5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
CRUE
“ I ’m sorry you had to see that. Family troubles,” Lorenzo says as Mark and I step through his door. “I’m sure you understand how it goes.”
Are you fucking kidding me? He’s screwing with you. Teasing you about your mom. Tear his eyes out and feed them to the balding fuck opposite him .
“Don’t have family,” I say, but I don’t ignore my shadow this time. It’s the first thing it has said since Devin Williams, when I’ve wanted to act on my own free will.
Family is a contentious point, especially when Lorenzo brings it up. He killed my mother. She was the last remaining member of the family I had. His offer to leave my world of freedom behind, in order to join his family, is a slap in the face. I can’t seem to get over it. Yet, here I am, wanting to accept Mark’s suggestion that I join the Napoli’s.
Fiametta’s at fault. She is the root cause of all my fuck-ups, since the night I first saw her. Seeing her now, however brief it was, rekindled the flame I thought I’d finally extinguished, after nearly two and a half months.
She must be something special if she’s still on my mind. Not even my mom’s death left this big of a hole in my chest.
“That must be nice.” Lorenzo doesn’t even realize that he is mocking me with his idle chatter. “They can be hell.”
An opportunity he didn’t allow you to experience. Kill him. NOW!
Not yet. Not in his home, anyway. Lorenzo is still very much on my list of victims, but I have to play it smart. Like I did with Devin. Watch, wait and strike at an ideal time. When no one can point a finger at me.
Caring about this sort of thing isn’t how I operate. I’m the monster who lurks under your bed, and the more people who know it, the better. But my missed attempt on Fiametta has put things into perspective. Had she told them about me, I wouldn’t have walked into this house so easily. Lorenzo’s men would’ve dragged me in with hooks severing my Achilles tendons, so he could enact his own vengeance.
Careful isn’t a word I’m used to, but I’m starting to understand that it’s important. It’s an entirely different mission trying to teach this lesson to my shadow and not one I’m willing to embark on.
“Why did you want to see me?” I cut to the chase. “I tried very hard not to be seen, so it must be important.”
What Lorenzo lacks — hmm, that isn’t the right way to put it. Among the plethora of things Lorenzo lacks, good sense is one of them. He’s the kind of man who wants to build rapport. He favors conversation and bonding over cutting to the quick and moving on. That’s one of the main reasons I truly believe Matteo is a better crime boss. That, and Matteo had nothing to do with mom’s slaughter.
“Exactly. You disappeared at a very unfortunate time, Crue. Very unfortunate, indeed.”
My head snaps in Tomas’ direction. He’s glaring up at me as if I’m Frankenstein’s monster, just brought into court before a mob of angry villagers to face trial for his crimes. I look over at Mark, and his rock-hard face is impossible to read.
Suddenly, I feel trapped. It’s as if every man in this room is in on some big secret, I’m not privy to. The way Lorenzo speaks isn’t helping, either. It feels as if he’s trying to lull me into a false sense of security, right before he strikes. I slide my hands behind my back, as naturally as I can, to make it look as if I’m standing to attention. Really, I’m reaching for my dagger’s handle, and preparing for the worst.
Maybe my shadow is going to have his wish fulfilled, after all.
The dice were loaded from the start. I’m not a gambler, so my shadow’s mockery goes over my head.
Wait a second… How the fuck is a voice in my head making gambling references if I’m not into it? Maybe that lady doctor I met during my time in the military was right.
Maybe I should be locked up in a nuthouse.
“What happened?” It must be a bold, straight-faced lie. He’s talking about Fiametta’s abduction and attempted murder.
He carries on speaking. “Shortly before you vanished, there was an attempt on Fiametta’s life. The perpetrator brought her to my club. He discarded her unconscious, naked body carelessly in an alleyway. He planned to shoot her. I shudder at the thought of what he did to her before he took her there.” Lorenzo actually does shiver. Then, his lips start moving as if he’s about to gag.
Nothing she didn’t love .
“What’s this got to do with me, exactly?” I keep my eyes glued to his. Waiting for a sign that he’s going to try something.
“I needed you and you weren’t here.” What the hell is wrong with this guy?
“You had Mark.”
So, Fiametta didn’t spill the beans. Neither did Mr. and Mrs. Chang from the opium den, an alleyway’s walk from the Sanctuary Club. Then Mark’s, the only person who knew about my task to snuff out my Little Flame. He was perfectly situated in Lorenzo’s way, and able to keep his suspicion from falling on me.
My, my, seems I did not have to run away at all.
“You’re a package deal. Have been from the start. I don’t want him without you, and I don’t want you without him.” Lorenzo says bluntly. “My kings of chaos. My brothers of destruction. My ultimate weapons.”
“You use too many colorful words to get your point across.” I don’t give a shit about his mood, and if it sours because I’m speaking my mind. Lorenzo’s starting to grate on me, and I just want this to end.
“You’re a very strange man; do you know that?” Lorenzo asks, narrowing his eyes. He doesn’t look angry, rather he is confused.
“People have said it before, sure.”
Mark snickers at my answer. “Speaking of which, why are you two here, if you’re not going to say anything?” I ask.
My gaze turns to Tomas who hasn’t moved or said a thing since I came in. Mark’s only here because he fetched me. Knowing him, he’s probably daydreaming about some chick, or thinking about lies to tell when I ask him how the hunting shop is doing.
“I’m the second in charge of the Napoli family,” Tomas speaks slowly and obnoxiously.
“Is that why Fiametta ran out of here crying?” I raise an eyebrow, and Lorenzo does a spit-take with nothing in his mouth.
“This is hardly the time or place, Crue. Please, let those matters die before they turn into something much worse.” Lorenzo sure does like to walk on eggshells around me. I know it’s not because he’s afraid of me. He’s doing it because he wants me to join his fight. If I decline, I’ll be met with the same fury and hatred everyone else must face.
But, after having given it some thought, both on the drive over from Colorado and more so now while I’ve been standing here, I’m inclined to accept his offer. See, my shadow and I find ourselves in a very strange position. We are in a veritable killing field, full of Napoli and Baronne men. We are embroiled in a dangerous game of playing both sides, without ever really choosing a side, while reaping the benefits of being neither friend nor foe.
Of course, I’m acting under a strong assumption that Matteo Baronne isn’t going to kill me the second I walk through his door. But this could be a bit of harmless fun.
“You didn’t chase me after paying my ridiculous sum, and I left. Why?” I ask. It might appear suspicious if I blindly accept his offer, after showing so very little interest, and I don’t want to risk that.
“The option was always yours. You made your terms clear from the start, and I respected that. But things are changing, Crue, and soon New York won’t be the same city it is now. I would have let you vanish, had I not needed you.”
It’s the first real thing he’s ever said to me. I can tell what he has planned by the twinkle in his eye — a mixture of sadness, fear and pride.
“Pay the rest of the money, and then we’ll talk details.” I turn around and start for the door. “In the meantime, I have some unfinished business I need to see to.”
My first stop is sleeping right inside this mansion.
I’m coming for you, my Little Flame.