Innocent (Omertà Book 1)

by Anna Widzisz

  She didn’t even want to know what else Severo had to say. Since the news about the wedding apparently belonged to the good one category, she definitely didn’t need any further information.

  Two guards watched her closely, seeing the fury on her face, but they didn’t react, seeing as she had no intention of going outside the mansion again. She went to the tennis court grabbing one of the balls and tossed it far away. She started screaming and crying like a possessed person, venting away all the emotions that she’s gathered inside. She felt as if she were starring in some bad movie, in which they created problem after problem, and the characters coped with failures in an unnatural, idiotic way. In addition, her father almost danced on Rosalia’s grave, who, like herself, had been against the wedding. Even if she’d never openly admitted it. Her mother had repeatedly assured her that she would marry someone she loved and, above all, someone she’d chosen herself. And maybe that would be the case if she were still alive.

  “Where are you when I need you, mom?” she whispered, no longer hiding the tears that were falling down her cheeks uncontrollably. She looked up, inhaling deeply.

  “Your mom would be against the wedding?” She heard Noah’s voice behind her.

  The girl didn’t want to talk to him about her mother. She didn’t feel comfortable discussing the most secret and painful moments in her life with him. Not even after he’d told her about his sister.

  “Why didn’t you say a word about this wedding?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Lynette? Are you really this stupid or are you just pretending? I didn’t say anything because it would not change their minds. Believe me, I have been a part of many conversations between our fathers regarding the wedding and every time I saw them, they were more and more certain of the idea. I’ve never even wanted to get married, but I knew that sooner or later it would happen for either political or other reasons. The last thing I want is a reminder that you’re sixteen and you’re acting as if you were five. I am not going to raise and lead you by the hand, telling you what’s good and what’s bad.

  “You’re a monster,” she hissed.

  “Better a monster than a delusional little girl, who still arrogantly believes she can do everything she wants and escape the consequences forever. The road to hell is the only one you’re going to go down if you keep this up. No matter what you want to believe. And you can be sure that it is made of something entirely different than good intentions. I am neither nice nor good. I am in the mafia and you’d better get used to my presence because you are unfortunately doomed to me. Wake up, Lynette. What you want and what you can have are two very different things.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Lynette

  According to her plan, Noah was supposed to come for the girl, and her father knew and gave his consent. It was almost eight. But Lynette knew perfectly well that even though Severo agreed, Falcone knew nothing about their supposed meeting. Especially after their fight earlier. And the person she was planning on spending time with was Drew. They were supposed to go to the festival that had started today.

  However, she had to adjust the plans a little bit and asked Ricci to drive her back to the apartment building where Noah lived, claiming that they had agreed on meeting there. She used the driver's aversion to herself, knowing that he wouldn’t verify her words like any other of father's soldiers would have done. As soon as she was alone, she moved towards the bus stop and took the bus straight to Drew’s house. When she arrived, the boy was already waiting for her. They greeted each other, got into the car and then headed to the party.

  In the center of Seattle, as every year, there was a three-day Halloween festival, where local bands played. People wore costumes, bought various kinds of food, and a fireworks display took place at midnight. Lynette had heard a lot about the event, but as long as she’d lived in Seattle, she hadn’t had the opportunity to participate in it. That's why Drew decided to take her, claiming that this party was one of a kind and she shouldn’t miss it.

  They walked around the sizable park, listening to music and eating ice cream. They felt perfectly comfortable in each other’s company. Spending time together, they had the impression that nothing else mattered. No problems related to the mafia, murders, or Drew's family who was completely against their relationship. They had thousands of other topics to talk about, so they liked to pretend that the rest didn’t exist. As if they were just ordinary teenagers who’d fallen in love. High school love. But it wasn’t like that. Despite the fact that Drew still belonged to the ordinary boys, everything screamed that Lynette was as far from that as possible.

  The brunette was one of those who thought they could stand against the entire world. But if you looked a little closer, she couldn’t really deal with anything. She needed to be loved by someone who looked at her the way she looked at sunrises and sunsets. Someone who would make her happy with that beautiful smile that would never disappear.

  And she knew that she had just found that person, but, unfortunately, she couldn’t erase what she had heard from Noah today. Although she didn’t want to do this, she had to admit that she was being selfish. So incredibly selfish. She’d wanted Drew and had now put his life on the line for her own convenience. It wasn’t easy to let go. It was the worst feeling of them all.

  When it was midnight, Lynette was no longer able to pretend that she wasn’t thinking about her problems. Drew was able to see her expression change with each passing minute. He took her hand and led her to sit by the fountain, which, thanks to the lights, beautifully harmonized with the dark sky.

  “What are you thinking about?” he finally asked after quite a long silence.

  “Ask me what I’m not thinking about. Maybe that will be faster,” she joked, wanting to get out of the conversation that was inexorably coming.

  As the boy knew exactly what she was trying to do, he glanced at her, waiting for an explanation. The girl sighed quietly, trying to choose the right words. Put what to say in the right order.

  “No matter how hard I try, I cannot escape my life. Everything I do will end badly. In addition, now I have drawn you into all this and I don’t know what to do.”

  “Lyn, you know that I wanted to get involved. I chose to. I care about you and if being with you means accepting your family's lifestyle, I'm ready for it,” he assured her.

  Lynette began to get nervous about how hard it was not to take his words to heart. She knew what was good and bad, but she was still deluding herself that she would be able to reconcile one with the other. She was lying to herself.

  “I look at you and I just love you. It terrifies me what I would do for you,” she whispered, stroking his cheek lightly. The words were true but too painful to say. Yet, she had to express her feelings. Even if only for this one time. “I don't want to hurt you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Sometimes we have to be hurt. Only so we can learn something. The strongest people, those who laugh the loudest and smile the most, those have fought the hardest battles. Because of that, they decided that they would not allow anyone to destroy them. Lynette, you're one of those people. And I want nothing more than to become the same. Learn it from you. So, if it’s connected to being hurt, I don’t mind. In spite of everything, I will stand by you. I want to be around whenever you need me. Because I love you,” he confessed.

  She pursed her lips, processing his words in her head. She knew exactly what had to be done, but wanted to postpone it for as long as possible, savoring the moment. However, she no longer had any doubts. His confession of love had completely awakened her from the trance in which she’d been and which had kept her coming back to him.

  Her admission was real. It terrified her how far she could go because of love. Never in her life had she thought that someone could make her feel this way. Especially since they hadn’t known each other long enough. But his persistence and her need for a different life had been mixed together, creating something that was incredibly hard to let go
of.

  Along with the fireworks that had started firing upward, informing that it was midnight, the girl felt the boy's hand on hers. He stood up slowly, pulling her with him, then he planted a kiss on her lips. Pleasant shivers went through their bodies as they began to indulge in the moment. They could kiss all the lips in the world, but only one pair would fit them as perfectly as this. They lost themselves, forgetting about the existence of anyone and anything else. They were happy. They could feel, for a brief moment, that they had everything they needed. The girl in his arms had shown him a completely different life. One in which he didn’t have to fall back into a routine. Despite all the dangers, each day was different from the previous one. However, she was able to gleam some joy from her way of life. She wasn’t afraid, didn’t look for excuses. She could tell, for the first time, that she was completely and unquestionably happy.

  Seconds later came a moment of reflection, and the attraction began to fade. Lynette broke away, stepping back. She looked sadly at the boy, wanting to apologize to him.

  “This is not normal. Nobody should live like this. I didn’t choose it, but you can be sure that I can make the decision for you now. I know you don’t care, which is just plain stupid. I would give anything to be able to switch places with you. Believe me, you don't need these kinds of problems and I care enough not to let you enter this world completely. Besides, I am getting married in three weeks, so if you don’t want to receive an invitation to the wedding, you have to let go. Just like I am doing now.”

  The words could barely make themselves into sentences. As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. Seeing Drew hurt, she just wanted to add that it had all been a joke, but she couldn’t. The familiarity she felt being close to him had to be squashed. Because of this feeling, she wanted to stay. And that wasn't an option.

  § § §

  She was going to Jason’s by subway, trying with all of her might not to burst into tears. But all she could see was Drew, looking at her with that sad expression on his face. She could tell that he wouldn’t fight his way through to her this time.

  In any other space or time, she would be brave. The one who embraced her feelings out loud. The girl who walked with confidence and strike up conversations with strangers in spite of all the rumors. She could be all that. But instead, she needed to settle for less, as her world was not made for girls with such dreams and expectations.

  When the metro stopped at the station where Lynette was supposed to get off, a man in a black hoodie entered the compartment. She couldn’t see his face, because he was wearing a white mask. One that she had already seen on the person near Jason's warehouse. She thought it was someone dressed up for the festival, but she was also convinced that he was looking straight at her. There were only the two of them inside, due to the late hour. The unknown man began to slowly walk towards her, prompting Lynette to get up. She headed for the door that led to the next compartment.

  The hooded figure followed her. He moved from one compartment to the other, without turning his eyes away from her for a moment. The girl immediately understood that the sole purpose of his trip was her. Her heart began to pound. She trembled terribly but tried to act like nothing was wrong, as if it was not surprising that she was moving every now and then.

  The man moved more skillfully this time, forcing the girl to run. Unfortunately, he was faster.

  To her satisfaction, at the very last moment, the train stopped at the station and she quickly got off, running toward the exit. Every once in a while she looked back, making sure no one was following her. She didn’t see anyone. The streets were almost completely empty. And there certainly was no mysterious man with such a frightening mask that it could definitely be a prop for a horror movie.

  From unknown: Something tells me that if your father found out about this, you would be more than just grounded. And you know exactly how easy it is for me to get you in trouble. Watch your back because something is bound to happen behind it.

  Lynette didn’t appear at Noah’s, or her own house that night.

  CHAPTER 27

  Just before noon, Noah was already on his way to classes. He was nowhere near excited to go as it wasn’t necessary for him to take them. Everything he needed to learn, he already had. Operating the finances, business meetings, handling shipments and soldiers. There was nothing more for him to know. But keeping Lynette safe was his job for now. She was his. Even though neither of them desired it. His possessive nature dictated that the girl was his, though. His fiancée. His soon-to-be wife. His responsibility.

  A wave of anger overcame him once again as he remembered last night. Lynette, despite her young age, had seemed wiser and more mature than her age suggested. At least in the beginning. But with Noah, she played a dangerous game and as much as he enjoyed games most of the time, she was going too far with breaking the rules. Her temper was getting the best of her.

  As the daughter of a Capo, born and raised in the mafia circle, she knew the way it worked. The Famiglia was built on the traditions. Those that had been present for years, and were nowhere near being close to change.

  She’d been avoiding him at school today. He hadn’t been able to see her in between classes to walk her to the next one which made him more furious. What was more, she wasn’t taking his calls and it made him go search for her.

  Lunch had already started, so the cafeteria was the first place to look. At one of the tables, he spotted Drew with his friends. They were talking about something and it seemed to be a heated conversation. A serious one that was clearly making Ryder annoyed. He looked like he wanted to get out of there. Not overthinking it, Noah made his way towards them, switching their attention on to him.

  “Where the fuck is Lynette?” he seethed looking straight at Drew, pure hatred in his eyes. “Her insolence was only partly amusing in the beginning.”

  The image of pulling a knife out and using it on the boy was vivid. But patience was the only right course of action as there were too many witnesses for him to be able to do any real damage. He wanted to prove to Lynette that he was serious about hurting Ryder.

  Drew raised his eyebrow in clear surprise. Inéz and Isaac stilled at once.

  “I haven’t seen her since she ran away from me yesterday at the festival.” The boy ignored the tone, not at all scared of Noah.

  Falcone’s fingers tightened on the gun hidden under his jacket. “She met you yesterday?” He glared.

  “For fuck’s sake, you were the one to drive her.” He rolled his eyes. He remembered as clear as day that Lynette had told him she had been driven by Noah close to his house, lying to him as to whom she was meeting.

  Fists slammed on the table, making a deafening noise. “If I had, I believe I would have fucking remembered it, Ryder. And I would never do it. Lynette is mine, and you are on the verge of seeing just how true that is.”

  “I don’t care if you think you have some kind of power over her.”

  The conversation was going in the wrong direction. No one seemed to realize that the most important part was that neither Noah nor anyone else seemed to know where Lynette was.

  “Just because you’re engaged, doesn’t mean shit. She doesn’t want you. Not one bit. And things can change.”

  “Well, you will be glad to know that the wedding has been moved forward. We are getting married in three weeks. So in a short while, you won’t be able to see her anymore. This city is not mine to rule over and my wife will go wherever I go,” he admitted, smirking.

  More than killing him, he wanted to ruin his dreams about the future they were not going to have. To crush someone emotionally was as amazing of a feeling as it could get.

  He pushed from the table and retreated, leaving the cafeteria. He was exercising much more control over himself than he’d thought he possessed. Normally, such a scene would have quickly turned into a bloodbath. One that he would enjoy.

  “Yes?” Jason picked up the phone on the other side of the call.

 
“Tell me that Lynette is with you. Or at home.”

  “Why would she be? Weren’t you going to some kind of festival? At least that’s what I heard her say yesterday to Severo.”

  “I wasn’t meeting her for any festival. She met fucking Ryder.”

  The was a pause on the phone. “Where are you?” Carnovale asked.

  “At school, but I am going to look for her. I just have no fucking idea where.”

  “Start with talking to Ryder. I hate the kid but he might know where to look. I will be right there. Let’s keep it between us for now,” he said and ended the call.

  Drew was walking down the hall with Inéz and Isaac toward their next class. Right in that instant, Noah stopped caring about having witnesses. There was no time for joking around, seeing as Lynette’s absence might not be her avoiding him as he’d first thought, after all. He rushed towards the teenagers, grabbed Ryder by the T-shirt and pushed him on the lockers holding him in a vice-like grip. The students close-by started to pay more attention to the scene playing out in front of them.

  His control was reaching its end.

  “Listen, fucker, I am asking for the last time, where is Lynette? She left the house yesterday to meet you, ran away from you and hasn’t gone back home or anywhere else for that matter. So where the fuck is she? And before you answer that you don’t fucking know, think twice because I am unspeakably close to ending you.”

  “What do you mean she hasn’t gone home? I went after her and saw her getting into the subway that went towards Carnovale’s place.”

  “Well, he hasn’t seen her since yesterday,” Noah seethed slamming Ryder’s body even harder to shake some sense into him. It was as humane as he could be. At that time.

  Adrenaline started to rush through him. Seeing the confusion on the boy’s face, he lost it and threw him on the floor. Isaac, as on accord, stepped in to help his friend. He threw a hit, but Noah skillfully braced himself and ducked down before the blow could connect. Falcone, however, didn’t want to fight. There was no time for it. He just pushed Henderson to the floor next to his friend.