Between The Flames ⚜️Il Paradosso Book Two⚜️

Chapter three

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Adriana?"

Dino's eyes glazed over the tall glass of white wine that I had refilled just seconds ago, hoping that by the end of the evening; he would be spilling his guts out to me.

"I'm trying to apologize for last night," I lied through my teeth, watching him attentively as he gulped down half of the alcoholic beverage and let out a groan. "I shouldn't have gone off on you for any reason."

"No.” He shook his head. “What you're trying to do is get me to overlook the fact that Niccolo brought you in last night and have me murdered, that's what."

"Why would a simple misconception get you killed, Dino? You're being ridiculous!"

His eyebrows shot up. “A misconception? He was in there all night and left at the crack of dawn.”
I bit my lip, perturbation building at the bottom of my spine.

He raised the glass to his mouth again but lowered it halfway, placing it back on the coffee table with an audible sigh.

"OK. What do you want to know?"

I tapped my fingernails on the arm of the seat, studying him as he waited and I shifted my weight on the cushion so that my legs were snuggled underneath me.

"So, you'll tell me anything I ask you?"

"It depends on what you're asking."
I bit the inside of my cheek, contemplating my first question before I took a small sip from my drink, eyeing him precariously.

"How many?"

Dino's head leaned to the side in thought. "How many what?"

"How many women has he been with since I left?"

His clipped laugh and ironic reaction was what I had expected.

"You don't get to ask that, Adriana, when you were the one who no longer wanted to be a part of that world."

"Then what are you doing here?" I questioned sullenly, pulling at the ends of my sleeves, tasting the bitterness of his words on the tip of my tongue but swallowed it along with my pride.

"I'm here to protect you."

Now it was my turn to laugh.
“What exactly do you do for Antonio?” I questioned.

“IT.”

I laughed again shortly and paused when he stared at me blankly. “Oh, you’re serious?” I covered my mouth.

Dino’s bouncy curls spilled over his left eye as he watched me through them.

"What could you possibly do to protect me?" I asked through a chuckle, noticing his offended expression from my ridiculing. "I'm not much of a fighter but I'm pretty sure even I can kick your ass."

The shade in Dino's brown eyes seemed to darken as he stood from the seat, towering over me with a look of both anger and irritation.
"You want to try me, farfalla?"

“What is it with all these nicknames, you freaks?”

He pulled at the ends of my hair, yanking my head back but not too roughly and I giggled.

"Oh please," I said rolling my eyes, "I've dealt with enough scary shit to be intimidated by your ass. Just admit it, you were sent here to watch over me for one reason, and that was to make sure I don't fuck with anyone."

"I'd like to believe that I've done a pretty good job at keeping you on the tracks," he declared as the tone of his voice grew deeper when he leaned over me, placing both hands on the arms of the seat, "but don't underestimate my ability to knock you out if I have to."

"Ooh, I'm trembling," I replied tauntingly, "you wouldn't dare to hurt me, Dino. You're too loyal to your Italian Gods."

"True," he exclaimed, settling back onto the love-seat and crossing one leg over the other, "but you're at advantage for the fact that you've kept a clean slate and not given me a reason to."

"And what if I chose to tarnish that clean slate, what would that earn me?"

"You're about to cause some real havoc, aren't you, Adriana? I can read it on your face. I'm warning you―I won't be responsible for the repercussions."

"Then tell me who she is," I said through gritted teeth, indicating that I was dead serious, "and I won't do anything."

"If you really wanted to know, you would have actually gone up last night instead of freaking out and backing away."

"But Niccolo said―"

His faced turned a little pale as the recognition hit him and he struggled to correct himself. But I was already putting on my jacket and nearly out the door, before he grabbed hold of my bicep.

"Adriana, you don't want to do that tonight, especially after we've emptied an entire bottle."

"She's there with him, isn't she?" I said while feeling a bit queasy from the wine now.

"Adriana, please. Listen to me. If you go over there you're only going to hurt yourself." His voice lowered and I thought I saw a tinge of empathy flicker in his eyes.

"Why hasn't he called me, Dino?" I pushed, feeling a sharp pain inside my chest that I hadn't felt in a while. "Is it because he's moved on?"

Dino’s Adams apple bobbed as he shifted his gaze when I insisted. "He’s set to marry the Prime Minister’s daughter next spring.”

Evelina. Ms. Big Boobs.

"Weak bastard," I said with an exhale. Tossing my jacket onto the sofa I lied down, curling into a fetal position. "He's a fucking man whore."

I felt the cushion dip behind me and Dino's hand rested on my head, stroking my hair lightly.

"I carried his baby," I whispered softly, feeling a tear trickle down my right cheek. "We would have been so happy if he wasn’t such an inconsiderate asshole."

"I know," he responded, brushing the long locks off of my shoulder to gain access to my face and planted a small peck on my forehead. "But it's never too late to get him back."

“I can’t do it, Dino,” I sniffled into the pillow, “I don’t want to go back to that.”

But what I did want was to hear the truth directly from him.

The phone rested for a full hour on my lap as I stared blankly at the T.V. bolted onto my bedroom wall, watching the black screen.

Dino had given me his number but I couldn't gather the courage to go through with it. My heart was racing and I hadn't even punched in the digits, instead, I continued to gaze into nothingness.

Would he even answer the phone if he knew it was me? Had Dino already warned him? What if I went over there right now, what would I find? More importantly, how would I react to seeing him with Evelina again?

I was the only one who could answer all of these questions, that was, if I wasn't such a victim to my own cowardice.

Placing the phone in front of me onto the bed, I slid my fingers across the screen, unlocking it and hesitated for a mere second before I searched his name. It popped up instantly.

As the phone began to ring I pressed the loud speaker and held my breath, my stomach doing somersaults while my breathing labored.

"Yes?"

His voice was raspy as he stressed out the s and I clasped a hand over my mouth, preventing it from releasing any sounds while I sat in utter silence.

"Hmm, I'm assuming you didn't wake me from a felicitous nap just so you can breathe into my ear."

I pressed my palms to my temples, lowering my head into my lap.
I felt like a teenager, prank calling one of her crushes from school the way my heart was pounding fiercely inside my chest.

I disconnected the call.

"Sei uno uomo puttano," I incensed after controlling the violent sloshing against my ears and felt my face grow warm when a low chuckle reverberated from my own chest.

I was going insane again and all it took was the sound of his voice.
Nice, a deep one derided within me, now I would like to hear you say it to his face. That is, if you actually generate the guts to tell him the truth.

“Stay the hell away from me.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Dino had somehow entered the bedroom without me realizing.

"He gets to fuck everything that bleeds from between its legs, while I'm expected to just sit around doing what? I'm not a fucking nun. If I'd wanted to be one, I would have asked for God’s blessing a long time ago."

"Hey, don't let me stop you from getting what you want but the body count is all on you."

“How would he know that, Dino?” I snapped, folding my arms and shot him a “I know you’re the snitch here” glare.

He looked guilty as hell in his black leather pants and see-through tank top.

“Nicco had your phone tapped.”

My eyes widened to saucers. “How the hell did he get a hold of my phone, Dino! Did you give it to him?”

He scratched the back of his neck, looking away. “While you were asleep,” he coughed.

“What?” I felt rage. I wanted to tear Dino’s hair out and make him eat it. Instead, I threw the phone across the room with an exasperated scream, leaving a small dent in the wall.

When I turned around Dino was standing at the door, all dressed up and frozen.

“Where are you going?”

Dino twisted his glossy lips, running his fingers through his curly hair. “I kinda have a thing tonight that I forgot about.” He threw in a quick wave and scurried off, leaving me in a state of shock. I wasn’t sure if our conversation was real or I had just dreamt it. Maybe I was going insane.

While I was sleeping.

The phone pinged from under the bed, indicating a text message. I scuffed as I bent over to pick it up from the floor and opened the text.

Nicco: I've heard that dildos can work wonders, you wouldn't have to put much effort into it the next time you decide to have a finger orgy.

Ping.

Nicco: It won’t matter if your phone is broken, I’ll still know.

Ping.

Nicco: And your boyfriend his here.

Suddenly the room was spinning and I saw red.

"Dino!"

I began stripping out of my sweatpants while yelling at the top of my lungs until he appeared at the door, with half-done make-up and a confused expression.

"What the hell is happening? Why are you shouting? And why the hell are you naked?"

I slithered into a black mini skirt and a matching laced top, snatching my curler out of the dresser drawer and plugging it into a socket.

"We're going to the club."

What he didn't know was that we weren't just going to any club; we were going to the club on Madison Avenue.

***

"Are you fucking serious, Adriana?”
Dino gawked at me with his mouth open, a look of terror rising up his face as we approached the very street where the looming fifteen story building was located on.

"I'm going to die tonight. He's going to kill us both."

"Oh stop being such a baby," I seethed, placing the car into park, "we'll have a couple of drinks and then leave, that's all."

"Oh, God! I'm too fucking drunk for this shit. You could have at least let me get sober first, before throwing us both into the pits of hell."

"Let's have some fun," I encouraged while stepping out of the vehicle and straightening my skirt around my waist, "and who knows, maybe tonight is your lucky night where you meet some cute guys and fall madly in love with one of them."

"That would be great and perhaps we can be buried together afterwards."

He stopped midway and gave me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Forget it, no offense taken," I said, my eyes fixated on the glass entrance, taking note of the lady in her mid-forties that was standing in the lobby.

My heals clicked on the marble as I sucked in a deep breath and made my way into the first floor.

The woman turned around upon hearing us enter and gave me a once over, before her lips stretched into a broad smile.

"You don't look surprised," I said as I took in her strapless dress and freshly manicured nails that were painted pitch black. "Were you expecting me? Let me guess, you were monitoring me through the tracker that the sick-o installed into my phone."

"It's always a pleasure seeing you, Adriana." She glanced over my shoulder at a fuming Dino who wasn't capable of standing in one place. "I see you brought your shadow."

"We're not looking for trouble; we're just here to find Dino a soul mate."
I heard him gasp from behind me and Giada let out a cackle.

"Oh, but it’s looking for you," she insinuated with a wicked smile, drawing her attention back to me. "And trouble is with him, waiting one floor above us."