He Loves Me Not (Mafia Love Story)

Aggressivo

Santino walked Caterina towards her house rather quickly, not because he wanted to be rid of her but simply because it was getting colder and she hadn't brought anything warm.

"I think I can take it from here, it's just two more houses down." She spoke and Santino rolled his eyes.

"I'll take you all the way." He replied.

He noticed the way her cheeks flushed as she cleared her throat and straightened her shoulder quickening her pace as they kept on the sidewalk. He wanted so desperately to wrap his arm around her shoulders, he could see the breeze nipping at her skin turning it into an almost crimson color.

Before he could do anything stupid, like act on such thoughts Caterina gasped and took a step back, her back pressing into his torso.

"If you scream, I'll kill you." The man spoke threateningly, a dark mask covered his face so neither of them could make out his features.

"I want everything, credit cards, cash, even the keys to your fancy ride kid." He pointed the gun in Caterina's face and Santino's eyes caught her slight movement on the side of her body furthest away from him.

He smirked knowingly and in the next instant, he had not only disarmed the man but also broken his elbow by uppercutting his radius.

He screamed out for a moment before Santino was behind him, holding a hand over his mouth. Caterina held the gun that the man was holding moments before and aimed it at his forehead.

"If you scream, I'll kill you," Santino spoke mockingly and they pushed him up against the fence of one of the properties.

"You knew I was carrying?" Caterina scoffed as she moved her dress back to cover up her thigh holster.

"I always know when a woman is packing." He shrugged before winking, "It's a gift."

"Search him," Caterina instructed, not acknowledging his antics and Santino reached into the man's pocket and found a wallet. Quickly Santino tossed it to Caterina who flipped it open while still holding the gun to his head.

"Mr. Adam Frederick Jameson, you've made a grave mistake," Caterina spoke, pressing the gun into his forehead.

"It's a damn shame too, I'll bet this pazzo won't even have anyone to miss him," Santino spoke as he ripped the man's mask from his face.

"Well, I can't say that I've ever met you. This is a little more disappointing than I thought it was going to be." Santino twisted the man's arm harder.

"Stop. Let him answer my questions, if you scream I'll hit you." Caterina spoke and Santino was stunned momentarily.

He removed his hand and the man sighed roughly before speaking, "I don't give a damn who you people are. I just want my money."

Caterina grabbed the man by the bridge of his nose, squeezing her nails into his skin and bringing him to eye level.

He groaned in protest as she spoke, "What makes you think that I have your money?".

He didn't answer and Santino twisted his arm, making him cry out.

"Alright! We-we got a tip from some wop-" Santino pressed on his arm, "Ah! I mean an Italian man that you two had a load of money that belonged to him and if I got it back for him we'd split it His name is Fontana, that's all I know I swear to God."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Caterina lowered the gun.

"Let him go," she spoke.

"What? What are you talking about we need to get him to your father he-" Caterina shook her head.

"I will deal with my father, this man clearly doesn't even know enough to save his own life." Santino was quiet for a moment, he knew she was right but to let him go and get away with threatening their lives?

"Santino. Let him go, nothing will come of taking him now. Let him lead us to him." Caterina spoke once again, this time it seemed calmer to him.

Reluctantly he let him go, keeping his wallet in his hand.

"I think I'll hang on to this, for safe keeping," Santino spoke. The man only scurried off the ground and onto his feet before running as fast as he could from the two of them.

Caterina sighed once he was out of sight and handed the gun to Santino, "You'd better hang onto this, for safe keeping." The corner of her mouth turned up into a half smile and he nearly chuckled.

"Let's get you home." He nodded before taking the gun and shoving it into his pants waist, guiding her towards the gates with his hand on her back.

The security camera let them in and he walked her to the door, to her surprise he said nothing, only held her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand.

He departed, and left her on the front step, slowly twisting the knob and letting herself in.

She had but only one moment to herself before her father walked down the stairs.

"Caterina, how was your night?" He questioned.

She stood up straighter and turned to face him.

"It was quite eventful, come let's have a word." She sighed as they walked up the stairs towards his study.

Once all was said and done Caterina's father made a phone call to a few men to pay a visit to the man and then to retrieve Santino De Marco.

"I think it's best you get some rest now, we will talk more tomorrow." He nodded in her direction and sat down in his chair.

"Goodnight," Caterina spoke as she gripped onto the door handle and let herself out of her father's study.

As the silk and lace caressed her body after a shower and a nightly routine consisting of various creams and serums she sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair. She was frustrated, mostly at herself but partly at her father for not trusting her with this assignment. Before she could think on it longer, Caterina jumped at the sound of a door slamming from down the hall.

She rushed out from her bedroom being sure not to wake up her sister or mother, as she neared the top of the stairs she could faintly make out Santino's back. He looked tense and his fists shook at his sides as he muttered to himself. Before she could sneak back into the shadows, the cold marble tickled her feet and slowly made tingles run up and down her body until the smallest sneeze escaped from her.

Santino turned and she cursed internally, there she stood at the top of the stairs in a silk-lace pajama set and a sheer robe to cover her arms. She flushed red as Santino gracefully climbed the stairs, his eyes never leaving hers.

"It's late, your father said you'd gone to sleep," Santino spoke.

"My father sent me to my room like an insolent child, what are you doing here?" Caterina crossed her arms and took notice of how Santino's eyes dipped down towards her chest momentarily.

"Your father is sending me away for a few days, he wants me to do some recon and surveillance for him. I should be back by Monday, things should clear up by then." Santino replied.

Caterina was stunned momentarily.

"Oh."

He smirked and turned to leave, placing his right hand on the rail as he descended the stairs slowly.

Before he reached the door he turned to face Caterina and winked once before quietly exiting the house.

~~~~~

The next morning Caterina awoke to her sister sitting on the bed next to her, smiling and shaking her.

"Luciana...what is it?" Caterina questioned.

"Mama and Papa went to a dinner party up near Vegas, so they won't be back until Sunday morning. Can we go to the mall please Caterina, I just want to pick out some outfits for the party next weekend."

Caterina rolled her eyes and reached underneath her pillow for her phone.

She checked her phone for any new messages.

Sighing from a mix of disappointment and another unknown emotion, Caterina sat up and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not?" Anything to get her mind off of the events of the previous night.

"Cat you're the best sister ever, I'll meet you downstairs in an hour. We can take your car!" Luciana hugged Caterina's shoulders and hopped down from the bed. '

Caterina decided to wear something casual and she pulled a designer graphic t-shirt from her closet along with a pair of shorts. As soon as she walked down the stairs, Luciana was already picking car keys and slipping a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.

The trip to the mall was as exhausting as Caterina predicted it would be, Luciana wouldn't be herself unless she's tried every dress in her size on at the store. Eventually, Caterina managed to persuade her sister to get lunch with her and they made their way to the food court.

"Cat?" Luciana spoke suddenly and Caterina looked up from her Caesar salad.

"Is Santino a mean person?" She continued, and Caterina nearly spat her water out.

"What?" She replied, worried that something might have happened.

"It's just that he looks so angry all of the time, I'm just wondering if he is one of those brooding types." She shrugged and Caterina pondered this for a moment before answering.

"He's...complicated. I can tell there is a lightness to his personality, but he's very cautious about who he shares that side of himself with. He's a guarded man." She replied, and then her mind wandered to the chuckle he'd allowed himself after their near-death experience.

She felt her stomach doing flips and she took a sip of her water as Luciana continued.

"Guarded like papa? I mean, you know how he is, ever since...mama's affair." She said the last two words in a hushed tone as if their mother could hear them from Las Vegas.

"He should've known better." Caterina shrugged and Luciana gasped.

"Caterina! How could you say something like that?" She asked.

"Infidelity comes with money, there is no such thing as true love to those who can cast aside a sacred vow." She replied nonchalantly.

"Do you think mom cheated because she isn't in love with him?" Luciana questioned.

"I don't know, all I know is papa gave her a second chance and this time her love can't be borrowed." She spoke before taking another bite of her salad.

They finished their lunch in silence, only speaking about clothes and other miscellaneous topics of interest. Eventually, they made their way to the parking lot and piled in their loads of bags into the trunk.

When they arrived back at the house, it was nearly sunset and Caterina checked her phone once more, still nothing.

Once inside the house, she rid herself of her coat, giving it to the guard standing by the door and heading up the stairs to her room to get dressed for bed. It had been such a long day she wasn't sure she was up for anything else.

Freshly washed and ready for bed, Caterina made her way over to the curtains and moved to close them but before she could, a slight movement in her field of vision caught her attention. She darted for her dresser and pulled out a handgun, slipping into her hand and checking to make sure it was loaded, she moved from the room into the hall.

Even in a nightgown and sheer robe she stalked the halls, when she came to the first guard she tapped his shoulder.

"Miss," the guard greeted her.

"We need to place the house on arrest, there is someone in the perimeter. Send someone to check on my sister, but do not alarm her." He nodded and did as he was told.

She made her way down the winding staircase and towards the back room near the patio doors, suddenly she was approached by the same guard.

"Miss Luciana is not in bed, we can't find her anywhere-" Before he could say anything more, the window alarm in Luciana's room went off and Caterina was sprinting up the stairs, the guard trailing right behind her.

She burst into the room, weapon drawn and Luciana shrieked.

"Cat?! What the hell are you doing? Why is there an obnoxious alarm in my room!" She shouted over the repetitive alarm.

Caterina made her way over to the window with her weapon still drawn and looked outside, pointing her gun down before shutting the alarm off.

When she turned back around to face her sister, the guard from the hallway was reaching underneath her bed and attempting to drag a man out from underneath.

"Get off me!" He shouted in a thick Irish brogue accent.

Caterina drew her weapon once more, aiming it right at the Irishman.

"Jesus! Who are you, people?" He questioned and Caterina furrowed her brow as the guard attempted to grab ahold of him as he stood up.

"You mean you're not here for my sister?" She questioned with doubt.

"Of course I'm here for her! I'm her god damned boyfriend." Caterina lowered her weapon momentarily.

"Boyfriend?" She asked.

Luciana spoke, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I couldn't I mean, I know I don't know a lot about our Famiglia, but I know that this isn't something our parents would approve of. What Cathal and I have is-"

"Get out," Caterina spoke to the man and interrupted Luciana in the middle of her sentence.

"What? Cat, please-" Luciana attempted to plead with her sister and Caterina shook her head.

"No, I need you to leave right now if you still want to leave with your life." She threatened and Luciana's boyfriend seemed to get the picture. He took one last look at Luciana before being escorted to the front door and away from the property.

Caterina turned to face her sister.

"We have much to discuss, sit."

~~

After sitting with Luciana for quite some time, Caterina had come to a solution.

"This boyfriend of yours, Cathal, he is important to you?" Caterina questioned once more as she paced the room.

"I told you," Luciana sighed, "he makes me happy, he just got his visa but he wants to work! I want to see him Cat!"

Caterina stopped pacing and looked to the guard and then back down at her sister, as she sat in the middle of the room on a chair and a guard standing at the door Caterina realized what this might have looked like to an outsider. She sighed and shook her head, Luciana is no more guilty than Cathal is criminal. They're both just in love, and love makes fools of us all.

"I'll keep your secret, but only if you promise to meet this man away from our property and without any security." She spoke finally.

Luciana smiled broadly and wiped her tears from her eyes, "Oh Cat, thank you! I'm so happy, I promise you won't regret this."

"Get some sleep, mama and papa will be home tomorrow and we have to think of something to tell them." Caterina sighed before leaving her sister's room.

She quietly walked down the hall, only the sound of the guard's soles hitting the marble resounded through the hallway.

"You can keep a secret can't you..." Caterina trailed off as she realized she didn't know this guard's name.

"Anthony, Anthony Russo." He replied and she stopped in her tracks.

"Russo...as in Michael Russo?" She questioned and looked up into his eyes.

"He's my father, I'm his bastard." He spoke and his green eyes seemed to grow darker as he said that.

They continued walking and Caterina learned that Anthony had worked for her family as a favor to his father for several years. He worked as her father's driver for a couple of years before being assigned to the house detail.

"You went to Westwood as well?" She questioned as they came to a halt outside of her door.

"Yes, I graduated about three years before you. I worked for my father for a while before I was asked to come here and work, my father's wife couldn't stand to have me around once she learned who I truly was." He explained.

Caterina couldn't believe that all this time they had been under the same roof and she'd never even bothered to look at him. She felt shame and she cleared her throat to speak.

"I'm sorry if I ever offended you, I often make it a point to see that I know everyone in the house personally however...these past few years haven't been kind." She spoke.

"No, they haven't." He shook his head and she looked up to see sadness swimming in his eyes and she averted her gaze quickly.

"Goodnight, Anthony." She spoke as she opened her door.

"Goodnight, Caterina."

PAZZO: crazy/lunatic