Page 18 of Omega in Hiding

“Yes, I suppose that’s very true. When in the syndicate, one can never be too careful.” He clears his throat. “I mean, you know, from what I’ve heard.”

“Definitely.” I tug the bloom from behind my ear and begin pulling the petals off one by one. “Have you worked for any syndicate families before?”

“No,” he says sounding a bit harsh. “I… uh… I prefer working for regular families. As you say, there’s always the possibility of violence when involved with the mob. I prefer a quieter life.”

I glance at him, noticing his jaw is clenched. “Why did you take this job? If you don’t like working for Mafia families?”

“Honestly?” He sighs. “I felt sorry for Alessio. He was so obviously overwhelmed with the job and the new baby. I wanted to help him.”

“That’s sweet,” I murmur. “Not a lot of people in this world care about others.”

His voice is gruff as he says, “Ain’t that the truth. Kindness, true kindness, is hard to find in this world.”

“Agreed.”

“You’ve been very kind to me though,” he says softly. “Twice now.”

I give an uneasy laugh. “Don’t spread that around. Not that anyone would believe you. I have a reputation for being very self-centered.” I toss the plucked flower away. “It’s not even undeserved, if I’m honest. I can be very selfish.”

“At least you see it in yourself.” He wrinkles his brow. “You can’t fix what you won’t admit to.”

“Truth is, I don’t need to fix myself. I can be selfish because people give me a pass.” I meet his gaze. “That’s one of the perks of being a Syracuse.”

He narrows his eyes. “How very candid of you. Most people don’t brag about being an asshole.”

“Whoa, there. That’s not nice.” I force a smile, not really enjoying the way he just called me a jerk to my face. Nobody ever calls me on my behavior. Valentino rides me a lot, but only because he wants me to do more in the business. He doesn’t care if I’m selfish. He’s a selfish prick himself. All the Syracuse men are.

He sighs. “Sorry. That was rude of me.”

“I have my good sides too.”

“Yes, I know you do. I’ve seen them.” He smiles tentatively.

Once more my insides warm and tighten at that little smile. What is it about Connor that seems to affect me so much? We barely know each other, but in a way, I feel like we’ve known each other for years. “I may be an asshole, but I don’t think I could be an asshole to you,” I say softly.

“Why not?” He frowns.

“I don’t really know. You just seem to bring out my better side.” I avoid his gaze, embarrassed I said that out loud.

He smirks. “Maybe I’m a delight too.”

Our eyes meet and we smile at each other. There’s definitely something between us. From the moment I met him, I’ve been intrigued. I was angry with Valentino for making me stay here while I learned about running the ports.

But now?

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.

Chapter Five

Connor

Three days pass and I don’t see Paolo around. It’s disappointing, which is mystifying. I barely know him, but I really liked spending time with him out in the garden. I can’t believe I told him about my condition. But he was looking at me so expectantly, I felt compelled to be honest. His reaction to my news was so comforting and kind, I don’t regret telling him. Maybe I should, but I don’t.

So far, Paolo is nothing like the other Syracuse members I’ve heard stories about my whole life. He’s gentler. Warmer. He says he’s an asshole, but so far, I haven’t seen that side of him. He’s more thoughtful than I’d think someone in his position would be. Is that because he’s not expected to take over as the head of the family? Does that allow him to be less ruthless?

I was in a similar situation with my family. No one expected as much of me because Patrick was the oldest. Da taught him from a young age to be brutal. But I don’t think Patrick is violent and horrible just because of his training from Da. If our positions had been reversed, and I’d been the oldest, I’d never have turned out like Patrick. It’s just not in my DNA to be cruel. I can fight and do violent things when needed. Especially to protect others. But it’s not in my nature to literally be cruel to others simply for the sake of being cruel. I prefer nurturing things, while Patrick and his kind prefer destroying things.

I think Paolo is more like me that way.

---