Lies of Omission : A dark mafia M/M, page 21
He didn’t listen.
“I have one request,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow and waited to hear him out.
“Don’t kill my father… I want him to rot in a cell. I want him to pay for all the wrongs he has done. With his image being everything to him, having the world know everything he did would humiliate him.”
“Come here,” I repeated.
Theodore did as I asked this time. I made room for him, and he slowly kneeled between my spread legs.
This put us at eye level. I cupped his cheeks and regretted the fact that I missed years with him. I loved the youthful softness they used to have and hated that I missed mapping out the way his body transformed.
Late at night, in my prison cell, I would dream that if I ever got a chance to do things again, I wouldn’t waste a second of it—not again.
My thumbs caressed his skin. Theo’s eyes were wide, and he looked up at me, full of hope. He agreed to be mine, and all he wanted in return was for me to spare his piece-of-shit father. It was the easiest deal I’d ever had to make.
“I fucking love you, you know that?”
His breath hitched, and his eyes went glossy. One of my hands moved from his cheek down to his throat.
“You betray me again, cub, and I’ll probably end up killing you.”
The little shit glared at me, but his lips twitched. “I’m not scared of you, Zinnetti. I can kill you too, and I’d most likely get away with it.”
Why was he so sexy talking about murder?
I couldn’t help but smile. I used his throat to pull him closer and then I kissed him. Revenge would be sweet, but Theodore Lyons’s lips were sweeter. He tasted like freedom, and I would do anything in my power to keep it that way.
Theo’s arms wrapped around my shoulders. His tongue began to play with mine, making my cock start to throb.
“I love you,” he moaned into my mouth, and fuck if it wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever heard.
One of my hands fisted his hair while the other started to trail down his abdomen.
“Need you to sit on my cock now,” I panted.
Theo whimpered.
“Can’t,” he breathed as he kissed the side of my neck. “No sex, remember?”
I groaned.
“Let me suck you off,” he whispered in my ear.
His mouth began to trail lower. Down my neck, toward my pecs, licking and lightly nipping my nipples. He was careful not to add too much pressure to my wounds. If I told him they were burning, he would probably stop.
“Fuck,” I hissed as he rubbed me through my boxers.
His mouth was at my navel and working his way down to my cock when the door busted open.
A female screech had Theo jumping up.
“Nice package, Teddy.”
I groaned at the sound of Carolina’s voice. I reached for the folder and put it on my lap. Theo made a run for the room, leaving me behind. Carolina and Leanna were standing by the door, which was still open.
“I see you tried to get creative,” Caro added.
“Turn around, Carolina,” I told her since I was going to get up.
She immediately did as I asked.
A hiss left my lips as I got up and Lea screeched again.
“Why didn’t you tell me to turn around?”
“You’re not my cousin.” I shrugged it off.
Theodore refused to kick out the cockblockers. My cousin and Leanna were currently sitting on the sofa watching some Korean show and eating chips.
“When was the last time you went home, Caro?” Curiosity got the best of me. In reality, what I wanted to know was when the last time she talked to her father was.
“Last week,” she replied without looking at me.
I didn’t say more. I saw Caro as a little sister, but after I went to prison, I knew our relationship would change. You could say I’d been morning the relationship we used to have ever since.
A few hours later, there was another knock on the door. Theo went ahead and opened it. Armando was here.
Shit.
He looked like he didn’t get an ounce of sleep.
His eyes came to me and then to the girls.
“They need to go.”
Shit was bad if he wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.
Caro, already knowing what was up, quickly sat up. Lea looked like she was about to protest. I gave Theo a look. Right now was not the time for Lea and Armando’s foreplay.
“Lea.” Theo’s voice was soft.
She was not happy but ultimately sighed. “We’re talking later,” she pointed a finger at him and then glared at Armando. This time, he didn’t even acknowledge her.
The girls grabbed their bags and started to make their way out. Just when Caro was at the door, she turned back around. “I’m going out tonight, so have Theo do all the work. I won’t be around to fix the stitching… Toodles.”
“I’ll have a man on you,” Armando warned her.
She flipped us off and then closed the door behind her.
“Armando looked at Theodore and then at me.
“You can talk,” I let him know. He turned toward Theo and cut him with a glare. “You do not repeat any of this to your friend unless you want her to end up dead.”
“Oh fuck, that was the first thing I was going to do,” Theo replied sarcastically, and it made me smile. “Now, can I know what’s going on?” Theo’s demeanor changed. More serious, and something about his stance was also more assertive.
This wasn’t the same boy I knew before—the one who needed me to protect him. Standing before me now was my equal.
“Remember what I told you before about there being rats?”
Theo nodded.
“My uncle is that rat,” I said.
Theo’s eyes widened.
“We always suspected something foul happened when Armando’s dad was locked up. He was labeled a traitor and got exiled. Armando never believed his dad turned on the family, and I believed Armando. Then my father went to jail, and everything about that trial was perfect. The best prosecutor on the case, your father on the gavel, every single person on the jury, and the star witnesses. It was all too clean and perfect that it left a sour taste in my mouth. Then, my father was murdered for something petty. Maybe it was at that point that Armando and I saw the cracks in our family, and our bitterness and resentfulness had us pointing fingers. Our anger led us to my uncle. It wasn’t until I went to prison that we got confirmation.”
Theo sat down and waited for us to continue.
Armando was the one who took over. “My father and Sal’s wanted to pull back from our illegal operations. Doing something like that doesn’t come without retaliation, especially if you don’t want someone to take your place. Many in the family didn’t want this to happen. They lacked vision. On what was supposed to be their last drop, a turf war broke out. The family received a massive blow. My father went down that day. The cops came and arrested him and a few others. The supplier was dismantled in less than a week, and my father was labeled a whistleblower.”
Theo’s brows scrunched.
I kept going. “A few years ago, one of the guys who escaped the raid that fucked my uncle ended up in prison with him. In there, it’s a whole new set of rules. My uncle saved his life, and the man told him what he knew about that day. Turns out it was an inside job. The organization had an undercover cop. The guy told my father that someone in the Zinnetti family found out about it. A three-way deal was made. The feds got a massive bust, the rising prosecutor climbed higher in the ranks, and the Zinnetti traitor got a step closer to the crown.”
The room was silent. I thought back on the words my zio once said.
“I have no more brothers, they’re dead.”
Theo pulled the binder and immediately started to flip through the pages. Armando looked at him and then me.
“Beckett Davenport was the prosecutor in your father’s case, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Armando replied. It was one of the reasons why he couldn’t stand the Davenports. “Why?”
“Because the night of the charity ball, I saw my father having a heated conversation with his son Elias, and he was putting pressure on him to send Sal back into prison.”
Armando and I immediately looked at each other. It could be nothing, but there was no such thing as coincidences.
“What is that?” Armando asked.
Theo looked a bit bashful. “I’ve been keeping track of my father’s career. I have everything. From his first case to his last.”
“Can I borrow it?”
“Do you think it’s all connected?”
Armando didn’t like to give answers he wasn’t sure about. “I need to ask my guy for some data, but I think this will help. I’ll be back.” He looked at me. “The grapevine’s been too quiet. Lay low.”
When Theo closed the door, he turned toward me.
“Why do I feel like shit is about to hit the fan?”
“Oh, cub, it already did.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
A stupid smile was on my face when I got to work a few days later, something Alex instantly noticed.
“You got yourself a boyfriend, didn’t you?” he teased.
My eyes went wide, and I shook my head, terrified of someone hearing, but then quickly stopped myself. It was okay to be myself.
“I’ve been having some really good days,” I told him.
Salvadore was still at my place, even though he was able to move without a lot of pain now. It was surreal to have him there. To go to sleep and wake up with him. I always knew he was attentive, but damn, living with him was something else. He knew what I needed before I even asked for it.
But I also knew this domestic bliss would not last forever. That wasn’t the kind of man Sal was. Now, knowing everything I did, I was terrified for him to go out.
He only went out when Armando picked him up. Which brought me to what I was about to do. He was searching for one of their men—his uncle Louie who wasn’t really his uncle. He called Armando to say he wanted to talk to him, and then he went MIA. So I was trying to see if I could track his phone.
I should have felt more guilt for what I was about to do, but I wanted to get to the bottom of this. The more we dug up, the more skeletons I began to hear in my father’s closet. The one thing we agreed on was that the good old boys’ network was in place.
Salvadore told me about what he found in my father’s office, and I wished I could have snooped there sooner, but I was confident that we could make work with what we had. We were able to connect the Davenports, my father, and Lea’s father to high-profile cases, and they always had something to gain.
I almost jumped in my seat when a thought occurred to me. It was something I couldn’t check at the precinct, but I bet I could find something that led to the events of Mallory leaving and the lack of funds in my father’s accounts. It was like everything snapped into place. He let go of our housekeeper, Julia, because we didn’t need her, but he was probably cutting expenses. My allowance also stopped, and he didn’t say a word since I never complained. Same with college, he did not fund my education because he was being a dick but because he couldn’t afford it.
I couldn’t check his bank account without a warrant, and that was the last thing I needed right now, but property taxes were public information.
“You look excited,” Alex commented.
“Research,” I told him.
Sure enough, he was behind on his payments.
His pay had stopped. I could bet my life that it was hush money that funded his lavish lifestyle.
When work ended, I couldn’t wait to get home so I could update Salvadore.
“You want to get a beer?” Alex asked as our shift ended.
“Oh, I kind of have plans already.” I could feel myself blushing as I said that.
Which wasn’t a lie. Sal had a surprise for me.
“No problem, man. Later.”
I was about to get in my car when I turned around, getting the feeling that I was being watched. Nothing was out of the ordinary, it was probably my imagination playing tricks on me. The rumble of a motor made me jump, but then I gave a brief smile as I realized it was only Alex. I waved him goodbye and made my way home.
My phone rang while I was in traffic.
“Hello,” I answered on the first ring, knowing I was about to get my assed chewed out.
“I’m still mad at you,” she said.
It was killing her that I wasn’t sharing anything with her. It was bad enough she suspected what happened with William.
“I’m sorry, Lea. It’s for your own good. You know, plead the Fifth and all that jazz.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled, lacking her usual bite.
“What’s up?”
“I’m getting married,” she stated.
“I know,” I said, since she’d been engaged for a while now.
“They set a wedding date for next summer. My father will be retiring soon, and Elias seems to think he has a big break coming so it’s time for the next phase in our lives.”
I stopped listening when she mentioned the words next phase.
“Theo,” she screeched.
“Say the word, Lea, and I make you disappear from their lives.”
I could hear her heavy breathing. “It’s not fair.”
“I know,” I said because there was nothing else to say.
“Movie night this week?
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“I love you, Teddy, and I’m happy for you,” she said before hanging up.
I took the steps two at a time when I got to my apartment complex. Salvadore was already waiting for me. I was in my uniform while he looked like he was ready for a runway show.
“You look nice,” I said instead of debriefing him.
“Change, we have places to be.” He snapped his fingers at me.
“Any news on Louie?” I asked as I walked over to give him a kiss.
Salvadore wrapped his arm around me and kissed me back.
“No, and no more talk about our problems. We have plenty of time to figure that out. Let’s turn our phones on silent and just enjoy tonight.”
What I had to say could wait since it was just speculation. “So, what’s the surprise?”
“I’m taking you out on a date.” He shrugged casually, and I felt like my whole world stopped.
“A date?” I whispered.
Salvadore smiled at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Go on, cub, we’re going to be late.”
As I walked to the room, I caught a glimpse of him taking off his holster, and leaving it in one of my drawers. His life was in danger, even if he didn’t want to tell me outright. His uncle and Mario would want to retaliate for what he did. Knowing what was at stake, I brought my stuff with me.
Romance at its finest.
I changed at record speed. Once I was ready, Salvadore led me outside to his car. The sun was starting to set through the city, and I relished the moment. Just driving, pretending like we had no problems.
He came to a stop at an alley by the back of a building.
“You’re not planning on killing me, right?”
Salvadore rolled his eyes.
“It’s not the official first date you deserve. Hell, I’m probably seven years too late for that, but I want you to know—I need you to know—I’m not ashamed of you…of us. With everything going on, I’d rather keep low-key for now. Your safety is important to me.
A soft smile spread across my face.
“I know,” I told him.
I never felt like hiding when I was with him because he didn't treat me any differently when those closest to us were with us.
“So, where are we?”
At this, he looked a bit bashful. “Caro owns the building.”
“You brought me to her spa?”
“Technically, the rooftop. Come on, I’ll show you.”
I followed behind him as he put in a code on the back door so it would open. I admit, I was curious about Caro’s business, but the stairwells were right by the back exit.
“Come on, it’s just three floors up,” Sal told me as I grimaced. “The elevator is across the spa, and we don’t want to go through there.”
We took the steps slowly since Sal was still recuperating. But like hell if the stubborn bastard would let me help him. He opened the door, and I gasped.
“No one’s ever done something like this for me,” I admitted as I stepped past the threshold. The rooftop was beautiful. It had a good view of the city despite the location. There was a very Zen-like vibe and plants all around, with fake grass and cobblestone on the floor. There were white lights softly illuminating the space. In the middle of it was a table with two chairs and a bucket with a bottle of wine.
Sal bit his lip as his eyes tracked my every movement.
“I can be romantic,” he stated after I was done appreciating the place.
“Are we celebrating something?”
Salvadore took a step closer to me. “Yeah,” his voice was husky, and it made tingles spread across my skin, “that you’re mine.”
I didn’t think I could ever get tired of hearing that. He took hold of my hand and led me to the table. He kissed the side of my head as I sat down.
“Let me get our food. Open the wine for us.”
My throat constricted at the bizarreness of the situation. How did we get to this point? There was still much to be discussed between us, and maybe we were blindly jumping without thinking too much of the ramifications, but fuck thinking logically—it had never been our thing.
Look at all the damage we could inflict working against each other. But what would happen if we used it to fight for each other instead?
We had crashed and burned, so maybe it was time to relish burning together.
“You’re thinking awfully hard,” Sal noted when he came back with two covered dishes.
“I was thinking I could get used to this,” I admitted.
He gave me an arrogant smile. “Lucky for you, this is the first of many.”
“I love you,” I blurted out.
Those three words still tasted foreign on my tongue.
Sal’s silver eyes instantly heated.
