I'm Nothing (The Family Book 2) (3 page)

“I don’t know you. I just remember the girls you were
always with.”

“Ah, the school sluts.”

She choked on her bun and had to take a quick sip of
her own coffee to help swallow it down. “Wow, that’s what you call the girls
you sleep with?” She didn’t expect him to be charming, but that was just plain
rude.

This was why she never tried to get to know the guys.

Drinking her coffee, she wondered what the protocol
was to leave someone. Tonio wasn’t a nice person.

“The way I see it, women are divided,” Tonio said.

Wow, he’s really going to try to make excuses for his horrid behavior.

“Divided?”

“Yeah. There are women that you fuck, and then there
are women that you take home, and are the mother of your children.”

Her mouth had to be hanging open. She was totally
blown away, and shocked. “Wow!” Glancing at the table, she saw that there was
still half a cinnamon bun left on the table. “Erm, I think I should go.”

“Wait, why?”

She frowned, seeing the total confusion staring back
at her. Didn’t he have a clue about how insulting he was being?

“I can’t believe you just said all of that stuff.”

“Look, I’m blunt. This is the kind of guy I am. I have
no interest in offending you.”

“You’re not trying to make me uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Sitting back, Zara frowned as she stared at him.
“You’re strange, you know that?”

“Strange? I can handle strange.”

She chuckled. “This is good coffee.”

“So, you’re working in a pizza place that you hate, and
I’m working with my best friends.”

“Do you hate it?” she asked.

“What?”

“Your work, do you hate it? You don’t exactly sound
thrilled about your work.”

“I guess I’m not really excited about it, but it’s the
work I was destined for.” He gave a little shrug. “We all have fucking crosses
to bear, don’t we?”

Folding her arms, Zara stared at him, wondering what
his game was. “So, the girl you were seeing, who was she?”

“Do you remember Luiz?”

She nodded. Yep, Luiz, Tonio, Donnie, and Jake, four
deadly friends.

“It was his sister. She was the love of my life, or at
least, I thought she was.”

Zara frowned. “Maria?” She remembered her now. “Didn’t
she get married to someone?”

“Yep, some fucker who didn’t deserve her.”

He took a large swallow of his hot coffee, and she
winced. That had to have burned.

“Can I ask for a do-over?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“The name is Tonio Guzman. I’m an asshole, but most of
the time, I’m just trying to survive.” He held out his hand, and she stared at
it.

“You do realize I haven’t got a clue what is going
on.”

“Introduce yourself. We can start over.”

Gripping his hand, she gave it a shake. “Zara Summers.
I work in a pizza shop, I’m bored with life, and I’m not in college.”

“You’re bored with life?”

“I cook pizza for a living. That’s all. No dates,
nothing.” The debt her father left behind meant she didn’t have much choice
with her life. Her life was no longer her own. She was owned by the debt, so
she worked in an effort to rid herself of it.

There were times she found herself hating her father.
Instead of selling up the business, he kept on borrowing money, and not all of
those people he took money from were kosher.

So far, the threats hadn’t come, but Zara knew it was
only a matter of time. Lucien wasn’t a man to be messed with. He’d taken
complete advantage of her parents, and now she’d been brought into it.

“I don’t date either. I just fuck.”

“I don’t do that either.” Why the hell was she being
honest with this guy? She snorted. “I can’t believe I just said that to you.”

Tonio chuckled. “It makes it interesting when we break
our own rules, doesn’t it?”

“You’re a strange man, you know that, right?” she
asked.

“I live a strange life. You know the rumors about me.”

She tensed.

“See, I see the way you react. What I find interesting
is the fact you’re still here. You’re terrified of me, and yet you’re drinking
coffee, talking with me as if we’re BFFs.”

“You knew that?” she asked, referring to her fear.

“I’ve spent a lot of my life feeding off of people’s
fear. I can see it all the time.” He finished off his cinnamon bun, licking his
thumb of the icing as he did. “Delicious.”

“Do you get off on it?” she asked.

He paused, tilting his head to the side, contemplating
her question. “Sometimes. It’s easy to scare people.”

“So the mafia rumor, is that true?”

Tonio pressed a finger to his lips. “That can be our
little secret. You shouldn’t be shouting that shit around.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re very strange. You
know that?” She repeated her words for the third time.

Chapter Two

What the fuck was he doing?

Tonio stared across the table at Zara, and yes, he
remembered her, but not for any flattering reasons. She was the plain girl that
he copied from. Not once had he ever considered her anything more than that.

He’d just been at Maria’s graveside, and now he was
sat staring across at the same girl he hadn’t given a thought to.

She looked … different.

Staring at her, Tonio recognized the weight of the
world that was resting on her shoulders. With her hair falling around her
looking a little wild, she actually looked beautiful. Her blue eyes were so
innocent, yet they looked scared. Tonio was used to people being scared.

“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life. Strange
isn’t one of them.”

“It should be. Are you going to kill me now?”

“No. I’m not going to kill you.”

“You do know the whole mafia thing is not that big of
a secret.” She licked her fingers of the last of the icing.

“It’s not? I thought it was only just a rumor.” He
winked at her, sitting back.

For the first time in his life, he was actually
relaxed. The little home movies were still out there, but he didn’t want to go
on a hunt to find them. He was more than happy just talking to Zara, the girl
who helped run a pizza shop.

“That was delicious. Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”

She glanced down at her watch, and he noticed her
hands were shaking a little bit. He didn’t like that. Zara was a normal girl.
She shouldn’t be afraid of anything.

“I’ve got to be heading back,” she said. “I’m really
sorry for cutting this short.”

“Do you mean that?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, I am actually. You’re terrifying,
but this was nice.”

He chuckled. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

They left the little coffee shop, and he placed a hand
at her back, guiding her out of it.

“I live at the pizza place. Just above the shop.”

“Wow, no wonder you hate pizza.”

“It’s my life.”

Tonio pushed his hands into his jacket, at the same
time feeling the gun he kept strapped to him at all times. This was how he was
able to walk the streets without a guard. Ever since he’d taken out the fathers
of The Family, he’d put a target on his back, but he refused to have guards.

All he needed to do was find those damn tapes.

They walked in comfortable silence for several
minutes. He didn’t know if Zara was comfortable, but he sure was.

“This is me,” she said, stopping suddenly. He looked
at the pizza place that had seen many better days.

This was it. They were about to part ways, and he just
couldn’t have that.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” he asked.

“I’m working here.”

“When do you finish?”

She winced. “We close around eleven, and we clean up ‘til
twelve.”

“Is that at night?”

“Yep, we open every day at four.”

Fucking hell!

She was going to work herself to the bone.

“We did use to be open during the day, but I can’t
allow food to go to waste that doesn’t get ordered.”

“Zara, is that you?” An older woman leaned out of the
window. She didn’t look like time had done her well.

“Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”

He hated how dejected she sounded. Zara clearly wasn’t
happy. Why was her mother making her do this?

“How about another night?” he asked.

“I really wish I could. I’m needed here though.”

Tonio nodded. “Maybe some other time.” He made to step
away, but she stalled him.

“You could always come and stop by for pizza. I hate
it, but I do make it well.”

He turned, smiling at her. “I’ll take you up on that
offer.”

She held her hand up, giving him a little wave. “Bye,
Tonio. It will start to feel better soon.”

“You too.”

Tonio watched as she entered the pizza shop before
making his way toward the graveyard. He was shocked to see Luiz hanging out by
his car.

“What are you doing here?”

“Donnie needs us back at his apartment, and you
weren’t answering your phone.”

“Who dropped you off?” Tonio asked, climbing behind
the wheel.

“A friend. Someone you don’t need to concern yourself
with.”

He decided not to press his friend for more details.
Luiz was the most private of them all. Tonio couldn’t recall when Luiz didn’t
have a secret kind of life.

“You ever thought of leaving the life?” Tonio asked.

“I thought about it, saw someone do it once, and then
I saw what happened to them,” Luiz said.

“What happened?”

“They made him believe that he could just leave, just
like that. The guy had a family, kids, all that shit. They killed his kids,
hanging them around him, raped and killed his wife, then tortured him for hours
before they finally killed him.”

“Fuck!”

“Yeah, after that I figured there were worse fates to
have than being part of The Family.”

Driving toward the apartment block, Tonio tapped his
fingers on the steering wheel. “We were born into a shit way of life.”

“We’re always a target, and that never changed. People
think because we took the reins and killed our parents that it makes us an even
bigger target. It doesn’t. We’re the same targets as we always were. Fucking
assholes, everyone.”

“The only way out is death.”

“It’s what took Maria in the end.”

“Fuck, Luiz. That’s your sister.”

“I don’t give a fuck. It’s all the same kind of shit.
Maria was my sister, but I can recognize a greedy bitch when I see one.”

“You actually see bitches? I thought you played for
our team.”

Luiz snorted. “You thought I was gay?”

“Why not? You’ve not shown any interest in women. I
don’t even know if you’ve fucked a woman, or just said you have.”

“It wouldn’t matter either way, would it?”

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re gay.”

“I’m not gay. I happen to love a nice warm pussy.”

“You leading a secret life, Luiz?”

“No. I’m just leading a life that is mine that I don’t
want anyone to fucking know about.”

“Fair enough.”

“So what were you doing with Zara Summers?”

“You know her?”

“Yep. She was in the class that you always cheated from.
I make it my business to know these things.”

“What the fuck?”

“I make it my business to know stuff. Also, we had
calculus together, and we had to work together. She’s nice.”

Glancing over at his friend, Tonio was stumped.

“We even braided each other’s hair.”

Shaking his head, Tonio chuckled. “You’re crazy, you
know that.”

“It’s what they call me. So, how have you been dealing
with shit since your dad died?”

“I’ve been okay.”

“You found what you were looking for on your computer?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luiz sighed. “You took everything your father owned,
Everything from his office. Don’t you think that shit is a bit suspicious?”

“Not at all. I want to know what he was into.”

“You do know you can talk to us about anything, right?
We may all be fucked, but we’re bound together with each other. It’s how we
survive. We always have each other’s backs.”

The temptation to blurt all of his seedy past was
strong, but Tonio stopped himself. He didn’t want to talk about that shit, not
with anyone.

“I just want to make sure I know what I’m up against.”

“Okay, Tonio. If you think you can handle it.”

“Can you find information out about anyone?” Tonio
asked, changing the subject.

“Pretty much. I know a guy who can get me info on a
lot of people. Who do you want?”

“Zara Summers. I’d like to know more about her.”

“You digging the plain girl?”

“Digging?”

“We’re still kids. I figure we have a right to still
be down with our shit.”

Pulling into the underground parking, Tonio went
through the necessary security codes in order to get inside.

Parking in his spot, he made his way toward Donnie’s
apartment with Luiz by his side. Even in the elevator, they both were poised
and ready in case of an attack.

“Shit has been quiet,” Luiz said.

“You never know, maybe they know we’re the ones that
should be in charge.”

“I wish I could believe that. A lot of people liked
our fathers’ way of running things. It’s not our way. I heard the O’Mara family
were pissed that we didn’t organize a union for their daughter. Donnie even
helped her to travel to Italy for the year so that she could be away.”

The O’Maras were sticklers for tradition.

“God. They wanted to marry Leah off?”

“Yep, to Crotus.”

Crotus was a fat old man with a bad temper. He’d
already killed two previous wives by throwing them downstairs. Tonio hated the
people around The Family, and they needed to cull them real fucking fast.

****

Three days later

“We haven’t got enough to pay them!” her mother said.

“It’s fine, Mom. I’ll ask for an extension.”

“God, they’re not going to listen. They don’t ever
listen. You pay up or they start breaking bones, and your father—if he was here
we wouldn’t be going through this…”

On and on her mother kept on talking, not making any
sense. Zara rubbed at her temples, trying to zone her out. No matter how many
times she looked at the figures, she couldn’t pay everyone and still keep the
shop. Her father passed away when she was sixteen, and her mother took over the
shop until Zara had finished high school. Zara had helped out, but when high
school had finished, she’d seen the stress taking a toll on her mother, and had
taken over, only to see that in the past two years, her mother had been
borrowing more money. It was money the shop wasn’t making.

“Mom, shut up, and just go mop, or do something. I’ve
got to think.”

Dropping the pen on the paper that had so many
scribbles on it, Zara wanted to cry. Life was so unfair. She should be out,
partying at some frat house, or staying up late to study, maybe even having sex
with some guy who was a complete and total asshole, losing her virginity. No,
what was she doing? She was trying to get out of her family’s mess, but she
couldn’t find a way out.

Her stomach was cramping, she hadn’t eaten since
breakfast, and she was losing weight. Yeah, that shit totally surprised her. All
of her life she’d been having trouble with her weight. She’d gone on many
diets, none of them working. Now, life threw her nothing but stress, and she was
losing the pounds.

Nothing like no money to stop you from eating.

The hours passed, and no matter how many times she
looked over the sheets with all the numbers, she couldn’t make any sense of it.

Later that night, her mother stood beside her as they
looked at the five large men who’d come into her father’s old office. She was
filthy from the day of making pizza, and she couldn’t stop shaking. Why did her
father ever get mixed up with these men? She didn’t understand it, nor did she
ever want to know.

“So, all these numbers, you can’t pay me?” Lucien West
asked, sitting back in her father’s chair.

He made the chair look so small, and it creaked
beneath his weight. He wasn’t a fat man. No, his muscles were from hours spent
torturing people.

“I’m not trying to hide anything from you. That’s why
I’m showing you all the figures.” Her mother was no good, bent head, and like
she’d given up on life. Moments like these, she hated her mother. “We just need
an extension.”

“I have given your father plenty of extensions.”

“He’s not here. He’s dead.” She didn’t even feel hurt
by saying that. She was so fucking angry at him right now. Why couldn’t he have
just closed the damn pizza shop?

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I’m new. Give me a chance, please.”

Lucien glanced up and down at her, sitting back, and
rubbing a finger against his lip. She didn’t like the way he was looking at
her.

“Take Mrs. Summers out for a little bit. Zara and I
need to have a little chat.”

“No, it’s fine. They can stay.” She didn’t want to be
left alone in this room.

“Take a seat, Zara.” One of the men pressed her down
into the chair across from Lucien. She listened as her mother was marched out
of the office.