Santino Senior

Kayla Santino. It's clear Carl has something that I am not supposed to know. I look him dead in the eye and he stares blankly right back at me. I glance at the gun in his hand for the last time and leave the cell without saying a word. I know nothing about Carl, totally nothing, and whatever he's hiding, I will find out. Even if it means befriending his best friend's boyfriend. We have one thing in common: we both get what we want, and I'm gonna dig out his secrets one by one because he's not willing to open up. I can't blindly walk into a marriage without knowing everything about him. I will have to know all his dirty secrets before saying I do. "Dad," I call out to my father when I reach the sitting room where he and other men are talking about whatever men talk about. "Yes, honey, you need anything?" he asks curiously, bringing his attention to me. "I'm going out," I announce, kissing him on the cheek He seems sceptical but nods anyway," Take Thomas with you and be careful, okay?" I nod," Okay, Father." I gesture for Thomas to follow me. He is already waiting, and we head for the door, but Theo calls for me again " Please take this, give me a call if you change your mind," he hands me a note with his number written on it. I sure will call him because I want to know what Carl is hiding, I silently tell myself. "Sure," I assure him, putting the paper in the back pocket of my shorts. "Where is she going?" Carl asks my dad, looking between him and me. "She's going out, "Dad simply answers, switching between the stations on the TV. "It's not safe for her, Ace. She even got injured today, "Carl sighs, shaking his head, and I roll my eyes at that. It was just a scratch, and I have had worse than that. "She'll be fine, son, she has Thomas with her, and I trust she can take care of herself. " I love it when my father has confidence in me. "I'm going with her," Carl firmly says and starts walking towards me. Oh please. I'm not a fucking kid, Carl. Better still, a damsel in distress "I'm going to get a dress for the ball, Carl, and Thomas is with me. I will be fine," I lie. Of course, I am not going to get a damn dress. The main reason I am going out is to meet Dean, and maybe get a dress too, now that I have mentioned it. It's not like I will be doing anything wrong anyway. He looks at Thomas for a second longer as if he's trying to figure something out "I don't trust anyone, angel, and I can't let you walk out, especially after what happened earlier today." he looks at me softly, changing his cold demeanour instantly. "I will go with her boss," Theo says, coming to us. They're acting like I can't take care of myself. Carl contemplates for a moment before finally agreeing," If anything happens to her, I'm having both of your heads," he threatens, pointing a finger at both of them. "Cops are outside," one of Dad's men says, entering the room. We have no problems with cops because grandpa got that covered long ago. What do you expect from a corrupt system? "Let them in," Dad says nonchalantly, leaning his head back on the sofa "Let's go," I tell my two supposed bodyguards and lead the way. The two cops enter the house silently while we walk out. They have been working for my dad for a long time now, and I know they're here because of the shootouts. Someone must have heard the sound of gunshots and alerted the authorities. Our house stands on its own piece of land and we don't have immediate neighbours. The main mafia mansion is the only nearest house to ours, and it's a 10mins drive from here. I get on my bike, and the boys drive together in one of Dad's black SUVs behind me. The nearest mall comes into view, and I like the fact that it holds most of my favourite stores. Parking my bike in a safe spot, I get into a Gucci store and start looking around with Theo right on my side while Thomas keeps himself busy with his phone. " Do you trust that guy?"Theo whispers, motioning to Thomas. I look over at the referred guy, who has been on his phone ever since we left home. "Why do you ask?" I ask, looking back at him. "I think he has been acting weird, more like he's hiding something." I have known Thomas for not so long, maybe 3-4months, and since then he's been around me most of the time. He lives in our family house on a security detail. But in this life, you don't just trust anyone blindly. "I will keep a close eye on him," I whisper to him. With the mysterious threat notes appearing in my room with no trace of where they're coming from, I can't take anything lightly. Everyone is on my suspect list until I get the culprit. "Are you good with tracking stuff?" I nudge his arm to grab his attention. "Yes, that's my specialty. I only go to the field because of my boyfriend. Someone needs to watch over his ass, and I don't trust anyone with that job," the guy lovingly mumbles, and I groan from inside. Urgh "We are putting a bug in his room and that phone when we get home," I whisper, motioning to the busy Thomas. "Brilliant idea, so are we besties now ?" he grins widely and expectantly stares at me. Is he always this cheerful? He is the complete opposite of me. "Let's just pick a dress, I'm meeting someone after this." I ignore his question and look around the store with little interest. I have a bunch of clothes I can choose from. This is why I hate lying. "What kind of dress do you want?" Since I might need to grab someone's attention in that ball, I need something eye-catching. "Something red, and maybe seductive," I mumble, looking at the mannequins blankly. "Oh, my! Are you seducing Carl?" the guy chirps, and I groan audibly. What's wrong with this one? Fuck, he makes me want to jump off a bridge. Why would I even seduce Carl in the first place? I glare at him, and he shuts up immediately. " No, it's for a mission." " But I thought we were picking a dress for the ball?" Is he always this annoying? "What about that one?" he points at a dress on the mannequin on our right, and I follow his gaze. It's very short and provocative. That will be a good choice for clubbing and not a fucking ball. " I want to look elegant, not like a cheap hooker," I retort, feeling annoyed already. He surely understands nothing about fashion. I spot another gown. It's long and strapless with a high thigh slit. The dress is adorned with diamonds on the neckline, and it's just what I'm looking for. I have a bunch of heels to go with it and countless pieces of lingerie I haven't worn yet. I made it a habit that whenever I had nothing to do, I would spend time shopping because it helped take my mind away from things. Right now I have a lot of stuff that I will probably not use in my entire lifetime. From all types of clothing to shoes, handbags, and ornaments. My closet is jammed. I look at Theo beside me and resolve to act friendly with him. Since he seems to say too much, I'm sure I will get the information I want from him. "So Sam, right?" I refer to his boyfriend, and he nods enthusiastically. " How long have you guys been together?" I ask, pretending to be curious. "8 months, I used to work for the snake gang in Italy, and one day during a collection, we met and exchanged numbers. Later, he proposed that I could join the Italia family. You have no idea how happy I was." The guy grins from ear to ear, and I wonder if it's that interesting. They must be happy together. "Is he always that serious and intimidating?" " At least not to me, he can't be as serious as Carl, though." "Any friends?" I ask, and his smile falters "I had one, but he died on a mission. Since then, I have always been by myself when Sam is not around." Okay, I'm always alone, too, and it's not that bad. " Oh! Sorry about that. And carl, what is he like?" I have to start from somewhere, right? I need to know what that Russian was about to say. "He's the most cruel man I have ever seen. Trust me, the only time he acts nice is when he's talking to you." "Does he have enemies or anything I should know about?" Theo hesitates and laughs nervously. Something is up. "He'll have my head if I tell you anything. I am sure if you get to know him, he'll tell you everything." There goes nothing, maybe I should get him to trust me first. "I'm meeting someone at McDonald's, let's go." After having the attendant pack the dress, we leave the store with Theo on my side while Tom follows closely, still texting. Now that I look at him, his behaviour is very suspicious. " Hey, Dean," I greet my long-time friend and take the seat opposite him. I excused myself from the boys and had them find a separate table from us. " Princess, I wish you would call me even when you don't need my help." he never gives up, does he? Dean intertwines our pinkies, and I don't move. That's as far as it goes. He knows what happened and how I feel about contact. "You know we can't dean," I slightly glare at him. "And I still don't see the reason why, you know how I feel about you, Kay. I will still wait for you, though," he says hopefully, staring at me. "Anything for me?" I quickly change the topic. It's not the right time to hear the tales of love. I don't believe in that shit anyway. "Yes, Alex and his family left the country yesterday to Germany, for a vacation, probably for a week or two." Fuck. "Anything on Grayson?" "He's not around either, his son River will be at a ball on Saturday though." Looks like I'm not lucky today. I will just go for the son and find out about his father and Alex. " I have another job for you, but I need to find a contact first. By any chance, do you have any idea where black roses are sold around here?" I whisper so no one apart from him can hear. He ponders for a second before shaking his head no. "I will ask around and let you know if I get anything." "Thanks, Dean, remember no important information on the phone calls or texts, okay?" " I know Kay," he assures. I have known Dean for years. He used to be my friend when we were in high school, but we fell apart when he started having feelings for me. He helps me when I need information, and he believes one day I will change my mind. Also, he blends well with every kind of crowd. He is a biker. His dad owns a truck, and he's like the champ in the world of bikers. I learned riding from him; he taught me everything about racing, and I used to give him a run for his money. I miss the good old days. He is blonde with grey eyes, tall and masculine, but so fucking corky. The kind of guy who believes he can have any girl in his palm without even trying. A complete turn-off for me. Anyways, as long as he helps me, the rest can wait. "We should catch up maybe on a drink later," he suggests, looking at me expectantly. He is so persistent "I don't know, but I will call you. " I don't want to give him false promises. "Be careful, okay?" he says, squeezing my hand lightly. "Sure," Dean has no idea what my family does for a living, and I would like to keep it that way. The only thing he knows is that some men took advantage of me and escaped, and I am trying to track them down. I pull up in our garage, and everything looks different from how we left it in the morning. Like the number of luxurious cars in the garage and the more armed guards around. Only one person likes that kind of lifestyle. Mr Santino Senior is here.