Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

4. The Promise

Chapter 4

The Promise

S cotlandville - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

April 13, 2018 (

9 days before death)

“Dolly. Your phone,” said Russell.

Dolly groaned under her covers. She resented the intrusion of daylight. Russell, true to form, had opened all the blinds. It clashed with her preference for the night. Adopted as an infant by the family who would later welcome her brother two years on, she found an unshakeable bond with Russell. Despite a prenatal diagnosis that hinted at birth defects and complications with her mother’s rainbow baby, their parents embraced their son’s arrival. Russell was born with cerebral palsy, yet the bond between him and Dolly ran as deep as if shared by blood. In a family where she was the only person of color, love knew no difference—until a tragic loss at sixteen altered everything.

“Who is it? Tell ‘em I’m asleep.”

“It’s Jeff,” Russell announced. He tossed the cell phone to her before wheeling out of the room. He had a condition similar to cerebral palsy that severely affected his left side, leaving them to rely on each other. Now, with Dolly as the family’s sole provider, a surprise call from Jeff definitely required attention.

“Uhm, hello?” Dolly said.

“We need you back on shift,” said Jeff.

“I’m working at eight, my usual,” Dolly yawned through her reply.

“Yeah, well, it was a wild night at the college yesterday. We got a lot of calls coming in and not enough boots on the ground. How soon can you be here?”

“Jeff, please, I’ve barely been sleeping. It’s cruel to even think I can come back to work. And against the rules too. Check my timecard. I need my time.”

“Come in, get some coffee, rest up, and then, when you are up to it, hop to it. Double time and half?” Jeff tossed at her before he hung up.

The offer failed to impress. What good was money against the relentless grip of sleep deprivation? Overcome with frustration, Dolly groaned. The impulse to weep surged within her. She shunned the sunlight. She sought refuge in her pillow. Jeff, closer to her than any relative, had been her anchor. Following her firing from the Mill, he had changed her vision test scores, ensuring her position in EMS. Her debt to him was immeasurable. Jeff intervened and ensured that she and her younger brother would not be left without a roof over their heads.

It took all her strength to sit upright. She stretched her arms above her head. She reached for her glasses, only to find them broken.

“Damn it,” she groaned. “I forgot.”

Dolly would have gaps in her memory. At first, it was the little things. She’d forget her dreams, or she’d forget a conversation she had. And then it became things she wanted to remember—like what to write in a report after a night on shift, and the death of her parents. Dolly tossed off the covers. The only backup pair of her glasses was three years outdated and poorly suited to her worsening eye condition. Another prescription would drain her modest savings. Insurance had covered the new pair. Any replacement of frames and lenses would come at her expense. Resigned to defeat, she slipped them on. After showering and dressing, she discovered Russell had fixed breakfast from leftover spaghetti.

“Thanks for the milk, but we’re out of cereal,” he said. Their shared laughter lightened her spirits.

“I will probably pull a double,” she told him. She strapped on her belt. She clipped her walkie on her shoulder.

“You mean a triple? You haven’t even slept. Tell Jeff to go to hell,” said Russell.

“I will not. Extra cash flow,” she yawned again.

“Hey, what happened?” he asked.

“To who?” she asked.

“Where are your new glasses?” Russ replied with concern. “I thought you couldn’t see out of those anymore?”

“Broken. I’ll have to get another pair.” After placing her plate in the sink, she approached her brother, planting a kiss on his forehead. His frown deepened, signaling his need for a fuller explanation. At twenty-four, he had spent much of his existence wheelchair-bound, confined to their home. His major act of rebellion had come on his eighteenth birthday when he declared his intention to live with her, defying their aunt and uncle. With a team of lawyers, she couldn’t afford to fight against, they denied him access to the inheritance left by their parents. They made do without their due, leaving their affluent past behind for an urban setting far removed from their once secure environment. They protected each other.

“Call me if you need anything,” she said.

“Get some sleep at the station. Promise me. I’ll be in Call of Duty today.”

Following a swift farewell, she snagged an apple, immediately she regretted it as a burp brought up the taste of last night’s spaghetti—its early morning aftertaste nearly caused her to gag. Quickly, she headed out the door. Dolly had barely descended three steps when she paused, struck by the sight across the street.

Opposite her townhome, the driver of a massive black SUV stood outside of it. Dressed in a dark suit and sporting Ray-bans with mirror-like lenses, he exuded masculinity, hitman, or secret service authority. His presence was clearly intentional. He had been waiting for her. When he noticed her hesitation, he promptly crossed the street to approach her.

“Dolly? Dolly Young?” The man asked.

Dolly wished she kept her pepper spray ready. She had it attached to her backpack. She fiddled with the key ring to release it, dropping her apple and causing it to roll into the street.

“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!” The man with golden blond hair swept up the apple in his hand like a catcher would in a ball game. He took a bite out of it and walked toward her. Dolly frowned. His hard yet serious features melted into a buttery smile. His teeth were even and white, contrasted nicely with his olive-tanned skin.

“Stay back,” Dolly warned.

“Sorry. Haven’t had breakfast. My boss wants to speak with you,” he replied, giving the apple another toss-up in the air.

“I don’t know your boss. So go away,” she said. She started down the steps to her red, ten-year-old Honda.

“He said if you refused to, then offer you a glass of milk. Maybe a gallon?”

Dolly’s frown softened. She paused. Intrigue replaced her initial confusion. Fragments of her memory returned. The encounter with the mysterious man who intervened on her behalf surfaced. She glanced between the driver and the SUV and quickly decided on how to proceed. The vehicle had such heavily tinted windows that she couldn’t see anyone inside. “Are you kidding me? What is he doing here? At my house?”

“Sorry. I never kid. What harm could a conversation do? You got the pepper spray,” the driver smirked.

Curiosity trumped Dolly’s caution, and she slowly approached the SUV. The man stepped ahead of her and swiftly opened the door. With her heart racing, she slid inside, pepper spray in hand. The stranger from the filling station faced her, seated across in the modified Suburban with facing seats. The interior boasted black leather and plush suede and exuded a mix of a new car scent mixed in with his cologne. When their eyes met, she saw for the first time what she had missed the night before. His classically handsome features were striking. His fair skin magnified his dark penetrating stare under dark lashes, silken brows, and black hair. Although not feminine, his gaze was both seductive and pensive. She couldn’t decide if his charm captivated her or if his intrusive approach alarmed her. With all his refined handsomeness, something was menacing beneath. She could feel it.

“What are you doing here? How did you find where I live?” she asked.

“It wasn’t hard. This city isn’t big. And you didn’t live far,” he smiled.

Dolly had to do a double blink. His mouth sparkled in the shadowy darkness of the SUV. Then he gave her a half-smile, and she saw why. His canines, the teeth to the front of his mouth, each had transformed with the addition of diamond-encrusted points that were neither ghastly nor ghoulish.

“Who are you, really?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m your fairy godfather,” he informed her.

“Oh Yea?” Dolly chuckled. “You granting wishes?”

“I can if you grant me one of mine,” he said.

She blushed.

“Where are your friends?” Dolly asked.

He blinked at the question. Then his face became less humorous and serious. “I tended to the matter. My companions have learned a lesson in etiquette. They won’t trouble you again.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you serious? They’re a hundred more men, just like them. And what does it mean for you to ‘tend’ to anyone? Sounds serious,” she asked.

“I don’t tolerate disrespect, especially to women,” he replied.

She stifled a smile. Was he real? Did he get that line from some movie? Dolly observed him silently. An innate caution urged her to temper her boldness.

“I’m not sure what you expect?—”

“You have an appointment. To fix your glasses, or get you a new pair,” he informed her.

“Oh? My glasses,” she felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “They’re trash. I got my old pair, so I’m good, thanks.”

“Let me take you to a doctor I’ve found. A good one, down in New Orleans, who can?—.”

She laughed in his face.

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to New Orleans with you,” she said.

“My driver can get us there in under an hour,” he promised.

“Hello, do you see what I’m wearing? I’m headed to work.”

He looked her over.

“Skip it,” he said.

“Skip what?” she asked.

“Work,” he replied.

“No,” she said.

“For me?” he pleaded.

“No,” she said.

“For yourself?” he asked.

“What?” she asked.

“You look like you pulled an all-nighter,” he said.

“Are you saying I look rough?” she half-joked.

“No. I’m saying you look like you need a break,” he countered.

“I’m leaving,” she replied, with her hand to the door.

“Wait. Wait. Can you at least have breakfast with me?”

The stranger leaned forward and stared into her eyes. He wasn’t as pale as she previously thought. In fact, there was an evenly tanned, dusky-olive appeal to his already handsome face. She really needed her progressive lenses.

“Sorry. I already ate,” she mumbled.

“What did you have?” He asked as if searching for a way to extend the conversation. That to felt odd, but it softened her to him.

“Spaghetti,” she replied. “We ate spaghetti.”

“We?” He frowned. “Boyfriend? Husband?”

“Me and my brother,” she replied as if enchanted.

The smile on his face was the first time she had seen a glint of humility. “So, you like pasta? For breakfast?”

“Now, why is that funny?” she tossed back.

“Not funny, charming. I’m a pasta man too,” he said.

“Ooh, that’s what it is about you?” she said.

“Explain?”

“Your accent, you’re Italian,” she said.

“Sicilian,” he corrected.

“You speak it?” she asked.

“Fluently. I speak nine languages,” he told her.

“Oh, well, I can tell you’re a little different,” she said in a murmur, unable to look away, but fighting hard to do so.

“Not really. They’re a lot of Sicilians in this region all the way to New Orleans.”

“No, they’re not,” she scoffed.

“Trust me, there are,” he said.

“Well, I got to go to work so—” She tried again to escape.

“Coffee? A talk? That’s all I ask.”

“Talk?”Dolly sighed, as if he had touched her. He had not. “With me? About what? Milk and glasses?”

This time, his laughter tickled her, too.

“That’s right, beautiful . Talk with me. That’s all I want, for now…” his gaze lowered to her mouth and stopped at her throat.

“About that. I’m not interested, okay? I got a lot on my plate, and I don’t need to add more.” She forced herself to look away from his eyes. Again, her instinct told her to keep her eyes from his. The link between them severed when she obeyed that inner voice.

“Just a conversation,” he said.

“Yeah, you keep saying that,” she said.

“Can you look at me, please?” he asked.

“No. I got to go. I got to go to work.” She put her hand on the door handle.

“ S’il te pla?t, Darlene, ” he said in French.

She closed her eyes to his plea. He had evoked her name, her real name. A man talking directly to you and not at you had a wonderful effect. She turned her gaze to his and thought to ask him how he knew her name, but immediately forgot to. Instead, she stared into his eyes. She could feel herself drift as if the truck had grown wings and taken to the sky. She had drunk nothing or smoked anything, yet she felt seduced into an intoxicated state. What was happening? As her hand slipped from the door, escape became the last thing she wanted. She shifted as if she would come to him. She needed to be held by him, to smell him and taste him, to be as close as she could be. And then something grounded her against the action, stilled her actions. There became a way to resist the desire for fake promises and empty kisses.

Wait!

He didn’t kiss her. She was confused. All he did was ask her for coffee or milk. What the hell was in the spaghetti that Russell warmed up for her? Did her brother slip her a gummy or something? He had played practical jokes on her in the past. The pressure of worrying over bills and medical costs for her brother, which should be covered by the estate, reset her mind. After her ex cost her a job at the Mill, she learned the hard lessons of men with fake promises. She would not let some strange foreigner turn her head to the clouds. Sicilian, he said. There were no Sicilians in her neighborhood or any neighborhood. Especially Sicilians who spoke French. He was a liar. A con man, with weird eyes and sexy teeth.

“Then it’s settled, we’ll go to—”he began.

“I said no!” The outburst caught him by surprise. His gaze seems to harden, just a glint. She glared directly at him and pretended to be offended. “Don’t come here anymore. If you do, I’ll call the police.”

Dolly got out of the car and fast-walked to her Honda. The further away from him she got, the stronger she felt mentally. He had invaded her in some strange way, coaxed her into agreeing to something she didn’t want to. It was hard to explain, but she felt violated. She sped to work, never looking back.

Lucio watched her go. What were the odds that a filling station stop would bring him this close, destino ? The divider glass between him and his driver slowly lowered as Lucio moved from his seat to where Dolly once sat.

“What do you need, boss?” his driver asked.

“Make the call,” he said. “Fallo ora!”

The driver nodded and the divider glass eased up. The SUV pulled away from the curb. Not in pursuit of her. She’d join him in New Orleans as requested. Of this, he had no doubt. He had a few things to attend to before he saw her again.