Chapter 12
Waking up to thunder and lightning, I reach my sofa, wrapped in a comfy plush blanket.
There was something beautiful in watching the city drowning in the rain.
Relaxing to the sound of the raindrops outside, images of last night invade my mind.
I would have thought it was just a dream.
How could that have possibly happened? As I closed my eyes, my body tensed from the memory and was aching for more.
A loud hit of thunder roared through the sky, causing me to open my eyes and return to my sofa.
Eventually, I made my way to the kitchen for some coffee, and I couldn’t help but think how I would be able to look at Emilio the same way again.
The thought of him sent waves of electricity through my body, so what would happen if I saw him in person?
Would I be able to trust myself around him?
His threat for me to keep my mouth shut was unwarranted.
There was no chance I’d ever tell anyone—not even Natasha and Tiffany.
The issue wasn’t spilling what happened; it was that I wanted to do it again.
I was in such a daze by what transpired between Emilio and I that I didn’t even fuss about the arranged marriage when Luca dropped me home last night.
Emilio has been an asset to this family, not just to Luca.
He made sure Rita’s husband successfully took over the West side of Chicago as Captain, rushed Isabella to the hospital when she went into labor when she was home alone, unable to reach anyone else, he was there to help carry my father’s casket and helped my mother plan the funeral.
He was there for me, too. Emilio was someone we counted on during our tough times.
For me, he was always there, getting me out of trouble.
“What have you gotten yourself into, Bethany?”
Emilio came as soon as I called. There was no one else I could think of to help with this situation better than he could, aside from my brother, but I was too scared to call Luca. Not wanting anyone to know, I swore to Emilio that I would do anything if this could stay between us.
“I didn’t mean it,” I was panicking. “I was trying to go back home.”
“What if you got pulled over? You aren’t even 21, and you’re drunk.”
Emilio puffed on a cigarette as he stood, looking at the dent in my car covered in blood. The smoke was a bright white against the night sky.
“He came out of nowhere.” I sat on the side of the road feeling sick.
“Take a fucking cab next time.”
Turning onto my hands and knees, I began to throw up violently. Emilio stepped away and made a phone call. When he walked back, he helped me to my feet.
“Don’t vomit in my car.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I’m taking you home while I clean up this mess.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t pull some shit like this again.”
“You won’t tell Luca, right?”
“No. Just don’t let it happen again.”
I swore that night I wouldn’t drink and drive again. We left my damaged car and the dead body in the street. Unsure how this would all go under the radar, I knew it would be done when Emilio said he would handle something.
After a week of laying low, I walk into the kitchen with my mother, cooking a big dinner.
“Are we having company?” I asked.
“Your brother and Antonio are coming for dinner,” she smiled. I was convinced that she loved Luca the most of all her children.
We all sat at the table when dinnertime arrived, eating and chatting.
“The mayor’s son has gone missing. Have you seen the news, Luca?” my mother asked.
“I have. It’s a shame.”
“Is it?”
Our mother wasn’t blind to who my brother was in this city.
“I have nothing to do with that,” Luca stated.
A knock on the door put a confused look on our faces as we weren’t expecting company.
“I’ll get it,” I said as I stood up.
When I opened the door, Emilio was lighting up a cigarette. I hadn’t seen him since the night I called for his help.
“Good, you answered the door. I’m sure you heard who the person was from the other night.”
I gulp, “I just found out.”
“Eyes are looking in your brother’s direction. I’m going to need to tell him.”
In sheer panic, I begged, “Please. No. He’s still getting over the Claire situation, and Antonio is adjusting from California to Chicago.”
“I’m in a bind here, Bethany. He has to know what I did for you. We can’t just ignore it.”
“He’ll hate me.”
Emilio shook his head, “He’ll forgive you. You’re his sister.”
My phone rang, and I saw it was none other than my brother.
A chill rang through me. I hadn’t thought about getting caught last night up until now.
What if someone saw? Or the camera footage?
Too nervous to pick up, I let it go to voicemail.
While drinking my coffee, I nervously look at my phone, waiting for a voicemail notification, but instead, the phone rings again.
The ringing stops. My eyes never leave the screen of my phone.
It rings again, and now I’m in full panic mode.
Luca never calls this many times unless he’s pissed about something. This time, he left a voicemail.
After hearing it, I breathed a sigh of relief. If Luca did find out, he would come pounding at my door and not call. I need to relax. Picking up my phone, I call Natasha.
“Hey, where have you been?” she asked.
I roll my eyes, “Busy getting things done for my brother.”
“Isn’t that what Emilio is there for?”
I laughed to myself; she didn’t understand the roles of the lifestyle, no matter how many times I explained it.
“Things around the office. He hired a new developer.”
“Okay, because Tiff swears you're mad about Alfie.”
I had forgotten about them hooking up, but honestly, I didn’t care.
I comment, “As long as she doesn’t expect him to fall in love with her.”
“Guess who came into my dad’s bar a few nights ago?”
“Who?”
“Emilio.”
I freeze at the sound of his name. Natasha is my best friend, but I wouldn’t tell her about crossing the line with my brother’s right-hand man. I didn’t tell her much of anything when it came to my family.
“Was he alone?” I asked.
“Looks like he was on a date with some blonde, tall blonde chick who wore red lipstick. When I went to take her drink order, she didn’t sound like she was from around here.”
Hearing this made me jealous, but I had to play it off. “I’m surprised you didn’t get more info. You’re usually the nosy type.”
“She wasn’t very talkative. I only got her name when Alfie appeared and greeted her. The name Grace did not fit her personality.”
“No one knows much about what Emilio does in his free time. I just assumed he didn’t have any.”
Natasha giggled, “How Emilio can be terrifying just as he is handsome is a mystery to me.”
“Maybe that’s the thrill of it,” I replied, biting my lip as my mind went to last night.
“A man that screams danger is a thrill, Bethany Ann DeCarlo. I don’t think your mother would approve,” Natasha laughed.
“No, she wouldn’t,” I laugh with her. She wouldn’t approve of my behavior last night, either.
“You always enjoyed a bit of trouble,” there was ruffling on the phone, “I gotta go but call Tiff. Let her know you guys are on good terms.”
As we got off the phone, I headed toward the bathroom to undress myself and take a long hot shower. There were a few errands I wanted to run today, but given the horrible weather, I opted to stay in and binge-watch Netflix.
As I walk out of the shower in a towel, I hear my phone buzz and see a few messages from Molly. She and Aria were looking to the area, reminding me of Luca’s voicemail. I never called him back. When I did, I couldn’t reach him.
Walking toward the living room to get my charger, I jumped out of my skin when I saw who was standing there.
“Bethany.” Emilio stood there, his hands in his pockets and suit jacket unbuttoned.