Becoming the Street Boss: A Zanetti Famiglia Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

  “You must be Pippa,” the blonde chirps as she closes the distance between us.

  Nodding my head once, I don’t otherwise move a muscle. I have no clue who these women are or how they got in here. They each take another step forward, then the blonde reaches forward, extending her hand, I extend mine as well, shaking slowly.

  “I’m Lenora,” she says with a smile. “This is my best friend Chloe. Carlo says you’re going to get married soon and he enlisted us to help you.”

  “You’re wedding planners?” I ask as our hands drop.

  They look at one another, then shift their gazes back to meet ours. “No,” they say in unison.

  Lenora takes another step toward me, then makes her way to the sofa and I watch as she sinks down on to one of the cushions, Chloe doing the same next to her. Pressing my lips together, I watch them, waiting to see what they say next.

  “Chloe is married to a Capo, and I’m married to Arlo. We know a little about your situation, though Arlo wasn’t very forthcoming. We just want to help,” she offers with a smile.

  Flicking my gaze between them, I release my lips and give them a nod. “Arlo said to start planning, but I don’t know when it’s going to be or anything. I don’t even have any clothes to wear other than these,” I say, pointing to my jeans and t-shirt.

  Chloe and Lenora exchange glances, then they both nod once. “Let’s go shopping then,” Chloe practically squeals.

  “I don’t have any money,” I admit on a whisper.

  Lenora snorts as she stands to her feet. “Don’t worry about that. Arlo said your new husband was footing the bill for everything and I know that he won’t have a problem buying you some new clothes.”

  “Do you know who he is?” I practically shout.

  Both Chloe and Lenora’s eyes widen, then their lips twitch into matching smiles. “We do,” Lenora admits. “But we’re under strict orders not to tell you. I have no clue why, but they don’t want you to know. They don’t want him to know who you are either.”

  “If I had to guess?” Chloe murmurs.

  “Quiet,” Lenora hisses.

  Chloe shakes her head. “No way in hell. If I had to guess,” she repeats. “This is some kind of setup. I think Arlo and Gavino are matchmaking.” She laughs.

  “How?”

  Chloe shrugs a shoulder. “Who knows why men do what they do? I sure as hell don’t,” she snaps.

  “Chloe,” Lenora sighs before she turns her attention back to me. “How old are you?” she asks softly.

  “Twenty,” I admit.

  Both of their eyes widen, but thankfully they don’t comment. I don’t know if they have been told about my situation, or not, but if they’re surprised by my age, I assume they haven’t. Lenora smiles before she urges me to go and get cleaned up before we head out.

  “We’ll grab some breakfast first,” she calls out.

  My stomach growls at her words and I decide that breakfast is exactly what I need. It doesn’t take me long to freshen up. I take a quick shower, slipping my dirty clothes back on, cringing when I have to put the same panties on again. I would go commando, but I have to try on clothes today and that’s just gross.

  I’m thankful to find brand new toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, even shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I don’t know why all of this stuff is in here, but I don’t question it either, I just use it.

  Grabbing a brand new hairbrush, I moan as I comb the knots from my long hair. Setting it down on the counter next to the rest of my new products, I turn and head out toward Chloe and Lenora.

  They’re both talking, their heads dipped as they whisper. As soon as they sense my presence, they stop talking and turn to look over at me. Lenora gives me a bright smile at the same time Chloe frowns.

  They are so opposite, but they complement one another well. They both smile easily and are assessing as they watch me. I can tell that their relationship is one that was built over time, they act more like sisters like me and Rosana than just friends.

  “Ready?” I ask.

  Together, they nod as they rise to their feet. “My driver is outside waiting,” Lenora calls out.

  “Enrico is going to absolutely love the day that we have planned,” Chloe says with a smirk.

  Lenora snorts. “He’ll live.”

  Without another word, I follow behind them and together, the three of us walk down the long hallway, until we reach a door at the end of the hall. Lenora lifts her hand, balling her fingers into a fist before she knocks against the door.

  It opens and a tall handsome man in a suit tugs it open. He’s wearing mirrored sunglasses. He doesn’t move for a long moment, then his lips turn up into a grin.

  “This ought to be fun,” he mumbles.

  “What?” Lenora asks.

  He shakes his head once. “Nothin’. Just gonna enjoy watching all of this unfold,” he murmurs.

  He doesn’t allow any of us to respond, instead, he turns around and walks over to a waiting black SUV. I roll my eyes, noticing how once again, this is all nothing but a fucking cliché. I can’t believe that I agreed to this.

  I’m desperate, but am I so desperate that I have to essentially hand myself over for a life of pain? A life of constant disappointment. How stupid am I?

  “Don’t overthink things,” Lenora’s soft voice whispers.

  Jerking my head to the side, I watch as she looks over her shoulder at me, standing directly in front of the back door of the SUV. It’s open and she has one hand on the handle as she watches my inner turmoil.

  “I…”

  She shakes her head, shutting me up. “Seriously, don’t. This is going to work out, I can feel it.”

  I nod, but I don’t agree with her. She may be able to feel it, but she has happiness and love, whereas I’m walking into the complete unknown. I’m doing this to myself and a pit burns deep in my stomach at the feeling that I’m going to regret this probably sooner rather than later, or maybe always.

  MASSIMO

  My phone rings. I haven’t slept a wink, not a single moment. Reaching for my device, I slide my thumb across the screen. It’s Arlo. This is it. He’s going to tell me whether this whole thing is a go or not. I don’t know why I’m nervous, it doesn’t matter if this mystery woman says yes or no.

  “Ferrucci,” I grunt.

  He chuckles. “It’s a go,” he murmurs. “The planning will begin in the morning. Lenora and Chloe have decided they would like to help her. They’re going to take her out today to get started. We will be meeting with Gavino in an hour. Get dressed and I’ll come and get you.”

  Arlo ends the call and I stay still, sitting in the middle of my bed just trying to breathe. This is it. It’s a go. I’m going to be marrying a stranger. Once upon a time, this would have been common practice, and it still happens sometimes in the life, but it’s rare for a man in my position.

  It’s typically between the highest-ranking members, either to strengthen famiglia unity, or like Arlo who married his first wife, a woman who had ties to the government. Though I’ve worked my way up the ranks, I don’t feel like I’m anything special, not for a contracted marriage anyway.

  Forcing myself out of bed, I make my way toward the bathroom. I showered before I went to bed, but I need to take another one to get going for the day. Reaching for the hot water, I turn it on full blast while I push my underwear down to the floor.

  Looking at myself in the mirror, I lift my hand and slide my fingers through the strands of my hair. My dark eyes stare back at me, almost hauntedly. Pressing my lips together, I watch myself for a moment, my gaze roaming all over my face.

  My beard is short but scruffy. My hair is a bit too long, I should probably clean up, but I don’t give much of a fuck if I do right now. My mind shifts focus and I no longer see myself in the reflection, but instead see Pippa’s blue eyes staring back at me.

  I wonder what she’s doing right now. If she’s in college? Enjoying her time being free, being young and h
aving fun? I hope that she laughs every day.

  Every fucking day.

  After I’ve showered, I dress in black suit pants and a black shirt paired with black shoes and a black tie. I decide to forego a jacket. I don’t have any official business today and Gavino doesn’t give a fuck what we wear as long as we don’t look like punks.

  Using my comb, I slick back my wet hair, knowing that by the time it dries, it won’t look as neat and together as it does right now. Also, I don’t give much of a fuck about that, either. I hear my buzzer and hurry toward my front door.

  Pushing the button, I wait for Arlo to speak. “Ready?” he asks.

  “Be right down.”

  Turning back to my kitchen, I grab my wallet, shoving it into my pocket, then reach for my watch and slip that on. When I’m ready, I leave and hurry down toward Arlo. His car is waiting for me at the curb.

  Slipping into the passenger seat, I buckle my seatbelt with a sigh as he shifts the car into drive and heads toward Gavino’s.

  “Do I get to find out who the girl is?” I ask after a few silent moments.

  Arlo chuckles. “Maybe. We’ll see what Gavino thinks. I personally think you should wait until she’s walking down the aisle, but maybe Vino will be a little nicer to you, I’m not sure.” He chuckles.

  Lifting my hand, I flip him off. We don’t say anything else for the rest of the ride. I am so exhausted from lack of sleep and from my mind spinning all fucking night long. I can’t help but wonder just who this girl could be. She’s obviously an adult, and then there’s the fact that she’s a virgin.

  What kind of girl reaches adulthood as a virgin these days? I have no fucking clue. I’m curious as fuck about that, about all of this.

  Gavino’s house finally comes into view. Arlo pulls up next to Gavino’s car, then quickly kills the engine. I smirk looking over at him, he’s too fucking excited for all of this, which puts me on edge. We unfold from the car before I follow behind him, making our way up to Vino’s front door.

  Before Arlo can even knock on the door, it’s wrenched open and I’m surprised to see that Gavino is on the other side, instead of his driver, Paul. His gaze flits by Arlo’s and connects to mine. I watch as his lips curl up into a smirk and he chuckles.

  “I fucking love this,” he mutters before he spins around on his heels and starts to walk off.

  I blink as my feet begin to move, following behind Arlo and Gavino. We make our way into his office and without being instructed, I walk straight toward one of the chairs that’s directly across from his desk and sink down with a heavy sigh.

  “Ask him,” Arlo mutters.

  Lifting my gaze to meet his, I narrow my eyes, but otherwise don’t say a word.

  “Ask me what?” Gavino asks.

  “Do I get to know who she is?” I finally mutter when it’s obvious that he wants my question.

  Gavino’s lips curl up into a smile. He chuckles softly, then shrugs a shoulder. “Do you want to know?”

  “Asked the question, Boss,” I snap.

  There’s a moment of silence, and I ignore the looks that Gavino and Arlo are sharing, obviously both of them in on their own little secret.

  “When do you want to do this? We can’t keep her for too long where she is,” Gavino says, changing the subject slightly.

  “Sooner the better, I guess,” I say with a shrug.

  Gavino arches a brow. “You ready for soon? Got any loose ends you need to tie up first?”

  I snort, knowing exactly what he’s asking. “Got no woman or kids, got a place of my own big enough for two people in a safe building. Got a car. Haven’t wasted my money, been investing since I was a kid. Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

  Gavino nods his head. “You’re sound, cugino. Always have been a good man, proud to have you by my side. Which is why I had no problem approving this union. You deserve the gift that’s being given to you. You’ll make me proud, make a good family, and have a good life with her. If I thought she wouldn’t fit, I wouldn’t have said yes, not after that bitch Arlo married,” he snorts.

  “Fuck you,” Arlo snaps.

  Gavino lifts his hand and waves it around. “You’ll be happy, Massimo.”

  “Do I get to know her name, at least?”

  There’s another moment of silence and I think that he’s not going to tell me. That he’s going to fuck with me until the wedding day. He would, too. Gavino may be a serious boss, but he’s still my friend, and he’d still fuck with me just to get a laugh. He flicks his gaze up to meet mine and I watch as his lips curl into a huge smile.

  “Pippa Mazzilli.”

  Chapter Four

  PIPPA

  Enrico groans as we walk out of the department store, his hands filled with bags. My hands are filled with bags as well as Chloe and Lenora’s. These two women can shop and now my wardrobe is full to the brim of acceptable mafia wife clothes.

  I hate most of them.

  Thankfully, I also have another set of clothes that are just for me. Jeans and t-shirts, tanks, flat sandals. Everything that is full of comfort, everything that I crave to feel like myself.

  Because even Lenora says, there will be times that will be overwhelming and sometimes all you need to do is pull on something that’s comfortable to make you feel at peace. Call it a security blanket, call it whatever, sometimes you need it.

  “I’m going to need to head back home soon, Luca will worry,” Chloe announces.

  Lenora snorts. “Since when do you care if Luca worries?” she asks, arching a brow as we approach the back of the SUV.

  I hear them talking, but I can’t hear anything they’re saying. A slow driving car approaches us. I don’t know why, but I look up. It’s a deep red sedan, it’s expensive, but I can’t tell the make or model, I’m too focused on the driver.

  The car is moving forward, but the driver is looking directly at me. He has dark hair, dark eyes, and is wearing a white button-down shirt, probably goes with his suit. He stops in the middle of the road.

  I watch as his lips curve up into a smile showing off his white teeth. He lifts his hand and points at me. My eyes widen and I open my mouth to scream for Enrico, but the stranger jerks his chin, then his car zooms forward and disappears with the others.

  “Pippa?” Lenora’s voice calls.

  My entire body jerks before I shift my gaze over to meet hers. “Yeah?” I breathe.

  “You okay? I called your name three times,” she murmurs.

  “I’m okay.” I nod. “Sorry, I must have been daydreaming.”

  She hums, then closes the short distance between us. My spine stiffens when she hooks her arm with mine and smiles. “Carlo just called me. He said that Gavino has agreed to all of this and they want the wedding in two weeks,” she squeals.

  “Two weeks, how?” I breathe.

  My heart slams against my chest. It beats so hard and fast that I glance down at the sidewalk to see if it flops out on the ground. It doesn’t. Shifting my gaze up to meet Lenora’s, I gulp.

  “It will be okay. We’ll get you a dress and the rest we’ll just have to hire out and have a planner take care of. It will all be taken care of,” she says with a smile.

  Her smile is too kind, too calm, and way too reassuring. “But two weeks?” I exhale.

  She laughs softly. “Tomorrow morning we’ll come and pick you up again, we’ll take you dress shopping,” she offers as she guides us toward the back seat of the SUV.

  Thoughts of the man in the red car disappear, my mind now consumed with thoughts of my wedding.

  My. Wedding.

  In just two weeks.

  Two. Fucking. Weeks.

  “Can my sister come?” I ask as I climb into the back of the car.

  Buckling my seatbelt, I lift my eyes up to meet Lenora’s. She’s smiling at me. “Of course she can. I’ll text you the address and you can let her know. The appointment is set up for ten in the morning. I just received the confirmation.”

  “You’re fa
st,” I exhale.

  Lenora smirks. “Throwing around my name gets you a little extra clout, especially in the fashion industry in the East Village. This bridal boutique is just a few blocks away from my shop.”

  The car arrives at the brick building that is now my home. I pause as I look back at Lenora, then I flick my gaze to Chloe in the front seat.

  “Thank you for today. It meant more to me than you could ever know,” I whisper.

  Chloe smiles, but Lenora reaches for my hand. She squeezes my palm in hers. “This is a roller coaster, the whole life here. We are both riding in the cars ahead of you, but we’re here. We’ve been where you are and together, we’ll get through it all. Plus, you haven’t even met Luciana, yet. You’re going to love her.”

  Gulping, I look down at our hands thinking about meeting Gavino’s wife. I’ve thought about what kind of woman she was since I met him the first time three years ago. What kind of woman could love and be married to a man like him? But then again, he gave me my freedom. So, perhaps he’s not as bad as I think he is, as bad as he seems.

  Lenora’s phone rings and she smiles. “It’s Arlo, he’s probably home and wondering where I am. The nanny has no doubt left for the day. He’s kind of hopeless at being alone with Simonetta, our baby girl.”

  “Go home and be with her,” I say, giving her a smile as I imagine her little blonde beauty. “Why don’t you bring her tomorrow.”

  “Do you mean that? I mean, I have a nanny to watch her while I’m down at the shop, she can watch her tomorrow too.”

  Shaking my head, I squeeze her fingers. “Bring her,” I say, meaning every word.

  “Okay, I will. I’ll see you tomorrow, I can’t wait.” Releasing her hands, I slide out of the SUV.

  Enrico is standing at the door, all of my bags just inside of the hallway. Lifting my hand, I wave to both of the women who look at me with huge smiles on their faces. Turning toward the opened door, I stop just short of Enrico.

  “Thank you for today,” I offer.

  He dips his chin, his gaze focusing on mine for a brief moment. “You’re welcome, cara. I will be here tomorrow around nine in the morning. Be ready,” he rumbles before he turns and walks back to the car.