Anastasia
Ah, the man-child that is Luigi Sorvino. I roll my eyes when he says he is there to escort me to our seats. I play along, though, acting as the little bratva princess that I am.
There are times that I speak to him, and he completely exhausts and irritates me. He’s a playboy, and he knows it, flirtatious and good-looking but a braggart.
Then there are times the handsome devil makes me laugh. I mean, laugh so hard that I forget life’s shortcomings and problems for a while and just feel free.
Tonight he looks to be in a mischievous and entertaining mood which will hopefully calm my nerves. I can feel the weight of the gun strapped to my leg, and I feel uneasy as I sit at the table.
How would I explain to everyone here why I have a weapon strapped to me? Lord, please don’t let anyone notice. My father would be furious.
I glance around at who has already arrived and note we are still waiting for a few people.
Luigi draws my attention to him when he asks me, “How was your day? I passed you in the city today, going to lunch, and I see you were meeting friends.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you stalking me now?” It’s an innocent enough question.
Luigi laughs. “No, sorry. I don’t have that much time on my hands.” He leans in. “I think I know your friends, though. I’m almost sure I’ve met them before. What are their names?’
I give a quick, short “ha” of a laugh and follow it with, “Don’t act like you’re this sweet innocent person, Luigi Sorvino. If I told you their names, you still wouldn’t put two and two together because you can’t keep track of the girls you bed.”
Luigi has the grace to blush and grin at me. “Well, when you say it like that. Ana.”
“Am I wrong?” I ask, raising an eyebrow knowingly.
“I’m just searching for the right woman to settle down with, you know? You can’t tell me what the best cheese is if you haven’t sampled all the flavors!” Luigi chuckles, his arm casually draped over the back of my chair.
I nod as though some wise knowledge was sarcastically thrust upon me. “Ah, I see. And in a couple of years when your various…” I pause, “flavors,” I smile, “come up and say these tiny cocktail cheeses belong to you. What will you do then? Assuming you’ve found the best cheese.”
“A real man knows to always protect himself from unwanted…” I can see he’s searching for a good word, “mold.”
He says it so confidently, but it sounds so bad that I burst out laughing, placing a hand over my mouth.
“Okay, that sounds more like a disease than a child analogy,” he admits sheepishly.
I nod. “At least we know your feelings on children.”
“I’m an amazing uncle,” he says, removing his arm and sitting straighter.
I shake my head, but I’m smiling brightly. “No one denies that, Luigi. Just whether or not you’d be a father with only your wife.” A few nearby family members laugh.
“Is she giving you a hard time?” Natalia asks, coming up behind me and kissing my head.
Luigi smiles at her, “No, ma’am, she’s just schooling me.”
“Well, be careful. Russian women are really dangerous,” Natalia warns, going around the table and sitting opposite us.
Natalia leans on her elbows. “Any idea what’s on the menu?”
“I briefly passed the kitchen, and I saw lots of platters of mouthwatering garlic bread steaming away! Ready to come to this table.” Luigi grins, rubbing his hands together.
I fall silent as he and Natalia, my first cousin, once removed, start talking.
I try to pay attention, but as I watch Natalia, I realize I don’t even know where she came from. One minute she was in Europe with my second cousins, her parents, but she just showed up and has been here since.
She’s a mystery all of her own.
I’m quickly distracted as everyone stands for Alessandro and Ivan walking out of the house together, followed by their wives and children.
Everyone takes their seats, the nannies take the children, and I sit back down with a smile as our wine glasses are filled. Luigi groans happily as a platter of garlic bread with melted butter is placed on our table.
“Luigi!” his grandmother calls as he reaches across before disciplining him in Italian. When she’s done, I giggle as Natalia asks, “So what did she say?”
“She said I have short arms,” he chuckles. “It’s an Italian thing that means I’m greedy.”
We all laugh under our breath as dishes upon dishes of spaghetti, meatballs, and sauces are brought out by various women of the family.
I would be lost in an Italian kitchen, but I love cooking with my babushka. I wonder if we could ever get Luigi’s grandmother and mine together and have a cook-off.
It’s a pipe dream-those sorts of fun things don’t happen in families like ours.
Luigi is talking to Natalia again about how he wants to travel through Europe, and I go over my plan again.
Arrive at the rave, and establish where Mateo is. Shoot him and exit in the chaos. I just need to get far enough away to where I can order a cab.
There’s a tinkling of glass as Alessandro gently hits the side of his glass with a fork. “Everyone, please settle. We have some news to share.” We all watch. “Before we start this festive meal, because we are celebrating, let me give you the reasons. As most of you know, the Sorvino family has united many families to achieve this beautiful and diverse group of people. However, we each still have our own territories to run, which comes with its challenges. I want to announce that should something happen to me, I have chosen my brother Francesco as my second and my brother Dominic as consigliere. I am honored to have both of you on my side.”
Everyone erupts in applause, and Frankie and Dominic stand up and shake hands with the people around them. Alessandro holds his hands up. “There is more than enough time to congratulate these old men. Let’s enjoy our meal. Cheers.”
He raises his glass, and we follow suit before taking deep sips from our glasses.
Everyone talks excitedly among themselves. Natalia turns to Luigi,
“I get he’s named Frankie as his number two, but what’s a consigliere?”
“It’s a family adviser, someone who counsels the leader of the family.” Luigi shrugs as he dishes up food. “I’m surprised it isn’t the other way around. If he’d picked Dominic over Frankie, it would have defied Frankie’s right as the older brother. Besides, Dominic has got a wiser side to him when it comes to the family business.”
I’m only half listening. My phone is buzzing beside me. I check it. It’s Juanita asking me what time I’m coming out and how far along dinner is. It’s accompanied by a photo of her with the girls. I respond and let her know I’ll message her as soon as I’m in the cab.
“What do you think, Ana?” Natalia asks me.
I look up quickly, sliding my phone into my bag. “Sorry? I was distracted.”
“What do you think of the food?” Natalia asks.
I smile. “It looks great! I can’t wait to dig in.”
I’m only half paying attention to what everyone’s saying, but Luigi is commanding the conversation.
While we’re eating dessert, he glances at me. “So what are you doing after this?”
“Going out to a rave with friends,” I grin. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“I didn’t take you for the rave kind of person,” he admits, digging into his giant bowl of ice cream.
Our eyes meet, and I feel a stinging inside of me. No, not a stinging. It doesn’t hurt. Almost like a pull, but I quickly look to my dessert. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I hope to learn everything about you,” his voice is quiet enough that only I hear him. I blush slightly and look down the table at my father, who is looking at the two of us. I offer my father a smile, and he nods slowly.
Once the dinner is over and people start leaving, I get up. “It was nice to see you again, everyone. Especially you, Luigi.” I smile at him, but before they can ask any questions, I walk to my father. “Right, I’m late to meet my friends. Will you excuse me now the dinner is done?”
“Don’t stay out too late, and be safe,” my father says. I feel embarrassed as he stands and kisses the side of my head.
“Papa, come on,” I groan softly.
“You’re never too old for your father,” he chides me with a small smile. “Now, off you go. Do you need a ride?”
“No, I’ll get a cab. Don’t worry,” I smile before saying a polite goodbye to Alessandro and Katya and leaving. Luckily Luigi is being spoken to by Natalia again, so he doesn’t offer to escort me out or ask to join in on my plans.
I order a cab from my phone and walk slightly down the road to wait for it. A guard keeps me in his sights, but that doesn’t bother me.
The cab arrives, and I climb in, messaging Juanita that I’m on my way. I take a photo in the cab and send it to her.
The cab can’t take me to the inner industrial area, but I can hear the music from a few blocks away where I get out. I walk amongst several couples making their way toward a warehouse that seems a little too active to be abandoned.
I take a deep breath and steel myself. There are two ways to make it to the top of a family as a woman these days. You can sleep your way to the top or prove your worth through actions.
Tonight, my revenge will prove I deserve a place at the top of the family.
As I reach the door, a bouncer holds out a hand. “Name?”
“Anastasia Volkov.” I try not to say it too loud. He consults a tablet the guy next to him holds and then nods. “You will be escorted to the VIP section.”
I nod as he disappears into the door and returns with another burly guard. I try to appear utterly confident as I follow this guard through an intensely busy rave party.
He takes me around a corner and through a guarded door that is the VIP section. The VIP section is raised and has its own bar. I find Juantia and the girls standing at the bar ordering shorts, and they squeal when they see me.
I plaster the biggest smile on my face and squeal, too, excited to end what her father started.
Luigi
I don’t know when she left. I finished talking to her… is it cousin? I don’t know, but I finished talking to Natalia, and when I looked up, she was gone. I wandered around for a bit but couldn’t find her anywhere.
I’m disappointed because I thought we could go to the rave together. From her social media and the few times I’ve bumped into and hung with her, she’s a blast to have a party with.
I can’t make it obvious that I want to hang out with her and drink.
Her father would not appreciate the sentiment, whether or not it’s innocent. I decide to head out to La Club and see if anyone is hanging out there before I try to find the rave scene. Maybe I can catch up with her.
I’m not really a goodbye type, but I say it to Alessandro before heading toward my car. I’m barely out the front door when I hear Frankie calling me.
“Luigi! Where are you going?”
“Out?” I smile. “Although I feel like that’s about to change.”
“No partying tonight, cous,” Dominic says, lighting a cigarette. “You’re coming with us downstairs so we can discuss the plan for the auction in detail. We cannot miss this opportunity.”
I try not to sigh, but it just escapes my mouth. Frankie raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug. “I’m just tired.”
Dominic snorts. “Bullshit. You want to go chase tail. You need to find a woman and settle down, then you won’t be so…” he looks at me and exhales. “Tired? Was it?”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, let’s get this over with before you’re both grandfathers.”
We go downstairs to a fitted-out basement office. I sit down at the table. “So it’s tomorrow?”
“We assume it’s tomorrow,” Frankie says, looking at Dominic. “We are waiting for a text to confirm exactly what time and location.”
“It’s going to happen tomorrow,” Dominic says, looking irritated. They must have had an argument about this already.
“All we know is it is going to happen. They are going to text time and location-more than likely tomorrow-and a password to use to gain entry.”
“What if the password is wrong?” I ask, but I know the answer.
“Well, you’re not leaving, so you’ll probably be shot on site.” Dominic sits down opposite me, pulling an ashtray toward himself.
“Who’s hosting?”
“A breakaway branch of the Catalans, one’s who miss their former leader. You will need to come across as a businessman. We’ve chosen you because you’re a well-kept secret, and they won’t know you are related to us. Don’t mention the Sorvino name. They hate us more than anything.”
Frankie puts his briefcase on the table and pulls out a few pages.
“These burn tonight, so memorize them.”
He hands them to me, and I go over them. “We don’t know the layout of the place, so how are we going to plan the exit?”
“According to sources,” Frankie explains, sitting next to Dominic, “each buyer is allowed two men, but you can’t just shoot this guy. One of the men who is going to be with you is going to cause a distraction. In the chaos, you will accidentally bump into the politician in the photo. That’s when you slip a knife into his heart without anyone seeing. Simple plan.
You got it?”
“Not my favorite way to give parting gifts, but I can work around it.” I memorize the guy’s facial features. Every last identifying mark that will let me recognize him.
“Luigi, you only get one shot, and then you have to exit. This is probably the most dangerous thing we’ve asked you to do.” Dominic puts out his cigarette, and his eyes bore into mine.
“We don’t know where it is, but we know the layout of the seating.
You’re going to memorize that as well,” he says seriously.
Frankie pushes a printed floor plan toward me. I take it and look at it. “We aren’t leaving until we have this down perfectly.”
“You guys act like I’m not a professional that’s done a hit before,” I mutter.
Dominic snorts, “That’s the problem. We don’t want you to come across as a hitman. You need to come across as a businessman, which you do not.”
We spend what feels like an eternity going over every possible scenario depending on where this guy, this Killian Irvin, is seated. This will influence the direction he heads in for the emergency exit. Eventually, I can’t take it anymore and stand up with a yawn. “Guys, we’ve done this every which way until Sunday. I am exhausted and will be useless if I don’t get any rest before this goes down.”
They glance at each other. I can see dark rings under their eyes as well.
“If I find out you didn’t go straight home and rest, I swear to God you’ll die before the politician tomorrow,” Dominic threatens me.
I know he means it in his own loving way, and I wave him off. “I know. I know. I’ve got everything memorized, and I’m ready. I won’t be stupid and go out tonight. I swear on my mother’s grave.”
Frankie snorts and shakes his head. “Off you go, then, Luigi. We’ll let you know the details once they’re sent, so keep your phone charged and nearby.”
I bid my farewells and leave. I am careful not to rev too loudly as I leave the property. I don’t think the boss will be too happy if I wake him, his wife, or his kids.
As promised, I drive straight back to my apartment and let myself in. I go to the little mini bar I have set up and pour myself a nightcap. Whiskey, Neat.
I sit on the sofa and sip on it, taking my phone out and browsing social media. Something is bothering me, but I can’t place my finger on it.
I leave my phone on a charging dock while I down my whiskey and have a hot shower.
My thoughts trail off as I let the heat relax me. My hand fondles my junk, and instantly an image of Anastasia is conjured in my mind.
Anastasia.
In one of those barely-there dresses she wears when she goes clubbing. Her perky tits don’t need a push-up bra to keep them up. I picture her sliding that top down, her breasts free for me to touch, lick, and nibble. My dick grows solid, and I swallow hard as I start stroking it.
Suddenly my mind is picturing her in front of me, her hand instead of mine, beating my dick off as I put my free hand against the wall and hold myself up.
My legs shake slightly, and my hips buck involuntarily as I imagine her on her knees before me.
Her lips.
The perfect roundness as they wrap around my cock.
I grunt as I get a little too ahead of myself and ejaculate on the wall, pumping my erection until it’s empty and starts to soften.
I watch the cum slide down the wall.
What the hell am I thinking? If I even so much as look at Ana sexually, I’m a dead man. Alessandro would probably help Ivan kill me.
I tilt the shower head to wash my juices off the wall and down the drain. I start washing up, banishing the thoughts from my mind.
I mean, I’ve always thought she was attractive, and she’s my type, but I’ve never thought of her that way while my dick is hard. I don’t even know what brought that on.
I take a few shaky breaths and clear my head. Compartmentalizing is what I’m best at as a killer, so I tuck the dirty thoughts about her deep in my mind. Instead, I bring up the memorized maps of the job I need to take care of to go over the possible scenarios.
Once I’m clean, I get out and wrap a towel around me. I go to the front room, where my phone is on its docking station charging, and check for messages.
Nothing.
Curiosity, though, gets me, and I open my social media to go to her profile.
Weird.
There are no photos from tonight at all.
Now, I know Anastasia, and she always posts photos. You could practically follow her all over the city through her photos. It bugs me that there isn’t one photo. In fact, there aren’t any posts at all past lunchtime.
I exit the application and dial her number. I have it memorized because it’s a super easy number to remember.
The phone rings, but she doesn’t answer.
I open my messages and text her that I would love to join her. Could she please send me a location? The little read receipt is marked off, so I know she’s seen it, but there are no three dots indicating she’s typing.
In fact, it shows that she’s gone offline.
I try to call again, but it goes straight to voice mail.
She must have turned her phone off, or it possibly died.
It’s not like I’m her keeper anyway. I glance at the time. She could even be home in bed already.
I get dried properly and into a pair of boxers before sliding between the sheets. I rest on my back, one arm above my head and the other over my body. I think about her, and those butterflies are back in my stomach. I fight against the images of her doing things to me and of me doing things to her.
We can never do it. She’s my sister’s stepdaughter, and in some warped way, that turns me on more.
I sigh and roll onto my stomach, burying my head into my pillow.
I can’t afford to be distracted right now. Maybe after the job, I’ll drag her out for some drinks and hit up some of her friends.