Page 20 of Bittersweet Endings (Agostino Crime Family #6)

OCTAVIA AGOSTINO

“ Y ou’re leaving today?”

“Yes, Sienna.” I rolled my eyes internally. “I’ve been messaging with an independent author I really like. I’m going to meet her.”

“Where?” she asked.

“She lives out west,” I answered evasively.

“West where? Like New Mexico? South Dakota?”

“California.” She was going to lose it. “I will be safe with Rocco.” I paused. “And Marco.”

The silence was palpable as my sister took it all in. A deep breath and I knew it was coming.

I adjusted the phone against my ear, trying to keep my voice steady. “Sienna, I told you this trip is important for my career.”

Sienna huffed on the other end. “Why now, Octavia? Why do you have to go now ?”

I closed my eyes, exhaling through my nose. “Because I won’t continue to live my life in the shadows. I have a chance at building something good. ”

“I’m not asking you to stay in the shadows. I’m asking you to stay in New York!” Her voice rose louder. “Cali… you want to waltz into their playground like it’s nothing?”

My grip tightened around the phone. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh, do you?” she snapped. “Because last I checked, Carmine was looking at you like you were a five-star meal, and you still think this is a good idea?”

I bit my lip, ignoring the way my pulse had kicked up at the mention of his name. “Carmine is the enemy,” I reminded her.

And myself. And my body. Although it wasn’t listening.

“Exactly,” Sienna seethed. “And you’re walking straight into his territory.”

I didn’t respond. Because I knew she was right. I knew this wasn’t just a work trip. It was a risk. A gamble. But it was one I had to take. For my career and for the damaged part of my heart.

“Can’t you meet them like… between? Or fly them to New York?”

Oh, Sienna. How frustrating she could be, but I loved her for it.

I’d expected her to lose her cool even more. Instead, there was just the sound of an angry breath. Then she sighed.

“Marco knows, got an invite, and is going before I even know about it?” she scoffed.

I hated that it made me smile. That she missed me.

“Well, we have dinners, events, and a few other things to attend. None that your husband would be happy about, and I can’t afford the bloodshed.”

“Now! Now she wants to party! Why am I being punished?” She went off on a tirade she’d been saving for years. Waiting for me to go through this phase so she wouldn’t be alone. “And now you go out with our whore of a brother! ”

A knock on the door made me pause. I quickly said goodbye with a promise of a night out when we returned, then went to answer it. I opened the door slightly, but it was pushed all the way open as Marco stormed inside.

“Do you think the west coast women will fall at my feet like the east coasters? Do you think they’ll put out?”

I couldn’t help it. I burst into a fit of laughter. Leave it to my brother to be a committed player. With the constant war between the two coasts, he’d never ventured that far west. And he was going to make the most of the opportunity.

“I’m sure for you, they will.”

Marco grabbed my hand and spun me out. “Sis,” he said, glaring at me.

“You’re not going out with me if that’s how you’re going to dress.

” He frowned at my jeans and Vans, then tried to throw a coat over my black lace crop top.

My hair was piled into a messy bun, and I had on my thick-framed black glasses.

“Stop it.” I slapped his hands away and opened the door to call for Rocco. “Marco, it’s a six-hour flight. You’ve got my agenda. Once we get to the hotel, I’ll dress for dinner and a night out.”

“Fuckin’ right you will.” He slung an arm around my shoulder and ushered me into the hallway that was lined with my father’s soldatos . “Make these assholes work for their ranks!”

“Jesus Christ,” Rocco muttered as Marco talked a mile a minute in the elevator, to the car, and all the way to the airport. “The flight’s been cleared,” he added, motioning for me to board the private plane.

Once in our seats, the hostess smiled as she handed out drinks. Marco immediately turned on the charm, making her giggle.

I snapped my fingers. “Stop it.”

The hostess nodded, her face red, and disappeared .

“I don’t want to hear her moaning. You will have plenty of women in California where I don’t have to hear it.”

“Put away your claws. I was just warming up.”

Once the flight was in the air, I noticed Marco twitching.

Watching him from across the aisle, pretending to be absorbed in my work, my eyes kept drifting over. He was leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on something out the window. The usual cocky smirk was absent, and for the first time in a long time, I saw him differently.

The playboy act was still there—flashes of it, at least—but there was something else now. A quiet edge. A sharpness that was new.

He’d changed. Hardened. Climbing the ranks in a way I didn’t want to acknowledge before. Yet here he was, on this flight to California. With me.

I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat. “You never said why you’re really here.”

Marco turned his head, one brow lifting. “I thought it was obvious. Sun, beaches, and beautiful women? California was practically calling my name.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Try again.”

He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “What? You don’t think I’d back my big sister?”

“Since when do you back me?” I challenged, crossing my arms. “Lucky would’ve sent me back to my room and locked me away forever. He still has his doubts. About me. About this trip. But you… you’re here.” I tilted my head, studying his face. “Why?”.

Marco exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Lucky has to be careful. He has to… It’s his job. But me?” His lips pressed into a thin line. “I saw what happened that night, Octavia. I saw the way Carmine looked at you. ”

My stomach tightened. “And?” I asked, forcing my voice steady.

Marco’s gaze darkened. “I think if he had the chance, he’d steal you again.

And this time, I don’t think he’d let you go.

Octavia, I don’t trust him. But I trust you.

” He shrugged, but there was weight to it.

“So, if you say this trip needs to happen, I’m here.

I won’t let him hurt you but I won’t hold you back either. ”

I studied my brother for a moment, waiting for the smirk. Or the teasing remark that always undercut his sincerity. But it didn’t come.

Instead, I saw what I’d been trying to ignore. Marco might still have been a playboy, but he wasn’t just that anymore. He was a man with power. A man becoming something more dangerous. And for better or worse, he was on my side.

“What do you mean, what you saw?” I whispered. I was a goddamn glutton for punishment.

He paused, throwing back his drink. “The way Carmine looked when his father got close to you? He was ready to tear the room apart. Cameras, witnesses, none of it mattered to him. He didn’t care what it would cost. He just wanted you safe.

” Marco’s jaw flexed. “But it was different with Peiro. Worse. The moment he stepped too close, Carmine’s whole demeanor shifted.

It wasn’t strategy or a show of power. It was personal.

He wasn’t looking at you like a game piece.

He was afraid for you and that was real. ”

“It means nothing,” I scoffed, hating how I had to swallow back the hope.

“Doesn’t it?” he challenged.

I didn’t reply. Because I couldn’t.

Marco leaned in. “Carmine wanted you to turn on the family, but I think he knew you never would. We all know. Lucky just can’t see past his guilt.

He can’t see that he let his little sister down and she survived a lot of shit to come out on top.

It was never forever to that man. It was always meant to end with your return.

But, Octavia, if he gets you again, he won’t let you go. You good with that?”

I sat back, unable to answer. Because I was scared of it. I was terrified that the answer I wanted to give would make Marco hate me.

We didn’t speak for the rest of the flight. But my guard dropped a little with him. Who would’ve thought my youngest brother would be the one to see me?

As we got closer to landing, Rocco coordinated with all the men and reviewed the agenda for the long weekend. Meanwhile, Marco was already on social media, hunting for a spot to go.

“There’s a great DJ at the hottest club in LA,” Marco said.

“Not interested,” I muttered as we deboarded the plane.

When we reached the hotel, we both disappeared into our rooms. I spent the next few hours going through emails and continuing to work.

The client I was meeting—Sybil Knight—was an up-and-coming dark romance author.

The world her characters lived in was better than anything I’d read in a while.

She danced on the edge of even darker tropes and was killing it with a very niche audience. And I wanted to help.

“Tave! We need to leave in an hour. Your dog is asking?—”

“Do not call me a dog,” Rocco growled.

“My bad. Your puppy wants to know if you’re coming to the club after dinner. I said yes, because my baby sister wasn’t hiding from…”

An oomph sounded, and I could hear Rocco dragging Marco away.

Lost in a fog, I wandered into the bathroom and started the shower. As the steam rose, I stripped naked and stared at myself in the mirror. Running my hands over my skin while tracing the once-hideous scars, I was startled by the commotion outside the door.

Then it opened. Carmine slipped inside, closing it behind him before pressing his back to it. “Fuck,” he groaned. “Look at you. My little doll isn’t hiding anymore.”

“You’re the one who taught me I was strong…”

I didn’t finish, because he lunged forward. Lifting me onto the sink and tearing off his shirt. This was my favorite version of him. Jeans, boots, and a flannel. Tattoos on display. And a savage hunger that burned straight through my veins.