Page 21 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
Fucking mesmerizing.
I shake my head to make myself snap out of it and run my hand over my hair.
I don’t even know what I want from her.
Nothing. She’s engaged.
No, that’s not true. I wantsomething.
She’s a puzzle I need to figure out.
Then I’ll leave her alone.
My feet carry me across the lawn to where they’re standing. Gemma notices me approach, and her eyes widen momentarily. Is she tugging on Cleo’s elbow? The predator in me smirks. She’s not getting away that easily.
“Why are you pulling on me?” I hear Cleo ask just before I cast my shadow over them.
“Going somewhere?”
Gemma’s gaze flits over my body before leveling on my face. “Yes, we were just leaving to find some shade. Excuse us.”
I block her way and tug on my tie. “Hot, isn’t it?”
Her cheeks tinge pink. “Can you—”
“There he is!” a familiar voice calls out behind me.
Cazzo.
I turn around just in time for my ma to pull me into her arms. She presses kisses to both of my cheeks. “Where were you before the start of the ceremony?”
“Working.”
She tsks. “You work too much. And who’s this?”
“Gemma and Cleo Garzolo,” I say. “Valentina’s sisters.”
“I’m Avena Sorrentino,” Ma says. “Cassio’s mom.”
Merda.Ma ignores the glare I send her. Every time I see her, I have to remind her no one calls me that anymore.
You’d think she’d get used to it after a decade.
Gemma’s brows scrunch together. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve met him.”
Ma laughs. “I think you have.” She points at me.
Gemma’s eyes widen for a moment as she makes the connection. “You’re Ras’s mom?”
She says it like the idea of me having a mother is impossible to comprehend. She probably thinks I was forged in the depths of hell.
“When you have children, make sure they don’t get attached to stupid nicknames,” Ma advises. “Cassio is such a beautiful name, and he’s all but abandoned it. And Ras isn’t even a real name, it’s just what we call—”
“Ma.”
She shoots me a look. It’s one I’ve seen countless times before, and it all but screams that I’ve tossed aside all the things she wanted for me. She used to say that to me out loud, but not anymore. Not since I became the underboss to our don. It’s a position many made men would kill for. A position that demands respect. But it’s still not what my parents wanted for me. They wanted me to work with my dad, take over managing our family’s businesses, and make it into something great.
Instead, the only businesses I’ve ever given a fuck about are Dem’s.
