Chapter 22
Clara
Zee shook a single pill into my open palm before twisting the safety cap back on the bottle and turning the combination lock so I couldn’t get more.
His attention didn’t leave me as I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it down with a drink of water.
He continued watching until I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth.
“Tongue out.” I did as he asked. “Lift it up.” I did that too. Satisfied, Zee stepped back and stuck my pill bottle back in the lockbox he kept it secured in, along with all his other narcotics.
“I’m not going to steal anything,” I told him, still hurt that, a week after we filled my prescription, we were still doing this morning show.
There’d be another just like it tonight.
“That’s what you said last night.”
“And yesterday morning. And the night before last. And news flash, it’s what I’m going to say tonight, too.”
“If that’s what makes you happy.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“What would make me happy is if you believed me.”
“I wish I could trust you to tell me the truth.”
My mouth dropped open. “You don’t trust me?”
Zee pursed his lips. “You lied to me about being on the pill. You lied to me about going out with friends when you were really going out to buy drugs.” His cheeks reddened and he tossed a hand my way. “You fucking told me you weren't a virgin, and then you bled all over my dick!”
“I had sex!” I couldn’t stop myself—I stomped my foot. “It’s not my fault he was so small he couldn’t even break my hymen.”
That reddish color deepened as he clenched his fists. “I’m not talking about this with you right now. We need to get to the airport.”
Zee walked to the kitchen counter and picked up his coffee mug, and his lack of attention ate at me more than his lack of trust. I went to him, nudging my way under his arm and holding onto his chest.
“I’m sorry.”
He sighed, then pressed a kiss to my head.
I was so desperate for his affection, I would have gotten on my knees and offered to be his footstool, if that’s all he’d give me.
Zee hadn’t made love to me since that night, regardless of the fact that I’d been sleeping in his bed ever since. All my attempts at initiating something were shot down, as if what we’d had wasn’t the most amazing thing in the world.
I peeked up at him, hoping beyond hope that he’d kiss me the way he hadn’t in a week. When he didn’t, I pushed up onto my toes and pressed a kiss to his throat.
He moaned, and it egged me on. I opened my mouth, licked along his Adam’s apple, and was rewarded with him jerking away and slamming me stomach-first against the kitchen counter.
“Not now, kid.”
Not now.
I was torn between being good and reaching between us to cup the erection I could feel pressed against my ass.
Not now.
But maybe later.
Ignoring my hurt, ignoring the temptation, I reached forward and grabbed the photograph and the chart Zee had put together for me.
“Who are these people again?”
He pressed forward until my back was flush against his chest. “Nadia and her son, Michele.”
“And where are they on the chart?”
Zeno ran his finger across the paper to the convoluted upper corner and the Provenza line before pointing to Nadia’s name.
I sucked in a breath between my teeth, emitting a whistle. “She’s one of that mess, huh?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Her family tree read like old world royalty. Her late husband came from a line of mafia kings who had hands in corruption around the world. Her mother appeared to be the black sheep of the family, but that didn’t stop her from marrying up.
Zee’s finger hovered over a single dotted line, and something about it made my skin itch.
It felt like he was hiding something, and I hated being kept out of secrets.
I wrapped my fingers around his and tugged his hand away.
And though I noticed how he clung to me when I moved, my attention was focused on the chart.
“Woah.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“So, she and Paulo…”
He nodded, his cheek rubbing against mine. “He’s loved her since they were nothing but kids.”
“But they were both married.”
Still holding my hand, Zee pointed to the solid line between Paulo and Summer O’Brien, his ex-wife and the mother of his daughter, Queenie. “Summer showed up pregnant with his child, and Nadia’s uncle”—he moved his hand along the line—“sent her away to Italy.”
“Why?”
Zee shrugged, somehow gathering me in his arms as he did. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “You want my opinion?”
My smile split my face, and I turned in his arms. “Of course, I do.”
He cupped my cheek with his palm, then ran his thumb over the corner of my lips. His eyes stayed locked there while he said, “He didn’t want a member of his family messing things up with the big man on top.”
I tilted my head to the side, not to press my face into his palm, but because the words he said didn’t make sense to me. Not with the rest of that family tree. Not with the secrets Zee had divulged by simply writing down the proper lineage for me to see.
But Zeno didn’t take my head-tilt as curiosity and questions. He leaned forward, actively pressing his lips to mine for the first time since we’d made love.
I would have stayed there, controlled by his kiss forever, if he hadn’t pulled away.
“Come on.” Zee strung his fingers between mine. “Let’s go pick them up and get them settled.”
Zeno’s affection was tempered the moment we arrived at the airport.
Not once did he hold my hand or put a hand on my back to guide me along.
He was attentive, of course. He’d been overly so since that night.
But it was more like how he monitored my moods and watched me take my meds than how he’d made sure I orgasmed before he did.
Even with the meds stabilizing me, I still felt a scratching at the back of my head. I didn’t like it, and I’d learned from years of dealing with it that it wouldn’t be long before it became too much.
I just hoped whatever I ended up doing wouldn’t hurt the tenuous peace that Zeno and I had fallen into.
“Zeno? Is that you?”
Zee turned, bumping my shoulder with his. That brought the grand total of times he touched me at the airport up to… one.
“Nadia?” His face broke into a gorgeous smile bright enough to make the blazing sun outside look dim.
Immediately, he opened his arms, and my stomach dropped when he pulled the beautiful woman into a long embrace.
I wanted that.
I wanted his hug. His touch. His hug. His touch. His—
Stop it! I screamed inside my head. Stop it, stop it, stop it!
My mind swirled and spun, and I drummed my fingers on my collarbone five times.
Then five more.
And five more.
“Clara?” Zee’s hand upon my back startled me right out of my mind and tossed me back into the middle of the airport corridor.
I was surprised not to find myself knocked on my ass.
“You okay, kid?”
My face twitched into a smile, but I shook my head. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Zeno pursed his lips. Then, taking my arm with the caution you’d give someone who’d lost their mind, he tugged me his way.
“This is Nadia Trapani and her son, Michele. And this”—he pulled me closer and almost pushed me their way—“is Clara Vinci.”
Immediately, Michele stepped forward and took my hand. With heavily accented English, he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He lifted my hand while he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to my skin. “Please, call me Mic.”
“Mic.” A giddy feeling took hold of me, and my mind spun. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Nadia shook my hand, smiling wide, before it fractured as she looked at Zee. “Vinci?”
Zee grimaced. “Yes. His son is her father.”
“Whose son is what?” I asked, shifting away from Zee.
He pulled me back to his side, like he suddenly felt the need to keep me close. “Nadia knew your grandfather. He died—”
“Back before I left for Italy,” Nadia said. “He was a good man.”
I stifled the stray giggle I felt bubbling up inside me and gave her a strained smile. I didn’t know anything about my grandfather, but if he was in any way responsible for my father’s behavior toward me, he couldn’t have been that great of a man.
“Shall we get your things?” Zee asked, sliding his fingers down my arm until they tangled with mine. Both Nadia and Mic nodded, and we followed them to baggage claim.
Only when we were out of earshot did Zee lean over and press a kiss near my ear.
“You okay, kid?”
I lifted my gaze and found his deep blue eyes so full of concern. I was concerned too.
“I need something.”
Zee tugged my hand away from my collarbone, where I’d cut my skin with my fingernail. He pulled me into his arms, pressed another kiss to my temple, then whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
He pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and shook out a pill before handing it over to me. This time, he didn’t make sure that I swallowed it.
With how I was feeling, I needed it more than I needed him.
“The bathroom is right in here”—Zee gestured to the open door as he passed—“and the master is at the end of the hall.”
Nadia’s eyes were wide as she turned her gaze around the furnished bedroom.
She and Mic had only brought one suitcase each as they ran away from her late husband’s family to New York.
I got the feeling, despite his rank within the family and the wealth that certainly came with it, the plush opulence of the simple safe house was more than what she’d seen in years.
“This is too much, Zeno,” she all but whispered, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“It’s okay, Mamma.” Mic went to her, draping his arm around her shoulder.
“He’s right, Nadia.” Zee ducked his head and gave a quiet smile that had my heart stuttering in my chest. “Nothing’s too much for my first ever patient.
” Her bottom lip trembled, but Zee went on.
“Besides, either you use it, or it will sit vacant like all our other safe houses until someone else needs it.”
“Are you sure?”
Zee’s eyebrow quirked up and he gave her that look that always made me feel like I was dumb. “Come on, let’s go back to the kitchen and I can show you how things work.”
As Zee and Nadia led the way down the hall, the idea that formed back at the airport became a living, breathing thing inside my head. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and tucking my hand around Mic’s arm.
“Zee tells me you’re planning on going to college here?”
He smiled, crooking his elbow, and covering my hand with his. “I want to study engineering. It’s my dream to get into MIT, but Columbia is my second choice.”
“Really?” I leaned closer to him. “I go to Columbia.”
“You do? What are you studying?”
“I'm going to be a doctor.” Mic’s face pulled into a grimace. “What’s that look for?”
“My family wants me to become a doctor. To follow in my father’s footsteps.”
“And you don’t want to?”
He shook his head, almost violently. “I’m… squeamish. Is that the right word? The sight of blood makes me…” He blinked quickly, and I watched as the color drained from his face.
“Oh! Oh my.” I dragged him over to the sofa, sitting down beside him. “Are you okay?”
“What’s wrong?” Zee asked, concern lacing through his voice.
Mic gave a half-hearted smile. “I’m okay.”
“He’s squeamish.” I took his hands in mine. “He just got a little faint, that’s all.”
Zee stepped closer, stopping in front of the two of us. Mic peeked up at him. “Clara saved me. If she hadn’t been holding on to me, I would have fallen to the floor.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
“Thank you. I’ve never had someone act so quickly on my behalf. Especially not anyone as beautiful as you.”
I couldn’t have stopped the blush rising to my cheeks if I’d wanted to. Mic was perfect. He was handsome. He was kind. He was so na?ve and fell into my plan as if we’d gone over it together one hundred times.
Beside me, Mic radiated innocence, while next to the couch, Zeno’s rage needed its own zip code. The man who’d refused my affection all week was suddenly jealous of the young man my age.
“You’re very sweet,” I murmured, rubbing my hand along Mic’s bicep.
His thick bicep.
Damn. If I hadn’t been madly in love with Zeno my entire life, Mic would have made for a wild ride.
Zee grabbed my wrist, yanking me off the couch and pushing me away. “Let me take a look.” He fussed over Mic while the guy insisted he was fine, the entire time blocking my view.
I turned toward the kitchen, feeling like the monster in my head was satisfied, only to run into Nadia.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you and Zeno, for taking the time to help us out of a… horrible situation.” The look on her face, the absolute goodness I saw there, made my throat tighten and my stomach clench. When she reached for my hands, I let her take them.
“Of course.” I glanced at Zee, whose attention was on Mic. “I’m just happy we could help.”
The lie stung, because really, I had no part in this at all. I was only here because Zee wouldn’t let me out of his sight.
“When my cousin, Mario, told me he’d talked to Zeno, I was sure things would just get worse.”
“What do you mean?”
Nadia blinked rapidly, then squeezed my hands. “Zeno is a Syndicate doctor,” she said with a shrug. “My in-laws expected Mario to secure Michele’s future doing the same. I just imagined…”
Nadia wiped the heel of her palm across her cheek, staring at the men talking on the couch.
“My life has never been mine to live,” she said quietly. “Twice, I was torn away from the life I’d tried to create here in New York. I was forced into one loveless marriage, and I’m sure they were arranging another, now that Damiano is gone.”
“What?” My mouth dropped open as my gaze whipped back to her.
She shrugged again. “Damiano’s younger cousin has been around the house more. There’s been hushed conversations, and I can’t help but believe they were once again planning my life for me.”
“That’s just wrong.”
Nadia smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist in an awkward sideways hug. “It means so much to me that there are people like you in this world. People who will buck family tradition in the name of doing what’s right.”
Do what’s right.
What’s right?
I turned my attention to Zee and found him watching the two of us. And while that scritching, scratching monster in the back of my head roared to life again, this time, it felt like there was a reason for it.
One I couldn’t ignore.
“Tell me about my grandfather,” I said to Nadia, giving her a gentle smile. “What was our world like back then?”