Chapter 15
Mia
Ever get that feeling? Like you know a ball is about to drop somewhere. That all the fun and happiness is child’s play, and there’s something darker looming off in the corner.
Sebastian is like a rain cloud since he stepped onto the patio.
I’m afraid to ask if there’s something wrong.
He stares at me differently.
“What?” I ask him, unable to handle the deafening sound of silence.
“Someone did set me up,” Sebastian finally says, his unlit eyes appearing lost like a child that’s wandered too far from home.
“That’s good news, right?”
He nods, but his mood is still somber. “There’s something else.”
I cross my arms, my nervous energy from his mood making me on high alert. “Ok,” I say, slowly. “Tell me.”
“Mia,” he breathes in deep and my stomach drops, “your father is the one who framed me.”
And now my stomach is in my throat, suffocating me. “Uhh,” I can’t get any words out. I can’t think. I lean against the rail and Sebastian steps closer.
“Are you ok?” he asks.
How can he possibly think I’m ok? I shake my head. “No, I… I don’t believe you.”
He rubs at his chin. “Oliver and Enzo said they’re working with your father on framing me and stealing the money for themselves.”
Lies. This can’t be true. “No… no.” My father has always adored Sebastian Cain. They’re almost like brothers. Why would he hurt him in this way? “You can’t believe them. I bet they’d say anything to take the heat off themselves.”
My heart pounds with disbelief. This can’t be true. Tears threaten to spill and Sebastian steps closer, but I step further away, blocking myself into a corner.
“Ok, Mia. I guess we should get the evidence we need to see for ourselves. I’m not trusting them until I have some hard proof.”
“What did they say to you?” I cross my arms over my chest, shivering, feeling the chilly night more than I did earlier.
“They think I’m one of the bad guys. They think Sabatini is in on the plan.”
“Did they tell you what’s next?”
He stares at me. “No, they didn’t. They assumed I already knew it.”
“Well, we need to figure it all out.”
Sebastian agrees, stepping even closer. “Mia, I’m sorry. I hope they’re not right. I hope your father wouldn’t do this to me, and to you.”
Tears well in my eyes at the mere thought of my father being behind everything. No, I won’t believe this. “I just don’t believe my father could be a part of this all. You’re wrong, Sebastian.” I step back into the house, closing the sliding door to keep away from him.
I head down the hallway and Enzo meets me there.
“What’s the matter? Everything ok?” he asks, his eyes worried. But who knows if he’s even worried about anything, if what Sebastian says is true.
Is it true?
Is everyone a part of this scheme?
“Nothing, just got some bad news.”
“Your Prada shoes are on back-order?” He shoves his hands into his pants pocket.
I hate that he views me as this spoiled little rich girl. Maybe I really am. Maybe I don’t know who I am.
I definitely don’t know if I know my own father.
“No,” I smart back. “I just wanted to return to the States, but it doesn’t look like we’re leaving here anytime soon.” I remember what Sebastian said, about how Donovan Sabatini is part of the whole scheme.
“Well, that actually makes me happy.” He smiles, but I can’t muster up the energy to return his smile.
“Thanks.”
“Let me take you out. We could go get some gelato?”
I shrug a sure response to him, because there’s one thing I know for certain, I want to find out the truth about my father.
My real father.
Tony’s home is located close to the famous Spanish Steps , so it’s a short walk to the gelateria , close to the Fontana di Trevi . It’s still early enough that the streets are filled with people. Most of them couples, roaming to have their own little love adventures on a night like tonight. The stars beam high in the sky, happily shining for everyone to see.
I’m not like them, though. I’m not beaming.
I’m not happy. How can I be?
Focus on the positive, Mia.
The gelato shop is in a corner just in front of the famous fountain. The lights are on and the result is breathtaking.
I can see now why people travel from all over to see this.
“Hope you brought your appetite,” Enzo says. “They have some of the best gelato in the world.”
“That’s quite a bold statement.” I laugh a little. No matter how upset I am, I still need to play the part that I could be interested in Enzo.
I need the truth.
When I left to head off to the gelato shop with Enzo, Sebastian wasn’t happy. But there was nothing he could say. He knows I need to find out the truth on my own. That I have to know.
Enzo orders a pistachio waffle cone and I get a vanilla gelato with a caramel drizzle in a small cup. Correction: a caramel flood. In times like these, a girl needs comfort food. I swear, I could drink caramel straight from the bottle if I didn’t think I’d get completely sick from it.
Or become an instant diabetic.
I love it.
We find an empty booth in the back of the shop. Enzo slides in and I file in on the opposite side.
“I love spending time with you, Gia,” he tells me.
It’s weird answering to a different name. It makes me feel like I’m some super-secret spy and I try to remember this is a part I’m playing. It makes me braver. It makes me have the courage to ask the questions I really need answers to.
“I enjoy your company as well.”
“Tell me all about you.” He sticks his tongue out a bit to lick some gelato that slides down his cone.
“Well,” here’s my chance, and I have to take it, “when we get the money, you know, I plan on opening my own event planning business.” Mixing the truth with the lies makes it easier.
“Event planning?”
I nod. “Yes. I love planning events. And,” I smile, “I’m really good at it.”
Enzo laughs, leaning back in his seat a bit. “I can see that about you.”
Oh, please. He hasn’t noticed anything like that about me. He’s noticed my boobs and that’s about it.
“So, I’m hoping with the money we get I can open something small at first.”
“I think it’s a great idea.”
I scoop a big dollop of ice cream onto my spoon and shove it into my mouth. “Thanks,” I say once I survive the brain freeze from my actions.
“It’s really weird your father is a part of this thing.”
I raise a brow. “Why?”
“Well, I just didn’t know your father was a fully invested partner. Because,” he glances over his shoulder to make sure no one is listening, “I heard Georgio is acting on his own.”
I laugh a little, pretending this is all normal. “Georgio DeWinter and my father are like this.” I hold up my index and middle finger and cross them. “Best friends for life.” Sounds lame, but I always thought it was the truth.
Enzo swipes his tongue across his ice cream again, and it makes my stomach revolt. “So, you know Sebastian Cain? The man who’s taking the fall?”
I think about his question as I put a spoonful of gelato in my mouth to stall for time. I want to tell Enzo that yes, I’ve come to know Sebastian Cain very well in the past few weeks. That every time I think about him, I get goosebumps and a longing in my core I don’t know what to do with.
I want to tell Enzo I’m falling for Sebastian Cain.
Obviously, I don’t.
I shrug a little, trying to keep my feelings at bay. “Sure, I’ve met him a few times.”
“Real asshole, huh? Georgio says it’ll be easy to frame Sebastian because everyone will believe it.”
“Why would they believe it?”
“Well, Georgio and Sebastian worked closely for many years, so of course, they’ll believe Georgio.”
“What if Sebastian says it wasn’t him, and it’s actually Georgio?”
Enzo laughs at this, like it’s the funniest thing in the world. “Georgio’s an original head of one of the Four Families.”
I jab my gelato with my spoon a few times. “Yeah, I know.” I want to ask him if there’s anything Sebastian can do to save himself, but I don’t want to blow our cover by appearing too interested in what happens to Sebastian. “Do the other families know it was Sebastian who stole?”
Enzo bites into his cone. “Yeah, everyone knows. They’re searching for him now. He’s in China or something.”
“China,” I say, with a little laugh. “Why there?”
Enzo shrugs. “I guess he thinks he can find bank transactions.” He shakes his head. “Little does he know we have all that info on Oliver’s server at home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah, Oliver lives here in the city.”
“Ah, why aren’t you staying with him?”
Enzo smiles, wiggling in his seat a bit. “Because I wanted to be closer to you.”
Now I know I need to lay it on thick. Everything to clear Sebastian’s name is at Oliver’s house in this city. “I’m happy you are.” I run a finger down his arm as I smile at him.
I hope he’s buying this.
He leans in. Oh no, he wants to kiss me. I lean forward, letting him. It’s just a small peck, and I know I need to do it to earn his trust.
“So, you sneak out of the house and this is where you end up,” Sebastian’s voice sounds from behind me before Enzo’s lips touch mine.
I turn around, looking up into the hauntingly intense blue eyes of Sebastian Cain.
He’s like fire and ice. Beautiful, if you can say a man is beautiful and with Sebastian, I think you can.
His bright blue t-shirt accentuates his eyes in the hottest of ways, and I suck in a breath. I pretend to be upset.
Wait, no I am upset.
I thought Sebastian trusted me. He knows I’m here trying to get information on my father. “Don, what are you doing here?” I ask.
“I followed you here, because I didn’t trust you being out with him.”
I apologize to Enzo for my fake father’s behavior. “I’m so sorry. I should go.”
“Yes, you should,” Sebastian says, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
He stares down at Enzo like he’s scum, and I want to kick Sebastian with my foot and ask him why he’s ruining everything.
“Everything’s fine,” Enzo says. “We were just enjoying some gelato and nice conversation.”
Sebastian scoffs. “Didn’t look like conversation to me.”
I stand, trying my best to diffuse the situation. “I’m so sorry, Enzo,” I apologize again.
Sebastian steers me out of the gelato shop with a hand on my elbow, and once we’re far enough away, I jerk my arm from his hold. “How could you do that?”
Sebastian stops walking. “I was sitting at Tony’s, and I just couldn’t handle the thought of you and Enzo together. I just kept picturing his hands and mouth all over you.”
“So?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“So, I couldn’t handle it.” He pushes a hand through his thick black hair. “I was right, too. Kissing him? What were you thinking?”
At this point, I’m so angry. “I was thinking I could get some information to clear your name.” I park a hand on my hip. “Now Enzo probably thinks you’re a jealous asshole. How can we even explain this one?”
“Explain it?” Sebastian tugs me into the shadows so we’re out of the middle of the street. He pushes me against the side of a brick building. “I may be a jealous asshole, but there’s no way I’m going to let you kiss that scumbag for me.”
“I’m a big girl. I can do whatever I want.”
“I don’t want anyone kissing you, Mia,” he says, pushing even closer toward me. “Except me.”
We are breathing each other’s air, we’re so close, and yet he feels so far away. “What if someone sees us?” I ask in a whisper.
“Then let them watch,” Sebastian says, right before he kisses me.