Lies of Omission : A dark mafia M/M, page 7
“Don’t worry, there will be no blowback.”
Theodore Lyons was nothing more than a check box on my list.
Armando seemed to accept this.
“What are you going to do about Thomas?”
At that, I grinned.
“You think Cristian wants to have a little fun?”
Armando’s brow went up. He was interested in what I had up my sleeve.
“And why would he give two fucks about Lyons?”
“I don’t know about you, but I heard Thomas was saying some nasty shit about Caro.”
Why do my own dirty work when I could have someone else do it for me? If I got in trouble, Uncle Luciano would not lift a finger to help dig me out of the hole I got myself in, but if it were Cris, then he would pay whoever needed to be paid to keep it on the down-low. At the end of the day, Thomas will run his mouth, and it will send the same message. You did not fuck with anyone the Zinnettis protected.
“There’s one flaw in your plan,” Armando said as he patted my back.
“Please give me more credit,” I scoffed as I headed toward the library, having already missed half of my class.
The person whom I wanted to see was at the back tables. Without paying too much attention, I headed straight toward her.
“Sal, darling, what are you doing here?”
Cassandra Mauro was the first to greet me.
Inwardly, I groaned.
Making eye contact with my little cousin, I could tell this amused her.
Cassandra’s father was also in the life. He was a mid-level, wise guy. He was in deep enough to make good money but pulled back just enough so he wouldn’t be put in charge of any division. In my opinion, he was smart for straddling the line. He wasn’t as low level to be a sacrificial lamb, but also didn’t want the pressure and hit that came with being at the top.
His wife embraced the life in a way my mother never did. Therefore, Cassandra was one spoiled brat bowing down only to Carolina, and that was because she outranked her.
“I came to have a word with my little principessa.” I smirked at Caro.
She hated the nickname, but Cassandra loathed the fact that I would never be calling her that. According to her family, my mother wanted me married off to Cassandra. If I wanted to find out the truth, then I needed to host a fucking séance, and I wasn’t keen on speaking with the dead, so I just evaded my mother’s supposedly dying wish whenever it came up.
“If you all would excuse us, Salvadore and I have business to talk about.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle when Cassandra huffed as she walked away with Carolina’s possie.
“You’ve trained them well,” I told her.
She looked at her sharp red stiletto nails. “Yet no one will think of making me a capo.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to. You’ve seen how us Zinnettis are falling one by one.”
She fake pouted, then let out a deep sigh.
“You’re right. I’m too pretty to go to jail.”
“Same. I’m too handsome to end up behind bars. That’s why I need your help.”
This caught her attention.
“And what do you need from little ol’ me?” She put both her hands under her chin and batted her long, dark lashes.
“Don’t be modest. It doesn’t suit you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“See if I ever help you evade Cass again.”
“She’ll give up on us eventually.”
Carolina chuckled.
“Oh, darling, you shouldn’t have taken her virginity if you wanted her to leave you alone. All you’ve done is fuel her fantasy.”
At her words, I grimaced. I’d done a lot of stupid shit, and Cass was right there at the top of that list, but I had a feeling that spot would soon be taken.
“We’re getting off-topic now.” I waved a dismissive hand.
“Shoot,” she said.
“Technically, there are two things I need you to do. The first is telling Cris that Thomas tried to harass you when you were alone.” Carolina’s perfectly manicured eyebrow went up. but she otherwise didn’t interrupt. “The second is to befriend Theodore Lyons and his little friend.”
“Leanna Livingstone…it's not that hard to remember the senator’s daughter’s name.” Her tone was mocking, but I could sense the accusation.
I huffed in annoyance.
“Can you do me that favor?”
She tapped her index finger to her chin, savoring the moment. She might be Cristian’s twin sister, but the bond she had with all of us was the same.
“Why are you involving my little brother in your affairs?”
Cristian was three minutes younger than Caro—it was something she never let anyone forget.
“He gets to blow off some steam, miss school, and your father will praise him for defending your honor. Seems to me like he has the most to gain out of this.”
Carolina didn’t miss a beat.
“And no one will bat an eyelash if Cristian gets suspended, but if you were to get suspended, questions will arise. That’s why you want me to befriend Theodore. If I have his back, no one will fuck with him, and they won’t know that Salvadore Zinnetti cares for someone other than himself.”
Carolina was no one’s puppet. Armando would catch on as soon as the fight broke out, but Cristian would not question it. He wasn’t stupid. He just didn’t think his family would manipulate him to do their bidding.
“Name your price, Caro.”
Carolina Zinnetti was terrifying when she wanted to be. She leaned back and relaxed her shoulders.
“I want one favor. No expiration date, no questions asked. I come, and you help me out without tattling on me to the family.”
“What are you getting yourself into?” My brows scrunched in confusion.
“I just like to be prepared for the future, darling. Besides, you’re the one who seems to have their hands full.”
“What are you getting at?”
I sat straighter and watched as Caro threw a strand of hair behind her back.
“How serious do you think Leanna and Theo are? He’s really cute. The hair and dimples.”
What I started to feel in my stomach was most definitely heartburn and not something else.
“You’re not his type.” My tone came out much harsher than I had intended, which only made her smile.
“Someone should tell Leanna that her gentleman prefers blonds.”
I didn’t even bother with a reply since I knew she was baiting me. She had a mocking grin the whole time she packed away her things and left me sitting alone at the table.
THIRTEEN
One hundred and seventy days remaining, and I had sold my soul to the devil.
This year was not going how I thought it would. My goal had been simple: lie low, take whatever my stupid classmates wanted to give me, then get the fuck out. Well, take anything but that. What Thomas was trying to give me was most definitely not on the table of things I was willing to take. So, in the grand scheme of things, selling my soul to the devil seemed like a great option.
Lea was more shaken up about what Thomas tried to do than I was. Yeah, it almost happened, but it didn’t, and I was moving past it.
“It’s not nothing, Theodore Lyons,” Lea spat for the seventeenth time since we got out of school.
“Nothing happened, therefore it is nothing,” I demanded.
“Theodore, your pants were open!!”
She was getting red in the face, and I was irritated talking about this pointless subject.
“Are you going to hit play on the show while I make some dinner?”
Lea huffed but ultimately dropped the subject.
“Adding water to some ramen does not make dinner.”
“Hey, it’s been rough without Julia.”
Very rough. If you had asked me before today if I had been spoiled, I would have said fuck no, but now that I didn’t have someone making me breakfast, lunch, and dinner did I realize what a privilege that shit was.
I was now regretting all the times I said no to a home-cooked meal.
Also, how do people figure out what meals they are going to eat each day—and to do that shit three times a day? It boggled my mind.
“Has your dad said why he let her go?” Leanna asked from somewhere in the living room.
“I didn’t ask.”
My voice was not loud enough to carry over. I wondered why Julia was let go after years of working for us, but I figured it was just another way for my father to control me.
Once my ramen was done, I plopped down on the sofa next to Leanna.
“Are you sure you don’t want some?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’m going to eat some popcorn. Now press play. I need to know if Se-ri is actually leaving Captain Ri.”
“I wouldn’t leave him,” I mumbled as I reached for the controller.
Lea and I had watched thousands of movies and binge-watched countless shows since our supposed relationship started. We took Netflix and chill way too literally, much to my dad’s disappointment.
When I was at Leanna’s house, her parents made us keep the door open. My dad didn’t give a fuck about what we did.
Two episodes later, we heard the garage door opening. Right away, we both groaned because my father was home early. We did the opposite of what people our age would do if their parents came home unexpectedly.
Lea instantly lay on my lap while I grabbed a nearby blanket and threw it over her body. I wasn’t much of a spooner—or maybe I wasn’t big spoon material, which made my interaction with Lea a bit stiff and not what a couple should look like.
I loved her as a sister, and not in the “Sweet Home Alabama” way.
“Pepper my face with kisses,” she hissed just as the door opened.
Since my father would come and snoop, I did just that. Lea’s giggling was because of the absurdity of it all. My father walked in on us, laughing at the pathetic steps we had to take to enjoy freedom.
“Father,” I coughed into my hand when he predictably walked into the living room.
“Judge Lyons.”
Leanna greeted him in a sugary, sweet voice, knowing he got off on people using his honorific titles after he asked them to use his given name. We all knew he didn’t mean that shit.
“Leanna,” he smiled at her. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he always tried harder with her than with anyone else. “How’s the new school year?”
“It’s going well. I was looking forward to Theodore joining me with my charity work after school on Friday, but debate duty calls.”
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t groan. I had to remind myself Leanna was trying to help, and there was no getting me out of debate now without William's input, so I was stuck—for now.
“I’m sure he can help you any other day.” My father didn’t miss a beat.
“He sure can,” she added as she got up and got something out of her bag. “Before I forget, my family would like to invite you guys to my brother’s engagement dinner.”
I take back what I said. I loved Lea.
“We will be there,” my father stated as he took the envelope. “I’ll leave you kids to it.”
Once my father was out of earshot, I questioned Lea about the reason she didn’t mention anything about her brother getting married when we were alone.
“This is my gift to you. Your father will want to be at the political wedding of the year, and he won’t want to do anything to jeopardize his spot at the table. So now you have some leverage with your father. You are welcome.”
A good night's sleep made all your problems seem more manageable, versus being sleep-deprived and irritated. I toasted a cinnamon bagel and was spreading some strawberry cream cheese on it when I heard Lea’s car in my driveway. I looked at the clock that was on the stove and frowned since it was too early for her to pick me up already.
I did not question this and instead grabbed my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, and made my way outside. Except Lea’s car was not the one waiting for me.
A shiny red Tesla was parked right outside. The windows were tinted, so I couldn’t see who it was. At least it wasn’t Salvadore. And that made me feel better.
The window began to roll down, and I groaned at the person who was at the wheel. Sure, it wasn’t Salvadore who was waiting for me, but his little cousin was just as bad.
I quickly made my way over since I didn’t want my father to get a glimpse of her through our front door camera.
“Get in, darling, or we’re going to be late,” she singsonged.
It was still early enough that I still had time to text Lea, letting her know that I would meet her at school.
“We are actually going to be early,” I said as I buckled in.
“Not if we want some caffeine, we are not.”
To this, I just stayed quiet since Lea was never early enough for us to make a coffee run daily. Her music was loud enough to prevent us from having an actual conversation, and I was grateful for that. Lea, on the other hand, would not be impressed I was ditching her.
“Isn’t this nice? Us hanging out together,” Carolina said once we had our orders.
Nice wasn’t the word I would have used since I didn’t consider us friends—hell, friendly barely covered the kind of relationship we had.
“Why are we hanging out?” I figured now was the appropriate time to question her on her motives.
She took a sip of her drink and then put it down in the cupholder. “Because we are besties now.”
“I have Lea,” I answered automatically.
At this, she let out a sardonic smile.
“Your girlfriend,” she said. Her words sounded more of a taunt than a fact. “Lea is your girlfriend,” she paused as if to remind me of the fact, “but I can be your best friend.” She winked, and I began to feel uneasy.
“Why?”
She shrugged it off.
“I don’t have many of those. Between my brother and cousins, it’s hard to find good friends, and besides, you could use a friend like me.”
“And why is that?”
“No one fucks with me.” She said it like it was obvious.
She had a point, and I didn’t have a smart comeback, so I stayed quiet. We made it to school just as Lea was pulling in as well. I cringed when Lea parked on the other side of the parking lot. Carolina pulled her car right in between her twin’s and Sal’s.
It was like the world knew I had already sold my soul, and it was throwing my decision back in my face now.
Please don’t be in the car.
As I got out, I noticed he wasn’t in his car, but he was leaning against Armando’s. I could hear Cristian calling over his twin, but I wasn’t paying attention to what was being said.
How could anyone concentrate when two of the hottest guys in school were staring at you? And all the while I had to pretend I didn’t notice how commanding and alluring they both were because I wasn’t supposed to like dick.
“Why are you with him?” Cristian asked, and at that, I couldn’t help but stare at him since he was talking about me.
“Because he saved me yesterday,” she pouted. “Tommy was being a dick to me,” she lied as she led her brother by the arm and started spewing lies.
I stood there, no longer being able to hear their conversation but having heard enough. I knew this wouldn’t end well. Someone chuckled, and it snapped me out of my daze. Armando shook his head with a grin on his face. He looked back at Salvadore and smirked.
My gut told me that I was missing something, but I didn’t care enough to stay and find out. Just as I started to feel awkward, I noticed Lea was making her way toward me.
I loved that girl.
My life would have been a hundred times easier if I could just love her for real. I wasn’t the only one who took notice of her making her way toward us.
“Your boyfriend ditched you today?” Sal drawled once Lea reached me.
She turned and glared at him while he just raised a brow at her. Was our ruse really that bad? Since Lea didn’t entertain him, his eyes came at me, and I could tell he was mocking me by the way his eyes lit up without him having to laugh.
Asshole.
“I got you coffee,” I told her as I handed her my drink.
“I love you,” she said, and behind me, I could hear fake gagging.
Lea rolled her eyes, but I felt like I had a point to prove. Without even thinking about it, I reached for her hand and led her away.
FOURTEEN
Armando was laughing.
I, on the other hand, didn’t find an ounce of humor in the view before me. Everything about Theodore Lyons grated me. From his mopey curls that he couldn’t bother to tame to the fact that he was Judge Lyons’s son. But the number one thing that made my teeth grit whenever he was near was the fact that he was a fucking pussy who couldn’t be true to who he was.
“Are you done?” I asked my dipshit cousin.
“No,” he deadpanned. “But I’ll let it drop for now.”
“You’re so gracious,” I bit back.
His face became stony once more. “Cousin, if I were anyone else, I would have gotten you killed already.”
He clapped my back as he left for his locker, and I let the severity of his words hit me. He was right, and I was a hypocrite.
Theodore was already in his seat by the time I walked into class. The way he made a show of trying not to make eye contact with me whenever I was around was comical.
“Cub,” I taunted as I took my seat behind him.
He sat up a bit straighter.
“Here I thought you would be more grateful for the bone I threw at your feet.”
Since I was sitting at an angle, I could see the way his jawbone flexed when he gritted his teeth. Feeling powerless was a crippling feeling. What good did it do to have a set of working legs, arms, and your senses intact when power rendered you incapable of taking a stand?
“Listen up, everyone!” the professor shouted, and I tuned her out as my mind instead drifted to yesterday’s dinner.
