Riding Dirty: Luciotti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) - Kara Hart Page 0,11

didn't stick around. I would have to come up with a better story than he got too tired for walks home.

Right now, I was just focused on the next day. I had work and another full day of being a parent.

* * *

The next day, I was stuck with another double. That, of course, meant extra hassle with Carmelo. There was always something going on with him. Whether the pastries came out wrong, or the government was too corrupt, he would always have his morning rant hot and ready for me.

“I don't want you speaking with that man!” Carmelo stood by the register, cleaning glasses, his face stricken with fear and confusion.

“Why not?” This Lucas guy was a dick and all, but that's it. He was just some tough guy from a fucked up city. Sure, he wasn't my cup of tea, but I picked up on his vine pretty quick.

“I just don't trust him. He worries me,” he said. He looked like he had seen a ghost. “Have you seen his tattoos?”

I sighed loudly. Old men were hard to deal with, especially when they were from the “old country.” They were so set in their ways that there was no use in arguing with them. I, on the other hand, was a girl who loved to argue.

“Carmelo, just because someone has tattoos doesn't mean they are automatically a terrible person.” I shook my head and counted the drawer.

“Not just a terrible person!” He exclaimed, raising a wild finger into the air. “He's a gangster! A thug! Did you see his hands the other day? They were covered in blood. And I'm positive it wasn't marinara sauce!” His voice grew louder and shakier.

“A thug? Really? Look, I won't go out of my way to talk to him. But if he comes in, we can't exactly turn him away. If he wants to eat, he's gonna eat,” I reasoned.

“Don't give me that good neighbor crap! I saw what he did to the Matkins boy across the street. He was hanging on that fence for at least an hour. Is that how we treat people here? Good neighbor, my ass!”

I didn't have much of a response. He did have a point. Thing was, I didn't really care what he was or where he came from. “Whatever he’s doing here, I'm sure he won’t be staying for long. Hopefully none of us will have to deal with him much longer. It's not like I really like the guy either, you know. Trust me for once. He’ll be gone before you know it.”

“That's what I'm afraid of,” he mumbled his words and walked into the kitchen to bake his quiche.

“What's his problem?” I wondered to myself. There was so much wrong with Carl’s life, it was hard to even put stock in anything he said. I know he had a hard life and all, but did he really understand what I'd been through? When he was busy showing me all that was wrong in his life, did he ever stop to consider what was wrong in mine? Not that I expected him to. I kept my past bottled up so tight, it would be a miracle if anyone did.

The morning rush was so slow, I could’ve died. Instead of ringing customers up, I was stuck daydreaming while Carmelo shouted to himself in the kitchen. I thought about the day we left Seattle and all the things we had thrown away for good.

My parents were no good. They welcomed our departure with open arms. They loved Cade, my ex-boyfriend. They thought he was the golden boy of the century. But that was all a part of his web of lies and tricks. I was made to look like the bad person.

Only I knew the real Cade. I understood his level of deceit and manipulation. But my family was quick to disown me. They said I was a bad mother. They actually tried to take Jennifer away from me.

So I did what I had to do. When Cade was out on one of his infamous benders, I packed everything I could. Jennifer was just a little girl. She didn't know what was happening. She was scared, but less scared than I was at the time. She was stoic, like a gentle angel. Of course, I had to be the bearer of bad news, that we would be leaving that town forever.

No more house on the water, no more rainy days tapping against the pines and windowsills,