Page 31 of Undeniable

On the walls are black and white pictures of gangsters throughout history. It always makes me laugh that this is what people think mafia men look and act like. They think that we spend all day smoking cigars and having people make us offers that we can’t refuse. If only they knew what a thriving business, it really is.

At least our family, runs more like a corporation than a gang like some may think. Everything is conducted with the family first ideals above all else. We don’t cause random acts of violence or make rash decisions, well most of the time. If someone pisses Luca off, then all bets are off. The guy is the biggest hot head I know with a massive army behind him that would follow him into the pits of hell.

Alessandro and Tasha both want pizza, so they decide to share a meat lover’s while I settle on a bowl of spaghetti. The food comes out quickly and is delicious as always.

“So, you never answered my question from before,” I say as I take a bite of my dinner.

“What question?” Tasha snaps a little too harshly, telling me that just because she is hear does not mean she is my biggest fan.

“Any plans to move somewhere a little more permanent? Or do you enjoy being a freeloader?” I attempt to tease lightly.

I don’t miss the way she flinches at the word permanent. I curse myself for a moment before I narrow my eyes in curiosity, hoping to find the secrets that I am desperate to know about Tasha Jacobson. I don’t really know why, but it feels like she is running from something, maybe someone. I don’t know if she is physically running or just mentally, but nonetheless she seems unsettled.

It is almost like I could wake up tomorrow morning and find only a note saying that she is gone. The thought alone makes me feel physically sick which is pretty damn concerning to see how dependent I seem to be with her presence in my life, despite our less than friendly relationship.

She shrugs before taking a bite of her food and then pushing her plate away. “We will see. It might be nice to put down some roots here, at least for now.”

“Yeah?” I ask a little too enthusiastically. I try to tamp down my delight at the sound of her sticking around, but I don’t think that it works very well. “So, no interest in going back home?”

Her eyes squint for a moment before she shakes her head softly. I nod feeling a little more comforted that she has no interest in picking up and running back to California, but her stand offish vibe about the topic only confirms that there is definitely something that she is hiding.

“What brought you all the way out here in the first place?” I ask.

“Wanted a change of pace and I hadn’t seen Becca since we were kids. Felt like the right move,” she says with what looks like the perfect poker face and a shrug.

“So, you used to live here?” I conclude, my brows furrowing. There was nothing in her file of her ever living anywhere besides California. Why didn’t that come up?

She huffs out a short breath and crosses her arms. “What is this, an interrogation? Yeah, for a while. Do you want a hair sample and a cheek swab while we are at it?”

I shrug casually. “Not right now, but I may take you up on that one day.”

I give her a crooked grin and wink and I could have sworn I heard her call me an asshole under her breath before she takes a bite of pizza. Even fucking pissed at me, she is do damn beautiful. I can’t help but watch how her plump red lips easily wrap around the tip of her beer bottle, her throat working gently to drain the liquid. It has all of my blood rushing south and I have to physically shake my head from going there.

Alessandro captures our attention when he shows us the drawing that he was making on his menu while I was giving Tasha the fifth degree.

We spend the rest of the evening mainly listening to Alessandro make jokes and talk about his drawings. It was a pretty good night, even better if I could have gotten one of Tasha’s warm smiles directed at me.

As I pull out of our parking spot, Alessandro pipes up from the backseat.

“Can Tasha tuck me in?”

“Alessandro, I think we have kidnapped Tasha long enough for one day. Don’t you?”

“No,” he says blandly, like that was a stupid thing to say. I let out a dry laugh as I run my hand over my chin and shake my head.

“I don’t mind. I was planning on ordering a ride home anyways.”

I glance over to her with a raised brow. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” she nods.

I smile softly and nod before I start driving home. When we get there, Alessandro can barely keep his eyes open as I lift him up into my arms to carry him upstairs. He quickly gets changed and brushes his teeth before Tasha and I are tucking him in.

“Can you read me a story?” He asks Tasha.

She smiles sweetly to him and nods before taking the book that he is handing her. She sits at the edge of his bed and cracks the book open.

“Goodnight papa,” Alessandro says dismissively to me.

---