The Mafia's Possession (Ongoing, Being Edited)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Any moment now my heart was going to break free from my chest with the way it was beating.

"He has a girlfriend"

My cousin's voice rings through my mind, reminding me that the person sitting opposite of me on the couch is only free for a quick peak but nothing more. The same person who was shamelessly trying to kill me with those green eyes was already spoken for.

Yes, Adriano Rossi, the guy I had met not even an hour ago was making me feel like I was suffocating. Damn those Italian men.

I quickly glance to the floor where my brother and two cousins are sitting, playing a game on their xbox. Their reactions were comical. An occasional curse word would come out of my brother's mouth while my cousins laughed.

After dinner, my father, my uncle, and Adriano's father, Gabriel, made their way to an office located somewhere in this house to talk "business". My aunt and devil of a cousin, Melina, each left to their respective rooms.

I, of course, was not trying to spend quality time with Melina so I clumsily followed the boys to another part of the house they called the game room. I thanked the heavens that the game room wasn't located on the second floor. The room was filled with every playsation and xbox game console that existed, old and new. A giant flat screen practically took over one wall on one side of the room while a sitting area was located on the opposite end.

Making sure my brother and cousins, especially Toni, were focused on the game and not me I let my eyes wonder back to Adriano.

I truly was a shameless person. But if eyes weren't for looking then we wouldn't have any right? Checking someone out never hurt anyone. It's not like I was touching the guy. At least that's what I keep telling my guilt filled mind.

I slowly placed the mug I was drinking from down on the table. Inconspicuously my eyes slowly roamed down Adriano's handsome face, past his soft full lips, to his muscular arms. He wore a white tailored dress shirt that was rolled up from the sleeves to his elbows. The shirt seemed to perfectly fit his body, making his muscles stand out. A few tattoos adorn his arms, completing that badass look that most women seem to like. Me being one of them.

I squint my eyes at him as he gets up and sits down next to me. My body tenses at the proximity of him being so close to me.

"I don't mean to be nosey but I'm curious about something Clarissa. Ah, do you prefer that we speak in English or Spanish?" He says with a heavy Italian accent. He focuses his gaze on the screen ahead of us trying to make the mood more comfortable.

I want to say, "I would prefer if we don't speak at all because my little pea brain will start imagining something that isn't possible."

But instead, I calmly reply, "English is fine". I was anything but calm but he doesn't have to know that.

Smiling at my answer he rests his arm on the back of the couch. "I hope I don't offend you with my question but how is it that you stumbled upon Santiago's whereabouts?"

Somehow it felt like the couch was becoming smaller. I could no longer hear my brother cursing or my cousins laughing. His damn cologne was intoxicating and it wasn't helping me think straight. "Sorry." I say. "Your smell, it's distracting me." I stutter.

He frowns. "Do I stink?" His frown deepens when Toni stifles a laugh.

"No, that's not what I meant." I shake my head. "I have a sensitive sense of smell. You know what. Just forget I even said that." I wave my hand in the air and look away from him. Could I be any more awkward?

"Uh, to answer your question. I guess you weren't there when I told the story during dinner. But long story short.." I recount the story for what feels like the millionth time.

His eyes grow wide at my answer.

"Chris? Do you mean Christopher McCoy?"

I slowly sit up from my slouched position. He knows Chris's full name. But, how? I don't remember mentioning his full name to anyone. Not even to Santiago. Noticing the change in my facial features he calls Diego's name.

"Is she talking about Christopher McCoy? There's no way it could be him right?"

Diego nervously glances at me then back to Adriano. "I don't know." He simply says and quickly turns his attention away from us. "Maybe you should change the conversation."

"How do you know Chris's full name?" I frantically ask ignoring Diego's suggestion.

"Everyone in your family knows who Christopher McCoy is. He's been trying to get your father and my father behind bars for the past 10 years. He never had enough evidence to prove they were involved in mafia related crimes though. It pays off to be owners of normal businesses. Helps with the cover up." He says, completely ignoring my now pale face.

Diego, Toni, and Daniel were no longer playing the game. Instead they had their full attention on us. I could feel Diego's calculating gaze on me.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You asked, I answered. I mean if I were in your position I would be curious too. I'm guessing this is the first time you're hearing that your dad knows about Christopher?" I just stare at him. "I guess your father didn't want to tell you anything especially after finding out how much Christopher means to you."

Taking deep breaths I search his face for signs that he's maybe joking around with me. But I find no traces of laughter.

"Does Leonardo know?" He turns his attention away from me to look at Diego again.

Toni speaks up. "Adriano, I suggest you shut the hell up. This is not something that you need to be talking about with her."

Before I could ask who the hell that was there's a knock at the door. We all turn to see Santiago walk in with Gabriel and my uncle behind them.

"Diego, Clarissa, let's go. We're heading home for the night" Santiago says. Noticing the tense atmosphere he looks at each and every one of us. "What's going on here?

Diego gets up from his position on the floor and helps me up from the couch. "Nothing." He responds, putting an arm around me smiling. As we walk to the door I turn around to look at Adriano. Toni and Daniel are angrily whispering something to Adriano. Gabriel and my uncle are curiously making their way into the room.

As if feeling my stare Adriano looks at me. He flashes me an apologetic smile.

No longer were Adriano's beautiful green eyes on my mind. Instead thoughts of Chris and everything Adriano told me fills my mind instead. My brain starts working overtime trying to process the information I was just given. I was trying to draw a connection between Chris and this little family I just made.

As we make our way out of the house and into the SUV I start thinking of all the times when I was a kid and I asked Chris about my biological father's whereabouts. He always told me he didn't know anything about him. But as I got older he would always say he would try his best to find him for me.

Was everything he told me a lie? Did he know? I feel my heart break from the thought of being lied to by the man I considered a father all of these years. My heart ached at the thought of being lied to by the one person I thought would never lie to me.

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Edited 10/11/2021