On His Knees

Chapter 2

Caden continued to carry me back to his car. It was futile to fight back against this monster. Dad was tolerant about my training but Caden’s father was not. He’s the only heir of the Vaccarino group and it’s expected of him to carry the family after uncle Dom retires. Caden’s training was…ruthless. There was a time when he vanished for two years to undergo his father’s training. When Caden returned, he was no longer the innocent and naïve Caden I had known. He changed. And I wasn’t sure if it was for the better. Sure, the current Caden right now was what the Vaccarino family needed but his transformation was just extreme that when I met him again, I was frightened.

I grunted when he opened the car door, throwing me inside before slamming it close. I watched him walk around the car to get to the driver’s seat. Once he was in, he leaned towards to put my seatbelt on. I slapped his hands away and gave him an annoyed glare. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“Taking you back home,” he answered nonchalantly.

“Why?” I huffed, my glare not leaving. I was pissed by his attitude back at the club. “What did the man even do to you to deserve that punch?”

Caden scoffed at me and it just added more fuel to the fire. “Are you that stupid not know what that fucker’s about to do to you?” he asked, his face getting closer and closer. I was frozen. I had never seen Caden this angry before. “You’re not that naïve, aren’t you?”

I pushed him away. His breath was hot, and it smelled like that certain cigarette he always smoked mixed by what alcohol he’d been drinking. It wasn’t a scent I would love but coming from Caden, it’s incredibly exhilarating. “I am naïve. That’s why I came here for experience, right?”

Caden straightened his back and turned the engine on much to my relief. Gaining experience wasn’t the reason why I came. I just wanted to be with Caden. I hated how he’s slowly leaving me. He had new friends now. I didn’t want to be left alone. “I’ll take you home.”

My shoulders dropped in defeat. “Fine.” I wasn’t in the mood to party anyway.

“—vi. Livi.” I grunted. I could feel a hand caressing my cheek. I struggled to open my eyes and when I did, I saw Caden. I was captivated by his eyes. It’s so beautiful, I wanted to own it. “Wake up. We’re here.”

I looked around the place and realized I wasn’t in the car anymore. The color of the ceiling was unfamiliar, the bed was too large, and the sheets was—I gasped out loud as I got up. I’m not in my room! “W-where?”

Caden sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re in my room,” he informed. “I didn’t want to bring you back home so late at night. Uncle Saverio might kill me.”

“So, you brought me back at your house?” I asked sarcastically. It didn’t matter anyway. His house was like a second home to me. I used to come here often but when we started attending school, I seldom visit anymore.

“What’s the difference? At least he won’t smell the alcohol on you,” Caden said, smiling at me. I stared at him in awe. The rage he had back at the club felt like it was just a part of my imagination. He was back to being the cheerful and laidback Caden. “Your father is very protective of you. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

I stared at him. “Is that why…you did that?”

Caden stiffened. He looked at me, pulling another smile. I knew it wasn’t a real one. I had seen him smile at me thousand times already and I know when he’s faking it. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Back at the club,” I said, closing my eyes. I was still sleepy. “You…punched that man…” I stopped talking. I wanted to believe Caden attacked that guy because he’s harassing me but I’m afraid he’d deny it and say he’s only doing it to prevent anything bad to happen to his place. It’s his club after all. His father would be disappointed if I were to be involved in some sort of trouble in their territory. He wouldn’t want that, right? It’d be amazing though to know he still cares for me, even if it’s just a little bit. I know we’re not the same kids anymore and that we have our own priorities right now but I’m still in love with him.

And I wouldn’t ever tell him that. It’s a secret I had to keep if I wanted to stay with Caden.

“What?” he asked, waiting for me to continue what I was about to say.

I smiled and shook my head. “It’s nothing,” I muttered. I patted my pocket, searching for my phone but I didn’t find it. “Where’s my—?”

“Here,” Caden handed, giving my phone to me. “I already called uncle and told him you’re staying with me. He said yes.” Of course, he’d say yes. Like what Caden said, there’s no difference if I stay here at the Vaccarino house.

I checked my phone and saw it was five in the morning. Did I really sleep all through out the night after Caden brought me to his house? “What time did you wake up?” I asked.

“I’ve been up the whole night,” he nonchalantly answered.

I gaped. “What?” I couldn’t see his face well; it was dark in his room. Only the light coming from the outside lampposts illuminated the place and it wasn’t enough to see well. “Why?”

“I can’t sleep,” Caden informed, shrugging his shoulders.

I blinked at him. “You can’t? Why? Is it because I’m on your bed?”

He scoffed. “It doesn’t matter if someone’s on my bed or not,” he said, rolling his eyes at me while flashing me a playful grin. “I’m just not fond of sleeping. That’s all.”

“There’s no human who’s not fond of sleeping,” I retorted, giving him back the same eye-roll he gave me.

“Not for us, no.” Caden turned his back on me and walked to the couch. He looked like an ominous figure sitting on the corner with his hands inside his pockets. I could tell he was looking at me. His eyes were almost shining, it was as if he was a cat. “I need to make sure no one’s going to attack you while you’re sleeping.”

What he said made me freeze. Was this a part of his training? Caden shouldn’t feel this way, right? He’s inside his own house. The security here was almost as tight as the White House. He had no reason to feel like he’s going to be killed in his own home. “Come here,” I reckoned.

“What?”

“I said come here,” I repeated. I thought he wouldn’t budge but when he stood up and walked back to me, I smiled in relief. I pulled his hand and made him lie beside me. Caden’s body was tensed. I knew he could easily push me off. His strength couldn’t compare to how feeble I was, but he didn’t struggle. He just let me put the covers over him, tucking him securely beside me. “You don’t need to feel like someone’s going to kill you during sleep,” I said.

Caden laughed. “And what makes you so confident, Livi?”

“Because I’m here,” I answered confidently. “I’m not as good as you but I can scream very well. If an enemy attack us, I can just yell and everyone will be alerted, right?”

He laughed even louder, and it was music in my ears. It’s been a while since we last talked like this—just friends having fun sleeping over. I missed it. “Yeah, I like it when you scream.”

I pouted at him. “That’s rude.”

“You remember when you thought I cut a finger while we’re trying to cook together, and you screamed so loud everyone in the house came rushing to us?” Caden snickered, turning his body to properly face me. He had his arm under his head while staring at me.

“Please don’t remind me that,” I said. That incident was terrifying. It was just supposed to be an innocent cooking tutorial with the maids. I was desperate to cook dad something for his birthday and Caden helped me only to become a burden. He was so bad in cooking that I got scared when I saw him chop his fingers. I screamed so loud that almost everyone in the house ran to with guns in fear someone attacked us.

“It was funny,” Caden said, chuckling. “You’re so innocent, Livi. It makes me want to protect you even more.”

I stared at him, my eyes going as wide as saucers. “What?”

He closed his eyes, smiling. “Your smell, it’s relaxing,” he said. His voice was tired, and the tension he had after getting into bed vanished. I stared at his face and for the nth time I was reminded how beautiful he was. “Don’t…leave me, okay?”

“Never.”

I woke up from the sound of Caden’s voice. I opened my eyes and looked around his room. Groaning, I reached for my phone to check the time. It’s already nine in the morning. Damn, I fell asleep again. “Caden? Where are you?”

I got up from the bed to search for him. I grinned when I saw him in the veranda. The sliding doors were opened, and I could hear him talking to his phone. “It’s fine. Just make sure they’ll keep their mouth shut. If not, take a finger or two. Or even an ear, I don’t care. Just threaten them.” That stopped me from approaching him. What’s he talking about? “Good. Send a new History teacher to teach Livi’s class. I got rid of the previous one.” I gasped. Caden snapped his head and saw I was standing behind him. His eyes were wide, but he relaxed as soon as he figured it was just me. “I’ll talk to you later. Livi’s awake.” He hung up the phone, putting it in his jean pocket. The solemnity he’s oozing was gone, replacing it with another fake smile. “Good morning,” he greeted. “Are you hungry? I asked the maids to prepare breakfast for us.”

Gathering all the courage, I asked, “what happened to Mr. Montez?” I tried not to get involved too much with the Mafia stuff but being Caden’s best friend, it was hard to ignore it.

Caden stared at me. He walked past me and back into his room. “If you want to take a bath before eating, you have your clothes in the dresser. Just pick anything you want.”

He’s dodging my question. “Tell me,” I urged, looking at him with furrowed brows. “I want to know.”

“And what will you do?” Caden asked, smiling at me. “Your History teacher is involved in drug trafficking and he got in trouble. That’s all.”

My jaw dropped in utter shock. Mr. Montez was an amazing teacher. For someone who teaches a boring subject, he made sure to make in interesting by giving us activities in connection with our lessons. I could never tell he’d be associated with illegal drug trading. That’s just…impossible. Mr. Montez was a kind man who prioritized his students before anything else. “T-that…that’s hard to believe,” I said.

“Some people are good in covering up their disgusting hobbies, Livi,” Caden said with a sly smile.

I took a quick bath before going down to eat breakfast with Caden. I couldn’t forget about Mr. Montez and his connection with drugs. Was he really a distributer? What group was he in? The Vaccarino? It’s possible. The school was a part of their territory. But I didn’t think people attending there would be involved in the Mafia. Or maybe Caden was right. I’m just too naïve. I came from a Mafia family but knew nothing about our business.

My older brothers kept pressing me into joining the business, but dad was against it. He told me my siblings could handle the business. I always wondered why dad was so protective of me. Was it just because I’m the youngest? I don’t think I’m his favorite out of my brothers. He’s very doting to Louis and Hugo. And dad spent most of his time with those two, training them to become the next leaders of the Saverio group. I was never an option to replace dad after he retires.

I sighed. After high school, I’m going to leave the house. I was never needed. Besides, dad had to focus on teaching my brothers how to become like him. I’m only getting in the way.

“Are you done?” Caden asked behind the door. “You left your clothes here.”

“I-I’m about to,” I answered, jolting. I was thinking about Mr. Montez that I forgot to bring my clothes in with me. I hurried to wash away the suds on my body. Once I’m done, I got out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around my waist.

Caden was waiting at me by the couch, a phone in his hand. He turned his head to look at me, sighing in disappointment. Standing up, he grabbed my clothes and walked to me. “What do you want to do today?” he asked.

I blinked. “What?”

“You don’t want to hang out with me?” Caden asked, chuckling. “It’s been a while since we last—”

“Y-yes!” I chirped, grabbing onto his shirt in pure joy. This was what I wanted for so long! Just to have Caden with me, even for just a day. “L-let’s play!” Caden stared at my face, his smile dropping. I quickly released him, backing away. “Sorry. I got a little bit excited.” I was too enthusiastic that I forgot what my thoughts were when I was inside the bathroom.

“You’re so adorable, Livi,” Caden commented, smiling at me. I was speechless. Did he just say I’m adorable? “Here,” he said, pushing me the clothes in his hand. “Put your clothes on. I’m starving. You don’t want me to eat you, right?”

I blushed but quickly walked back inside the bathroom. I didn’t want to let him see I was affected by his dirty joke.

I greeted the maid who walked past us as we entered the dining room. The second I saw the food on the table, my stomach churned in delight. I didn’t even know I was this hungry. “Oh wow,” I mumbled, appreciating how everything looked delicious.

Caden led me to one of the many tables around the rectangular table. “I asked them to make your favorite. Pancakes and bacons,” he said, grinning brightly at me.

My cheeks became red and I could feel how warm it was. “Okay. Thanks.” We sat down and began to eat breakfast. Looking around, I noticed uncle Dom wasn’t around. “Where’s your dad?” I asked.

“He’s in Prague,” Caden answered after munching his toast. “He’s in a business trip.”

Dad didn’t mention that. “I see. When is he coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Isn’t that something you should know?”

“I’m busy. He’s busy. We’re both busy,” he said, laughing. “We don’t talk much these days.”

“Too bad. I wanted to greet him,” I said.

After we eat breakfast, Caden brought me to the living room. Their house wasn’t as big as ours, but I loved it even more than my own. It sucked that I have to be bullied my two brothers every time we see each other at my house. They always make me feel like I’m not a part of the family. I’d rather live with the Vaccarinos. Uncle Dom was scary, but he’s always been kind to me. He treated me as his own son, and I loved him for that.

“What movie do you want to watch?” he asked.

“Anything but scary,” I muttered. I hated horror movies. I used to watch a lot with Caden back when we were kids and I had nightmares every night.

“But I want a scary movie,” Caden said, pouting.

I sighed. “Fine.” I’d do anything just to be with him, even if I had to sit for an hour and a half watching a scary ass movie.

Caden’s grin lit up. “Great!”

He sat beside me, remote in his hand to browse Netflix’ list of scary movies. I was getting anxious as he picked what movie to watch. Everything looked scary. I’m sure I’d scream like a b***h again. Much to my dismay, Caden picked the most horrifying one and from the looks of it, it’s based on a true story. I flinched here and there every time there’s a jump scare. On the other hand, Caden was enjoying seeing me being tormented by the movie. He laughed every time I jumped on the seat.

Finally, the movie was done. It was exhausting to watch a horror film. “You’re such a coward, Livi,” he said, smiling at me. “I love seeing you like this.”

I rolled my eyes at him, my heart still racing. “You’re such a real friend, asshole.”

He giggled. “It’s so entertaining seeing you suffer.”

I didn’t think much of what he said. He always says weird things. “You’re just a sadist,” I teased.

Caden held my hand. I groaned when he squeezed it tight. It felt like he’s going to crush it. “T-that hurts!” His eyes sparkled as soon as I reacted from the pain. “You’re really so cute,” he said. He lets go of my hand and caressed it. “What the hell?!” I asked, glaring at him as I took my hand back. It’s throbbing!

“Sorry,” he said, his everlasting grin flashing on his face. “You’re just so cute.”

I turned my head away from him to hide my flushed cheeks. He kept telling me how adorable I was, it’s not good for my heart. “You really need a pet, you know. Something you can cuddle with.”

Caden laughed. “I don’t need it. I already have one.”

I looked at him, raising one brow in confusion. Did he have a pet I didn’t know about? “You have a pet?”

He stared straight into my eyes. “Dad has a sanctuary. There’s a lot of pets there.” I sighed. Caden’s talking about his father’s animal sanctuary. I haven’t seen it yet but knowing uncle Dom’s eccentric taste, it’s not surprising for him to build a sanctuary just to view his favorite wild animals. Mob bosses were amazing. “Sometimes, dad and I play with them. They’re very…docile.”

I didn’t know why but I felt a shudder ran down my spine. Caden’s tone changed and it frightened me. He talked like he was uncle Dom. “W-what kind of sanctuary are we talking about again?”

Caden only smiled at me. “Let’s go out and play.” He stood up from the sofa and stretched his limbs. He’s wearing a plain white shirt and I could see the tattoos he’s hiding under his clothes. He’s the same age as me but it was as if he matured faster than I am. It’s…daunting how much Caden changed. He’s supposed to be my best friend, but I knew nothing about him anymore.

What happened during the two years he was gone? What did I miss?