red. “I mean, everything is just so hectic, you know?” I didn’t know, but it was obvious from the way she reacted that she was saying too much. “Anyway, tell me about you.” She placed her hand on her chin. “Have you chosen your major yet?”
“Not yet.” I gnawed on my bottom lip. “I know what I want to be, I’m just not sure how to get there. I need to keep my GPA up for my scholarship, so I’m just trying to get my prerequisites out of the way first.”
“That’s a good plan.” The ringing of her cell blasted out, and she sighed, showing me the name Romeo on her screen. She clicked ignore, grinning as it started immediately ringing again. “That’ll teach him.” She pushed her shoulders back, looking super proud of herself. She placed it on the middle of the table, and we both watched as he called her over and over again. “I need Mateo back,” she whined.
I wanted to tell her I knew how she was feeling. I hadn’t seen him once since the morning in the apartment, and however needy it sounded, I just wanted to see him one more time. I wanted to know I didn’t imagine the look in his eyes as he stared down at me on his bed. I wanted to know that he felt the connection that I did.
Aida’s cell rang again, but this time the name Lorenzo flashed on the screen. “Should have known,” she ground out, picking her cell up and holding it to her ear. “Hello?” She grinned at me as she listened to the person on the line. She paused. “Yes?” She tilted her head. “I’m with a friend.” Tapping her fingers on the table, she asked, “Where are you?” I took a gulp of my coffee now that it had cooled down. “I told you, I’m with a friend.” She raised her brows, the silence stretching. “Yeah, well, Romeo is boring. He didn’t say a single word to me on the way here.” Her nostrils flared, her annoyance loud and clear. “I do. He messed up my chi.” She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. My chi. I haven’t even been able to go to classes he messed it up that much.”
I bit down on my bottom lip to hold my laugh in. She was being dramatic, but I had no doubt she knew that.
“I need you to come get me.” I heard the deep baritone over the line and then her eyes widened. “You are?” She took a drink of her coffee, trying to down it but shivering at the action. “Why didn’t you start with that? I’ll be out in two minutes. Just going to say bye to my friend.”
She grabbed her bags and turned to face me as she ended the call. “Hubby saved me from a silent ride with Romeo.” She chuckled but couldn’t contain her grin. She stood, tapping on the table. “Let’s do this again.”
“Okay.” I nodded, not sure if we would. It was what most people did to be polite, but as she rushed out of the store, I couldn’t help but hope we could. I’d never had a real friend. Maybe she could be my first.
MATEO
Being a member of the Beretta Mafia wasn’t just about the mansions and money. That was just a front for the people from the outside looking in. It was about brotherhood—trust—but it was also full of deception. There was always someone waiting in the ranks to take you down, and today was no different.
The Enterprise had been in place for decades, but the more meetings we attended, the clearer it was becoming that what used to work with Lorenzo’s dad, Luca, no longer fit the situations we were in.
Lorenzo spoke of a time when The Enterprise would work together, but as I stood here staring at two of its members around the table, I knew it was no longer the case.
We’d already lost trust in the side organization that was meant to keep all of us safe from each other, so now it was about building the bridges. Which meant showing them that we meant business. That we’d have their backs.
Lorenzo leaned back in his seat, swiping his finger over his chin back and forth. “I heard you had a break-in?” He directed it to Gio Pozzi, the man who had taken over for Piero. Piero had run their family for years, until Lorenzo got rid of him.