Sempre (Forever) (28 page)

“Don’t bite me, or I’ll knock your teeth out,” he said, his voice gritty. Grabbing her head, he tried to force her to her knees as his other hand snaked into his pants. Haven realized she was out of time and didn’t even think about what she was doing as she snatched his gun from his waistband. Using every ounce of strength she could muster, she swung and smacked him across the face with the butt of the gun. Nunzio stumbled, letting go of her, and it was all she needed to slip away from him.

Throwing the gun across the room, she sprinted for the door. Nunzio recovered and started after her, holding his pants up and yelling. Her hand grasped the knob as she unlocked the door, but he grabbed her before she could open it. She screamed Dominic’s name as he turned them around, pushing her roughly back toward the bed.

She fell and tried to scurry away as he stalked toward her. There was a bang then as the door was forced open. Out of nowhere, a red high heel appeared between Nunzio’s legs from behind. The strike was so loud Haven could’ve sworn she heard it, and Nunzio collapsed to the ground, grasping himself.

Getting to her feet, Haven was stunned to see Tess scowling at Nunzio. “No means no, asshole!”

Dominic ran up, dripping water from his shower. “Are you okay? I’m sorry! Tess showed up, so it took me longer than I thought to get back to you.”

“It’s fine.” Haven wiped her tears. “I’m fine.”

“He didn’t hurt you, right?”

She shook her head as Nunzio sat up. “Me, hurt her? That bitch attacked me!”

Dominic’s face twisted with rage. “Haven, leave. Tess, you might want to go with her.”

Haven took a few steps away as Tess picked up Nunzio’s gun from the floor. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Haven ran out and hesitated in the library before darting for Carmine’s room. Locking herself in there, she sat on the edge of the bed and covered her ears to drown out the sound of yelling.

*  *  *  *

Carmine slid out of his seat and strolled up to the teacher’s desk, holding his test. Mrs. Anderson looked at him with surprise because he’d finished so fast, but she took the paper from him.

As soon as he sat back down, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Stealthily, he pulled it out and saw a message from his brother.

There was an incident, but it’s all okay
.

He stared at it for a moment, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He got back up and went to the teacher’s desk again. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

She shook her head. “You know the rules. No one leaves the room until every test has been collected.”

“Please?” He knew it would take the whole hour for Lisa to finish. “I really have to go.”

“No,” she said again. Irritated, he took a step back from her desk and debated before heading for the door. “Carmine!”

He ignored her, slipping into the hallway and heading to the bathroom as he dialed Dominic’s number. It rang twice before he picked up. “Shouldn’t you be in class, bro?”

Carmine paced the bathroom floor. “What sorta incident?”

Dominic hesitated. “It was just an incident, you know…”

“What's going on?” he asked. “Tell me.”

“Don’t worry about it right now. I should’ve waited to tell you.”

“Come on, Dom. What happened?”

He hadn’t been in there for more than a minute, trying to get a straight answer from his brother, when Principal Rutledge walked in. “DeMarco, I’d appreciate an explanation.”

Dominic said he had to go at the sound of the principal’s voice, and Carmine cursed as the line went dead. “And I’d love to give you one, Principal Rutledge. There’s nothing I’d rather do than stand here and try to explain shit to you, but I have to get home.”

He slipped his phone into his pocket and started out of the bathroom. Principal Rutledge gaped at his display of blatant disrespect but said nothing as Carmine stormed past.

Sprinting down the hallway, he was out the door in a matter of seconds with no regard for his books still sitting in the classroom. He sped home as fast as possible, skidding to a stop behind his father’s Mercedes. He flung the front door open and heard yelling from the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, he saw Nunzio was leaning against the counter and glaring at Vincent, who was sewing a cut on his face.

Dominic walked up behind Carmine, eyeing him warily. “I should’ve watched her better. Nunzio cornered her.”

Carmine fought to keep his composure, not wanting to make the situation worse. “Where is she?”

“Up in your room,” Dominic said. “She said she was okay.”

Sighing, Carmine glanced back at his father in the kitchen. Nunzio was snickering and pulled away from Vincent after a moment. “That bitch was begging for it.”

Carmine’s control slipped when those words hit him. “What did you just say?”

Nunzio glanced at him. “I said she wanted me.”

Carmine leapt right for him, and Vincent blocked the path when Nunzio tried to move out of the way. Swinging, Carmine’s fist barely connected with the man’s nose when Salvatore intervened and pulled him away.

“You’re sick!” Carmine yelled as Vincent shoved Nunzio into the counter to continue sewing him back up. Salvatore pulled Carmine into the foyer, not letting go of him until they were near the stairs. “This isn’t right.”

Salvatore shook his head. “I know it’s not,
Principe
, but didn’t we have a conversation yesterday about how personal feelings have no place in business? He'll face the consequences for disrespecting your father, but this isn’t a major violation.”

Carmine stared at him hard. “So she’s worth nothing to you people? Is that what you’re telling me? Oh, who gives a fuck if he hurts a girl? She’s no one special, because she wasn’t lucky enough to be born into a powerful family!”

Salvatore’s expression twisted with anger, the sight of it silencing Carmine instantly. “That girl means more than you understand, but things are black and white to
la famiglia.
You need to learn how to distinguish between what’s personal and what’s business. You need to learn to follow the code of conduct here...” He smacked him in the back of the head. “...and quit following
this
so much.” He punched Carmine in the chest, over his heart. “The moment you cursed at me yesterday, I knew she'd gotten to you here...” Another punch in the chest. “...and you’re going to cause problems if you don’t start using
this
.”

A final smack to the head sent Carmine over the edge. “Quit hitting me! And what do you mean the girl means more than I understand?”

Salvatore shook his head, refusing to elaborate. “You know I think of you as a son, Carmine. I’ve always treated you like you were my own, and I want what's best for you. I want you to succeed, to have a good life, the life you’re supposed to have. I’m not telling you not to let the girl in here...” He tapped him lightly on the chest. “...but I am telling you not to let those feelings override everything else. It’s okay to let your heart lead when you’re alone with her, but in the presence of others, you need to let this take the lead...” He tapped his forehead with his pointer finger. “Do you understand what I’m saying? You need balance.”

Carmine ran his hands down his face, frustrated. “I get it.”

Salvatore smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “You’re enamored. These things happen, but it’s a fragile situation that shouldn't be flaunted. Trust me when I say it’s not the time to ignore reason. It'll benefit you in the long run.”

“I just… I didn’t realize how obvious I was being.”

“Side effect of love,” Salvatore said. “It’s a complicated situation.”

Carmine felt relieved that Salvatore seemed so understanding. “It’s hard not doing anything.”

“Would it surprise you to know your father still has that problem? I’ve spent years trying to get him to recognize boundaries, but he still finds himself blurring lines.” There was a loud bang in the kitchen then as Vincent yelled, and Salvatore sighed. “Now likely being one of those times.”

*  *  *  *

Haven stared at the clock in silence, counting the minutes as they flew by. Three. Five. Eight. Twelve. Sixteen. Twenty-two.

After nearly thirty minutes passed, there were frantic footsteps in the library. Someone tried to turn the locked doorknob, but there was no way Haven was getting up to open it. Keys jingled as the door was pushed open, and Carmine rushed into the room.

He sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms. Tears streamed from her eyes when he apologized for not being there to protect her. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t get the words to come out.

She wasn’t sure how long he held her before Dr. DeMarco’s voice rang out from the doorway. “Is she okay?”

Haven glanced over at him, her vision blurry, but she could make out his stern expression. He looked irate, and she hoped that anger wasn’t at her.

“She will be,” Carmine said. “Is Nunzio gone?”

“Yes, Salvatore’s driving him to the airport.”

“The airport,” Carmine repeated as he continued to rock her. “He got off way too easily. I would’ve killed him.”

All was quiet for a bit, and Haven closed her eyes. She began to wonder if they were alone again when Dr. DeMarco’s voice rang out once more. “I would’ve killed him, too.”

*  *  *  *

Carmine lay beside Haven in bed, just staring at her. She hadn’t said a word after her cries quieted, her face blotchy from tears.

He brushed the hair from her face. “Do you wanna try to nap?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I think so.”

“Do you want me to leave?” She shook her head vehemently. “Okay, I’ll stay then. We’ll stay here as long as you want. We can fucking lay here for a week if that’s what tickles your fancy.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m really sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being so weak.”

“You aren’t weak,” he said. “You have every right to be shaken up, but you fought him off. You must have secret Ninja skills, after all.”

She cracked a small smile, but it faded quickly. “I grabbed his gun. I couldn’t find anything else, so I hit him with it.”

She’d pistol-whipped him? “That was brave.”

“I knew you would’ve told me to fight, so I did.”

His chest swelled with pride at her words. “Good, because no one touches my girl unless she wants to be touched. No woman should ever be violated. That’s something my mom made sure we understood. She said a woman’s body was a temple, and you should never enter it without an invitation. I was just a kid and didn’t understand at the time, but she stressed it so much that I remember.”

He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. It was difficult to talk about, but he wanted to share this with her. “I don’t know the details, but my mom was raped when she was young. She spent most of her free time volunteering as an advocate and helping victims after that. My father still donates money every year to the center in Chicago where she worked.”

Haven scooted closer to him. “Wow.”

“That’s the reason I don’t want you to feel like you have to let me touch you. Your body is your temple, and I won’t come in it unless you want me to.” The moment the words left his lips he laughed to himself. “That sounds all wrong. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Haven lifted her head up to look at him. ”What was wrong with what you said?”

Of course she wouldn’t get the perverted connotation. “I don’t think now is the time to explain that.”

She shrugged and lay her head back down.

The room was quiet, the only sound being the whistling from the air blowing from the vent in the ceiling. Haven took one of Carmine’s hands and linked their fingers together, resting them at her chest. After a moment, he felt her breath as her lips brushed across his knuckles.

He smiled at the feel of it. “What are you thinking,
tesoro
?”

“I was just wondering if, uh… it’s stupid.”

His curiosity grew. “Nothing you think is stupid.”

“Well, do you think…?” She paused to take a deep breath. “Do you think you could ever love someone like me?”

She whispered the question, and he froze. Before he could even gather his thoughts and answer, Haven cut in. “I told you it was stupid. You don’t have to answer.”

He could hear the devastation in her voice as she took his hesitance as rejection. She got the nerve to bring up a subject even he wasn’t brave enough to broach, and he clammed up. “Haven, I could never love someone like you, because there isn’t anyone like you,” he said. “You’re one of a kind.”

*  *  *  *

The haunting melody filtered into Carmine’s subconscious, taunting him. He could see his mom as she stood under the flickering street light of the vacant alley. Her words filtered past the song, her voice soft and sweet. “My
sole
,” she said.
Her sun
. She called him
sole
because she said he shined so brightly.

She was laughing, the sound almost drowning out the tortuous notes. It was such a beautiful night that she wanted to walk home, and Carmine trusted her so he didn’t argue. His mom was infallible. She’d never steer him wrong.

It came out of nowhere. Images flashed before him, so fast and frenzied he could barely keep up. Tires screeching. The pure terror on her face. Voices so cold, their words brutal. “Run, Carmine!” she yelled. “Run and don’t stop!”

Her screams were loud in the night, but there was no one around to hear her. Carmine stayed frozen, because he couldn’t leave without her. He didn’t want to go alone. He was her
sole
, her sun... he couldn't bear to leave her in the dark.

“If you love me, Carmine Marcel, you’ll run,” she said as the tears spilled from her eyes. He hesitated, terrified, but at the last second he fled.

“Shut her up!” a man yelled. “Do it quick!”

The petrifying, bone-chilling scream rang through the alley. Carmine’s steps waned, and he turned back around. They were hurting his mom. She needed him.

The men were shrouded in black, but in the flicker of the street light, he saw the flash of a face. It was a blur, a mosaic of scar tissue and hate as the loud bang of the gunshot ricocheted in his mind.