CHAPTER ELEVEN

ROMANO

I watched as the taxi drove off, feeling like I should have convinced her to stay over. The thought of someone hurting her on her way clawed at my mind, I shook my head violently, almost like I wanted to shake the thought away.

Lynn… God… She looked beautiful, but stressed, like she hadn't been sleeping, like life was tough. All I wanted to do was kiss her pain away, and make it all better, I heard someone say "Kisses heal". Not in this situation though, Lynn would never, not now.

I walked back into the house with the thought of her slithering in my brain like a freaking snake. 

I checked the time, it was still late, it was going to be a long night, again. I had problems with sleeping. I had tried every sleeping med I could think about, and every sleeping pill doctors could prescribe, but still nothing. 

I never used to have sleeping issues until the fight with my uncle, the late-night work to make sure I got the house back, and messing with my sleeping schedule.

I decided to settle with a glass of scotch and the thought of Lynn, Katelyn rather, on my mind.

I woke up… wait… I slept, I really slept. I leaped from the bed, a broad smile on my face, I felt refreshed and lighter. Like I could take on the world. I called on my maid to get me breakfast, and she had this confused look on her face that said, "Are you okay?" I sent her off quickly, not giving her room to ask any questions.

I was dressing up for work when I heard my phone ring, it was my secretary. "Make it snappy Rodriguez", I said when I picked up the call. 

"Your uncle and cousin are here sir", he replied. 

"What the hell do those greedy bastards want", I said to myself after dropping the call. Uncle Marcello was bent on giving me hell, I realized, and if he wanted hell, then I'll give him, as I am hell's gatekeeper. I smiled coyly in my head, as I left for work.

"You look well Romano, I am proud of you, son", uncle Marcello said as he sat across from me in my office. Bile rose in my throat, sitting across the possible murderer of my parents. Anger surged through me but the thought of her, Lynn. How that name does magic to my body. I need to call her, maybe right after this scumbag leaves. 

"Go straight to the point, uncle, I have meetings to attend to", I replied to him, with a bored expression on my face. I didn't want him to see how his presence unnerved me, how it affected me. He laughed sardonically, " I heard President Chalvarez of Charl and Z companies had a meeting with you, what was it about", he said. His gaze pierced and mocked me like he was daring me to lie or deny it. How did he know? Who told him? No one knew about my meeting with Charl and Z companies. 

I smiled, covering up the tension building in my chest, "Nothing serious, we discussed my father and the growth of the company, and he wanted me to mentor his son". I was not lying, but it wasn't entirely true. There was more, but I wasn't going to let him in on that. He smiled again, then frowned almost immediately, " don't fuck me over kid, he said standing up from the chair. 

"We're bloody family and families don't fuck each other over", he continued but this time with a sinister smile on his face. 

Immediately after he left, I picked up my phone and called my best friend Rossi, he was the only one I could talk to at this moment, at any moment.

"How fast can you get here Rossi", I said into the receiver when he picked up.

"Good morning to you too dear friend, I just came home, and my headaches. But give me 40 minutes", he replied.

"Make it 30, Rossi, it's quite urgent ", I said before hanging up.

Nobody knew about that visit, it became obvious to me, that there was a mole in my company.

"You need to Chill Mio Fratello", you're shaking like a leaf. We just need to conduct a thorough investigation and find out who the mole is ", Rossi said when he finally came to the office. He had this annoying but wonderful calmness, even when the world was falling apart. He could never be unnerved, maybe not never, but hardly. 

I looked away, into the view outside my views, clenching my teeth in anger and rubbing my jaw roughly. I hated feeling this way, feeling like I was back in a corner. I didn't want my Uncle's words to always get to me. 

" I understand, that's a longer plan, I mean immediate plan, what do I do now?" I said, sounding on the edge. Rossi stood up from the chair he was lounging on, walked up to me, and said, with his hand on my shoulders, " I think you should calm down Fadelo. Just calm, don't make me rash decisions. Take a girl for the night, go to the club, okay?"

Girl… A girl… Shit… Lynna. I rushed to my table, slightly pushing Rossi. Rushing to call Lynna. Who needed drinks and girls when my girl Lynna was there? 

My girl…

Did I say, my girl? 

Was she yet…

Shit doesn't matter, I have to call her.

"Are you okay Romano, you look like a sprinting deer", Rossi said to me, as he watched my every move.

"I need to call Lynna, it's quite urgent", then I remembered, I hadn't told him I met Lynna again.

"Cazzo Mio Fradelo, Lynna is back? Here in Venice?" He almost screamed. 

I looked at him, excitement in my eyes, "She came to my house yesterday with a gun pointed to my face and told me I killed her father. It was sexy though, her with the gun". 

I knew I sounded crazy, but trust Rossi to call me out, "You're crazy man, how would a girl almost blowing your dumb head of be sexy, and that aside, how the fuck will she think you killed her papa", he said, still almost screaming. 

"You're yelling Rossi, it's noisy. First I would do that to win her heart, but I don't have evidence and neither does she, second it must have been the determined look and fearlessness on her face that I found sexy. I can't imagine the pain she must have been through man. She looked sick, really sick", I said to him as I settled on my chair, swinging my phone.

"Let me guess, you promised to help her find her Papa's killer, no?" He asked, his browns curling up mischievously.

I nodded yes, so he continued, "Be careful man, you already have a lot on your plate, you don't need more. Moreover, she dumped your ass".

I rolled my eyes and replied, "She didn't dump me, it's not like we're dating Rossi, that's not how one-night stands work".

He laughed and replied, "Tell that to your sorry ass, who's falling in love with someone who slept with you, and paid you after". 

I hate this stupid dude.