Chapter 10
Sebastian
I’m too close to her. I’m drunk off her fresh scent of soap and coconut shampoo.
The thought of her and Enzo together enrages me. I’ve seen the way he stares at her, and I don’t like it.
I lean in, capturing her lips with mine, taking my sweet time to enjoy her mouth plush against mine. My tongue demands entrance to her mouth, and she moans as she opens up for me.
And oh, what a downward spiral type of fucking kiss it is.
Her lips connect with mine like perfection.
I run my fingers through her silky, wet hair as my tongue explores every bit of her mouth. She doesn’t plan on stopping this kiss soon, and neither do I until there’s a voice downstairs shouting, “Hello, anyone here?”
Mia and I pull away from each other, her eyes as big as saucers. I’m still dizzy from being so close to her that it takes me a minute to get my bearings together.
“Get dressed. I’ll deal with whoever’s downstairs.” I run my fingers through my hair and then wipe my lips. I reposition my cock that’s not thrilled to not be getting any action at the moment, and I head downstairs.
Lucia smiles at me as I walk down the stairs. She’s in a yellow dress with tiny red flowers all over it, and her short reddish-brown hair is curly and big.
“I wanted to check on you,” she says when I reach the landing. “Make sure you had an escort to the party.”
“I think I can find my way there.”
“But why wait? Why not walk in with me on your arm?” Lucia is a very confident woman, and I can understand why. Daughter of a mob boss allows for certain assurances. I’m sure Lucia has never had a man turn her down. With who her father is, I can see why.
I glance upstairs. “Well, I should wait for my daughter.”
Lucia waves her hand in a dismissal of what I’ve said. “Enzo is on his way. He’ll make sure she makes it to the party.”
I try to pretend I’m not bothered by this news, but Lucia must notice my apprehension. “Don’t worry. Enzo’s a great guy. Gia would be lucky to have him.”
“I disagree.”
She wraps her arm in mine with a wide smile. “Ah, the protective type. I love it.”
“Who all will be here at this party? The whole family?” I don’t want to flat out ask if Oliver will be there, because it’s obvious from Mario’s earlier words that he won’t be, but hopefully somebody will be able to tell me where Oliver is hiding.
Lucia shrugs. “Yes, a lot of important people my father knows.”
Well that answers nothing. I smile, leading Lucia out the doors, because there’s no way I’m getting out of not escorting her to this party. I call up to Mia upstairs to let her know I’m leaving and then we walk out the front door.
We cross the grounds toward the main house. I spot Enzo on his way to pick up Mia.
“Hello, sir,” he says to me as he passes.
I give a little grunt. “Don’t take too long or I’ll escort you to the party.”
“Yes, sir.” He moves a little quicker as he heads closer to the house.
Lucia leans closer to me as we walk. “She’ll be fine.”
I obviously trust him enough to get her to the party, because if not, I’d turn around and wait for her to come down the stairs. It’s not a good idea for me to do that, though. I want to finish that kiss we shared, but I can’t let that happen again. Standing there, waiting for Mia to get out of the shower, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to accomplish. I wanted to warn her about Enzo, the fact I know he’ll be making a move on her soon and wanted to make sure she knew she could turn to me in any type of situation if something happens. That I’d be there for her.
The whole situation we’re in is fucked up. I can’t let that hot ass kiss distract me from my mission.
I need to find out who’s setting me up, and Oliver Grotto is the key.
I know he is.
The house is lit with sparkly lights and against the starry sky it looks like quite the extravagant event. This isn’t your typical family get-together. No, they went all out to impress some people. And I realize I am most likely one of those people.
It reminds me of the type of events Mia plans back in New York. She’s always so good at it all. Me, I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to throw a party together, but Mia has her little planner and always does such a great job.
So far, everything’s played out just as I’ve expected. Tonight, I need to be on my game, making sure I find out where Oliver is hiding.
Lucia and I step inside the house, smiling at all the people we pass. They have converted the house to a party zone. All the furniture has been pushed to one side of the living room and they’ve brought in high-top tables draped with white linens. Everyone appears to be having a good time, laughing and chattering over cocktails a bartender makes behind a makeshift bar in the corner.
“Don, over here. There’s some people I want you to meet,” Mario says with a smile. He’s got a cigar in one hand and his arm around a tall lanky man. “This is Sal, he’s the chief of police. He’s a great man.”
I shake Sal’s hand, telling him my name. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard everything about you,” Sal says, continuing to shake my hand like there’s money that’ll dispense the harder he shakes.
He’s a weasel of a guy, and everyone smiles at him like he’s king of Italy or something. I’m about to respond when my attention is pulled to the front door by a woman in red.
Mia.
She’s a flame of sultriness in a strapless dress that begs me to take it off and not worry about whether I’ll get burned. My mouth waters at the sight of her breasts swelling above the silky material that stops inches above her knees. And the shoes. Fuck, the strappy heels are sexier than the dress. She hangs on the arm of Enzo, and my chest tightens when I see the proud look on his face. Men are staring at her, and it makes me want to cover her up and hide her away so only I can look at her.
“Who is she?” Sal asks, nearly drooling out of his mouth.
It makes my skin crawl. “That’s my daughter.” I step away from the sliminess that is Sal, and find the bar, ordering a glass of red wine. It really is a delicious wine, and I enjoy the taste while I stare at Mia from across the room.
Is she remembering the kiss we shared?
Because I can’t seem to shake it from my mind.
Lucia appears at my side. “I lost you there for a second.”
I laugh a little as she orders a glass of wine. “Let me ask you something.”
She smiles, sliding closer to me. “Ask away.”
“Your brother. The one not here. There’s a story there, huh?”
Lucia’s eyes widen. “He made my father angry a few weeks ago, and he’s banned from the house.”
Game time. I lean even closer, my eyes meeting Mia’s a second before they return to Lucia. “Ah, what did he do?”
Lucia steps a smidgen backwards and loses her seductive smile. “It’s silly. Family bullshit.”
“Sounds like an interesting story.”
Lucia brings her glass of red to her mouth, taking a small sip. “He hurt the family name.”
“Badly?”
“Enough to get banned.”
I rub my chin. “What did he do?”
Lucia leans in, like she’s got the biggest secret in the world, which I know she does. “He disrespected my father when he told him he was leaving the business.”
“Ah, I see.” My mind digests the information, wondering why Oliver would quit the family business. Is it because he’d stolen enough to go out on his own?
I think I know the answer, but I’m still not sure. “Where is he?” I ask Lucia.
She shrugs. “He has a place in Rome. I’m sure he’s hiding away.”
“Rome? Excuse me a moment, my daughter needs me.” I walk away from Lucia, making my way toward Mia.
Mia’s eyes sparkle as I step closer, like she’s been waiting for me all evening. Like that kiss between us is everything she’s had on her mind like me.
“Hi,” she says, as I pull her away from Sal and Enzo, who slobber all over her.
“Oliver has a place in Rome. He’s upset the family.”
She smiles. “Yes, Enzo says Mario won’t even discuss Oliver, and he banned him from the family. Do you think he’s the one who framed you?”
I glance around, scanning everyone at the party. “I think he might be. I’m going to see if Mario knows about Sebastian Cain, see what he says about everything.”
Mia’s mouth opens, words failing to come out. Her eyelashes flutter like a hummingbird’s wings. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Mario’s never met the real me before. I’ve never had to deal with this side of the business. I mainly launder, remember?”
Mia glances at Marion and then back at me. “Ok, good luck. I’ll keep working Enzo.”
I lean in, but not too much to make it look weird that a father can’t keep his hands off his own daughter. “Be careful.”
Mia smiles. “I always am.”
“We need to get to Rome.”
“The whole reason you came here is to pretend to see how his operation is ran. You need to stay and look around, get to see how he does business. Maybe I can go,” Mia says.
“Absolutely not.” I want to wrap my arms around her and stake my claim, but I know I can’t do that with all the eyes of the party on us. If our cover is blown, then this is over, and Mario will find out who I am.
And he won’t be happy that we lied to him.
Mia steps closer. “We need to make sure we find him. We can’t let him slip away. If he catches word we’re here, he’ll leave and we’ll never find him again.”
“You’re right, but there’s no way you’re going alone.”
“I can go with Enzo.”
I narrow a brow. “Absolutely not.” Is she crazy? I will never allow that one.
“What if we do a romantic getaway? You and Lucia and Enzo and me.”
I cross my arms. “They’ll never buy that.”
“Well, I’m not letting you leave without me.” Her lips turn down into a pout, and I inwardly growl at the sight.
“Don, come meet a few of my men.” Mario pulls me away from Mia and I follow him across the house toward the back door.
Now’s my chance.
“Mario, let me ask you a question. Did you hear the news about what Sebastian Cain did?”
Mario’s smile drops. “That fucking man is dead if I ever get my hands on him.”
I straighten my tie. “What have you heard?”
“I’ve heard he’s stolen a lot of money off the top of the whole organization.”
“But how?” This is what I can’t put my finger on. My books are always meticulous and triple checked. Georgio knows every aspect of what I’m doing, and he also knows I’m loyal as fuck. I may be a criminal, but I’d never betray my own. Ever.
“Well, Sebastian is in charge of all the laundering for the whole shebang, so he has access to every penny.”
I rub at my chin. “Ah, I see.”
Mario leans in closer to me and lowers his voice. “I think my son, Oliver, was helping Mr. Cain.”
“Why do you think that?”
He stares at me for a moment and must decide he’s said enough. “It’s not important. Oliver is just always getting into shit. And this is some pretty big shit.”
I’ll say.
We step out onto a terracotta-tiled patio filled with hanging lanterns illuminating a soft yellow glow throughout the space. There are a few couples enjoying the view of the rolling hills of the vineyard, and I imagine myself with Mia out here. Me holding her close.
Her staring at me like she’s never wanted to look anywhere else.
Me looking at her just the same.
I need to stop these feelings, but I can’t whenever she’s around.
“This is Tony. He runs the operations in Rome,” Mario cuts me off with his introduction of a tall, lanky man.
I smile.
Wide.
Finally, a fucking in.
“That’s great. I’d love to see your place. See how you run things in Rome. Bring my daughter there maybe?”
This is the perfect opportunity to get us to Rome to find Oliver.
Tony shakes my hand, nodding and smiling. “Absolutely. Yes, we’d love to have you. You can stay with me and my wife.”
“No, that’s not necessary. My daughter and I can get a hotel.”
“No, no. I insist.”
Mario smiles, bringing a glass of wine to his lips. “I think it’s a great idea. We work closely with Tony. After we get the goods from China, we send it to him, and he runs all the distribution.”
“Ah, you head up the distribution. Very nice.”
“Yes, and what is it you do exactly, Mr. Sabatini,” Tony asks.
It’s a simple question, but suddenly I feel offended that this man doesn’t know the made up man Georgio and I created to keep ourselves one step away from the whole operation.
I smile big, like I own the world and then I lean in like I’ve got the biggest fucking secret on the planet. “I make sure everyone is doing their jobs correctly.”
Mario laughs, slapping me on the back. “Exactly. Donovan Sabatini is the enforcer.” Mario’s obviously drunk and finds most of this conversation amusing.
I laugh. “Yes, exactly.”
Tony straightens up. “Well then, I insist you and your daughter stay in my home.”
“I’d love to. Why don’t we leave tomorrow?”
Mario and Tony stare at each other and then laugh. “You can’t travel on Sundays. No one travels on Sunday.”
“Oh, of course.” I smile, pretending this little faux pas will get laughed away.
They’re both a little drunk on wine and continue speaking in Italian to each other. I pretend they’re not talking badly about me, which I’m sure they’re not, but you never know when someone speaks in a different language around you.
Mario slaps me on the back again. “Tomorrow we pray, and then on Monday you travel to Rome to check on distribution.”
This gives me time to plan.
“Yes, we’ll take my jet.”
I smile. “Sounds perfect.”
I can’t wait to tell Mia.