Chapter 4
Rosie
Wearing comfy sweatpants and a hoodie, I’m curled up on my chair with a heating pad pressed to my abdomen.
I’m doing my best to pretend the epic shit show that was my first sexual experience never happened last night.
Today, my lower belly aches like I’m dealing with the first day of a bad period. The cramps sit heavy and deep, radiating through my pelvis and making my legs numb.
All I want is to curl up in bed with my heating pad and pretend the world doesn’t exist, but I have work to do.
My main monitor zooms in on the underground parking level, and seeing Dad with a shopping bag, the corner of my mouth lifts.
I texted him at the crack of dawn, telling him I needed a lot of comfort food.
Minutes later, when he comes into the control room, I groan, “My hero.”
“PMS?” he asks.
“Yep,” I lie through my teeth.
“I’ll take over for the day so you can rest,” Dad offers.
“It’s not that bad. I can work.”
He presses a kiss to the top of my head before sitting down on one of the other chairs that’s situated along the cresent shape workspace.
I wait for him to set the bag on the desk before I reach over and dig out a chocolate bar. “How’s Mom?”
“Good. She and your grandparents are going out later to check on a couple of the soup kitchens.”
Tyrone and Esmerelda aren’t related to me by blood, but they’re my grandparents in every other way that counts.
I love my parents’ story of how they got together. When Dad met Mom, she was barely making ends meet, and Tyrone was her neighbor who looked out for her.
She was a janitor at Dad’s ballet company and would dance after everyone left. Dad caught her red handed and the rest is history.
Dad financed Mom’s non-profit organization, and since then she’s opened soup kitchens all over the state. Even though my parents are supposed to be retired, they’re still actively involved with all their passion projects. Especially the ballet company that holds a special place in their hearts.
I might have Mom’s olive-toned complexion and light brown hair, but I’m my father’s daughter. We both have two left feet when it comes to dancing and a natural affinity for anything computer-related.
Again, my monitor zooms in on the underground parking area, and when I see Enzo, I mumble around a bite of chocolate, “Wow, I wonder what got him out of bed so early in the morning.” I glance over all the wrappers, dirty plates and cups, and overfull trashcan. “He’s going to complain again.”
“I swear you make a mess just to piss him off,” Dad mutters before helping himself to a tin of Pringles.
I give him a serious look. “Only the one tin. You need to watch your cholesterol.”
“Yeah-yeah.”
I watch as Enzo keys in his code and steps into the first elevator.
I’ve done my best to put my crush on him to bed because there’s nothing more stupid than holding out for something that will never be.
Pressing the button for my intercom system, I say, “Go away. I have my period and don’t have energy for you so early in the morning.”
“Jesus,” Dad whispers, letting out a chuckle. “Tell him how you really feel.”
Enzo ignores me and checks something on his phone on his way to the second elevator.
Just to screw with him, I lock the second elevator so his code won’t work.
When he scowls up at the camera, I lean into the microphone again. “Say the magic words.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, he mutters, “Pretty please with a cherry on top.”
I grin at Dad as I press the button, and when Enzo finally walks into the control room, I ask, “You were here on Monday. Why are you back so soon?”
“Stop complaining. If it weren’t for me, you’d be buried alive beneath candy wrappers and dirty dishes,” he grumbles before smiling at Dad. “Hi, Uncle Dario.”
“Hey, son.”
Just to get a rise out of Enzo, I wait for him to clear the wrappers off my desk before I drop the one from the chocolate I’m currently devouring.
I’m given another dark scowl while he swipes it into a small trash can that’s already full.
Grinning from ear to ear, I reach for the bag again and take out a can of Fanta. Opening it, I swallow a couple of sips.
“All the sugar is going to kill you,” Enzo grumbles.
“Aww, will you miss me when I’m six feet under?”
Not impressed with my comment, he shakes his head at me.
“Liar.” I chuckle while getting up so I can put the heating pad in the microwave.
When I shuffle in the direction of the small kitchen, Enzo’s voice is filled with worry as he asks, “Are you okay?”
“Yep.”
As I disappear down a short hallway, Enzo’s voice is soft, but I can still make out as he asks, “Uncle Dario, can you do a quick search for me?”
“Sure.”
“Check who was in room seven at Paradiso last night. Nine-thirty. I asked them last night, but they couldn’t find anything.”
Shock hits me so hard, I stop dead in my tracks, the heating pad dropping to the floor.
No.
Because we’re already connected to all the businesses in the Cosa Nostra, Dad is able to check in seconds before replying, “No one. It only shows your details.”
“That’s impossible,” Enzo mutters, his tone tense. “There was a woman with a short blond bob and a red dragon tattoo on her back. Check the security cameras.”
Oh. My. God.
Utterly stumped, I listen as Dad says, “There’s nothing from eight until twenty past nine. Why do you want this woman’s info?”
“I’m fucking pissed off. She was a virgin. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Sorry, son. There’s nothing. Not even crumbs of code for me to follow.”
“You don’t think that’s weird?”
“The system probably glitched at Paradiso. It happens.” Dad lets out a sigh. “Wait for Rosie. If there’s any trace of the woman, she’ll be able to find her.”
“No. Don’t mention this to her.”
“Want to talk about it?” Dad asks, sounding concerned.
“It just pisses me off that I was paired with a virgin. The woman should’ve divulged the information.”
I lean against the wall while covering my mouth with my hand.
The man from last night was Enzo?
Shit!
Struggling to process that I had sex with Enzo, I just stare at the floor for a few minutes.
The next instant, the sound of an alarm yanks me out of my shocked daze, and I run back to my desk.
“It’s Riccardo and Gianna’s panic buttons!” Dad shouts.
Taking a seat, I grab my phone and dial Gianna’s number, but it’s engaged. I bring up everything about their location and their devices and see she’s on a call with her father.
“What’s going on?” Enzo asks, his tone strained.
“I don’t know. It could be an accident. Gianna is on a call with your dad.”
“Riccardo isn’t answering his phone,” Enzo informs me.
Seeing our friends are at a club in Tokyo, I use every damn skill I possess as I begin the process of hacking into the security cameras. Knowing it will take time, I check Gianna’s phone, and the instant it shows no call is in progress, I press dial, but there’s no answer.
As Enzo’s phone begins to ring, impatience hits me hard because I can’t hack fast enough into the club’s cameras.
“What happened, Dad?” Enzo asks.
I can hear Uncle Damiano roaring over the line but can’t make out what he says. When Enzo’s face sets into grim lines, my stomach sinks to my feet.
“I’m on my way.” He ends the call and locks eyes with me. “The Yakuza attacked them. Find out everything you can and get the info to me.”
Chills sweep through me like a tsunami. “Okay.”
“I’m going to Tokyo. Get everything ready so we can take off ASAP.”
“On it,” Dad replies, getting to work on one of the other keyboards.
I keep trying Gianna’s number while focusing on breaching the cameras. I also start hacking into the CCTV systems of the surrounding area.
Losing count of how many times I try calling Gianna, I’m worried out of my mind when she finally answers.
“Rosie!” She sobs hysterically, and it feels like someone plunges a knife through my heart.
“I’m here. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Riccardo has been shot. There was a fight. The Yakuza.”
I identify the camera vendor and start looking for a remote management portal so I can slip into the system.
“I’m minutes away from getting into the security feeds so I can see what’s happening. Are you still at the club?”
“Yes. There are emergency personnel. They’re working on Riccardo.”
“He’s going to be fine,” I lie because I have no idea how bad the gunshot wound is. “Stay on the line with me and ask them which hospital they’re taking him to.”
I get as much information from Gianna, and as I forward it to Enzo, he notifies me that Augusto and a team of men are going with him to Tokyo.
“It’s going to take the guys around fourteen to fifteen hours to get to you, so you need to stay strong,” I tell Gianna. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”
“Yes!” Dad hisses when I slip into the club’s security system.
I begin to search through all the feeds until I find Gianna and Riccardo. The footage quality is excellent, and when the paramedics begin to move the stretcher with Riccardo, I say, “The hospital, Gianna. Find out now.”
I do facial recognition on the first responders to make sure they’re not Yakuza who intend to kidnap my friend, and listen as she gets the information from them.
When I finally have the name of the hospital, I begin the process of hacking into the systems because it will take longer than getting into a club.
“I’m going to switch to a video call with you. I want the ambulance’s information so I can track it.”
“Okay.”
We switch to a video call, and when I see her distraught face, I pause for a moment to say, “I’m here. Okay? You’re not alone. I’ll keep you safe.”
Her features crumble, and she cries too hard to reply.
When the information pops up on my screen, I tell her, “The paramedics are legit. You can go with them.”
Gianna’s breaths are nothing but quivering puffs, and it breaks my heart.
“I have eyes on you. Enzo and Augusto are on their way. I don’t see any immediate threats around you. Just keep moving. Stick to them like glue.” When they’re outside, I order, “Sweep your camera over the ambulance and surrounding area so I can get a visual.”
As soon as I have it, I type in all the information so I can track the vehicle and also check for any people who might be affiliated with the Yakuza.
Gianna’s camera is shaky on Riccardo as she gets into the ambulance, and my heart cracks down the middle when I see he’s been shot in the chest. There’s so much blood, and he’s pale as hell.
“Fuck,” Dad whispers, then he rips his phone out of his pocket and dials a number. While it rings, he points at the screen, still showing the inside of the club where Gianna’s guards lie dead. “I’ll take care of them.”
Sad because we lost good men, I make a mental note to take care of their funerals and payouts to their families. I think Augusto and Enzo are going to be too busy to think of that.
“Franco,” Dad says when Riccardo’s father answers the call. “They’ve just loaded Riccardo into an ambulance. He’s alive.”
While Dad talks to one of his best friends and my godfather, I relay all the information I’ve managed to find to Enzo and Augusto, and when the ambulance makes it to the hospital, I notify everyone and stay with Gianna.
“My phone is dying,” she says, panic rising in her voice.
“Give me a couple of minutes.” I check for the nearest store that’s open twenty-four-seven and order a USB cable that will be compatible with her phone to be delivered to the hospital.
“I’ve placed an order for you. Go wait at the entrance, but stay inside the hospital at all times.
The USB cable should be there in give or take thirty minutes. What percentage is your battery?”
“Fourteen.”
“Okay. We’re switching over to texting only in case of emergencies. Once your phone is charging, I’ll call again.”
“Thanks, Rosie.”
“I love you,” I say before ending the call.
“You’re pale,” Dad mentions. “How’s your pain?”
“Fine.” I continue working, keeping tabs on everything.
Surrounded by screens, I lose myself in the grid until Augusto and Enzo are with Gianna, and only then do I come up for air.
“That’s enough,” Dad mutters. “Eat.”
Noticing Dad fixed me a plate of spaghetti bolognese, I let out an exhausted sigh. “Thanks, Dad.” I see the tired lines on his face and say, “Go home and get some rest.”
“Are you going to eat and sleep?” he asks.
“I promise I will,” I assure him so he won’t worry. “Thanks for all your help.”
He leans down and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Love you, Rosellina.”
My full name translates to little rose, and Dad only uses it when he’s feeling emotional.
I grab his hand and give it a squeeze. “I love you more than all the candy in the world.”
He grins at me before walking to the exit.
Watching him on the cameras, I take a bite of the food.
Now that I have time to think, my thoughts instantly turn to the cold, hard fact that I had sex with Enzo.
The shock hits anew, making my jaw drop.
I HAD SEX WITH ENZO!!!
No way!
I don’t know if I should laugh, scream, or launch myself off the roof of my building.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.
He will lose his shit if he ever finds out I was the girl in the dark who gave him everything before erasing myself like I was never there.
Thank God, I did that!
The next second, regret pours into my chest, and I drop the fork on the plate. I shake my head, upset that instead of going in blind, I should’ve checked who was paired with me.
How am I supposed to look Enzo in the eye now?
My entire body heats when memories from last night flash through my mind. As it once again sinks in that my anonymous partner was Enzo, chaos fills my chest.
For years, I’ve had a crush on him, and just as I try to move on and put it behind me, by some twisted stroke of fate, I end up having sex with Enzo.
Up until now, it was just a painful experience, but knowing Enzo is the man who took my virginity changes things completely.
Part of me is so stunned, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept it fully, and the other part tries to remember how his hands felt on my hips, how his breathing sounded, how he moved in and out of me with powerful thrusts.
I recall things I didn’t give much thought to because now they belong to him.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I let out a groan.
No, Rosie. This changes nothing.
Enzo has been very clear that he only sees you as a friend.
God, it just makes it all so much worse.
He can never know, and I have to make sure my tattoo is always covered. If he ever finds out, it will mean the end of our friendship.
That can never happen. I’m taking this to my grave!