Chapter One - Elise #2
Closing my eyes, I picture a life without security details, background checks, or paranoid criminal boss fathers. Then I could just say yes to a date with a sweet man like Hayden.
Hayden: Don’t be. You’re worth waiting for. Let me know if you change your mind.
Before I can open my phone to respond, it buzzes with an incoming call from a Chicago area code, and I can’t believe Hayden distracted me from the impending conversation that’s been haunting me for weeks now.
Steeling my nerves, my finger slides across the screen to accept the video call.
I expect to see my father’s graying hair and signature scowl, so I’m surprised when two identical grins appear on the screen. Their dark brown hair is similar to mine—that is when I don’t conceal it with blonde dye—but the light green eyes are a trait they got from our father.
I’m told that my brown eyes are exactly like my mother’s. Not that I’d remember.
“Elise! How are you?” Logan greets.
It’s strange hearing my real name since no one but my family actually uses it. Everyone I encounter on a daily basis—including my security detail—has taken to my alias.
“I’m good. Where’s Dad? I thought he was going to call me.”
James is the one to answer. “He’s with Damon right now. They’re handling a time-sensitive matter.”
Only Dad would send the twins to call me instead of just pushing it back an hour. If they couldn’t see my face, I’d probably roll my eyes.
“Oh, when will he be able to talk? Should I call back later?” I wonder what he and my oldest brother are attending to that is so important.
Logan shakes his head. “He should be ready in a few minutes. Is everything okay?”
Being the youngest and the only girl in my family, I’ve always been the outcast. My four brothers act as our father’s capos—captains—at our family’s main Chicago base.
I, on the other hand, choose to have no affiliation with his work whatsoever.
I smile to hide the disappointment threatening to taint my evening.
“Yeah, everything is fine. I just have something I want to talk to Dad abo—” A loud crash in the background steals their attention.
Muffled grumbling follows, but it’s quickly cut off when my brothers mute their microphone, and their lips move as they address the interruption.
I ignore the pang of hurt that hits my chest at being shut out.
My finger taps against the glass in my hand as I wait for my brothers to return to the call. Judging by the look of concern on Logan’s face, that may take a while.
Logan hands the phone off to James, who gives me a forced smile as he unmutes himself.
“Dad will be done in just a few minutes.” His eyebrows jump up when he catches sight of something beyond the camera. “Mason! Will you talk to Elise?”
I don’t hear a response, but a moment later, the youngest of my brothers takes the phone.
His light brown hair is cut shorter than the last time I saw him a few weeks ago, and the look suits his sharp jaw and prominent cheekbones. His dark eyes sparkle, and the sight of his wide grin eases some of the hurt in my chest.
Mason is the only one of my brothers who also inherited Mom’s brown eyes, which made us look more like twins than Logan and James in our childhood years.
“Hey, Elise. What’s going on?” His deep voice continues to take me by surprise. Though he’s three years my senior, I can practically still hear the voice cracks of his teenage years.
I wave my nearly empty wine glass in front of the camera. “Obviously, not very much. What about you?”
He glances in the direction the twins went. “Things are a little hectic here, but nothing out of the ordinary.” When his eyes flit back to the screen, they take on a calculating edge. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?” I strengthen my fake smile, but there’s really no point.
Mason has always been the most analytic of the Consoli family—a habit he picked up from our father. He doesn’t miss anything.
One exasperated look from him, and I drop the act altogether.
“Tomorrow is the deadline to submit an application for the European Culinary Tour that my professor recommended to me. Since graduation last month, I haven’t heard back from a single job I’ve applied for. Having this tour on my resume would make me stand out.”
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “You know he’s going to say no.”
“Why would he? I’d still have security, and I’d maintain my fake identity. He has no reason to say no.”
Mason gives me a knowing look. “And what about family dinner? You know how important it is that Dad keeps everyone informed. That’s without taking into consideration the enemies we have in other countries.”
The mention of family dinner reminds me why I can’t go out with Hayden tomorrow night, and my face falters. Luckily for me, Mason takes it as disappointment from his words.
“I’m sorry. You deserve to do things that make you happy.”
I open my mouth to respond, but a gruff voice catches my attention. “Elise! Sweetheart, how are you?”
Mason doesn’t object when our father snatches the phone from his grasp.
His dark hair is peppered gray and white, but that’s the only sign of his age.
There’s not a single wrinkle on his face, which is likely due to the fact that his smile is a rare sight, though now his lip tugs upward, and his eyes soften when they meet mine.
“I’m good! I actually have something I want to talk to you about.” My hand starts to shake, and I wonder if more wine would’ve better prepared me for this conversation.
“What’s on your mind?”
His seemingly good mood has me feeling optimistic.
“Do you remember me telling you about Dr. Burns—the professor that I really liked?”
My father’s poker face is excellent, but his pause gives him away.
He doesn’t recall my professor at all.
I don’t let it bother me. “Well, he suggested that I apply for an internship that would look really good on my resume, and I want to do it.”
His eyebrows pull together, and he analyzes me the same way Mason had.
“And where exactly is this internship?”
Here goes nothing.
“Well, uh—actually—it’s, well…” I take a deep breath. “It’s across Europe.”
“No.”
“Dad, just hear me out—”
“Elise, the answer is no. I can barely manage you being an hour away. There’s no way you’re going an ocean away.”
“But—”
“My answer is final.”
I don’t attempt to hide my disappointment, and my father’s eyes soften ever so slightly. If I had any other dad, I might be able to persuade him with tears, but not Gabriel Consoli.
This is a man who sticks to his word.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know I only want to protect you, right?”
The weight of disappointment is heavy, but I humor him. “Yeah, I know, Dad.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a few weeks. I already have reservations at Vincenzo Bistro to celebrate.”
Buying out an entire restaurant for the night isn’t exactly the same as a reservation, but I don’t bother mentioning that.
“Can’t wait,” I tell him, but it’s hardly convincing even to my ears.
I hang up the phone and stare at the blank screen, letting Mason’s words come back to me.
You deserve to do things that make you happy.
Before I can stop myself, I pick up my phone and type out a message to Hayden.
Annie: Turns out tomorrow works perfectly. My place at 7?