11. Christina
Christina
11
I pinch myself – wincing at the sting. This isn’t a dream. It may be a cruel joke, but it’s real.
Online courses? What the hell?!
I can just see my dreams and goals start to circle the drain. All those long nights studying, the exams, working on extra credit just to make sure I stayed at the top of my class. Those years spent killing myself to get into a top program.
Poof! Gone in an instant.
Because some asshole declared it to be? What is this, the 1800s?
If you had asked me last month, the thought that anyone, anyone, would make me give up school and my college dreams, or even worse, sabotage them, would have seemed outlandish.
And yet here I am.
This whole thing is archaic and absurd, and a part of me thinks that it still might be a joke, until I walk downstairs to an empty house, where everything is empty besides the armed guards. Plural.
I’ve never seen so many guns in my life. How many heavily armed men does it take to protect a nineteen-year-old girl?
My mother is at work, Albert is nowhere to be found and they’ve left me alone with a small army.
They didn’t even bother to tell me which school they enrolled me in or how to log in. I almost cried when I called Millerton’s registrar and they confirmed that I was already withdrawn.
This sucks.
I wander around the house, occasionally checking my phone to see if Julia or any of the girls miss me.
No notifications.
Enzo and Nico, on the other hand, have both texted me throughout the morning, giving strict instructions to stay put and stay safe.
According to them, Albert gave me to them to watch over and they are taking that very, very seriously.
I almost choked the other morning when Albert told me to think of them as protective big brothers.
Ha. If Albert only knew just how his boys have protected me so far…
I banish the dangerous, but satisfying, thought of telling Albert and my mom exactly how well I know Nico and Enzo. It might feel good for one petty moment, but I’d be the one who would pay for it. I know it.
My phone pings and I look down.
Enzo: If you need to leave, take a guard. They are there for your protection, princess. We’ll see you tonight. xx
My protection?
I don’t need protection. I need to go to class and get my fucking law degree so I can throw men like this in prison!
I want to throw my phone against the wall. I feel trapped. Suffocated.
One thing they’ve made crystal clear is that escape is not an option for me. I’m their plaything and their pawn… until they offload me one way or another. Everything that’s happened this last week is fucked, and so is the new trajectory of my life.
If Albert and his insufferable sons get their way, I can kiss law school goodbye. The only degree he wants for me is my M.R.S. degree.
Ew. The thought sours in my stomach.
Great.
I sigh, slumping against the kitchen counter, deciding to ignore the men armed with assault rifles that make their rounds of the house.
So much for staying discreet.
Everything about this place is over the top. I should have spotted the signs right away, the second Nico said this father gave him a nightclub as a birthday present.
How did I not put together the pieces sooner?
Their clothes. Their attitudes.
For God’s sake, even their energy screams DANGER, STAY AWAY.
I bring my hand to my lips, chewing on my nails. But even before that, I should’ve seen through Albert’s courting of my mother.
A personal driver and shiny luxury car? Extravagant gifts and vacations? The way he only wanted to take her to certain restaurants?
I groan.
The signs were there. Some of it was even so cliché. Yet, I ignored them.
And my mother? Anger roils in the pit of my stomach. How the hell could she not see the signs? How could she let this happen to us? To me?
I shake my head and try to calm down.
There’s no way she would put me in a position like this without a reason. I’m sure she has an explanation. I swallow, my throat dry with uncertainty.
I know she hasn’t tried to explain things away, but I also haven’t given her the chance. I’m sure that’s it. I need to sit down with her, someplace away from all these guns and overbearing men and ask her.
I’m not like the slackers in this town who would probably jump at the chance to spend a few years doing nothing more than hanging out in a luxurious mansion.
I want to learn. I want to go to school.
My phone dings again and I smile when I see Julia’s name pop up.
Finally.
Excitedly, I unlock the screen.
Julia: What did you do?
I frown and click the link she sent me. It’s a screenshot taken from Matt’s social media showing a picture of my mother’s wedding announcement with a single sentence over the image:
Christina doesn’t have to sleep with guys for money anymore.
Another notification linking me to another post.
Now she does it because she’s a Venitti whore.
Oh. My. God.
Embarrassment and rage burn behind my eyes and my fingers begin to shake, hovering above the text but unable to respond.
The third post is just a photo of me with the words WHORE overlaid on top in bright red letters.
I toss the phone on the table with shaking hands.
Oh my god. Oh my god. What?!
I knew Matt was a sleazeball but I never in a million years dreamed he would do something like this.
My phone pings again and I see Julia’s notification.
Julia: It’s just on his story, Christina. It will go away. Call me later, yeah?
“Just on his story?” I scoff. Matt is addicted to social media. He has thousands of followers.
In the time that it would take for his little post to disappear, everyone I know will have seen it.
Fuck.
I want to scream and yell and tear out my hair as the emotions hit me hard and fast. I scrub the tears away before they can fall. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t go to class today. Millerton University is a medium sized school but it has a lot of locals. I feel like half my senior class matriculated there.
It’s hard to imagine walking across the quad to class while having to dodge Matt and his stupid friends. The torment I would have to endure all for the sake of his reputation.
God forbid a girl leave him because he’s a shitty person. No. He’s made sure people think that it’s my fault now.
Julia texts me again but this time, I can’t bring myself to look at it. There’s nothing she can say that’ll make any of this better.
I hold my head in my hands, considering my options. I can either sit here and feel sorry for myself, or I can find something to do.
I push back from the counter.
Mario, or Marcus, I can’t remember which, walks by, nodding his head as he does his rounds.
“Hey,” I call after him before he can get too far.
He turns around.
“Do you know if there is something I’m supposed to be doing today?”
I do my best to not sound rude.
But I need something to occupy my mind.
“Mr. Venitti’s only instruction is to not leave the house without a guard.” He stands there, as if waiting for me to dismiss him.
I frown. “Thanks.”
He nods his head and leaves.
Logically, I know that sitting here doing nothing will only make the anxiety worse.
Emotionally, I think there might be some satisfaction in throwing a tantrum and making the lives around me miserable.
I sigh, knowing that I’ll choose the former regardless of my own feelings.
I wander through the hallway, considering my options. There aren’t many.
Escape? Unlikely, given the army outside.
Friends? Still in class or at work; I could beg Julia to come save me but having her try to break me out of here would put her in danger so that’s a no.
Who knew that Mafia house arrest was dangerous due to the potential to die of boredom?!
Ughhh.
My laptop is in my bag at the bottom of the stairs. An idea strikes me, and I grab it and walk towards the sunroom, stopping to grab another cup of cappuccino on the way.
If I’m going to be stuck at home all day, I might as well make the most of it.
Once I’m settled in on the cozy couch, I open a search engine and type in the family name.
Time to learn what being a Venitti actually means.
Vague accounts of shipments and business deals. Charity functions. Club announcements.
Their wedding announcement, even. Some pictures of Albert posing with Senator Cosa at a Gala.
No overt mentions of mob ties, but that’s to be expected. No one just walks around with name tags that say, “Mafia Overlord” or “CEO Criminal Empire.”
Although that would be super helpful if they did.
Instead, the ties are always in the details. Lucky for me, I freaking love the details.
I lose myself in the research. Three cups of coffee later, and I’m jolted back into reality by the sound of the garage door closing and the door to the house opening. I check the time and realize it’s already 3pm.
Shit.
I snap my laptop closed right as Nico walks in the door.
“Hello, Christina,” he greets me with a slow smile. Enzo is right behind him, leaning against the door jamb and looking suspiciously like some sort of dark angel.
“Hi?” I ask, trying and failing to sound casual.
It’s not a crime to want to know more about this family I’ve been forced into. But a part of me knows that it wouldn’t be encouraged, either.
“What are you up to?” Nico says, eyeing me suspiciously. “You look like you’re scheming or plotting.”
“Nothing, it’s just—” I can’t finish my sentence, my words keep sticking in my mouth. I notice the dried brown stains on their shirts and latch onto those.
“Your shirts are covered in blood.”
My words are a whisper, but reality hits me hard. This is probably a regular part of their lives.
Just… coming in, banged up and bloody.
“Why?”
My gaze quickly takes in both of their faces, their bodies, trying to determine the source. My thoughts immediately turn to Matt.
Oh no.
Do they know what he said? That wouldn’t be good. I’m sure that Julia isn’t the only person who saw it. His profile is public, and I imagine talking about the family is something that comes with consequences.
Deadly consequences. Shit.
“What happened? Are you okay?” I stand, brushing my hands against my pants.
“Worried about me, Angel?” Nico asks, pulling me against him. The coppery smell of blood is stronger when my face is smashed up against his chest.
Gross.
“No.” I huff, trying to push myself free but getting trapped against his body. “Obviously, I wanted to thank whoever did it. Maybe send them flowers. That’s all.”
Lies. All lies.
Enzo bursts out laughing, tugging on my waist to take me away from Nico. “Come on. You can admit it.” Enzo places a kiss on top of my head.”
I breathe in his woodsy scent and a small feeling of relief floods through me. They may be a lot of things, but I’m safe with them.
But given that neither of them sound mad nor they haven’t said a word about Matt… that probably means they don’t know. Or they do know, and killing makes them this happy. I can hope the blood is unrelated but… unless I bring it up, I won’t know for sure.
“No,” I struggle and try to push myself out of his arms. I just need a bit of space to process everything.
“Hey, what’s wrong, princess?” Enzo asks. He holds me tighter still.
God, where do I begin? The sudden dismantling of my life? The end of my relationship? The nagging suspicion that I don’t know my own mother?
It’s all too much.
Instead of speaking, my eyes well up with tears. I can’t help it. Once the emotions start, they’re overwhelming.
“Hey, no, you don’t need to cry. I promise, we’re all right.”
When I try to move again, pushing against his chest, I only manage to get turned around as Enzo pins my back to his front, his hand running small, soothing circles over my stomach. Each faint touch causes me to shiver with pleasure.
“Angel,” Nico says, taking a step towards us. He takes my face in his hands, tipping my head back to rest against Enzo’s chest so I can look him in the eyes. “Tell me. What’s wrong?”
He holds me there, his thumbs skimming my cheek bones as Enzo’s fingers dig into my waist.
I’m prepared to lie again when my traitorous lip trembles.
Nico catches it. His dark eyes narrow.
I sigh, resigned. They’re going to find out. There’s no way they won’t. “I was worried about you. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me. I love that you want to protect me, but I thought maybe you beat up my ex and that would be… bad.”
Nico smirks at me and my cheeks flush. I’ve never explicitly told them that I actually like the way they are protective over me. Mostly.
There’s no reason to protect Matt anyways. It’s not like he ever went out of his way to protect me. If anything, he hurt me. Maybe he does need a reality check in the form of a broken jaw.
“That’s a tempting idea, Angel. But no.” He strokes a finger along my jaw, considering me.
“Is there a reason we should? Besides the fact that he touched what’s ours.”
“Nope.” I say, way too quickly.
My stomach clenches at his tone. Ours. That’s something I definitely need to unpack later.
Holy crap.
“You’re not very convincing,” Enzo says, kissing my head. His lips linger against me. His hold on my body is firmer than before.
“Come on, there’s no secrets between us.”
Incredulous laughter bursts out of me at that. This entire family is one giant bin of secrets.
Still… I need to come clean. It’s just harder than I thought it would be.
I look at both of them. First Nico, then up at Enzo. I have their full attention and it’s kind of unnerving. They both look down at me, their gazes expectant, but patient. I shift uncomfortably, my back wiggling into Enzo more than I intended. I can feel him grow harder against my back as he starts kissing my neck.
“It’s nothing,” I say, breathless. It is nothing. This is nothing. I can’t help it if I have a physical reaction to them when they are close to me. That’s… biology. Nothing more.
My chest rises and falls with effort. Nico is standing so close to me that my breasts are skimming his stomach.
“Christina,” Nico says, firmly.
“Fine,” I roll my eyes, “I just thought maybe you saw his social media post. He… he wasn’t very nice.”
“Name,” Nico says. His brown eyes are black. The power simmering there draws the truth out of me before I can think through the consequences.
“Matt. Matt Ricci.”
He takes a half step back, only far enough away to check his phone without my interference.
He must pull the post up within seconds because I can see the muscle in his jaw tighten and tick.
He holds the phone out for Enzo to see, and even though I can’t read the post, I’m certain it’s the one I saw earlier.
“Why did he post that?” Enzo asks, carefully.
“I uh, I broke up with him a few weeks ago. I think he’s just mad. It’s not really a big deal. I just thought—”
“Why did you break up?” Nico asks, his voice measured. I can see how pissed he is but he’s holding back. For my sake.
“Tell me the truth, my angel, before I slit his throat just for thinking he could say your name.”
Oh, shit. Okay. My core clenches. I’m not used to this level of possession and it’s both suffocating and intensely hot.
“H-he uh, he got mad sometimes. Like… too mad. Sometimes he would get… physical.”
Enzo grips my hips tightly while I watch the light drain from Nico’s eyes. It’s terrifying to see.
The brown turning black. The anger morphing into something worse.
Something deadly.
I wouldn’t wish Nico’s wrath on anyone. Not even…fucking Matt.
“I’m fine. I broke up with him and got away,” I say. “It just sounds worse than it is.”
Nico narrows his eyes at me, and I drop my gaze to the floor.
I don’t know why I’m defending Matt. He’s not innocent. He’s not good. He’s the result of indulgence and zero consequences. A predator who has never been told no. He’s not going to change, he’s just going to grow into a man who becomes something even worse.
Maybe, Christina, that’s why the Mafia exists. Maybe what they do isn’t what I’ve made it out to be. Maybe what they offer is… balance.
Nico turns on a dime and strides towards the door. The rage coming off of him is palpable.
“Christina, you will stay here. Do you hear me?” He calls out over his shoulder. “Do not leave this house until I return.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me.
“Enzo, with me.”
Enzo sighs and turns me in his arms, pressing my body against his tightly. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll take care of you and this problem.”
He pulls back to kiss me, and then follows behind Nico who’s already across the room.
“Where are you going?” I ask, yelling after them. My heart races in my chest.
“To kill him.”
And with that, Nico slams the door.
What did I just set in motion?