6. Cassio
Iparked my car before the building in the West Loop and looked upward. From down here, I couldn’t see a thing, other than a few lights flashing from one of the apartments, the penthouse to be more specific. I’d changed into more casual clothes for the night, donning a pair of old jeans, a white dress shirt and my second favorite coat, since my other one was currently with Francesca. I wondered if she still snuggled her nose against the collar to inhale my scent. She’d done that a couple of times, I’d noticed, while driving her home.
Unsure why I was thinking about Francesca again—oh yes, my coat—I grabbed it from the back seat and put it on. I made my way into the luxurious lobby and offered my name to the receptionist who let me through without a fuss. Inside the elevator, I stared at the doors and adjusted my sleeves. I hated these gatherings. Always had. I had never been one for small talk. I enjoyed that people often thought me to be unapproachable.
When the elevator finally arrived, I breathed in through my nose and let the air out slowly. Despite my obese bank account, I was a very private man, keeping from the tabloids and the media. The only events I actually enjoyed attending were charity galas, but that was only so I could flaunt my money in the faces of those politicians who thought themselves better than me.
Vitelli’s ‘small’ party was anything but, then again, my brother never did anything half-assed—he enjoyed the scene, the loud voices, and the music. He thrived in environments like these. I was almost suffocated by the cacophony of voices in the room. As I watched my surroundings—always aware of where I was—I noticed most of the faces I knew were members of the Outfit.
Meandering through the crowd, and for the hundredth time wondering what the hell I was doing there, I searched for my brother.
Vitelli wasn’t hard to find as a circle of people had formed around him. I stopped short in my tracks as I spotted the woman beside him.
Marie LeRoy was not who I expected her to be. She barely reached my brother’s shoulder even though she was wearing blood red heels. Her hair was tied in a slick ponytail, her makeup clean and natural. Her clothes were elegant and chic, wearing a dress that hugged her petite form and landed just below her knees. She was every bit the woman I would never have imagined my brother would date.
Not because she wasn’t beautiful — she was, with almond-colored eyes and a beauty mark right above her red lips—but because this was not the kind of woman I had seen my brother with. They were usually… escorts or women he picked up at our clubs.
After my initial shock, I made my way toward the couple, not once failing to notice that my brother had his arm wrapped around her in a possessive manner that warned every man in the near vicinity that she was his. I couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that graced my face. Vitelli was so lost in her, he didn’t even realize how pussy whipped he’d become. My brother was now taken, and that was hilarious.
The moment he saw me, he pushed through two men surrounding him and pulled Marie along, cutting the conversation short. “Vitelli.” I extended my hand, and my brother grabbed my forearm in greeting.
“Brother, this is Marie?—”
“Pretty much figured,” I said, nodding towards Vitelli’s hand on hers.
“So, you’re the brother I’ve heard so much about,” she said as a way of greeting.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded. “Do I meet your expectations?”
She smiled, white teeth shining. This woman was so out of my brother’s league, it was going to be fun watching him grovel.
“I thought your entrance would have been more dramatic. Guns blazing, bullets ricocheting.” Vitelli’s hand on her waist clenched. Marie must have noticed she said something wrong because her smile faltered.
So, she knew about the family business.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I said lightly, even adding a tight smile. “Next time, I’ll think of something more entertaining. We can dim the lights and add some smoke, or is that too much?”
Both of them relaxed and Marie even managed to laugh a bit, I could be entertaining and sociable when I wanted, the thing was I almost never wanted to.
I wondered how much my brother had shared about the lives we lived. If she knew who these people in her house were and what they did for a living?
“Merde,” Marie cursed. “Would you excuse me for a second?” she asked and left before Vitelli had a chance to answer.
I watched as my brother followed her with his eyes, as she headed toward a group of girls that were trying to pop open a massive bottle of champagne that probably cost more than they earned in a year.
I wondered to myself who had invited that crowd. As I watched the flock of loud women, one of them caught my attention. Her blonde hair was loose and her dress so tight, I could see the outline of her underwear. I knew instantly that it wasn’t Francesca, but my stomach tightened either way. When she looked at me and smiled, I finally breathed.
It wasn’t her.
Taking my eyes off the blonde chick, I looked around the room. “So, Marie knows about us.”
“Her father is Remy Bousset,” Vitelli explained, catching me by surprise.
Remy was the Outfit’s supplier and one of the oldest in the business. Whatever I needed, the man could find. “When were you going to tell me?”
“When you actually gave a fuck.”
I cocked one brow at my brother’s attitude.
“Either way, she took her mother’s maiden name after some falling out with her father. Apparently, he threatened to disown his own son.”
Again, my curiosity pricked. “Why?”
Vitelli looked at his girlfriend—whatever she was—as though she could hear his words. “Because her brother prefers the company of men if you know what I mean.”
I nodded in understanding, even if I didn’t agree with Remy’s actions. The world we lived in was a harsh place and not everyone could survive.
“I haven’t told her anything else. She knows about me because she saw my gun, the actual weapon,” He smirked. “I would never betray?—”
I stopped him right there. “I know you won’t, I trust you, Vitelli.”
“Thank you.”
I placed a hand on my brother’s shoulders and warned him. “But—don’t ever make me doubt that trust. If she ever puts you or our safety in danger, I won’t think twice,”
Vitelli tensed under my heavy hand, and looked away and I followed his gaze, which landed on Marie. “She won’t,” he said with certainty and adoration.
I hoped he was right because if something ever happened, my brother would never be the one to take the brunt of the fall—she would. If I had to, I would kill her to protect Vitelli, no hesitation.
When Marie returned, she was pulled into Vitelli’s arms and chuckled when he whispered something in her ear. “Cassio,” she called swatting his brother away. “Vitelli tells me you’re single,”
I narrowed my eyes as I glared at my brother. I was and pretended to stay that way until the pressure of marriage and siring an heir grew too heavy for me to carry. “I have a friend I want you to meet, she should have been here by now, but she’s always running late.”
“I’m not?—”
“Oh, there she is.” Marie interrupted me and quickly excused herself plunging into the crowd.
When I turned toward my brother, he had his hands up in the air.
“This is not on me,” he said quickly.
“Better not be,” I snapped.
“She’s just a girl, Cassio, what’s got your panties in a twist?” Vitelli chuckled. “Plus, it’s a change from fucking the same chick all the time.”
“Boys, this is my friend, Frankie,” Marie said, and I slowly began to turn. When I did, my entire body froze, air got stuck in my lungs, and I gawked like a fool at the woman who stood before me, or better…
At Francesca fucking Manci.
FRANCESCA
“He’s nice, Frankie,”Marie said as she pulled me from the hallway into her home. “You owe me for being late.”
I rolled my eyes and said nothing as I took in the environment around me. It was filled with people…I recognized. I pulled back and came to a stop. “Where did you say you met your guy again?”
“At a coffee shop down the street,” Marie said tugging at my hand.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Okay.”
So why did I recognize these people? Well, not all of them, but some were people from my past. Men and women who had frequented the same church as me, had gone to the same weddings, events, and galas.
This was the last place I wanted to be right now. I couldn’t be near them; I could already begin to feel their judging gazes on me. Maybe it was in my head, but I could see some of them leaning in to exchange the newest piece of gossip. Our world was a small one, like money, gossip was what made our blood pump. It spread quicker than wildfire and took longer to put out.
Coming here wasn’t a good idea. Especially because today hadn’t been the best of days. Mother had a relapse, her chemo wasn’t working, and she had been in one of her moods. Reginald ate one of my socks and had a stomachache, and to top it all off, Donato had called me again, insisting that I return home.
Marie had planned her party and had been texting me all day. She had been buzzing around me like a bee, as though she knew I wanted to cancel. Things would have been better if I had something to numb my anxiety and settle my nerves.
Tonight, I was nothing but a ticking time bomb waiting to detonate, and I feared the disaster that would follow.
“Will you stop fretting,” Marie mumbled as we headed toward the two men she wanted me to meet. This brought me back to the problem at hand. “As I said, he was a perfect gentleman, and you”re going to like him. Not to mention he’s terribly hot.”
“You know I’m not interested,” I said, reaching for the servant who was roaming around with shots on her tray. Marie watched me swallow the transparent liquid with narrowed eyes. “I’m detoxing, Marie. No men.”
What difference would it make when I was already promised to another? What was the point in putting in all the effort, when in the end, I was going to have another man’s ring on my finger? So no, I wasn’t interested.
“This is not about what we talked about, is it?” I asked, knowing fully well it was. Marie wasn’t going to give up. She loved a lost cause too much.
She smiled dismissively, but I knew the truth. She stopped and turned to face me, grabbed my shoulders, and stared me deep in the eyes. “I don’t often say this, and it’s probably unadvisable, but have some fun, Frankie. You’re a twenty-three-year-old gorgeous bombshell. He’s going to fall for you instantly.”
I sighed loudly, my shoulders sagging. “I’m not going to escape this, am I?”
“No, you won’t.” She smiled and we resumed walking toward the back of her living room where the men were.
“How long have you known him?”
“For a few minutes, tops.”
I looked at the ceiling and laughed in desperation. Marie was on a roll today. When we cleared most of the crowd and reached the men, a strange sensation settled over me, like a premonition. Or rather a déjà vu. They had their backs to us, both men were tall and broad-shouldered. One had light brown hair that curled around his ears and neck, while the other had a messy mop of dark curls. Even looking at his back, I could tell that the tallest of them didn’t look as comfortable as the one beside him. There was a slight tension in his shoulders and the way he tapped his fingers repetitively against his leg.
At least I wasn’t the only one who was anxious.
“Boys, this is my friend, Frankie,” Marie said, and on cue, they both turned to face me.
My legs stopped, my feet turned to lead, and they kept me from being able to breach the distance between myself and the two men. It was at that moment that I knew I shouldn’t have come.
The entire party dissolved around me, blurring at the edges, and then disappearing entirely. My eyes landed on Cassio Moretti. He was standing as still as a statue, and I wasn’t sure he was even breathing. I watched as his pine-green eyes turned arctic as he slowly came to realize who was standing before him.
In that couple of seconds, my mind went blank, and then all I could think about was how fast I could run away from the party without being caught. Perhaps I could make it to the door in five seconds tops. Not in these shoes I wouldn’t.
Damn it.
Damn him.
It had been a week since I had seen Cassio and to my greatest displeasure, he looked even better now than he did before. “Frankie?” Marie nudged me, and I realized I had been rudely staring at Cassio. “Why are you glaring at my guest?” Glaring? Marie whispered pulling me closer towards the group. “Guys this is?—”
“Francesca Manci,” the second man supplied, and that’s when I realized it was Vitelli Moretti, Cassio’s younger brother.
“What?” Marie was taken aback. “How do you know her?”
Vitelli came forward and as though not even a single year had gone by, he brought me in for a hug, his strong arms wrapping around me. The action was awkward—on my part—I had no idea what to do, so I patted him lightly on the back until he let go.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” he chuckled lightly.
“Frankie?” Marie arched her brows in a silent question.
“What kind of name is Frankie?” Cassio finally offered, his tone bland and detached.
“Mine,” I snapped and offered Marie my attention. “We grew up together, sort of.”
“She and my sister were best friends,” Vitelli supplied, and I couldn’t help but feel a sudden rush of pain in my heart. We hadn’t been close; we had been skin and bone. Sisters.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Cassio’s nose flared at the mention of his sister, but he said nothing of the matter.
“I didn’t know that.” Marie said, looking at me. “Well, Frankie, since you already know each other, I don’t need to present you to the guy,”Marie said speaking closer to me so neither of them would hear.
My insides twisted at that moment. I had completely forgotten what tonight was all about. Me meeting Marie’s new boyfriend or whatever they were right now. I stood there perplexed and slightly horrified as she moved toward one of them.
A voice that had been silenced for an eternity came back to life and screamed in my head as I watched my friend reach out, hand outstretched toward one of the Moretti’s. Was the man she had been gushing about for an entire week, Cassio? Was he the one that had put those heart-shaped signs in my friend’s eyes?
It couldn’t be.
Certainly, it wasn’t Cassio. I mean… Cassio? It didn’t make sense. The man who had rescued me from prison and had broken my heart wasn’t capable of love. But that was a lie, wasn’t it?
I had loved him once. Desperately. Cassio had been the air I breathed, pure and fresh and reviving. And I thought he had loved me too.
The scene before me seemed to take an eternity to unfold and I watched. Eventually, Vitelli reached out and took her hand, interlocked his fingers with Marie’s, and brought her closer into his arms.
I sighed. Unfortunately, it was loud enough that it was probably heard by everyone at the party. Annoyed and greatly angered with myself, I plastered a fake smile on my face and pretended I hadn’t freaked out a moment ago.
Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Everything is fine.
I sang the mantra in my head, maybe if I said it enough times, I was going to be fine, and survive this party. Then Cassio looked at me with cold eyes. His gaze traveled up my golden heels, all the way to my dark blue dress that was a bit too short for my liking.
Paolo had been the one to buy me this dress and he liked them as short as possible. The dress made me uncomfortable, but I still hadn’t gone shopping, so I didn’t have much choice in the wardrobe department.
His gaze then roamed upward landing on my chest and my exposed collarbones. Slowly it trailed upwards to eventually meet my eyes. There was something in them aside from the iciness. When his thumb ran under his lower lip, I knew what it was… annoyance.
He was annoyed at me, and we hadn’t even exchanged two words. I shot him a sweet smile, pretending I hadn’t noticed the gloom and doom emanating from him. He was not going to ruin this party for me. I was already nervous as it was, Cassio had no business in making things worse than they already were.
“Did you lose something?” I asked when he wouldn’t take his eyes off me. He didn’t answer. “If you’re going to keep staring, you might as well take a picture, it lasts longer.” With that, I excused myself and left, my heart beating against my throat and hands shaking.
How could one man elicit such emotions from me without even opening his mouth? Damn him for existing.