by Anna Widzisz
“Do you have plans for the evening?” Noah asked when they arrived at the girl’s locker on Wednesday morning.
She looked at him suspiciously. “What if I do?”
“Then cancel them. I’m taking you out for dinner.”
It wasn’t a question, but a request. Noah was doing it a lot, which made Lynette submit to his will way more than she wanted. Each day she faked her behavior, trying to make him think that she was alright being in his presence. And sometimes it was even true. But then came the moment when he said things that made her anxious and they went back to square one.
There was no use replying to him. It wasn’t like she had another choice but to agree. Their relationship was strange as far as the mafia rules were concerned. They were engaged, but there were still two years left until the wedding, so they shouldn’t be alone anywhere. It was far from exemplary.
As a woman of purity, she was supposed to be protected from any bad-mouthing or ill-intentions. Severo should be protecting her from them, but instead, he decided to break the rules and allowed Noah to protect something that he shouldn’t have been guarding in the first place. None of the famiglias wanted to break the truce, however, nothing of this sort could ever be planned. It was still a long way to go before Lynette graduated, but Severo clearly cared more about her safety from the outside world’s threats than from the inside one’s. All he wanted was to keep her safe and the marriage agreement had been a step in the right direction in his mind.
After the wedding, it would be even worse. She was to exchange one dictator for another. Severo and Noah didn’t differ as much as Lynette would want them to. No Made Man ever did. She could only wait for Noah’s true nature to show its face just as her father’s did on more than one occasion. She was not looking forward to that day.
Kendal rolled around the corner, putting on her fakest smile. She greeted Noah, clearly wanting him to pay more attention to her. Which he didn’t. He smirked, checking the girl out and returned his gaze to Lynette. “Shouldn’t you be busy with some girl?”
Noah raised his eyebrow. “Jealous?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Lynette still fought with the words that escaped her lips a lot, but couldn’t help it sometimes. She was playing with fire as if she wanted to get burned once Noah finally had enough.
Seeing as she had a free period, she decided to go outside and sit on the stands by the football field. The good thing was, her fiancé didn’t know her schedule, so at times like this she could have moments to herself. The day was really warm and sunny compared to the previous ones. For the October weather, it was surprising even, but no one seemed to mind.
She sat down with a book in her hands, but was unable to focus, because of the cheerleaders' training session that was taking place on the field.
“I am seriously wondering if you can dress accordingly to the weather.” She heard a familiar voice which put an immediate smile on her face.
Drew was standing at the bottom of the stands, a bottle of water in his hand. He was dressed in sportswear, which suggested that he was done with his basketball training. His hair was a disaster, still soaking wet from sweat. But even so, he looked like walking perfection.
The image of the last time they’d talked took over Lynette’s mind. She’d been far from nice to him on the day of finding David’s body, but her anger wasn’t there anymore. Convincing people of her innocence wasn’t her priority. They could believe whatever they wanted. And when he smiled and sat down next to her, she forgot everything at once.
“I’m from Sicily. I got used to such temperatures. They don’t bother me,” she admitted. Her being in a hoodie wasn’t the greatest idea, but she didn’t mind. “Should I start thinking that you’re stalking me?”
Drew laughed, shaking his head. The sound was so sincere that Lynette thanked God that she was sitting because she wasn’t sure her legs would work properly at this point. It was a rare feeling that came out of nowhere, making her unable to justify her behavior. It was a nice change, but a dangerous one all the same.
“I finished my training and didn’t bother going to algebra. I hate that subject,” he said. ”To be completely honest with you, I didn’t think you would come back to school.”
Lynette had to give it to him, he wasn’t wasting time changing the topic. Brave of him to think that she wouldn’t run away again. He wanted answers and the girl was the only person who could give them to him. But Lynette shrugged, not knowing what to say.
She needed to stay away from the likes of him. His father was an FBI agent involved in the murder case. That was far from ideal for the Famiglia. One wrong word and she could ruin everything. And as much as she hated her life, she respected it enough not to get entangled with the police. However, ignoring Drew wasn’t an option, even though it could bring so many problems.
“I’m sorry for the way I acted that day. I didn’t mean to freak out on you. You had every right to be wary of me. Every student is,” she whispered the words that weighed heavily on her heart.
“I’m not suspecting you of being involved, Lyn. I believe you are innocent. It’s just that I didn’t think it through before I said it so it sounded way worse than I’d meant.”
Lynette nodded. “It’s alright. I don’t blame you anyway.” She looked at him curiously. “How do people not know that your father is an FBI agent?”
Drew looked surprised that she knew what his father did for a living. It wasn’t a mystery but still not something that he shared with others. “I am perfectly able to differ between a police officer, a detective and an agent. Besides, he showed me his badge,” she added quickly.
“I shouldn’t really talk about it. My father prefers to keep a low profile. It’s not my place to say anything, especially since it is of no importance to people. So can you please keep it to yourself?”
She nodded, not diving deeper into the topic.
“Who is this guy that drives with you every day?”
Lynette could swear that she detected a note of jealousy in his voice.
“As it turns out, my bodyguard. Padre freaked out and came up with the worst idea possible. But he’s the only way for me to stay in school.”
Noah was the last person she would want to discuss. Especially since each word brought her closer to having to lie to Drew. But he had questions. Too many of them. It would be annoying if she didn’t like being in his company as much as she did.
The boy laughed. “Your father hired you a bodyguard? Isn’t he a little too young?”
“Noah isn’t hired. He’s my father’s friend’s son and he’s twenty.”
She didn’t want to know more about her fiancé. What she already knew was frightening enough as it was. There was no necessity for additional nightmares that would keep her up at night.
“If I were to guess, I would say that you don’t like him.”
That was one way to put it. But she didn’t like most people. Especially in high school. And Noah? He was something completely different and her liking him or not wasn’t the main issue here.
Suddenly, she felt the need to voice out her concern. Maybe it was the way Drew was looking at her understandingly, or maybe something completely different. “He scares me,” she admitted.
Staring at nothing in particular, she wasn’t able to meet the boy’s eyes. As she said it aloud, the feeling of not having control overwhelmed her. No one had ever heard her say how she felt or why. Not even Jason. It comes with the territory and Lynette had always wanted to protect hers. Being vulnerable was a weakness in her eyes, so sharing things was like taking a piece of her heart and hoping no one would use it against her. People mostly did. It was in their nature. So to open up to Drew was a completely new experience. She’d kept to herself. Until now.
His hand found hers, closing it in a soft embrace. At first, Lynette was ready to pull away, as maintaining personal space was her way of being, but she’d broken so many barriers with this one conversation that
it came easier for her to shatter another one. Her fingers interwind with his as if to prove both her strength and gratefulness for Drew’s presence.
“Remember that you can always count on me, Lyn. No matter the time, if something happens, you call me, alright?”
As if the words burned her skin, she jumped up realizing what she was doing and how wrong it was. She was slowly losing her mind, being so close to Ryder and not thinking straight.
“Drew, I know what people say about me. Especially your friends.”
“I don’t care what they think or want. It’s my life and I can decide for myself. They can tell me to stay away from you all they want. I don’t care,” he drawled, standing up to match with her.
He should care.
And as much as she needed someone who would be there for her, someone who didn’t judge or think the worst - an outsider - she knew better than to give in to her desires. Lynette trusted him way too much for her and his own good. Yet none of that really mattered, because there were rules set for her to follow and none of them said that she was free to follow her heart. She was no Made Man, but her loyalties lay with the Famiglia all the same.
“Maybe you should listen to them for once,” she said quietly.
It seemed every time they talked it ended with her running away. Even now, nothing had changed. She took off before Drew could speak another word.
CHAPTER 15
Lynette
In the afternoon when Lynette was sitting in the kitchen with Rosalia, doing homework, she heard the front door opening and the conversation that followed. Coming straight from some meeting, Jason and Severo appeared in the room. They both greeted the housekeeper, however, Carnovale was set on ignoring the girl as a way of showing his boss that he was not going to continue being involved in his daughter’s life.
But Lynette was nowhere near wanting to let go. She looked at her father, the plea clear in her eyes. “Padre, can I talk to Jason? I believe I have some apologizing to do,” she begged.
The Capo turned his attention towards his Consigliere as if to look for the signs that what she’d just said was a lie. There was distrust in him still. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, nodding his head slightly.
“A few minutes. Come to my office after you’re done,” he ordered his soldier and disappeared.
Jason wasn’t happy that his Capo agreed to this. The restraint towards the girl was clear as day. He seemed worried that Severo intended to put him in a situation where he could find Jason wrapped up in some kind of lie that would play a crucial role in his execution afterward. He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, the two of them had been left alone.
“I screwed up big time. I should have told you my plans before I did anything, said something or at least thought it through more than once. My actions put everything at risk; from your position in the Famiglia to your life. I will never forgive myself for doing this to you and nothing I do could ever compensate for what I brought upon you. You have every right to be mad at me, but don’t push me away.”
Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. Her hands were shaking as Jason’s face didn’t show anything that could at least give the girl a hint of his feelings. It had never bothered her before. Until now.
The coldness in his eyes was almost unbearable for Lynette. It had never been reserved for her. When they were alone, he allowed himself to be a little bit more relaxed and now it seemed as if he treated her like anyone else that he did business with.
“I thought you were smarter than that.”
It was all he said. Stepping forwards, he reduced the space between them and pulled her into his embrace. The girl smiled through her sobs, resting her head against his hard, muscled chest. Never before had she realized how shaky their relation was but how important at the same time. Imagining his dead body, a bullet through his head was a torture for her. The result of her stupidity. Something that she was not going to do ever again.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
She broke down immediately.
“Don’t cry, Sco. It’s alright. I forgive you,” he assured her, tangling his fingers in her hair, trying to calm her down. It usually worked. “Look at me.”
He took a step back to give her more space to be able to meet his eyes. Lynette shook her head, too overwhelmed by emotions. Feeling so ashamed of her decisions. But Jason didn’t let her overthink it as he lightly pressed his palm under her chin, lifting it up. Her eyes were red.
“Sì, you did something terrible. However, I shouldn’t hold it against you as you’re only sixteen. Pretending otherwise was my mistake. You’re intelligent for being so young and that’s the only thing I can expect of you. Just promise me that before you do anything so impulsive again you will come to me first. No matter how stupid you feel the problem is. I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“Me? Getting hurt? You were on the verge of getting killed.”
“That’s mafia, Sco. My life has always been uncertain. I literally signed up for it and I can handle it. That’s not something I’m afraid of.”
“So what are you afraid of?” she asked, realizing that she knew close to nothing about Jason’s life. He was far from being an open book and it had always made it hard for them to talk about more serious, personal topics. This conversation was the furthest they’d gone throughout those years.
“Let’s hope that no one will ever find out.” He smiled slightly, wiping Lynette’s wet cheeks. “Your father doesn’t need more reasons not to trust me so I have to go.”
Jason said it in a joking tone, but it only made the girl feel worse. Not wanting to show him this, she returned the smile and watched him leave the kitchen at once.
§ § §
At about six o'clock in the evening, Noah reappeared in front of Selvaggio's house. Having greeted Severo and promised him that he would drive his daughter back later, the two went towards the car. The trip to the restaurant was quiet. Lynette did not know how to behave with him. That’s why she chose not to talk unless the man started the conversation.
After some time, they parked at the entrance to a Japanese restaurant, which was located in the center of Seattle. The girl had never been here because her father did not like this type of cuisine. Therefore, she hadn’t tried sushi before.
Inside was very simple and modern but with visible Japanese decorations - as it should be. Brown and black dominated, while the seats and counters were red. There were various lanterns around, which lit up the whole room in a charming way. Everything looked very expensive, but it did not surprise Lynette. She would never have suspected Noah of picking McDonald’s or Subway.
The man grabbed her hand before she realized his intentions and approached the woman who arranged the customers at the appropriate tables. He didn’t even have to give her his name because she recognized him. She greeted them and rushed to the table, offering them a menu and asking what they would like to drink.
“We’ll take a bottle of wine. The most expensive you have. And the cards will not be necessary. I will take usual and my fiancée will too,” he said with superiority in his voice and gave the menu to the woman. She smiled at him and left to take care of their order.
Noah must be important here.
However, Lynette didn’t care. She should be mad at him for choosing what she was going to eat without any question, but she was completely in the dark as far as Japanese cuisine was concerned. For the first time, she didn’t mind someone making a decision for her.
“I'm sixteen. I can’t drink alcohol for the next five years,” she announced.
“And did you hear her asking for ID?" He raised his eyebrow in a questioning gesture.
“No, but that’s because you’re probably doing some business with them or something. This woman practically jumps around you to make you happy. This does not mean that my padre would be glad that I was drinking wine.”
“B
ella, I don’t have the slightest desire to confess it to your father. And he lost the right to order you around and punish you as soon as I put this ring on your finger. So from now on you only have to listen to me,” he explained, staring at the teenager intently.
It was evident that he didn’t care about anything at all. His opinion was the only thing that mattered and he expected her to feel the same way.
The girl didn’t like it one bit but nevertheless nodded in agreement. Their dinner wasn’t anywhere near over so she preferred not to mention it. As soon as they got married, that kind of behavior would be even more frequent.
“That’s enough,” he growled, seeing Lynette’s submission. “I admit that I like when a woman listens to me, but it is much nicer in other situations. The kind of situations that will be possible only after the wedding. But now I want you to speak up if you don’t like something. This version of you is a façade that I really hate.”
“What do you want me to do in that respect?”
“Be yourself. I don’t have any evil plan to use your character against you. Probably your father would,” he said.
The woman came back with a bottle of red wine. She put two glasses on the table and opened the alcohol to pour it. Before she could do that, Noah grabbed her hand and took the bottle from her, saying that he would do it himself. With those words, she left the table for the second time.
