Page 16 of Straightened Out

Considering my question, he looks down at his hands for a moment and I watch as he mindlessly runs his thumb over the plain gold band he wears on his left ring finger.

“This is a man’s world, Rocco. It’s ruthless and full of sin. Dark and deceitful. All those sins, every lie, it catches up to you in the end. Sometimes it’s you they catch, but other times it’s the people you love that get caught in the crossfire. The innocent bystanders you tried to protect. The ones you tried to love.”

His words are wise, but they don’t pertain to me. I don’t love anyone or anything. I don’t know what he thinks went down that night or what crazy story he’s concocted in his head, but what I did for Violet wasn’t an act of love. I did it as a favor to Joaquin. I’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for him bailing me out of all the bad situations I’ve found myself in. Helping his sister and mother just put me on the board. A single tally under my name. That’s all. So what if my phone feels like it’s burning a hole in my pocket—it means nothing.

She means nothing.

“We all got secrets, nephew. Precious little things we want to keep hidden so that they are ours and only ours, but don’t for one second think any secret is safe. There is no such thing in our world. Our enemies live to uncover them. They prey on them and then they serve them to us when our number is up.”

I want to argue with him. I want to tell him I don’t have any secrets. That I don’t have a single weakness, but I can’t. Everyone has secrets, we all have things we like to keep to ourselves. Things we don’t want to share with the rest of the world because once we do, we lose them.

As soon as I saw Violet on that stage, I had one primal thought…I didn’t want to share her. I wanted her to dance for me and only me.

Until now, I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to think it. I pushed her out of my head whenever I could, told myself it was just one night, and that I had only been affected by her because I was at my lowest. I was grieving. Feeling sorry for myself. Lonely—so fucking lonely.

“Whoever she is, cut her loose,” he says, and I lift my gaze to his.

“It’s not like that,” I reply hoarsely.

“You sure about that? Because you’re fifty thousand dollars is a pretty big dent for someone you don’t have a claim on.”

I don’t respond, mainly because anything I say will be an admission of guilt. He stares at me for another beat before folding his hands under his chin. “You’re a mess, Rocco, a real fucking disaster, but by some miracle of God, you passed my test.”

Still reeling from the fact Violet was deep under my skin, my brows pinch together, and I lift my chin.What the fuck is this guy talking about now?

“What test?”

Just when you think you have the man figured out, he changes the rules of the game reminding you that he’s the boss.

This world isn’t a man’s world.

It’shisfucking world.

Chapter 5

Rocco Spinelli

Dead on my feet, I step off the elevator and make my way to Joaquin’s penthouse apartment. I’m about to knock on the door when it opens and a woman storms out, nearly knocking me on my ass. Bracing a hand against the wall, I catch my balance as Joaquin rushes after her.

For fuck’s sake.

My mind is still reeling from the conversation I had with my uncle and I think I may still be somewhat drunk, never mind it’s too early in the morning for any of this shit.

I stare at Joaquin as the doors to the elevator close and roll my eyes.

He’s a merciless killer on the streets, but the man is a pussy when it comes to the woman who just took off in the elevator. My uncle’s voice rings in my ear and I bite the inside of my cheek as I continue to watch my right hand. Pilar Lopez is undoubtedly Joaquin’s weakness. His biggest secret. It doesn’t matter the girl is all sorts of fucked up, whatever she’s selling, Joaquin is buying and he’s buying in bulk.

It’s pathetic.

“Are you just going to stand there, staring at the elevator doors?” I ask, shaking my head. The motion makes my head spin and I take a moment to try and figure how many hours I’ve been awake.

Too long.

Suddenly, Joaquin spins around and glares at me.

Wonderful.

More hell.

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