Page 13 of Checkmate

“Well, it seems everyone has forgotten I don’t give a damn what my father wants,” Vivianna replies, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Vieve, don’t be so difficult,” Matteo tells her, his tone clearly frustrated.

I watch as Vivianna’s eyes narrow into a glare and her face becomes stone. “Don’t you dare call me that. Only Leo calls me Vieve, and you know that.”

Matteo exhales loudly, while holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to cause a fight. It’s an old habit. Please, get in the car.”

Vivianna shakes her head. “No, not with you. You go back and send a car for Luca and I.”

Matteo and Vivianna hold each other’s eyes and I’m not sure who is going to give in first, but I feel like if Matteo was smart he would do it right now. Finally, he shakes his head and tells the driver to take him back to the house before circling around and picking us back up.

Once the car pulls away, there’s an awkward silence that descends upon us. I scratch at the stubble along my jaw. “Look, I’m not sure if I misread the situation before, but if I did, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t,” her tone is self-assured, and she states her reply like it’s a fact.

“You sure?”

Vivianna turns around and faces me while rolling her eyes. “Yes, Luca. Besides, I’m a mafia princess. If I hadn’t wanted you to kiss me, then I would have beat you then left you here in the dirt and got in the car with Matteo.”

“Beat me?” I ask, with a chuckle.

Vivianna quirks her head to the side. “Oh don’t underestimate me. I could take you down quicker than you realize. One of the perks of being born into the mafia.” She smirks at me, but that glint in her eyes tells me she’s serious, so I drop the subject.

Finally, the car comes back around and it’s almost as if Vivianna can’t wait to get away from me. She rushes to the car, yanking the door open before I can even reach for it and slides inside. Well, if that doesn’t make a man she was just kissing feel awkward, I don’t know what will.

I get in beside her, feeling less than stellar. Why had I let myself kiss her? Ratliff would be so disappointed. The first rule he has drilled into my head since coming on to the force was to never get involved with the job. Vivianna is part of the job and getting involved with her would mean career suicide as well as probably a brutal murder delivered by her daddy dearest. It was just dumb. The car ride is quiet and as soon as the car is parked we’re out and heading into the Giordano mansion. The moment that Vivianna steps through the door I notice the change in her. She carries herself with such grace and poise, you’d never know she was suffering the pain of loss. Her head is held high, and she acts as if she owns this place even though she’s barely taller than a toddler. Her strength is something that has to be earned and I’m guessing this life has given it to her. I can’t help but admire her, even if I shouldn’t. As we make our way inside, I see Matteo in the corner sulking while glaring in my direction.

I smirk back at him as a way to say, “Take that, man.” I’m gloating, and I should be above that, but I can’t help but feel like I’m in high school right now and the underdog just got the girl instead of the golden boy.

Sixteen

Vivianna

My entire body feels as if it was dropped into the pits of hell. Why the hell had I let Luca kiss me?Because you wanted him to, it wasn’t that you let him,my mind reminds me. I knew kissing him would be a bad idea, but I did it anyway, and now I had to deal with the need for more when it comes to Luca. I don’t let myself need anyone in this world. I’m not naïve enough to believe that people stay, so needing them is useless. But right now, I feel this clawing need to be near Luca, to feel his lips on mine, to let him consume me.

I slide into the backseat of the car and sigh heavily from the emotions churning inside of me. Luca slides in beside me, his thigh lightly resting against mine. The little heated electric shocks racing up and down my legs would be too much to bear if it wasn’t for the fact that it excites me. When was the last time I had felt this… alive?

The car ride back to the mansion is awkward to say the least. I haven’t been this excited by the sight of the mansion in front of me since I don’t know when. I need out of this car and a little bit of distance from Luca, and a whole lot of alcohol to get through this day. As soon as the car stops, I’m out and heading toward the front doors. I can feel Luca’s eyes on me, and it may cause me to swing my hips from side to side a little bit more than normal.

We step into the house and it’s like I have a neon flashing sign above my head saying, look here! All eyes are on me and I hate that. I want to scream, but instead, I pull myself up to my full height and walk like I own this place. I catch Matteo out of the corner of my eye, and I’d like nothing more than to claw his eyes out of his head. I have no clue why he’s still here. It’s like he’s taken Leo’s place next to my dad and it’s sickening. I make my way through the house and directly into the kitchen where technically, I’m not supposed to be in here today, just the staff, because in true Giordano mafia fashion, my brother’s funeral is being treated almost like a party. I march into the kitchen where I grab some food off one of the trays, before exiting and going straight to my father’s office where he keeps the good stuff at. Luca is on my heels the entire time. I hear his mumbled apologies when I bump into someone on my path to my destination.

I reach the heavy wood door of my father’s office and find it’s locked. “Of course,” I mumble.

“It's probably locked for a good reason, Vivianna,” Luca says behind me.

I glare at him over my shoulder. “Well, too bad I don’t give a damn.”

“Do you want me to go ask him for a key?”

I snort. “Hell no,” I tell him, as I turn around and shove my food into his hands before pulling a bobby pin from my hair and squatting down to pick the lock to the office.

“Vivianna, I think it’s better if we stop while we’re ahead.”

The lock clicks and I know I was successful. I push the door open before standing up and facing Luca. “Do you ever break the rules?”

He shakes his head. “Not in my nature. Besides, I like being alive and I know what crossing your father leads to.”

I roll my eyes. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I can get away with whatever I want.” I step inside the dark office and the chill has me wrapping my arms around myself to fight it off. My dad always did keep this place cold. I’ve only been in here a handful of times, and most of them weren’t for reasons that I want to remember. The memories come flooding back when I see that dark chocolate brown leather couch sitting in the middle of the room facing the two large leather chairs.

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