Reckless & Ruined (2 page)

The strong arms of Adriano Conti caught Alessa before she hit the ground. Something akin to a sob caught in her chest as Adriano righted her without a word and moved her slightly behind him. Alessa fisted her hands into the back of Adriano’s T-shirt like it was the only lifeline she had left.

“You all right?” Adriano asked, never taking his glare off Dean for a second.

“Yeah,” Alessa mumbled. “I’m okay, Adriano.”

“Good.”

Alessa felt Adriano’s hand reach back and cover hers. He squeezed her hand and then let it go. Adriano Conti was the same age as Alessa. They even went to the same private school. His father was heavily involved with her grandfather and the Chicago mob, seeing as how Riley Conti was the Outfit’s front boss.

What Adriano had never done, was pay Alessa very much attention. He stuck to his side of the Outfit, and Alessa stuck to hers. They passed one another by from time to time at family dinners and parties, but they didn’t make an effort to be friends. Adriano was the high school football star, a mob
principe
for the Outfit, and a player on and off the field. Every single girl Alessa knew had tried to get a piece of this guy—her not included.

That didn’t mean she never wanted to, though. Alessa would be a damned liar if she ever said Adriano wasn’t gorgeous and interesting to her.

The contrast between Dean and Adriano under the willow tree as they had a stare down was visible to Alessa. Adriano might have been two years younger than Dean, but he towered over the man by at least six inches. Dean was tall and lean, but Adriano was built like the linebacker he was. He had broad shoulders, thick arms, and a stance that screamed for someone to back off.

Alessa could feel the muscles in Adriano’s back tighten like coils ready to spring. He practically vibrated under her touch. His teeth bared as he sneered in Dean’s direction like the guy was nothing more than a worm to be crushed under his shoe.

“Artino,” Adriano said, tipping his chin in Dean’s direction. “I thought that was you I saw following Alessa out here earlier.”

Dean scowled. “What about it?”

Adriano shrugged. “Nothing. But when a girl says back off, it means get the fuck away before she decides to hand you over your balls.”

“We were just having some innocent fun. Right, Alessa?” Dean asked.

Alessa glowered at him. “Sticking your hand up my dress is supposed to be fun for me?”

At that admission, Adriano lurched forward, going straight for Dean with a fist raised. Because Alessa was still holding onto Adriano’s shirt, she went with him. Luckily, Alessa managed to catch herself and let go of Adriano. Dean flew backward, his hands raised high in the air.

“Whoa, careful there, Adriano,” Dean said, grinning like an idiot. “You wouldn’t want to piss your father off by messing with someone affiliated.”

“Not made,” Adriano said through clenched teeth.

“What is that?”

Adriano flicked his hand in Dean’s direction like he was dismissing him and his warning. “You’re not made which means, you’re not important. I don’t give a fuck about you or your father.”

Dean scoffed. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“Wrong. Your first mistake was fucking around with a Trentini, but your second was assuming you know a goddamn thing about me.” Adriano looked like he was ready and revving for a fight with Dean. Alessa didn’t want to get Adriano in trouble, but she didn’t think speaking up would stop him from kicking Dean’s ass. “I suggest you make your way back to the house before you end up eating your teeth and you’re stuck with sucking your food through a straw for the rest of your life.”

“I—”

“Fuck with someone else,” Adriano interrupted coolly. “She’s not your toy.”

Alessa watched in fascination and confusion as Dean turned around and stalked off. Once she knew he was out of hearing range, Alessa finally relaxed enough to step away from the safety Adriano had provided her.

“Thank you,” Alessa said.

Adriano sighed, crossing his arms as he stared in the direction Dean had disappeared. “He’s something else.”

“A jerk.”

“I was going to say something worse, but that works, too,” Adriano muttered. “Don’t thank me for getting you out of that, but where in the hell is your brother?”

“Joel?”

Adriano nodded. “He’s the only brother you’ve got, right?”

“Somewhere. I just wanted to get away from the party.”

Adriano didn’t look like he believed a word coming out of her mouth. “Actually, you were trying to get away from that fucking piece of shit. I saw how he was following you around and pestering you. Speak the hell up, Alessa. Nobody will stand for his bullshit if you say something about it.”

“He’s never done anything like this before,” Alessa said.

She wasn’t trying to defend Dean. His actions were beyond contempt. But he had never once gone as far as he had today.

“Right, whatever,” Adriano said, shaking his head. “What was he going on about before I stepped in, anyway?”

Alessa cringed, not wanting to go into that. Knowing Adriano, he probably wouldn’t care about Alessa’s fears of being married off. “Nothing.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah?” Alessa asked.

Adriano took a step closer to Alessa. Unlike before with Dean, she wasn’t bothered by his close proximity. He reached out and tipped her chin up by using two of his fingers. She was at least a foot shorter than him and looking up made her feel incredibly small.

“Speak up, Alessa,” Adriano repeated softly.

“Nobody around here cares what a girl has to say, Adriano. You know that.”

“I care.”

Did he?

Alessa blinked, surprised. She didn’t know what else to say, but she wanted to get as far away from the topic of the Outfit as she could. “How’s football?”

Adriano cocked a brow, smirking. He watched her with his green eyes like she was the most important thing to grace his presence for the moment. The guy had skills. Alessa had to give him that.

“Boring,” he finally replied. “Football is boring.”

“Really? You seem to like it a lot.”

“I like a lot of things.”

“I noticed,” Alessa said before she could stop herself.

“Did you?”

Alessa’s cheeks heated under his heavy regard. She dropped his stare. “I just … never mind.”

“Hey, don’t do that,” he said, ticking his fingers under her chin again. Alessa couldn’t help but look at him. “Never do that, Alessa.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

Adriano laughed deeply. “Sure you’re not. Don’t be embarrassed, Lissa.”

No one called her that except her close friends at school and her family. 

“I notice a lot of things about you, too,” Adriano added.

Oh
.

“Did you?” Alessa asked.

“Mmhmm. You don’t like football all that much, do you? I never see you hanging around the team spots or showing up at games and whatever.”

Alessa wondered why he had looked for her at all.

“No, I don’t like it all that much,” she replied. “The football players at our school have big heads and little brains.”

“All of us?” 

Alessa smiled at his question. “Some of you. Maybe you could convince me otherwise.”

“Maybe,” he echoed.

“Are you interested in trying?”

Adriano flashed his white teeth in a sensual grin. “Very.”

CHAPTER ONE

R
uined.

That was exactly how the Outfit felt to Adriano Conti.

The Chicago mob had always been the one thing Adriano trusted to never let him down. The Outfit—
la famiglia
—was supposed to be based on a strong foundation of beliefs, loyalty, and unity between men. It was supposed to be home.

It didn’t feel anything like home to Adriano anymore.

“My condolences,” one person said, squeezing Adriano’s hands.

“You’re in our prayers, son,” said another.

Adriano said nothing.

He had nothing to say.

The people kept their voices low and their eyes down. Someone had killed Adriano’s mother. As she stood at a table, defending her nephew against her own sister, Mia was shot in the side of the head by a drive-by shooter.

No one knew why. No one had any answers.

Instead, Adriano’s father Riley was going after the next best thing for revenge, which was someone to blame. The boss didn’t need to apologize for his non-involvement in the shooting. Terrance had been sitting at the table when the shooting happened. He could have just as easily been shot and killed, too. Riley needed to feed his anger and his grief. He needed to feel better. Adriano was sure his father would end up ruining the Outfit in the process.

Mia Conti’s casket lowered into the ground. Adriano had already said goodbye to his mother. Her blood had coated his hands when he tried to save her life. Those visuals plagued him day and night. Whenever things got too quiet or his grief caught up with him, Mia’s memories took him to a calmer place.

Mia had always been like that. For a woman involved with the Outfit, a woman who had married a made man in the mafia simply because her father told her to, Mia Conti had been a gentle soul. Adriano remembered his father adoring his mother. Their marriage had been a close one, but one with struggles, like Riley’s infidelity. Adriano wondered how his father could be so in love with his mother, but still have women on the side.

He wasn’t angry like his father was. He was heartbroken. He didn’t blame the Outfit, but he did hurt.

“To the car, son,” Riley said gruffly.

Adriano jolted from his thoughts at his father’s order. “What?”

“The car, let’s go.”

The final moments of the funeral and burial had passed him by. Most of the guests were slowly making their way out of the cemetery. Adriano’s sister, Evelina, tossed a single white rose into the grave before she blew a kiss at her mother’s casket and then turned away from the grave. Evelina was taking their mother’s death hard. She didn’t know how to deal. Adriano didn’t know how to help.

A splinter of pain settled in his chest. Two men, groundskeepers for the cemetery, picked up shovels and uncovered the mound of dirt. Adriano thought his mother was far too good to be covered with mud.

Adriano still wasn’t ready to leave. “Give me a few. I’ll meet you at the car, Dad.”

“All right.”

Adriano watched the men begin to fill in his mother’s grave. By the time he turned to leave the gravesite, the rest of the mourners had all gone. The overcast, windy Chicago day felt appropriate for the July funeral. Adriano walked along the pathway in silence, making his way toward the road where his father had parked the Mercedes.

“Adriano …”

The whisper of his name made Adriano come to an abrupt stop on the path. He looked around but saw nothing.

“Over here,” came the familiar voice.

Adriano couldn’t help but smile as he caught sight of Alessa Trentini under the birch trees lining the edge of the cemetery. She wore the same black dress from earlier in the day when her family arrived at the funeral, ready to give their condolences for Mia’s death. Riley kicked them out, demanding Alessa’s grandfather leave immediately.

The Outfit’s boss barely blinked at Riley’s show of rage. Terrance gave his front boss what he wanted without question and left.

Adriano hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Alessa. He’d been more concerned with getting his father calmed down so the funeral could start and finish peacefully. By that time, Alessa had left with her family.

Just seeing her standing under the trees made Adriano feel better for the moment.

Regardless, Alessa still showed up at the burial after the church fiasco. That made all the difference to Adriano. She’d probably defied her grandfather’s wishes and somehow snuck out to get to the burial site. It gave Adriano a little bit of hope that maybe, despite the fact that everyone around them seemed to hate one another, there was still a chance some didn’t. There was a chance that she didn’t hate him.

Adriano didn’t want Alessa to get in shit for coming to him. If his father noticed her there, he would probably give Terrance another warning about keeping his family far the fuck away from the Contis.

Every inch of Adriano screamed to go—to move—to Alessa’s side.

He’d felt like that about her for as long as he could remember. Their friendship had started when they were teens, but it didn’t stay innocent for long. Adriano knew every inch of Alessa Trentini. He knew what she felt like, her tastes and all her sounds.

Alessa was kept in a bubble wrap of protection by her family. The boss made his granddaughters seem like they were above all reproach, like they were some kind of fucking angels. Adriano knew the risks he took messing around with Alessa at times, but he couldn’t find it in himself to give a goddamn.

She always kept him at a safe distance. He figured she did that for her heart.

Fuck.

She didn’t realize that he didn’t know how to hurt her even if he tried.

Adriano stayed frozen on the walk, not wanting his father to notice their unwanted guest. Well, she was only unwanted to Riley.

Raising his hand high enough for her to see, Adriano mouthed, “Hey.”