Chapter Six
Mancuso
I stare at her as she moves around. Alceu has left us alone once more, but she doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. I can’t help but stare at her jean-encased ass as she leans into the front of the car doing God only knows what.
“I don’t even know your name,” I say lowly. “I know you’re having legal troubles and that your ex is clearly an asshole, but I don’t know what to call you.”
“Callie,” she replies from beneath the hood.
“Have you been down here the whole time?” I ask, trying to get her to talk to me.
“Guila had me in a guest room the first night,” she says, as she stands up straight. Pushing a button, I hear the chain she has connected to a beam above the car start to move before the engine slowly lifts out. Her hands guide the accent before she presses a button to once more stop it. “But I can’t be in the same house as Severu.”
“You really don’t like him.”
“He threatened to kill me. I don’t do well when threatened,” she replies. “He just rubs me the wrong way and it seems he feels the same way about me.”
I can’t help but chuckle. Severu isn’t one of the easiest people to get along with. Considering the way they met, he definitely won’t like or trust her.
“I know you’re busy and all,” I say gesturing to the car and the engine hanging in the air. “But I need a favor.”
She looks at me with concern I didn’t think she would feel. “What do you need?”
“I just want to get back to my room.”
“I can do that,” she says. “Just let me get everything safely put away. It should be breakfast time as well.”
“You eat in the house?” I ask her as she puts stuff away.
“Only breakfast. Your dickhead brother is training around this time. Anything else is brought out to me.”
I nod, not quite knowing what to say. It seems she has already found her rhythm within my family. Slowly, she helps me to my feet, and I know my pain meds have fully worn off. The pain is much worse than it was when I came down here.
“Motherfucker,” I curse.
Callie shakes with laughter. “Not so tough after all, are you?”
“Getting shot will bring the baby out of even the toughest man,” I defend myself.
“You’re all babies,” she snarks as we walk inside. “Some just hide it better.”
“Morning, Callie,” Stefano says with a smile when we walk into the house. “Hello, Brother.”
“Hi,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Are you joining us for breakfast?” he asks, looking at me.
“I think he should,” Callie says with a grin. “He needs to move around.”
I growl, causing her to laugh. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because,” she says with a radiant smile before handing me over to my brother. “It’s your fault I’m here and I need some entertainment. Also, moving around will help keep you from going stiff. Just take it easy so you don’t tear out your stitches. Now, let’s go get some breakfast, Gunshot Boy.”
Stefano chuckles as he helps me hobble into the kitchen where everyone else is gathered. This woman is a damn enigma. She says all these things that make me want to get to know her better, find out how she has all this random knowledge.
“Look who’s still alive,” Guilia says over the rim of her overpriced coffee.
“Barely,” Callie cuts in. “And he’s being a baby about it.”
“Being shot doesn’t hurt that much,” Guilia says with a roll of her eyes. “I was back to normal within three days.”
“You were shot in the shoulder,” I remind her. “And Severu is clearly a better shot than the idiot that clipped me.”
“Severu shot you?” Callie asks incredulously, no longer preparing her breakfast.
“I asked him to,” my sister-in-law says with a wave of her hand. “It was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing.”
“Whatever. You are all nuts and every moment I spend with any of you just reaffirms that,” Callie grumbles before biting into the toast she just buttered. “I can smell an asshole a mile off and he isn’t any different.”
“Except your ex,” Stefano cuts in, earning a glare from Callie. “He cheated on you, and you only found out by accident.”
She points a butter knife at my brother while she chews. “Don’t make me cut your brake lines. I was just starting to like you.”
Painful laughter falls from my lips as I watch my brother gasp in mock horror. Callie really does fit in well with the rest of these weirdos. Although I’m not sure it’s a good thing.
“How much longer will you be with us?” I ask.
I’m not trying to be rude. I’m trying to figure out if I go back to bed to sleep, if she’ll still be here when I wake up.
“Mancuso!” Guilia glares.
“No worries,” Callie says waving her off. “As soon as the engine is in, I’m out of here. I know this isn’t a permanent arrangement.”
With those words, she grabs her toast and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me with my family members glaring at me.
“What?”
“You should go back to bed,” Stefano says before stomping away.
“I don’t have a clue what just happened. Why is he so protective of her?”
Guilia shakes her head before leaving me alone. I have no idea what I said or did to upset them all.
“They care about her because she took care of you. Every hour, she comes up to your room to check on you,” Andrea says softly from her spot at the counter. I didn’t even see her there but that’s just how she is. She prefers to blend into the background and assess before saying or doing a single thing. “You should talk to her instead of behaving like Sev. One asshole in this house is enough.”
“I didn’t mean for it to come across that way,” I reply with a sigh but Andrea has also left.
Shit. I should have known something else was going on. Alceu wouldn’t just let a stranger stay in his home. No matter what Severu thinks, our brother is not an idiot.