Double Blind (Vittorio Crime Family #2) Read online

  This is useless. I would have to search his apartment to find out for sure. The feds might already know that I’m on to them. They probably are.

  Fuck.

  I start the car and pull away from the curb. Then I take the bridge towards Brooklyn.

  I’m such a jerk-off for what I’m about to do.

  Jack’s warning is stuck in my head, and I feel like I need to do something to warn her mother. I planned this days ago, but I got distracted with all this bullshit over Adriana. Seeing Adriana in tears at Carmine’s game reminded me of how horrible I’d feel if something happened to her mother. Even if that bitch did try to kill me.

  After a smoldering drive across the Brooklyn Bridge, I park outside her shit-hole of a house. The brick steps are crumbling and the front lawn looks like a jungle. When I get out and march up to her front door, I don’t even bother knocking. I kick open the door and it flies inward easily, as if it’s been kicked in many times before.

  “Oh, God! No!” Her voice screeches like a banshee.

  My eyes burn as I step inside the house, almost as if I expect the whole place to be doused in piss. I snap my head towards the source of the scream and grab the woman fleeing the living room, and I hurl her back inside.

  “Relax, I’m just here to visit.” I take a good look at her heavily bruised arms and legs. “Ah, shit.”

  Mrs. Baldino cries when she recognizes me, pulling down her filthy shirt as if I might tear it off. “Don’t kill me!”

  “Why so worried?” I ask her, leaning over her trembling body. “You haven’t been talking to anyone, have you?”

  “No,” she moans.

  A quick search of her eyes makes me nod in approval. “What are all those bruises from?”

  She sits up. Jesus, she looks like shit. Her hair is overgrown, half of it blonde, the other half a dark brown. Her fingernails look picked raw.

  “I thought you sent them.”

  I set my mouth in a firm line. “No. I guess the Rizzos have been calling.”

  She nods. “They want to know what happened to Richie and that other guy.”

  “Oh, you mean the two guys you called over here to kill me?”

  That makes her flinch.

  Despite how much I despise her, I still feel a bit guilty looking at all those bruises covering her thin arms. Maybe because she reminds me a little of Adriana.

  “Listen, you need to get out of town. The sooner, the better.”

  She gives me a mournful look. “This is my home.”

  “I’m sorry, did the bruises on your arms not give you a clue? They’re going to kill you soon if you don’t get out now. I can’t hold back Jack any longer.”

  Her eyes well with tears. “Where am I supposed to go?”

  Sighing, I reach into my pocket and grab a roll of cash. “Doesn’t matter. Just get out of here.”

  “How’s Adriana?”

  I look down at her, seeing her brown eyes swim with tears. I notice that her eyes are exactly the same shape and color of Adriana’s. This does not help.

  “She’s all right.” I sink down to my knees and hand her the whole roll. “Get out of town. And buy yourself some fucking clothes.”

  “Please take care of her for me,” she says in a watery sob. “Please, Vincent.”

  For some reason, her grief hits me hard. A knot twists in my stomach and I bury it under a bristling sneer. “Why the fuck do you think I’m here?”

  I stand up and walk out of there, too upset to stay there a moment longer. I can still hear her sobbing ringing in my ears, and it reminds me of myself, of my own grief over losing her.

  I’m going to see her.

  My mind is made up the moment I slip into my car. I’ll drive to her campus and break down her door if I have to, but we’re having a fucking chat. I’m not going to be able to sleep until I do. My car throttles back over the bridge as I drive towards Columbia.

  When I park the car and walk through the campus, I remember when we first started dating. When I told her she would be better off marrying a medigan, but she wanted me anyway. My chest tightens when I think about it.

  I wanted to fuck her the moment I met her, but I tried to keep a respectable distance because she was working for me, after all. And usually I fucked them and got tired of them. All of those girls from respectable, Vittorio family members bored the hell out of me. I was supposed to marry one of them and have kids. I suppose it would have been fine if I had comares on the side, but I watched my ma cry to herself so many times when she waited for my father to come home, knowing he was out drinking and whoring.

  I couldn’t do that to a woman, so I resigned myself to a bachelor’s life.

  Then I met her and she changed everything. The night I took her home, I was hooked. She was this incredibly sexy, headstrong girl, who would also drop to her knees at my command and let me do anything I wanted. Who let me fulfill my darkest fantasies.

  And then I got to know her. She was so independent, so different from all the other girls. She didn’t care about jewelry. She didn’t want gifts. Adriana always told me they made her feel like a “kept woman.” Whatever the fuck that meant. Still, she would always smile when I got her something and thank me profusely. She just wanted to provide for her mother and finish her education. I admired that. She was loyal to a fault, even though it burned her at times.

  My head fills with all these things as I waltz into her dormitory. The guard hardly lifts her head as I stride up the stairs. The security in this place is a joke.

  Minutes later, I’m at her dorm, praying that Maria isn’t there. Usually, I would just let myself in, but I twist the doorknob and it’s locked. I knock several times.

  The door opens and my heart squeezes. She stands there, dressed in pink pajamas even though it’s past noon. Her long, brown hair is a bit tousled, like when she gets up immediately out of bed. Her eyes are puffy and red from crying, but the tears make her eyes burn brighter. She looks beautiful, even when she’s upset. It takes my breath away for a moment, and I need a second to remember why I’m so pissed at her.

  “Can we talk?”

  “Vince,” she says in a hushed voice. Her eyes are wide, but then she blinks and they close away, like shutters over windows. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I just want to talk to you. You never really gave me a chance to say what I needed to say.”

  “Fine,” she says, rolling her eyes.

  That pisses me off. I step inside much more quickly than she anticipates, and then I corner her against the wall as my skin radiates heat.

  “Don’t fucking treat me like I’m your asshole ex. I’ve been nothing but good to you, Adriana. I deserve your respect.”

  Tears glisten in her eyes.

  I already feel bad for scaring her, and I feel even worse when everything inside me wants to bend her over my knee for doing this to me and spank her until her ass burns bright red. She looks so perfectly vulnerable.

  “I’m so sorry, Vince,” she says as a tear slips down her face.

  That’s an odd response.

  Still, the air squeezes from my chest when I see her looking so upset. I take her head in my hands and she blinks rapidly as I wipe her tears from her face.

  “You don’t look very happy to be on your own.”

  Adriana bites her shaking lip as even more tears fall down in angry red streaks. “T—that’s because you won’t leave me alone.”

  Her feeble voice makes me smile for the first time in days.

  “You’ve always been such a bad liar, Ade. You don’t want me to leave you alone.”

  “I—I—”

  I place my finger on her lips to silence her. “I don’t believe that you faked every moment with me. I know you meant it when you said you loved me.”

  The tears fall thick and fast. She tries to hide her face, but I take her chin and give her a small kiss. She sighs when I pull away and her face smooths over. How could I ever doubt myself? I know this woman. I know the way sh
e thinks. Even now, she’s giving herself away. She’s leaning into my body. Taking her in my arms, I maneuver her to the couch and pull her onto my lap. She curls up against my chest like nothing changed between us.

  I sigh into her hair. “What’s going on with you?”

  Adriana sits up, fixing me with a pained look. “I meant what I said. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

  “Adriana—”

  “Vince, please just listen!” She swallows hard and continues in a lower voice. “You’re right. I do love you.”

  Heart racing, I try to keep quiet even though I just want to kiss her.

  “I love you so much that it hurts everyday to be away from you, but I can’t keep living like this.”

  My mouth is dry. “Like what, babe?”

  She gasps in a high voice as tears thicken her throat. Her eyes look like dark gems. “You’re just going to end up dead or in jail one day. You know it’s the truth.”

  My eyes squeeze shut. I rarely think about my own death, and I hate that she does. As for jail, yeah, that’s always a possibility. But what can I do? It’s part of the life.

  “You can’t think about stuff like that.”

  “I can’t help it!” She pushes herself off my legs, away from me. “I don’t want to have to wonder whether you’re going to come home or not. And I do not want my future jeopardized because of all the illegal shit I’ve done. No more.”

  For once, I’m speechless.

  I want to fight against it. What she says breaks my heart, because it’s true. The other women—the mob wives, they put up with it because they get taken care of. They get jewels and clothes and whatever the fuck they want, but Adriana was never really into that shit. She loved me for me, without all the perks. That’s why I’m crazy about her. She’s genuine.

  She doesn’t deserve a life like that.

  A horrible, cold feeling punches my gut.

  She doesn’t deserve all this shit.

  If I love her, truly love her; I’ll let her go. A strange pressure builds behind my eyes. It’s so swift and sudden, like a kick to the ribs.

  But I love her. And she loves me. It should be simple, right?

  “It’s just too much for me, and I need you to respect my decision and stay away. I won’t be able to get over you otherwise.”

  She’s telling me to go away, but she keeps crying. I can’t promise I’ll do what she says, but I’ll try. I’ll try.

  Because she deserves better.

  It hurts to admit that. I’m not good enough for her, but I knew that from the beginning.

  This woman destroyed me. I feel myself breaking apart, piece-by-piece, as I realize that this is goodbye.

  Then if this is goodbye—

  I wrap my arm around her back and sweep her back into my arms. My lips fall on her pouting lips, releasing that hot electricity that sits like a reservoir in my heart. It shoots out everywhere, making my skin hypersensitive.

  Then I lift her up in my arms, our lips still attached. She kisses me like I’m the last man in the universe, her fingers almost ripping out my hair. Our chemistry was always insane—I’ve never been fucked so good by a woman in my life.

  I focus on that. Her body. Her big tits and bubble ass, which I spank hard. It’s easier to reduce her to tits and ass. She clings to me as I walk down the hallway. I set her down in her bedroom and weave my fingers through her hair. She moans like a whore when I yank hard and run my tongue along her neck. I suck hard on her neck, giving her a huge hickey where I’ll know she’ll have to cover up with makeup, because I’m still pissed. I laugh when she shrieks and tries to push me away, but she still raises her arms when I take off her t-shirt.

  I stop thinking when Adriana kisses the nape of my neck, her hands stroking my sides. She wants charming, sweet Vince, but I’m all out of him right now. Right now I’m angry.

  Grabbing her tits with my mouth, I bite down hard until she yelps, leaving a bright red mark that’ll leave a bruise later.

  Mine.

  She screams when I swirl my tongue around her nipple. She’s always so sensitive there. The little nub hardens in my mouth and I bite it lightly.

  “Vince.”

  I reach down her flawless body, stroking her smooth stomach until I stop above her jeans. I undo her button and zip it down. Then I shove my hand between her panties to feel how wet she is. She’s soaking.

  Fuck.

  A man always appreciates how wet he can make his girl. I think I can make her cum from my voice alone. One of the many, many perfect things about her. A twinge of sadness momentarily distracts me, but then her palm rolls over my cock and I forget about everything else.

  “So eager,” I hiss, smiling down at her.

  A deep blush fills her face, making her look so gorgeous that I can’t help but kiss her. She kisses me with so much force that I almost have to step back. Then I grab her bottom lip between my teeth and bite.

  Adriana pulls back and lifts her hands. She runs her fingers along the lapels of my jacket. They tickle the back of my neck. Her lips run up my neck, planting kisses along my jaw. I grab her hair and yank her back.

  “Did I say you could kiss me?”

  She flinches at the roughness in my voice. “No, I’m sorry.”

  The hackles settle down somewhat. Inside, there’s still a swirling vortex of emotions, the aching realization that I’ll never see her again.

  I fucking hate that it bothers me so much.

  “Why did you make me love you?”

  The anger behind my question makes her eyes bead with tears. Fuck that.

  I rip down her jeans and panties. My hand smooths over her perfectly round ass as my eyes drink her body. I must commit her every curve to memory, every freckle, and every beauty mark.

  She flinches when my hand disappears from her skin. The loud slap of my hand against her left cheek rings across the room. I don’t stroke the sore flesh like I usually do. I want her to remember me through the pain stinging her skin.

  She doesn’t ask why I’m punishing her.

  She knows damn well why.

  I sit down on the chair and make her bend over my lap. She hangs over the edge, her long brown hair falling around her head. I wrap my palms around her smooth calves and stroke them. Then I move up her beautiful thighs to her perfectly round ass. The left cheek is a bit pink, but the right one is blank.

  SMACK!

  My hand rips down on her hard, and I feel her chest heaving on my legs. The warmth of her spanked ass makes my hand heat up. I spank her again, and again, and again. Much harder than I ever have. I want her to feel me long after I’m gone. I want to punish her.

  “Stop, Vince!”

  Those aren’t the fucking safe words, and she knows it. “Oh, you want me to stop? This will be the last time you get to me.”

  She doesn’t say anything; she just trembles on my legs.

  It’s only until I grab her shoulders and look at her red face, raw with unshed tears, that I realize how fucked up this is.

  She should have used the safe word. She should have done it a long time ago—months ago. Why the fuck didn’t she?

  “Vince,” she says, raising her hand to my face. She beseeches me with her eyes.

  “Don’t Vince me. You might not be wearing the collar,” my fingers brush her bare neck, “but you’re still mine. One last time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Looking into her sad eyes makes me angry. She has no right to be sad after what she put me through. I thought that we were going to have a future together. Now that’s all fucked.

  I wrap my arms around her back and legs and lift her up. Where should I fuck her? There’s the bed, obviously, but I want our last time to be memorable. A grin hitches on my face when I remember how we fucked in the forest, in plain sight of all those people.

  She stiffens when I bring her out her bedroom door, into the living room. With her still in my arms, I open the blinds so that everyone has a nice view inside.


  “What are you doing?” she snaps.

  Turning my head, I gather her earlobe in my teeth and bite down. “Whatever the fuck I want with your body. You’re going to remember this for years. And when you’re with someone else, you’ll still be thinking about me, even when he’s fucking you.”

  It’s dark inside her dorm room. If I really wanted to attract attention, I’d turn on the lights, but I think that would be too much for her.

  “You’re crazy,” she says, laughter shaking from her voice.

  Yes, I am.

  I set her down on the couch and clear all the shit off her coffee table. Then I pick her up and lay her on the table. It’s the perfect size for her. I’ve thought about doing this ever since I saw it, but never had the opportunity. She lays on the table like a perfect, obedient slave. The sight of her nude body makes my pants tighten. Her tits sit on her chest in round orbs and her hair fans out behind her. I grab her legs and push them apart, and then I sink down to my knees. I laugh as people walk past the dorm outside, oblivious. All they would have to do is glance inside and they would see her.

  My face lowers over her pussy, which contracts when I breathe over her. My tongue flicks out over her glistening pussy, my hands stroking her legs. Her legs shudder when she feels my tongue stroking her clit. Her stomach sinks as she sucks in breath, but her head is turned towards the window. I slap her thigh hard and she yelps.

  “Stop staring out the window. Focus on me.”

  I smile against her pussy, hearing her shuddering breaths as I stroke her swollen clit. I close my mouth around her and suck hard. She arches her back, lifting her beautiful tits to the sky as she moans. My heart skips when I see someone walk by—a mousy-looking girl who glances inside and then quickly looks away.

  My chest strains against holding in my laughter. At least one Columbia student has seen me eating her out.

  Adriana tightens her legs around my head, completely oblivious. I flatten my palm over her stomach as she moans to the ceiling. Every sound she makes hits my cock. I can feel my damp underwear chafing against it. Christ, I can’t take it anymore.