Chapter 2: DRACO

DRACO

When the hell did my kid take action? I could’ve sworn he was too busy playing lover boy all weekend to get up to anything else but apparently, he still had enough spare time to take a shot at the one in Sicily. As volleys go, it wasn’t a big one, but it was a strategic move. I felt equal parts pride and alarm. He’s really going through with it.

I tapped on a few keys and went digging a little deeper just to make sure he’d covered himself and didn’t see anything that could lead back to him for now, but I’m almost certain he doesn’t intend to keep it that way. I took a deep breath and turned off the screen in front of me. Because Gabe has been so good at hiding his actions from me, I’d decided to go the other route and watch Ricci’s movements instead.

The few million euro he’d cost Ricci was nothing to sneeze at; the man could afford it, but it’s the other people involved, the business deal he’d just scratched from behind the scenes that might cause an issue. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly that. The good thing is some of the leading businessmen in Europe, and the continent who were in bed with the less savory characters of their union wouldn’t look at an eighteen-year-old for this. But I have a feeling my son doesn’t mean to stay in the dark for long.

It’s my fault! When I take my family anywhere, my sole focus is always on them; I put everything else aside and give my wife and kids, along with our extended family, my undivided attention. It’s what my parents had done with Garrett and me, and it had only made our bond closer as a family, so I’ve been carrying on the tradition with my own.

Oh well, what’s done is done; no use stressing over it. I just have to be more vigilant from now on. Now to get to what I came in here for. I opened the desk drawer and took out the prepaid card I’d put there last Friday, and got up to go look for Gabe. I knew that I’d find the girl, Gia, wherever I found him, and I was right. They were now walking through the backdoor from outside.

“Where’d you go?”

“Oh, hi Pop, I took Gia to walk the mutt and feed the swans.” Geez, my kid is growing up. Look at how he looks at her, the way he stands protectively beside her, something I doubt she even notices. Not many would unless they have someone they feel strongly for they wouldn’t recognize the signs. Maybe there is a chance after all that this girl who looked like a miniature doll and was almost as wounded as his mother, who’d wrapped herself around my heart and insides all those years ago, would do the same for my son.

“Did you need me for something, Pop?”

“No, actually, I was looking for Gia.” There it is, that shift in the air, he’d protect her even from the father he loves. I hid my smile and held out the envelope with the card to Gia. “Here’s your pay for the tutoring job.” She looked at the envelope like it held a snake.

“Sir, I didn’t tutor the twins; they already knew everything; I can’t take that. I’m sorry.” Honest, honorable, good. Along with everything else I’d learned from watching her this weekend, it was a good start.

“You can call me Draco.” I smiled kindly at her.

“No, you may call him Pop.”

She looked up at him as if for assurance, and he nodded his head. I wonder if she knows what she gave away with that look. And hell, if I didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy inside as memories of my own beginnings with his mom hit me hard.

That’s who they remind me of, Sophia and I. I could wish for my son that his woman didn’t come with any baggage, only because I know the torment he’d feel each time she relives something from her past, each time she gets that look of sorrow in her eyes, and there isn’t a damn thing he can do about it. But it’s not the girl’s fault no more than it had been my wife’s what was done to her.

“Well, since you refuse to take it as payment, you can see it as an allowance. My son tells me you’re staying here with us for a little while; you’ll need an allowance; all my children get one.” That’s a bit of a white lie. My kids have their own bank accounts that were started at birth and given over to them at sixteen.

The twins don’t have complete control of theirs just yet, not for another few weeks, but they’re allowed to spend the interest as they please. Gabe has had control of his going on two years, and I add money to all three each month because they’re still my kids, and it’s my job.

Gabe nudged her as if to say it was okay, and she took it with uncertainty. “I guess I’ll see you two in the morning for breakfast, get some rest.” I hugged and kissed my son’s cheek but didn’t dare go near the girl; I’ll wait for his signal that it’s okay somewhere down the line. For now, it’s enough that he feels enough for her to want to take care of her.

I looked back as he walked her towards his and his sisters’ side of the house and grinned softly at the way he hulked over her as they walked like a big protective bear. When the hell did my son become a man? It might be putting too much on her, but I’ll wait and see. If she’s what he wants, then I’ll find a way to get her to keep him out of the trouble he’s headed for.

***

GABRIEL

***

“It’s just plastic; it’s not going to harm you.” She kept turning the prepaid Visa card over and over in her hand like she expected it to bite.

“I don’t understand why he gave it to me, though.”

“He already explained, it’s your allowance, same as the twins and I get.”

“But I’m not one of you.”

“As long as he says you are, then you are. Come on, let’s go to your room; you look dead on your feet.”

“My room? I’m not staying with you?” Don’t look so hopeful; it does strange things to me.

“Did you want to stay with me?” She hung her head shyly for an answer. If I wasn’t doing this for her sake, getting her a separate room, I would’ve caved. “You can stay with me whenever you want to, but you’ll have your own space all the same.”

Was that right? I’m not sure. In all my planning, I never gave much thought to the romance side of things, if there even is one. Since I’d never been in a relationship and had no plans of ever being in one, there are a few steps I’m not sure of. Whatever! I’m just going to go with my own gut instinct when it comes to doing what’s best for her.

“Here, you’re right across from me, see?” She looked back towards my door before stepping into the room Ma and Sheila had remade while I had her outside on the gazebo feeding the swans and ducks in the manmade pond down by the English garden.

“Oh, my.” She looked shellshocked as she looked around the room with the twelve-foot-high French doors that led out onto a balcony overlooking the garden we’d just left and the matching windows dressed in cream and gold hanging drapes with sheer curtains that let in the light from the night sky.

“I’m staying here?”

“Yeah, Ma and Sheila just changed some stuff around. I hope you like it.” The new bedding matched the cream and gold silk wallpaper on the walls and gave the room a fairytale look. “The bathroom is right through there.” I pointed out the door that was slightly ajar, and she walked forward and peeked inside, almost as if she was too afraid to step in.

I knew the room carried on with the same cream and gold marble with splashes of color to brighten it up. Ma had finally got to use her towels, and she’d changed out the bath stuff she usually kept in here for something softer like the twins use. Everything shone and sparkled, which means Sheila had shanghaied her staff into helping out.

“Are you going to be okay in here, or do you need me to stay for a little while?”

“You can go; I have Thor.”

“Thor? That’s what you named him?” My lips twitched, but I refused to laugh at her. Thor is about ten pounds soaking wet and about seven inches long. A white ball of fluff that can barely stand since he’s still a baby, but okay, Thor it is.

“What’s wrong with Thor?” Her pout was too cute, and I had to turn away before I did something stupid, like kiss her. If there’s going to be any of that, it’s not going to be now, not for a long while. Not until she learns her worth, at least. “I’ll leave you two to it then; see you in the morning.”

I left and headed to my sisters’ room. They were just getting into bed when I walked in. “Hi, Gabe, what’s up? Good move on the dog, but where’s his collar?”

“It’s not ready yet.”

“Did you get him a harness and vests for the winter?”

“What the…? I’ll let her choose those; that’s not what I came in here for.” I forgot how crazy these two are when it comes to their ankle-biters.

“Are you two ready for tomorrow?”

“Ready.” Rosa looked at Anna, who nodded.

“Now remember, Victoria is at some point going to play the victim. Do not give her a leg to stand on. Hit hard, fast, and without mercy. I’ll make sure Gianna is covered and doesn’t get involved. It’s the Russos who’ll be running this ship.”

“And Lance, he bullied us into letting him help.”

I’m sure Anna was lying. The truth is probably more along the lines of these two bullying my boy into helping them do their dirty work, but there was no way he wasn’t going to get involved anyway with his nosy self. “But Gabe, Rosa, and I have been thinking.”

“What’s the problem?”

“If we fight all of these battles for her, wouldn’t that harm her in the long run as well?”

“Yeah!” Rosa picked up the convo.

“You always make us fight our own.”

“No, right now, we’re teaching her that she has people behind her. You have me and the whole Russo family behind you. She had no one until us. She’s not strong enough to stand on her own yet. When she is, I’ll know.”

“Makes sense. Don’t worry; we know what to do.”

We did a final run-through before I left to go back to my room. There was still one thing left for me to do to prepare for tomorrow. I was looking over the outfit I’d chosen for her to wear when there was a knock at the door. “Come in.” Gianna walked in with my phone held out.

“It’s Lance; he wants to talk to you.”

I took the phone, wondering what could be up with him since he’d just left not that long ago. “You, okay? Uncle Marvin…”

“We’re fine. Have you seen the school forum online?”

“The what? You know I have no interest in that nonsense.”

“You’d better have a look.” He rattled off the website address and hung up.

“Here!” I handed her back the phone and waited until she left to go to my computer. What I found left me stunned. I didn’t know whether to strangle my sisters or thank them. It was a nice move, I could see why they’d done it, but I have a strong hate for social media.

As far as I’m concerned social media is for the disillusioned. Its only purpose seems to be to breed contempt and misunderstandings. It’s so destructive to the point that total strangers harbor hate and anger towards each other without having ever met. But in this case, the twins had set the groundwork for what was to come. Not bad!

I read some of the comments and made note of some names of the guys who I thought went too far in their commentary. The fuck are they looking at? The females, though, yeah, I could smell the green coming off some of them, while others, my sisters’ friends to be exact, were doing what they were no doubt told to do. Those two little girls down the hall are scary as shit.

****

VICTORIA

***

I heard the car pull into the driveway and ran back to the window only to see Felix exiting alone. Where is she? I met him at the door. “Where’s Gia?” Too rash, I forgot to tone it down a little, and no doubt what I was feeling showed in my eyes. “Oh, I just wanted to ask her about her weekend; I got a little too excited, I guess.” Mom came up behind me just then, and he looked at both of us.

“Gia will be staying with the Russos for a while.”

“What? Why?”

“They wanted her to, and I said it was okay. Why? What’s the problem?”

“Why does she need to be staying anywhere? This is her home, and you didn’t even ask me if it was okay.”

“Why would I need to ask you about what I do with my daughter?”

Mom’s mouth fell open as he walked away, and we both looked at each other before turning to follow him inside. I’ve never heard Felix speak to mom like that nor seen that look on his face. Does he know something? What did she say to him? “Mom, what’s going on? Why is he acting like that?” Something didn’t feel right. Too many things have been out of sync since Gabriel rushed in here on Friday and took her out of here.

“Did you see her? How did she look?” I couldn’t help but to ask.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I was just worried that my prank may have gone too far, is all. I was wondering if she got the glue out of her hair.” I’m dying to know about the wig and what happened with her real hair, but of course, I won’t be admitting that to you.

I looked down at my phone subconsciously, I guess, and mom saw. “Don’t show him that.” She hissed beneath her breath but not quite soft enough because he heard.

“Don’t show me what? let me see that.” I held out the phone with an apologetic shrug for mom, who was back to looking green again.

“Oh my God!” He kept repeating the phrase over and over again while staring down at the screen.

“What? Oh my God, what?” Instead of answering me, he looked up at my mother.

“Is this what you didn’t want me to see? She’s the spitting image of Adrienne. Where did you get this?”

I explained it to him, still lost at both their reactions though his was not as strong, and he seemed to have tears of melancholy in his eyes more than the fear I’d seen in mom’s. Maybe this is why she’d reacted that way because he was still hung up on his dead wife. She and her daughter are more trouble than they’re worth. Well, unlike mom, I refuse to live in anyone’s shadow. I’ll be sure to take from the daughter what mom had never gained.