4. Enrico
4
ENRICO
“E nrico? Enrico, do you have anything to add? Hello?”
I’m vaguely aware of Aurelio’s words, my mind occupied by Valerie’s green eyes as they filled with tears. I hated leaving her this morning, but I had no choice.
The Boss taps his pen on his marble desk three times to get my attention. “Is there something more important than the future of the Caparelli Family?”
“No, Boss. Sorry, Boss,” I apologize. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply, focusing on the task at hand.
“Good. As I was saying, Marco and the other captains have reported a lack of police presence in their territories since the incident several weeks ago. Have you noticed the same?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I haven’t had any sightings of cops from the dirty fucking inner circle reported back to me.”
“Shit,” he curses under his breath.
“Wait, isn’t that a good thing?” Marco asks. “I know we took a drastic step by invading the abandoned casino they took over, but they fucking started it,” he adds, the frustration and anger evident in his tone.
Marco’s girl, Imogine, was kidnapped by a network of destructive, thieving cops embedded in the Las Vegas PD. They’re out for blood, money, and power. True, we’re after most of the same things, but we don’t steal from the community or skim from the police pension to line our own pockets.
Most people only know the mafia as thugs, murderers, and ruling with an iron fist. What they don’t see is that we also keep balance in communities and genuinely care about the territories under our control. We use our wealth to protect the people around us, and union workers, including the police, oftentimes benefit from higher wages and bigger pensions when we strike a deal. Is it a morally gray area? Absolutely. But there’s still a code of honor.
“No one is blaming you,” Aurelio says, addressing Marco’s outburst. “But things escalated, nonetheless. I expected to be followed more closely or have some kind of message or contact with the cops. They can move around more freely and without question, and it’s concerning to me that they haven’t come forward in a forceful show of power.”
“Let’s pounce on them now, hit them while they’re still scrambling to recover,” Lorenzo, our top enforcer, chimes in. He’s on the edge of the couch, his right leg bouncing up and down as his hands curl into fists. Lorenzo looks ready to strangle every single member of the inner circle with his bare hands. “We still have the files that will bring them down. It’ll expose their every dirty deed. Florence agrees it’s a good time to drop that information bomb in the media.”
Like Marco, Lorenzo has a vested interest in seeing the destruction of these particular cops, above and beyond Family business. He was the first of us to get tangled up in a relationship and fall ass over heels for a woman. Florence happened to work at the accounting firm covering up the paper trail of every fraudulent transaction made by the Las Vegas PD. We have the evidence. Now we need to solidify things and pick the opportune moment to unleash the truth.
“That’s what they want,” the Boss replies. “They want us to think they’re running scared and let our guard down. Which makes me wonder what the real plan is.” He leans back in his Italian leather chair, his broad shoulders flexing as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Would they be brazen enough to raid the compound?”
Marco shakes his head as Lorenzo barks out a laugh.
“No,” they say in unison, the idea clearly amusing them.
Aurelio ignores them and focuses on me. He lifts his eyebrow, waiting for my response.
“It would take a hell of a spy to breach the wrought iron gates, guards at every entry and exit, fingerprint and retina-scanning security systems, and tracking devices on most of the cop cars in the city, let alone dismantle it. So, they must have someone on the inside.”
Even as I say the words, I remember my call with Marco earlier this morning before Valerie woke up. Don’t trust anyone. They might infiltrate our ranks.
“And yet…” Aurelio prods.
He knows me too well. We’ve been friends since my mom died, and his family took me in at eight years old. I haven’t thought about my mother in years, but Valerie seemed to pull the memories out of me this morning without even trying.
“My gut tells me they’ve already set their plan in motion,” I say.
The room grows silent as we contemplate what that means.
Aurelio nods and leans forward with his elbows on his desk. “All new recruits, errand boys, bookies, and the like will need to face a test of loyalty. Lock down the compound. No one in or out without a thorough security check.”
“Aye, Boss,” Marco says.
Lorenzo nods in agreement.
“Enrico? You agree with this plan?” Aurelio asks.
“Yes,” I say a little too quickly. I realize I’m walking on dangerous ground by letting Valerie into my home and leaving her there unsupervised. It goes against the new protocol, though technically, I didn’t break the rules since they weren’t in place last night. “Of course, Boss. Whatever you think is necessary.”
Aurelio sizes me up with his shrewd gaze, trying to figure out what’s off with me today. This isn’t the time to hide information from him, but I don’t have any details about Valerie other than she’s scared and needs a place to stay. She hasn’t said anything about what she’s running from or why.
“Dismissed,” he finally says, his firm tone echoing off the walls in his pristine office.
For a moment I worry Aurelio will ask me to stay behind, but thankfully, he gets a text as I slip out the door.
Five minutes later, I burst into my house, on the prowl for Valerie. I need answers. I have to clear her before anyone finds out I’m harboring what could be perceived as a threat to the Family.
“So there is lemon in the raspberry cream cheese Danishes. I knew I tasted the smallest hint of citrus,” Valerie says, her voice filled with delight. The sound soothes me, knowing she’s here and she’s safe.
“Indeed. Sometimes I use orange zest instead, but I find the lemon is tarter and compliments the natural sweetness of the raspberries,” Devin, my personal chef, replies as I follow their voices to the kitchen. “It’ll be our little secret, yes?”
Devin Scarossi has worked as a chef for various family members for nearly forty years. He’s in his seventies and happily married with kids and grandkids, yet the caveman part of my brain is instantly jealous that another man is spending time alone with my woman.
Jesus, I need to get it together.
The thought falls out of my head as I turn the corner into the kitchen.
Because Valerie is looking at Devin in awe as he uses a frosting bag to pipe the Danish filling into the prepared pastries. Now, my only thought is that I want her to look at me that way. Not Devin.
“That will be all for today, Devin,” I announce.
Valerie jumps at the boom of my voice, and I want to punch myself in the face for startling her. She recovers quickly, the tension draining from her shoulders when her gaze falls on me.
“Hey,” she says softly, giving me the most adorable little wave. Her cheeks turn pink and then red as if embarrassed. She has no idea how obsessed I already am with her. I hardly knew it myself until I spent the morning away from her and came home to another man chatting her up in my kitchen.
“Mr. Masini,” Devin addresses me, bowing his head slightly as a sign of respect. “I was just getting to know your houseguest.” The older man gives me a knowing smile, the twinkle in his brown eyes making him look twenty years younger. “Bring her over to the cottage sometime. I know Beverly would love to meet her.”
I give him a tight nod, wanting him to leave. I know he’s not a threat. He means well, and he has a wife he loves very much. Still, I don’t want him here. Valerie and I have important things to discuss, and he’s a distraction right now.
Devin wraps the tray of Danishes in plastic wrap and sets it aside before washing his hands. He grins at me as he walks to the door, despite the daggers I’m shooting at him with my stare.
“How was your, uh, work thing?” Valerie asks, nibbling her bottom lip.
Like this morning, I can’t tell how much she knows about my chosen career.
“Fine,” I answer. “I was thinking…” I trail off when I notice an open sketchbook on the counter next to the sink. Taking a few steps closer, I see a rough sketch of the view from the guest room she’s staying in.
“Oh, I’m not finished yet,” Valerie is quick to say when she figures out what caught my attention.
I recognize the darkened silhouette of the Spring Mountains in the background, but the detail she’s added in the foreground makes me wonder if I’ve ever really looked out of any of my windows. A flowering cactus off to the right of the page captures my attention, and then my focus drifts to a family of desert tortoises tucked away near a stacked pile of rocks. I’ve never noticed any wildlife on my property, though it makes sense. I guess I never stopped to look, really look at my surroundings.
“This is…”
“Unfinished, like I said.” Valerie snatches the sketchbook away and closes it, depriving me of studying her art any further.
“You’re incredibly talented,” I murmur, capturing her green eyes with mine.
She can’t hide the smile stretching across her lovely features, and I make a note to praise her more often. I may not know where she came from, but I sense this woman hasn’t had a lot of love or compliments in her life.
After a moment of silence, I clear my throat, remembering that I still need answers from her.
“Valerie,” I start. “We need to talk.”
Her shoulders drop along with her gaze. Valerie shrinks to a shell of the radiant woman standing here with me a second ago. I hate that I made her feel this way, but this conversation is important. I’ll just have to show her I’ll be here no matter what secrets she has.
I hold out my hand, relieved when Valerie takes it in hers. She clings to me as I lead us to the couch in front of the fireplace. She’s trembling, and her hands are slightly clammy. I need to approach her with caution, but fuck if I know what I’m doing or how to handle someone so precious.
“Start at the beginning,” I encourage. We face each other on the couch, her hand in mine while my thumb gently brushes the inside of her wrist. “Why did you seek me out?”
Valerie closes her eyes and takes a shuddering breath before opening them again. “We’ve met before,” she whispers.
I’m not sure what I was expecting her to say, but it wasn’t that.
“I know you don’t remember. It was a long time ago.” She pauses to gather her thoughts before pushing forward. “Twelve years ago, to be exact. The Orchard Grove trailer park was caught in the crossfire of a territory war. Several of our homes and vehicles were destroyed, leaving most people more destitute than they already were.”
Orchard Grove… Orchard Grove… Yes, that rings a bell. I haven’t thought about the awful conflict between us and the 702 Skull gang in years.
“I’m truly sorry that innocent people’s livelihoods and homes were collateral damage in the violence of the war. Despite our ruthless reputation, the Caparellis never want to endanger civilians.”
“I know,” Valerie replies, surprising me. “You came over the day after the shootout and assessed the damage. You organized construction projects and purchased new cars for people who needed them. For weeks, you dropped off groceries for everyone in the trailer park. You even…” Valerie blows out a breath, looking away from me.
I hang on her every word. I vaguely remember the clean-up we did around Orchard Grove. It was our duty to protect those in our territory, and we failed them. Aurelio and I needed to make it right.
“Yes?” I prompt softly, encouraging her to finish her thought.
Valerie focuses on where our hands are joined, gently turning mine over so my palm faces up. She traces the lines with her fingertips, her delicate touch driving me wild.
“You dropped off Christmas presents after your final walk-through of the trailer park. That’s how I got my first sketchbook and charcoal set.”
I’m speechless as I swallow past the lump in my throat. I had no idea the impact such simple actions had on her life. I’m humbled that I had anything to do with Valerie’s art, and I’m damn well going to ensure she’s always safe.
“Not long after that, my parents died in a car accident. I was left in the care of my older brother. He…” Valerie closes her eyes, fighting with herself for the right words. “He’s a mean drunk. Well, he’s mean all the time these days,” she adds, her words rushed, edging on frantic.
“Is he the one who hurt you?” I grit out.
She nods.
“It was little things at first, you know? Gripping my arm too tightly or pushing me out of the way. The older I got, the more my brother drank. The more he drank, the shorter his temper became.” She sniffles, blinking her eyes a few times to clear away the moisture. “Fast forward several years, and now… It’s so much worse. I had to get out. I had to.”
She stares directly into the depths of my soul, pleading with me to believe her. I have no choice. I’ll ensure her brother never lays a hand on her again.
“I knew you would protect me, or at the very least, you’d hear me out,” Valerie whispers. “But then I got all tongue-tied and didn’t know what to say or where to start, and now…” She trails off, her breathing erratic.
The pulse in her wrist races under my fingers, but she rips her hand from mine and stands before I can respond. Taking a step back, she tenses as if preparing for something explosive.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, her voice cracking. “I shouldn’t have been following you. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess. I… I’m…”
I realize she’s interpreting my silence as rejection, but she couldn't be further from the truth. I’m standing beside her in the next second, wanting to ease her pain and misplaced guilt. Her emerald eyes glint with unshed tears, and I can’t resist the urge to pull her into my arms.
Valerie gasps as she places her palms on my chest, fisting my shirt and holding onto me like I’m the only thing keeping her from drowning. I can’t stand the pain and fear in her gaze.
Without thinking, I lean down and brush my lips to hers, needing some way to show her I’m here and I’ll be the man she remembers from all those years ago.
She moans and kisses me back. Her soft, pliant lips taste like raspberries, and I know I’m completely gone for this woman.