Page 4 of Born into Sin

Beatrice returns her smile, looking a hell of a lot more relaxed than when she first walked in, and with the weight now off my shoulders, I feel more at ease too. This may not have gone how my aunt wanted, but this meeting was never going to end with me being in any way involved with the woman sitting across from me. The fact that she’s in love with someone else just makes it all the easier for me to walk away.

After a few more minutes of my aunt gathering enough details so that I know the whole town will know everything before poor Emilio gets a chance to ask Beatrice’s father for permission, I finish the drink my aunt was kind enough to refill and stand.

“I’m sorry, but I need to prepare for my return flight,” I tell them.

Beatrice smiles and shakes my hand again. “Thank you, Mr. Alessi.”

I don’t bother correcting her again. Most people don’t feel comfortable calling me by my first name, not around here anyway. There’s too much behind the Alessi name, too much tradition and fear mixed with it, and it’s been instilled in them since birth. It’s not an easy thing to just ignore.

Saying goodbye to both women, I walk back to my office, more than ready to get my ass back to America. Once I’m sitting behind my desk, a text comes in, and I’m not at all surprised to see Vitaly Melnikov’s name pop up on my screen.

Dominic, you ever coming back? Should we just take your part of the city and add it to ours?

I let out a soft laugh at the Russian fucker’s audacity and remind him that my dad just died and I’ve been tying up loose ends.

Sorry, I have to remember that normal people like their parents. Ours sucked. It’s a miracle I turned out as perfect as I am with the two assholes who made me. Antonio was a good man. I guess this means you’re officially the don. I’ll have to rewatch The Godfather so I know how to behave. I’m not kissing your goddamn ring, so don’t ask me to.

I laugh even harder and type out my response. I think you might be thinking of the Pope. Also, I don’t wear any rings, so you’re safe.

Thank fuck. Get your Italian ass back to America. It’s been years since you’ve seen the kids. The twins are eighteen now. Can you fucking believe it? We’re all getting together this weekend at the house in the country. I’m going to tell everyone you’ll be there.

I groan at the idea of a huge family gathering. I haven’t agreed to come yet.

His response is immediate. See you at seven on Saturday. Bring some of those cannoli I like. The real shit, don’t stop at a grocery store on your way. I’ll know if it wasn’t made in Italy. Don’t be that guy, Dominic.

He adds the smiling emoji, because of course he fucking does. Beatrice’s family’s bakery is on the way to the airport, so I guess I’ll be stopping in there for some authentic cannoli, because god forbid I be that guy and try to feed Vitaly subpar dessert.

Looks like I’ll be attending a huge Melnikov family event after all.

Chapter 2

Natalya

“Mom and Dad are going to have a fit, Mia.” I look at my little sister, eyeing the new piercing she’s given herself. It’s just a second piercing on her earlobes, it could’ve definitely been a hell of a lot worse, but they’re still going to lose their shit when they see it.

“I wanted them,” she says, reaching up to touch the little skull earrings. “And I knew they’d never agree to it, so I just did it myself. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like I did my lip like I wanted.”

“Don’t you dare,” I quickly say, eyeing my fourteen-year-old sister. “You can’t just go around piercing yourself, Mia. You could hurt yourself.”

“Oh god, what’d Mia do now?”

We both turn at the sound of our brother’s voice. Sasha is sixteen, age-wise right in the middle of us, but he’s already more than a head taller than me. He grabs a coke from the fridge and I can’t help but notice his bruised knuckles. He’s always getting into fights at school. He’s very careful to not get caught, but trouble always seems to find him, or maybe it’s just that he’s always finding trouble. My brother is nothing but nice to his family, but I’ve seen the look in his eyes when he’s in the middle of a fight, and it worries me. Sensing my concern, he gives me a smile, letting me know he’s okay, and then he looks Mia over, trying to figure out what’s different about her.

When he spots the earrings, he lets out a soft laugh. “It could’ve been worse,” he says, mirroring my own thoughts. “Cool skulls, little sis.”

She smiles up at him and grabs a bag of chips. When our parents walk in, Mia untucks her auburn hair from behind her ears, letting it fall down and cover her disobedience. My dad gives us a big smile, and seeing him solves the mystery of Mia’s obsession with piercings. He has a lip and eyebrow piercing, making him stand out at every school function we’ve ever had. Well, that and his tattoos. The Melnikov family doesn’t blend. Our family is huge and tattooed and that’s not even mentioning all the illegal shit. My dad and uncles run the Melnikov Bratva, the most feared and dangerous crime organization in the city. It’s something that my cousins and I all know about, but we also know that it’s never to be discussed outside of the family. Loyalty is everything, and I’d never go against the people I love.

My mom gives me a quick hug on her way by while my dad kisses my head. “Hey, princess, how’s it feel to be a high school grad?”

I laugh and sit at the barstool. “The same as I felt last week,” I tell him, “except now I don’t have to wake up and suffer through math class.”

He laughs and kisses my head again before leaning down to hug Mia. Sasha and I try to distract him by asking about supper, but our questions die in the air when he pulls back a strand of Mia’s hair and sees the skull earrings that are impossible to miss.

“What the hell?” he growls in Russian, making our mom immediately look over.

“Mia, another piercing?” Our mom steps closer, eyeing the earrings and then meeting my dad’s eyes before sighing and looking back at their youngest child. “I thought we agreed that you’d just get your ears pierced for now.”

“It is just my ears,” Mia quickly says, and I swear my dad’s fighting a grin.

---