*Note: Since this is an unfinished and working story, titles, characters, and events may be subject to change later on.*
*All the characters in Shooting Hearts are copyright to me, Diana Castillo. Any similarities to any person, alive or dead, real or implied, are coincidence.*
Gah, I haven't been to gaia in a while and it's been too long since I was
active in our guild. I'll try to do better from now on ^^; Any comments, ramblings, ideas, or corrections are welcome. Even if it's just to say, "I like how he did that" I love hearing every bit of people's opinions and thoughts on my stories. And it helps tons too. : D
Oh, and before, you read, a warning. If you are offended by curse words, inappropriate comments, and hints please do not read. I'm not writing this story for any particular age group in mind, but there is mature content it in it (no sex though) so be warned
~GodessKiki~
Chapter 1
Restless
It seemed like night was never dark in downtown, Los Angeles. There was always one neon light or another shining obnoxiously bright against the shadows. Leon kept his eyes averted from their brightness as he brushed passed the other people on the street and ducked into a narrow alley. He stood there for a moment, shifting from one foot to another restlessly. Then he sighed and made his way further into the shadows.
It had been a long day. Too long, in fact. And he was still restless.
Ever since the head chief of his department had put him under temporary leave from his duties Leon hadn’t known what to do with himself. The restlessness that ate him was driving him insane, and no matter how many times he went back to the police headquarters and demanded that they put him back in they refused every time. “Just think of it as a very well deserved vacation,” the chief had joked.
What a load of bull.
Leon knew very well that it had nothing to do with him needing a vacation. Something strange was going on in his department, something that wasn’t right. He had a feeling that he’d been close to figuring out what when they had pulled the plug on him. Now he was off duty with minimal pay and as restless as he could possible get. That´s why he was here, in the dirtier, grungier parts of the area. There was no easier place to pick a fight than in the back alleys of Los Angeles.
He smiled grimly as the sound of a scuffle echoed from a particularly poor lit alley. Apparently someone had beat him to his rounds.
He slowed, making sure to stick to the shadows as he watched the fight from afar. The only light was a dim yellow from a half-broken lamp, so Leon couldn’t make out the faces or body shapes very well, but when he realized that the smaller body who was fighting two larger ones was a woman he cursed and ran towards them. His help, however, proved to be unnecessary.
The woman flipped one of her attackers over her shoulder then slamned a booted heel over his hand when he tried to reach for the knife laying on the floor, kicked the second man, which sent him crashing against a pile of garbage cans, before suddenly whirling on Leon. In a second flat the cop was pressed against a wall with a dagger against his throat.
Shock and disbelief were the first emotions to register in his mind, quickly followed by a rush of adrenaline. Still, he forced himself to still, to keep his hands visible. He couldn’t fight back against a woman who was only trying to defend herself, even if she was damned foolish for daring to hold a dagger to his throat. He forced himself to relax his body and show her he meant no harm as he studied her. Now that they were up close he could see her features better; a sharply pointed face that easily gave her away as Italian, with a small delicate nose and sensually curving lips. Her eyes were surprisingly bright and alert in the dark, a light olive green that stared at him penetratingly.
“Medium build, 6’0 caucasian male, black hair, brown eyes, 30 years old, military training, single,” she murmured the words in a silky, yet clinical tone of voice. Her lips curved into a pleased smile as she pulled back and sheathed her dagger. Leon didn’t look away from her face, but he thought he saw her stick it in a small compartment on the side of her left boot. Weary, he took note of that particular spot. “So, what brings a police officer like you around here?”
Leon stared at her blankly, thinking of how to answer the question of someone who had stated most of his basic information with only an up-and-down glance as reference. “Who says I’m a cop? Or, for that matter, that I’m even single?”
She laughed lightly. “First of all, you neither smell like obnoxious perfume nor wear a wedding band, and second of all- if you had someone waiting at home for you in a nice cozy little bed would you really be here?” She waved her hand around the dirty alley to indicate ‘here’.
Leon grimaced then retorted “, Maybe I’m married to my job.”
“So then you are a cop.”
Damn the sly woman. He couldn’t remember the last time he met a woman who could twist her words around like that. Backtracking, the cop shrugged, unwilling to confirm her statement. Instead he looked down at the two men on the floor when one of them let out a groan.
“You sure don’t go easy on guys do you?” he drawled sarcastically.
She laughed again; a light, airy sound. “Yes, I suppose I should,” she giggled, “males being the weaker sex and all- but then again, they started it.”
“Well, this area isn’t exactly known for it’s friendliness,” he hinted “, which brings up the question-”
“-What’s a girl like me doing in a place like this?” she finished cheerfully.
Leon narrowed his eyes at her. “Something like that.”
The woman stepped back again and in one fluent movement dipped, picked up her fallen purse, then rose again, slinging the long strap over her shoulder and across her chest. The movement brought Leon’s attention to her bare shoulder, where he caught a glimpse of a tattooed letter S.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?” She asked back.
Leon scowled. “No-”
“Then can I at least ask your name?”
He stared at her, trying to understand what she was playing at, but couldn’t see any hidden reason for her changes of topic, couldn’t detect any sign of an ulterior motive in her happy smile. He shrugged. “Paquette. Leon Paquette.”
“Ah,” she murmured happily. “French! I knew I had missed something. Well, Leon Paquette, it was nice to meet you.”
The way his name left her lips sent made the man tense, light goosebumps rising on his arms. She was one of the few that pronounced his name correctly, Lee-on, instead of the Spanish leon for ‘lion’. He wasn’t sure why the fact that she pronounced his name correctly both pleased him yet bothered him, and he didn’t care to find out. In the blink of an eye she was striding away with quick, light steps- not even bothering to glance back at the two men who still laid unconscious on the floor. Leon scowled at her back, and as though sensing his eyes on her, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
“Hey, I’m going to get some spaghetti,” she giggled, as though she had just told a joke, then winked. “You wanna come?”
Leon turned away. “No thanks. I still have a few more rounds to do-”
<********/>
He’d slipped. That damned woman had made him let his guard down and he’d slipped. Damn, so much for insisting he wasn’t a cop. Her laughter was light, musical, and entirely too self-satisfied.
“You really are married to your job, aren’t you?”
Leon turned back, a lie of denial rising to his mouth- but the sidewalk was already empty. She was gone.
“Mario!!”
Mario Luchi smiled as his cousin flung her arms around him and clung.
“Sicily,” he greeted quietly, hefting her up into his arms as though she were a child, instead of only three years younger. Then again, next to his wide, muscled frame her slim body did look particularly small. She grinned at him happily before smacking a kiss on both sides of his cheek, then asking “, where’s my brother?”
“He said he’d be a little late. Apparently he’s about to get a new assignment,” Mario shifted Sicily to one side so he could sit back down in his empty chair. They were seated in the dimly lit La Bella, Sicily’s favourite restaurant, which was devoid of any other customers at the moment since it was closing hours. Luckily, Sicily and the owner of the restaurant had an odd but friendly understanding that allowed Sicily to hang out at the restaurant whenever she wanted. The privilege also extended to her friends and family.
“A new assignment, huh?” Sicily swivelled in her cousin’s lap to turn the full force of her infamous pout on him. “But that means I won’t get to see him often.”
Mario grimaced. “Hey, don’t look at me. That’s what Seth wanted, I had nothing to do with it.”
She sighed. “At least I still have you, right?”
“I’m busy too you know,” he began wearily, quickly looking away. “I mean, there’s a lot of things to do, with the preparations for me to inherit the business and all-”
“Mario.”
“What?”
When she didn’t say anything he made the mistake of glancing at her face, then let out a groan. She was such a cheater, pulling that face on him. God, he didn’t know of a male yet who could say ‘no’ to her when she gave them that look. He sighed in resignation “, yeah, ok you cheater. Yes, you still have me.”
Sicily laughed happily and mussed her cousin’s curly black hair before hopping off of his lap and taking her own seat. “Hey, Mario, guess what?”
“What?”
Sicily giggled again. “I just had the cutest cop try to save me from some thugs in an alley.”
Mario smiled wryly, trying to refrain from the urge to laugh at the thought. “Yeah? Bet he didn’t get to be much of a hero though, huh?”
Sicily waved her hand dismissively. “They were both unconscious by the time he got to me but it’s the thought that counts right?” She sighed wistfully. “And he had the sexiest French accent too. Too bad he didn’t take me up on my invitation to spaghetti.”
Mario rolled his eyes at his cousins far away look and muttered “, yes, because a cop and a mafia member can really hit it off Sici. I’d love to see that wedding. Bet there’d be guns pointing everywhere.” He grinned at the thought. That’d be something for the history books.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoiled sport,” his younger cousin bantered, swiping playfully at his shoulder. “I may be part of a huge mafia family but I’m a woman too.”
“Yes,” Mario conceded, then added quietly added “, and quite a sly, shameless one at that.”
Sicily stuck her tongue out at her older cousin but her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Yeah, well, you love me anyway.”
“Hmm, I don’t know about love ..” Mario drawled lightly. “Stand might be a better word for it.”
“You know what your problem is Mario?” Sicily began airily. Mario smiled and motioned for her continue as he brought a glass of water to his lips. “You’re too uptight for your age! Do you really want to get wrinkles before you even turn thirty? You know, what you need is a woman.”
The word ‘woman’ sent Mario into a coughing fit that ended only when he downed the rest of the water in his glass. Sicily however, ignored him in favour of nodding to herself as she thought over her brilliant idea.
“Yup, that’s what you need. Someone completely different from you. A beautiful, exotic, fun woman that will loosen up that tight tie around your neck that makes you look so stuffy.”
Mario cringed at the mere idea. “God forbid. And for your information, I do not look stuffy. I look professional.”
Sicily’s mouth drew into a pout again. “What’s wrong with the idea of a fun, exotic woman?”
“Sici, if I can hardly handle your wild ways- and you’re my cousin- what makes you think I can control a complete stranger who’s even worse?”
“But that’s the thing Mario,” she insisted, “it’s not about control! It’s about letting go. Having fun!”
He chuckled. “You have more than enough fun for the both of us.”
“I’m serious!” she whined. “Look at you! You’re tall, dark and handsome- you know, a woman’s dream guy.” She grinned. “Though I prefer them a little more French.”
“French.”
“Yes.”
“Again with the cop.”
“Well he was pretty cute.”
“He’s a cop.”
Sicily nodded knowingly. “And French too.”
The dark haired man let out a groan. “I swear Sicily, you’ll be the death of us.”
Sicily snorted and wagged a finger at her cousin. “Are you kidding me? Considering our area of expertise, a bullet to the head will be the most likely event of our future death. Oh! That reminds me, what’s Seth assignment about?”
Mario shook his head in exasperation, wondering how he managed to keep up with his younger cousin’s subject jumps, but replied “, Something about becoming a bodyguard. If I remember correctly, he was supposed to guard the daughter of that famous art collecter, what’s his name…Carlson. Carlson Miller.”
“Well I’m not surprised that the old guy wanted some bodyguards,” Sicily mused. “I mean once you get that famous you’re bound to have a good share of enemies.”
Mario shook his head, an amused laugh tumbling from his throat. “But that’s the thing, Carlson wasn’t the one who hired on Seth.”
“But I thought you just said-”
“That Seth would be guarding Carlson’s daughter.”
Sicily’s laughter was instantaneous. “The daughter hired him? Oh wow. I can’t believe I wasn’t around to see my precious brother’s face.” She giggled again. “I bet it was priceless.”
“Yeah, well, you know how much Seth hates the mere idea of being bossed around by a girl.”
Sicily waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, I know. I’m his twin after all.” She leaned in closer, interest sparking in her olive green eyes, and grinned. “So, tell me about the daughter.”
“She’s bossy.”
Sicily’s grin widened. “Reeeaallly.”
“And only seventeen years old.”
“Well that sucks. Minors aren’t really Seth’s type.”
“Sicily!”
The minute the muttered growl rolled over the woman’s ears she turned and flung her arms around her twin brother, kissing him soundly on the cheek despite his formidable scowl. “That wasn’t the slightest bit funny.”
Sicily shrugged amiably. “People who hide in the shadows and listen in on conversations are bound to hear things they don’t like.”
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“Was too”
“Was not.”
“Was to-”
“I was not-”
“So!” Mario interrupted. “If you two are done behaving like children now can we move on?”
Seth scowled again and shook of his sister’s hold on his arm long enough to sit down before she attacked again. “So, tell me about your new boss.”
Seth rolled his eyes at his twin “, she’s a kid, what else is there to tell?”
“Is she pretty?”
“She’s a kid.”
Sicily looked at Mario, who sighed. “Pretty enough for her age. She’s apparently also very popular at her school.”
“So she is pretty…” Sicily sighed mournfully. “So my twin is ditching me to spend all his time with a pretty teenage girl. Oh, the injustice of it all.”
Seth rolled his eyes but tweaked her nose affectionately as he muttered “, I’m not ditching you. It’s work.”
“Pftt,” Sicily waved her hand dismissively at her twin brother’s words.
“Sure, sure. Then next thing I know you’re going to fall in love with her, and get married, and go live far, far away and I’ll never see you again!”
Mario smiled wryly at Sicily’s overdramatic idea. “Sorry to burst your play writing there Sicily, but there’s a greater chance of that happening with you than there is with Seth over here.”
“Why’s that?” Sicily questioned.
Mario grinned. “Well, first we’d have to find a girl willing to have him, wouldn’t we?”
Seth growled and kicked his cousin under the table as his sister erupted into a fit of giggles. Mario winced but the grin never left his face. “fessacchione.”
Mario ignored the insult and shrugged instead. “Well, it’s true, I don’t see girls chasing after your a** now do I?”
“Don’t you worry about a thing, cousin. Once I set my eyes on someone they’ll fall for me, guaranteed.”
“Ah huh. Sure.”
They argued a bit more over the subject before finally letting it go with a laugh. It’d been a while since all three of them had been able to get together, what with Seth’s increasing assignments, and Mario’s slowly growing pile of work that he had to get done before he could officially inherit the business. Sicily revelled in the comfort of being with the two closest people to her, wishing it would last forever. Unfortunately, a yawn slipped out of her, and both men looked up from their discussion of the economy with surprised looks.
Mario glanced down at his watch sheepishly. “Guess we got carried away, huh?”
Sicily shook her head. “No, I like listening to you two.” She grinned. “Kinda like watching a press conference. You know, all sharp comments and business like.”
Seth rolled his eyes when she started to giggle but got up. “Come on, let’s go home. I start my new assignment tomorrow so I have to get up early.”
Mario nodded. “Yeah, and I still have a thousand things to do, so you might not see me for a while.”
Sicily frowned and wagged her finger at her cousin. “Nuh uh. You’re not getting away that easily. I don’t care if the world is ending, or if God is coming down for that matter, you will be at my birthday party or I swear I will chain you to a boat and send you on a tropical cruise, you hear me cousin?”
Mario grimaced, as though he had known, and hoped, that Sicily wouldn’t bring the subject up, but sighed and nodded his head in an entirely resigned sort of way. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” Despite the fact that it would mean that he’d be behind in a lot of his work. He grimaced again at the thought, but knew it was worth it when all traces of sternness left Sicily’s face and she leaned up to kiss both of his cheeks, smiling brightly.
“Good.”
Seth watched his cousin kiss Sicily’s forehead before turning and bumping fists with him.
“Take care of yourself.”
Seth snorted at that. “It’s just guarding a bratty teenager. Not even worth my time.”
Mario smiled at his cousin arrogant tone of voice but insisted, “Even so. Don’t let your guard down, ok? After all, big surprises come in small packages.”
Seth didn’t really agree with that, since he sincerely doubted there’d be any big surprises to come while playing bodyguard for a spoiled rich girl, but nodded all the same. They said their goodbyes one last time and left the restaurant, Sicily and Seth waiting until Mario had slipped into his Mustang and driven away before turning and heading down the street to Sicily’s apartment, which was only two to three blocks away.
Sicily did most of the chatting as they walked slowly, enjoying the cool night, Seth enjoying the comforting sound of his sister’s voice. It had been a while since the three of them had gotten together to just talk, and Seth had to admit the break had been nice. Seeing his twin had been nice. Seth was, by nature, a loner, and he usually couldn’t stand to be around anyone for a whole day, not even Mario. Sicily was the only exception. Though, to his horror the restless had begun nagging at him even when he was with his twin. The awkwardness was so strange that he’d started avoiding her, submersing himself in his assignments until he didn’t have enough energy to think about what was happening.
To think about how the peace he always felt by being with his twin, the only thing that had ever been consistent in his life, was slowly staring to flicker on and off.
He pressed his lips together at the thought, then jerked, startled, when Sicily slipped her hand into his. Those green eyes, so very much like his own, stared back at him solemnly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Fine,” Seth replied easily. Sicily looked away but didn’t respond. Minutes passed in silence as they found Sicily’s apartment building and made their way to the third floor. Seth walked her down the hall towards her door, slowing down as they neared it, but not stopping completely.
Sicily stared ahead silently before finally murmuring, “Seth?”
“Yeah?”
“… Together forever.. right?”
Seth stopped midstride, his eyes squeezing shut as a bittersweet memory sprung to mind.
“No, pinky out. Now grab mine. Nooo, Seth, like this.”
A five year old Seth stared at his sister grumpily. “Why do I have to do this? Pinky promises are fo’ girls.”
“Nuh uh,” Sicily argued.”Anyway, just grab my pinkie with yours.”
“Fiiine. What now?”
“Now you have to promise that we’ll be together forever.”
“That’s dumb,” Seth grumbled. “Why do I have to do that?”
“So nothing will ever, ever tear us apart! Duh.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid.”
Five year old Sicily’s eyes filled up with tears as she frowned at her brother. “Please?”
Seth winced, and hurried to make her feel better as his father’s stern words rang in his head,“To make a girl cry is dishonourable son. Always remember that.”
“Fine, fine!” Seth rushed to say, gripping his sister’s pinky with his. “See! I promise! Pinky promise.”
Sicily sniffled, but her wide green eyes sparkled with happiness as she giggled and leaned over to hug him.
Seth saw the memory fade away until only the image of his sister’s smile remained, vivid, bright. God, how long had it been since he’d seen the smile? Yes, she smiled every day, but… but after that time, after the horrible event after it, he hadn’t been able to make her smile like that again had he? Never again…
And suddenly he couldn’t look into her expectant green eyes, and lie. So he kept his gaze fixated on her door as he assured her, “Forever.” And she smiled again, a small happy smile that reminded him of the one so much brighter that she used to give him before that tragic event he hadn’t been able to keep from happening. She smiled and nodded, accepting his answer. Believing him. And why wouldn’t she? After all, there was no way she could know the truth.
That Seth felt like that promise was crumpling more and more, crumpling as the restlessness inside him continued to grow.
*All the characters in Shooting Hearts are copyright to me, Diana Castillo. Any similarities to any person, alive or dead, real or implied, are coincidence.*
Gah, I haven't been to gaia in a while and it's been too long since I was
active in our guild. I'll try to do better from now on ^^; Any comments, ramblings, ideas, or corrections are welcome. Even if it's just to say, "I like how he did that" I love hearing every bit of people's opinions and thoughts on my stories. And it helps tons too. : D
Oh, and before, you read, a warning. If you are offended by curse words, inappropriate comments, and hints please do not read. I'm not writing this story for any particular age group in mind, but there is mature content it in it (no sex though) so be warned
~GodessKiki~
Chapter 1
Restless
It seemed like night was never dark in downtown, Los Angeles. There was always one neon light or another shining obnoxiously bright against the shadows. Leon kept his eyes averted from their brightness as he brushed passed the other people on the street and ducked into a narrow alley. He stood there for a moment, shifting from one foot to another restlessly. Then he sighed and made his way further into the shadows.
It had been a long day. Too long, in fact. And he was still restless.
Ever since the head chief of his department had put him under temporary leave from his duties Leon hadn’t known what to do with himself. The restlessness that ate him was driving him insane, and no matter how many times he went back to the police headquarters and demanded that they put him back in they refused every time. “Just think of it as a very well deserved vacation,” the chief had joked.
What a load of bull.
Leon knew very well that it had nothing to do with him needing a vacation. Something strange was going on in his department, something that wasn’t right. He had a feeling that he’d been close to figuring out what when they had pulled the plug on him. Now he was off duty with minimal pay and as restless as he could possible get. That´s why he was here, in the dirtier, grungier parts of the area. There was no easier place to pick a fight than in the back alleys of Los Angeles.
He smiled grimly as the sound of a scuffle echoed from a particularly poor lit alley. Apparently someone had beat him to his rounds.
He slowed, making sure to stick to the shadows as he watched the fight from afar. The only light was a dim yellow from a half-broken lamp, so Leon couldn’t make out the faces or body shapes very well, but when he realized that the smaller body who was fighting two larger ones was a woman he cursed and ran towards them. His help, however, proved to be unnecessary.
The woman flipped one of her attackers over her shoulder then slamned a booted heel over his hand when he tried to reach for the knife laying on the floor, kicked the second man, which sent him crashing against a pile of garbage cans, before suddenly whirling on Leon. In a second flat the cop was pressed against a wall with a dagger against his throat.
Shock and disbelief were the first emotions to register in his mind, quickly followed by a rush of adrenaline. Still, he forced himself to still, to keep his hands visible. He couldn’t fight back against a woman who was only trying to defend herself, even if she was damned foolish for daring to hold a dagger to his throat. He forced himself to relax his body and show her he meant no harm as he studied her. Now that they were up close he could see her features better; a sharply pointed face that easily gave her away as Italian, with a small delicate nose and sensually curving lips. Her eyes were surprisingly bright and alert in the dark, a light olive green that stared at him penetratingly.
“Medium build, 6’0 caucasian male, black hair, brown eyes, 30 years old, military training, single,” she murmured the words in a silky, yet clinical tone of voice. Her lips curved into a pleased smile as she pulled back and sheathed her dagger. Leon didn’t look away from her face, but he thought he saw her stick it in a small compartment on the side of her left boot. Weary, he took note of that particular spot. “So, what brings a police officer like you around here?”
Leon stared at her blankly, thinking of how to answer the question of someone who had stated most of his basic information with only an up-and-down glance as reference. “Who says I’m a cop? Or, for that matter, that I’m even single?”
She laughed lightly. “First of all, you neither smell like obnoxious perfume nor wear a wedding band, and second of all- if you had someone waiting at home for you in a nice cozy little bed would you really be here?” She waved her hand around the dirty alley to indicate ‘here’.
Leon grimaced then retorted “, Maybe I’m married to my job.”
“So then you are a cop.”
Damn the sly woman. He couldn’t remember the last time he met a woman who could twist her words around like that. Backtracking, the cop shrugged, unwilling to confirm her statement. Instead he looked down at the two men on the floor when one of them let out a groan.
“You sure don’t go easy on guys do you?” he drawled sarcastically.
She laughed again; a light, airy sound. “Yes, I suppose I should,” she giggled, “males being the weaker sex and all- but then again, they started it.”
“Well, this area isn’t exactly known for it’s friendliness,” he hinted “, which brings up the question-”
“-What’s a girl like me doing in a place like this?” she finished cheerfully.
Leon narrowed his eyes at her. “Something like that.”
The woman stepped back again and in one fluent movement dipped, picked up her fallen purse, then rose again, slinging the long strap over her shoulder and across her chest. The movement brought Leon’s attention to her bare shoulder, where he caught a glimpse of a tattooed letter S.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?” She asked back.
Leon scowled. “No-”
“Then can I at least ask your name?”
He stared at her, trying to understand what she was playing at, but couldn’t see any hidden reason for her changes of topic, couldn’t detect any sign of an ulterior motive in her happy smile. He shrugged. “Paquette. Leon Paquette.”
“Ah,” she murmured happily. “French! I knew I had missed something. Well, Leon Paquette, it was nice to meet you.”
The way his name left her lips sent made the man tense, light goosebumps rising on his arms. She was one of the few that pronounced his name correctly, Lee-on, instead of the Spanish leon for ‘lion’. He wasn’t sure why the fact that she pronounced his name correctly both pleased him yet bothered him, and he didn’t care to find out. In the blink of an eye she was striding away with quick, light steps- not even bothering to glance back at the two men who still laid unconscious on the floor. Leon scowled at her back, and as though sensing his eyes on her, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
“Hey, I’m going to get some spaghetti,” she giggled, as though she had just told a joke, then winked. “You wanna come?”
Leon turned away. “No thanks. I still have a few more rounds to do-”
<********/>
He’d slipped. That damned woman had made him let his guard down and he’d slipped. Damn, so much for insisting he wasn’t a cop. Her laughter was light, musical, and entirely too self-satisfied.
“You really are married to your job, aren’t you?”
Leon turned back, a lie of denial rising to his mouth- but the sidewalk was already empty. She was gone.
“Mario!!”
Mario Luchi smiled as his cousin flung her arms around him and clung.
“Sicily,” he greeted quietly, hefting her up into his arms as though she were a child, instead of only three years younger. Then again, next to his wide, muscled frame her slim body did look particularly small. She grinned at him happily before smacking a kiss on both sides of his cheek, then asking “, where’s my brother?”
“He said he’d be a little late. Apparently he’s about to get a new assignment,” Mario shifted Sicily to one side so he could sit back down in his empty chair. They were seated in the dimly lit La Bella, Sicily’s favourite restaurant, which was devoid of any other customers at the moment since it was closing hours. Luckily, Sicily and the owner of the restaurant had an odd but friendly understanding that allowed Sicily to hang out at the restaurant whenever she wanted. The privilege also extended to her friends and family.
“A new assignment, huh?” Sicily swivelled in her cousin’s lap to turn the full force of her infamous pout on him. “But that means I won’t get to see him often.”
Mario grimaced. “Hey, don’t look at me. That’s what Seth wanted, I had nothing to do with it.”
She sighed. “At least I still have you, right?”
“I’m busy too you know,” he began wearily, quickly looking away. “I mean, there’s a lot of things to do, with the preparations for me to inherit the business and all-”
“Mario.”
“What?”
When she didn’t say anything he made the mistake of glancing at her face, then let out a groan. She was such a cheater, pulling that face on him. God, he didn’t know of a male yet who could say ‘no’ to her when she gave them that look. He sighed in resignation “, yeah, ok you cheater. Yes, you still have me.”
Sicily laughed happily and mussed her cousin’s curly black hair before hopping off of his lap and taking her own seat. “Hey, Mario, guess what?”
“What?”
Sicily giggled again. “I just had the cutest cop try to save me from some thugs in an alley.”
Mario smiled wryly, trying to refrain from the urge to laugh at the thought. “Yeah? Bet he didn’t get to be much of a hero though, huh?”
Sicily waved her hand dismissively. “They were both unconscious by the time he got to me but it’s the thought that counts right?” She sighed wistfully. “And he had the sexiest French accent too. Too bad he didn’t take me up on my invitation to spaghetti.”
Mario rolled his eyes at his cousins far away look and muttered “, yes, because a cop and a mafia member can really hit it off Sici. I’d love to see that wedding. Bet there’d be guns pointing everywhere.” He grinned at the thought. That’d be something for the history books.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoiled sport,” his younger cousin bantered, swiping playfully at his shoulder. “I may be part of a huge mafia family but I’m a woman too.”
“Yes,” Mario conceded, then added quietly added “, and quite a sly, shameless one at that.”
Sicily stuck her tongue out at her older cousin but her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Yeah, well, you love me anyway.”
“Hmm, I don’t know about love ..” Mario drawled lightly. “Stand might be a better word for it.”
“You know what your problem is Mario?” Sicily began airily. Mario smiled and motioned for her continue as he brought a glass of water to his lips. “You’re too uptight for your age! Do you really want to get wrinkles before you even turn thirty? You know, what you need is a woman.”
The word ‘woman’ sent Mario into a coughing fit that ended only when he downed the rest of the water in his glass. Sicily however, ignored him in favour of nodding to herself as she thought over her brilliant idea.
“Yup, that’s what you need. Someone completely different from you. A beautiful, exotic, fun woman that will loosen up that tight tie around your neck that makes you look so stuffy.”
Mario cringed at the mere idea. “God forbid. And for your information, I do not look stuffy. I look professional.”
Sicily’s mouth drew into a pout again. “What’s wrong with the idea of a fun, exotic woman?”
“Sici, if I can hardly handle your wild ways- and you’re my cousin- what makes you think I can control a complete stranger who’s even worse?”
“But that’s the thing Mario,” she insisted, “it’s not about control! It’s about letting go. Having fun!”
He chuckled. “You have more than enough fun for the both of us.”
“I’m serious!” she whined. “Look at you! You’re tall, dark and handsome- you know, a woman’s dream guy.” She grinned. “Though I prefer them a little more French.”
“French.”
“Yes.”
“Again with the cop.”
“Well he was pretty cute.”
“He’s a cop.”
Sicily nodded knowingly. “And French too.”
The dark haired man let out a groan. “I swear Sicily, you’ll be the death of us.”
Sicily snorted and wagged a finger at her cousin. “Are you kidding me? Considering our area of expertise, a bullet to the head will be the most likely event of our future death. Oh! That reminds me, what’s Seth assignment about?”
Mario shook his head in exasperation, wondering how he managed to keep up with his younger cousin’s subject jumps, but replied “, Something about becoming a bodyguard. If I remember correctly, he was supposed to guard the daughter of that famous art collecter, what’s his name…Carlson. Carlson Miller.”
“Well I’m not surprised that the old guy wanted some bodyguards,” Sicily mused. “I mean once you get that famous you’re bound to have a good share of enemies.”
Mario shook his head, an amused laugh tumbling from his throat. “But that’s the thing, Carlson wasn’t the one who hired on Seth.”
“But I thought you just said-”
“That Seth would be guarding Carlson’s daughter.”
Sicily’s laughter was instantaneous. “The daughter hired him? Oh wow. I can’t believe I wasn’t around to see my precious brother’s face.” She giggled again. “I bet it was priceless.”
“Yeah, well, you know how much Seth hates the mere idea of being bossed around by a girl.”
Sicily waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, I know. I’m his twin after all.” She leaned in closer, interest sparking in her olive green eyes, and grinned. “So, tell me about the daughter.”
“She’s bossy.”
Sicily’s grin widened. “Reeeaallly.”
“And only seventeen years old.”
“Well that sucks. Minors aren’t really Seth’s type.”
“Sicily!”
The minute the muttered growl rolled over the woman’s ears she turned and flung her arms around her twin brother, kissing him soundly on the cheek despite his formidable scowl. “That wasn’t the slightest bit funny.”
Sicily shrugged amiably. “People who hide in the shadows and listen in on conversations are bound to hear things they don’t like.”
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“Was too”
“Was not.”
“Was to-”
“I was not-”
“So!” Mario interrupted. “If you two are done behaving like children now can we move on?”
Seth scowled again and shook of his sister’s hold on his arm long enough to sit down before she attacked again. “So, tell me about your new boss.”
Seth rolled his eyes at his twin “, she’s a kid, what else is there to tell?”
“Is she pretty?”
“She’s a kid.”
Sicily looked at Mario, who sighed. “Pretty enough for her age. She’s apparently also very popular at her school.”
“So she is pretty…” Sicily sighed mournfully. “So my twin is ditching me to spend all his time with a pretty teenage girl. Oh, the injustice of it all.”
Seth rolled his eyes but tweaked her nose affectionately as he muttered “, I’m not ditching you. It’s work.”
“Pftt,” Sicily waved her hand dismissively at her twin brother’s words.
“Sure, sure. Then next thing I know you’re going to fall in love with her, and get married, and go live far, far away and I’ll never see you again!”
Mario smiled wryly at Sicily’s overdramatic idea. “Sorry to burst your play writing there Sicily, but there’s a greater chance of that happening with you than there is with Seth over here.”
“Why’s that?” Sicily questioned.
Mario grinned. “Well, first we’d have to find a girl willing to have him, wouldn’t we?”
Seth growled and kicked his cousin under the table as his sister erupted into a fit of giggles. Mario winced but the grin never left his face. “fessacchione.”
Mario ignored the insult and shrugged instead. “Well, it’s true, I don’t see girls chasing after your a** now do I?”
“Don’t you worry about a thing, cousin. Once I set my eyes on someone they’ll fall for me, guaranteed.”
“Ah huh. Sure.”
They argued a bit more over the subject before finally letting it go with a laugh. It’d been a while since all three of them had been able to get together, what with Seth’s increasing assignments, and Mario’s slowly growing pile of work that he had to get done before he could officially inherit the business. Sicily revelled in the comfort of being with the two closest people to her, wishing it would last forever. Unfortunately, a yawn slipped out of her, and both men looked up from their discussion of the economy with surprised looks.
Mario glanced down at his watch sheepishly. “Guess we got carried away, huh?”
Sicily shook her head. “No, I like listening to you two.” She grinned. “Kinda like watching a press conference. You know, all sharp comments and business like.”
Seth rolled his eyes when she started to giggle but got up. “Come on, let’s go home. I start my new assignment tomorrow so I have to get up early.”
Mario nodded. “Yeah, and I still have a thousand things to do, so you might not see me for a while.”
Sicily frowned and wagged her finger at her cousin. “Nuh uh. You’re not getting away that easily. I don’t care if the world is ending, or if God is coming down for that matter, you will be at my birthday party or I swear I will chain you to a boat and send you on a tropical cruise, you hear me cousin?”
Mario grimaced, as though he had known, and hoped, that Sicily wouldn’t bring the subject up, but sighed and nodded his head in an entirely resigned sort of way. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” Despite the fact that it would mean that he’d be behind in a lot of his work. He grimaced again at the thought, but knew it was worth it when all traces of sternness left Sicily’s face and she leaned up to kiss both of his cheeks, smiling brightly.
“Good.”
Seth watched his cousin kiss Sicily’s forehead before turning and bumping fists with him.
“Take care of yourself.”
Seth snorted at that. “It’s just guarding a bratty teenager. Not even worth my time.”
Mario smiled at his cousin arrogant tone of voice but insisted, “Even so. Don’t let your guard down, ok? After all, big surprises come in small packages.”
Seth didn’t really agree with that, since he sincerely doubted there’d be any big surprises to come while playing bodyguard for a spoiled rich girl, but nodded all the same. They said their goodbyes one last time and left the restaurant, Sicily and Seth waiting until Mario had slipped into his Mustang and driven away before turning and heading down the street to Sicily’s apartment, which was only two to three blocks away.
Sicily did most of the chatting as they walked slowly, enjoying the cool night, Seth enjoying the comforting sound of his sister’s voice. It had been a while since the three of them had gotten together to just talk, and Seth had to admit the break had been nice. Seeing his twin had been nice. Seth was, by nature, a loner, and he usually couldn’t stand to be around anyone for a whole day, not even Mario. Sicily was the only exception. Though, to his horror the restless had begun nagging at him even when he was with his twin. The awkwardness was so strange that he’d started avoiding her, submersing himself in his assignments until he didn’t have enough energy to think about what was happening.
To think about how the peace he always felt by being with his twin, the only thing that had ever been consistent in his life, was slowly staring to flicker on and off.
He pressed his lips together at the thought, then jerked, startled, when Sicily slipped her hand into his. Those green eyes, so very much like his own, stared back at him solemnly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Fine,” Seth replied easily. Sicily looked away but didn’t respond. Minutes passed in silence as they found Sicily’s apartment building and made their way to the third floor. Seth walked her down the hall towards her door, slowing down as they neared it, but not stopping completely.
Sicily stared ahead silently before finally murmuring, “Seth?”
“Yeah?”
“… Together forever.. right?”
Seth stopped midstride, his eyes squeezing shut as a bittersweet memory sprung to mind.
“No, pinky out. Now grab mine. Nooo, Seth, like this.”
A five year old Seth stared at his sister grumpily. “Why do I have to do this? Pinky promises are fo’ girls.”
“Nuh uh,” Sicily argued.”Anyway, just grab my pinkie with yours.”
“Fiiine. What now?”
“Now you have to promise that we’ll be together forever.”
“That’s dumb,” Seth grumbled. “Why do I have to do that?”
“So nothing will ever, ever tear us apart! Duh.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid.”
Five year old Sicily’s eyes filled up with tears as she frowned at her brother. “Please?”
Seth winced, and hurried to make her feel better as his father’s stern words rang in his head,“To make a girl cry is dishonourable son. Always remember that.”
“Fine, fine!” Seth rushed to say, gripping his sister’s pinky with his. “See! I promise! Pinky promise.”
Sicily sniffled, but her wide green eyes sparkled with happiness as she giggled and leaned over to hug him.
Seth saw the memory fade away until only the image of his sister’s smile remained, vivid, bright. God, how long had it been since he’d seen the smile? Yes, she smiled every day, but… but after that time, after the horrible event after it, he hadn’t been able to make her smile like that again had he? Never again…
And suddenly he couldn’t look into her expectant green eyes, and lie. So he kept his gaze fixated on her door as he assured her, “Forever.” And she smiled again, a small happy smile that reminded him of the one so much brighter that she used to give him before that tragic event he hadn’t been able to keep from happening. She smiled and nodded, accepting his answer. Believing him. And why wouldn’t she? After all, there was no way she could know the truth.
That Seth felt like that promise was crumpling more and more, crumpling as the restlessness inside him continued to grow.
