Gods and Monsters (Mafia Romance)

S E V E N

Alicia's P.O.V.

The next morning, I texted Cindy, telling her that I had woken up very early to go jogging with Cheryl, and to cover up for me. We do that sometimes -even though I ‘m not much of morning person- so I had no problem convincing my sister. We told Kylie the same thing.

Cheryl gave me a workout set of hers to wear when I go back home, so that my story would be more believable, and after eating breakfast with her and Kylie, I walked back home. 

“What the hell happened to your cheek?” John asked me, the moment he saw me getting in the house. 

“Cheryl accidentally hit me with the door.” I answered what I had already practiced with my best friend, not missing a beat. Clichés are clichés for a reason.

He tsked, shaking his head in disapproval, and I tried hard not to roll my eyes. “Where were you?” He asked again, his eyes resting on my chest in the sports bra a little more than they should.

Feeling uncomfortable, I pulled it a little more up, covering my cleavage. “I went jogging with Cheryl, didn’t Cindy tell you?” 

“Yes, right. Well, go wash and do your homework. We have to leave at 7 p.m. so you need to be ready by then.” 

I nodded and ran upstairs. 

❦❦❦

My hair and makeup was done –thankfully I had managed to completely cover up my bruised cheek- and I was already dressed in a short, silky baby-blue romper that Rosie, Cheryl and Kylie’s mother, had made just for me. 

“Ali, I need help! It’s 6:30 and my eyeliner won’t cooperate! Can you do it for me?” Cindy burst into our room, as I was putting on a pair of white kitten-heel sandals, which I got form a street-market for 7€. You can find hidden treasures in such places if you’re patient enough to look carefully. 

“Yup, come here.” She quickly sat on my desk’s chair and I fixed her eyeliner. 

“Are you guys ready? Nica’s freaking out that we won’t make it in time.” Jason said, leaning on the door frame of our room.

“One sec. I need to put some shoes on.” Cindy said, as I grabbed a small white purse and put my phone and the lip-gloss that I was wearing in it. 

“What are those bruises?” Jason looked at me concerned. 

I looked down at my legs, realizing that my tights were indeed covered in bruises, from everything that happened yesterday. My hands, chest and neck were as well, but I had covered those up. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. 

“How the f**k you don’t know?” He asked again in disbelief. 

“It happens all the time.” Cindy came to my rescue. “I go to sleep, then next morning I have random bruises that I have no idea how I got.” She shrugged, when Jason looked at her.

“And what about your knee? And your ankle? You were walking weird in the morning.” Jason continued. 

I once again looked down at my scratched knee. “I turned my ankle and fell today, when I went running with Cheryl.” I lied. 

My brother didn’t look so convinced, but he didn’t say anything else.

“Ready!” Cindy said happily. 

“You’re so pretty!” I fixed her hair a little when she came by our side and she gave me a cheeky grin. 

“Jason! Alicia! Cindy! We’re gonna be late, come right now!” We all left the room, hearing John’s yells. 

“Coming!” I yelled back.

About two hours later, Cindy and I were playing ‘rock-paper-scissors’ to see who would go ask Nica for how long we were supposed to stay to that event. Apparently, it was indeed a big event, with paparazzi and even some celebrities and famous people. My siblings and I however, were bored out of our minds. 

After introducing us to everyone, and making sure to let them all know how perfect we were –thanks to them off course- our foster parents were now socializing, while we were just awkwardly sitting on some high stools at the roof-garden’s end, enjoying the view. 

Well, at least we had been enjoying the view about an hour ago, cause now we were just bored. 

“Ha! I won.” Cindy mocked me. “Paper beats rock, you’re asking Nica.” She smiled triumphantly.

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes and hopped off the stool. 

Jason spared me a glance when he saw me walking away, and then went back on his phone. 

I looked back at my siblings for a second, when I thought that I had heard my name. But that second was enough for me to bump onto someone. I gasped and looked up at the middle aged man, looking at me pissed. 

“I- I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologized. 

His blue eyes took in my whole body –from head to toe- making me feel uncomfortable, before they finally stopped on my eyes. He smiled at me. He was good looking for his age, with grey-white hair, built up body and blue eyes. But something about him made me feel very uncomfortable. 

“It’s okay… Carmen?” He finally said. 

I looked around me, confused. “I… think you’re confusing me with someone else… I’m Alicia.” I smiled politely, when I realized that he had said that to me. 

“Oh. You reminded me of someone that I used to know. But that’s a nice name.” He said. “So how come you’re here?”  

I sighed with his attempt to start a conversation, but my polite smile was still plastered on my face. “My foster mother is the company’s personnel manager. Nica Gil…” 

“Ah, I haven’t met her.” He shook his head, as I smiled awkwardly. “Would you like me to get you a drink?” 

My face fell, and I was now feeling even more uncomfortable, even though I usually don’t pass when it comes to free drinks. This man however, was giving me a feeling of uncertainty that I didn’t really like... “Uh, thank you but I’m seventeen… I don’t drink.” I finally said.

“Oh really? You look young, but not that young.” 

Oh god, how do I politely disappear? 

Stop.Talking.To.Me. 

I smiled politely in return, but my eyes didn’t dare to look anywhere close to this man.

“Dimitri! Finally, I find you!” 

I let out a sigh of relief, when a tall, young man started talking to the one that wouldn’t leave me alone, taking him away from me. His eyes however, didn’t let go of me, until I looked down and started walking away. 

For the second time tonight, I made the mistake of turning to look behind me, this time to see if he had stopped looking at me. And again, I bumped onto someone. 

I silently groaned with my clumsiness, and looked up again, meeting a familiar pair of baby-blue eyes. My face fell as memories from last night’s events, that I had been trying very hard to forget, popped right in front of my eyes, like a film in fast-forward. 

I shut my eyes closed and shook those thoughts away, before opening them again, looking at Salvatore, towering over me. 

“Alicia?” He said surprised. 

“Uh hi…” I murmured. 

He looked back to the group of men he was talking with; everyone was looking at me. He simply motioned to them, and they started walking away. “I’m surprised to see you here.” He turned back to me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” I smiled at him. 

“Don’t worry about that! How are you?” He asked, looking at me sympathetically. 

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out, so I closed it instead, taking a deep breath. “I’ll live.” I shrugged, giving him a weak smile. “How come you’re here?” I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about last night. 

“I’m friends with the owner.” He simply said. 

“Oh… My foster mother works here…” God why am I so awkward?

“Salv, Mario is looking for-” The other man from yesterday, Lorenzo, stood just behind Salvatore, with a beautiful woman by his side. “Alicia?” He looked at me surprised, as the woman furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, looking between me and him.

“Alicia, you remember my brother Enzo, and this is his wife, Nancy.” Salvatore said and I smiled widely at them. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” She smiled at me too, as we shook hands.

“Nice to meet you too.” I said politely. 

“So, how do you guys know each other?” She asked, looking at her husband. 

Lorenzo opened his mouth to speak, but Salvatore was quicker. “Alicia’s foster mother works in the company. We had met on another event.” He said.

“Uh yeah, she’s the personnel manager, so she drags us with her to such events all the time.” I laughed a little. 

Awkwardness level 100. Stopit.

“Foster mother? Does she treat you good?” She smiled sweetly. 

“Yes, off course” I was quick to answer. “I mean, they –she and her husband- provide for us, they pay for my sister’s and my school, they let my brother keep staying with us, even though he’s now old enough not to… We’re good.” I said truthfully... Well, partly truthfully at least.

“That’s great!” She smiled again and I returned the smile in response. 

“We should go find Mario…” Lorenzo told her and she nodded. “You’re coming?” He looked at Salvatore. 

“I’ll find you later.” He said dismissively.

He nodded, then turned to look at me. “It was nice seeing you again, Alicia.” 

“Have a good night!” Nancy waved and they walked away.

My phone started ringing. I checked it, seeing that it was Cindy. “Sorry…” I murmured at Salvatore, picking it up. 

“Where are you?” My sister said boringly over the phone. 

“Looking for Nica.”

“Where? We’re coming too.”

“No need. Just stay there and I’ll call you when I find her.”

“Just call her.” She sighed.

“I did, it was not available.” I lied.

Cindy groaned and then told something to Jason.

“Where are you Ali?” Jason now spoke. 

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll call you when I find Nica.”

“Nica is coming here as we speak. What are you doing?” He was growing suspicious.

“Oh okay then, I’ll be right there.” I hung up before he had the chance to say anything.

“Sorry.” I told Salvatore again.

“No problem. You have to go?” He asked.

“Uh… In a while.” I said, looking around me. I immediately face-palmed mentally. 

He smirked slightly. “So you’re still in school huh?” He asked after a few moments of awkward silence, his baby-blue eyes locked with my honey-green ones, and I almost got lost in them. 

But thankfully, I quickly recovered, clearing my throat, an attempt to seem a little less awkward. 

“Yes, unfortunately.” I laughed a little. 

“Don’t you like it there?” He asked again, grinning. He was so goddamn handsome. 

“Well, I did, but then… things happened.” I said, fixing my high ponytail. 

A waiter with a disk full of drinks stopped by, offering some to us. Salvatore got one and I eagerly reached out, doing the same. 

When I met his gaze again, he was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t you seventeen?” 

“I’ll be eighteen in less than six months, so I’m closer to eighteen than seventeen, but it’s just a sparkling wine anyways.” I shrugged. 

He reached for my drink, taking it from me and, before I had the time to protest, spilling it in a plant pot nearby. I pouted.

“You’re underage.” He stated.

“Did you not drink when you were my age?” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m different.” He laughed. 

“Oh really? How so?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“Let’s just say that I was too mature for my age.” He shrugged.

“You’re calling me immature?” I folded my hands over my chest, looking at him fake-annoyed.

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know… What mature girl would go out alone at 2 a.m.?” He asked jokingly. 

My face fell. “I was blackmailed to go there.” I said, serious. 

“I didn’t mean to offend you, but what you did was very reckless no matter why you did it.” He said, serious too now. 

I swallowed hard, looking away and trying not to cry. “Yeah, I know.” I murmured finally. 

“Mr. Lombardo! How nice meeting you here! I was just-” We both turned to look at Nica, who had just come by. “Alicia? What are you doing here? We were looking for you.”  She eyed me suspiciously. 

“I was just coming to find you, but uh…” 

Think quick, Alicia, think quick, ugh!

“She accidentally bumped into me.” Salvatore came to my rescue, plastering a charming smile on his face. 

“Oh, silly girl, I hope that she didn’t bore you, Mr. Lombardo!” She put her arm around my shoulders, pulling me to her, away from Salvatore. 

I rolled my eyes and put a fake smile on my face.

“No, not at all! She’s actually a very nice girl.” He winked at me, very discreetly, and slightly smirked. 

I snorted. 

Nica turn to give me a threatening glare and I quickly cleared my throat and put the fake-polite smile back on my face.

“Yes, yes she is! And smart too! You should see her grades at school!” Nica started bragging and I rolled my eyes again, looking around, as she kept talking. 

Salvatore looked at me bored and I shrugged, giving him an understanding look.

“…and Jason also made it into University with a scholarship! We’re so proud at how great those kids are doing, with our help off course, because who knows where they would be right now if we hadn’t taken them in our house!” 

I felt my blood boiling with my amazing foster mother, but I didn’t speak. That until Nica poked me, signaling me to say how blessed I feel to be under hers and John’s custody. 

I sighed. 

“Yeah, Nica and John have helped me and my siblings so much! We owe everything to them.” I smiled fakely.

Salvatore raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Is your brother with his wife here too, Mr. Lombardo?” Nica asked him. “I haven’t seen them tonight…”

“Yes, yes they are here.” Salvatore’s gaze snapped off of me and back to her. 

“Oh, that’s lovely, I would love to say hi!” She said again.

“I bet you would…” He murmured. 

Nica glared at me again, after I failed to swallow down a small laugh, and I quickly got back to serious mode.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you?” She turned to Salvatore again.

“I can…” He looked at me, smirking. “I can go get my brother, then you can introduce us to your other children as well. Nancy has a great love for children, I’m sure she will be thrilled.” He told Nica.

I raised my eyebrows in shock. Nica was practically about to die from excitement. I would have sworn that obviously wealthy businessmen, like Salvatore and Lorenzo, would have things much better to do and people much more important than my siblings and I to meet. But as soon as Jason got to stay with Cindy and I, I was not going to complain.

Salvatore started walking away, to find his brother and I was left alone with Nica. 

“Tonight is going too well as far! His brother is that businessman I was talking to you about; the one who’s interested in the mansion that we’re selling. You –and also tell the others- have to behave as well as you can in front of them, for Jason’s sake.” My dear foster mother murmured in my ear, as we walked together towards the spot my siblings and I had been sitting at before. 

I raised my eyes to look at her. She was wearing a smiling faucet and had one of her arms over my shoulders as we walked. What a lovely mother-daughter like relationship we must appear to have… 

Too bad it was all just an act. 

I nodded at her uninterested. 

“Oh, and tell that little brat of a sister that you have, that if she asks one more time when we’re leaving, she’s sleeping outside tonight. And she better act all cute and girly in front of them, she’s the youngest one of you three, and therefore our best chance of winning Mrs. Lombardo, and her husband by extension.” She added and once again I nodded and murmured an ‘okay’. 

“Oh finally here you are!” Cindy jumped off the bar-stool she had been sitting on, when she saw us coming. “Nica, I’m bored, do we-”

I quickly ran by her side and whispered a ‘shut the f**k up’ in her ear, still with a fake smile plastered on my face. Thankfully she did, even though she did turn to glare at me in defense and confusion at the same time. I signaled to her that I’ll tell her later and she didn’t speak again.

“Where have you been?” Jason, who was still at the same spot I had left him, asked me, when Nica went a few steps away, calling John on the phone to tell him to come here right away. We had to play family anyway.

“You’ve literally asked me like three times already, as I told you before on the phone I was looking for Nica, then she found me and as we were coming here she stopped and started talking with some guy. Get off my ass!” I snapped at him and he held his hands up in defense, laughing at my outburst. 

I rolled my eyes and turned to Cindy again. “Stop annoying her, or I can see you sleeping in the porch tonight! And act cute and girly in front of those people that are coming, she said.” I warned her, and then turned to look at Jason. “She said that we all have to behave ourselves in front of those people, for your sake. You guys better not mess it up, this is our chance of staying together, for now at least. Oh, and I have to tell you something later.” 

“Tell us what?” Cindy asked curiously and Jason furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Later!” I said, seeing Salvatore, Lorenzo and Nancy coming our way. “Nica!” I whisper-yelled, while discreetly moving my hands to get her attention. When she finally looked at me I motioned towards them with my head and she walked with John, to where we were standing.

❦❦❦

Nica had introduced all of us to the men that had saved my life the night before and Nancy, bragged a little about our ‘happy family’ and then started talking mostly with Nancy and Lorenzo about the benefits of that mansion that she was oh-so-desperately  trying to get rid of, while we were just standing there, like mannequins, with smiling faucets on our faces, waiting patiently. 

Salvatore had tried to make a small conversation with me at some point, but when he saw the look on my brother’s face and the terror on mine, he saved it, by making similar questions to my siblings as well and then going back to talking with ‘the grown-ups’. 

Once again, I was bored, but Cheryl offered me a quick way out of that, by calling me. I ended the call and quickly texted her the I would call her back, before excusing myself to go to the restroom. 

“Hey slut, I can’t talk for long, but you won’t believe who’s here!” I said the second she picked up her phone. I hadn’t gone to the restroom, but in a small indoors sitting area, where I was all alone, other than a few waiters walking in and out of a door that was in this room, which most likely hid the kitchen.

“Oh my god, who?” She asked excitedly. 

I paused for a second, which was enough to remember everything that had happened yesterday and then take a few deep breaths manifesting that I’m okay and that those monsters are dead and can’t bother me again. 

“Ali?” Cheryl snapped me back to reality.

I took a deep breath. “I’m here. And so is Salvatore!” I smiled.

“Wait what? Who? That model like man with the Porsche from yesterday? Your hero slush guardian angel? With the dark hair and the stubble and the light eyes? The at least ten years older than you and with the 2+ meters’ height Salvatore? The one whose suit jacket we burnt and threw away today?” She squirmed excited over the phone. 

“You really had to make this, this  extra, didn’t you?” I laughed a little. “Yes, that one. Oh, and his eyes are baby-blue, my favorite color, and also I never said he’s my hero or guardian angel. That’s all-” I paled, turning around and noticing Salvatore standing there looking at me, smirking. “-you… I hate you.” I muttered to Cheryl on the phone and hang up on her, while she most likely realized what had just happened and started squirming and laughing. 

I cleared my throat. “So, uh… how long have you been here?” I asked nervously, while praying for like an earthquake or anything of that sort, that would rescue me from that moment of pure embarrassment. 

His smirk only grew, as he kept looking at me, and he just shrugged. 

I bit my bottom lip nervously, as a blush equally as embarrassing as my current situation, started creeping up my cheeks. 

I felt his eyes on my lips for a second, but they quickly found mine again. 

“It isn’t polite to ditch people to talk on the phone.” He simply said.

“Did you follow me here?” I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to ignore the awkward, embarrassing moment that I had caused and that he obviously enjoyed a little too much. 

“Nah, I just came to take a phone-call, but I ended it, since I found a great company.” He chuckled.

“Oh god…” I hid my blushing mess of a face behind my hands in pure embarrassment. 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, I’ve already forgotten about it.” He said again, but his laugh and his arrogant expression told me otherwise. 

“Good, cause we should go back out anyway.” I tried to slip away from this mess, and made a few steps towards the door to get out of here, but I was stopped when Salvatore’s hand lightly gripped my arm and he pulled me back, close to him.

Shocked by his sudden move, I flinched away and made a few steps back as I suddenly started hyperventilate. With my one hand over my chest and the other one behind my back, instinctively searching for somewhere to lean on, I started stumbling backwards.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing, when my hand finally found a wall behind me and I leaned on it before slowly kneeling to the floor.

I opened my eyes again to the word ‘breath’ following or being followed by my name. Salvatore was kneeled right in front of me, not making any move to touch me however. He handed me the glass of sparkling wine that he was holding, telling me that I needed to dampen my mouth and with trembling hands I brought it to my mouth and drank two small sips. 

A couple moments later my breathing was back to normal, same as my heartbeats and I was trying to overcome my panic attack, with Salvatore still trying to help me. 

With the back of my palms I patted my forehead and cheeks, to take away the terrible feeling of cold sweat. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I- I don’t know what took over me!” I kept repeating to him.

“Shh, calm down, okay? It is my fault, I forgot for a moment. I shouldn’t had touched you, especially when you didn’t expect it.” He said reassuringly. 

“No, no It’s not your fault, oh god, this was so f*****g rude, I’m so sorry. You barely even touched me and I- I-” 

“Shh! Breath! None of this is your fault.” His tone was gentle, but it left no room for further objections from my part. 

“Sorry…” I gave him a small smile.

“Stop apologizing.” He said in the same tone.

“Sorry- I mean sor-oh my god!” I groaned with myself as he grinned at me, showing me his perfect pearly white teeth.

I smiled at him as well. 

“Can I have some more? My throat is dry.” I pointed to his drink that I had left on the floor next to me. 

He raised an eyebrow and I smiled innocently. “Just one sip.” He agreed.

I happily grabbed the glass and swallowed one generous sip of my favorite drink, Moscato d'Asti, accidentally spilling a few drops that started running from the corner of my lips. 

Salvatore grabbed a napkin from a pile that was neatly placed on a coffee table of the sitting area and brought it close to my face, but abruptly stopped before touching me. “May I?” He asked, our eyes locked and for a few seconds we just stood there face to face.

With the small distance between us, I found the opportunity to take in the beautiful features of his handsome face; his elegantly thick eyebrows, eyes as blue as the summer sky or the waters of a tropical sea, accompanied by long, dark eyelashes, a long, straight nose, high cheekbones perfectly highlighting his face, full, pinkish lips, and a jawline -that looked like it could even cut diamonds- framed by neatly shaved dark stubble.

Finally, I snapped out of it and nodded, swallowing hard and slightly biting my bottom lip, as he softly patted on the few drops that had run from the corner of my lips, all the way down to my chin.

His eyes rested on my lips for a couple of moments, before they locked with mine once again. My heart started beating like crazy -though this time in a good way- as butterflies filled my stomach, thinking that he was about to kiss me. I shut my eyes closed in anticipation, and other than unconsciously licking my lips, I remained still as a statue.