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  “I remember, you don’t have to – “

  “’I will hang whoever did this from his balls. And anybody associated to him will live to suffer just like we have.’ Did I remember the words correctly?” Raffaele taunted.

  Davide stared at his stepfather. He had said those words. He intended to fulfill them. He didn’t need a reminder.

  “I’m still the same Davide who uttered those words. Hector is going to suffer, don’t worry about that.”

  “And the girl?”

  “Jesus! Can we forget about the girl?!”

  “Can you?”

  “Look, I love you Raffaele. You took me in when no one else would. I’m forever indebted and I’m going to carry out every promise I made to you. But you have to leave the girl alone. Do that for me. I’ll say this one last time, she won’t be a problem.”

  “Alright. I’ll take your word for it. Now, what do you say we go up and shoot some pool. It’s been what? Two years? More?”

  “Two and a half and I’ll still kick your ass.”

  “I’d like to watch you try.”

  They headed to the pool room, which had always been their place. For as far as he could remember, this is where they came to bond, and the pool room was rarely used if he wasn’t there. It was great to catch up with his father. Raffaele had taken him in when he was ten years old. Davide loved him, but more than anything, he owed him.

  After a couple of games, Davide headed up to the one room he’d always avoided. There were pictures of her everywhere. She had been the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and still was his sweetest memory. Isabelle. He went through all the framed photos until he landed on the one that always brought tears to his eyes. It had been at her high school graduation. Eighteen, full of life and right by her side, Davide. Where he thought he’d be for the rest of his life.

  He stared at the photo for a long time, feeling his resolve strengthen. He had to fulfill his promise to her. He had to let go of all distractions, Lori included, and finish what he’d started.

  Mind made up, he locked the room and went in search of Raffaele.

  “I’m off to see Nico. I’ve already been here three days and haven’t looked for him. Any longer and Hector will be suspicious.”

  “You do that.” Raffaele rose from his seat. “It was nice to see you again son. We’re almost done with this, and soon you can come back where you belong.”

  They hugged one more time and he left. Time to get down to business.

  ***

  The meeting with Nico Rodriguez was a complete mess, rather, Nico was a complete mess of a man. All he could talk about was how much he hated Raffaele D’Amato. Davide spent the entire time nodding his head in agreement. Nico didn’t have any creative ways to help Hector. Thank fuck. He’d been a bit worried that he’d have to talk Nico out of any plan that would interfere with Raffaele. Luckily for him, Nico wasn’t very bright. He asked Davide to come up with a plan and Davide was more than happy to oblige.

  CHAPTER TWENTY - THREE

  Though I was trying my best to forget Davide ever existed, I found myself logging into the Law Firm’s intranet to gather more information about Raffaele. I was sure I was missing something and now that Davide had shown up in New York, I wondered if he was seeking out his father.

  The intranet gave me nothing new and after an hour of reading document after document, I decided I had to distract myself. I looked around for the handbag I’d used the previous night and found what I wanted – cute guy’s number.

  “Hello, Sam speaking.”

  “Hi Sam. This is… uhm… Lori, from last night, red dress.”

  “Hi Lori!” he sounded too excited. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I was wondering if you have plans for tonight?”

  “As a matter of fact I was hoping a certain someone would call.” He paused. “But I’ll do this the right way.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Lori, would you like to go out for dinner with me?”

  I smiled, he was still as adorable. “Sure.”

  “Great. Pick you up around seven?”

  “Sounds great.” I gave him my address and hung up. I was actually looking forward to it. I could only mope for so long.

  It was already 4 o’clock so I decided to start getting ready. Sam had wanted to go out for Italian and though I knew of at least one Italian man I never wanted to see again, I loved pasta.

  I called Macy and let her know I was going out on a date with Sam. I knew that would make her happy. Then I got ready. I put on a short white boho beach dress and put my hair in a messy side braid. Silver wedges completed the look and I was ready to see Sam of the cute brown eyes.

  He picked me up at exactly seven in an impressive Audi. I wondered what he did for a living but I decided I would find out at dinner. Wouldn’t make the Davide mistake again. We made our way to a trattoria in Queens. Cozy and authentic, down to the red checkered table cloths. I loved his choice.

  A small, round Italian man came out to greet us. He introduced himself as Carlo and welcomed us to his trattoria. Once we were seated, Sam ordered for a bottle of Pinot Grigio and asked for the menu. We both skipped the antipasti and went straight for the main course. For me the Tagliatelle ai Gamberi e Zucchine and for him the Linguine Boscaiola.

  After Carlo had walked off with our orders, Sam looked at me. “So, tell me all about Lori.”

  “There’s nothing much to tell. I’ve been working for Miller and Miller since graduating from NYU and I’m hoping to stay with them for a few more years. What about you?”

  “I’m an associate at J.P Morgan. I’ve only been in New York for about two years now and I’m still not sure how much I like it.”

  “Where did you live before?

  “I was working for a small investment firm in Atlanta when I got a job at the J.P Morgan office there and eventually moved to the office here.”

  As he spoke, I studied at him. I wanted to see if I could discern any bad trait. Not that I’d been successful with Davide, but this time I wasn’t taking any chances. He was a good looking guy, and he seemed to have a lot going for him. But the entire time he was talking, I was remembering Davide’s natural charm. The look he had that had me forgetting everything and needing just him.

  I came out of my thoughts to realize that Sam had already finished speaking and was waiting for me to say something. I had no idea what he’d said last. This was becoming awkward fast.

  “I’m sorry, could you please…” I was distracted by the small Italian man who came rushing out from behind the counter with a big smile on his face. I turned and saw Davide smiling as he entered the trattoria. What the hell was he doing here?! He hadn’t seen me. The smile was directed to Carlo.

  “Davide!” Carlo shouted, embracing Davide.

  “Good to see you Carlo,” Davide said in that deep timbre of his that always caused a shiver.

  “Benvenuto! Welcome! Would you like me to show you a table? Or will it be take away?”

  “I was actually just passing by to say hello since I’m back in town, but take – “ he trailed off as he finally spotted me.

  Was I to pretend we didn’t know each other?

  He looked past me to Sam and I noticed the tightening of his jaw. Then he seemed to calm himself and looked at Carlo.

  “Take away will be fine Carlo, I don’t mean to rush you but if it’s going to take long I can come for it later.”

  “Not long at all Davide. I have some leftovers from earlier.”

  It seemed we were pretending not to know each other. I felt a sharp pain in heart. Sam had continued talking but I couldn’t hear him. I was nervously wringing my hands and he took them in his.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Fine,” I said turning my head slightly to look at Davide again. I found him staring at my hands, still clasped in Sam’s.

  “Here’s some pasta fazool, Davide. Made just as I remember you loved it.” Said Carlo excitedly. Davide thanked him with ano
ther hug and promised to come by soon. He glared at me and without a word, he left.

  I pulled my hands from Sam’s and concentrated on not crying. God I was a mess. “Sam, I’m not feeling well, could you take me back to my apartment?”

  “Oh, pity, but sure. We can always reschedule.” Poor Sam was clueless. He hadn’t seemed to feel the tension when Davide had entered the restaurant. How, I had no idea. To me, it had felt as though time had stood still to make it possible for Davide to suck all the air out of me.

  Sam stood up and went to Carlo and I heard him offer to pay our uneaten dinner, but Carlo refused and said he hoped we’d be back for the actual food next time.

  We got into Sam’s car and left the trattoria behind. Once at my apartment, Sam got out and opened the car door for me. Such a gentleman. I gave him my number and promised to call him when I felt better. He gave me a lingering kiss on the cheek and wished me well. I stood by the curb and watched him leave and wished I could force my heart to feel something for him instead.

  I was a cliché, preferring the bad boy. I watched Sam drive off and waved at him. That’s when I noticed the Black BMW on the opposite street. My heart skipped a beat. The door opened and Davide stepped out. It’s as if I knew it was him before I actually knew. But would I let him fuck and leave me again? Not if I had anything to say about it.

  I opened the door, got in, and closed it quickly. My heart was beating miles a minute.

  “Lori open the damn door.”

  “You need to get out of here Davide!”

  “What I need is to speak to you.”

  “Well, seeing as you know how to open my door without my consent, how about I lock it and you creep in at night?”

  “Lori, I can’t…” there was a catch in his voice. “just open the door. Please.”

  Damn my stupid heart that would do anything for this man. I opened the door to find him leaning against the door frame.

  “Same guy from last night, you move fast,” he said, moving past me to my living room.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You left me. You refused me. I have a right to move on Davide.”

  He didn’t say a word. He just looked at me.

  “Right. You say nothing. Just like you do nothing.” I sucked in a breath and worked on making my voice as emotionless as possible. “If that’s it Davide, please go.”

  “What do you want me to say Lori?”

  “Something. Anything that doesn’t make me feel like an idiot for wanting a man who doesn’t want me enough. Anything that doesn’t make me feel like a fool for waiting for you. Anything….” My voice broke. Composure gone.

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “I want you.” His voice was shaky. “Christ, you know how much I want you.”

  “Not enough.”

  He moved towards me then. I’d always loved how much taller he was than me. Every time he held me I felt so protected. Stupid really. Protected by a mob guy.

  He lifted my chin and I felt myself sway towards him. “I want you more than I should. I’m the idiot, the fool, waiting for everything to go right so I can be with you.” He looked down at me with pleading eyes. Pleading for what I didn’t know. “I want to move on. I want to protect you Lori.” His voice was rising. “I want to be able to let you be with someone you deserve to be with! But I can’t..” He touched my cheek, thumb gliding on my lips. “I can’t let you go. I can’t stop thinking about you.” He sighed. I shouldn’t be here Lori. It’s..”

  “Dangerous I know. You’ve said.” I felt my cheeks getting wet.

  He leaned in towards me. “I feel like you belong with me Lori. To me. I want to be with you so bad, but I don’t know how to be with you and protect you at the same time.”

  I couldn’t breathe. My palm was making circles on my chest, pressing hard to alleviate the pain I felt in my heart. I wanted this man so bad it hurt. And now he was too close to me. His body brushing mine. I wanted him closer. My nipples stiffened. My breath hitched. He noticed. He noticed everything.

  Groaning, he took my mouth in his. My body melted into his and I opened my mouth to feel his tongue touch mine. What was it about this man? He ground his thickening length against my belly and I moaned. I’d missed this so bad. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist feeling that delicious friction between my legs.

  He pulled away all too quickly and ran his hands through his hair, “fuck!” He was breathing hard and pulling further away from me. He was about to do his damn disappearing act again. I was getting furious.

  “You leave now, you don’t come back Davide.” I hardened my stance so he knew I was serious. I wasn’t going to be his plaything. I knew I kept saying that but I couldn’t do it anymore. He was taking a piece of me every time he left me. He was breaking me.

  He was about to speak when his phone rang. He spoke in rapid Spanish and hung up. “I need to go.”

  “Typical.”

  “I’ll be back Lori. You’ve already guessed some of what I’m doing but I’ll tell you everything.”

  “I’ve heard that before.”

  “Look, it’s a difficult story to tell, and I haven’t had anyone I wanted to tell it to… until you. So please be patient. Please.”

  I said nothing. He gave me another pleading look and when I didn’t react, he opened the door and left.

  CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR

  Fucking Hector. He’d called to inform him that something big was going down at the port at close to midnight. There was a new shipment of girls coming in through the Port Newark Terminal and Hector had arranged for the Dominicans to be at the terminal in case Raffaele planned to intercept it. Hector expected him to be there to coordinate things.

  “Hey, it’s me, new shipment tonight and the Dominicans are the surprise act of the night.”

  “How many?”

  “He didn’t say, but I thought I’d warn you.”

  “Which terminal?”

  “Port Newark”

  “Thank you son. I’ll arrange something on this side. Things might go south, I hope you’re prepared for that.”

  “Always.”

  He hung up. He had a bad feeling about this.

  ***

  Once at the terminal, he noticed Mario, Nico’s second in command.

  “Hola Hermano! Ready to do this?” asked Mario looking suspiciously jittery. Davide wondered if he was on something but didn’t get a chance to ask before Mario started explaining where the rest of his men were positioned. Davide took note, he’d have to find a way to communicate this to Raffaele.

  He took position at the far left side of the port and took out his phone to send a text to Raffaele. Few minutes later he noticed a group of porters unloading containers. According to the information he’d received from Hector, this would be it. From the corner of his eye, he could see two men moving towards the containers. It was too dark to see who it was but he was convinced it was Nico’s men.

  Just as the container was being moved to a Lorry, all hell broke lose. One minute only Hector’s men were visible to Davide, next minute a group of about thirty men surrounded the container. And knowing Raffaele, these were only to protect the girls, there would be more to fight of Nico’s men.

  Gun fire ensued. This was a catch 22, wanting to help Raffaele and the girls and not alerting Mario and the Dominicans. He thought of staying put where he was, but if Mario came out unscathed, Davide knew that he would report to Nico and Hector. So he pulled out his Beretta 92FS pistol and headed to the thick of things. Grunts, groans, moans and wails surrounded the area. He ducked and ran behind the containers heading to where the shipment with the girls was. It was too dark to see much but a half moon was shining and that’s all he needed.

  Once he was behind the container, he noticed two dead bodies on his left. He had no clue if they belonged to Raffaele’s or not but that’s not what drew his attention. He could hear screaming from inside the container. Shit.

  All around him, men were dropping like flies. Nico’
s men, the fuckwits that they were, seemed to be shooting indiscriminately. He got even closer to the container and found the lock broken. He had a moment of indecision where he considered opening the latch to release the girls but he knew they’d just be caught in the gunfire.

  He heard a grunt closer to him…

  “Davide! Ayudarme!”

  He turned to see Mario in hand to hand combat with somebody he didn’t recognize. Mario seemed to be on the losing side of things. He glanced around to see if there were any witnesses. He wanted to help Raffaele’s man but not at the risk of someone seeing him and taking the information back to Hector. He raised his right arm and aimed at Raffaele’s man. Raffaele would understand that there was always collateral in their business.

  Just as he pressed the trigger and adjusted his aim, he heard another gunshot ring out close to him. A searing pain filled his side. And everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY - FIVE

  It had been two weeks since I’d heard from Davide. I felt so incredibly stupid for believing him the last time. I’d truly believed that he would come back to bare it all, that we’d finally be together.

  “Lori. Meeting at Conference Room B in ten minutes.”

  “Be right there Catherine.”

  I gathered up my pens, papers and post-it notes and hurried down the hall. Conference Room B was only used when big clients were visiting. So this had to be a huge one. I passed by Macy’s cubicle to pick her up and found her gulping down coffee.”

  “Really? You want to have coffee breath in front of a client?”

  “Which client?”

  “There’s a huge one at Conference Room B. Didn’t they tell you?”

  “Nope.” She frowned. That’s strange. Wonder if they called just you or they left out just me?”

  I looked at my watch. “I have five minutes to be there. I’ll let you know about it. Sorry Mace.”

  I hurried off and settled down on the furthest seat down the large table. The seat at the head of the table was always reserved for the client and those closest to him to the partners. Then the senior associates, the paralegals, then me. But seeing as I was now a junior associate I was probably expected to sit higher up. I didn’t want to rub anyone the wrong way so I stayed put.