Lies of Omission : A dark mafia M/M, page 14
Sal was right. Chaos would ensue, and in the midst of that chaos, he would be able to get out undetected.
I sat and waited for him, and nothing. I didn’t want to go home because being in that lonely house would drive me mad. I called his phone, and he wouldn’t pick up and let it go to voicemail. I finally gave up waiting for him when midnight neared. Not wanting to go back home, I crashed in Lea’s guest bedroom, knowing how infuriated my father would be, and still surprised he had not called for me—or maybe he hadn’t even noticed I wasn’t there.
The next day was even worse, sitting there waiting for a call to come. Needing to be comforted but feeling anxiety over the person you sought that comfort from. Pulling my big boy pants, I decided to ask Lea if she could take me to go look for him instead.
My throat constricted, my chest felt tighter, and a part of me still couldn’t believe what had happened. I went to search for him at his house, but I only made it as far as the entrance when I got stopped. I vaguely remembered Armando telling me this was a road that could get you killed.
Sal had told them not to let me through. I waited there until he showed up, and I almost threw up when I noticed Cassandra in his passenger seat. He got out while she waited in the car. She didn’t seem bothered at all by this, too busy looking down at her phone.
It hurt to see her there, but I told myself she meant nothing—and we had much bigger things to worry about.
“What the hell, Sal!” I spat. The frustration I had felt in the last twenty-four hours poured out of me.
“What?” he spoke in a bored tone, as if speaking to me was a bother.
“I’ve called you,” I stated the obvious.
He shrugged. While I looked like shit, he still looked like a model—it didn’t seem like he lost an ounce of sleep.
“Yeah, I didn’t have time to get back to you,” he informed me, not looking bothered at all.
My mouth opened and closed while my heart began to pound. I wanted to throw up.
“You didn’t have time to get back to me?” I hissed, feeling angry, my eyes cutting toward Cassandra, who was smiling at something on her phone. “Why are you with her?”
Cass chose that moment to interrupt us.
“Honey, if we don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late for dinner with my parents.”
“I’ve got to go, so if we’re done here…” He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and started to retreat.
What the fuck was going on?
“You can’t be fucking serious,” I spat.
His face didn’t change, remaining stoic.
“I did tell you her parents wanted us to get married, didn’t I?” he said nonchalantly as my heart skipped a beat and I forgot how to breathe.
He walked up to me, and a part of me hoped that this was where he told me this was all a joke. Salvadore put his hand on my shoulder, and I hated that I found comfort in his touch. A cruel smirk pulled at his lips.
“Maybe in another life, cub.”
I couldn’t tell you how I got back home. One second, I remembered getting into the car and not being able to answer any of Lea’s questions, and the next, I was being dropped off at home. I just wanted to be alone, and that stupid house was the perfect place to provide me a semblance of solitude.
Dazed and confused, I made my way up the stairs, and before I reached my room, my father called for me.
I should have known this was coming. I made it to his office, and he was waiting outside. Before I could open my mouth to ask what he wanted, he backhanded me. The sting of his hand burned my cheek. My brows scrunched as confusion coursed through me.
“Do you know how embarrassing it is to have the Hendersons tell me you’re buddies with the Zinnettis?”
In hindsight, I should have known Will would have ratted me out to my dad. He would have wanted to control me the only way he knew how.
I rang the doorbell and waited for my father to come. When he opened the door, I was surprised by how much he had changed. He looked haggard; the years had not been kind to him.
“Father,” I greeted him.
He said nothing in return. Instead, he turned around and just expected me to follow him. Not much had changed in that regard. The house looked just as I left it, but with the time that had gone by, instead of looking like a museum for the rich, it just looked like an abandoned mausoleum.
I fought the urge to look toward my room—was it even still my room?
“Now that you’re back, you can stop embarrassing our name.” Those were the first words he spoke to me in years. He went behind his desk and pulled out a manila folder and threw it at me.
The information was for a cold murder case. The documents fell out of my hands when I read the name.
William Joel Henderson.
“You and I both know the Zinnettis are involved in this, and you’re going to help me bring them down.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Two years later
26 years old
It had been two long fucking years of sitting in a jail cell. I waited, bid my time, and crafted my perfect revenge, and now everyone who had betrayed me would pay.
I lifted my chin up toward the sky, not caring that the sun was blinding me. There was something dull about looking at the sun from behind bars. Sure, you were out, but it was like being in a dome—in a cage, where your life was not your own.
For seven hundred and thirty days, time had stood still for me. I was in the same clothes I had come in, and the world around me kept going.
A shiny red Audi was waiting for me, and I smiled. It had been too long since I had seen anyone other than Armando.
“Get in, loser. We are going home.”
“Caro, I thought I told Armando that anyone but you could pick me up,” I said as I got into the car.
She rolled her eyes and gave me the finger. Her hair was longer and lighter at the ends. She was put together as she had always been.
“Don’t act like you didn’t miss me,” she stated and leaned in to hug me.
“It was a lot quieter.”
“You got jokes,” she said sarcastically.
“I’ve always been funny.”
“Funny and you are not something I think about synonymously,” she deadpanned.
“I think it’s hilarious that I just got out and I’m already thinking about committing murder.”
Carolina scoffed as she put on her black Prada sunglasses. “Don’t be dramatic, Sal. You won’t commit murder,” she singsonged. “You’re dying to see your little teddy bear.”
She looked smug and didn’t give me a chance to snap back. She immediately blasted on the radio and took off like a hound out of hell. This was why I told Armando anyone but her could pick me. I wouldn’t want to strangle anyone else. Although Caro wasn't wrong, it would be on my terms when I sought out Theodore Lyons. Let the little fucker squirm because he had to know I was coming for him.
I spent two years in jail, and that little fucker gave me a goodbye fuck as a form of revenge—pity? Who the hell knows at this point.
This time, I would keep Theodore Lyons. His father ending up six feet under might cause a problem, but I was beyond caring. Time was up, and people would begin paying for their sins.
When Carolina pulled onto the highway and, instead of taking the exit that led to my condo she kept going toward the one that led to the Zinnetti estate, I knew why she was sent to pick me up—I would have murdered anyone else who would have made me go to the fucking house.
I was fresh out of spending my nights and days with fucking snakes. Now, I had to go into another den of vipers.
I turned the volume down on Carolina’s music.
“Figlio di puttana! I just got out, Caro. Couldn’t these bastards wait to have me home?”
As the years passed, my disdain for my zio started showing. Carolina noticed but didn’t comment on it. Unlike Cristian, she could think logically. All our fathers had flaws, and hers was no exception.
She knew we had our issues. They’d been there since I was a child, but now after being in prison, I wanted the fucker dead and gone as well. He tried labeling me a traitor, just as he had done with Zio Amado.
Somehow, he had found out Theodore was coming to the house. Who snitched it was him was beyond me, but I would also figure that out. Everyone was at the house that day, and he decided to make a spectacle.
“No good comes from a man that has no Zinnetti blood in them.”
The ignorance in his voice almost made me break my façade, and I would have lunged for him if it hadn’t been for Cassandra digging her acrylic nails into my arms. The pain was a teeter back into reality, allowing me to start planning my revenge immediately.
Secrets had a funny way of coming out when you least expected it. Everything that was done in the dark shall come to light, and maybe I would be the harbinger that would do so.
“I’m sorry, but Papa demanded it.” Caro looked apologetic.
And we all had to get on our knees for our fucking boss. What was the point of them telling me I was a free man a few hours ago if I had to fucking bend down for a man who, in my opinion, didn’t deserve the throne of lies he sat on.
I fought the urge to sit straighter when we pulled up to the Zinnetti estate. It looked like more security had been added, and I wondered if we were at war. Would Armando neglect to tell me this? The fact that he represented me had caused conflict in the famiglia.
Everyone was here today. The house was lined with cars on all sides, and I bit my lip in frustration. This was either a goddammed party or a fucking execution.
Carolina parked her car and turned to me with a warm smile. “Welcome home, cuz.”
My face remained stoic. This place might have felt like home once upon a time ago, but not now.
Knowing it was better to get this out of the way, I fixed my jacket as if it wasn’t wrinkly from being in a plastic bag for two years. Carolina put her hand on my arm and led us toward the door.
I was looking forward to having the first good night's sleep I’d have in two years on my bed, and it was semi-ruined now. There were a lot of people in the house. I saw men and women mingling around. They all stopped talking when they saw me.
“Look’s who’s back!” someone yelled, and I forced myself to put a smile on my face.
Thankfully, Caro kept dragging me toward the kitchen. I nodded and waved to those who said hello to me.
Armando and Cristian were lounging by one of the counters. It was Armando who clocked me first. He instantly set his drink down and took two steps toward me.
“Fuck, it’s good to have you back.”
He looked at me as if he wasn’t the only one who had gone to see me for those two years. We gave each other a one-armed hug. I knew he was dying for me to tell him all about his old man, but just like when we were in prison, we couldn’t risk it.
The walls had ears and eyes everywhere. Honestly, we were a pair of paranoid fuckers.
“Vacay is over,” I told him.
The fucker punched my stomach, and I groaned.
“It’s like fucking steel,” Armando murmured as he shook his wrist.
Having a lot of time on my hands, I used it to get information and work out. I used to be lean, but now I had muscles everywhere. I went from looking like I could model at Vouge to a contender in an MMA fight.
I looked intimidating now without having to use my last name.
“If you’re done feeling him up, I’d like to greet Salvadore.” Cristian’s cold tone cut us off.
“Cris,” I said as I nodded my head toward him.
Our relationship wasn’t as close as it used to be when we were younger. His father kept whispering in his ear, and that made me distrust him. He looked much the same, except for the full beard he now sported.
“Damn, you look jacked,” he noted. “Bet fuckers will think twice before asking you if you dropped the soap.”
I bit back my retort. In my peripheral vision, I saw Armando briefly shake his head, and Caro grimaced at what her brother said. Lovely—we were all walking on eggshells.
“Let them talk shit. I can handle them.”
Cris laughed and tapped my arm, saying, “That’s my man.” He clearly didn’t hear the threat in my voice.
“Come on, let’s go outside. Kind of rude of you not to be at your welcome home party,” Armando told me.
Great. This was a fucking party, and that meant I would have to mingle. I’d prefer it if it’d been an execution.
The four of us walked toward the back, where I assumed my zio was lounging. I bet he, too, was scared to know what secrets I had brought back with me.
“Dio mio, Salvadore,” I heard a gruff voice croak through the crowd. I scanned the room but couldn’t immediately find it until Caro nudged me in the right direction.
Zio Louie was being wheeled toward me. The last two years had definitely been hard on him. I felt a pang seeing him like that. It was a harsh reminder that time waited for no one, and death was the only sure thing we had in this life.
I kneeled down so I could be face-to-face with him.
“Look at you.” He smiled.
“What happened?”
“Nasty fall. My hips aren’t what they used to be.”
I leaned up and held on to the back of his head in affection. He was the only father figure I had left now, and I knew my time with him was limited. Loss never got any easier.
“Grazie.”
My voice choked up, and I didn’t dare say more. He and Carolina constantly wrote to me. It was all about simple, mundane things that helped keep me sane.
“I see you’re back,” a cold voice drawled. “I got tired of waiting for my nephew to come greet me.”
“Zio,” I acknowledged him, trying hard to bring forth my inner hypocrite. He still looked the same. Perfectly put together in a suit that cost more money than what it was worth. His hair slicked back, and no gray in sight since he probably dyed it. He was shorter than me by a good five inches. Our skin tones were a stark difference. He was the perfect example of what a Zinnetti should look like. “I was making my way to you.”
“Enjoy your freedom, nephew.”
With those parting words, he left me to the fucking party he threw on my behalf, and I couldn’t help but feel like those words were a warning. Not even twenty-four hours of freedom, and I was already receiving threats.
TWENTY-SIX
25 years old
I hated the morning shit. I, Theodore Lyons, was not a morning person… Fuck, I really wasn’t made for this. Don’t get me wrong, I liked my job, but the fact that I had to do it every day drained me.
Surprisingly, I was very good at it. Ignoring my father and all the complications that came along with what that meant—with the things I had done, I found I had a knack for this shit. And most of all, I was able to help my best friend out without making it seem like I was meddling.
After shaving and showering, I made my way to the precinct. I needed a little pick-me-up since I spent an hour too long catching up on my TV shows. Lea was going to be pissed I was an episode ahead of her in our current obsession.
My partner, Alex, was already waiting for me. He was a native of the city as well. Unlike me, he went to public school and the local college. He was also one of the few who didn’t resent me for who I was or what I represented. Alex was a tad taller than me, tan with incredibly long and curly lashes that Lea was jealous of, and extremely good-looking. Something he used to his advantage whenever we had to work a case and he needed to charm the hell out of people to get more information.
“Thank God you got us some coffee,” he mumbled, bringing it to his lips for a sip. “I had a late night…or an early morning.” He stopped talking and waggled his eyebrows while my nose scrunched in mock disgust. “And I really needed this. Thanks, Lyons.”
“All those late nights are going to kill you,” I told him.
“You have no idea,” he mumbled.
I sat on my desk, gathering the things I would need for today.
“Captain said he’s handing us a new case. Some petty crimes are going down by the old factory by the river. He wants us to do a drive-by just to check the scene out.”
“Cool,” I said, not looking at him.
My precinct was one of the older ones in the area, and this was done deliberately. I was ignorant in my younger years, which was something I wanted to rectify now. A lot of our archives were still on paper. I spent an hour on calm days making the transfer to our electronic system. Half of my peers thought I was kissing ass. The other half thought I was looking for a cold case I could solve and to get a bit of glory.
I was so engrossed in my work that I wasn’t paying attention to what Alex told me.
“Lyons!” he barked.
I lifted my head up so I could make eye contact with him.
“What?”
“I said, did you hear the news…”
I guess I was supposed to have heard said news by how he looked at me.
“What news?” I asked even though I wasn’t interested in it.
“How is it that you are connected to the city’s upper echelon, and you have no idea what’s going on?”
I almost rolled my eyes. Not this again.
“Maybe because I got enough of that in high school?” I shrugged, reaching for my coffee to take a sip.
Alex looked exasperated by my lack of enthusiasm about his news.
“White Wolf is back on the streets.”
I started to choke on my drink. The contents went splattering all over my desk.
Alex handed me some napkins right away. He looked at me funny.
“Went down the wrong pipe,” I wheezed.
I tried to keep my cool as I began to type on my computer, pulling up the prison records. My heart sped off as the page loaded. Things had been going well ever since that day I did my best not to think of him. I pretended like my senior year was a fever dream. Living in denial was the only way I could fully cope. In the five years I was away, the younger Zinnettis had made a name for themselves in the city. Carolina’s nickname wasn’t original at all, but the only name given to a girl like her was Principessa. Cristian’s was Bullseye; it was said he never missed. Armando was also known as “The Lawyer.” When the page finally loaded, I took it in greedily.
