18. Nico
Nico
18
My jaw clenches with rage. I watch Christina, my Christina, dancing with Jimmy Cosa, a smile spreading across her angelic face, lighting her eyes, her beauty sparkling throughout the room, completely unparalleled.
He shouldn’t be the one who makes her shine like that. She’s ours.
I don’t like the way he’s looking at her. Not one bit. Or the way that she’s smiling, looking up at him like he’s the greatest person she’s ever met. Like he somehow rescued her.
Fuck me, why is she looking at him like that?
Crazed, hot jealousy spikes through my blood, sending my heart racing in my chest like a hammer and my mood plummets. That ever present volatile darkness crawls its way out of my mind, whispering things to me.
Maybe Enzo is wrong. I shouldn’t wait, maybe I should just kill him right now.
I’m about to storm over there when a strong hand claps me on my shoulder, handing me a drink.
I look down to see Alec shoving a glass in my hand.
“You look like you could use it,” Alec says, watching me curiously. He glances around the room as if piecing parts of a puzzle together.
I hate that he can see right through me.
I take the drink but refuse to respond, choosing instead to watch them. Jimmy only grows more confident by the second, his hands roaming over her body in a way that proves he has no respect for her, outside of her becoming another conquest on his list.
“You care for her,” Alec says eventually, filling the tense silence between us.
I notice it’s not a question. I shift slightly. A part of me considers not responding. Maybe if I don’t acknowledge it, it won’t be true, and this all won’t bother me so much.
I down my drink, savoring the way that it burns the back of my throat.
“Yeah. I do,” I say, more to myself than to him. I swallow the lump in my throat. There’s no point in lying. I care for her a lot – even so far as to say love. It’s a novel concept but I know it’s true.
Everyone will realize it soon enough, that is if they haven’t already.
He nods his head as if I’ve said the most rational thing ever. I’m in love with the girl that became my stepsister.
“Does she know?” He asks, turning his body towards me.
“No,” I say.
I hate that it’s a secret. She deserves better than to be a dirty little secret. I know that – and I plan to change it. Christina deserves to be cared for, so loved and cherished that the entire world knows.
“You should.” He takes a sip of his own drink, finishing the amber colored liquid. The leftover ice tinkles in the crystal glass. “Before someone else loves her and it’s too late.”
He claps a hand on my shoulder and walks away.
There’s a sadness in his shoulders and in the way he walks.
Alec might be young, but he’s been heartbroken. His girlfriend left him, because of the way he treated her. He would know what happens to men who don’t tell their woman how important she is.
I take my seat with a groan and pull out my phone for a distraction.
I don’t want to become Alec. Or my father for that matter. I want to keep what I have. I just need to figure out how to do that.
It’s not long until my concentration is broken.
I look up, my eyes finding Christina immediately. She’s closer now and I can see her face much clearer.
I squeeze my hands into fists.
The skin beneath her eyes is red and puffy.
Rage and pain fill me. Who hurt her? What happened? Who dared mess with my angel?
Her dark hair looks as if she’s run her fingers through it nonstop from the moment she left the table.
My gaze narrows. I don’t like this. I can’t take it anymore. I stand, marching over.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her, my hand clasping her thigh as she sits down.
I would burn the world for her. I hate that someone has upset her. I do a quick intake of her face and body to make sure that’s what I’m seeing. If someone has put their hands on her… If Jimmy has put his hands on her… I don’t care where we are or how much shit we’ll cause.
Heads will roll.
But it’s not physical harm that I see – it’s sadness.
A part of me is relieved.
While I don’t like it when she’s sad – I can work with that. The despair on her face sets my nerves on edge, but it’s something I can manage. Physical pain however… I swallow hard.
Violence is in my nature, and I will unleash it for her in a heartbeat.
She sniffles, wiping the back of her hand over her face.
“Angel. Talk to me.” I ask again. I hate that she won’t answer me. I need to know that she’s okay.
They made us go through metal detectors to get through the door. I feel naked without my gun. I eye the handle of the steak knife still on the table, hidden beneath my napkin.
I can’t shoot anyone here. But I can still stab whoever hurt her. I would do so. Gladly.
“Christina,” I press. “Tell me what’s wrong!”
“Nothing,” she says, staring in front of her, refusing to meet my eyes.
It’s absolutely something.
“Doesn’t look like nothing.”
A flash of gold streaks by and Christina pales.
I take her by the hand and lead her back to our table.
“Christina. I swear to God. You have five seconds to tell me before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of this room.”
She sighs. “I ran into Antonia in the bathroom.” Her lips thin in distaste.
“And?” I press, not understanding how that relates.
“And,” she exhales, slumping a little in her seat. “She called me a whore and then went out of her way to tell me that you and Enzo would never want someone like me.”
Defeat washes over her features as she says the words quickly.
I grind my teeth together, anger vibrating over my skin as I see her shoulders shake and hear her sniffle again.
I glance around the room, locking eyes with Antonia. She’s smirking at us from the safety of her table, surrounded by her father’s men. Bitch.
The only reason she’ll stay alive is because Venitti code doesn’t allow us to kill women, but that doesn’t mean she can’t pay. Publicly. An idea percolates in my mind. Lorenzo Cossi is more image obsessed than anyone else in our little world. His little princess is his world but he doesn’t tolerate being embarrassed.
“Alec,” I call out - still maintaining eye contact with Christina. “Please arrange for Antonia’s next few drinks to have a little something extra in them. The Cossi princess needs a strong dose of reality.”
Alec grins at me and quickly pulls out his phone and starts texting. One thing we know for sure is that Antonia is a mean and loud drunk. So much so, her father limits her to just one or two glasses of champagne per event.
With our help, she’ll be slurring her words and vomiting all over herself by the end of the night. She deserves much worse.
“Christina,” I say, trying to keep my voice low to not draw attention.
“Listen to me.” I take her chin between my fingers when she still refuses to meet my gaze.
“Look at me.” I stare into her soft, brown eyes, glistening with tears.
Her bottom lip trembles.
“I want you, and you’re mine. Ours. And no one will change that.”
Tears well in her eyes.
“Tell me you understand.” My fingers sink into her skin. I want to make this better for her. It takes everything in me to not grab her face and slam my lips into hers.
“I need you to hear what I’m saying. You are ours. Antonia is nothing but a jealous bitch who likes to cause trouble.”
Hope flashes across her face, the only thing that keeps me from dragging her out of this room.
“I understand,” she says.
“Good.” I kiss the top of her head as Enzo returns to the table with a fresh drink.
Soon, dessert is served and people begin to mingle. The main reason people come to these events is to network. To schmooze and make connections.
I’ll give Father credit, playing the politics and social game through events like this has done far more to legitimize our business than anyone would like to admit. Being known as a community philanthropist is exactly the image our family likes to portray.
A loud commotion draws everyone’s attention to the Cossi table, and I turn to see Antonia swaying on her feet. She’s shouting at her father, her voice slurring like a drunk. Lorenzo looks furious. It’s hard not to clap and cheer when we watch him snap his fingers in disgust, ordering his men to grab her and escort her from the party.
She trips, spilling her glass all over the mayor’s wife and Lorenzo turns a curious shade of purple in anger.
The poor guard who was ordered to help her gets slapped for his trouble. Antonia’s carefully coiffed hair is falling down, and her makeup is slightly smeared. She stalks, wobbly, towards the exit. Her face is red with disgrace, and I give her a little wave when she passes by.
She shrieks with rage and runs towards us. “You did this,” she screams. “You did this because of that little whore!”
My father stands immediately, as do his guards.
“You will remember your place, Miss Cossi,” he growls.
Her eyes are shooting daggers at me, but her survival instincts aren’t completely gone. My father is the most powerful man in this room. Going toe to toe with him is a recipe for disaster.
“Apologize to Christina,” Albert orders.
Antonia opens and shuts her mouth before finally attempting to stomp her foot. She misses, falling off her heels and crumpling to the ground.
“Sorry.” She hisses from the pile of fabric.
Lorenzo hurries over. “My apologies, Venitti,” he says shortly.
The crowd is silent as he stands before his daughter and grabs her arm, hauling her roughly up.
“You will go home and sober up and then you will wait for me,” he says, darkly. “We will discuss this at home.”
She pales and tries to nod, but she’s still swaying. Lorenzo snaps his fingers and her guard scoops her up and walks from the room.
Several seconds of awkward silence fills the entire ballroom before the hum of whispers starts up again.
I fist bump Alec under the table and Albert narrows his eyes at me. If he suspects us, he doesn’t say anything. We all exhale when he sits back down and turns back to Meredith.
In order to survive in this world and maintain the power we have, our lives can’t be all guns and blood.
The music starts, and more dancing begins. My father nods to Christina. I see his plan before he can act on it so I jump up to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor myself.
Jimmy frowns at his table when I pull her close, leading her in the dance as the music swells.
Her steps falter, but I firmly hold her. I know she’s nervous in this world and doesn’t think she fits in.
The Mafia is so much more than murder and money. It’s a level of lifestyle that she deserves to experience. I want to spoil her – to show her just how wonderful our life could be, Enzo and I - we can give her so much. A life she’s never thought to dream of. The thought warms my heart.
I sweep her across the floor, leaning closer so she can hear me. “You won’t leave our side tonight. If you’re not with me, you’re with Enzo.”
“But your father said I was supposed to—” she starts to say.
“I don’t give a damn what my father said. You stay with us.”
“Okay,” she nods her head once before tucking her face into my chest.
I hold her closer, only letting her go when the song ends and Enzo steps in for his turn.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” I say to Enzo, who nods, taking Christina by the hand and leading her back onto the dance floor.
He’s the only person in this entire world I trust her with. I move to the edge of the room, resting my back against a far wall in order to take in the room. I have no more patience for the niceties.
Would I choose this life if I had an actual choice? I don’t know that I would. But this is what I have. And for that, I’ll do whatever it takes to maintain control.
I scan the room, looking for threats, but of course, there are none.
Christina laughs at something Enzo says, tilting her head back with a brilliant smile.
They look good together. Like they belong together.
Little does she realize just how desperate we are to make those words official.
She was ours the moment she walked into that club, but after we took her virginity? She sealed her tie to us in blood. There’s nothing she can do to escape us now.
I thought about waiting until school ended, but I can see that waiting will only extend the pain of pretending. There’s no reason for that. I finish my champagne, catching my father’s eye and smiling.
His gaze narrows. He knows that I’m up to something.
I can’t wait for the world to know just what that is.
She was ours before we knew about our parents. There’s no part of me that’s ashamed about that.
I check my phone, seeing that Enzo responded to my message.
It’s a matter of time before everyone forgets little Christina was ever anything other than our wife.
When the music dies and people begin to leave, I find Christina and Enzo. She will be riding with us tonight.