Surprise Twins for the Mafia Heir

10. Vinny

CHAPTER 10

Vinny

I don’t need Nick to tell me I screwed up. The energy is loud in the house. Rosa refuses to leave her room and I can’t stand myself. I’ve been trapped in my own head and it’s impossible to get out of it. Especially after the strippers.

But Rosa doesn’t know the full story. She doesn’t understand why I needed to drown myself in alcohol and women I don’t care about.

I am forced to eliminate my rivals in order to gain my dad's trust, so he won’t keep a tap on Rosa. Each time I ended a life, the heavy weight of guilt and remorse bore down on me. To numb the pain, I turn to alcohol as my escape, a gateway into a temporary world of oblivion.

Nick being by my side has helped but it doesn’t alleviate the things my dad needs. With his accounts getting larger, I have to do everything by the book. The only way not to get my dad suspicious about Rosa is to take out others. One day there were three men eating pizza and another time it was a man on a date with his wife. It killed me. But it had to be done. My dad has eyes all over the city. Every night I returned, I couldn’t bring myself to look at Rosa. In a sick way, I tell myself that if I hadn’t killed those people, Rosa would be the one I’d have to bury. I also remind myself those people were stupid for getting in deals — with my dad of all people. No one survives my dad.

No one except Ralph Newton. Rosa’s father. He’s like plenty of low lives. He works odd jobs and uses the money to gamble and settle off debts. His wife is similar, except she just makes the calls for him to find the bets in the first place. Somehow, those two scheming assholes got together and made Rosa. For Rosa’s sake, I need a better outcome.

“Rosa can’t be here anymore,” Nick says late at night. Rosa is asleep and we’ve been devising plans to get her out. The only problem is there is now security all over the place. That means car checks to make sure no one is being smuggled out.

“I can’t get her out, Nick,” I say.

“But Ralph can,” Nick said. “If he meets you at the right place, we could figure out how to get Rosa to go with him. Maybe they can leave the country.”

Because every day has bled into the next, I have stopped questioning why Nick is so adamant on helping me. It’s not like our friendship magically mended the day I saw him again. There’s still a lot between us that remains unspoken.

I don’t have the mental space to unpack it right now. Rosa comes first. I just wish I had a better way of showing her that.

“You’re telling me I have to speak with Ralph then?” I ask. Nick shrugs and offers no other answer. So, I set off at the crack of dawn.

At the sight of them, I get pissed.

Ralph is of average height with wispy gray hair and heavy eyes. He has a beer gut and missing a bottom tooth. I find him at the shady store they run in Chinatown. The wife is behind the counter and, shockingly, looks like an older version of Rosa with thick, badly dyed brown hair. At the sight of me, they freeze.

“We don’t have money in store,” the wife says.

“Shut up, Donna,” Ralph snaps. “He’s Montoya’s kid.”

Donna’s eyes get big. “We’re working on the money. I swear!”

“Donna!” Ralph snarls.

I can’t believe my ears. “I have your daughter!”

“She’s alive?” Ralph and Donna ask in unison. Something about the shock in their eyes makes me feel sick. It’s almost like they aren’t overly bothered that she is dead. Their own daughter.

“I came here to make a deal with you,” I press on. “To get Rosa out safely. If you offer half of what you owe, I can ensure she’ll be fine. You just have to get her out of the country.”

They exchange a look. “We can’t do that,” Donna says.

“Why the hell not?” I snarl.

Ralph groans. “How the hell did you even find us? We switched store locations.”

I kick a box of cashews, sending them to the floor. “Are you not worried about what could happen to Rosa?”

“I told that girl going to that spiffy school would catch up to her. She was supposed to lie low until we figured stuff out,” Donna says.

“No. You weren’t supposed to keep getting into debt,” I snap. Their audacity enrages me. As much as I hate them, I have to find a way to help Rosa.

“If you can’t do it yourselves, at least meet me halfway,” I plead. “She’s a good person. She deserves a life outside of this shit.”

Ralph and Donna’s silence is all the answers I need. They are useless.

The only thing I can do is return home. But I know I can’t do it sober. I have to rely on the vices that got me through my 20s. Rosa obviously isn’t thrilled. The look on her face kills me. So, I drank more. I’m still drinking. I can’t face her. The beers are starting to burn my throat and I can’t keep any food down. I look disgusting but I can’t stop. I won’t stop until someone pries the bottles from my hands.

Thank God for Nick. Like always, he's my savior.

I don’t know how he knows where to find me. Most of the bars I’ve frequented have been new so I can go unnoticed. While it’s not a good thing to be a functional alcoholic, I have mastered the art of being invisible when I’m about to spiral into being blackout drunk. Right before I chug my eighth beer, Nick is standing in front of me.

“What the hell are you doing?” he bellows.

“I can’t save her, man,” I say as a parade of hiccups leaves me. “I don’t know why I thought I could.”

Nick plops across from me, pushing the empty bottles out of the way. “You went through all this trouble to save her and now you’re giving up because you see how slim the odds are?”

I glare at Nick. “Her own parents can’t even be bothered to save her.”

Nick chuckles as his face takes on a bitter look. “Yeah, I could've told you that.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, leaning closer. Nick always has his own ways of knowing people’s backgrounds. It was how he managed to weasel himself through so many affluent doors. I wait for Nick to spill some kind of unknown backstory on the Newtons, but he just hangs his head.

“Just haven’t heard the best things about them,” he mutters.

“I guess it’s the reason my dad wants to get rid of him,” I continue. “He’s a piece of shit.”

Nick sighs. “They used to be close, Vinny. Like, nearly family.” I can’t believe my ears. There is no way my dad was close to Ralph Newton — of all people.

“They grew up in the same neighborhood. But the rules changed as they got older, and Ralph got greedy,” Nick tells me. “That’s all I know.”

“So, he should’ve been killed a long time ago,” I conclude. I wish I could take Ralph out myself. In fact, it doesn’t make sense why my dad didn’t just go after him. He’s not hard to track.

Nick seems to read my mind. “No one knows why your dad is taking this route with Rosa, okay? Even Larry felt it was drawn out.” My skin gets hot. If Larry thinks this plan is too much, maybe he can convince my dad to halt it.

“We need to speak to Larry,” I say as I get out of the booth. Nick grabs me and pulls me back down.

“Come on, Don! Use your head! It’s too late for that. Ralph has to be hurt first, then taken out. Even if we think it’s pointless, your dad’s plan is going through, regardless,” Nick yells. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He then swipes the screen to show a text from my dad:

“Final plans carried out Wednesday night. Have the body dumped behind Newton’s store.”

A chill rushes down my legs. My dad has no plans to spare Rosa and I have failed her.

“No, I can’t. I can’t do that,” I mutter.

Nick slides his phone back into his pocket. “Unless you have a getaway car, you need to find something out quickly before Wednesday. If not… we’ll have to carry it out, Vinny. Rosa deserves to live.” Nick’s not the sentimental type, so if he’s urging me to, then I probably should.

“Why would she want someone like me?” I ask with my eyes averted. “I’m a shitty person.”

Nick shrugs. “She’s been raised by shitty people. Maybe she can spot the ones who are halfway decent.”

The bar is starting to pick up. Reality sets in that Rosa and my time together is more limited by the day. I can’t let it hold me back from seeing her anymore. The blank stare in her parents’ eyes when I told them Rosa would be killed is stuck in my head. I grab my keys and rise from the booth.

“Get me home,” I say, tossing the keys to Nick.

Nick couldn’t drive fast enough. I burst through the door and pound on Rosa’s door. My hands are aching and my heart is racing in my chest. I have to have her. I screwed up, I smell like beer, and I should sleep on it. Yet, I know if I go to sleep without at least telling her how I feel, I’ll regret it.

“Rosa!” I roar as I continue to pound on the door. Finally, the door swings open to an angry Rosa. Her hair is in a messy bun and her eyes are puffy. She hasn’t been sleeping.

I try to kiss her but she jerks away. “You’re drunk? Again?”

“Rosa, baby, please. I’m sorry,” I wail. “I’ve been trying to… save you. But I can’t.”

Rosa eases the door open more. “What do you mean?”

“They don’t care… I tried to get them to help me out—”

Rosa holds up her hand. “Them?”

I have a feeling she already knows who I’m talking about. “I didn’t know how bad they were, Rosa. I visited their new store.” Rosa blinks back tears.

“I could’ve told you that,” she says. “They warned me this would happen and that they wouldn’t be able to do much.” Rosa walks over to her bed. I close the door then sit beside her.

“I think they love me but they never planned on having a daughter,” Rosa admits. “I was too much to handle. So, they gave up.”

The guilt washes over me. I gave up, too. How does someone keep trying if the odds are never in their favor?

“Rosa, I’m so sorry,” I say again.

Rosa shakes her head, cupping my chin in her small hands. “You tried to help; I didn’t expect you to talk to them. I appreciate that but it doesn’t excuse the drinking and strippers though.”

I nod. “It doesn’t. I’m so sorry, Rosa. I killed people so my dad can trust me with you, but I might have failed. All I want is to keep you safe.”

“I should hate you. I should think you’re an awful guy with horrible taste,” Rosa presses. “Somehow, I still have these feelings for you and they feel so heavy in my chest.” I draw Rosa closer, resting my forehead on hers.

“So, that’s how you describe it?” I whisper. Rosa slips her hand into mine. I’ve never felt more complete than at this moment. Our lips touch and I slowly kiss her, savoring the sweetness of her kiss. I place my hands on her hips, hoping for more, but Rosa stops me.

“Is there any way we can get you a shower and toothbrush?” Rosa asks as she holds back a laugh. I pull away and laugh, knowing I probably smell awful.

“Your honesty is sexy,” I say.

“I’ll give you a bath,” Rosa says as she stands up, holding her hand out.

Ten minutes later, Rosa has a warm bubble bath filled to the brim for me. She undresses me and helps me into the bathtub. With the loofah, she glides it up and down my arms and legs, eventually stopping at my member. Her eyes are full of desire.

“Do whatever you want,” I tell her. Rosa grins and she leans into the top and takes my growing member into her hands. I watch with delight as she takes me into her mouth, starting slowly, and then becoming more and more aggressive. The heat of the bathtub is perfect. I hold onto her hair and finally can’t take it. The throbbing is overwhelming and I know if I don’t stop, I’ll finish too soon.

“Come here, now,” I growl as I pull her into the bathtub. Her T-shirt is soaked but I don’t care. I pull it up, grabbing a handful of her perky breasts. Water slips down Rosa’s taut body and it makes me wild. I slip my tongue into her open mouth, then push my fingers into her. Rosa digs her nails into my skin, crying out as my fingers work to make her orgasm. Right as her eyes roll back, I take my fingers out and push my member inside her. Rosa cries out as she pleasures herself with my load. She rolls her hips faster and faster, splashing water all around us. I then bounce her on my member until she can’t take it anymore. I know we’re both close as our bodies tense and we hold onto each other tight. The stress of the day melts away as we make love in the heat of the bathtub. Our lips are practically glued together and it heals whatever anxieties I had.

I can’t let her go. I have to find a way to make us work.