by Anna Widzisz
“You'll tell me everything, but perhaps not here. You’re already frozen. We'll go somewhere else,” he suggested.
Despite all this, he was not afraid. Even curiosity didn’t control his actions as much as his concern for Lynette did. He was being too composed for the revelations he’d received in such a short time. But there was so much pain bottled up in someone as young as Lynette that he couldn’t help it.
Seeing a slight nod, he stood up, helping the girl rise to her feet. The ground was wet and so were her shoes. That’s why he lifted her up into his arms, afraid she would get sick. Once they came to the boy's house, he opened the car and deposited the teenager carefully in the passenger seat. He felt overwhelmed by the information he’d got. All that he’d wanted to know from the start. And much more awaited for him. However, he couldn’t show any weakness. This wasn’t what Lynette expected, and it was definitely not what she needed at the moment. She had to see that she could count on him no matter what, so he quickly threw all negative thoughts out of his head, wanting to be strong. For Lynette.
Before he took the driver's seat, he pulled out his phone, dialing Inéz’s number, counting on his friend not having a deep sleeping habit. After four beeps, he heard her sleepy voice and asked her to prepare some of her clothes, because he was going to come for them. Without any additional words, he’d hung up when she’d agreed.
Stopping in front of the twins' house, he saw in the kitchen window his friend who, as soon as she saw the car approach, went to the terrace holding a bag with clothes. Her face was visibly surprised, mixed with sleepiness. Lynette, however, didn’t intend to get out, let alone engage in conversation with third parties, so she tucked her legs under her chin, waiting for Ryder to come back.
“You're irreplaceable. Do you know that?” he said, greeting the girl with a warm embrace.
“Drew what happened?” she asked worriedly.
“I'll tell you later. But if my parents call, say I'm at your place, alright?”
“What have you got yourself into?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry,” he tried to calm her down, but was apparently unsuccessful, because the girl was confused, to say the least. Waving goodbye, he got into the car and left the driveway.
§ § §
“We moved here from Sicily a few years ago. Some of my father's cartels collapsed and it started to be dangerous because the DEA began looking into our family. Everything had to be kept secret. That's why the mafia presence in Seattle isn’t advertised. But believe that the most important people know about it, and moreover, they themselves are conducting numerous illegal transactions." Pause.
"Thanks to my mother, I was able to go to a public school, as she didn’t want me to be cloaked away when for the first time no one really knew anything about me. I went through elementary school without any speculation, but when I started high school, people began to wonder why someone was always driving me to and from school. Several students' families deal with money laundering. In other words, with my Famiglia. Those kids started the rumors, but they could never show evidence for it because they would have buried their loved ones along with mine. And having money was never a bad thing for them.”
“What's your position in all this?”
“None. I don’t have access to the mafia affairs. Officially. Because I do know quite a lot, even if I am not involved per se. Nothing is said straight to a woman. We have a completely different task than men. We don’t go through the initiation process, but the law of the mafia doesn’t exclude us from anything. We stay silent and we fall under our father’s judgment and later our husband’s.”
“Who exactly is your father?”
“He is the highest in the rank. Capo dei capi. Boss of all the bosses if you will. Nothing happens without his knowledge. He has many people under him: underbosses, captains, soldiers.” She paused for a moment, giving Drew time to take it all in.
Mafia Princess.
“Then why don’t you have any rights and involvement? From what I understand you are the most important woman.”
“The most protected one, yes. The most important? No woman is involved in mafia business. At least not in Cosa Nostra. My padre, and even earlier, my grandfather, didn’t allow any woman in. To this day, it is a strict rule that if you break, then that’s the only time it will happen.” she explained. ”What somebody says, we do and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Mafia is built on rules and traditions. Even marriages are arranged most of the time.”
Drew's face fell. He processed the words in his head, reflecting on their meaning. The only scenario he could put together seemed to be very twisted and, according to him, impossible.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Let's not talk about it. I will tell you another time.”
The last thing she wanted to discuss was Noah. She knew that the engagement news had to be said at one point, but she wasn’t ready for whatever she had with Drew to disappear.
“Your father wants to use me right now, Drew. FBI wants me to testify against my padre because they know that even though I’m not in the Famiglia, I am still a part of it. I know a lot and could easily get many Made Men imprisoned.“
He decided to ignore the comment about his father.
“So if I say that I heard a conversation in a club that consisted in words like Capo, Enforcer, money, and business, I can be sure of the fact that it was a mafia meeting?”
Lynette frowned. “Did you hear any names or surnames? What did the men look like?”
“From what I gathered, there was a man named Emilio mentioning someone called Anderson, who hadn’t paid on time for something and there was also a man named Mario.”
“You were in the Illusion club?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
She cleared her throat. “That’s one of the Famiglia clubs. Padre often has business meetings there. But you were in a really bad position to overhear that conversation. How did you manage to leave?” she asked, surprised. She knew exactly what the boy was saying and believed him. There was no way he could be making up such a thing.
“They mistook me for a waiter.”
“Emilio is my uncle. Padre was doing business with Mario in South Dakota. And from what I know, he’s dead, so you can guess how dangerous all of it was. You are lucky that they didn’t know who you were. If Jason had been there, he might have been able to recognize you.”
“Who’s Jason?”
“He's the Capo’s right hand. The so-called Consigliere. He had been driving me to school and picking me up for a while. And he is also my best friend.”
“So who is this Noah and how did he know where I lived? Please, tell me that he didn’t do anything to you.”
“I'm fine. He was furious, but he didn’t touch me. Noah is the son of another Capo from Sicily, with whom my Famiglia carries out business.”
At this moment Drew’s phone rang, drawing them away from the conversation. His father was calling him. The boy quickly muted the device, wishing to return to their talk. However, Lynette had had enough. She was exhausted, and the longer she sat in this diner, munching on cold fries, the worse she felt. She’d told Ryder a lot and she thanked God that their conversation had been interrupted, for the mere thought of admitting the truth about her relationship with Noah to him made her sick. She was an advocate for ignoring the matter, hoping that by some miracle it would be forgotten.
“Would you drive me to Jason? I'm sure they're looking for me by now, and I'd rather not let them know about our meeting. All of my other intentions to keep you out of my life can go screw themselves at this point,” she murmured, getting up from the table.
She was barely able to move her legs as she could feel their heavy weight after such a long, brisk run to Drew's house. She was aware of the mistake she’d made and she only hoped it would not turn against her. Because she never wanted something bad to happen to the people she cared about. At that moment, she was sure that Drew meant more to he
r than she could even begin to comprehend.
She’d fallen in love.
CHAPTER 21
The streets were empty. Not a single car passing by. Not one person returning from a party. Not even a stray dog wandering in search of shelter on the cold night. Downtown Seattle had never been completely deserted.
He looked around, parking near the building that Lynette had led him to. Instead of saying goodbye and exiting the car, she watched the boy carefully. He was trying to pull it together, be brave enough to look her in the eye. Playing with the keys in the ignition, he was pondering everything the girl had told him.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked. He gently bit his lip.
There were so many things that he could answer. Starting with how her life appeared to consist of being around dangerous, bad people all the time. What was going through her mind when people in school were gossiping about her potential mafia world. Why hadn’t she simply lied to them, made up a story to cover up the rumors. But mostly; how did all those things happen to her right then.
“If you had a chance to choose, would you like to live differently?” he said instead.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
He started breathing deeply, restlessly. Compassion and sorrow began to pierce Lynette's heart. For some odd reason, Drew still saw the good in her. As if nothing that she’d admitted had affected him, although it most likely had. Deeply. She was worth believing in and there was no way in hell for him to stop, no matter how many times she made a mistake. This was her world; the one that she was born and raised into. Not one chosen willingly.
“Even though I have some moments of doubt. What I’ve had to face has made me the way I am. It showed me that real life is far from being all hearts and flowers. I might live differently, but I’m able to see things that speak louder about what people are made of than words ever could. There is no tunnel vision for me. Just fear. All those sleepless nights spent lying in bed, thinking whether I will see my father the next day, his soldiers, Jason. Every day could be the last one. I'm afraid of it like nothing else. But not about myself. I made peace with death a while ago, as I watched my mother’s lifeless body. However, I care about others enough to want to see them healthy. Alive. It is not easy to lose loved ones. All this has allowed me to grow up, see things that everyone should see, not take anything for granted. But I also dream about escaping it all and starting to put myself first. Live without this constant fear, graduate school, go to college, find a job, start a family, grow old and die on my own terms.”
“You have to wait. After a while, things will get easier and later on, they will be good. You will get a taste of freedom.”
Drew didn’t know anything about mafia and her life. There was no such thing as freedom.
She smiled. “I would like to. You have no idea how much.”
He held her hand in his, entwining their fingers. He excited every inch of her as if strikes of electricity ran through her body whenever he touched her; as if he were light. Unfiltered. Pure. It added to the girl’s certainty that something good did exist in this world. He was good.
Lynette didn’t want to think that she could lose him just as she had many other people. All she wanted was to sit in that car, hold his hands and listen to his words. She never thought she’d find comfort in a voice. Yet, the voice in her head grew louder. It tried to block his. What she was hearing was the assurance that she would fail, that she would not survive; that she wasn’t enough. And for a second she believed it.
But then, he tightened his grip, drew closer to her and what she’d just begun to doubt completely vanished. She remembered someone saying that first she had to love herself in order to be able to fall in love with someone else. Now she knew. She fell in love so unconsciously and at once that she forgot what it was like to hate herself and her life because it had led her to him.
“I have to go,” she whispered reluctantly, moving away from the boy. She gave him a gentle smile, then turned back, pressing the door handle.
A few meters away stood a well-known man, who was carefully watching the two of them, more curiosity than anger this time.
“What’s he doing here?” Drew asked, following Lynette’s gaze.
“The news spread quickly,” she sighed, leaving the vehicle and Drew. He didn’t want to leave her alone with Falcone. Not this time. When he knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of.
“Everyone’s looking for you,” he stated with his thick Italian accent. However, he was still looking in Drew’s direction rather than hers. The boy hadn’t left yet. He got out of the car, watching the whole situation, worried that something might go wrong. More than usual. He preferred, however, to keep his distance, but remain close enough to hear everything and, in the case of problems, prevent further events.
“I’m here. Can I go to Jason now?” Lynette asked with the intention to pass by Noah, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.
Drew took a step toward them with a threatening expression. No fear; just anger.
“Not so soon, bella.”
“Let her go,” Ryder snarled, appearing just behind Lynette. His hands were clenched in fists as if he was ready to throw himself at Falcone at any given time.
Noah thought the attempt to scare him as pathetic. Laughing loudly as an indication of that. As if it would be any problem for him to take down Ryder. Out of both of them, he was one who’d been trained since childhood. He was a cold-blooded killer without mercy. There was hardly anything that could stop him from hurting Drew.
Lynette remembered the man's words, warning her what he would do if he saw them together again. She hadn’t listened. The threat was edging on the very thin line of becoming true when Noah’s hand reached under his jacket to pull out his gun. Without thinking, she covered his hand to stop his actions and looked at him pleadingly. He was a monster, but she could only pray that he had a fraction of humanity left in him.
It worked. His fingers relaxed. He exhaled slowly, controlled, never taking his eyes off his fiancée. Somehow, looking at the ring on her right hand stopped him. Lynette didn’t think their engagement could mean anything to him.
Steps sounded right behind her and she realized that stopping Noah wasn’t the only problem. Drew was too stubborn to let it go. He was brave but foolish at the same time to even consider fighting a Made Man. Because there was no excuse for his wishful thinking. Lynette had told him who the man was and his presence was making Noah tick with each passing second. She turned around to face Ryder, blocking his view with her body in case Falcone would take a chance at actually shooting.
“It’s going to be alright. I will see you later,” she tried to calm him down, which seemed a futile attempt. Noah chuckled clearly agreeing with her thoughts.
“You can come back home with me,” Drew insisted reaching for her hand. As she realized it, she pulled away as to not give Falcone more reasons to do anything.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
Seeing as Lynette was playing by the rules finally, Noah went to his car and opened the passenger’s door for her. Without needless protests, she got in. It seemed like a freaking deja vu.
“Don’t worry. My fiancée is safe with me,” Noah indicated, stopping Drew from even trying to make Lynette stay. He wasn’t sure what to make of the words. But before he could understand their purpose, the car was long gone.
§ § §
When the door closed behind Drew, Inéz flew down the hall, throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly. They stayed like this for a few minutes as she was repeating how good it was to see him. Given that the girl often behaved in an inexplicable manner, this was quite normal for her. The only difference was that it was four in the morning, and she was in his house, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.
“It's nice to see you too, but I'm exhausted so I'm just going to get some sleep,” he announced, moving away from her.
He pulled off his shoes and s
huffled toward the stairs. Yet, as soon as he saw the other two of his friends, along with his father and Erin at the entrance to the living room, he stopped.
“Where have you been?” Mark asked, approaching his son with anticipation and anger.
“It seems to me that you already know,” he replied, seeing out of the corner of his eye a repentant Inéz lower her head in remorse.
“I told you something about Selvaggio. Why haven’t you listened to me?”
“Because it's my life and my decisions. I did nothing wrong. It's not a crime to make new friends, right?”
“No, unless the person you are acquainted with is dangerous,” said the man, grabbing his son's shoulders to look at him.
Drew was clearly tired. He could barely stand straight. His eyes were slowly closing and his legs refused to obey him. Nevertheless, he was being forced to have a conversation that would not change anything. There was nothing that his father could say to make him leave Lynette alone. At this point, he probably knew more about her life than the agent himself.
The irony of how things can change in a matter of a few hours.
“Your father is probably right, Drew,” Inéz spoke up.
“And since when are you against it?” He turned towards her.
“Ever since my friend called me in the middle of the night to borrow my clothes. And I saw him with a girl who looked like something the cat had dragged in,” she seethed, surprising everyone. Never before had she behaved so rudely. “No one is worth such a sacrifice,” she added pulling herself together.
“What sacrifice? You talk, but you don’t know anything. Maybe you should all start taking care of your own lives for a change? All I hear is that Lynette is evil, dangerous and not worth my attention. Have any of you ever had a simple conversation with her? No! But I talked to her and more than once. I know exactly who she is, and believe me when I say that I have never met such an amazing person.”
