Chapter 8
Impressed
Rico
Oni’s phone is working my last fucking nerve. It’s been ringing nonstop, and she keeps sending it to voicemail. I don’t want to be that guy. I’ve never had a girl to be jealous. I’ve never had time for that shit.
However, as I sit here leaning back on my elbows as I watch her pack her things—using the suitcases I gave her to make things easier than carrying all those shopping bags—I’m growing more and more frustrated with that damn phone. Who the hell keeps calling her? Is it some guy?
“Why don’t you answer it?” I bite out as it rings again, not able to help myself.
She glances over at me and shrugs. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Should I be worried about some other guy calling my girl?” I tease.
Her cheeks take on a glow, and she drops her head. I narrow my eyes because something tells me I’m right. It is a guy calling. Why wouldn’t it be? She’s fucking gorgeous.
“It’s only one of my best friends. Yes, he’s a guy, but it’s not like that between us,” she says softly.
I reach out and tug her to me. She falls onto my lap with a little gasp. My gut is telling me I should dig into her friends and relationships more.
However, the thought makes me feel kind of crazy. If I’m dating a sixteen-year-old girl, I should be able to keep my shit together about her having friends. Besides, her friends are in New York. For the most part, she will be here with me.
“If that’s the case, you can answer him the next time he calls. I’ll give you some space. I need to pack my things anyway,” I say as I look into her eyes.
I don’t get the feeling she’s lying to me. I’m very good at reading people when they lie. I’m just getting to know her, but I have this feeling she’s being honest.
“Pack your things? You’re leaving?”
I chuckle as her face becomes crestfallen. I peck her lips and smile. “No, I’m not leaving. I’m packing to come stay at Pop’s. How can I get to know my girl when she’s so far away?”
She breaks into a huge smile. I know I’m asking for trouble by telling her I’m her boyfriend, but when she smiles like that, it’s all worth it. I plan to call her my girl as much as I can to see that smile on her face.
“I won’t be that far away,” she says shyly and it’s adorable.
“I know you won’t because I’ll be staying in my old room at Pop’s.”
“Are you sure that’s a great idea?”
“You let me worry about that. As long as we stick to the rules, we’ll be fine.”
Slowly, I brush my fingers across her cheek. I get ready to lean in and take her lips, but her phone starts to ring again. We both sigh heavily. Oni stands and goes to grab the device.
This new jealous part of me wants to sit here and ear hustle, but the part of me that wants to be rational and to give her some space to breathe forces me to get up and leave the room. I’m not about to be jealous of some snot-nosed kid all the way in New York.
After all, she did say I was her first kiss and she’s not into him like that. Besides, she’s mine now. I may need to keep that from my uncle for the time being, but I have my ways of letting everyone know she’s off-limits.
I grin to myself as I walk into my bedroom closet and grab a duffel bag. I don’t need much. My room back at Pop’s still has a ton of my shit there.
Some of the guys might be annoyed that we’ll be moving to my dad’s, but they’ll get over it. Pop has never given us shit about our partying or any of that. I just didn’t feel right fucking and partying under his roof like I used to.
I think of Oni and groan. I really want that girl, but I’ve made her a promise that I won’t touch her for at least two summers. I don’t even want to think about what she’ll look like two summers from now.
I’m really going to have to focus on business for the next two years to keep my mind off sleeping with my girl. I have every confidence in myself that I can do this. My phone rings as I step out of my closet with my duffel bag in hand.
I’m knocked right back into reality. The business I’ve been putting off today comes looking for me. I roll my eyes and answer the call from Mario.
“Ciao, tell me something good,” I say into the phone.
“I can’t. Not this time.”
“Fuck, what’s going on now?”
“I went to visit that friend of ours. Someone already sent him on that vacation. I don’t like the way this looks, boss. Something ain’t right.”
I bare my teeth as my mind begins to race. Jonny said he was working for Andy Cusumano. Andy has been jealous since Uncle Emilio gave my dad the go-ahead to give me a crew.
Andy has always bragged that he would become made before any of the rest of us. I call bullshit because his father knew he had shit for brains. This only proves my point.
He went and got himself killed. He was a dead man either way, but it looks like he found someone other than me to piss off.
“What are you thinking?” I say to Mario.
“Everyone knows you don’t tolerant disloyalty. Someone knew you would take out Jonny and Pauly. Then they finished off Andy before he could talk.
“I don’t think this was a coincidence. I think someone is trying to fuck with business.”
I nod my head as I think his words over. Mario has been my best friend since I could talk. I trust him with my life. He’s wearing that scar on his face because of me.
I know he always has my back. If he has a feeling, I trust it. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like he might be onto something.
“Yeah, I hear you. Start shaking some trees and see what falls out, but be as quiet as you can. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m losing control of my business or my crew.”
“I’ve got you.”
“One more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re moving to Pop’s.”
Oni
I chew on my lip as I watch Rico walk out of my room. I think he’s a little pissed off about Mason calling, but this is new. I’ve known Mason almost all my life.
He’s my friend and no threat to Rico at all. While I know Mason had feelings for me before, I also know I’ve told him I don’t see him that way. I made that clear after he tried to kiss me. We’ve been cool and in the friend zone since.
“Hello,” I say into the phone as I finally answer Mason’s call.
My stomach twists in knots. Rico isn’t the only reason for me not wanting to answer his call. All of this is becoming more complicated by the day.
“Oni, where the hell are you? I went by your place, and your mom said you went away and you’re not coming back? What’s going on?”
I frown. I should have known Mom was going to do her best to shut all the doors she could while I’m gone. I got the feeling the other night that she wasn’t going to allow me to come back home. I’m going away to school in the fall if it’s the last thing she does.
“Relax, Mase. I’m fine. I’m just taking a break from New York to get my head on straight. I needed to take a step back from everything,” I reply.
“And you didn’t think to tell me or Emory? Your own cousin doesn’t know anything. What the hell?”
I roll my eyes. Where I’m not interested in Mason, my cousin has had a crush on him for forever. I’m sure she fell all over herself to tell him everything she knew.
Which is why I didn’t tell her anything about where I was going or why. In fact, I told Megan nothing at all.
“Megan is too caught up in herself to worry about me. Besides, I needed to do this. I didn’t want to drag anyone else into my mess,” I say, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.
“Mess? What mess?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything,” I murmur into the phone as I continue to empty my shopping bags into the suitcase Rico gave me.
Mason curses on the other end then sighs. “Just confirm one thing for me. You didn’t show up that night after that thing.
“Please tell me you didn’t run into any trouble. What happened to the whip? Did Larry take it off your hands?”
I drop the dress from my hands into the suitcase and turn to flop on the side of the bed. I think over what’s been happening since he dared me to take that car. Glancing toward the door, I think of Rico.
My gut is telling me it’s not such a good idea to tell him about the drugs, the truck, or Rico. If I tell him about one, he will have questions about the other. I should be pissed at him for daring me to take that car in the first place.
“I didn’t get it. The owner showed up right after you guys took off. I went home,” I lie.
“Fuck, I knew I should have waited until you were inside. I’m sorry, Oni. That shit was stupid.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. You could have gotten into some real shit out there.”
“Mason … did you know who that truck belonged to?”
“Huh? Did you know them? Did you see the owner’s face?”
“Um, no. I only saw his back. I walked past him but didn’t get a good look at his face.”
“Oh, okay. So this isn’t about any of that?”
My thoughts are spinning as I think fast. Mason is smart. If I’m not careful, he’ll catch me in my lies. I don’t want any tension between us.
“No, I told you, I needed to get away and get my head on straight. Mom was upset because I came in so late, and she flipped on me.
“It took forever to get home because I had to take the subway. It was bad. She had a bus ticket for me a few days later.”
“That’s why you weren’t answering our calls. You were grounded?”
“Yeah, bro. You know Mom. You and Emory are too close to all the shit she wants me away from. She’s terrified I’m going to fall in with your dad and all that.”
“Fuck. Damn, Oni. This is all my fault. Where did she send you?”
“I’m in—”
“Shit, I have to go. I’ll call you back.”
“Mason, I won’t be able to answer. I’ll be in touch when the summer is over, and Mom cools down.”
“Okay, I get it. Text me if you can. I’m going to miss you, babe.”
I blow out a breath as he hangs up before I can reply. Dropping my phone on the bed, I rub my temples. If I could turn back time, I never would have gotten out of that car.
“You all good in here?”
I lift my gaze and find Rico standing in the doorway, looking sexy as sin in a pair of black shorts and a light-blue polo shirt. It’s the most relaxed I’ve seen him since I’ve met him.
All thoughts of turning back time fade away. I inhale deeply. What were the chances of my accepting a dare to take his car?
Maybe this was meant to be. My heart begins to race as he moves into the room and stands before me. He reaches to pull me up from my seat and wraps his arms around me. I look up at him shyly and get caught in his gaze.
“What?” he says as he searches my face.
“Nothing.”
He pinches my chin between his fingertips. “Come on. Let’s go. I want to get you to Pop’s so I can handle some calls and then I’m taking you out for our first date.”
“That’s not going to be against the rules?”
“No. We’re going somewhere my uncle won’t know anything about. I have some people I think you should meet.”