Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (13 page)

“I’m Vinnie, a friend of Marky’s.”

Vinnie? The name sounded familiar and then it dawned on me from my
recent conversations with Marcus. “Oh yes! He’s mentioned you lots of times. He
refers to you as his ‘right hand man.’” I laughed.

Vinnie nodded with a wide smile. “Yeah, that’s what he tells me.
It’s nice to finally meet you.” He reached out his hand, and I took it.

“Nice to finally meet you too. I don’t meet many of Marcus’s
friends, but he talks fondly of you.”

“Ha, that’s good to know. So next time he’s grilling me about a
job, I’ll make sure to mention that.”

“Don’t tell him you heard it from me!” I stabbed a finger at his
arm.

“I won’t, although, it’ll probably save my ass.” We both laughed.

Vinnie and I continued to talk as we waited until the lights went
off in the room, getting our attention. “Okay, everyone, Marcus will be here in
five minutes. Please gather around.” Theresa’s voice pierced through the room.
My heart crushed heavily against my chest as I straightened my posture but
remained against the wall. I could hear footsteps scattering around the
hardwood surface as people attempted to reach the entrance. After a few minutes,
the whispers had died down when tires screeched along the driveway.

My lips curled into a smile after I heard the car door shut
following the sound of Marcus and Jimmie’s voices. The sound of their boots
crunching against the gravel surface came closer as their laughter erupted.
After the jingling sound of the keys, the door opened, and then the lights
flicked on.

“Surprise!” Everyone yelled.

Stretching my neck, I tried to look over the crowd that had
formed around Marcus. I had yet to see him and had totally missed his reaction.
I knew he was in the center of the crowd because I could hear family and
friends yelling and wishing him a happy birthday. There was no way I was going
to be able to push through that crowd, so I stayed in place until I felt I
could get to him. “Happy birthday, Baby!” Theresa squealed. My eyes moved
toward the right, where I saw that Theresa had thrown her arms tightly around
Marcus. My entire body relaxed at the sight of him. He seemed thrilled by
everyone’s presence. When he finally looked up, his eyes locked with mine.
After thanking his mother, he made his way toward me.

With a bright smile, I moved forward toward him until we met in
the middle. “Happy birthday,” I mouthed. Without a single word, he pulled me
into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I looked up. “Have you been
drinking?” I asked, the answer written all over his eyes and the smell of beer
lingering on him.

With a lazy smile, he pulled me in tighter, “Yeah, Jimmie and I
were playing a drinking game.” He shrugged. Laughing, I shook my head and
reached up for a kiss. “Marky!” Uncle Marty shouted from behind. Marcus pulled
away from the kiss and rolled his eyes before he turned around. Uncle Marty
held two shot glasses in his hand and gave one to Marcus. The both of them
clinked glasses and downed the shot. More family members approached him with
drinks.

“Sorry, Mia.” Jimmie said from beside me.

Crossing my arms, I looked up at him and smiled. “No, it’s fine.
As long as he has good time, that’s all that matters.” Sighing, I looked over
at Marcus, who was surrounded by a few more men with shot glasses. “As long as
he behaves too.” I knew how Marcus could sometimes turn into a sloppy drunk as
I recalled our unpleasant encounter at Club21 with Boston Barbie.

Jimmie placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m usually the first
person that’s against Marcus drinking, but trust me. He’s been doing well with
it.” He shrugged and averted his stare toward Marcus as well. “And we really
had fun hanging out.” I simply nodded with a bright smile. It was nice to hear
that they enjoyed themselves together. After a few minutes, I went toward the
bar that was set up for the night and grabbed another martini.

Within the next hour, I was approached by a few family members and
friends of the DeLucas. The party was going well, and I couldn’t have been
happier with the outcome. Marcus and I barely had time to look at each other,
but I expected that when his house was flooded with over eighty guests. Feeling
more at ease, I settled onto a bar stool and continued to sip my drink. That
was when I saw Jeremy approaching me. His lips curled into a small grin, but I
could tell from the look in his eyes that there was something troubling him.

“Hey,” he said, reaching in and tapping a kiss on my cheek.

With both brows pinned together, I studied him, “Hey. Everything okay?”
I searched behind his shoulder. “Where’s Megan?”

Jeremy averted his eyes as he sank into the stool beside me. “I’m
not sure. She’ll probably show up though.” Raising a finger at the bartender,
he ordered himself a shot and a bottle of beer.

“What happened, Jeremy?” He didn’t answer me, but instead waited
patiently for his drinks. After the bartender placed his drinks on the table,
Jeremy downed his shot and chugged the beer. “Jeremy?”

He ordered another beer and then turned to face me, annoyed by my
continued badgering.

“She found out about us.”

Taken aback, it took me a few seconds to collect my thoughts.
“What do you mean
us
?”

He grabbed the new beer and took a long pull but kept his eyes
remained on me. “She knows that we slept together . . . several times.”

“What?” My heart began to race.
This could not be happening
.
“How did it come up?”

He shook his head. “I don’t even know. First, she asked about my
past relationships, and then she asked playfully if you and I had ever hooked
up, and it just slipped. I wasn’t sure if you had told her, and I wanted to be
honest.”

I tried to think of words to comfort him. I knew Jeremy was beginning
to develop strong feelings for my cousin, and that information could ruin them
as a couple. As I placed my hand on his shoulder, I caught sight of Megan. She
was stunning in a red mini cocktail dress. The light brown waves of her hair
framed her face beautifully. Her eyes were usually hazel with a hint of yellow
in them, but her golden and brown eye shadow caused her eyes to have more of a
green sparkle. She stood tall with her shoulders straight as she waved her hand
awkwardly at me. A tiny smile formed on her lips.

Taking in a deep breath, I leaned into Jeremy. “Megan is here.
I’m going to have a talk with her. Everything will be okay.”

He couldn’t help himself as he twirled around in the stool and
stared at her. His brows kneaded together as his eyes stared at her with so
much passion. His body slightly jerked as he stopped himself from moving toward
her. Megan looked away, ran a shaky hand through her hair, and let out a
breath. I patted Jeremy’s shoulder one last time to assure that I would take care
of it, and moved my way toward Megan. Every step I took, I began to come up
with several scenarios of how it might play out.

I wrapped my arms around her when I reached her and pulled her
into a tight hug. “You look so beautiful, Megan.”

Her arms returned the gesture as she hugged me even tighter. “You
do too, as always.” Her voice cracked a bit.

“Let’s go out back where it’s quieter so we can talk. Okay?” I
asked. We broke from our embrace after she nodded and walked toward the back
yard side by side with our arms interlocked with one another.

As we stepped out onto the cobblestone patio, the cool breeze
whipped through us, giving me a slight chill. There were a few guests in the
tent where the band and tables were set up. Others were lurking around the patio,
drinking or smoking cigars as they laughed and enjoyed the party.

Spotting an empty corner, I nodded my head towards a seating
area. Megan led the way and then sat down on one of the wicker chairs. I took a
seat across from her, crossed my legs, and leaned in, placing my elbow on my
knee.

Megan leaned back into the chair as she crossed her arms, and
turned her head to study a group of men that were laughing on the other end of
the patio. “I guess he told you.” She had finally spoken in a low tone.

“Not much, but he did, in fact, say that he told you about him
and me.”

A mocking laugh escaped her lips. “More like it slipped.” She
paused, shook her head, and then turned her chin to fully look at me. “You
know, Mia, the fact that the two of you slept together doesn’t bother me. Well,
it does a little, but I know it happened before I came along. I think what
bothers me the most is that, despite all of the women he’s been with, the last
person I thought I ever had to compete with was you.”

It was shocking to hear her say that. I leaned in closer.
“There’s no competition, Megan. None. Jeremy and my relationship can be a bit
difficult for others to understand. When we slept together, it was after
Michael’s death, during a time that I felt so much sadness and loneliness.” I
forced a smile. “Jeremy even said he kicks himself in the ass for allowing it
to go as far as it did, because I was so vulnerable. Don’t get me wrong. He did
not take advantage of me, but I just wanted to forget about the pain, and at
the time, I thought that was the only way to go about it.” Closing my eyes, I
took in a deep breath, and after exhaling, I opened my lids. “Now, thinking
back on it, it was dumb, wasn’t it?”

“No, it’s not dumb. I understand. I also see how close you two
are. He opens up to you more than he does to me. I wonder if he’ll ever be like
that way with me.”

Scooting toward the edge of my seat, I reached and placed my hand
on her knee in a way to comfort her. “Don’t you see how special you are to him?
I’ve never seen him react towards any woman the way he has with you. He truly
cares about you, Megan. He’s frightened. That’s all. Jeremy has issues with
commitment. I think it might have to do with dealing with his parents’ divorce
at a young age. He’s afraid if he lets all of his feelings out that they might
get ripped away from him.”

Megan sat there in silence for a moment, considering what I’d
said. Leaning toward me, her eyes glistened as she held back tears. She placed
her hand on top of mine, “Do you really think he cares for me as much as I do
for him?”

A smile of assurance touched my lips. “Yes, I truly believe he
does. I know Jeremy, and he is completely strung out.” She laughed out loud and
quickly wiped away two tear drops that escaped. “Go talk to him, Megan.” She pressed
her lips together and nodded. Before standing to leave she pulled me into a
tight hug.

“Thank you so much, Mia. I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go get your man.” We laughed together, gave
one last squeeze, and then she left in search of Jeremy. Feeling a bit better
and dazed from the alcohol, I sank into the chair, tossed my head back, and
stared into the night sky.

Dinner hadn’t been announced yet, and I was already exhausted.
What
a long day it had been.
I was looking forward to snuggling in bed beside
Marcus. I could hear his laughter coming from somewhere in the house. It wasn’t
hard to miss. It’d made me smile, knowing he was enjoying himself, and the
exhaustion I was feeling was well worth it. When I thought of making my way
back in, I heard a familiar voice come out of the darkness. “My night has just
gotten better. Well, if it isn’t the one and only Mia Sullivan.”

My. Entire. Body. Froze.

Every sound around me went faint. All I could hear was the sound
of my heart thrashing against the cage of my chest. It burned as I tried to gasp
air through the tightness of my throat. My mouth went dry, the palms of my
hands beaded with sweat, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Every thought about the man behind that voice sped through my mind. I wanted
that moment to pass, for him to go away. I sat with my eyes shut tightly,
dreadfully hoping and wishing that that moment was a nightmare. But it wasn’t.
The sound of his shoes treading against the cobblestones came to a halt. Fear
had crept into my veins as I felt his presence directly beside me.

Then rage.

A wrath of emotion erupted deep within me. I was fuming with anger,
my shaky breathing became heavier, and my skin seared with heat. I fought
against my will and my eyes flashed open. His frame slightly hovered over me as
he stared down at me smiling with a grin that I wanted desperately to smack off
his face. Removing the cigar from between his teeth, he let out a quick puff
and gave a curt nod. “Don’t you remember me, sweetheart?” Oh, I remembered him
alright. I remembered him with every fiber of my being. Anyone who was ever so
unfortunate to meet him could never forget.

Lou Sorrento.

At that moment, I stood to face him. He tilted his head aside, and
his lips curled into a full-toothed grin. He looked exactly as I remembered:
his salt and pepper hair was his only age indicator. Although he wasn’t taller
than Marcus, he still stood as a powerful man—a man with a power that came from
years of barking off orders. A man that could put a gun to someone’s head and
pull the trigger with a smile splashed across his face. A man without a care in
the world except for himself, not even my brother.

Angrily, I bit down on my lip as I stared at him with nothing but
hate. Although I stood calm, my mind was screaming and racing with so much
rage. I visualized myself shoving him to the ground and pounding my fists into
him until I saw blood. That bothered me. I was never a violent woman or wished
harm against anyone, but being in the presence of Lou possessed me to be one.
Who gave Lou Sorrento the right to walk this earth? He deserved to be six feet
underground, not my brother. Michael deserved to be alive, not Lou.

Who gave him the right!

I slightly shook my head as I tried and fought back the tears. I
would not give him that. I would not show one ounce of fear or the effect he had
on me. Lou Sorrento, did not value any of my emotions: good or bad. He deserved
one thing and one thing only: death.