“About what?”
“Got the police report back on the parents. Did you know that Mr. Stevens was a broker for the Costa Family?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Miguel Costa was a piece of shit and his son Luca was no better. A low-life scumbag, Miguel Costa had been looking for a way to distribute his merchandise in Chicago for years but Gio had stopped him every time. The Costa family was based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida but had ties to Georgia and Tennessee. His major import was methamphetamine and oxytocin. From there, he would ship his drugs all over the United States. At least once a month, I would see Miguel’s delinquent son, Luca Costa, in the clubs, having a grand old time and it never failed that he would use that time to approach me and try to work some deal. Not that I had any say in the family business, that was Giovanni’s job but the idiot never listened to me. So, I ignored the asshat. I never gave Luca the time of day. I didn’t associate with scum.
“What do you mean broker? The Costa family are drug dealers.”
“And more,” Giovanni replied, lowering his voice. “Look Lo, I think something else is going on here. That’s why I showed up tonight to talk to you. I need more information first but, in the meantime, I need your word that you will not let Donatella out of your sight. Whatever is going on, she is at the heart of it.”
“How? She’s just a college student.”
“That had her parents, her sister and her roommate killed. Now she has two men after her? I’m sorry Lorenzo but my gut tells me she is in danger and that this whole mess has to do with her.”
“What do you mean danger?” I asked, not liking where this conversation was going. I couldn’t really explain it but the thought of someone intent on harming Donatella didn’t sit right with me. I barely knew the girl. She may be Penny’s sister but I didn’t want anything to happen to her. There was just something about her that got to me. I didn't know what it was or if I even liked it.
The fact of the matter is that there is just something about that girl that scares me. Which wasn't easy for me to even admit. Because nothing ever scared me. It was as if she could see inside of me. To the real me. The me I kept hidden from everybody else. All it took was for her to look at me and I knew she could see everything.
All my faults.
All my inhibitions.
All my mistakes.
Everything bad that made me who I am. To make matters worse. She made me want to be a better person. To not be so selfish and inconsiderate. I don't know what it is about her but I feared the longer she was around, the more she would change me. And I didn't know if I was ready for that change.
“Lorenzo,” Gio said carefully, moving closer to me. “Are you going to be able to handle this? Because if you can’t. If you even think otherwise, you need to let me know right now. I don’t want her hurt. She’s been through so much already.”
“I can watch her.”
“That’s not what I am asking and you know it.”
“I got her Gio. No worries. Nothing will happen to her. I promise.”
My brother looked at me for a few seconds before nodding. “Good. If you need anything you know where to find me.”
I said nothing as Gio left, leaving me alone in the massive bedroom. In a house I don't even want and I wasn't even going to mention what the place actually looked like. Definitely not my style.
I still don't know what possessed Penny to buy this place. Why she thought I would like to live here, I would never understand. But she bought it. I never questioned what she did. She never steered me wrong. She never led me down the wrong path. In fact, she was my conscience. I never did anything unless I ran it by her first.
It's kind of weird being me because I’ve always been unable to make a damn decision unless I talked to my best friend first. I never really had a best friend growing up. I always tended to do things my own way and do my own thing. I had acquaintances, of course but no one that I would really consider a friend. Until I met Penny. She was the one person in my life that refused to let me give up or get away with anything. She'd always call me on my shit no matter what I did. Even when I wanted to drop out of college, she refused to let me quit. She had to kick my ass the whole way even at graduation when I tried to skip it for a piece of ass.
I missed her. If she was here right now, she would know what to do. Because I sure as hell didn't. I'd like to think she'd be happy knowing that I was looking at her sister. But knowing her, she would probably be yelling and screaming at me, telling me to not even look at her baby sister. She wouldn't even let me in the same room or state with her and I wouldn't question her because I knew she would be right.
My past wasn't anything like my brothers’. I didn't tow the family line like they did. When I went my way, I went the long way round. I partied too much. I drank too much. I even dabbled in drugs. Not that my family ever knew about that. I've been with so many women in my life that they all just tended to blur together now. All I cared about was my needs. Who was having the next big party? Would I get my face on page six? Over the years I had to buy my happiness. Everything from cars to suits to watches. But in reality, I never was happy.
I’m still not.
I thought volunteering for the local fire department would give me some sense of purpose. In the end, all it did was interfere with my selfish ways. My brother doesn't know that I haven't been a member of the fire department for the last two weeks. I don't know how to tell him. Penny knew though. She even tried to change my mind several times. She also went behind my back to speak with the chief to get my job back. In the end, I always did what I wanted. I got what I wanted and didn't care who I hurt in the process. Now it's just not me anymore. I've got Penny's sister and I just told my brother that I would make sure she was safe. How in the hell can I look after someone else when I can’t even look after myself?
God my life is fucked up.
Now I am in a house I didn't even want with Penny’s sister, who I am now supposed to protect. I don't even know what's going on but I think Giovanni was correct about Donatella. Something fishy is going on. What was bothering me was why the private investigator I hired to look into the parents’ deaths ended up dead. Why would somebody kill him? He was in no way related to the Stevens family. What was it about her parent’s death? And now the Costa family was involved somehow?
I wasn't exactly truthful with Giovanni earlier. I knew Luca Costa more than I let on. We partied together frequently. Yes, he was still a bastard but so was I. For a short time, he was also my supplier. Though I no longer did drugs, we still remained friends of a sort. In fact, the last time we were together, he invited me down to Fort Lauderdale to spend a week on his yacht. It was some big party to celebrate his upcoming birthday.
I grinned because that thought gave me an idea.
Now all I had to do was get Gio on board.