M
A month later.
Italian music pulsed throughout the restaurant as women, men and children gathered both inside and outside of Loretta's newly remodelled restaurant. She practically invited the whole town for a get together and I was ordered to come.
Within a month the remodelling of Loretta's restaurant had taken place and now it was complete. It was gorgeous and the workers did justice to the building as it still screamed Loretta with the addition of modern motifs.
In the past month, I also hadn't seen Damien. Ever since our last conversation at Loretta's, he hasn't shown up and a part of me was curious as to why.
I didn't see him at the AAC either despite the presence of his many soldiers. I was getting used to seeing his closest men more often than usual, spotting the likes of Leo, Ricardo and Sergio from time to time.
And yet Damien was nowhere in sight.
Fixing my mustard dress, I felt the warmth of the sun kiss my skin. It was hot out today which made the mood at the gathering more warm and gleeful.
Loretta had pointed out how I stuck out like a sore thumb against all the tan-skinned Italians and Sicilians. They were sun kissed too, but in her words I was blessed. Doused in rich gold and fluorescents.
The dress I wore complimented my dark brown complexion beautifully. It was Melissa's choice of course, so I wasn't surprised how wonderfully it turned out.
I looked down at the little children who ran around me, giggling away as they took sweet treats from the tray in my hands.
"Thank you!" a small boy grinned, placing a sweet kiss on my cheek before he ran back to his mother.
I smiled warmly.
My sights landed on Loretta who was swinging her hips happily with a few of the other women. Walking by them, I moved inside to meet with the other guests.
I took orders and I served alongside Cori and a few other ladies, oftentimes helping some of the mothers who seemed to have their hands full.
"Thank you Mina!"
"Mina you're a star!"
"Mina, you're so sweet!"
".....Mina."
"Mina..."
"Mina." That voice.
I whirled around to see him.
There he was standing behind me dressed in something I thought I'd never see him in. He was casual, a loose short sleeved white button up adorned his chest with only the top four buttons undone revealing a white vest and gold chains. He wore dark slacks and white sneakers.
My gaze fell to his lean yet muscular arms which were stained with ink, all varying in size and colour. I had never seen them before other than the times they'd peek out through the cuffs of his long sleeves and suits.
"Surprised to see you here." I replied, meeting his dark eyes which were intense as ever.
His hair was lazily combed with only a single strand of hair cascading over his forehead. His skin glowed with the fresh tan from the sun and his freckles stood out more across his chest and face.
I turned around, facing away from him to pour some more drinks. Taking in a breath I regained my cool. He looked even more handsome after not seeing him for so long.
I shouldn't be thinking like this..
But I couldn't help it.
"It's a gathering, why wouldn't I be here?" he frowned, tucking his hands into his deep slack pockets.
"I thought that you had better things to do, you know, like finishing business. That's why you've been gone for so long, right?" I shrugged. I had to be careful with my words. I knew I was treading a dangerous line and yet I was feeling ballsy.
I felt the warmth of his body radiate against my back as he moved closer towards me. His hands rested on my waist, tugging me back gently until I was pressed flush against him.
Lord.
The weight of his hands on my waist felt right and I didn't mind it all.
I should've.
"If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like you missed me." he said lowly and I knew I didn't have to turn to know that he had an amused toothy grin on display.
"As if." I scoffed, trying to save face even as my cheeks grew increasingly warm.
"Whatever you say, tesoro."
Tesoro..
I fought a smile.
"Somebody's quiet now." I felt the absence of his presence before I fully acknowledged it. It made me feel cold.
"I'm not quiet." I paused, taking a moment to conjure up a response as I tried to not let the absence of his touch phase me."I'm just occupied." I finished off pouring the drink I had in hand.
I turned around to face him, only to see he had taken a daring step forward. My chest brushed against his and if I raised my head any higher, my nose would touch the tip of his own. I stared into his eyes, finding myself transfixed as always.
My cheeks continued to burn and my heart pounded within the confines of my chest ready to burst out at any given moment. Willing myself to look away, I blindly handed him the drink before moving around him.
I wouldn't allow myself to get caught up.
Tesoro..
I was stuck on the term of endearment he had called me and I wasn't sure why.
I was used to hearing it all the time from the elderly women who came to Loretta's whenever I served them, or from Loretta herself who called me it, from time to time.
But..
Hearing it from him changed everything.
I barely talked to him for five minutes and already he had me thinking differently. It honestly scared me but at the same time I felt..warm.
It was strange.
"I think we lost her." I heard Cori sigh, drawing me out of my reverie.
"Earth to Mina?!" I looked over to both Cori and Melissa who I was currently sitting beside, the two were eyeing me with knowing looks.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I spoke up.
"He speaks to her for five minutes and she's already in lala land.." Melissa teased with a snicker.
"You guys saw?!" I sat up more in my seat.
"I mean yeah," Cori chimed, taking a sip of her drink before setting it back down. "You guys aren't really hard to miss." She nodded her head over at the drink table Damien and I were previously at and I realised just how centred it was in the restaurant.
"He was very touchy too." Melissa noted. "And you didn't seem all too bothered by it. So much for not getting caught up."
"Oh stop it." I brushed her off. "You guys also saw how I walked away, so clearly I'm not caught up."
But I was..
"Whatever you say, girl. But we can't deny what we saw." Cori snorted at my poor excuse of a defence. "—how he looked after you when you walked away. Yeah, we saw that too."
Tearing my sights away from my two friends, I ended up spotting Damien once again. He stood amongst the other men of the community with the same drink in hand that I'd given him.
He had this aura of seriousness that shrouded him, garnering respect from the other men who were standing around him. They looked up to him.
His lips moved rather quickly as he spoke with one man in particular, his eyes focused and his stare calculated until it shifted towards me.
He caught me staring red handed. Looking away quickly, I turned to Melissa and Cori again. Their deadpanned expressions spoke for themselves as I sheepishly observed them.
"There she goes again." Melissa sighed.
"Despicable.." Cori tutted playfully when I dared to sneak another glance over at Damien, only to get caught again.
His lips had lifted up slightly at that.
Damn.
"I give it a week." Melissa added, drawing my attention.
"What?!" I spoke up incredulously, looking between the two who seemed to simultaneously conjure up a plan in their minds.
Cori rolled her full glossy lips to the side, letting out a sound of disagreement before chorusing, "A month. I give them a month."
"You guys?!" I huffed. "I'm still here—and no, there is nothing to give." I protested.
"Wanna bet on it?" Cori disregarded me, turning to Melissa with a toothy grin.
"$50?" Melissa offered and Cori nodded in agreement, the two shaking hands before turning to me again. I stared in disbelief, crossing my arms over my chest.
"What?!" Cori shrugged.
"You guys really bet..on me?!"
"And did. Don't disappoint me, wait it out a month and don't give in. Look, maybe these feelings might even pass-" Cori patted my shoulder as she rose to her feet.
"Don't listen to her, follow your heart. I know it's being loud as hell right now. A week, give it a week." Melissa stood up also, playfully pushing Cori out of the way to give me her unsolicited advice. Cori only rolled her eyes before dragging Melissa off, saying that they'd be back later.
Now alone, I took the time to drink in my surroundings as the get together continued on. My eyes wandered around the now yellow lit room as couples found one another and danced slowly in the centre. The low hum of the radio echoed gently in the background, as a soft and beautiful song flowed gracefully from the speakers.
I found myself nodding along, smiling fondly when my eyes landed on Loretta who had grabbed a very willing partner.
She smiled up at the man who rested his hands on her hips, swaying her gently from side to side.
The song came to an end and another soon followed, however it was much slower and raspier in tone. More people stood from their seats, some who were originally outside came in to dance. I found myself being the only one seated as the voice of the singer danced through the air.
Awkwardly standing from my seat, I gently pushed past the couples. I stopped outside, taking a deep breath of the fresh cold air as the dark sky gleamed with stars. I wrapped my arms around my body, scolding myself for not bringing a light jacket as a breeze brushed against me.
My heels felt uncomfortable and I knew for sure my feet would be killing me in the morning.
Letting out a sigh, I spun around to go back inside but I stopped in my tracks when my eyes landed on Damien.
He leaned lazily against the door frame, with a cigarette between his lips and a lighter in hand. His eyes pierced through me, shining with a glimmer of emotions which quickly faded once he realized I had caught him staring.
He stood up straight, pushing himself off the door frame before approaching me.
The single puff of smoke that passed his lips soon disappeared into the night. His scent was rich, strong and strangely addictive. He was closer to me now, so close I could taste the cologne, I could feel it overpowering my sweet perfume like a fire consuming coal. The cigarette slips from his lips and he leaves it on a tray by the table beside us.
"It's bad for you." I blurted out rather stupidly. I didn't know what else to say at that point, it was the only thing I could spit out. Stating the painfully obvious.
"I know." His reply was curt, honest and accepting.
Folding my arms over my chest, I parted my lips to speak. "I haven't seen you for a while, where'd you go?" I asked nervously.
"I was taking care of business." was his reply. I snorted.
"Something amuse you?" he chuckled. It was such a foreign sound to hear from him.
I shook my head smiling softly at the thought.
I could hear the voice of the singer cry out their words so passionately—words I could vaguely decipher but Damien understood it perfectly. His eyebrows were scrunched in concentration, his eyes dim in thought. It made me wonder what he was thinking about.
"Where were you?" I asked. "These past few weeks I mean. You were..gone." I clarified. I didn't even know why I was asking, already knowing he would say something along the lines of him handling business.
I guess I just wanted to have a conversation of sorts, even if it would be short and sweet.
"I had to go out of town for a bit, handle some business." He answered as expected.
"Do you do that often? Go out of town?" I questioned.
His eyes narrowed and I honestly would've felt threatened by it if it wasn't for the playful glint in his eyes paired with his usual toothy half grin. "Is this an interrogation?"
I shook my head, lifting my hands up defensively as I blurted out. "No, I just, well I.." he lifted an eyebrow waiting for me to finish before chuckling to himself at my expense.
"I'll go with no then?" He guessed and I wordlessly agreed. He looked over my face, his dark eyes scanning my features before momentarily settling on my lips. "I was going to tell you at the drinks table that you look..beautiful—you didn't give me much of a chance though."
I fought a smile at his words but ultimately I lost. "Thank you." The words softly fell from my lips as I shyly avoided his gaze. "You don't look too bad yourself."
To my surprise, he reached out and lifted my chin up, gently coaxing me to hold his stare that never seemed to yield. "Don't look away." He murmured, his gaze roaming over me. "I want to try something." Damien's voice was firm, his eyes now sparking with determination.
"What?" I replied in a whisper, my arms now falling to my sides. I could feel my heart beating against my chest, ready to burst out at any minute.
What did he want to do?
And why was I allowing him to do it? No part of me protested.
His hands moved towards my waist bringing me close to him, so close our chests touched. My breasts rose and fell as my heart raced, my hands now placed on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat thrum against my fingertips.
As he lowered his head down, his lips parted slightly. I could feel his breath fanning against my face, my eyes closing instinctively in preparation for what was to come. Our lips hesitantly brushed against one another, the quiet gasp that gently past my lips filling the silence between us.
The other sounds faded in the background, easily becoming white noise.
And just as he was about to consume me, I pulled away.
"Here's your order Mrs. Ambrose." I smiled gently, placing the meal in front of her.
"Thank you sweetheart." she beamed.
I stepped back, giving her one last smile before turning back towards the kitchen. I glanced over my shoulders at the empty table in the corner. His table.
It was drawing close to 9pm, the sky was growing darker and he wasn't here.
He was usually here.
I didn't understand why I was worrying myself over him, I knew better. After the near 'kiss', I had avoided him. I walked home that night by myself, only because my head was in a mess.
Was he really going to kiss me?
Maybe if you waited you'd know
I scolded myself for such thoughts. He was a bad man, he was bad for me.
Yet he was good to me.
"Can you close up for me Mina. I have to do something-" I looked up to see Loretta dressed in a black and white polka dotted flowing dress. She looked gorgeous.
"Something to do or somewhere to be Lolo?" I teased. The older woman's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. I laughed when she gave me a light slap on the wrist.
"Oh hush now cara." she blushed.
"Enjoy yourself Lolo but not too much. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I grinned. She only laughed before disappearing to the main area of the restaurant.
The sound of the door closing after the bell rang filled the silence. The restaurant was now empty. Moving over to the main area, I plugged my earphones in and began to clean.
I swayed my hips slowly with the broom in hand, humming along with the music as it played softly in my ears.
Picking up the chairs, I turned them upside down, placing them on the tables, before I continued to sweep.
My head snapped upwards at the sound of shouts coming from outside. Removing my earphones, I froze, standing still and staring off into the dark of the night as another shout rang.
It was quiet for a while, deathly quiet and I grew increasingly weary at the silence. I took a cautious step forward, stopping by one of the tables close to the entrance before stilling when more shouts echoed. They sounded close.
Then I heard it, the sounds of heavy gunfire ringing out in the street. I lifted my hands up to cover my mouth, before shakily lowering it to my side as more shots continued to be fired rather chaotically.
I moved quickly, practically running to turn off the lights in a feeble attempt to trick any passerby that nobody was here. I moved to the door after all the lights were off, locking it before reaching up to hastily pull down the blinds.
My fingers trembled as the gunfire drew closer to the street outside Loretta's. Moving away just in time, I had crouched down to the side of the entrance at an angle where I could see through the side of the blinds.
A shadow staggered past, their breathing laboured. I tried to make out who it was but I could only see so much through the crack of the blinds at a low angle.
"Please.." they grunted out a plea. "Somebody help.." they continued to croak out but I didn't recognise them.
My heartbeat sped up when the door handle to Loretta's twisted and turned, he was trying to open it. My eyes were trained on it, hoping it wouldn't give way despite it being locked but with how desperate this person was, my fears only increased.
I was stuck to my spot, watching from the corner as they continued to bang the door and twist at the door handle frantically. I could only cover my mouth in hopes to silence myself from making any noise.
Then I heard it.
A bang.
But it wasn't like the frenzied hammers of a fist coming in contact with the door, no, it was much worse.
A gun firing.
The man's attempts seized as he crumbled against the door of Loretta's restaurant, a wheezed cry escaping him as he'd been shot. I held back a squeak of fear, knowing now what I'd witnessed.
Shakily peeling the blind back, I could just about make out the man once again. He was on the floor, leaned against the door while raggedly breathing when the sound of rushed footsteps approached.
I pulled back quickly. Turning my head away once the footsteps came to a halt and two shadows appeared.
"P-please!" The man begged, sputtering out blood as he tried to not succumb to his injuries. "Please spare me, please?!"
I couldn't help but to feel sorry for him after hearing his fevered cries and pleas. Soon guilt creeped into my heart and I realised I could've been the one to help him but I knew if I did I'd be on the pavement with him too.
"You did a bad thing, Paolo.." that voice. I recognised that voice. "You stole from me, from la Famiglia. How will you pay that debt?"
My breath hitched in my throat after I dared to take another peek.
"I'll pay! I'll pay what I owe, just please—please Damien." I could see Damien had lifted up his slacks at the knees before he crouched down to Paolo's crippling height.
I could vaguely distinguish the dead look in his dark eyes as he glowered down at the man who was slowly but surely bleeding to death.
The blood. My gaze lowered to it as it stained the concrete before I turned my attention back to Damien. The gun in his hand glistened darkly with evil intent as Damien pressed it underneath Paolo's chin, titling it upward to meet his eyes.
"You're right. You will pay your debt," Damien trailed off with an emotionless stare. "—With your life." He ended before rising up to his feet to point his weapon down at Paolo.
"No! Please!" Paolo feebly lifted his hands to shield himself but it was futile.
I held in a gasp as Damien fired a number of rounds down onto Paolo without remorse. After each round I found myself flinching back in fear at what I was witnessing.
Paolo's choked gargles came to a stop and it fell silent. "Dispose of the weapon." Damien handed the gun in his gloved hand to the man who accompanied him. "And get someone to clean this up before morning."
The two continued to talk for a moment after being joined by others who were here to take care of Paolo's body. "Get rid of the fat fuck and make sure nobody finds him." One of Damien's men barked out, ordering the other enforcer's who had arrived.
Reeling my fingers away from the blinds, I turned to the side when they made a brief rustling noise, drawing his attention.
I cursed at my luck.
"Something wrong?" Another voice chimed in. I assumed he was talking to Damien.
Damien was silent for a moment, his sights trained on where I was hidden but I knew he hadn't seen me. Atleast, I hoped he hadn't. "Nothing. Thought I heard something. Let's go."
3 days later.
It had been 3 days since I witnessed the murder of Paolo—3 days since I went back to work. I was off work those 3 days and so I hadn't been down to Loretta's since then. I was grateful for that but I now dreaded returning.
In the space of those 3 days I hadn't seen Damien either, something I was also grateful for. I saw him take the life of a man with my very own eyes and act like it was nothing. I was a witness to his crimes.
I didn't tell anybody about what I saw, not even Cori or Melissa knew. They didn't need to know either.
I wouldn't dare to come forward even after the police advertised they were looking for witnesses—the reward wasn't worth it. Paolo's body had been found a day ago and the police were on high alert, everybody was. Paolo's death was practically the talk of the town and because of it tensions were rising.
It didn't take much of a genius to guess who was behind his murder but nobody was going to point fingers at a Moretti, not unless they wanted to join Paolo.
"Someone's jumpy today." I whirled around to meet Cori, seeing her standing behind me with an eyebrow lifted up. The amused twinkle in her eyes dimmed and it was replaced with a look of concern. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing." I shrugged off, turning back around to pick up the plates off the table before making my way to the kitchen.
Cori followed after me. "Nothing my ass. Something's bothering you." She scoffed, not believing me. "Does it have to do with Damien?" And I froze against the sink.
"It does, doesn't it?!" She continued. "Is it about how he almost kissed you—" the relief that washed over me couldn't be described. I remembered how I told the girls about what happened at the restaurant and they teased me for it.
She didn't know what was really bothering me.
Deciding to go with that narrative, I turned around to meet her stare. "Yeah. I mean it's still on my mind." I said with a sigh. It used to be but now I had something else plaguing me.
Flashes of Damien's face seconds before he pulled the trigger replayed over and over in my mind like a broken record.
I internally grimaced.
"Why? Is it because you regret not letting him kiss you." She leaned against the countertop, resting her elbows on the surface.
At the time I did but not anymore.
"No Cori-" I rounded the counter, ready to take my seat adjacent to her when I was cut off by the sound of commotion coming from the dining area.
"What's going on?" Cori blurted out when we moved to see what was happening. To our surprise, a majority of the diners were standing up to leave the restaurant as something outside caught their attention.
Cori and I followed behind them, curious to see what was going on. We pushed through the small crowd, seeing more people were outside lingering in the street. I could now see what had caught their attention.
Opposite us were two police cars, parked outside Chiodo's more commonly known as C's, the local barber shop the mobsters frequented.
It was a short wait before the door of C's opened and a group of five men had been roughly pushed and dragged out by police. I recognised those five from 3 nights ago.
Damien was one of them and the rest were his enforcers. He wore his usual suited attire but he didn't have on a suit jacket this time, leaving him in his white button up that had been rolled at the sleeves to reveal his tattoos and his watch.
Lining them up, the police officers present had them up against the wall as they searched them for weapons. Damien's gun had been confiscated before he and the rest were ordered to turn around.
His eyes searched the crowd with a bored expression before they settled on me. Even after I tore my gaze away I could still feel the heat of his stare.
How it burned.
"We know one of you did it. So don't act all innocent now." One of the police officers chimed, looking over the five.
"Did what?" One enforcer frowned. "We've been here all day." The others chorused sounds of agreement only to be silenced by the policemen who believed otherwise.
"Yeah, yeah." The police man waved them off. "Keep tellin' your lies but we got a witness." The atmosphere grew cold.
"Just hurry it up, I was in the middle of something." Sergio spoke up. He still had shaving cream around his cheeks and neck along with the black barber's cape on his shoulders.
A young man stepped up—more so he was pushed forward by another cop. He looked nervous.
"Which one of them did you see that night?" The police man asked him and the younger boy gulped. "Take a good look at them and point out which one did it." He coaxed the boy.
The boy looked to be about 15 or 16 but at that age he knew better. "Was it him?" The policeman pointed at the first guy in line and the boy shook his head.
Slowly going down the line, I watched as he hesitated once they'd reached Damien. "What about him?"
Damien didn't say a word. He didn't have to. He just stared down at the boy with those intimidating dead eyes, daring him to snitch.
"No." The boy shook his head. "It's not him—it's not any of them."
"Are you sure? Take a good look at him again, look at him." The police man tried to urge him to look at Damien but the boy refused.
"I'm sure." Disappointed by his response, the police officer dismissed the boy who didn't waste any time to sprint off.
Gradually people dissipated, going back to what they were doing leaving only a small number of people watching.
"Consider yourselves lucky this time." The police officer scowled, "Next time you all won't be so lucky. We'll be watching." With that the police cleared out leaving Damien and his men to linger outside.
Cori slipped from my side, moving to go back into Loretta's but I found myself glued to the spot after I made eye contact with Damien.
Devilishly handsome he was as I drank in the sight of him, it was only after a few minutes that I realised how close he was getting to me.
He was coming over.
I backed away slowly before quickly turning on my heels to walk back into Loretta's. "Mina." I heard him call out to me, his voice sending shivers down my spine.
I didn't even make it to the door before I felt Damien's large hand wrap around my wrist, gently tugging me back. "Mina." He called out to me again.
"I have to go." I spoke out, pulling myself away from his touch but he was keen on not letting me go.
"Wait-" he drew me near again, this time turning me around so I could look at him. "If it's about what happened at Loretta's—" my gaze trickled down to the door, remembering Paolo's body leaning up against it.
The door was clean now—so clean it didn't even look like Paolo was there.
The blood was all gone.
"About me almost kissing you," he tilted my chin up and I felt my heart race. Would he do it again? If he did, would I let him? "I apologise for making you uncomfortable."
But it wasn't that. That was far from the reason. If anything I'd prefer the scenario of our almost kiss being the issue to bother me over this.
Looking away from him I began to shake my head.
"I saw." I blurted out, staring at his chest. The sight of his gold cross necklace was ironic. "I saw." I repeated, my voice a whisper now, this time I dared to meet his gaze and I could see the confusion melt away in his eyes before realisation struck.
I was already out of his hold by then, not waiting to hear what he had to say because I knew it wouldn't be good.