KON (Trassato Crime Family Book 2)

by Lisa Cardiff

  Oh hell no. Not this again.

  I focused on the floor to ceiling windows in front of me, desperately searching for Evie’s telltale strawberry blonde hair. Now close to lunchtime, throngs of umbrella-wielding people filled the street. Pregnant gray clouds hovered over the skyline. It was going to rain. My feet itched with the need to hit the pavement and splash in the puddles like I did with Gian and Rocco when we were kids.

  As silly as it sounded, I loved walking in the rain. It washed away the dirt and sins of the city like the symbolic dunk in the baptismal basin. The smell, so clean and pure, was unlike anything in the world.

  “It’s only been a week,” I answered, glancing at my watch. Evie’s rehearsal ended nearly an hour ago. She could walk in the door any minute, and I’d have a clusterfuck of the first order on my hands. “We can do something tonight. Meet me at The Salty Fork for dinner. I haven’t been there yet. Surely you can snag us reservations. Text me the time and I’ll meet you there.”

  I started packing away my belongings, hoping he’d get the hint I wanted him to leave. When I finished, I chugged the last of my coffee and checked my phone.

  “A week,” he mused, tapping me on the shoulder with his tatted finger, and completely ignoring all my attempts to get rid of him. “That’s seven days too many. This whole thing has been hanging over our heads for over a year. I’d like to get my life back as soon as possible. Wouldn’t you?”

  “What’s the point?” I shrugged. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of boxed in here. I end up with you or I do my family’s bidding and marry Nico. Neither of which appeal to me. I’m in no rush.”

  “You could have refused my dad’s offer.”

  “You’re right, I could have, only I’m not that cold-blooded. I wanted to help your sister and my brother.”

  I turned to the front window again for the sixth time in the last minute or two. Kon probably assumed I had a nervous tic. I spotted Evie standing across the street. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed it to her ear.

  Not good. So not good.

  Without a doubt, I looked more than a little unhinged. My eyes were as wild as the chaotic drum of my heart. When I envisioned how this whole thing with Kon would work, I never progressed beyond feeling sorry for myself and wondering how I’d get out of it. The impending confrontation with Evie crammed the cold hard reality in my face.

  My brother would freak. Like go on a murderous rampage freak. And Evie…well, she only mentioned her brother once in the last year, and it was to affirmatively state she never wanted to see him again. That he was a lying, traitorous piece of crap. In hindsight, I should have pled his case a little and let her in on the secret that he was instrumental in getting her sociopathic dad to back off and consent to their relationship without using it to his advantage.

  I popped out of my seat like a jack-in-the-box.

  “What’s wrong?” Kon said.

  “Evie’s here,” I hissed.

  “Evie,” he parroted, his gaze leaping to the front window. “What the hell is she doing here?”

  “Meeting me.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re friends. She’s my sister-in-law, or did you forget?”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “If you didn’t notice, I was trying to get rid of you.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.” He rubbed his knuckles across his jaw, his shirt stretching across the contours of his chest. “All the same, you could have clued me into the exact reason why you wanted me to leave.”

  “How did you find me here anyway?”

  “I have my ways.” His body tensed for a beat, then a huge smile slid across his face.

  “Well, do me a favor and disappear, like right now.”

  He took his sweet freaking time lumbering from the chair, and I curled my hands into the hem of my shirt to prevent myself from succumbing to the urge to push him across the room.

  “So I’ll see you tonight?”

  “What are you doing? Go, get out of here,” I snapped, my teeth clenched, and my hands balled into fists.

  “Are you afraid of my sister?”

  “No, but I am afraid of my entire family figuring out that we’re doing whatever.”

  “No matter how this plays out, your family’s gonna find out about us.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and his hand lingered near my neck. “You understand that, right, solnyshka?”

  “Not yet, please. I need a little more time to figure things out.”

  “It’s better to rip off the bandage and get it over with. Don’t you agree?”

  My eyes latched onto his ocean blue ones, secrets and mischief dancing right beneath the surface. I couldn’t look away. My lungs constricted and my palms were sweaty.

  He bent his head until his lips brushed the shell of my ear, and his fingers slid up my neck, cradling the back of my head. Chills danced down my arms. “Relax. Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

  “Carmela, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me your news when we talked this morning,” Evie said, flinging open the door. She stared at her phone with a huge grin on her face, still ignorant to the metaphorical bomb about to explode.

  His voice velvety as honey yet cold as ice, Kon said, “Evie, it’s been a long time.”

  Her mouth opened and closed in quick succession. She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Carmela,” she said, her voice ragged and her face paper white. “What’s he doing here with you?”

  His hand flexed on the back of my head, signaling me not to respond. “Carmela and I are…friends. Isn’t that right?”

  “Friends?” Squinting until I could no longer see the whites of her eyes, Evie aimed a shaky finger at Kon. “If this is another one of your tricks to mess with my life—”

  “It’s not.” His hand dropped from my head, and I felt…bereft. Kon glanced at his sister then planted a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll text you about later.”

  He opened the glass door and disappeared into the maze of umbrellas, leaving me to deal with fallout.

  “What the hell was that about?” Evie yelled, her voice louder and more confident in her brother’s absence. “Please tell me you’re not hanging out with Kon. I don’t care what he says. I don’t trust him.”

  “Like he said, we’re friends, of sorts.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You don’t have anything in common. ”

  “We met to figure out how to get you and Gian back together.” I shrugged, trying to convey a casualness that contradicted my skyrocketing blood pressure and damp brow. “Since then, we’ve been friendly. Besides, he’s your brother, cut him some slack. He can’t be as bad as you’re imagining. He’s always been nice to me.”

  For the most part, that was true, although I didn’t like the way he and his father had backed me into a corner. Admittedly, I could have walked away and let Evie and Gian figure it out themselves. In hindsight, they probably would’ve ended up together regardless of what I did. They were meant to be together. Even jaded and emotionally wounded, I could see that.

  “I can’t forgive him.”

  “You used to be close. You talked about him all the time even though you hadn’t seen him in years.”

  “I don’t know much about him anymore except that he’s a different person than when we were kids.” Her brown eyes clouded for a second, and she swallowed hard. “There’s nothing happening between you two, right?”

  I wanted to tell her no, only I couldn’t. I didn’t know what would happen between us down the road, and like Kon said, I might as well get the hard stuff over with. “It’s complicated. You don’t need to worry, though, I know it’s not going anywhere.”

  I cringed at my words. I couldn’t promise that. Admittedly, Kon wanted out of this arrangement as much as I did, but that didn’t mean anything. Nico’s reaction wasn’t a sure thing. He didn’t love me or feel all that passionate toward me. Our limited
kisses could only be described as friendly and not all that attention grabbing. He might lose all interest in me once he found out about Kon.

  “Wow, um, okay.” She tugged on the scarf around her neck like she couldn’t breathe. “I’m confused. I thought you and Nico were—”

  “Nico and I are exploring a possible future, though I don’t feel much of anything for him beyond friendship. He goes out of his way to make sure our dates go smoothly. He treats me well. That’s all it is right now. Maybe it will change down the line. I can’t say for sure.”

  “Really?” Evie frowned, and her eyebrows snapped together. “Your mom told Gian and I that you and Nico plan to announce your engagement next weekend at Dominick’s birthday party.”

  “What?” My head jerked back like I’d been slapped. If my family and Nico went behind my back and arranged this, I’d lose my mind. “That’s news to me.”

  “Wow. Okay. That’s weird. Nico took her to lunch yesterday to sort out the details. She called me on the phone a couple of minutes ago. She told me she was taking you shopping tomorrow for an engagement dress.”

  A chill darted down my spine, and I swung my head wildly from side to side. “No, I never agreed to any of this. I’m not ready to jump into another relationship. I’m still figuring things out.”

  “Since you feel something for my brother?” Her face looked like she’d sniffed something repulsive. “I can guarantee he’s using you. He has an agenda. He always did, he always will. He’s not a nice person. Not anymore. My dad ruined everything good in him.”

  “People aren’t black and white, Evie. You of all people should understand this. My brother isn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination, yet you overlook that because you love him.”

  “You’re not suggesting you’re in love with Kon, are you?” Her voice rose an octave or two, and she looked like she was on the verge of having a panic attack with her flared eyes, short, rapid breaths, and clenched hands. People at the nearby tables stared, too interested to pretend they weren’t listening. “He’s a bastard. He nearly ruined my life. Gian hates him. He does bad stuff. Gian told me a few things, and it’s ugly.”

  I picked up my messenger bag and slung it over my shoulder. “While I’m sure that’s true, you don’t need to worry about me falling for your brother. My shot at a happily ever after fairytale expired the moment Rocco took his last breath. And let’s face it, my family wants me to marry Nico. I probably will at some point seeing that’s what everyone expects me to do. It doesn’t matter either way. I’m only going through the motions these days.”

  I clamped my mouth shut. I couldn’t say anything else unless I wanted to risk a full breakdown. Every damn time I talked about Rocco, it felt like I was suffocating. I waved and took a few uncoordinated steps toward the exit, feeling lightheaded and sick deep in the pit of my stomach.

  “Don’t leave.” She grabbed my hand. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s talk about this.”

  “I can’t. Not right now. I’ve gotta go.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Konstantin

  Sitting in one of the hottest restaurants in the city with an empty seat across from me and an open bottle of sparkling wine was humbling to say the least. I scrolled through my phone and checked for a missed text or voicemail from Carmela. She blew off our dinner date after confirming by text earlier this afternoon. It marked the first time I’d been stood up for a date since high school, and I didn’t like it. I’d dressed in my best black suit and tie despite the fact the blue tie felt like a noose around my neck.

  When forty minutes had passed and I still hadn’t heard a word from her, I had a choice to make. I could stay and make the best of the night or tuck tail and run like a wounded boy. Not wanting to show any weakness or unease, I drank the bottle of wine and ate a small meal instead of storming out of the restaurant. I didn’t like people knowing I cared.

  All that changed the minute my dad’s name flashed across my phone. I declined it. The third time he called, I answered. I knew better than to press Bloody Alix, as his enemies called him. While he was my flesh and blood, he wouldn’t hesitate to put me in my place. Despite the fact he was a fucking prick most of the time, I respected him.

  I dropped a couple of hundreds on the table and walked out of the restaurant with the phone next to my ear. “Did you did need something?”

  “Konstantin, what the fuck is going on? You said you had this thing with the Trassato chick under control.”

  “I do. You need to back off and stop micromanaging me. She’s a woman, not a business deal. This is going to take a little finesse.”

  “Yeah, well, you need to alter your strategy right fucking now considering you already managed to make a mess out of this situation. I mean, I fucking handed you Carmela Trassato on a silver platter and you sat on your hands, drowning yourself in booze and whores for the better part of the year.”

  “Don’t push me. I’m not in the mood.” I closed my car door a little harder than necessary, enjoying the satisfying thud. The engine of my BMW roared and my tires squealed as I sped away from the curb.

  “I’ve got this under control,” I growled. “Carmela’s on the same page.”

  He chuckled sarcastically, his taunt echoing in my ears. “You’ve been played, Kon. Everyone’s saying she’s announcing her engagement to Nico in less than two weeks at Dominick’s house.”

  Pain sliced through my chest, and I slammed on my brakes. The rear of my car skidded to the side. My head jerked forward, then backward, hitting the headrest. I didn’t say anything for second. I couldn’t. Thoughts of Carmela and the way she clung to me at the club banged around in my head along with the skittish way she’d behaved today. He was right. She played me. I rammed the heel of my hand into the dashboard. Fire shot up my arm and my hand throbbed in time with my anger. “How do you know?”

  “It’s not a secret. Everyone knows. I can’t believe you don’t. That’s all I’ve heard about for the last two hours. The fucking DiTonnos rubbed it in my face.” His voice turned low and threatening. “She made a joke out of us and I don’t like it. I won’t let this go. I don’t give a fuck about the Trassatos or all of their connections. I’m not afraid to take them out. As a matter of a fact, Nico will be the first to go, along with Carmela. We can take care of this at the party.”

  “We’re not doing anything yet. We still have time to sort this out.”

  I stepped on the gas pedal again, speeding down the street, weaving in and out of traffic and ignoring the honks and angry hand gestures. I had no idea where I was going. I only knew I needed to drive and clear my head.

  “I’m done playing games with the Trassatos. They’ve screwed me over for the last time.”

  “What the fuck are you suggesting? We storm Dominick’s house and get in some sort of gunfight? We don’t have the manpower to go head to head with them. You know that. That’s why we cut the deal with the DiTonnos last year.”

  “Fine, then we’ll have them help us.”

  I tightened my grip on the steering wheel until my knuckles whitened. This was a disaster in the making. “Give me a week. That’s all I’m asking for. Carmela doesn’t want to marry Nico any more than she wants to marry me. I think I can get her to walk this back and buy us some more time to use her as leverage to work out a deal with Nico or Dominick.”

  His blew out a heavy breath. “Fine. I’ll give you a week and not one day more. If she doesn’t bend to our will, I’ll need time to prepare our next move.”

  He disconnected the phone before I could respond, and music boomed through my speakers instead of his voice. I powered off my phone, not wanting to hear from anyone else tonight. I had all of the bad news I could take. Everything else would have to wait until my I got my head screwed on right.

  Hour after hour passed, and I drove through the streets trying to come up with a plan. While my gut told me Carmela wouldn’t intentionally screw me over, I didn’t know much about her. My father and I had used h
er good intentions to our advantage, cornering her until she didn’t have any choice but to accept a shitty deal. Unfortunately for us, cornered prey eventually lashed out.

  She didn’t want to marry Nico, that much was evident. However, given an option between the two of us, she clearly decided he was the better choice. That was fine. I didn’t want to marry her either.

  Without question, I liked the way her curves felt under my hands and the sensation of her lips gliding against mine. None of those things changed the way I felt about getting involved with a woman for more than a night or two, though. My relationships with Laney and my mom left a sour taste in my mouth and taught me women weren’t worth the trouble. They always betrayed you in the end.

  For all that, I couldn’t explain why I ended my journey two blocks away from the Trassatos’ family home. I got out of my car and ambled down the street, my eyes taking in the spaced out homes and big trees complete with tire swings and yard art. If there was something I missed about Nebraska, it was the wide-open spaces where you could breathe clean air and be alone somewhere other than inside your apartment.

  My father’s years of indoctrination echoed in my ears.

  Negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness. Never show anyone you care. Be the first to walk away.

  None of those sentiments jived with a trip to the Trassatos’ house to confront Carmela in the middle of the fucking night, yet there I was standing on the sidewalk in front of their home like a stalker. If Dominick or Gian heard about this, I’d be as good as dead.

  Fuck, my dad would probably kill me himself if he found out. He wanted this union, or more accurately, he wanted to get something out of the threat of a union between Carmela and me. He didn’t care if we ever tied the knot. More importantly, though, he didn’t want me to alert the Trassatos to a possible counterpunch, which was reason enough to march back to the car and get my ass home. Only I knew I wouldn’t stop myself now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I heard her explanation.