Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
ALISON
T he morning was strangely kind to me.
No headache, no hangover, no guilt, no nausea. Maybe that was the beauty of quality booze, along with the quick, inebriating effects that the smooth taste disguised.
I was glad that was the case. Dealing with the rush of downtown Manhattan would otherwise be a painful nightmare.
I woke up in a lighter mood than the previous days, even though I was buried deeper into whatever this was with Max. I felt we had a moment last night, something much deeper than just lust, and this time, I felt he reciprocated even though nothing really happened. He opened a crack for me to see him somehow, and I couldn’t find it in me to regret the peak.
He was right. That fucker deserved what was coming, and I couldn’t feel a single ounce of shame for feeling that way.
Suddenly, before I could completely enter the Ritz’s foyer, something hit the bottom of my legs. He just came out of nowhere.
A little boy with dark, raven hair and entrancing blue eyes was now looking up at me from the floor where he’d landed on his little butt. He sat there for a minute, glaring at me as if I was the one to blame. He couldn’t be more than three, maybe four years old. His orange and blue plastic gun lying on the floor a couple of feet away.
A worried woman came running after him, his mother, I presumed, with the same dark hair, tanned skin, and eyes so dark I couldn’t distinguish her iris from her pupil.
What I saw in those deep pools of obsidian was an ocean of tears to be spilled, crowned by a frown that resembled pain instead of worry.
I crouched to the boy’s level and helped him get up, a small mischievous smile now taking over his once perplexed features. I grabbed him tight when he threatened to sprint away again, the woman’s face relaxing in relief. But the edges of sorrow were still carved in every pore.
“Hey there, big guy, are you okay?” I asked, my voice toned to a softness specific to address such a small child, watching as he simply nodded. “You shouldn’t be running away like that. What’s your name?”
“Lorenzo.” He replied in the cutest of voices, an innocence that held its own rebellious nature. He was too cute, and he knew exactly how to use it against me. “And yours?”
“ Por Dios , how many times do I have to tell you not to run away like that?” The woman running after the little rascal admonished before I could reply, “I’m so sorry. Thank you so much for grabbing him. He’s a little devil, and I… I got distracted for a second.”
“No problem.” I smiled in sympathy, shaking the boy’s little hand, “I’m Alison,” before standing to greet his mother. “Alison Battaglia.”
“Camila Alcaráz.” She replied with a small smile on her face, the moistness in her eyes subsiding just a little. “Thank you, and I apologize again. The family’s nature sure runs through his veins. He’s a wild card, apples don’t normally fall too far from their trees.” She ruffled his hair as she said it, but those words were less endearing than they seemed. They held the weight of a curse she clearly didn’t wish upon her own son.
“It’s okay. No harm done. And you, little man. Be good to your mama, and don’t run off. Deal?” He nodded in response, faking embarrassment. “Good to meet you, Camila.”
“Likewise, Alison.”
I walked over to the breakfast bar, a little smile on my face as I remembered Lorenzo’s cute face, taking a seat while I waited for Matt.
Mindlessly tapping my fingers on the table, I waited for my brother, watching as the people came and went. Mr. Hot Shot took his bloody time to get his ass down to ask me whatever was so important that he couldn’t do it over the phone.
But then I saw it.
My fingers froze as I felt the sharp pang of my heart beating vigorously, almost more in my throat than in my chest. The overbearing sight of the tall, fucking gorgeous demon that had haunted my mind and dreams for the last two days, kissing a gorgeous redhead.
He… he… has a girlfriend? Why couldn’t you just switch it the fuck off, Alison?
It wasn’t just any kiss either. Max’s eyes were closed, his hand gripping her ass as he kissed her with fervor.
I tore my gaze away just as those eyes snapped open, hoping he hadn’t noticed. There was no way she was just a hookup. He would have left her in his room with a map to the exit if that was the case.
God, I hope he didn’t catch me staring.
I let him in? How did he…? No! This can’t be!
I closed my eyes, trying to blackout the rotten feelings rising to my chest. When that didn’t work, I swallowed them down dryly, yet somehow, they still didn’t budge.
It’s not too late to switch it off!
I opened my eyes again, and there they were, in deep conversation, still standing too close to each other to just be some casual hookup. Abruptly standing, I moved to the chair across the table, turning my back to the damn love birds making out in the foyer. I couldn’t stand the sight of them, and yet, I couldn’t seem to look away.
Under the table, my leg bounced anxiously, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I had to regain my composure. Matt knew me all too well not to notice something was off. At the end of the hall, the sign to the restrooms seemed to be beaming in neon, calling me for a small reprieve. I shot up from my seat and darted straight through the tables, only stopping in front of the vanity and a damn mirror.
My cheeks had lost their color. I was ghost white, and my normally vibrant eyes had dulled to a sad tone of green.
I splashed water onto my face, trying to snap out of this state. Max had caught me kissing Jackson, too. Fuck, he’d heard us having sex. It was hypocritical of me to think he had his life on pause just because we had sex once upon a time. Just because he kissed me on my kitchen counter.
So, I did my best to suffocate those feelings of betrayal and put on a mask of serenity.
I dried off the droplets of water running down my face and neck before pinching my cheeks to hopefully bring some color to them and fake it until I was out of here .
“Pathetic.” I berated myself to my own reflection before straightening my spine and marching back to the breakfast hall where Matt was already waiting for me.
“Good morning,” I said, taking the empty seat in front of my brother.
“Good morning, Principessa . You’re glowing with glee this morning.”
Apparently my tone wasn’t as joyful as I’d forced it to be, and Matt saw right through me. But the frown on his face gave away the concern he tried to hide under that bright smile plastered on his face. It was clear he had hardly slept last night if he even slept at all.
“Said the pot to the kettle. Cut the crap. How is she doing?” I asked him, going straight to the point and seeing right through him as usual. I had a tight bond with my family, the only ones I had ever opened my heart to. The only ones with the power to break me because of it.
“Better today,” Matt replied, a small sigh leaving his body and slumping his shoulders.
“You stayed the night?” I knew about the new anger Francesca nurtured towards my brother. A hatred born from unconditional love. So I was surprised she had even let him get close.
“I did. She wasn’t feeling well at all. Probably threw up everything you guys had for dinner.”
“Hum… I see. I’m surprised she let you stay.”
“You and I both, actually. But she was too weak to argue. I couldn’t leave her alone.” Matt was this big, rough man with a heart of gold he denied having. But I saw him for who he was.
“I know, but you may have done more harm than good. She’s still hurting, Matt, despite what she might say. She still loves you. I can only imagine how hard it is for her to be back and have to stare at your ugly face again, never mind having you spend the night with her.” Matt meant well, but what he didn’t understand was that distance played the part of sanity in situations like his. Like mine.
“I know. What’s done is done. Besides, today is possibly the day I set the headstone on my own tomb.”
“Possibly? What do you mean, possibly ?” Today was the reason Matt divorced her. Today was the day The Commission allowed the first woman to ever sit at their table as an equal, as a Don, or should I say Donna? I just didn’t understand his hesitance.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. And before I say anything else, let me just make this perfectly clear. You are under no obligation to do anything. You don’t have to save anyone. Got it?” Matt was never one to flourish or beat around the bush, so the fact that he was prefacing the real issue with that statement had me on high alert.
“O-kay… Got it. Now spill.”
“I spoke to Don Massimo last night, and that smart fuck saw a business opportunity in this.” I understood by now that whatever it was he was about to ask me came at some big sacrifice. Mine probably. But I desperately needed to leave this place and channel the anger and resentment in me into something that wouldn’t judge me. A bucket of ice cream. A whole packet of chips. A bottle of rum.
“Matt, come on… what is it?”
“He wants you in return for helping me. He wants you to marry him,” He finally said.
“WHAT?”
“Exactly what you heard. He says it’s business only. That he needs an alliance. A strong family that can guide his successor to a promising future, to make sure that his people are taken care of once he’s gone. He’s got MS, and there’s no telling how long it will be until he isn’t fit to run the business, or worse. If he doesn’t have this alliance and someone to take his place, The Commission will nominate another Capo from another family for his seat. We can never know what the outcome would be. But all we have to do is create the illusion that this is happening. We will find a way out of it. I would never give you away like freaking cattle.”
“I see…” I said just to fill the silence, not blinking once, staring straight ahead. “And who would take his place when he’s not fit?”
“That I don’t know. He has a brother, but somehow, I don’t see that happening.” I asked the question but didn’t quite register the answer. I looked over to where Max had come to stand at a safe distance away from us. His fucking Tom Ford pristine suit covering up a crack as big as Grand Canyon in his perfect armored honor. Just like my father.
“Mercy isn’t a quality I possess. Life shows us none, why should I not return the favor?”
Life indeed shows us no mercy.
This was my call for duty, my opportunity to step up and be a part of this family, do my part to pull through. The extra punch it packed was just an added benefit.
Was I out for revenge?
I couldn’t say I was, but the thought of how my father would react by knowing that I, too, was embracing the legacy he so vehemently despised gave me the final push. I would like to include Max in that picture, too, but I wasn’t so sure he cared as much.
It’s not like I ever thought about marriage as my life’s goal. It was just a piece of paper. A contract that came with a new address and fifty percent of an empire that would soon be mine .
An empire of bones and ash, shady deals, and loaded guns.
Could I even handle that?
“Alison, I told you. You don’t have to–”
“I’ll do it,” I cut him off. This was the perfect excuse to leave. The perfect way to finally belong.
“Wait, what?”
“I’ll do it,” I repeated, reaching for Matt’s hands.
“Just like that?”
“Of course, just like that! What were you expecting?”
“A fight?”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that left my chest. There was no way I was about to tell him how or why the fight in me had been bleeding out these past few weeks. Besides, this might be exactly what I needed.
“Matt, I’m part of this family. But I never really was a part of it, if you know what I mean. I want to do this. Just hear me out. You said it yourself, it’s just business, and he has MS. So it would just be like a business transaction, a contract. I’ll ask him for a year of freedom before we get married, and then he can have his alliance, and you can count on his help today. If we find a loophole during that year, good. If not, it’s fine, too. I never intended on getting married anyway, not after seeing Mom and Dad’s divorce.” I scoffed, trying to hide the scars that still ran bone-deep. “So, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
There was surprise mixed with relief and concern in Matt’s eyes. It was clear to me that he never intended it to get to this, but alas, here we are. This was always my duty. My fate. We were just playing on the sidelines, hoping it wouldn’t catch up to us.
“I won’t let it happen, Alison. Loophole or not, I’ll kill him before that year comes to an end. Do you hear me? ”
“It’s okay, Matt. We’ll figure it out when the time comes. Just go make this happen for Francesca. She deserves at least this if she can’t have you.”
Without knowing, Matt had given me an escape, a way to switch it off.
All of it.
Pitch fucking black!