The Accardi Twins: A Mafia Romance Duet

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Caleb

I wake the next morning with a thumping headache, and my tongue is flattened to the roof of my mouth. I’m lying on my stomach on my bed, still in my clothes from last night. Lifting my head off the pillow, I groan as splinters of pain stab me in the skull. I roll over onto my back and lift up a little, pleased to see I at least had the sense to take off my socks and shoes.

Or maybe not. I rectify my thought as I spy the glass of water and pain pills on my bedside table. Pulling myself up against the headboard, I knock back the pills, grimacing at the note Cristian left me.

Tell her the truth.

Fuck. I rub at my sore head as I glance at my watch. It’s still way too early to contemplate any of this. I have no clue what crap I spewed last night. I was more inebriated than I realized. I’m unsure how I got home, but I’m guessing my buddy is responsible. Love that dude like a brother.

I’m trying to make myself get up and into the shower when my twin appears in the doorway of my bedroom like a ghostly apparition. “Jesus Christ, Caleb. It smells like a fucking brewery in here.”

I casually flip him the bird as I begin unbuttoning my shirt.

Joshua scowls at the piles of clothes on my floor as he picks his way across the room. “I’m going to schedule the cleaning crew to come here on the daily,” he says, shaking his head and grimacing. “How can you live like this?” He perches on the edge off my bed, surveying my messy room with obvious disgust.

“It’s not all my doing this time. Anais didn’t lift a finger while she was here.” Thank fuck, she moved into her new apartment yesterday.

“You let her sleep in your room?” He jumps up, glaring at my bed like it’s infested.

Hell, it probably is.

“Of course not. I put her things in the guest room, but she did what the fuck she wanted while I wasn’t here.”

“I hope you kept tabs on her.”

“I’m not a moron.” I send him daggered eyes. “I had a couple of guys watch the camera feeds twenty-four-seven while she was here. Apart from trashing my place, eating all my junk food, and binging on reality TV, she didn’t do jack.”

“I still don’t trust her.”

“Same,” I agree, tossing my shirt onto the nearest mound of clothes on the floor.

Joshua rolls his eyes. “Cristian called.”

Now it’s my turn to eye roll. “He’s worse than any pussy.”

“He said you told him you love Elisa and you’ve fucked it all up.”

My mouth hangs open. “I did not say that.”

Joshua grins. “You so did. It’s about time you admitted the truth.”

I flip him the bird again—’cause I’m mature like that. “I’m not admitting anything.”

“You confronted me when I was in denial about my feelings for Gia, and now it’s my turn.” My twin tips dirty clothes off the chair by my window and sits down. “I’m a judgment-free zone, brother. Talk to me.”

I pull off my jeans and flip them onto the floor, sitting on the side of my bed in my boxers. I rest my head in my hands as my stomach churns violently. The nasty taste in my mouth reminds me I consumed half a bottle of Macallan last night. “We have to be at Cartier soon,” I say, remembering the appointment and why my brother has shown up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning.

“Nice try, but it won’t work. We have plenty of time.” He crosses one ankle over his knee as he smiles. “Spit it out.”

I heave a sigh. Joshua is a stubborn prick when he gets something into his head. Might as well do this now. “Did you know she has a boyfriend?”

“Gia mentioned something about him, yeah.”

I glower at my twin. “And you didn’t fucking say anything to me?”

He shrugs. “What was the point when you were still in denial?”

“I hate this shit.” I flop down on my back. “I don’t know what I feel. I don’t believe in love. You know this. I have feelings for her, but I don’t know if it’s love. Lately, it’s getting harder to be around her and not want to hold her and kiss her. When I’m jerking off, it’s always to images of her. She is consuming my thoughts, and my head is a bigger fucked-up mess than usual.” I sit back up. “I fucking hate the thought of that preppy prick putting his hands anywhere near my Lili.” My hands ball up of their own volition. “See?” I hold them out. “I want to pummel the douche into next year.”

“I don’t think it’s serious with him.”

“ Yet .” I stand and pace the floor. “As soon as he realizes how amazing she is, he’ll try to put a ring on it.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. I think it might be too late.” I rub at my stomach. “I did something stupid.”

“Wow, shocker right there.”

“J,” I grit out. “Not fucking helpful.”

His expression sobers as he lowers his foot to the floor. “Cristian told me about those girls and what you said to Elisa. I also know Alesso put the thought in your head, and I’m pissed at him for interfering even if I understand why he did.”

“I thought it was the right call, but it felt all wrong.”

“You need to tell her how it really went down.”

“She won’t believe me.” A messy ball of emotion clogs the back of my throat. “I was deliberately cruel. I really hurt her.” I slump to the ground and cradle my aching head in my hands. “You should have seen her face. She was hurting bad, and this isn’t the first time I’ve caused her pain.” I wet my dry lips and look up at my brother. “I have made so many mistakes when it comes to Elisa. I have hurt her so much even though it was never intentional. I was a selfish prick who didn’t give a second thought about anyone else. I deserve to lose her, and let’s face it, I have never been good enough for her. I could never be good enough for her. I?—”

“Are you done with the pity party?” J says, cutting across me.

“Fuck you.”

“Quit this pussy shit. This isn’t who you are. Yes, you’ve made mistakes, but you don’t have a time machine to go back and change it. All you can do is try to make it up to her and commit to doing better from now on. Starting with being brutally honest. Make yourself vulnerable. Lay it all on the line. Lili has loved you from the time she was a little kid. She’ll forgive you.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“You won’t know if you don’t try.”

“What if I’m no good at it? Relationships,” I add when I see the confusion in his gaze. “I don’t have a clue how to be in a relationship. That was always your forte.”

“When it’s the right person, it’ll come naturally. Now quit being a whiny bitch and get your ass in the shower.” He offers his hand, and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. “What about those girls?”

“They did it deliberately.” I grind my jaw as tension fills every nook and cranny of my body. “It’s the only explanation. They purposely sought me out and planned it to hurt Lili.”

“They need to pay.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’m going to ruin them, starting with getting them thrown out of NYU. I should’ve done it last year when Elisa mentioned that girl was harassing her. I wanted to step in, but she made me promise I wouldn’t interfere. I should have followed my gut and put those bitches in their place, then none of this would’ve happened.”

“Let me know how I can help,” J says, glancing at his watch.

“I need their full names to run a background check. Ask Gia.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t involve her. Things could easily get messy, and Elisa is her best friend.”

This is fucking priceless. He just asked how he could help, and now he’s saying no. Screw that. Gia will do it when I explain. “Fine. I’ll ask her myself.”

“Ask me what?” Gia says, materializing in the doorway.

“Darling, what are you doing here?” Joshua flings a pair of dirty sweats at me. “Cover up.”

You’d swear Gia had never seen a man in boxers. My brother is totally overreacting, but what’s new. He’s like a Neanderthal on steroids when it comes to Gia Bianchi. I pull on my sweats as Gia crosses the room, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend.

Cold steel presses against my temple as she pulls a gun on me.

“Gia! What the hell?” Joshua stares at his girlfriend in disbelief.

“What the fuck is up with everyone pulling a gun on me?” I grumble, sighing as I shove my hands in the pockets of my sweats.

“It’s called karma, asshole.” Gia digs the muzzle in deeper. “I had to console my friend for two hours on the phone yesterday. I had hoped there was some logical explanation, but I gave you too much credit. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t pull this trigger.”

“I lied.” I turn my head so I’m looking at her, uncaring she has a gun pressed to my skull. She won’t pull it. In her own funny way, she likes me. You’d just have to inject her with alcohol to get her to admit it. “I lied to her because I thought it’d help if she really hated me, but I instantly regretted it. I should have told her the truth.”

“Which is?” Gia eyeballs me with healthy skepticism.

“Those girls targeted me. They faked their IDs and used different names. I had no idea they went to NYU or that they even knew Lili. If I’d known who they were, I would have drop-kicked them into the ocean with concrete-covered feet.”

“Honey, put the gun down before you accidentally kill my twin.”

“He’d deserve it for being such a fucking dumbass and the biggest slut.” Reluctantly, she lowers the weapon, flipping the safety and tucking it into the back of her jeans. Her evil grin is the only warning I get before she lifts her leg and knees me in the balls.

“Fuck,” I hiss through gritted teeth, crouching over and cupping my groin as pain flares between my legs. Black spots flash behind my retinas as my eyes water. Crippling pain grips me, and I’m panting as I struggle to push through it. After a few beats, the excruciating pain settles, and I straighten up, glowering at my future sister-in-law. “That wasn’t fucking necessary. I don’t disagree, and for the record, I haven’t fucked anyone in weeks. I’m turning a new page.”

She arches a brow. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Sarcasm laces through her tone.

“Those girls need to learn a valuable life lesson, and I’m going to be the one to deliver it.”

Her eyes glisten with interest. “I want in.”

I pin my brother with a smug grin. “I thought you might.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’m going to make them regret every single hurtful thing they’ve said to Lili. By the time I’m done with them, they’ll wish they were dead.”