Page 42 of Sins of the Orchid

“Ready for some dancing?” Adriano asked with a wolfish grin. He parked his Mustang in the employee's spot behind his brother’s nightclub, The Orchid.

Usually, we crashed college parties, but he had graduated, and summer break was still on-going. So, this was a major upgrade. Attending The Orchid nightclub was consideredbeing in. I never felt the urge for it. One, because I was still under the age required to enter the club, two because Santi owned it, and the last reason was the main reason. Mom and George had a nickname for me,Orchid,because I loved the flower so much. Now, it was just a reminder of their death.

“I’m still under twenty-one,” I reasoned with Adriano. He loved parties and good times. Even more, he loved the life of the Cosa Nostra. Both Russo brothers were molds of the same life, but somehow Santi had turned out harder, darker, hotter. Adriano had some of the darkness too, yet he hid it behind his charm and smiles while Santi didn’t bother.

“We won’t be drinking. Just dancing,” Adriano tried to reassure me. “Santi is meeting some of his associates, so he won’t be around. And the guys here know me.” I tilted my head, eyeing him suspiciously. “Trust me,” he drawled.

Should have been my first clue, but our evening so far had been wonderful. I really didn’t want to ruin it. He must have read uncertainty on my face. “You look so beautiful today. I’m not ready to end the night. I won’t see you for three months.”

Warmth spread through me. I saw firsthand how charming he could be when he wanted something. While I didn’t fall to my knees for him like most women, he had the ability to convince me to do what he wanted when he really wanted something. It was his specialty, after all.

His brother probably threatened people to get them to do what he wanted; Adriano sweet talked them into doing it.

So, I caved. I wanted to spend a few more hours with him before calling it a night. The next three months, until he came to visit, would be long without seeing him.

“Okay,” I relented with a sigh. We both exited the car. He came around and took my hand, pressing a soft kiss onto it.

“You look really beautiful,” he complimented me. He looked me over, grinning widely. “Really, really gorgeous.”

I grinned at his comment. He was going all out with compliments today. “Thank you.”

My eyes traveled down my body. It was a dress I designed on my own and had sewn it with Maria’s guidance. It was off white, embellished with glittering rhinestone straps across the low neckline and shoulders. It was by far the most feminine dress I had ever worn. The material was a mix of silk and satin, which hugged my curves. I paired it with a pair of pink heels and a matching pink clutch. I had left my red curls cascading down my back, and I even put a light lipstick on and applied mascara. It made me feel slightly mature, maybe even twenty-one.

Adriano had been calling me beautiful and gorgeous all summer. It wasn’t usually what he did, so it kept throwing me off. Besides, I’d seen the girls he usually went for, and I certainly wasn’t his type. My eyes sized him up. He looked good too in his dark jeans and black silky button-down shirt. He truly looked like a suave, Italian guy.

As we approached the entrance, the bouncer recognized Adriano instantly and opened the chain link fence for us without question or ID. His eyes darted to me, his gaze roaming down my body. I tensed for a second but then flushed, realizing he was checking me out, not scrutinizing my age.

Maybe this will be exciting after all, just like Adriano said.

We strode into the nightclub and a familiar beat sounded all around us.

“This will be fun,” Adriano announced.

I grinned, easily swayed by my best friend and the excitement rushing through me.

Striding to the dance floor, he cleared a path for me. It was already crowded, people enjoying themselves. I saw the bar and suddenly the nightclub’s name made sense. The whole bar was set up in the shape of an orchid and colors flashed around, throwing off different glows, changing the color of the orchid.

I loved the setup, though bitter memories lurked in the back of my mind.

“Shall we dance?” Adriano inquired all gallantly and interrupted my thoughts. He was acting like he was my real boyfriend and that this was a real date.

I smiled happily. “Why not.”

CHAPTER13

Santino

Carrera and I sat in the private booth of my nightclub, along with Renzo, and Carrera’s right-hand man seated with us. The lighting was dark and though loud music played out in the open, in the private booth the volume was slightly muted to allow for conversations. The lights had been flashing over the dance floor, but nobody could see into the private booths.

It wasn’t unusual for me to hold meetings in my nightclub. It was easier to keep them off the radar. Both Carrera and I even brought dates but dismissed them the minute we sat down at the private booth. One of the bouncers would ensure they got home safely.

“We raided another place in Harlem last night,” Renzo grumbled. “It’s like they are everywhere.”

The Venezuelans were causing a lot of trouble. They kept coming into the city despite the fact that all their efforts to take over the Cosa Nostra territory failed. Even when they succeeded in bringing their product into the city, the cartel never got a chance to distribute it. It was true for the Venezuelan Cartel, and it would be true for the Colombian Cartel. This was not their territory and never would be. The Carrera Cartel understood that, hence our mutually beneficial business relationship.

There was only one man that nearly succeeded in penetrating the Cosa Nostra. It was Amore’s grandfather. But before he succeeded, he was killed. The word on the street was one of his own took him out.

“They are searching for something,” I said. We kept one of the men from two raids ago alive and he spilled that much. Though he knew barely anything. Their job was to establish their presence in the city, take over the streets with their product and—this last bit was the most disturbing—take pictures of random red-haired girls. With the focus on NYU.