Reckless & Ruined (23 page)

“I need you to hold onto something for me,” Adriano said quietly.

Alessa’s brow furrowed. “What?”

Not once had he forgotten about the letter, but Adriano didn’t want to have it on him. He had a lot of work to do and there was less of a chance someone might notice it if he put it in safe keeping until he had time to handle it.

Ridiculous, maybe, but Adriano wasn’t taking the risk of his father finding it.

“This,” Adriano said, pulling out the letter. He tucked the folded envelope into the pocket of her jumper. “Keep it safe for me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Alessa said.

With his fingers to his lips, Adriano slid against the side of the wall. When the door was opened, it would keep him hidden from view and block him from the mirror.

“Love you,” he said with a wink.

Alessa gave him a fleeting smile, mouthed the words back, and flung open the door. She didn’t waste time leaving it open. Instead, she walked out to meet Dean, flicked off the light and closed the door as she stepped out.

Adriano could still hear their muffled conversation out in the hall, but it grew distant.

“That was fifteen minutes,” Dean grumbled.

“I—”

“Never mind, I can’t stand a crying female.”

Adriano chuckled when Alessa muttered, “You’re a dick.”

“Yes, but I’m going to be your fiancé soon,” Dean replied.

Alessa laughed sharply. “Only in words and only to you and Joel. I’m not yours and I’ll never be, Dean.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Don’t forget what I told you about what will happen if you
see
anything on me, asshole.”

That was his girl.

Alessa didn’t always realize it, but she was tough as fuck.

“They’re letting me out today,” Evelina said, smiling at her brother.

Evelina’s happiness was infectious. Adriano couldn’t help but smile back.

“I heard. That’s why I’m here. Waiting for the okay to steal you away.”

Adriano wasn’t used to seeing his sister sad and in a hospital bed.

It fucking sucked.

“You don’t have to be here. Dad will send someone to get me. I know you’ve got work … or whatever.”

Adriano rolled his eyes. “The Outfit. I have the Outfit, a bruised up sister, and a father that won’t get off my ass.”

“How did the Will thing go yesterday?” Evelina asked. “Dad didn’t say much about it when he visited last night.”

Adriano shrugged, flipping his cell phone over and over in his hands. He’d finally gotten the damn thing back that morning before running over to get Evelina from the hospital. “It went okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Went without issue,” he informed his sister. “Dad and Joel passed one another by with the usual glares. Dad reminded Joel about a sit-down this coming Friday.”

“And Dean?” Evelina asked.

Adriano snorted. “He’s still alive.”

Evelina grabbed her brother’s hand, stopping his fidgeting. “For now, Adriano.”

“Hey,” Adriano said, arching a brow at Evelina. “Don’t worry about the Outfit’s affairs, huh?”

“Why, because I’m a girl and I don’t matter unless someone wants to marry me off?”

Adriano turned his sister’s hand over in his and squeezed. “No, because you ended up in a hospital bed, and you’ve got far more important things to worry about.”

Evelina smiled that smile of hers again. “Oh, like what?”

“Maybe moving into the spare room in my apartment.”

“Dad—”

“Agrees that you need some time to relax. Trying to stay out of his way, the Outfit, and now you had to drop your summer classes … it’s a lot, Eve.”

Evelina sighed. “I wouldn’t mind staying at your place for a while.”

“Great.”

Adriano could keep an eye on his sister and make sure she was away from their father’s ridiculousness as the pressure on the Outfit increased at the same time.

A knock on the hospital door interrupted the siblings’ conversation. Adriano was stunned to see his father standing in the doorway and a familiar woman behind him.

Lily Rossi offered a small wave to a quiet Evelina. Lily didn’t look like she wanted to be standing anywhere near Riley and really, Adriano didn’t blame the girl. After all, Riley was the one being blamed for Lily’s brother’s death. It had only been three days since the bombing.

Fresh wounds had a way of bleeding easier than others.

“Hey,” Lily said, stepping past Riley into the hospital room.

Evelina chewed on her cheek and shot Adriano a questioning look.

“Eve,” Adriano said, his hand tightening around his sister’s again.

What was up with her?

Evelina glanced between her father and her friend like she didn’t know what to do. Adriano knew right then what the problem was. The last time Evelina had made an attempt to see Lily, Riley had nearly beaten her.

And now, there he was, standing at the door with Lily.

Adriano dropped his sister’s hand and stood to greet their unexpected guests. “Hey.”

“Son.” Riley waved at Lily as he said, “Her husband is hanging around somewhere and I’ve agreed to a short meeting between the two. As a favor to Dino, of course. He asked before his unfortunate death and I’m not one to refuse the wishes of a dead man.”

Lily flinched, anger heating her gaze. It faded fast, but Adriano had still seen it all the same. 

“Thanks,” Lily said, avoiding looking at Riley with all her tiny might.

Adriano gave his sister a quick hug. “I’ll be back. All right?”

Evelina smiled. “Okay.”

“Let’s take a walk, Adriano,” Riley said.

Adriano followed his father out of the room, closing the door behind them.

But not before he heard Lily say, “Your father is an asshole.”

Riley either hadn’t heard or ignored the comment. Adriano chose not to ask. He didn’t entirely disagree with Lily’s statement.

“Damian Rossi is around somewhere,” Riley murmured, surveying the quiet hospital hall.

“So you said.”

“Then you know to be careful of your words.”

Adriano nodded. “Sure.”

“You skipped out of dinner last night.”

“Had work at the docks,” Adriano lied.

Well, half-lied. Adriano needed time to think after the things he learned from Alessa. He used the docks as an excuse to get away from his father for a while.

“You’ve been avoiding me since the bombing at the church,” Riley said.

“I have not.”

“You have. Ask, Adriano.”

Adriano’s confusion climbed higher. “Ask what?”

“If I set the bomb. Everyone else is too frightened to ask. I think they believe they’ll be next.”

“Do you blame them?”

Riley smirked wickedly. “No, but it works out well to my favor. Ask.”

“I don’t have to,” Adriano said.

“Oh?”

“No.”

“Why is that, son?” Riley asked, his hand coming up to clasp Adriano’s shoulder and stop him from going further. “What do you know that I don’t?”

A lot.

Adriano chose to tell what would benefit his father.

“Joel did it,” Adriano said. “He’s also seriously considering making Dean after the upcoming sit-down to help him avoid punishment for what he did.”

Riley’s expression remained passive. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“I wondered because I sure as hell didn’t kill Dino. That little …
bastard
.”

Adriano met his father’s gaze head-on. “Aren’t you going to question me now?”

“On where you got your information?” Riley asked.

“Yes.”

Riley laughed. “Oh, son. I don’t have to. Your heart talks louder than your brain does.”

Adriano didn’t know what to make of that. “It helps you.”

Didn’t it?

“Maybe so, but in the end, I doubt it will help you, Adriano. This is a lesson you’re clearly going to have to learn the hard way, my boy.”

CHAPTER TEN

“M
om wants us over there for supper in a little while.”

Alessa kept digging through the boxes that someone had carelessly tossed into her old bedroom at the Trentini mansion. “Why?”

“Welcome home or something,” Abriella said, sounding entirely bored already.

“Yay.” Alessa didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm coating her tone. “Because we’re so glad to be back.”

Abriella laughed lightly. “Try to make that sound good for Mom and Dad at least.”

Alessa couldn’t promise that. Despite giving his sisters until Friday to move home, Joel had men waiting to pack the apartment up that morning. Their apartment was torn apart, shoved into boxes, and shuffled away until all that was left were white walls and bare floors.

“Damn,” Alessa muttered, pulling out a silk dress from one of the many boxes. “Look at this.”

Abriella glanced over the snagged side of the dress. “What did they do, shove it in there with the fucking hanger on it?”

“Apparently. It’s ruined, like half of the rest of this stuff.” More annoyed than ever, Alessa dropped the dress back into the box. “Dinner, you said?”

“In their wing,” Abriella confirmed. “Without Joel.”

“Thank God.”

“Only because he’s got stuff to do tonight, I guess.”

Whatever. Alessa would take it. A night off from their brother was better than nothing.

Abriella eyed Alessa’s mess. “Are you good in here?”

“As good as I’ll ever be,” Alessa replied.

For now
…

“Okay. I’m going to go do something,” Abriella said. 

“Lock the door on your way out,” Alessa told her sister.

Once her sister was gone, Alessa flung her body back on the bed and sighed loudly. Alessa hadn’t even gotten the time to process one change in her life before another one was coming around to bite her. The privacy and independence she had by living away from the Trentini mansion had been ripped away in a few hours.

Just like that.

Gone.

Alessa felt suffocated already.

Glancing to the side at the pile of boxes lining the wall, Alessa frowned. She had too much to do and no desire to do it. The buzz in her pocket broke her daze. Alessa pulled out her phone and typed in her pin to check the message.

Phone is fixed.

That was all the text read. But the words along with the recognizable number was more than enough to know who the message came from.

Alessa couldn’t help the smile forming as she typed back,
Good to know.

A call rang through just as Alessa hit send on the text. She picked the call up instantly.

“Hey.”

Adriano’s deep timber greeted her in the most familiar way, “Hey.”

“Adriano, you need to go grocery shopping,” Alessa heard in the background of the call.

Evelina.

It was good to know Evelina had finally made it out of the hospital safe and sound. Asking anyone about Evelina’s condition after the bombing only led to side-eyes and disgusted grunts. As if Alessa should know better than to ask.

“Would you quit your bitching, Eve? Christ, you’ve only been here for two hours and already I need new sheets and my dresser is a mess. Now it’s the fucking kitchen. What next? I love you but stop it. I am not your pet project.”

“Until I have something better to do, yes, you are,” Evelina replied sweetly.

Evelina’s happy response made Alessa laugh.

The sound of a door closing echoed through the phone.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Adriano said faintly.

Alessa’s heart dropped. “Calling me?”

“What?
No
!” Adriano chuckled loudly. “God, no, Lissa. I meant having Eve here at my place for a while.”

“When did that happen?”

“Today. I convinced Dad that she would be one less person he would need to worry about. I wanted to give Eve a break in the process.”

“She’s been through a lot the last couple of days,” Alessa said.

They all had, really.

“Yeah, she has,” Adriano agreed. “She knows, by the way.”

“About what?”

“Us.”

Alessa bit her inner cheek. “Oh?”

“Yeah. She’s entirely for this. Me and you. She’s also crazy but whatever. Surprising, I think.”

“Not really. Eve hangs around with Abriella—” Or they used to before the mess with the Outfit started. “—so she’s not entirely innocent to the game, Adriano.”