Reckless & Ruined (20 page)

Alessa didn’t want to think that way but the nagging pain in her chest, reminding her of how far apart Adriano already was from her, wouldn’t leave.

Joel was still planning to marry Alessa off the first chance he could.

The families were still feuding.

Adriano still wouldn’t answer his damned phone.

The Outfit might be a ruined mess, but her life was a hurricane.

Pity party for one right here
, Alessa thought.

She shook it off, knowing it wouldn’t do her any good.

“What am I supposed to do, huh?” Alessa asked. “How is this supposed to work out?”

Abriella grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door as she said, “Wait, Alessa. Something else will happen. It always fucking does. That is one guarantee we can always count on in this life.”

Waiting was the killer.

Alessa padded through the bottom floor, making her way toward the large kitchen for a drink of water. Thankfully, all the guests had left the property, but it was well after one in the morning. She’d stayed hidden up in her room until she was sure the mansion had cleared of people.

Another positive: Dean hadn’t come looking for her.

Passing by the living room, quiet murmurs and womanly giggles stopped Alessa in her tracks. She didn’t try to hide the fact she was standing in the large entrance, but none of the people inside noticed her there, either.

Joel sat in the leather recliner at the head of the room. A woman rested on his lap, draped across Joel and the chair. Alessa recognized her as the daughter of one of Walter’s men. Chloe was her name. There was only a handful of times Alessa could remember seeing her brother with a woman. And it sure looked like he had a whole handful of the girl in his lap, considering Joel’s hand was up her skirt and her legs were spread wide.

Chloe didn’t act like there was anyone else in the room, watching the show she was putting on with her legs opened, her panties down around her knees, and her skirt pulled up high.

Someone else was in the room, though.

Dean was sprawled across the couch with a glass of whiskey in his hand, laughing loudly. The amber liquid in his glass spilled to the floor and he rolled into a sitting position. It certainly didn’t help that Chloe was starting to shudder and gasp like she was enjoying it all.

Alessa bet the girl’s father would absolutely die if he knew what she was doing tonight. Then again, maybe Chloe’s father thought messing around with Joel would get him higher.

Games.

They all fucking played them.

They all had their own to play.

“What are we going to do about Riley, huh?” Dean asked.

Joel shrugged, his hand still moving between Chloe’s legs.

Alessa was just grateful the woman was turned the opposite way from her. Unfortunately, the pulled down panties and spread legs was enough to make Alessa’s stomach roll.

“Be specific, asshole,” Joel said.

A slur coated his words, telling Alessa her brother was drunk.

Or still drunk from earlier.

“Adriano and the club thing,” Dean explained.

A very noticeable bulge in Dean’s slacks caught Alessa’s attention. Dean was clearly enjoying the show between Joel and Chloe. That was even more disgusting to her.

“We’re going to make you, of course,” Joel said flippantly.

Dean grinned. “Yeah?”

“Walter suggested it. Getting you the button will clear that nonsense right up. And it looks good for my sister to be getting hers with a made man when the time comes, anyway.”

“Perfect,” Dean said, rubbing his hands together. “When?”

“Soon. Just act fucking surprised when you get the call. All right?”

“Got it, boss.”

Alessa couldn’t let that happen. She clenched the still silent phone in her hand a little harder, willing Adriano to answer one of her many messages back.

Chloe’s loud cry was swallowed up by Joel grabbing the girl’s face, pulling her up high, and shoving his tongue down her throat. Alessa turned away, not wanting to see that or what was going to come next.

Apparently, she didn’t have to see anything. Their next words were enough.

“What do you think, Chloe?” Joel asked, his tone dark and deep with drink. “Are you up for a little fun tonight? Two, maybe?”

“Maybe,” Chloe echoed.

“Whiskey dick goes all night,” Dean said, almost like he was warning the girl.

Yuck.

That was the man Joel planned on trying to marry her off to eventually.

Right. No way.

It wasn’t going to happen. Alessa didn’t care what she needed to do in order to get Dean gone from her life forever, she would do it. The information she learned tonight, and the little bit of understanding she had when it came to the Outfit and initiating members, was the perfect chance to help Dean along … far away from her.

Even if that meant he would be going six feet under.

Alessa had never spilled blood. Her hands had never once been dirty. She’d fucking bathe in it if that meant getting the hell away from Dean and the Artinos.

Play dirty.

This is how you win in a war.

But what would winning mean?

Alessa was willing to risk it.

“Yes or no?” Joel said.

“I’m still waiting on that from you, Joel,” Chloe murmured. “We keep fucking and messing around, but you don’t want to talk about real life.”

Joel laughed. “Oh, Chloe. You need to forget about that shit.”

“Be grateful you’re sitting on his lap at all, babe,” Dean said, chuckling. 

Chloe scoffed. “I’m good enough to fuck, but not anything else, huh?”

“You don’t wife a whore, sweetheart,” Joel replied.

Ouch
.

Alessa kept walking.

“Who are you texting?”

Alessa didn’t get the chance to hide her phone from Dean before he snatched it from her grasp. “Dean!”

Dean waved her off, scrolling through her iPhone and the few vague messages Alessa hadn’t deleted from the last hour. Adriano’s contact name and information had always been disguised as someone else. She had always been careful to delete their conversations from the main inbox as well as the history and text files. Plus, she always kept her messages to Adriano short, sweet, and without any real detail to give away who he was.

Nonetheless, Alessa’s anxiety still pounded deep.

“Give me the damn phone,” Alessa said.

Dean gave one last look at the screen, rolled his eyes, and handed it back over. “Who is Rain?”

Quickly, Alessa slipped her phone back into her pocket. “A girlfriend from school.”

“A new friend or just someone?” Dean asked, walking over to the office door. He looked out into the hallway and checked the hall. “Still quiet.”

Alessa didn’t care if the hall was quiet or not. “Why does it matter if she’s a new friend or not?”

“You haven’t been texting her for very long but the contact was made years ago.”

Shit.

Alessa racked her mind for an appropriate excuse. “We met a long time ago at school, exchanged numbers, but never really hit it off. Her grandmother died. I just found out this morning from a mutual friend when I picked up some stuff before coming here. I was trying to get a message to her. To say sorry, you know.”

It was a good enough excuse. Joel had allowed her driver to take Alessa to meet up with a friend to get some of the assignments and notes that she’d missed from her summer classes.

Dean leaned against the doorjamb and eyed Alessa curiously. “That seems nice of you.”

“Does who I am scream ‘bitch’?”

“No.”

But she was a damn good liar.

“To me, on the other hand, you’re downright nasty,” Dean added.

“I wonder why,” Alessa muttered under her breath.

Dean chuckled. “I always liked difficult women.”

Jesus
.

She wanted to get away from this man as quickly as she could. Why Dean had even been invited to Terrance’s Will reading, Alessa wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like Dean or his father had a place in the Will.

Still, Joel asked them to come along.

Despite his son acting as his lawyer for well over a decade, Terrance had went outside of the family for his final wishes to be documented and carried out. The executor of the Will explained to the family that Terrance had asked for each person to have their reading done alone. Alessa’s inheritance from her grandfather’s estate had already been read and explained, alongside Abriella’s and their parents’. Now, she was just waiting for Joel and Riley to finish theirs.

She’d hoped Adriano would show up today since his father had to come, but being stuck inside a private office space with Dean wasn’t allowing her any time to go search for him.

“Are we almost done here or what?” Alessa asked.

Dean shrugged. “Waiting on your brother, Lissa.”

“Alessa. It’s Alessa.”

“Lots of people call you Lissa.”

Not you
.

Alessa just stared at Dean, hoping her displeasure was clear for him to see. “It’s Alessa, Dean.”

Dean spun on his heel to face her completely with his arms crossed and a passive expression. “You know, I might not be such a bad guy in the end of you’d just try. I’ve never hid my intentions or interest in you, Alessa. We could be good together, this doesn’t have to be a fight every fucking step of the way.”

“You mean while you fuck everything with a hole between its legs and then come home to me for more?” Alessa asked sweetly. “Because I’m not interested in that, Dean.”

“That’s awfully presumptuous of you, Alessa. Who said I’m not faithful?”

The scene she witnessed the night before with her brother, Chloe, and Dean said it all. The man was a vile pig. Alessa wouldn’t be another one of his conquests or a permanent notch on his bed post. She wasn’t his fiancée yet and if she got her wish, she would never be.

Dean grinned. “How many men have you been with, anyway?”

One
.

Adriano.

“None of your business,” Alessa replied.

“You might enjoy a real man, you know.”

She had one, but even still …

Alessa scoffed. “I’ll make sure to find one, Dean.”

Anger clouded Dean’s features. “Will you, now?”

Instinct demanded Alessa take a step back and put some distance between her and Dean. Pride kept her in place as he moved closer, standing toe to toe with her.

“Have you forgotten so quickly what the last little show with a man who wasn’t me earned you, sweetheart?” Dean’s hand came up lightning fast, but the stroke he leveled on Alessa’s cheek was tender and soft. It still burned like acid on her skin. “Find that man and see what happens, Alessa.”

She refused to let the memories or the lingering pain from her injury caused by Dean overwhelm her with fear. Dean didn’t deserve to see it. Men like him thrived on a woman’s compliance and terror.

He wouldn’t win.

Not with Alessa.

Dean dragged his hand along the side of Alessa’s blue jumper, pulling the thin strap down over her right shoulder. His gaze darkened at the sight of her black, satin bra. He raked his stare straight down to the spot between her legs, licking his lips as he smiled salaciously. Dean hid nothing.

Vile wasn’t a good enough word.

“Do the panties match?” he asked.

Disgust spilled into Alessa’s throat and she forced the shudder back.

“Go to hell, Dean.”

“Well, do they?”

Alessa wouldn’t give him what he wanted. She stayed quiet as he fixed the shoulder of her jumper, letting his fingers linger for too long.

Without a doubt, she would not marry this man.

Somehow, she just
wouldn’t
.

Dean didn’t seem to mind. “This is all mine, Alessa. No one else gets to see it. Pretty soon, I’ll have a ring on your finger making it fact. Remember that.”

“Have you forgotten what I told you?” Alessa asked, keeping her expression unreadable.

“What is that?” Dean asked.

“It’ll be the last goddamn thing you ever get to see.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Dean smiled a cold sight. “Don’t be like that, Lissa.”