Fighting With Light (The Coldwell Brothers #2)

2. Aelia

2

Aelia

The thrum of the base beats against my chest, making my limbs tingle with the energy surrounding me. I drank too much, and can’t find it in myself to care because I feel good . My friend, Violet, is making out with some tree of a man, holding her up so her feet dangle in the air. I shake my head, smiling at my wild friend, and close my eyes again, feeling everything roll over me like the ocean in its constant, somewhat overwhelming, yet comforting swell.

The guy I’ve been hanging out with comes up behind me and grips my hips as we sway. Ben, my bodyguard, is seething in the corner of the club, but I couldn’t care less. My father, Marco Costa, is the head of the Italian mob, the Cosa Nostra in America. The Costa family is from Italy where my uncle runs it with a few other families. I was born and raised here in the States, but my father believes his enemies are everywhere, so I can’t go anywhere without Ben. Violet and I have dodged him a few times, but it doesn’t take him long to find us. I throw him a wink and spin around in my date’s arms.

I’m pretty sure his name is Luca, but I don’t remember, and I don’t particularly care. He grins down at me with his pretty, dark eyes, high cheekbones, and his close-cropped, dark hair. Luca is trim, fit, and forever kissed by the sun—an Italian woman’s dream—he will do for tonight.

“You are so beautiful,” he says into my ear.

I lick my lips, and his eyes drop to my mouth. Gets them every time. The song transitions into another with a Salsa flair. The Miami clubs are some of my favorites, so I try to come here often. It’s also home to the Cosa Nostra’s rival, the Mexican cartel, which is guaranteed to make my father angrier. I live for the thrill of pissing him off in whatever way I can. I don’t care if it endangers me .

Luca’s hips move like a practiced dancer, and he gathers me closer to his body, slipping his thigh between my legs and dipping me. I grin, feeling the blood rush to my head before his large hand at my spine brings me back to standing straight. He leans in to kiss me, and I let him because he will be gone by morning. I’m here for a good time, period.

“Do you want to get out of here, mi amor?” I glance over my shoulder at Violet. They finally stopped sucking face and are back to dancing. Violet makes eyes at me and I nod. She leans up to tell her guy she wants to go and I turn to Luca, telling him yes.

We don’t get to see each other often since Violet is from Portugal, but she comes to the States or we meet somewhere else. Miami is the perfect stop for both of us, so when we are together, we’re attached at the hip. I spot Ben following us as we push our way off the dance floor.

When we exit the club, we slide right into the limo that’s waiting for us. Luca tosses his arm around my neck and pulls me in for another kiss. It feels nice to be wanted this way. I may not know him, but he’s making me feel literally anything other than numb or guilt, so that’s got to be worth something. Violet is already straddling her man again and I roll my eyes.

“Violet, babe, I love you, but there are things your best friend doesn’t need to be scarred by.”

She leans back from her man and looks at me over her shoulder. He’s got a glazed grin on his face, but her eyes are bright and clear. She’s not much of a drinker.

“I love you, Aelia, but you know I leave tomorrow. I’m just trying to make the best of our time,” she says with the corner of her mouth tipped up.

“What’s your name, anyway?” I ask her man.

He seems to come back down to Earth and looks at me over Violet’s shoulder. “Oh, I’m Jameson. You can call me James.”

“Nice to meet you, Jameson,” I say, giggling a little. Violet grins at me and giggles back. When one of us laughs, we both laugh, and neither can control it. Violet falls into Jameson, laughing, and I glance at Luca. Confusion is written all over his expression, but he smiles, even though he doesn’t know what we’re laughing at.

When we get to the penthouse suite, Jameson and Violet disappear into her room as I pour us a glass of water to sober up a little. I’m of sound, consenting mind, but would prefer to be a little less buzzed. There are some snacks they brought up before we got here, so I eat a couple of crackers, hoping it soaks up the booze. Luca leans over me and grabs a cookie for himself. “This is a nice place,” he says and takes a bite. I nod and look around at the spacious living room that goes to three other bedrooms with their own ensuites. It’s very Miami, clean, white, and bright colors, but luxurious and comfortable.

“Is this your first time in Miami?” he asks. I shake my head no and eat another cracker as he takes a sip of water.

“Where did you say you were from?”

I didn’t tell him where I was from. All I gave him was my first name. I figure if he’s going to be saying it in bed, it might as well be the truth. I chug some more water and grab his hand, tugging him to my room. He follows willingly, obviously , and I push him back onto the bed, climbing onto his lap. He leans in to kiss me.

“No more questions,” I whisper across his lips.

***

I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit on the balcony to enjoy the soft ocean breeze. Luca is long gone. I’m not one of those who will kick you out before morning, but when the sun rises, it’s time to go. The salty breeze fills my lungs and helps my shoulders drop a little. Before my mind can go to my mom and everything I’m not doing for her, Violet walks through the doors, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Morning,” she sighs. The door to the penthouse closes and I glance at her from over my shoulder.

“Fun night?” I smirk .

She grins and plops down on the sun chair next to me. “Yes,” she says and tips her head back into the sun.

“That good?” I ask her.

She nods and opens her eyes. “I think I’m in love,” she sighs wistfully.

“Well, now you’re just sounding crazy,” I mumble and take a sip of coffee.

She giggles and looks out over the ocean.

“I think it’s true though, Aelia, he…I don’t know,” she breathes, “I just have this feeling about him.”

“Violet, you met him in a club in Miami, and you live in Portugal .”

She shrugs. “Semantics. He said he wanted to see me again and I want the same. I’m not going home today, that’s for sure.”

“But your dad…” She waves her hand, dismissing my comment. She knows what I was about to say. Her father is not a good man. He’s the one who sells guns to mine. She’s the only friend I have who I can actually be honest with because she knows what it’s like to be a girl in a mob family. You’re either looked at as a prize or a bargaining chip. There’s no in-between, but I refuse to be that for my family. If I ever find someone to love, it will be because I chose him, not because my father did. I know he already has someone in mind for me, but it will happen over my dead body.

“I don’t care what he says. I told him I wouldn’t marry Davi and I meant it. You’re lucky your dad hasn’t tried to sell you or marry you off yet,” she says.

“It’s probably because I’m never home for more than a week, and when I am, I don’t see Dad. I’m there for Mom, that’s it.” I leave out the part that I’m already betrothed to someone. I don’t know who it is, either because I left the room when Dad started to tell me.

“At least she knows you’re there, though.” I nod and try to ignore the tide of guilt rising over my chest and filling my throat, drowning me. My mom didn’t have a choice in marrying my father, but they grew up together in Italy and came from two different mob families. Luckily, they fell in love, but that changed as they got older. My father is not the man my mom married, and my mother is but a shell of herself. When I was young, she was vibrant and happy. But now, I think the life got to her. The wives and the kids see more than they should, and I believe a lifetime of seeing the brutality of our world was too much for her to bear.

She’s drifted into a depressive state and has been for years. She’s a ghost of herself. Part of me believes she hung on for me until I could do my own thing, but even then, she didn’t make it. I go home as often as I can bear because I want to make sure she knows I care. But it’s hard to see the woman you love so much become someone you don’t recognize anymore.

“Yeah,” I rasp and clear my throat. “I wish I could stay, but I can’t.”

“Bali sounds like a good time. Maybe you’ll run into a hot surfer or some yogi out to find himself,” Violet says and folds her hands, as if she’s in prayer and bows to me. I laugh and shake my head.

“I’ve never been to Bali, so I figured, why not? Plus, I am beyond tired of Vegas.”

“It’s breathtaking. I never wanted to leave. Make sure you send me all the pictures and give me all the details.” I nod, biting down on my smile. I love visiting new places and exploring the world. Dad kept me locked up tight when I was younger with the excuse of threats. I was a child, I didn’t know any better. And though it was understandable from a parenting standpoint, that’s not the case now. I refuse to let him keep me under lock and key again. There’s too much of the world to see.

“Promise, and Vi?”

“Yeah?”

I lean over and reach for her hand, and say, “Please be careful. Okay? I can’t have my best friend getting kidnapped or something like that.”

She squeezes my hand back. “We both know I’m way too much trouble to kidnap. I’d ask them too many questions and want to see what’s under their masks. So they would end up giving me back,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. I giggle, and then she laughs, and we both burst out in laughter because she’s right. She would be a terrible option for kidnapping.