An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel (31 page)

Luca

Several
days pass by. Katerina has made well on her promise to bankrupt me. She has
made an offer to the owners of the plot Black Butterfly sits on. However, I’m
not certain her venture to make hell on Earth for me isn’t less about my dating
her daughter than it is more about sabotaging Erin Angelo’s relationship with
her son, Alek. How did someone like that make a person as pure-hearted and kind
as Adriana?

The
world amazes me in this way. It can turn the mundane things in life into
something fantastical when you least expect it, and suddenly flip things
around, taking back everything you thought was going to be yours and handing
your hard work over to the devil himself. In my case, that would be Katerina
Dostovsky.

I’ve
had time to think about what she said. There’s one thing I do agree with her
on—her daughter deserves the best in life and not to be held back by some
screwed up man who fucks up everything he touches, especially after hearing
about the things she went through the night her family fled her father. That’s
what I am, King Midas; except everything I touch turns to coal instead of gold.

I
do the only thing I can think of to make this situation right for everyone
involved, especially Adriana. I set up a meeting at Black Butterfly. She
answers on the first ring, enthusiasm brightening her voice this time, the
sound of it killing me inside, driving in the knowledge that I’m about to do
one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in this lifetime.

I’m
going to kill a songbird.

“Why
are you doing this? I came here to offer my support. To apologize for turning
my back on you,” Adriana explains. She’s wearing a pink T-shirt and blue jeans,
and even after everything we’ve been through over the past couple of weeks, she
still sets my blood on fire. I turn away. This shit’s going to be hard enough
to do without looking her straight in the face. “I thought you wanted the same
thing. Instead, I get to hear you tell me how you’re getting back together with
Leona? This is Mother’s work, isn’t it? What is she using against you?”

Damn
she’s smart. “You got what you wanted, did you not, Juliette? You have your
ballet boy wonder by your side.” She gasps and takes a step back, the horror
and shock in her blue eyes destroying the last notes of the song we started
back in Venice, the weight of doing what I knew would ultimately have to be
done killing me along with it.

“I
won’t stand here and take this from you, Luca.”

“I
don’t expect you to.”

We
hold gazes for the longest, most agonizing moment ever. Her lip starts to
tremble, but she’s tough. Not one tear falls.

“This
isn’t about your ex-girlfriend, or some threat my mother made. No. This is
about being afraid of losing Simona.”

I
do look at her this time. “Tell me how much I mean to you. Tell me you can
forget this other man, the one who haunts you even after everything that has
happened between us.”

“I
don’t want Nikolai in that way. I mean, not anymore.” She sounds unsure of
herself and I still remember the way they kissed each other. There’s a
connection between them whether Adriana wants to admit it or not.

“I
don’t believe you.”

“It’s
complicated. I’m ... I—”

“Of
course. It should be easy to tell me what’s on your mind. Si, I fucked up, I
know. But I need to hear this from you. I want to know I’m not just some toy, a
distraction for what truly lies in your heart.”

“Don’t
do this. We’ll both regret giving up and you know it,” she whispers.

“I
won’t give up if you don’t let me.”

She
gives me an incredulous look. A confused one. I won’t be hearing the words I
desperately ache to hear coming out of her beautiful mouth tonight. If I wasn’t
able to break her with my fake announcement, or by using the pet name I reserve
for my one night stands, then I know what I’m about to say right now will work
like a snake charmer.

I
open my mouth and prepare to fire the wounding shot. “I’m sure it’ll be much
easier for you to tell Nikolai how you feel,” I say, my chest filling with
helium. Soon, it’ll burst wide open, and I’ll be glad. “Run along. I’m sure
he’s dying to see you.”

“Great.
Blame all this on me. But what happened to no secrets, Adriana? I’ll be there
for you, Adriana,” she mocks. I can’t say a word because she’s right and I feel
like a piece of shit. I keep telling myself this is the best thing for her. She
needs to sort out her feelings, and I refuse to manipulate her ability to
choose the way Belikov has been doing. “Why all the silence now? What happened
to all the damned poetry you used to seduce me?” she chides angrily.

“Nikolai
Belikov happened! That’s what!” Closing my eyes a short moment, I rein in my
temper before attempting to reach out to her. “Mi spiace, little Maia.”

“Don’t
you dare call me that,” she whispers furiously, shrinking back so I can’t touch
her body. Tucking her lips and taking one final look around the shop as though
she knows this will be her last time standing inside it, she locks her
tear-filled gaze with mine and says, “You want me to leave? Fine. I am so gone.”
When she walks out of Black Butterfly’s front door, I already know I’ll never
be the same man again.

~Adriana~

I
know Luca didn’t mean the horrible things he said, but still, I can only deal
with so many traumas in a single day. I don’t want to face Nikolai or deal with
Alek’s alpha-brother questions tonight. Against Alek’s wishes for me to use our
driver, Hagar, at all times since Mother has taken the keys to my Jag, I take a
taxi to Extasia, a strip club. I have no idea why Jojo would be there, but
that’s where the quick text she sent me said she would be and that she’d see me
soon. I wasn’t satisfied with her answer. I need to make sure my friend’s okay.

I’m
being thoughtless.

I’m
being stupid.

I’m
being reckless and I don’t care.

And
Nikolai keeps texting me. It’s like he can sense that something’s wrong. Either
that, or Mother had a few words with him, too. For all I know, they could both
be working together. I send a quick text to let him know I’m heading to the
Extasia. Call it habit—Nikolai has looked after me in that way for so long that
it doesn’t feel right to ignore him. I have the feeling Luca’s revelation that
he’s getting back together with his ex isn’t the last bit of dramatics this
bat-crap insane day has to offer.

Sweat
and musty odors assault me almost as soon as I walk in the door. There’s a huge
bar situated along the left side of the club. A raised, circular dance floor
surrounded by lights is situated in the middle of the room. I’ve picked one of
the worst nights to drown my misery at one of the wildest strip clubs in Milan.
A lockdown show’s going on, but Italian style. Girls in skimpy outfits showing
more than enough skin for the imagination are dancing in a cage hanging over a
stage. I glance around for Jojo. Originally she was supposed to have been
working at the Alcatraz tonight. I need to make sure she’s feeling okay after
being expelled from Aterballetto.

Suddenly,
I find Jojo sitting among a group of women situated on the floor under the
cage. She’s on her back and naked, her legs in the air as she tosses her head
back. The men surrounding the stage are shouting and tossing money her way. A
fierce sense of protectiveness rushes through me and anger clouds my mind. I
walk right up to her, shoving through a group of men shouting in Italian,
English, and a bunch of other languages all mixed together. Bending down, I
pull my naked friend up and drag her away from the stage while ignoring an
angry male’s voice shouting over the music and cheers. Grabbing somebody’s
trench coat on the way toward the exit, I throw it over her shoulders.

“What
the fuck are you doing, Adriana?” Jojo screams as we shuffle out the side exit
door. We turn and face each other, cold misty rain pouring over us, distorting
my vision.

“What
happened to your band gig?” I ask.

“Jeremy
needed a favor. His friend was missing a few dancers tonight. And now you’ve
screwed everything up for me.” She’s yelling with a wild look in her eyes. I
seem to be hitting everybody the wrong way today.

“What
happened to the ambitious ballerina I knew? Is this what you want? To find
yourself rolling around on your back for the rest of your life?” I scream, my
hands clenched and my body shivering. The rain coming down on our heads is just
an afterthought.

“Not
everybody can be like you, Adriana. All perfect and rich with men falling at
her feet. My parents don’t threaten someone into hiring me. They’re too busy
finding their next hit.”

“Having
screwed up parents doesn’t mean we have to be messed up in our heads, too!” My
lip starts trembling and I can feel my nose stinging. I might already be
crying, but the rain hides everything.

“Why
do you fucking care so much? What’s it to you?” Her voice cracks and her face
crumples on those last words.

“You’re
my friend, you silly girl,” I say, tears streaming down my face. We both break
down and embrace each other, reminding me of the time last month when she did
the same thing for me.

“Adriana,
I had no idea you wanted to see me so badly. I’m flattered,” Jeremy’s voice
cuts into our moment. I turn toward him. His dark-eyed gaze slides over my
body. The jackass even has the nerve to be holding an umbrella.

“Get
lost asshole. My friend’s leaving with me.” I tighten my grip around Jojo’s
shoulders as I realize I forgot to call Hagar.
Oh crap.
In return, my
friend wraps her arms around my waist, her body trembling.

“Can’t
let that happen,” he begins, his smile fading, “Jojo has a job to finish.” He
steps toward us as two of his men step out into the alley as well. Even though
they’re hanging back near the doorway, I don’t like the way this deal’s playing
out.

“Move,
Jeremy. I’m warning you.” My words don’t come across as confident, and images
of a dark, dank alley rush through my mind. At least, the misty rain has begun
to ease up.

Jeremy
grins. “What are you warning me about, little Dostovsky girl. The color of your
red nail polish?” All three goons laugh.