21. Katerina
My fingers fly across the keyboard as fast as I can as I work to breach the heavily protected mainframe of Colton industries. I’ve been at it for two days. Yesterday, there was a sudden fire in one of their buildings, destroying millions of tech and important equipment’s. Thankfully, no one was hurt considering the fire was started at night and the only people in the building were knocked out mysteriously and carried out.
I gave orders that no innocent life would be lost. All I want is to damage to Colton’s so badly that there will never be a whisper of them or their existence afterwards. My next course of action is hacking into their systems but as expected it’s proving a little difficult.
All I can think is that Xander would love to help. He’d probably be having better luck than me as well. Growing up, I’ve always been intrigued by hacking but it wasn’t until I met Xander that I actually learned it. He thought me everything I know. When it comes to computers, he’s sort of a genius.
I don’t know if I want to bother him with this though. Especially after the call last night, which felt like immeasurable progress, even if it might not be the kind I want. I’ve been able to collect my thoughts while I’ve been away from him. Those thoughts however, are still too muddled for me to understand.
I’m not sure what I want.
And yet I know I want him. And I want Nate. And every minute away from them fills me with a sense of trepidation. So once I reach another block, I decide to pack up my laptop, getting to my feet and calling Rico into my office.
He arrives, eyebrows raised in question.
“Let’s just go to the penthouse now,” I tell him.
He doesn’t argue, instead leaving to put things in order. I pack up everything I’ll need and then we’re on the way. It’s much earlier than I told Xander I would be arriving but I figure he won’t mind.
“Are you going to be spending the night?” Rico asks when we arrive at the penthouse.
I look at him, wondering at the odd question. “No. Why would I?”
He smiles, “Why not? You already slept over before and it seems to me you and Alexander are building a relationship.”
I roll my eyes. “We are but it’s not what you think, Rico.”
“Uh-uh,” he says unbelieving.
“Fine. Why don’t you come up with me and see for yourself how normal our relationship is. Perfectly platonic.”
“You’re a terrible liar, cugina.”
Still he steps out of the car with me, following me into the building. As soon as we get there, I notice someone at the front desk. When he turns around, my feet skid to a stop.
There’s a permeable chill in the air as I come face to face with none other than Christian D’Angelo in the lobby of the building leading up to Xander’s penthouse. Rico recognizes him as well and immediately steps closer to me, his stance protective.
“What the fuck?” he says under his breath.
It’s not every day two mafia Dons meet each other coincidentally out in public. Plus, I don’t know Christian very well. I know he has a good relationship with Roman and the De Luca family but we’ve never met, our families far apart with no ties whatsoever.
His eyes are a light brown color, his face chiseled in a way I imagine sculptures are. He’s good looking, in an extremely off putting manner, almost cold, uninviting. He’s well into his thirties with a scruff of a beard around his chin. He also seems to be cataloguing me as I’m doing for him.
When I’m done with that, my eyes are drawn to the person standing beside Christian D’Angelo. A little boy with reddish brown hair and eyes extremely similar to the man standing beside him. I deduce that he’s Chrisitan’s son. Daniel D’Angelo.
There’s a brief pause as we both size each other up from across the lobby. I’m not sure whether to approach him or not. Chrisitan D’Angelo makes that decision for us. He reaches for his son’s hand, holding it in his palm as he walks forward until he’s right in front of us.
“Miss Mincetti,” he says, inclining his head respectfully. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. D’ Angelo.”
The politeness feels like a farce. Tension coils beneath my spine. I still don’t know what he’s doing here. This could very well be an ambush. There hasn’t been a war in the outfit in years but his appearance here certainly raises some red flags. Considering he’s here with his son though. I’m inclined to believe he’s not looking for any trouble.
His expression is steady. I get the feeling nothing fazes him. He gives off the image of the man I’m sure my father wishes I was sometimes.
“My apologies. I didn’t think you would be here. If I had known, I would have been better prepared to meet you.”
My eyebrows rise. “What are you talking about? And what are you doing here?”
Christian D’Angelo sighs. It’s a low soft hum. Beside him, his son is absolutely quiet, appearing bored like his mind is on other things much important than a conversation between adults.
“We’re here to see your son actually.”
Despite knowing that I should appear stoic in front of him, my eyes inevitably widen.
“I’m sorry?”
His father’s words finally get the little boys’ attention however. He looks up at me brown eyes bright.
“You’re Nate’s mom?” he questions. “That is so cool. It’s nice to meet you. Nate told me he also just met his mother and I told him that was weird because I’ve known my mother all my life and-”
Christian clears his throat interrupting his son’s rambling.
“What have we said about acceptable conversations, Dan?”
“Right, sorry,” the boy says abashedly. “It’s really nice to meet you though.”
Despite myself, I smile. He reminds me of Nate.
“Nice to meet you too, Daniel.”
Christian looks at me, his gaze flicking to Rico who’s silent and brooding at my side.
“Why don’t we go upstairs? I’m sure you’ll get an explanation then.”
I nod and we all enter the elevator. Rico presses the button for the penthouse, and I don’t miss the way his hands flex, edging towards his suit jacket. I place a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. I don’t think Christian means to harm us in anyway. I just don’t like that this meeting caught us by surprise. The ride up is completely silent, only interrupted by the consistent bouncing from the little D’Angelo. He seems incapable of being still, eyes roaming, legs bouncing. His father appears used to it, he paints a stark contrast though. Completely unruffled. I’m guessing Daniel gets his quirks from his mother.
The elevator opens, depositing us right into the massive penthouse. As soon as we appear, there’s the sound of little feet approaching rapidly. Nate appears and my heart warms at the sight of him. He doesn’t even look at me though, his eyes landing on his friend. Both boys hug and this time my heart warms for another reason as they start speaking over each other rapidly.
We enter the house just as Xander arrives. He’s wearing a black Henley sweater that hugs his physique and blue jeans. He arches an eyebrow in surprise as he takes us all in.
“Hey, princess,” he greets, eyes falling on me. “I thought you were coming later.”
“I finished early and decided to come over. Imagine my surprise when I ran into Mr. D’Angelo downstairs,” I say, my tone light but also conveying how not okay the meeting was.
Xander catches on, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then he’s looking at Christian.
“Hi, I’m Alexander Steele. Thanks for bringing your son over.”
“No problem. If you don’t mind though, I’m going to stick around for a little bit. I know the plan was to drop him off but I figured we might all get to know each other.”
His tone borders no argument. And I hear the underlying message. Until he’s sure of where we stand, he’s not leaving his son alone in a house with me. Smart man.
“Right..” Xander trails off, looking from Christian to me. I realize he might not really understanding the dynamics of the situation. He claps his hands together, “Alright, how about I pull Katerina to the side for a quick conversation? You can talk to Rico for a while, neither of you mind, right?”
My cousin snorts in reply. Christian’s lips curl into a frown. I fight back a smile as I follow Xander into the kitchen. He doesn’t waste any time before speaking.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean what’s going on? What do you think is going on? Do you have any idea who that is?” I ask, slightly exasperated.
Xander appears entirely too calm. “Sure, Christian D’Angelo. Am I missing something?”
“Xander, he’s the Don of the D’Angelo family. One of the most feared and respected men in the outfit. And you just invited his son on a playdate to your house?”
Very slowly, I see his expression turn to one of realization.
“Oh,” he says then shrugs, immediately shifting back to calm.
“Oh?”
“Katerina, you do realize who you’re speaking to right? Of course I know who he is. I know every fucking thing about him and his family. I wouldn’t have allowed him here if I didn’t.”
“And?”
“And what? I verified his identity and I’m aware of what he’s capable of. This has nothing to do with your business. Daniel and Nate met in school and became best friends. Nate’s been missing his friend the past couple of days so I reached out to Christian who after some consideration agreed to bring him here so they could see each other. We’re all very well informed, princess.”
“Except me,” I mutter.
He sighs. “I’m sorry, I should have told you about it. I was going to tell you when you arrived later and met Daniel. I didn’t think you’d run into his father. I’m guessing your families don’t get along?”
“Not exactly. We just don’t have a relationship, so things are… delicate.”
“Well, considering he’s not leaving, this is your chance to make things not so delicate.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“Nate’s playing with his friend. Why don’t you go play nice with the other big bad Don?” he asks, eyes twinkling.
I roll my eyes. “That’s not how it works, Xander.”
“On the contrary, I’m pretty sure it is. He’s not leaving until he’s sure his son will be safe. Our son happens to like his best friend and I’m sure he would hate it if his friend couldn’t come over to our home again because his mother’s on bad terms with his friends family. Alliances are built every day in your world, Katerina. Build one now.”
I grit my teeth. It’s really not that simple. I came here after a stressful day taking care of a drug deal gone wrong. There was a raid and a cop ended up dead, which is never a good thing. I had to make several calls, placating whoever might be out for bad blood. After compensating the officer’s family, I had to dole out punishments to the people responsible. I’m tired and I was hoping to just come here relax and hang out with my son for a while. But obviously that’s not going to happen.
Xander must be able to read my thoughts because to my surprise he says.
“I’ll carry you along next time, I promise.”
My heart short circuits for a little while. I stare at him, wishing with all my heart that things were different. That it wasn’t so hard. That I could just fall into his arms and receive the warmth he always seems to dispel, but I can’t.
“Okay fine. I’ll try to strike up a conversation with Mr. D’Angelo.”
His lips twitch. “He’s not so bad,” Xander says. “Kinda funny in a droll kind of way. I’ve only spoken to him on the phone but I like him.”
“You like everyone,” I mutter.
“Have fun with your new best friend,” he tells me with a wink. “I’m going to take some snacks up for the kids and then I need to make some calls in my room. I’ll come downstairs as soon as I can.”
He places a hand on my shoulder, his touch searing before he walks towards the fridge, leaving me to return to the living room where Rico and Christian seem to be engaged in a standoff. They haven’t even sat down. I clear my throat once, to signal my return. Rico looks at me and I see relief in his expression.
I turn to the tall, brooding Don. “I believe reintroductions are in order,” I begin.
He arches an eyebrow in question.
“Your son is friends with my son, Mr. D’Angelo. Surely, that means we can try to be amicable.”
Christian lets out a huff of breath.
“Alright fine,” he says stretching his hand out to me. “Nice to meet you, Katerina,” he emphasizes.
“You too, Christian. Should we take a seat?”
He nods and we settle down on the couches.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve been curious about meeting you. Your reputation precedes you,” I state.
He lips turn up in the tiniest of smiles. “As does yours. I wondered at the first female Don we’ve had in over a decade in the city. Your family is quite formidable.”
“Thank you. I do my best. And I’m not sure if you’ve introduced yourself, but this is my cousin, Rico. He’s my second in command. He can be a little rough around the edges and fiercely protective.”
Christian looks at Rico, and I’m surprised when something light dances in his eyes.
“I’ve heard about you too. My capos like to say you’re a coward for letting a woman take your rightful position as Don.”
I cock my head to the side at that statement. Rico’s expression darkens.
“And what do you say to that?”
“I think they’re full of shit. There’s a reason she’s in that position and not you.”
“That there is. Katerina has balls of steel, much bigger than yours or mine.”
“I doubt that,” Christian says on a smile.
Rico chuckles and almost immediately the tension in the room dissipates.
That was smart of him. To pinpoint that Rico was still wound up tight and try to calm him down. He’s good with people, which is kind of annoying because I’m relatively not. I’m great at negotiation, using my head but when it comes to connecting with people, I’m far less equipped.
“So Katerina, why don’t you tell me how you single handedly prevented a war from breaking out between your family and the De Lucas?” Christian asks.
I smile, “Well I wouldn’t say single handedly…”
We spend the next hour trading stories and just talking and while Christian can be a bit dry, he’s also intelligent and charming. By the time he leaves with his son, we’re able to greet each other good bye with a warm handshake and a promise to keep in touch. I even manage to sneak in a suggestion that we could engage in future business negotiations which he doesn’t seem too against.
Once we’re gone, I have dinner with Xander, Nate and Rico. And it’s honestly the first time I’ve felt at peace in the time since the start of all our problems. It’s also the first good dinner I’ve had in a long time. The last time I felt so at peace while eating was when I ate dinner at my sister’s home.
Thoughts of my sister leads to an uneasy sick feeling residing in my gut. On the way home, Rico and I decide it might be time to check in on her and see if she’s ready to see me. Unfortunately, she is not. Anthony follows us back to the car when we’re denied entry, his face apologetic.
“She’s really not taking this well, Katerina. I’ve never seen her this upset,” he says gently.
Something twists in my gut. “I just wish she would talk to me.”
Tony rubs the back of his neck seemingly uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I think she needs to talk to you too. At least for an explanation. But if I’m being honest, cognata, this is kind of a huge deal. Take it from me, a person that had to suffer because someone I trusted and loved kept such a huge secret from me for most of my life. She has every right to be feel hurt.”
Guilt hits me like a bucket of ice. I swallow a deep breath.
“I know. Just… tell her that I’m here. Whenever she’s ready to yell at me, I’ll be ready too.”
“I will. And take care of yourself. Be safe.”
I offer my brother in law a smile. It’s times like this that I can understand why my sister fell so in love with him. He’s dependable, like a solid rock. Always there for you even when you don’t want him to be.
“Yeah, I will. Bye, Tony.”
“Bye,” he tells me, offering Rico a short nod. “See you around, man.”
A part of me keeps wishing Sophia will show up outside and stop me as we leave the house. That part of me is the one that thrives on hopeless dreams and impossible wishes. The one part of myself I can’t seem to get rid of no matter how hard I try.