Chapter 5
Cipriana
Bam!
My front door breaks off its hinges, and I duck under my bed like a coward as Sonny and Groundhog surely just busted in.
Please be okay. Please be okay.
I beg God to spare my father’s life.
Even if in your eyes, Dad doesn’t deserve to be saved… have mercy.
I’ve never felt fear like this. My first time giving a dissertation in front of my peers, getting mugged when I was in twelfth grade, God… I had an easy life up to this point.
My heart hurts from the noises ahead of me. I’m not meant for this. Those sliding glass doors behind me look enticing as every cell inside my body tells me to run. But Dad…
Ftthmp! Ftthmp!
Two silenced gunshots go off – which I hope are Trino’s or Stanzo’s – then a body thumps on the floor. A mix of hope and dread wash over me. I’m frozen, thinking the worst. Did Sonny somehow get the jump on our dark angels? That means a bullet has my name on it next.
I eye the glass doors again to a beautiful sunny day untouched by such senseless violence.
No. The shots fired quickly. Our guys had the jump on them.
My curious mind pushes my legs forward. I’m crawling toward the doorway of my room, arms shaking as images of Dad sprawled bloody on the floor plague my mind.
Please be okay…
When I peek into the living room, I spring to my feet in horror. Groundhog, the burly gardener with permanent dirt stains riding up his arms, has a red ring around his neck and a blue face. My hands cover my quivering lips, then I jump in place when Trino drops the body.
My husband-to-be is ruthless.
His forearms are lined with veiny muscle from the amount of strength used to strangle that beast. How is he so calm?
“Alright, hard part’s done.” Stanzo slaps my dad’s shoulder like they just caught a fish or something, then winks at me.
Dad plops on the couch pulling at his own hair. It’s really like he never thought something like this was possible after dealing with such dangerous people. Even I’m not that dense. I sigh, running over to him to give him a big hug.
Our nerves calm together. He squeezes my arms and holds me.
“What have I done?” he says. “What did I get my little girl into?”
“Not the time for drama.” Stanzo starts rolling Sonny’s bloody corpse in the dining room carpet. “Trino, go take your wife-to-be and get out of here. Take care of the watchers. Capisce? ”
“No way you’re going to be able to carry this piece of shit.” Trino drags Groundhog by one leg and drops him next to Sonny.
“Not in one piece, I’m not.” He laughs. “Rocco here is going to pop his little cherry tonight. Go on, get out of here.”
Trino scoffs and stomps over to me and Dad. He’s terrifying when he’s in the zone – greyish-green eyes with flecks of gold like angry lasers. When he holds out his hand filled with deep red indents from strangling Groundhog, I cower a little bit farther into my pudgy dad.
“Go with him, hunnie. It’s going to be alright.” Dad nods at me.
Trino flexes his hand for me to get a move on. I’m vulnerable as hell right now. Leaving my only semblance of comfort with a murderer is not how I planned my afternoon.
When I touch his hand, my whole body goes hot. I’m not sure whether it’s attraction, danger, or my attraction to danger. But it’s in this moment I realize a part of me is a twisted mess.
“Take care of my dad, Stanz,” I say like I’ve known him my whole life.
He stuffs Sonny’s gelled head deeper into the carpet before looking up at me. “It’s a deal, kid.”
Trino drags me back toward my room like I’m an uncooperative toy poodle.
“Remember, if we’re going to watch a movie, we have to keep the door open so Dad doesn’t get mad,” I joke through my nerves, and he just growls at me while opening the glass double doors.
“You know these neighbors?” He points over the low fence covered by shrubbery.
“Yeah, that’s Angela and Marc. They’re a cute couple – wait. You’re not thinking of strangling them too, are you?”
“Making sure they won’t immediately call the cops on you.
” He grabs me by the waist and hoists me toward the top of the fence.
There’s a gentleness about him in his movements, even if he’s all snarls and anger.
Well, maybe I just don’t notice his grip because adrenaline is still pumping through me.
“Hey, look away!” I whisper. “No peeking at my ass.”
He sighs, holding me in place like I weigh nothing.
Jokes on me when I struggle to get both my legs over and my shorts get caught on the wooden fence, giving me the biggest wedgie imaginable.
One ass cheek and a bit of my happy-face sunshine panties are on full display as I make noises no lady should in front of her fiancé.
In my panic, I turn to see him looking the other way, probably holding back laughter again.
It’s cute when he does that – like he doesn’t want the world to know he’s not a total moody asshole.
“A little help!” I whisper in my loudest quiet voice.
He returns biting his lip, then gets on his tippy toes to gently lift me off of the picket that I’m caught on.
When I hit the grass on the other side, my ass feels like it was wiped with sandpaper, and one of my flip-flops flew off from my flailing.
He couldn’t give me a minute to get sneakers or something? Jeez.
Trino hops the fence like Batman, making me roll my eyes when I’m sure he’s looking. Yeah, his sex-appeal levels are off-the-charts ever since I realized he’s not a meathead, but no way I’m showing him.
He picks up my flipflop and tosses it at me. “First of all, turn off GPS. Then I want you to call someone you absolutely trust.”
“Uh huh.” I take out my phone and scramble to do what he says. “What am I calling this person for, exactly?”
“They’re going to call the cops, and say there’s a strange car causing trouble near your house. But you’re going to give the address next door. Got it?”
I debate who that special someone might be. If I told Jacky, there’d be a million questions regardless. Maybe… hm. Gil? I probably shouldn’t.
“Yo.” He snaps his fingers at me. “Let’s move it. I don’t need the cops called on us.”
“Relax. They’re not home.” I point to the driveway where there’s no car, then click Gil’s name against my better judgement. “Any other details I need to give?”
“Grey Dodge Ram, two middle-aged men. Say whatever to speed up the process.”
“Yes, sir. Some freakin’ first date,” I mutter.
“What was that?” He leans in with narrowed eyes, then grabs me under the arm to get us moving.
I’d protest and slap him away, but his grip feels nice. It’s shielding, like a lion protecting his queen. I look up at him briefly… a grumpy lion.
Here I go being dramatic. The hell is wrong with me?
“Hey,” I say before making the call.
“Hm?”
“If you weren’t there just now… me and my dad would’ve been… you know.”
His grip loosens a bit, but he only grunts in response.
My heart races as his warm musk wafts over me. He smells like a mix of faint cologne and sawdust, which is like none of the men I’ve been around in lawyerville. I want to kiss him for saving me, like some sick dark princess.
He’s offering me nothing back, though, so I dial Gil to avoid an ocean of awkwardness.
“Finally. I was getting worried you found another scuba instructor and ran off with him,” he says through speaker, and I blush a bit.
Good. Now maybe Trino will think I’m a hot commodity, and he’ll stop being a standoffish dick.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny, Gil.”
“I do my best. What’s up? Ready to come back for an actual lesson?”
I glance up at Trino as if I’m considering Gil’s proposal. “Maybe. But first I need a favor, no questions asked.”
The line goes quiet for a few seconds.
“Hello?”
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with… your dad… would it?”
Ugh. The fear in his voice takes away that tiny chance that I ever thought faux Michael Phelps was attractive. “I said no questions asked. Yes or no?”
“Okay, Capri. Just this once.”
“You can’t tell any of our friends at Witt, and we will never speak of it again.”
“Okay! What the hell are you going to have me do, take a naked lap around the pool? Hah, you wish.”
I shut my eyes as I prepare myself. “Call the cops to Oakland Place in Summit, and tell them there’s a grey Dodge Ram with two people flashing women. Say it’s urgent.”
Trino’s brow furrows. “What the fuck?” he mouths at me, and I shrug.
“It’s weird, and I don’t feel safe leaving my house,” I elaborate to Gil a little bit so he’ll help.
“You’re a strange bird, Capri. Okay, I’m on the way to the deli. I’ll use their phone to make the call. Five minutes. You owe me!”
“Yes, I do.” I smile and give a thumbs up to Trino as if he hasn’t been listening in. “Text me when it’s done, please.”
I hang up the phone and shrug one shoulder. “Good?”
“Wouldn’t have been my first choice of words, but yes.” His grip resumes, and weirdly… I accept it. Honestly, now that my dad is in good hands and I’m in strong ones… I’m kind of falling into Trino’s sexified orbit.
As I said before… it’s been a while.
Even though his grunts and groans say ‘not interested,’ he sure is staying pretty close.
“This way.” He drags me away from my neighbor’s back door. “The Ring camera would sense our motion if we cut through there.”
“Well, we could just wave and pretend to be a happy couple.”
“Will you cut it out?”
“What? I’m just grateful I’m not on the floor.”
“I’m surprised you’re not still shaking from seeing two dead bodies,” he admits.
“Yep. I’m definitely in shock and on the verge of a meltdown very soon. Stay tuned.”
“Wonderful.” He huffs on the way to the driveway, then pulls me quickly behind the house, holding me against him like I might try to run away.
I hear voices down the street and Trino puts a hand over my mouth. It’s just the Gallaghers around the block, probably on a stroll, but that’s not what’s grabbing my attention. My backside is flush against his jeans, and I’m pretty sure there’s a hardening snake brushing up against me.
Heat flushes into my cheeks. I’ve never been in such an insane position before – in my neighbor’s yard with a smoking hot murderer who was just declared my fiancé, and who just saved my life. It’s making me hot all over. His embrace… it relaxes me in the oddest way.
I don’t know what comes over me, but I release all my tension and let my butt test whether my theory is true – maybe the prospect of marriage is already getting inside my head, but it’d be nice if my husband-to-be didn’t hate the idea. I’m breathing heavily in his hand. I know he feels it.
There’s heat between us.
He’s pretending like he’s listening for the family to pass, but there’s subtle movement in his hand, like he’s carefully tracing the skin of my cheek. And when I quietly moan, I feel his breath on my neck.
Is this really happening?
A thud from my house’s direction drops figurative ice water over my head. Whatever spell came over me is broken instantly, yet his warm hand is pulling away from my mouth, tracing down my chin…
I turn my head slightly, and his hand grabs my chin to push me the rest of the way, right near his juicy lips.
Nope!
I jerk my head back immediately and swing out of his grip. Is this man nuts? We could be shot any second. On second thought – am I nuts?
Hearing Mrs. Gallagher’s voice growing louder makes him grab my wrists to quiet me. He must think I’m easy like one of his strippers or something. I’m not easy. This whole ordeal is clearly screwing with my head. Heat or not, I’m certainly not for sale. Get your head on straight, Capri!
Ugh. I want to slap him in the face right now, but when I look into his eyes, I see all the things I shouldn’t. Suddenly, his touch is gentle. The way he smoothly lowers his hands to wrap mine, continuing the ruse of hiding out in the driveway… it sends butterflies fluttering all over my belly.
Being a man-whoring hitman isn’t sexy. But it is. He is .
I’m thinking of having our first pre-marital fight right here. Who knows when the hell the couple who own this house will be home? They could’ve gone out for groceries or something.
Whoa.
His big fingers forcefully grip me right above the seams of my shorts, and even though my belly sucks in from shock, my hand rushes to clamp over his arm and stop him. His instincts are spot-on, though. I’m cravingly hot for him, even though I’m in danger. Maybe because of it.
He growls at me, breathing hard.
It’s nice to know I have this effect on him. He wants me bad, and judging by the heat flushing into my cheeks, I guess the feeling’s mutual.
“I’m not one of your easy strippers, Trino . Don’t start thinking a rescue means the gates are open.”
His face scrunches in confusion. “ The fuck?”
I narrow my eyes at him, then glance at his bulge, which is gigantic like him. Why did I stop him? My face is getting hot again. Goddamn this dry spell. I might actually have an orgasm with this guy around. Then here I go stopping it because… standards.
“Oh, I see. My father said something in your presence.” He adjusts himself and turns away from me, back toward the driveway to check if the coast is clear. “Fine. You do what you want, I’ll do what I want, and we’ll put on a show for him.”
“Trino…”
My heart sinks for some reason. Did I offend him?