do that is to connect the families together again. Marriage sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it?”
“Do you want a wife who despises you?” Alessa asked.
Dean reached out and stroked Alessa’s cheek. She refrained from jerking away from him, but only because people would see. “I don’t mind a wife in need of training, Alessa. The good ones always need to be broken in first.”
“What, like a horse?”
“As long as she’s not dead, there’s no reason not to beat her,” he quipped.
Alessa couldn’t believe the gull of him. “You’re disgusting.”
Where did he learn this kind of behavior?
And what was even more awful, why did her grandfather like Dean so damned much?
This was a terrible situation for Alessa to be in. The more she considered Dean’s promises about a marriage between him
and her, the worse she felt. It was as if a spike of dread had been driven straight into her spine, holding her in place.
Alessa had stopped worrying about being married off, especially to a man like Dean. Her grandfather never mentioned much about the issue, but her brother Joel occasionally dropped hints. Alessa had brushed Joel’s comments off as the bullshit it was. Terrance never let his grandson make those kinds of calls.
But her grandfather … Terrance liked Dean. He liked the man’s father, too.
Dean sighed, drawing Alessa from her thoughts. “Tell me …”
Alessa swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. “Tell you what?”
“Did that Conti prick—Adriano—ever get the chance to fuck you like he wanted?”
Ouch.
Alessa did lurch away from Dean that time. His words were as good as a slap. “I beg your pardon?”
Dean’s expression didn’t change a bit as he said, “Just curious, Alessa.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Ah, you don’t have to say a thing,” Dean said, chuckling. “Your face says it all. That’s fine—virgins always cry, anyway. Less fight, you know.”
Jesus Christ.
This man was a vile pig.
“Get away from me,” Alessa snapped.
Dean grinned but didn’t move. “You should get used to the fact that I have a cock hanging between my legs and you don’t. Having that extra appendage means I make all the calls, Alessa. The quicker you realize that, the easier it’ll all be.”
“Eat shit,” Alessa muttered.
“So crass,” Dean scolded, clicking his tongue almost mockingly.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Dean leered. “I plan on seeing everything, remember?”
“I promise that would be the last thing you ever got to see.”
With those words, Alessa left Dean stunned and looking stupid.
Just like he always did.
Alessa needed a breather. The venue picked for the Rossi-DeLuca wedding was more than big enough to handle the amount of guests, but she still felt suffocated by all the people. Italian families didn’t know how to be quiet when it came to a celebration. Hell, the word quiet didn’t even exist.
Stepping outside into the parking lot, Alessa took a deep breath of air. It didn’t seem to matter what time of year it was, Chicago always had a chill and a little bit of wind. August in the city was known to be a rainy month, but the wetness had held off, thankfully. The cool breeze was just what Alessa needed.
Raised voices echoing from around the side of the building caught Alessa’s attention before she could even fully relax. She knew better than to eavesdrop or insert herself into a conversation between men in the Outfit, but those familiar voices drew her in like a moth to the flame.
Alessa peeked around the corner of the building where more cars had been parked. She froze at the sight of Adriano Conti leaning against his familiar 1969 Camaro with his arms crossed and a scowl marring his handsome features. Theo DeLuca stood only feet away from Adriano, looking unruffled and calm as the young man across from him only raged.
“You’re un-fucking-believable,” Adriano said, sneering. “And you’re selfish as hell.”
“Me?” Theo asked, scoffing. “Come on, Adriano. I did my sister a favor; that was all.”
“And you got my sister in trouble in the process!”
Alessa frowned, confused.
Evelina Conti, Adriano’s sister, was supposed to be Lily’s maid of honor. The shootings and murders had pushed Evelina’s father to cull her from the wedding party. Alessa’s sister took Evelina’s place while one of the groom’s cousins acted as the stand-in for a bride’s maid. Nonetheless, Evelina hadn’t shown up at the wedding or reception. At least, not that Alessa knew.
“I’m sorry your father is a fucking asshole right now, but Eve is Lily’s best friend,” Theo said, unaffected. “I figured they would both like to see each other today. It was only for a few minutes. I sent Eve home with someone from a neutral family.”
“You sent her home with one of your cousins,” Adriano growled.
“So?” Theo tossed his hands high, saying, “I could have sent her home with Joel! Would that have been any better? Fuck no. Right now, sending her home with a DeLuca relative was better than sending her home with someone else.”
Adriano’s gaze narrowed. “Now you’re just being an asshole. Nobody is neutral in this, Theo. My father is in a fit and Eve is taking shit for it. Thanks for trying to be nice, but next time, don’t bother at all. She doesn’t need your kind of nice and I don’t want to run around cleaning up any more messes because of your family.”
Theo didn’t even blink at those words. “What is that supposed to mean, Adriano?”
“You know what it fucking means. Leave my sister alone.”
Theo DeLuca was a loyal, happy guy. He could be pretty loud when he wanted to be and he knew how to charm a lady with just a smile. His brother Dino, on the other hand, was quiet, reserved, and sometimes a little intimidating. Lily, the youngest of the three DeLuca siblings, was a mixture of both quiet and good-natured.
Alessa had seen both Theo and Evelina interact over the years, but she hadn’t once seen anything romantic between the two. Then again, Alessa never saw anything intimate between her sister and Tommas Rossi, either, but those two were … yeah.
“Whatever, kid,” Theo said. “I’m over this shit. Here’s the thing, it’s not me who needs to drop it. Let your sister know she can lose my number. I’m done trying with your family. You just lost another ally.”
With those words, Theo turned on his heel and headed back toward the front of the building. Alessa barely managed to slip around the side out of view. Theo didn’t seem to notice Alessa against the wall as he took the stairs two at a time, yanked open the glass door, and disappeared inside the building.
Alessa let out another breath, happy she hadn’t been caught eavesdropping. Turning to peek around the corner of the building again, she came face to face with Adriano. Her heart kick-started at the sight of his grin. He could be playful and sweet when he wanted.
“Adriano,” Alessa whispered.
“Where have you been?” Adriano asked her.
“Here and there. You?”
“Staying out of trouble. Unlike you.” Adriano winked. “You thought I didn’t see you there, huh?”
“I wasn’t listening,” Alessa said.
“That's your story?”
“Yes. And I’m sticking to it.”
“Smart girl,” Adriano said, chuckling.
“I learned from the best.”
The sound of Adriano’s laughter was dark, rich, and deep. It rolled over Alessa’s senses like liquid sugar, promising to make her high and wake her up at the same time. His green eyes surveyed her, looking over the dress she wore and the black pumps on her feet. Adriano had always been able to make the rest of the world disappear when he had Alessa in his sights.
She didn’t have the first clue how to feel about this man. Their closeness over the years had been explained away to everyone around them as nothing more than friendship, but Alessa knew it was more than that.
They had always been more than just friends.
“Cute,” Adriano noted, fingering the capped sleeve of her dress.
Alessa cocked a brow, mocking offense. “Cute? That’s not exactly the look I’m going for tonight.”
Womanly. Grown up. Sexy. Beautiful.
Anything but cute.
“It’s pink,” he said simply.
“So?”
Adriano’s smirk could make a woman wet. Alessa was no exception. “You know I like you best in blue, bella.”
Alessa laughed. “I do. But you’re not here.”
“And you’re not dressing for me, huh?”
Alessa’s heart sank as she considered his words. “You haven’t called me in weeks.”
“I’m trying to keep you out of trouble, Alessa.�
��
“Oh?” she asked.
“Of course. You know how much I care about you.”
Did he?
“And my father is being an asshole,” Adriano added quieter. “Better if I don’t urge him on.”
“I guess.”
Adriano ticked his fingers gently under Alessa’s chin, making her look up at him. The action was so tender, so familiar to them, that it made her heart stutter. “I miss you, though.”
She didn’t have to ask if he meant that. His eyes said it all.
“I miss you, too. It sucks when you’re not around to chase all the jerks off.”
Adriano laughed loudly. “I agree.”
Alessa chose not to mention Dean. Adriano probably had enough crap to deal with and worry about. She didn’t need to add her stupid issues onto him.
A sadness lingered in Adriano’s gaze. Alessa couldn’t have missed it if she tried.
“How are you doing?” Alessa asked.
Adriano smiled briefly, the darkness in his gaze leaving as quickly as it’d come. “With what?”
“Your mom.”
“Oh.” Adriano cleared his throat and stepped around the side of the building, straightening to his full height. That forced Alessa to look up at him. “It’s been a month and a half since she was killed.”
“I know,” Alessa said.
“And it’s not much better,” Adriano admitted.
“I’m sorry.”
Adriano shrugged. “Don’t be. Right now, I’m just waiting this whole mess out and then I can focus on what happened to my mother.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Alessa asked.
“Don’t worry about it, pretty girl.”
Alessa grinned, unable to help herself. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Learn to. How much am I missing in there?” he asked, nodding toward the front doors of the venue.
“The usual,” Alessa replied. “Lots of talk, not much else.”
“Talk leads to gossip and gossip leads to issues. The Outfit has enough of that without adding to it. The talk is what I’m worried about, Alessa.”
