Page 50 of Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC)
Even worse, I never allowed myself to become connected to one of them before I knew who they could potentially be. Fuck, I was such an idiot. I had to clear this up before I went any further with her and in the worst-case scenario, if she was a part of the crime family, I would then have to turn off all of my emotions and use her as a way in. I would have to forget whatever feelings I had already developed for her. For the most part, I was robotic, so something like that didn’t seem impossible for me to do.
I sat upright on the bed and pressed my feet into the soft, carpeted floor, then stood up and walked to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. I put my hands on the railing as the sun reached its highest point in the sky. A brisk gust of wind blew against my bare chest, sparking a memory of me pushing Carina against the wall on the top deck of Luzano’s. Her moans. The way she dug her nails into my back. The inaudible sounds that barely escaped her lips as my cock drove inside of her.
I blinked my eyes, erasing that recollection as the passionate moans echoed inside of my mind. She had somehow gotten under my skin, and I needed to get my mind in the right place. I exhaled, then made my way back into the bedroom and grabbed the manila folder. I paged through the photos that Captain O’Malley gave me during my last visit to his office. I scrutinized the pictures, looking for resemblances between her and her supposed brothers. Maybe the eyes. The shape of the eyes connects them. Possibly the nose, but that is a stretch.
I grinded my top and bottom rows of teeth together. She was definitely related to them. I scanned the other documents in the folder that was information gathered on the family. It was pretty clear that the Dellucci family had three children. Though it seemed someone had tried to separate Carina from the rest of them. Now I could only hope that she wasn’t involved or didn’t know about the family business. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of her being a part of it all. The most important thing for me to do was to get to the bottom of things before I jumped to incorrect conclusions.
I stood up and dropped the papers back onto the dresser, then marched into the living room. I reclined on the large, sectional couch and flipped on the 62-inch television that was mounted on the wall just above the fireplace. I grabbed my phone and searched for restaurants that I could take Carina to on our date tomorrow. The department gave me a stipend for my time undercover in case I needed to show the Dellucci family that I had money of my own. My plans were to take Carina to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city and figure out why Carina had such a hold on me.
***
The next day, I arrived at Carina’s home. She lived in a middle-class neighborhood on Chicago’s west side. A small, two story home with a white picket fence enclosing a front yard with a bed of roses near the porch. Her cement pathway looked as if it was freshly laid and hardened. I stayed in front, carefully scanning the block to see if there was anything abnormal around that would cause me to be on edge. A pack of birds flew out of a tree in unison, making me jump slightly. They flapped their wings as they followed each other to another landing. I shook my head for being so on edge. As I picked up my phone, the front door opened.
Carina stepped outside and closed the door behind her while I slid my phone back into my pocket. She walked down her stairs, wearing jeans and high heels with a tightly fitted blouse. I got out of my car and held her door open. Her smile widened the closer she got.
“You look nice,” she said after she kissed me on the lips.
“Likewise.” I closed the door behind her and then walked to my side and climbed in. “So, you live out here, huh? Is it quiet?”
“Well,” she said as she slid her purse onto the ground, “most days are pretty quiet. There are some that are a little livelier than others, but for the most part, we are quiet.”
“Yeah. I hate it when it is too quiet. I need some noise here and there, you know? It helps me know that I am alive.” I turned the key in the ignition, then eased out of her neighborhood. The sun was on its way down beyond the tree line as I drove to a red light.
“Were you born here in Chicago?”
“Miami. I moved here almost four years ago.”
“Really? I would’ve never guessed it by the way you carry yourself. I mean, you have a certain um,” she looked at me, “no, wait. I don’t want to offend you.”
“Go ahead. I’m not easily offended.”
“Ok. Well, you come off like a… like a tough guy, you know? Like you belong out here in Chicago. On the south side, somewhere.”
I knew exactly where she was talking about. I’d been in and out of most of the hoods of Chicago since I’ve been stationed here, as well as Liberty City, Miami. There wasn’t an area I was afraid to be in and that alone helped me maneuver in and out of certain demographics.
“Nah, I’m not from here.”
“I see that now.” The light flipped green and with that, I accelerated through the intersection.
“So, tell me more about what kind of stocks you do. I still don’t get how you work here in Chicago and not on Wall Street.” I chuckled as the streetlights cascaded over our vehicle
“I got transferred here for business. Government business, but I can’t reveal too much because it is not for the general public to know.”
“Oooh, some top-secret type of stuff, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess you can say that. Since we are going to be honest with each other, tell me more about you. What does your family do for a living? Are they all school teachers as well?”
She readjusted herself in her seat and faced forward. A short exhale escaped her lungs and I took note of how quickly her demeanor had changed at the mention of her family.
“No, they aren’t teachers, per say. I mean, they teach, but not the way you expect.” A sickening feeling penetrated my stomach as she fumbled around the truth. I almost wanted to stop her, but she kept going. “They have their own business for the most part. I try to stay out of it though.”
“Why?” I pushed slightly. I wanted her to keep talking about them, but I didn’t want her to feel like I was digging for information.
“I just want to stay out of it. I have my own things going on with teaching and all that. It takes up enough of my time and I really don’t understand much of what they do.”
“A family business?”
“Yeah, a family business. They deal a lot with waste management and real estate.”
Without saying it verbatim, she told me everything I didn’t want to know. Just by her reaction, I could tell that she was connected to the Dellucci crime family. She wouldn’t flat out tell me what was going on with her family business, so there was no other conclusion to draw.
“I got it. A family business,” I looked at her. I could see the concern in her face. “By the way, I don’t think I ever caught your last name.”
“Dellucci,” she said, calmly. “Carina Dellucci.” I could tell by her blank stare that she was hoping that I didn’t recognize it from somewhere.
We arrived at the restaurant. The valet took my vehicle and parked it as we walked down the red carpet and through a set of double doors that were held open by one of the waiters.
“Welcome to Saviano’s,” he said with an Italian accent. We walked by him, passing two large fish tanks on both sides. Colorful fish darted throughout the water as if they were chasing after each other. The bottom of the tank was filled with seaweed and shells that housed small sea critters that scurried across the bottom of the tank.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” she said as she interlocked her fingers with mine. Since we stopped talking about her family, she started to feel comfortable around me again. I wanted to put my guard down with her, but knowing that she was associated with the Dellucci crime family, I knew had to start separating my feelings from reality. The truth was that she was now a part of the enemy. I had to play this hand right or else, everything would go to shit before it had a chance to start.
“Yeah. I figured that I would take you somewhere nice.” Small water
fountains spouted water three feet into the air and splashed back into the basin as we made our way to the hostess.
“I have a reservation for two. Under Harrison.”
She scanned her computer until she found what she was looking for.
“Ah, there we are. Right this way.” We followed her through a decorated dining area. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and artwork decorated the walls. The tiled flooring was decorated with golden emblems of the restaurant’s logo. Candle flames extended a few inches off the table at the end of the candlestick holder. Couples held hands as they intensely stared into each other’s eyes. A small knot formed in my stomach. I had to keep my mind off the fact that one day, I may have wanted that to be me and Carina. I looked over at her and smiled. This was all business now. I had to make her like me if I wanted to get my job done right.
Finally, we made it to our table. I pulled the chair out for Carina as she smiled and took her seat. She propped her Michael Kors purse on the table and as I sat down, I tried to ignore the allure of her beauty and the way we seemed to connect on every level. Her smile was the light in my life that I hadn’t seen since my childhood days. I felt comfortable around her, which was rare, given how I hardly trusted anyone. The candlelight flickered with movement, and cast light across her round face. Fuck she was beautiful. She was my way in, but at the same time, she seemed like she had the way into my heart.
Throughout dinner we sat and talked. I learned more about what she really thought of her third graders, and how she hoped to be a principal one day.
“So how is it being surrounded by kids all day?” I asked as our salads arrived. She smiled and picked up her fork.
“I love it. I mean, I know it sounds cliché, but I just really enjoy being around children. I think it is their innocence and imagination that I love the most.” I tilted my head slightly to the side. How could a woman so amazing be associated with mafia?
“What can you tell me about this government job, thing?” Carina asked pulling me from my thoughts.
