Deceptive by M.D. Melai & C.S. Leigh
I rubbed my arm for a second examining how light my olive skin actually was. “Shut up, it’s been a long and busy winter,” I said.
Dante ignored me and turned his attention to the stairs as Violet came bouncing down them. She was so excited she didn’t even stop to notice he was watching her every move.
“Come on boys!” she said with enthusiasm as she passed by, grabbed her bags, and headed out the door. Seeing her excited always made me smile. It was the little things that mattered to her. I could take a few lessons.
I met Violet on the first day of kindergarten. She tripped and knocked me over, causing both of us to fall to the ground. I got a scratch on my knee, a bump on my head, and I started crying. She comforted me by giving me a cookie and a hug. Every day that week she would tell me how sorry she was and hand me another cookie. Violet was so sweet. I couldn’t help but like her after that. We became instant friends, inseparable and unstoppable.
She was my best friend, my sister. I had grown up with everything handed to me, she hadn’t. Violet was the oldest of four children whose father worked as a teacher and her mom as a librarian. She was loved, though, by both her parents. I wish I could say the same. She was my partner in crime and in business. Violet was a much better interior designer than I was, although, if asked, she would say the opposite.
When we signed all the legal documents for our business, I made sure she had a majority at fifty-five percent in the company. I had thirty-five percent, and, of course, my father, the business man, had ten percent. It was a thank you to her for putting up with me all these years and for listening to me cry and gripe about my family on more than one occasion.
The ride to the docks was entertaining. Dante and Roman kept cracking jokes about anything and everything. Violet and I sat in the back laughing so hard we had tears streaming down our faces.
We parked the car in our designated parking spot, unloaded our luggage, and then headed to the yacht. The only way to tell our yacht apart from all the others was its name, Rosaria Maria, which my father had named after my mother. Violet squealed as Dante helped her aboard.
“Now let’s keep ourselves together this time Violet,” he said with a smile. “We can’t have you getting tipsy and accidently falling off the front of the yacht this time.”
The first time Violet ever rode on the yacht, she had a little bit too much to drink and leaned over the bow of the boat too far and ended up diving head first into the cold water of Lake Ontario. Dante was the one who dove in to fish her out.
“It was one time Dante,” Violet proclaimed with her index finger held inches from his face. “One time!” He laughed as she walked away. I gave him a sarcastic look as he helped me aboard.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I smirked.
I was immediately greeted by our captain. Roger was an older gentleman who today was wearing his Hawaiian t-shirt and khaki shorts. My father hired him years ago to drive the yacht for us, and every time we hit the water, Roger was there with us. He was a quiet man and never really bothered us.
As soon as I was on board, Roman started handing Dante the luggage. Once our luggage was on board and the anchor and ties were pulled off, we were on our way. Violet and I sat at the back of the boat and watched the shoreline disappear.
After about an hour, the yacht slowed down before fully coming to a stop. Roger let the anchor down, and Roman and Dante emerged from the top deck where they had been talking to him.
“Why did we stop?” I asked confused.
“This is where you’re going to spend the next couple of hours,” Dante said as he motioned around. “Relaxing in the middle of nowhere with no one telling you what to do.”
I seriously had the best brother in the world.
Violet and I relaxed, tanned, and each started reading a book. The boys decided they wanted to fish, so that was how they spent their afternoon. Violet and I even took a nap. The sound of the yacht’s engine roaring back to life was what eventually woke us up.
“Did you have a nice nap?” Roman asked towering over us.
“Why yes, I think I did,” Violet said as she sat up.
“We are heading out,” he said. “We have about another hour and a half before we reach Giorgio’s house.”
Giorgio’s house was right on the lake. It was faster for us to take the yacht straight across the lake than to drive on land, and frankly, it was a much better view.
Chapter 2
The sun was starting to set when Giorgio’s lake house came into view. His house was beautiful and designed by Giorgio himself. It was two-story that overlooked the lake. It had two wrap around porches, was painted white with blue trim, and had a red front door.
As usual, and for some odd reason, the yacht slowed, flashed its lights, and waited. Once Roger saw three flashes back, he headed for the dock.
Giorgio was waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp as we coasted into our spot. I was so excited to see him. It had been too long. He still looked the same though, maybe a little grayer on the sides.
“Which one is that?” Violet asked as we pulled in. “I can never tell those two apart.”
“That’s Giorgio.” I smiled. It was hard to tell Giorgio and Giovanni apart, especially if they’re not seen on a daily basis. They were both five foot eleven, athletic but slender build, with dark, wavy hair that had a hint of gray, along with arched eyebrows. They both had very distinct round faces with blue eyes that had just a hint of danger in them. The only difference between the two was Giorgio had a kind, sweet smile, where Giovanni had a mischievous one.
“Hey Lily,” Giorgio said when I was a few feet away from him.
“Hey!” I said as I jumped into his arms and hugged him as tightly as I could. “I have missed you so much.”
“Me too,” he said as he put me down. “Hey Violet, it’s nice to see you again.”
She smiled.
On more than one occasion she had exaggerated how hot my brothers all were. I obviously didn’t share the same exact thoughts as she did, but all five were very handsome men.
“I can tell you’re still a lady of few words.” He flashed his pearly whites at her, which didn’t help. She can be a little embarrassing when it comes to my brothers.
Dante and Roman finally caught up. They looked out of breath as they approached us. It could have been the fact they were each carrying four suitcases apiece.
“Roman, Dante,” Giorgio chuckled.
“They,” Dante said as he motioned his head toward Violet and me, “should have a limit on how much shit they can bring on trips. It’s four damn days.”
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have as many options as we do,” Violet spat back at him.
“She speaks!” Giorgio said throwing his hands up in surprise. Then he took my hand and started toward the house. “Oh by the way, Pop, Mamma, and Benito arrived a few hours ago.” My whole demeanor changed, and he could tell. He squeezed my hand and then brought me close. “It will be okay,” he whispered. “You’re independent. That’s why the rest of us love you so much.”
The rest of the evening went surprisingly well. Giorgio’s wife cooked dinner for us and we had decent conversations. Violet and I talked about our day on the lake, and Roman and Dante embellished their fishing stories by about a foot each. It was entertaining as each one tried to one up the other.
I even sat curled up on the couch next to Benito. I rarely saw him, so being able to spend time with him was always nice. He was a very handsome man and stood a little over six feet. He had a chiseled face with short salt and pepper hair that made his crystal blue eyes stand out. Out of my father, mother, and brothers, I looked most like Benito. I just wished we shared a similar personality. It would make it easier to be around him at times.
“You ladies should head to bed soon,” Giorgio spoke up. “Especially you two over there, you both look a little rough.” It took me and Violet a moment to realize he was tal
“In the morning?” we exclaimed back in unison.
“Yes, in the morning!” Benito said.
Violet and I silently complained as we walked up the steps to our room. I hated waking up early.
It didn’t take too long after that to shower, crawl into bed, and fall fast asleep.
Not even a few hours later a bang came so loud that I almost fell out of bed. I scrambled to compose myself when a light flashed through the window. The clock showed one in the morning.
What’s going on?
I debated on whether or not to look, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect, and I was a little frightened. I turned to see if it woke Violet up, but she was still asleep. That girl could sleep through anything.
Curiosity eventually got the best of me and the fact that the lights were shining straight into our room. When I pulled back the curtain, it wasn’t as bright as I thought it would be. The yacht was lit up and I could see all five of my brothers now, with Roman and a few others. They were unloading something from the yacht. I wasn’t aware that we had brought anything with us, so I watched for a few minutes as they unloaded a couple of carts and loaded them onto a truck. I made a mental note to ask Dante what was going on in the morning as I crawled back into bed. It wasn’t long before I was out.
***
You can run from me Liliana, but I will find you. I WILL FIND YOU!
***
“Get up you sleepy heads.” I heard just before something hit the bed with such force it sent Violet and me flying into the air. I was already irritated from not getting a good night’s sleep, thanks to my reoccurring nightmare, and now I had to deal with this?
“What the…?” Violet and I yelled. We were trapped beneath the covers by two of my brothers. I could tell by their laughter which two they were.
“Marcello?” I asked curiously, even though I already knew the answer.
“Marcello?” Violet sounded confused for a moment and then yelled out his name again, not confused that time.
His laughter rang out the loudest, but Giovanni was there too. I was more excited now, and I struggled against their strong hold. I wanted to see them. It had been too long.
“Let us out of here, now!” I demanded. They laughed harder, but I was tough, smart, and used to them doing this. It was only a matter of seconds before I freed myself and tackled them. It amazed me how two grown men could have such un-adult moments. Their antics took me back to when I was five and used to get picked on by these two.
“Hey that’s my face,” Giovanni shouted as I accidently hit him.
“Now what was that for?” Marcello exclaimed.
“That’s my hair,” I bellowed.
“Get up!” my father’s voice rang out. We all immediately stopped and looked up to see him standing in the doorway. “How old do you think you are?”
“We’re just giving Violet and Lily a hard time,” Giovanni said looking at him.
Marcello nodded in agreement.
“Let Violet and your sister get dressed. We’re leaving in thirty minutes on the dot.” He headed back downstairs, but not before he turned around and looked straight at me. “I mean it Liliana, thirty minutes.”
Marcello and Giovanni both got up and headed out the door without another word. Benito and Giorgio met them in the hallway and they all headed downstairs together. Seeing them altogether made me smile. It had been so long since the whole family was together. I loved being around all my brothers, each one had a distinct personality.
Benito was the leader, very smart and business wise just like my father. He was the one who ran my father’s business affairs.
Giorgio and Giovanni ran construction crews. They were good at getting people to do things. Giorgio, though, was sweet and caring, whereas Giovanni was trouble with a capital “T”.
Marcello was the persuader, which makes sense why he got a law degree from NYU. He could make anyone believe they stole something even if they had just watched their best friend do it. It was a hypnotic gift, which he used wisely.
Dante was the happy go lucky one. He was always in a good mood and never let anything get to him. I assume that was why my father had Dante working so closely with him. Not even my father’s rage could affect Dante.
A major thing all my brothers had in common was their undying love and need to protect me from everything. It can be annoying, but with having five older brothers, one of them was bound to be protective, and in my case, it was all of them.
Everyone was already down in the living room chatting when Violet and I entered. My father was not in a good mood. I was on time, so it definitely wasn’t of my doing.
“Alright, settle down,” my father’s voice broke through the conversations. “Everyone have their hotel information?”
“Yes,” some of us said while others nodded.
I never understood our morning meetings for trips. My brothers always seemed different on these days. All the men were quiet after that. They loaded the luggage and everyone split up in their separate cars. Roman, Dante, Violet, and I were in one. My father, Benito, Giovanni, Giorgio, and Marcello were in the other. My mother had decided she was going to stay behind and spend time with the grandkids.
***
Five hours later we pulled up to the Plaza Hotel. I thought Violet was going to pass out from pure excitement. As we were walking up to the front desk, her hyperventilating caught the eye of almost everyone in the lobby. I knew this was going to be a shock for her. This wasn’t our normal hotel, so it would be her first time here. Roman and Dante checked us in while I tried to calm Violet.
“She’s going to die when she finds out we’re in the Plaza Suite,” I whispered to Dante as we got on the elevator.
Just as I expected, as soon as the elevator door to the suite opened, Violet went wild. We let her explore while Roman tipped the bellhop, and Dante called to let the others know we had made it to the hotel. There were three bedrooms, so Violet and I took one, and Dante and Roman each had their own. We figured that would be the best arrangement.
“What are you two going to do for the rest of the day?” Dante asked as he entered our room.
“Shopping!” we both shouted eagerly at him. We weren’t scheduled to meet with the contractors until tomorrow.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” he chuckled. “Roman and I are headed out. Don’t wait on us for dinner, we’ll get something later,” he called behind him as he headed toward the elevator.
***
Violet and I had spent the next couple of hours buying anything and everything we could get our hands on. My father was graciously paying for most of Violet’s attire as well. He was going to have a heart attack once he received his bill next month. I had time to prepare for the heated lecture I would receive. It would be well worth it.
We still had one more stop before we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. The store was quaint and quiet. I could tell immediately it was more for business men and women. It was more upscale than I usually shopped at, but I figured I should at least look around.
We weren’t in there very long before Violet was trying to get my attention.
“Lily.” Violet tapped me on the shoulder. “Look over there.”
I was more interested in the pant suit I was looking at than whatever caught her attention.
“Lily.” She tapped me again, this time harder.
“What?” I was annoyed at this point. I thought she was just being her normal Violet self, giddy and excited over just a color of an outfit.
When I looked up at her, she was fixated not on something, but someone. Even I couldn’t help but take notice of him. He was handsome, breathtaking actually. He stood over six feet tall, had short dirty blonde hair that was spiked toward the front, and his eyes were the brightest blue
“Violet.” I nudged her. “Stop staring at him!” She didn’t budge. “Violet,” I whispered harshly trying to catch her attention again. She slowly turned toward me.
I had to admit it was hard to peel my eyes away from him, but I also didn’t want to be caught staring. That would have been uncomfortable for me. Violet, on the other hand, didn’t care.
“He is beyond gorgeous!” she said. “I'm going to talk to him.” I didn’t even have time to stop her. Why did she need to talk to him anyways? She had Dante! Well, sort of.
As she made her way to him, she accidently tripped on a rug in the center of the room. She grabbed onto the closest clothing rack to catch her balance, which shifted with her weight and tipped over a mannequin that became disassembled as it hit the ground.
Violet didn’t skip a beat, though. Only her wrath of destruction was left. He had seen the incident unfold and was laughing to himself by the time she reached him. All I wanted to do was direct my attention elsewhere and pretend I didn’t know her, but, as usual, I couldn’t help myself.
I slowly made my way to the side of the store where they were at. Close enough to hear them, but far enough away to not be noticed.
“Hello there,” Violet said with a chipper voice while fluttering her eyelashes.
“Hello,” he said looking up from the suit he was handling. I could tell he was trying not to laugh in her face. “You okay, Miss?” He glanced behind Violet at her path of destruction.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” She waved her hand like nothing had happened. “I'm Violet,” she said as she stuck her hand out.
“Lucas,” he said as he smoothly glided his hand on hers and shook it.
“Wow, your hand is soft.” Violet’s face and hand dropped as soon as she realized what she just said. I couldn’t help but silently laugh.
“Sorry,” she said, her cheeks turning bright red. She cleared her throat obviously remembering why she went over there. “My friend and I saw you when you walked in, and we were wondering if you didn’t have plans tonight, would you like to join us for dinner?”
I cannot believe she just asked a total stranger to come to dinner with us tonight! What the hell was she thinking?