Page 3 of Darkness and Duress
I nodded, still working my jaw to finagle the food into submission. I avoided eye contact. She seemed intent on forcing it.
“Marco, is this what you want for your future?”
In spite of my reluctance, my eyes bounced toward hers—pale green so light, it was almost grey. Just like mine. With a faint shrug, I forced myself to swallow with an audible gulp and bought time for myself with a large drink of coffee. I could only put it off for so long. I didn't like lying to my mother.
“I'll be happy with whatever happens. We’ve known for a while how things would work out.”
“Marc, you know you have a choice in this.”
I eyed her deadpan before returning to my indulgent breakfast. Her sigh carried the weight of everything we weren't saying. I was the first son born to the leader of a notorious mafia family and I had a shiny new felony record. My options weren't exactly plentiful.
Shoving the last hunk of cake into my mouth, I went to collect my plate, but she swept it out from under me with a swift hand. “More?”
We both caught my compulsive check of the watch around my wrist and she sighed before I shook my head. I washed down the massive mouthful with the last of my coffee before clearing my throat with an awkward cough. The tension and distance between us returned in stark contrast to the quiet moment we’d shared.
“I would but I have to go.”
She dropped the dishware into the sink with a clatter and grabbed the tea towel from the counter. “Of course. You'll stop by for dinner soon? I’d still like to have dinner, just us.”
The sound of my heart cracking in two must have been audible. It definitely felt like an audible crack. Her gaze flicked to my face and the strain at the corners of her eyes made me feel like the biggest asshole on the planet.
“Yeah, Ma. You and me. I promise.”
She rushed forward so suddenly, I took a step back, but the wily woman was quicker. She seized me in her arms and clung tight until I slowly wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. I think we both needed this more than either of us wanted to admit, so I echoed the reassurance. For both of us.
“I promise, Ma.”
Chapter Two
Henny
Aggressively loud techno music rattled the thin walls of my bedroom as intensely as it rattled my skull. Fucking Jericho. My dumb ass roommate. He was lucky he was one of my best friends, which essentially gave him a free pass for everything, but man, did I want to kick his ass. My hands grappled under and around the pillow until coming into contact with the hard edge of my phone. Pulling it free, I squinted at the time and groaned. Six. O’fucking. Clock. Jericho was a dead man. I stumbled across the room, kicking dirty laundry out of my path, before ripping the door open and storming into the living room to lower the volume on the speaker system.
“What the actual fuck, Jer?”
“Rise and shine. Oh, nevermind.” He eyed me up and down. “Already risen. Not quite shining. Cover that shit up, we don't have time.”
He waved a hand at my groin and I dropped my gaze in response. Whatever, morning wood was morning wood. “It ain't ‘cause of you. Don't flatter yourself.”
“Henny, your dick gets hard in a stiff breeze. Trust me, I know the deal. Now seriously, get dressed. It's Monday. Youdoremember, right?”
“Oh, fuck.” I spun in place and retreated to my room again. I'd forgotten. The music made a lot more sense now.
I found Jericho’s dog King standing in the middle of my bed with a pair of my dirty boxer briefs in his mouth. This damn German Shepherd was responsible for the destruction of more undergarments than I could count. He was such a gross animal and his obsession was the cause of way more arguments than anything else between me and Jer.
“No. Bad dog. Drop!” I approached slowly as the beast dropped his front half and wagged his tail. “I said drop it!”
Just before I reached the bed, my sweet boy jumped in to save the day. Twenty pounds of calico Maine Coon launched through the air with a hellish yowl that was the reason for his name—Lucifer. In the blink of an eye, he batted King’s muzzle between his paws and sent the pansy ass dog sprinting from the room with a pathetic whimper. If anyone on the street knew the infamous attack dog was a complete chicken shit over a cat, we’d be the laughingstock of the underworld. Good thing he only acted this anxious in the comfort of home.
“That's my good Lucy,” I crooned, reaching out to stroke his long fur. The asshole whirled around and bit me. It was a love-hate relationship I adored. Laughing under my breath, I dug around in my closet for something appropriate to wear. Slim pickings meant I was overdue for laundry day, but I managed to rustle up a pair of distressed black denim jeans and a mesh tank top. The sports coat added just enough class to the ensemble to hopefully pass muster. I might have forgotten about the big meeting today, but that didn't mean I wasn't eager to make a decent impression. The cards were stacked against me as it was.
To be frank, the idea was likely to blow up brighter than fireworks on the Fourth of July, but my skin prickled into goosebumps nevertheless. I'd always had a massive crush on my best friend’s older brother. Unfortunately, Marco d’Ambrosio hated me ten times more than he despised his little brother and since there was no love lost between them on a good day, this was going to be interesting. Honestly, I think I wanted him as badly as I didbecausehe hated me. Yeah, pretty fucked up, but I liked what I liked.
I finger-combed my hair into a semblance of order in the small mirror over my dresser and added a healthy dose of spray deodorant to finish it off. Bracelets, rings, watch, chain necklace, and my Glock rounded out the accessories. With my wallet and phone in hand, I returned to the shared living room in time to find Jericho getting the dog geared up. Jericho had a thing for leather. I also had a thing for leather, which is why we hooked up way more often than roommates should have. Fuck, I hooked up with all my friends more than I should. No shame in my game.
I wolf whistled and leaned against the doorframe. “Nice ass, fucker.”
“I know.” He smacked the left cheek of his leather-clad ass with a smirk. “Too bad you're stuck in your ways.”