For Fallon (22 page)

Luca

Fallon has fallen back asleep after our talk. I’m skeptical
about how to interpret her simple acceptance of the situation. Last night, she was all over the place, I was bracing myself for one hell of a battle with her. There’s an elusive undertone in her behavior that I can’t discern.

I shower and dress in record time. In the walk-in closet, I remove the fake back of the top compartment next to where my suits are hanging and take my Smith & Wesson out.

I despise myself for bringing her into a world filled with insecurities and lies, but I would do it all over again if given a second chance. There wasn’t a moment I considered walking away. I realize now that I never stood a chance of resisting her. Her beauty attracted me. Her innocence countered my ruthlessness. Her body challenged my passion. Her humor addicted me. Her disarming touch fed my love for her. I had forgotten what it was like to live in a world where the Syndicate doesn’t exist. And even though I can and will never leave the Syndicate, maybe she can accept it.

In the kitchen, I get yogurt and fruit for Fallon to eat. Adriano’s searching the fridge for food.

“Did you talk to Camilla?” I ask him.

He comes around the table and grabs a green apple from the bowl of fruit in the middle. “She was a little upset.”

“What did Fallon tell her?”

“I don’t know. Camilla was too secretive. She acted distant and just said that Fallon didn’t say anything. By the way, she knew of Fallon. Well, not by name but Camilla knew you had a woman.” Adriano’s inquisitive eyes rest on me.

“Camilla helped me pick out a gift for her a couple of weeks ago.”

“Camilla wants to see and talk to her, make sure Fallon’s fine. I obliged her, told her it would be okay.” Adriano grins ruefully. “I can’t deny Camilla anything. You have to help me out here.”

“I don’t know if it’s smart to have them talk. Fallon’s erratic right now. First she was fearful, then apathetic, then angry. I was expecting the range of emotions, but this morning she was accepting of the situation. It was peculiar - I told her all of it: Danny, the trade, how we met. To reclaim some trust, I gave her free passage through the house. Now she’s sleeping, thankfully. I’m not keen on letting her out of the room in her current state.”

“She’s confused and scared
about accepting her current situation.”

I nod absentmindedly. “James and I are going to discuss a course of action on
Leggia and Danny. I’ll fill you in later.” I shift back to Adriano in the doorway. “Check on Fallon. I’m leaving the key inside the room. I don’t think she’ll venture out, but if she does, follow her every move. And have Camilla buy her some books, romance novels.”

“Done,” Adriano replies as he takes a bite of his apple.

Fallon’s still sound asleep when I enter the room, so I leave the food on the nightstand before I go downstairs to meet James in his office.

Sitting opposite him, I immediately want to know what we’re planning. “Do you have a plan yet?”

He’s silent before he carefully touches the issue. “Luca, I think we need to trade—”

“No!
Trade is not an option for me, James.” My tone layers with indignation.

He holds his palm up.
“
Calmati
.
Ascoltami.”
Be calm. Listen to me. “The only way to get Leggia to agree to another meet is if we trade Fallon for Danny. We need a meet to take him out. He wasn’t expecting me to think about his offer. I only did that for you, Luca. But, son, we have no choice here. He has upped his security since yesterday. Prolonging the inevitable will cause us more trouble. Danny has too much insider information that he can and will share with Leggia in exchange for the right amount of money. Leggia’s taking huge risks with this offer. He’s fighting with all his power against the fixed hierarchy, and the New York Syndicate and I want him out. He’s too big of a risk.”

This will be it. She’ll never forgive me. She’ll never let us have a life together again beyond these walls. She’s going to throw a fit when I just regained an ounce of trust back. “
She
will be at risk; I don’t like that.” I rise before his desk. “I don’t know if I can do this, James. And
you
can’t do it without Adriano or me. We are your best men. Kill him without having the trade take place.”

James remains seated and says in a level voice, “How? He’s in public constantly, with security now. He knows I will not target him in public. “She’ll be safe.”

I don’t know how she’ll be safe, and that pisses me off. I loosen my tie while grating my teeth. “What’s the plan?”

Fallon

I open my eyes after Luca has stepped out again. Feeling deflated and empty, I stare at the unappetizing apple on the nightstand. Even though I’m starving, I’m unable to eat. Every bit of information is flying through me in fast forward. I lie there, unmoving, for hours and hours with nothing but a blur of memories flashing across my eyes.

We live with the choices we make. And all those – sometimes seemingly insignificant – choices affect everyone and everything around us. We love and hurt each other. However, there’s always that one person where even the magnitude of the hurt doesn’t lessen the intensity of the love. I’m afraid Luca is that person for me. I chose to believe him, and he chose to lie to me. I’m in love with something that never was.

As I’m standing under the hot stream of water under the showerhead, my head is starting to clear. I need to stay focused, and - like yesterday - I remind myself of that throughout my shower. Stay focused and get out of this mess. So far, Luca has tried to comfort me into a false sense of security before telling me some guy wants to trade me. He hasn’t hurt me physically, but I can’t afford to trust him again.

Dressed in a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt that was left on the comforter, I sit on the edge of the bed gazing at the door with sweaty hands. I could walk around, find Camilla. But I’m anxious about running into someone. What do I say? Who says I’ll be safe? Maybe this is a test Luca set up? 

Unexpectedly, the door opens and Camilla has returned. Exhaling a long breath of relief that it’s not Luca, I give her a small smile.

Camilla closes the door quietly behind her and joins me on the bed after she sets a book on the dresser. “Hi,” she starts hesitantly. “I’m sorry for bolting out of here. I-I didn’t know what to do.”

But she must be inclined to help, or else she wouldn’t be here having this conversation with me. Unlike yesterday, I don’t bombard her by desperately begging for help. I’m approaching her calmly today. “I understand.” I point to the book and tilt my head to the side to read the title of the spine:
The Summer Garden
by Paullina Simons. The book I’m currently reading - Luca knew that. Does he think this will make me feel better?

“Luca asked if I could bring some romance novels, then ordered me to get that one,” she explains with a bemused expression. I don’t even understand what’s going on in Luca’s head, so Camilla must be even more mystified
about what’s happening now. “Did he hurt you last night, Fallon?”

I could lie and say ‘yes’ in hopes of convincing her to help me, but the earnest look she’s sending me prevents me from lying. “No. Not physically.”

“Did he tell you anything? How long until it’s safe for you to go?”

“He told me. And it’s even more complicated than I initially thought. Camilla, I don’t know when it will be safe for me. Apparently I’m some kind of bargaining tool for a trade to another Mafia boss.” I reveal what he told me, omitting some details.

Camilla’s stunned into silence.

“I don’t know what exactly your role is in this house, but I have a feeling you’re caught up in this just as unwillingly as I am. Maybe not as deep into this mess as me, but you can’t possibly condone all of this?” The woman with kind eyes facing me is my only hope.

Camilla stands up and starts to pace. “Of course I don’t condone this.” She tucks her hair behind her ears decisively. “I’ve heard the term ‘Syndicate,’ but I didn’t realize that’s what they call themselves. Shit! I don’t condone this,” she emphasizes with urgency while catching my eyes. “I can’t pretend nothing is wrong like Luca and Adriano do. As long as they kept me out of their business, I was fine. However, since they dragged me into this and nobody is apparently telling the truth, I feel obligated to help you. Yesterday was just…” She blows out a tormented puff of air while inching toward the window. “Overwhelming for me. I haven’t slept because I was worried for you. Adriano’s refusal to explain and the way he was drilling me last night was weird. I don’t know how or if I can help you.”

I immediately move to the window to join her. “You must be scared too?”

“I am.” She avoids my gaze. “I guess I underestimated the ruthlessness of Adriano and Luca. Of course I realized they were into drugs, but I never heard or saw anything hinting that they’re part of some powerful Mafia. I thought I knew Adriano.”

I can relate to how she feels. There’s a past between her and Adriano. “What is it between you and him?”

She snorts to conceal her hurting heart. “Nothing. Well, nothing for him.”

I’m wondering how a beautiful woman like Camilla ended up here. “Camilla, why are you here in this
house? How did you meet Adriano and Luca?”

“James and Luca offered me this job after I was fired from a restaurant because of them. I started last year. I overheard drug business only twice; usually these men are tight-lipped.”

“How old are you?” I interrupt.

“Twenty-three.
You?”

“Twenty-six.”

Camilla faces me. “Look, I want to help you, but I have no family. My life has actually been better since I started working for Luca and Adriano. I’m hesitant because as much as I want to help you, I’m left wondering what will happen to me out there.” She nudges her chin to the world outside the window. “Apparently, they’re very powerful from what you’ve told me.”

“I think they’re very dominant in the underworld. Camilla, I promise you if you help me, you will not be alone.” And I mean that. “I have to find a way to escape.”

Camilla doesn’t nod or consent, but a ray of hope is starting to shine through the dark. Silence follows as we’re probably mirroring the same thought:
how did we end up here?

“How was
The Phantom
?” Camilla suddenly asks.

“What?”

“
The Phantom of the Opera.
How was it?”

I went to The Phantom matinee with Luca for my birthday weekend in New York. “How do you know that? You seem to know a lot - you knew I was his girlfriend. He told me nobody in the Syndicate knew of us.”

“Nobody did - only Adriano and me. I helped him pick out your gift.”

“I see.” She has a friendly bond with Luca then. Maybe she can fill in some gaps for me. “Do you know Gina?”

As if she tasted something vile, the corners of her mouth tilt down. “Yes, but how do
you
know her?”

“Who’
s she?”

“One of the strippers here.”

“There’s a strip club here?” The strip club Gina works for is a club in this house? “You mean the bar you tend?”

“Yes,” she confirms.

“Does she still work there? Did Luca sleep with her?” My curiosity wins.

“No, she left out of t
he blue a couple of weeks ago. And yes, he slept with her. Only once though, as far as I know. She was always all over him. Luca isn’t often in that room - not to be entertained by any of the women at least.”

I snort and stop
my line of questioning because I don’t want to know any more. “And Adriano?” Feeling drawn to her like a kindred spirit going through the same waves, I ask about Adriano.

“Adriano is a man whore,” she mumbles.

Luca

I jolt awake after my first deep sleep since Friday.

Fallon.

As I roll
my head to the side, she comes into my vision, sleeping on her stomach.

What day is it?
Monday.

The trade will take place Wednesday night. I sweep the back of my hand over Fallon’s spine. Mostly she sleeps. Camilla brought her a book yesterday, and she started reading it last night. She doesn’t talk much, but at least she ate.

I rub my hand over my face and check the time on my watch. It’s already ten. Leaping out of bed, I shower and dress in a hurry. Fallon’s still in the same position snoring softly when I leave the room.

On the second floor, I stroll into my office and retrieve her tiny purse from Friday from my desk drawer. Sitting behind my desk chair, I take out her phone to message her work that she’s sick. A message I would’ve sent earlier this morning had I not overslept. The display tells me that she has received three messages: two from Teagan with nonsense about her dates over the weekend and one from Jason sent this morning around nine.

Babe, you okay? Alex told us you’re sick at home. I’ll call later. Feel better soon.

My eyebrows crinkle together in perplexity as I lean back in my chair and re-read the text. There is one missed call from Alex before nine. There hasn’t been any contact, but Alex says she’s sick when she doesn’t show up at work. She could be late. He doesn’t know what the reason for her absence is. This is odd. Something is off and
I’m not liking the possibility of what this could mean.

With my phone, I call Adriano to meet me in my office immediately. I check the e-mails on Fallon’s phone. Nothing out of the o
rdinary stands out. Mostly work-related communication, some mails from Teagan and her father.

Adriano opens my door and before he can greet me
, I fill him in. “I was going to call Fallon in sick at work, and I discover that Alex told her co-worker she wasn’t at the office because she felt sick.”

“That’s weird. Let me see the message.”

I hand Fallon’s phone over to Adriano, and he wears the same perplexed reaction that I experienced a minute ago. “I need to talk to Fallon.”

“I think you do.” He throws the phone back to me, and the sympathy reflected in his eyes confirms to me that he suspects Fallon might have been playing us for a fool. 

I race upstairs, feeling in every bone of my body that she hasn’t been truthful with me. A few times I’ve noticed a sudden change and distance from Fallon over the last couple of weeks, but I thought it was the result of my demanding work schedule. I’ve been preoccupied with keeping track of Leggia for weeks. It has put a strain on our relationship, pulling me away from her because I didn’t want to lie to her anymore, so avoidance has been my tactic. Only I suck at avoidance when it comes to her. When she called, I wanted to immediately see her. When I would see her, I wanted to immediately bury myself in her. When she would come, and I witnessed her writhing in ecstasy underneath me, I didn’t want to leave the comfort and pleasure her presence and body offered me so willingly. When I’m with her, she sucks me into her calm, simple, and happy life.

Only now, I’m dreading that Friday and whatever follows in the next couple of minutes have put a definite end to how we were. I’ve uprooted her calm and simple life, and before I’ve even exchanged one word about Jason’s message, I sense this will tear us further apart. When it comes to her, I have no control.

Silently, I unlock the door and find Fallon standing by the window, facing the sky.

Dolcezza
, cosa sta succedendo nella tua testa? What’s going on in your head?

Fallon swings around when I bang the door shut.

I hold her phone up in my hand and dissect her every move.

She approaches
and expects me to hand it over. Fallon has always been most beautiful in the mornings. Her long, dark hair flowing over one shoulder and sultry bedroom eyes combined with her wearing my t-shirt have me distracted for a moment about why I came up here.

I extend my hand, holding it up out of her reach. Succeeding at keeping any angry emotions at bay until I’ve listened to her, I’m silently begging for my instinct to be wrong this once. This time I must not have missed something crucial because of my love for her. “Your colleague messaged you. Seems that dear Alex has come to the conclusion you’re sick before you
or
I ever texted him. You could’ve been late. Why did Alex tell your co-worker you’re sick?”

Her eyes widen slightly and her bottom lip twitches just a fraction of a second, betraying her panic. “I- I don’t know.” She shrugs in a forced blasé manner that isn’t convincing.

I round her slowly. She must turn unless she wants to talk to the door.  When I pocket the phone, I take a swift step forward and back her against the door, without any of our body parts touching, and lock my icy eyes with hers.  “We said full disclosure,” I remind her. Trembling to refrain from touching her bare, smooth skin, my accusing glare starts to show. Her sweet smell floats around me but I ignore any distractions. I need answers at this exact moment, and she’s the one who has them. I’m sure of it. Pushing the fact that she’s the one woman I love to the back of my mind with much difficulty, I wait for her lips to move in the flooding silence of the room. Not a peep out of her. She’s withholding something from me. I place my left palm next to her head. “You have one chance to tell me everything.” My right arm shoots out to cage her in.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says quietly and avoids eye contact while her rigid body seems to be battling anger and annoyance and fear.

I’m pushing her buttons, hoping she will lash out with the truth. “One. Chance.”  I already see her anger bubbling to the forefront. “I can find out any—”

“You don’t think I know that?” she cuts me off as our eyes finally connect, ready to battle. Her voice hardens as her temper flares. “You’ve said that already. That you can find out anything. Your Mafia is everywhere. You don’t think I know that!”

What the hell is she talking about?

She stands firmly. “I knew.” She releases a bitter laugh, tinged with rancor. “I knew you were part of the Mafia.”

I stammer back because of her hostility and declaration.

She knew? She fucking knew?