Pretty Lies, page 22
Chloe needed it even if she wouldn’t ask her daughter for it.
“In the kitchen,” her ma called back.
That was a good sign.
She even smiled.
Della followed the new, faint smell of chocolate and nutmeg to the kitchen. Her mother stood straight up from the stove with a sheet of chocolate cookies in her hand. At her questioning stare, Chloe shrugged and laughed.
“I just … remember when I used to make you guys cookies for the morning on weekends?” her mother asked.
Della took a few steps into the kitchen and shrugged off her coat. Placing her jacket and purse to a stool along with the small gift bag, she waved a hand at those cookies. “I do—they’re the best. Hand one over.”
Her mother arched a brow. “Excuse me? Not with that attitude.”
“Please.”
That had her ma smiling.
It’s all she wanted to see.
“Let them cool first,” Chloe said. “And aren’t you supposed to be at the church with a certain someone to make sure all the flowers come in?”
“He’s handled that.”
Chloe grabbed a spatula and began to slowly remove the cookies from the sheet to a waiting cooling rack. “So, are we not talking about the fact that you’ve spent as many nights at your place as you have at his place this week, then?”
“You could just ask if I’m fucking Cory, Ma.”
Her mother gasped and widened her eyes in mock shock. “I would never.”
“I like him.”
“Oh?”
“He’s gonna be around a lot.”
Chloe’s gaze flicked to her. “Well, okay.”
That was that.
It wasn’t lost on her that her mom managed to give her special attention at a time when—honestly—Della should be the last thing on Chloe’s mind. But that was her mother—that was all moms in a nutshell. Even when their soul was being eaten by agony, they still managed to show up, put on a smile, and make their kid feel amazing.
“I love you, Ma,” Della told Chloe.
“Forever and ever?”
That was something she used to say to Della and J when they were kids as she put them to bed. Della couldn’t forget it or how it ended.
“And ever and ever,” she said quietly.
Silence answered her back.
Because usually, in the background of the house somewhere, if J heard it, he would reply, “And ever!” As loud as he could just because he could. He was never going to say that again now. They still stopped and waited for him to do it, though.
Chloe made a soft sound. “It’s not the same, is it?”
“No.”
“We’re still going to do it, though, right?”
Della nodded, feeling the tears come back but she blinked them away. “Yeah, Ma. We’ll still say it.”
“Are we crying in here?”
The new voice had Della laughing as she used the sleeves of her black silk dress to wipe away any wetness that might have escaped from her eyes. Turning, she faced her approaching father who already had his arms opened to take a hug from her. The second Frankie’s arms wrapped around Della, she was five again, home smelled like her father’s cologne, and her dad could scare away every bad dream that dared to haunt her nights.
“It’s a beautiful day to say goodbye, isn’t it?” Frankie asked, hugging her tighter. “His favorite time of the year, Della.”
“Yeah, Dad.”
They didn’t want to say goodbye.
It was still a beautiful day to do it.
•••
“You’ll miss him the most when you least expect it,” came a soft voice from Della’s left.
Though she’d prepared mentally as much as possible for the moment when her brother’s casket would be lowered into the ground, she’d not actually been ready when it finally happened. She dared to glance away from the hole dug in dirt, but was grateful for the large rim of her hat and the birdcage veil that kept her face hidden from the crowd. Or rather, what was left of it.
A few feet away, her parents accepted hugs from friends. The priest chatted with those that remained near her brother’s headstone that had only been finished the night before and placed just that morning. White lilies covered the ground and the casket that now rested at the bottom of the hole.
“Why is that?” Della asked.
Cory’s mother came to stand a little closer to her side, but Lily Rossi didn’t offer any other sense of comfort. No hug or even a pat to the back. Della was grateful because frankly, she’d hugged and said thank you to more people than she cared to admit that day.
“When I lost one of my older brothers as a young woman,” Lily said with a quiet sigh, “I was just starting out in my adult life, really. It hurt when I buried him. Still kills me to see his name carved into marble when I visit. But it hurt worse when time passed, and I realized how much they were missing. Dino would have loved Joe—that kid reminded me so much of him. All the worry Cory put us through while he grew up, Dino would have laughed and said that was just the DeLuca side of him coming out. He wouldn’t be wrong. But that’s when it hurt the most.”
“And nothing makes it better or easier, I imagine.”
Lily glanced over at Della, and for the first time that day, she allowed someone to look her straight in the face and see the tears she kept hiding. “No—but better I tell you now and you expect the pain to come than to stumble into it over and over again the way I did. My son thinks you’re a very special young woman, Della.”
“So he keeps telling me.”
“I hate seeing the past repeat itself.”
“Or is it just the life we chose?” Della asked back.
Lily considered that, her attention turning back on the grave. “Does it make a difference if the end result is still the same? It all comes full circle. One way or another. I’ll see you at the Trentini mansion later for dinner, hmm? We’ll talk more. Someone’s coming this way, and if you hadn’t noticed, he didn’t want to leave your side at all earlier.”
From the right, Della watched Cory approach.
White lily in hand.
“Did you find your brother?” Lily asked her son.
He reached for his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before taking the spot at Della’s right. “I did, Ma. Dad’s waiting with the car.”
“Perfect. Della, I’m sorry.”
She gave Cory’s mother a smile. Thank you wasn’t appropriate. She bet Lily knew that better than anyone. “I know.”
Cory’s arm found Della’s waist, and her head laid against his bicep. It wasn’t lost on her how he wore a three-piece suit and leather loafers instead of his usual leather, jeans and boots. She wanted to admire him looking like sin poured into a suit with his hair slicked back, and a single cross stud in his earlobe. Even his nose ring had been changed to be the same silver as the stud in his ear.
He held out the lily for her to take.
“I saved one extra,” he said. “From the splash over the casket.”
She took it with trembling fingers.
“Take it home,” Cory told her, bending down to press a kiss against the top of her head. She closed her eyes, and a tear escaped. Before she’d even blinked, his hand slipped up under her veil to wipe the tear away with the pad of his thumb. He never even smudged her makeup. She grabbed his wrist and kissed the tip of the digit, her silent thanks. “Put the lily in water, and I’ll make sure you never see it wilt.”
Della smiled a bit. “How?”
“Magic.”
“Do you mean to say you’ll always replace it so I never have to?”
Cory shrugged and stared out over the grave and beyond the small hill to where rows and rows of cars were parked in the church’s lot. “Maybe, or maybe it’s just like I said.”
“Right, magic.”
This man was kind of magical.
In his own way.
The vehicles had started to thin out of the parking lot, but there were still quite a few. They had to keep all eyes peeled lately. Chances were, they weren’t the only people watching. Cory wanted to be ready if that was the case. Della didn’t blame him.
“Any news on Luis?” she asked.
He was still MIA.
Della didn’t trust that at all.
Cory’s attention came back to her in an instant. “Not yet, but that’s okay.”
“Oh?”
“None of this is ever random, babe. Remember that.”
She would.
Or try.
•••
The two weeks following J’s funeral passed faster than Della expected during the moments she thought would be the hardest after burying her brother. She contributed it to the fact her family and their friends rallied in their own way. Late dinners. Coffee runs. Random check-ins just because. Phone calls that lasted longer than they normally would.
She saw it all for what it was.
The way someone asked are you okay?
She wasn’t.
Neither were her parents.
It was getting better.
“I’ll take Mace for a walk around the block,” Cory said in her ear as she stepped out of her car in the driveway of her townhouse. “And then I’ll be in.”
He was back working with his uncle now but he was never too far from Della’s mind considering her new best friend just happened to be an enforcer Cory handpicked. She didn’t breathe sideways without that man knowing about it. Harry was his name—the guy was old enough to be her dad, but he certainly wouldn’t put up with her shit like her father would.
He was there to keep her safe.
Not to be her friend.
Della didn’t forget it.
“How far away are you?” she asked, following the pathway that led up to the front door of her place.
“Less than two minutes. Last-minute Starbucks run for a certain someone, you know. Saw the fucking sign as I was driving by and Mace jumped into my lap at a red light, for fuck’s sake.”
Her, that was.
She needed her caffeine before bed, plus she managed to get Cory’s pup hooked on pumpkin bread. Now, he expected a piece at least a couple of times a week.
Della laughed. “Oh?”
“I’m not far behind. Don’t worry, babe. All’s good.”
Right.
Depending on where they both ended up at the end of a weekday, they stayed at his place or hers. More often his than hers. She didn’t mind. Tonight, he called to say they’d be going to her place regardless. And his reason for why wasn’t negotiable. Still, she hadn’t been expecting to come here alone. Her enforcer was posted at the end of the street. She reminded herself of that, but her nerves didn't settle.
“Is Harry still on the street?” he asked as she unlocked the front door to her place.
“Yeah, having a smoke in his car.”
“Don’t look back at him. Sixty seconds now, Della. It might be our last chance.”
Yeah, she knew.
“Love you,” she said.
His response echoed in her heart. A mirror of her own words.
She hung up the phone and opened the door. Closing it behind her, she didn’t even get the chance to flick on the light before her uninvited guest made himself known. She washed the hallway in light when she flicked the switch on the wall, showcasing where Luis sat on a chair he’d pulled into the hall from the kitchen.
Black hair and equally dark eyes. Looking like death waiting for her. Smiling. Death always smiled. He even wore Cory’s jacket.
“I hate unfinished business,” Luis murmured.
He dared to grin.
Della was counting down the time.
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” he asked, widening his arms. “Not really here for you … but two birds, one stone, you know? Figured, when you say fuck you to someone like Cory Rossi, you do it with your whole damn chest, Dell. He’ll understand why I’m here to do this.”
“He already did,” she replied, unbothered.
Coldly, even.
Luis didn’t miss it when his gaze narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“Think about it.”
He looked like he might get up from the chair. He even uncrossed his jean-clad leg to drop it to the floor, and then fixed the sleeve on the leather jacket. All signs of his nerves, she knew. It was easy to find when she understood what to look for now.
“I’m not here to chat,” Luis said, “but I’m sure you already know that.”
Yeah.
“Was she worth it?” Della asked.
That had Luis glancing her way as he pulled a switchblade from his pocket. She really thought he might want to go for the easy kill—a bullet straight to her brain. She wasn’t all that surprised to see he wanted something more personal for her.
A knife was always personal.
“Jennika, you mean?”
“Yeah. Good pussy, or …?”
Luis waved a hand. “Loca, but purpose serving. I’m going to fuck up your face first. Cut it to shreds. It was really the only thing I liked about you in the first place.”
Della was done playing games.
Especially at that threat.
“No, you won’t. Did you think my new guard was a coincidence? Or that I haven’t sold this place yet even though I would rather be at Cory’s place every night? How about the fact that my schedule hasn’t changed in weeks?”
Luis walked right into the trap they set. Just like they wanted him to. He was a creature of habit in some ways. It was the downfall of better men than the one standing in front of her, so she didn’t know why he thought he could be an exception to the rule.
In this life, there were no exceptions. Only consequences.
Luis’s face morphed with rage at every question she threw at him. They landed like knives until he was standing from the chair and coming toward her. Della didn’t move—refused to show him fear because she no longer felt any for him.
This man didn’t scare her. He’d only broken her heart and even that didn’t hurt now.
His hands raised, but her next words stopped him from coming close enough to actually put them on her in some violent way. “The jacket, Luis … should have checked the pocket. He knew you were coming back for it—you couldn’t miss the chance. Schoolyard shit, Cory said, but you wouldn’t forget it. He stopped wearing it for a reason. He put it in my closet for a reason. Have you figured out what that reason is yet? We showed you the way to get here and you walked right in.”
The figure stepping out of the rear hallway with a skull bandana pulled high over his mouth and nose with a black pup on his heels had Della’s heart racing more than the sight of Luis coming closer did.
Those sixty-seconds were up.
Della smiled when he came within feet of her in the hallway, his eyes blazing with rage and disbelief. “Because when someone watches you, you always watch back, Luis.”
Cory already had the gun aimed when Luis realized they were no longer alone in the townhouse. It was already too late. “None of this shit happened by accident, man.”
He spun on his heels.
The barrel of Cory’s gun met his forehead.
“Remember when you used to tell me that?” Cory asked. “Jacket still fits—die in it.”
“You fucking—”
Della pulled the taser from the pocket in her coat and jammed it straight in between Luis’s shoulders. She pulled back the trigger, and the volts of electricity sent Luis flying to the floor in a heap. She gave the twitching body one last look before she stepped over it.
Cory lowered his gun and kissed her on the way by. “Harry will take it out the back. Nobody will see. Joe’s coming to help us get rid of it.”
She wished she cared.
“I’ll be back before two, hopefully,” he told her.
“Good.” She didn’t sleep well without him anymore. Della let him kiss her again, softer that time while his fingers grazed her chin. “But the better question is where’s my latte?”
His laughter drowned out Luis’s noises from the floor.
“On the table at the back door. Are you babysitting Mace?”
She gave the pup a look. He sat, his head cocked to the side, watching the twitching man on the floor.
“You don’t even have to ask, Cory.”
Not for anything.
She would give him everything. He’d already given exactly that to her, after all. It was her turn now.
TWENTY-ONE
BY THE TIME Luis woke up, and Cory allowed the asshole to realize he was awake and still alive—although in a mighty world of fucking pain—the guy was in an entirely different place. Luis’s last memory was probably the way Della smiled at him, unfeeling, before he turned on Cory in that hallway. He took a sense of satisfaction in that.
Everything else was probably a bit fuzzy for the prick, though.
Confusing.
Painful.
Cory smirked to himself, appreciating how little effort it actually took for them to pull this off. All because really, some shit never changed. Same with people. He’d known Luis at a very strange time in both their lives. Wasn’t everyone’s teenage years filled with memories that made them and shaped them? Some of it, he didn’t want to remember. A lot of it, he would never be able to forget.
Back then, it had been Cory’s stubborn streak that really followed him down the worst of rabbit holes. Mostly because his stubborn nature was also heavily entangled with his arrogance and curiosity, though he’d never wanted to admit it. His issues brought him to a place in his life where there wasn’t a problem he couldn’t solve.
For Luis, it had been a bit different. The guy couldn’t let shit go.
Ever.
Something like that didn’t get better with time. That’s why he knew Luis would be back. He hadn’t thought the guy would return to take a pound from Cory as soon as he had, but he prepared for the chance all the same. Because the end result would never change.
They had unfinished business. Luis just didn’t get a say in the way it ended.
