The room soon teems with people carrying guns. Joey is one of them. His face is stony as he takes in the room. He sees me with Vito, and he runs to us.
“Erin!”
“I’m okay.” I tell him. I think I am, anyway. My head is getting funny; I’m feeling dizzy. I wrap my hands around Vito’s neck tightly, and he kisses me. His lips are heaven against my skin. I’m going to pass out.
*****
My eyes flick open unwantedly. I am so tired. My limbs are heavy and weak, but I can’t help but run my hand over the black t-shirt in front of me. Underneath it is a hard chest. Vito. He’s sleeping, and I’m securely snuggled in his arms. Without moving, I look around; we’re in a hotel room. My sister is asleep in a chair near the bed. I try to shift my legs, but one is immobile. Fear grips me. I gaze down the length of my body and see a white cast. Is it broken?
The bed shifts. Someone has sat down next to me, and I twist to see. It’s Clarissa. She smiles at me, and then leans down to hug me.
“You okay?” she whispers.
“Yeah. I’m really tired. You?”
“I was so scared,” she says.
“Me too.” Clarissa rubs my back. “Is everyone all right?”
“Yeah.” She pauses and adds. “Brice is gone.” Her eyes glisten with tears and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell us? It has to do with that night you disappeared. Am I right?”
“I faced it myself. I thought I took care of it.”
“But look what happened!” she says, emotionally. “Don’t you trust us?”
I think about it. I had to know that I could face something like what Brice did at the club without anyone’s help. I fought him off, but the aftermath of that just shows how much more I need to learn about people and their sick intentions. And how much more I need to accept help from my friends.
“I do. I’m sorry.”
“Come back to school with me. It’ll be you, me, and Joey again. Brice is long gone. He won’t bother you.”
“I don’t think I can,” I say softly. Clarissa looks upset again. “Palmetto is my home. No matter what’s there or what’s waiting for me, I want to face it. Staying in California feels like running away to me.”
“You sure it’s not because of….” She points to Vito next to me.
“No… well partly. Mostly it’s because of me.”
“I’m gonna miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too. We’ll have to see each other more often. We can meet at your dad’s casino in Chicago. We’ll go bother him,” I suggest.
“I think he would love that.”
Vito
I lay with my eyes closed, not wanting to get up because that means I’ll have to let go of Erin. I listen to her conversation with Clarissa. She’s coming home! I want her to come home with me to my apartment. I’m so fuckin’ stupid for acting like an asshole, for not going after her and apologizing. I tighten my arms around her and open my eyes.
“He’s awake,” Clarissa says. “I’ll talk to you later. I’m glad you’re okay.”
In my life, I’ve apologized very few times. I don’t make excuses for myself, but I don’t feel bad about a lot of the things I do either. But in this case, I was totally fucking wrong. I hurt someone I care about.
“I’m sorry.”
Erin turns her head towards me. She shifts her body up and towards the pillows to meet my gaze.
“What?”
“I’m sorry for the shit I said. It’s your life. I’m didn’t mean to judge you. I was just taken by surprise.”
“It’s okay.”
“No. It’s not. I was an asshole.”
She waits a moment, and then rolls her eyes slightly. “Yup.” “I can’t guarantee I won’t be an asshole again but I will try to control my response. I was way out of line.”
“Yup.”
“Is that all you’re gonna say?”
“Yup,” she repeats, laughing.
“I’ve been through a lot of shitty things, but losing you is not going to be one of them.”
She looks away from me. I take her face in my hands and turn it back towards me.
“I love you. And I want to be with you. Do you still want that?”
She smiles playfully. “Yup.”” I roll my eyes and ruffle her hair.
She snuggles closer to me, and I hold her tightly. I kiss the top of her head. Hints of red color her roots. I remember her in high school - laughing, jumping around, so full of wonder and life. Then I remember last year, the numbness, the nightmares, and the pain. My girl has conquered so much.
“My leg?” she asks into my shirt. “Is it broken?”
“You’re gonna have to wear a cast for a little while, angel. The bullet nicked the bone.”
“Oh.”
“Does it hurt?” I ask, worried that the medication might be wearing off.
“No.”
*****
“Walking on crutches is going to exhaust her. I think she should be carried,” Megan says as we get out of the limo Senator Talbot sent to us for the ride to the airport.
I help Erin out of the car and a porter comes out of the terminal with a wheel chair.
“I can carry you, Angel, or you can ride in the wheel chair,” I comment, giving her options.
“The wheel chair is fine. You don’t have to carry me.”
“You know I will if you want me to,” I add.
“I know you would, but you don’t need to,” she responds sassily.
Antonio rolls his eyes and tips the limo driver. It wasn’t Daniel. Daniel probably quit. I grab Erin’s crutches out of the trunk and Megan carries her purse. I ain’t fucking doin’ that.
Erin sleeps for most of the flight. Her head leans on my shoulder. I massage the top of her leg above her cast every once in a while. I do it absently, just out of a need to touch her in some way.
This airplane ride goes by way faster than the one we took to get here. But that just means I’m closer to dropping Erin off at home.
I’m not ready to.
Erin
If it’s possible, my mother is doting and livid all at once. She helps me get ready for bed, cooks my favorite meals, all the while slamming everything with way too much force. She hasn’t spoken to Megan or my dad for two days straight.
Vito picks me up for school on Thursday. I can’t stay in bed anymore, and I want to go back to school. I enjoy it. He carries my bag to the car while I hobble down our steps on crutches. Megan walks beside me, just in case I lose my balance.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asks.
“Yeah. I need to get out,” I say, moving slowly so I don’t face plant on the cement at the bottom of the stairs.
Vito comes back up. He takes my crutches and hands them to Megan. He then scoops me up in his arms.
“What are you doing? I can walk by myself.”
“Do you want to do it yourself or be late?” he asks.
“Fine,” I agree reluctantly. “You just want to hold me,” I tease.
“Always.”
*****
Since the whole episode with Brice and Jacko, my relationship with Vito has become stronger. We seem to really understand each other, and we are together almost everyday, except when Vito has “mob stuff” to do. I’ve become suspicious of his work, but I keep my mouth shut. It’s something I don’t need to know just yet.
We’ve gone on a few double dates with Megan and Antonio, and a few with Ronnie and Joanna. Vito is surprised that she’s still around and the Ronnie hasn’t moved on to someone new. I don’t know. I like her. They make a cute couple. He bought her the biggest stuffed snowman I have ever seen. It sat in their apartment until Christmas. You had to shuffle around it to get to the kitchen. Vito bought me a matching diamond necklace for the earrings he gave me for my birthday. He spoils me.
I ended all my college classes with A’s, even with the drama that transpired. Kirk and I are planning on taking classes together again in the spring. His fear of Vito and Ronni
e is slowly dissipating.
“Erin, how did this happen?” Ronnie complains, studying his first college report card.
“I gave Professor Elden a couple of hundreds from my purse.”
“You did?” Ronnie asks bewildered. He totally believes me.
Vito bursts out laughing. He’s in the kitchen making gravy. I’ve been chastised when I’ve called it sauce.
“It would take more than a couple of hundreds,” he murmurs.
“Of course not!” I say, annoyed. “You earned it. With my help,” I add.
“The only B I ever got in my life was in gym.”
“A B?” Vito chuckles. “You didn’t get an A?”
“Nah, they said I fooled around too much. I’m taking this over to Joanna’s. She won’t believe it unless she sees it.” Ronnie grabs his coat. It’s brutally cold outside, even for January. He heads out the door.
“Bye,” I call after him.
Epilogue:
January
Vito
We finish the dinner I made and Erin says she’s tired.
“Go lay down. Take a nap,” I order, clearing the dishes off the table. She shuffles down the hallway to my room. I clean up and follow after her.
I’m crawl into bed with Erin, and it’s not to chase away bad dreams or to keep her from hurting herself while nightmares wreak havoc on her subconscious mind. I’m with her because she wants me here. She trails her hands over my chest. She lifts my shirt up and kisses me.
“I thought you were tired?”
“I was,” she says seductively. That’s it. I can’t control myself.
I rub my hands all over her, needing to touch her. I kiss her with a feverish intensity.
I bravely reach between her legs and she lets me. She spreads her legs, welcoming me. Short erotic pants come from her mouth and I can’t help but ravage her. I cover her body with mine. My hardness moves, pumping, wanting in.
“Take my pants off,” she whispers.
This is fucking surreal. I help her shrug out of them. They reveal a lacy pink thong. Holy shit! She’s beautiful. I slip my hand underneath her to squeeze her ass. She flips around so that I’m beneath her and she straddles me, taking control. I let her and am rewarded with her stripping off her top. Her pink lace bra holds her tits up at attention. I sit up and suck one into my mouth. I’m already ready to come. Erin’s back arches, giving me more of her. She lowers her hand and grabs hold of my dick through my jeans. I growl into her breast like an animal. This is fuckin’ ecstasy.
“Are you ready for me?” I question heatedly, and she nods through passionate breaths. I trail my hands around her nipples and down her hips. “If I take you, that’s it. You’re mine. No running away. It’s you and me.” She leans down and I kiss her, trailing my tongue in her sweet mouth. “Understand?”
“No,” she says, unbuttoning my jeans. “You’re mine.”
I reach into the drawer of my bedside table and grab a condom. Erin pulls my jeans down my legs. I watch her. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.
She runs her finger along my tattoo, mesmerized. She traces it and looks up at me.
“An E?”
“Yeah.” The question of why is in her eyes. “This isn’t the beginning for me. You’ve been on my mind for years. I know it was wrong, but shit… I couldn’t help it. I was coming out of my skin after South Bend, so I got a tat.” I can’t tell if she is in awe or ready to freak the fuck out.
She startles me by leaning down and kissing it. Then she hugs me. I’m still hard, but I wrap my arms around her small frame and hug her back. I watch as she sits back up and pulls down on my underwear, freeing me. She shifts her body, moving the scrap of lace aside and mounts me slowly. Filling her practically sends me over the edge. I moan and have to buck my hips. Passion illuminates her face. We start moving together and I get lost in something I’ve never felt before.
Erin
I wake up with Vito beside me. He’s naked and gorgeous. I zero in on his tattoo again. Holy crap! He has my initial on his beautifully sculpted hip. It’s funny to think that he has wanted me all this time. I didn’t even know him, but he said he knew me. Life is continuing to surprise me. I had never given much thought to fate. It always seemed to be a fictitious idea, manifested in some canonized work that was drilled and analyzed over the centuries and forced down our throats in school. But now…
Somehow, we have come full circle. In some tiny, disturbing way I’m with someone just like my father. I’m not sure when will be a good time to tell him that I know. I slept with him regardless of what he has to become.
My dad told me. He said he wouldn’t ever lie to me again. He sat me down in our living room and told me everything. Our family history, our mob connections, and about Vito. He was clear. He gave me a choice this time.
Vito is replacing him as the cleaner. Actually, I’m not surprised. It seems to me that it is a good fit for him. It shows how much my father and the Delisi’s trust him. I appreciate that my dad trusted me with the information. Thinking too much about it conjures images that I don’t want in the forefront of my mind, so I don’t dwell on it. This is just the way things are.
No one ever promised me that love, or life, would be a fairytale. But I hope that with whatever we’ve got we can make our own way.
Glossary of Italian Slang
Agita (ah gi ta): Upset stomach
Andiamo (on-dee-ahmo): Let’s go
Bellissima (bel-e-see-ma): The most beautiful
Bombaleed (bom-ba-lead): Messed up or poor quality.
Capisce? (ga-bish): Do you get it?
Capo: Captain of boss’s enforcers
Cappatosta (ca bah dos): Thick headed, stubborn
Cavone (gahv-own): Ignorant Italian
Cazzo (kaatso): Balls!
Chooch (choo-ch): Jackass!
Ciao (chow): Goodbye
Contract: Payment in exchange for scheduling an execution
Culo (cool-yo): Ass
Don: Head boss, family leader
Enforcer: Mafia henchman, who enforces the rules
Faction: Mob family
Fanabola (fa na bowl a): Shit!
Fangul (fon-gool): FUCK!
Favor: Illegal business that you need help with
Feekanaz (Fee-ca-na-zz): Sneaky or nosy person
Gabroni (ga-bro-nee): Dumbass
Guinea (gin-nee): A derogatory term for an Italian
Hit: To kill
Made Man: Follows through on contract killing
Malocchio (malo-kya): Evil eye or curse
Mamaluke (mama-luk): Something foolish
Mangia (mahn-ja): To eat, and eat, and eat more (even if you’re not hungry)
Mannegia (mah-neg-ah): Damn it!
Marked Man: Slated for death
Marrone! (mar-own): Dammit!
Medigan (meh-di-ghan): A seriously non-Italian person.
Moola (moo-laa): Money
Moosh a moosh (moo-sh-a-moo-sh): Feeling yucky
Mooshadda (moo-sha-da): Someone who is stupid
Nonna (naw-na): Grandmother (Watch out! She’ll smack you just as hard as your mother)
Omerta: Code of silence
On Ice: Dead!
Oobatz (oo-bot-z): Crazy
Paesan (pie-zan): Friend
Racket: Illegal business
Salud, Salute (Sa lood): To your good health, a toast (hopefully you’re not wearing cement shoes when you’re toasted.)
Scarol (ska-roll): Money!
Schifioso (skeevotz): Yuck! Gross!
Scootch (sk-oo-ch): A pain in the ass!
Scumbati (scoom-bah-dee): Messed Up!
Sfatcheem (s-fa-cheam): A pain in the ass!
Stai zitto (sta te zeet): SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
Sticazzi (sti-ca-zee): I don’t give a fuck!
Stugatz (stu-got-s): Got nothing
Stunad (Stew nad): You’re just stupid!
Take Out: Kill
Uffa (ooh-fah): “I’m fed up!
”
Underboss: Second in command
Underground: Mafia world
Whack: To kill
Wise guy: Has proven loyalty to the family and taken a life
Other books by Amy Rachiele:
Frosted Over
Silencing Joy
Mobster’s Girl (1)
Awakening the Mobster (2)
Mobster’s Vendetta (3)
Coming Soon
Sybrina
(Historical Paranormal Romance)
Hellwalkers
(Paranormal Romance)
Join me on Goodreads and Facebook:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150565
https://www.facebook.com/messages/626361887#!/amyrachielebooks
https://www.facebook.com/messages/626361887#!/pages/Mobster-Series/245610882223918
Mobster's Angel (Mobster Series) Page 17
