This was it.
Ava slipped out from under my arm and bolted into the lobby when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. I walked beside Ava down Broadway Avenue toward our apartment building.
"My dad has rules about mixing business with pleasure," Ava said on our way down the block.
"Your dad works for us," I shot back. "He does whatever we tell him to do."
And so do you.
Eyes on the crowd ahead, she went back to biting her lip. Horns blared, drunk people stumbled out of bars, getting into fights. Others smoked, blowing it in our faces.
Ava waved her hand in front of her face and coughed. She had asthma and regularly used an inhaler. I’d been watching her for a while and noticed she had to use it even more when anxious. For some reason, she always seemed to be on edge. Maybe it was all the stress she placed on herself.
When we reached our apartment building, I opened the door for her. Then, without another word, she flew up the stairs, remaining silent until we stopped in front of her apartment.
Ava removed the keys from her purse. "Goodnight, Nico."
“Buona notte, passerotta.”
She smiled at my nickname for her and then closed the door. If only she knew I would be on the other side of the wall from her, tracking her every move.
* * *
My phone dinging woke me up. I opened the spying app installed on Ava's phone and lay back on a stack of pillows. Scrubbing a hand at my tired eyes, I yawned and watched as the first few messages appeared on the screen.
Bella:What did you do last night?
Ava:Okay, don't judge me. But I went to a party with Nico Luciano.
Bella:Shut. The. Fuck. Up.
Bella:I
Bella:Am
Bella:Dead
Bella:Bitch. I'm so jealous right now.
Bella:Nico is sell my soul to the fucking devil hot!
Ava:OMG, stop. He's not that hot.
Bella:Get the fuck out of here! My panties would incinerate if he touched me.
Bella:Give me all the deets.
Bella:Did you kiss him?
Bella:Finger bang?
Bella:Ride his face?
Bella:Fuck?
Bella:Please say yes to all the above. I want to live out my Nico fantasy vicariously through you.
Arabella Parisi was the daughter of a Made man. Her dad was next in line to become acaporegime. She'd pucker her red glossed lips at me when she was younger like she wanted a kiss. The girls were eight years younger than me. I was already a man when they realized they liked boys.