Mobster in love

By G.J. Robbins

He had that something that made you fall madly in love with his network without wanting or planning it.
Her grayish eyes and her precious but little smile made everything bad disappear.
Maybe I was crazy to notice someone like him, someone whose world is so different from yours and way more dangerous: He's mobster.
What if your world changes overnight?
Nothing will ever be like that day, nothing will ever be like it was before, once he appeared.
Would you be willing to put your life in danger for the boy you love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: G.J. Robbins
• Release date: Aug 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393232117

Book preview

Chapter 1

JOANNE

Sarah has been nagging me all week to go to the party tonight at the house of Logan, a college classmate who is having a party at his house.

I really don't feel like going, but I could use a distraction from exams and all this college torture. So, in the end I ended up accepting.

I open the closet door and look through all the clothes until I find the few dresses I have. I grab a black velvet with transparent sleeves two fingers above my knees, I stand in front of the mirror and put it in front of me looking at myself in the reflection. But I'm not entirely convinced, so, I put it back in place and grab a white one with a little bare back and the last one I have is a red strapless passion above the knees.

I decide between the two and opt for white, the only dress among the three that is better to go to a place like that. The people who will go to that party will surely be quite risky and dressed, so, I think, I have chosen the perfect dress for the occasion.

I grab the only platform heels I have and quite high, black in color and put them on.

I brush my hair and apply mascara along with a nude lipstick. I don't feel like putting on too much makeup today.

The mobile at that moment rings on the bed and I go towards it to grab it and turn it on, appearing a message from Sarah;

'I'm already here, I'll wait for you ♡'

Sarah, at 23:30 pm.

I send him an I'm coming in reply and grab the party bag by placing the strap over my shoulder, grab a somewhat thin jacket and leave the house.

People come in and out of the huge house with red plastic cups in their hands.

Most of the people here go to my university and a few others I know by sight.

We approach a group where Logan is with several girls and boys.

Who is telling that his parents have gone on a trip to Italy for two weeks and that is why he has had a party since he has a home alone for a couple of weeks.

Sarah, I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want to come?

I ask tapping his shoulder and yelling over the music.

Now I'll go get a drink.

I nod and without saying anything else I turn around looking for the place where the drinks are until I realize that all the drinks are on the large island in the kitchen.

I go to the kitchen island where there are some people scattered around, a couple reaching out, others kissing and others talking to each other.

There are so many bottles of alcohol. Lots of red glasses which are stacked in five rows upside down.

I observe among the bottles which of them is not so strong and when I have it, I reach out towards it to catch it when a hand at that moment also grabs the bottle.

I frown and look up when the blue gaze of a red-haired boy fixes on me.

Oh sorry, help yourself first.

He says dropping the bottle and waving his hand.

I smile sheepishly and nod. I reach out to the stacked red glasses which are on top of each other and pour some alcohol into it.

-What is your name?

He asks suddenly.

Joanne, what about you?

I say looking at him out of the corner of his eye and leaving the bottle of alcohol on top of the island, which he takes.

He smiles, "Peter, nice to meet you, Joanne.

Anyway, I smile, I must go, my friends are waiting for me.

-Of course, do not worry. We'll see each other some day, see you later.

Bye, Peter.

I smile and turn around on the way to where Sarah and the others are.

After all, the party has not been so bad, it is not that it was the great party of the year but it has been good for me to distract myself a little from everything and have fun. Despite not being such a fan of partying.

The night has passed faster than I thought. I've talked to a few people who were in the group we were with and they were quite nice.

—It looks like it's going to rain, when I went out to the garden it was sparkling.

I say grabbing the bag from the wardrobe.

Better not. I have parked the car two streets away and we have to go there in these heels.

He says, grimacing.

I think that's going to be complicated.

I murmur, raising my shoulders, letting them fall.

We take the last steps until we reach the front door and when we open it, our surprise is that it is raining, but not too hard.

While we are moving forward, the rain begins to fall harder than before, completely soaking us in water.

We take off our heels so we don't fall as we run and we come to a small roof of a bar where there seem to be people inside. I find it strange that it is open around four in the morning, but still, it is.

Should we go in?

I ask looking towards the bar.

Well, if you prefer to stay here with this rain and the cold it is...

He says ironically, I roll my eyes and signal him to enter.

Sarah laughs and opens the door, at that moment the only thing that is seen inside the bar are men and a single woman with dyed red hair, which is the one who seems to be the one who runs the bar.

They appear to be motorcyclists and men with the face of few friends. Maybe later I will meet them and they will be nice, but their appearance and their bad-tempered face make me think of something totally different.

We approach the bar and as we move forward, everyone's gaze is focused on us. Uncomfortable I take the last steps and sit on one of the stools with Sarah next to me.

The red-haired girl asks us what we are going to drink, and we both ask for water. I don't want any more alcohol for today, although it's not like I've had too much to drink either. Just one drink.

A fort is falling out there, huh? You are soaked.

He lets out a laugh.

We are soaked by the water from top to bottom and luckily we have found a bar nearby, because although it may not seem like it, the car is far away and walking there in the rain was making us something difficult.

Yes, quite a lot.

Sarah answers.

I turn to take a look around us: several glances are on us as if we were cPeter and want to eat us, although really, we are in this place full of men with hungry looks.

I turn awkwardly to the red-haired girl who smiles at us.

Don't be intimidated by them. They look like serial killers but they are actually good people, at least some of them.

He giggles.

We both laughed next to her and after a while we started to strike up a conversation.

Sarah asked her where tattoos hurt the most and the redhead explained everything with hairs and signs.

She also told us that her name is Samantha, she is twenty years old and she started working here a year ago.

The rain after almost an hour has calmed down for now, so Sarah and I have said goodbye to Samantha and leave before it starts to rain again.

I open the door to the bar when I barely realize someone is entering at the same time as I am leaving and we both collide.

I look up and a boy in his early twenties stands before me with an unfriendly face and a frown.

-Look where you're going.

He says passing me in a hoarse voice.

-Forgives? look where you are going, asshole.

The tattooed individual turns to me reluctantly, raising an eyebrow and looking at me seriously.

Watch your vocabulary, you don't know who you're talking to.

He says pointing at me with his index finger.

With an idiot, you keep it clear if you think you're scary by threatening, besides...

Sarah's hand covers my mouth at that moment and with the other she drags me out of the bar. I knock her hand away from my face and look at her seriously.

What the fuck are you doing Sarah !?

Saving your ass. Have you seen that guy's pints? He wouldn't think twice about ripping your head off. I've done you a favor.

I roll my eyes and follow the path to where the car is with her behind me following me.

Simple tattoos don't scare me.

I murmur.

I can see how Sarah is rolling her eyes, I know her well enough to know that she is doing it.

-You are crazy.

–He laughs.

And it's the truth, a guy with tattoos and the face of few friends may be intimidating but I'm not scared at all to run away with my ears down.

Normally I don't usually yell like that at people I don't know, but he had no right to talk to me like that and with anger just because we had collided. He's an asshole and I don't care who he is or who he isn't.

Episode 2

JOANNE

I am lying on the couch, with one leg on top of the couch and the other on the coffee table while I eat popcorn and watch a movie on TV.

The movie is not so bad, but it bores me and I end up going through the channel looking for a series or another movie to watch, but there is nothing interesting.

The mobile suddenly begins to sound insistently. I stretch my arm to reach the mobile and when I get it, I answer the call;

-Who?

I ask, putting a handful of popcorn in my mouth.

I'm Ned.

I finish chewing as fast as I can so as not to speak with my mouth full and answer; -Yes, tell me. What happens?

I take a drink from the glass of water and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

Do you think I go to your apartment and watch movies? I'll bring cPeter and popcorn.

I smile and sit back on the couch.

Sweets are my great obsession, it shows that he knows me very well.

Okay, I'm alone. So of course you can come.

-Voucher. In ten minutes I'm there.

I nod my head even though I know he can't see me and hang up.

Ned and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember, we are always together, and Sundays are our Sundays.

We always do best friends evening even if it sounds childish, it is like a tradition for us to do this.

The colors I am wearing are not correct, I am only wearing pajama shorts and a Chris shirt, which is huge and almost covers my pajama bottoms and it may seem that I am with nothing underneath.

But Ned has seen me in other worse circumstances, with stained, torn clothes, even vomited on top although it sounds disgusting, so he is used in a certain way to having me with looks that are not normal.

I queue up high and walk to the kitchen to dump the empty popcorn bag, two sodas, and a used napkin. At 10 minutes, the doorbell rings: it's Ned.

I open the door and there she is with a bag in one hand and her impeccable smile that can never be missing from her face.

Hi, I brought Oreo ice cream, cPeter, and a bag of popcorn.

I nod several times and close the door behind Ned as he walks inside the house.

People usually always think that we are dating, but we are just friends. There is no physical or sexual attraction, although you have to admit that Ned is quite attractive and that no one can deny.

Ned makes popcorn while I put on the movie he brought, which seems to be a comedy movie.

And a few minutes later he appears with a blue bowl full of popcorn, I slap the sofa twice indicating that he is sitting next to me and that is what he does.

I slowly open my eyes looking around me and frown.

Yesterday I must have fell asleep on the couch and Ned had to bring me here.

I rub my eyes and turn to my right, where Ned is trapped by my arms and legs, he's awake staring at the ceiling as he caresses my leg with his fingertips.

Good morning, prince.

I whisper in his ear and he starts.

Prince?

He lets out a laugh.

Yes, prince. That will be your new Jamesname. I stick my tongue out at him teasingly and jump out of bed.

His hands catch my waist and he pulls me back onto the bed.

Climbing on top of me and starting to tickle me.

I yell at him to stop, but it's impossible he continues with the damn tickling.

—Ned, for God's sake, in the end I'm going to do it on top!

I say between laughter.

Ned just laughs.

And I'm not kidding, I have to go to the bathroom urgently before this ends badly.

But my brother's voice startles us both.

Are you sure you're not dating?

He says entering my room.

You know perfectly well not, Chris. We are just friends.

Ned gets off me and sits on the bed next to me.

Are you sure? I have also played the tickle game, and everyone knows how it ends.

–He says moving his eyebrows at the same pace.

I open my mouth in surprise to claim him, but I close it again and grab a pillow from the bed, throwing it at him.

Chris lets out a laugh as he raises his eyebrows up and down again and a wicked grin on his face.

You know it's true, don't turn red, you look like tomatoes. I don't want there to be an unexpected pregnancy.

I clear my throat and look askance at Ned who is red as a tomato and with downcast eyes, he has known my brother since we were little and he knows perfectly the jokes he usually makes.

But we are ashamed that he says things like that, it is not normal for your brother to say these things when he is with your best friend.

I know you're thinking about it.

–He says– And you should think about it, you make a good couple.

Christian, go now, you just know how to say nonsense.

I get out of bed approaching him, resting my hands on his chest and kicking him out of my room. He laughs.

I don't even know what he came in for, just to annoy.

What's your obsession with me dating my best friend? I roll my eyes and sit down next to Ned again.

Do you think it's true? I don't want to spoil the friendship we have... –he says without looking at me.

-I do not know. I don't want to do it either, we're fine being friends, maybe... in the future... we'll get to like each other and can go out. But neither of us felt anything for the other.

Ned sighs, nods and looks me straight in the eye after a few seconds.

Yeah, he smiles, we're fine like this then. In the future we will see what will happen between us.

I smile at him and he smiles back.

Why does it have to be so perfect and why am I not in love with him?

He's perfect, good boy, funny, kind and sweet. It has practically everything.

I hug him tightly while Ned buries his head in my neck and his breathing sends chills through my body.

He will always be my best friend, the girl who has him will be the happiest in the world, and the luckiest to have him as a boyfriend.

Chapter 3

When Ned left home, I began to clean and tidy up the dining room since it was a mess, and since Chris had no plans today, I forced him to help me clean the apartment and his room, which was much worse than mine.

Chris is neat and doesn't like to have his things touched or moved around, but there are times when he doesn't care about everything and leaves everything on the floor or wherever it suits him and he knows that bothers me too much. Although it is true that when he has to collect his things or help me collect and clean the apartment he does it without question.

And of course, once again the topic of Why don't you go out with Ned? She does not understand that we are only best friends and that's it, there is and there will never be anything else outside of that friendship relationship that exists between us.

But he always comes up with his story that he and his girlfriend were also best friends since the age of sixteen and started dating when they both realized that they both felt the same way about each other.

For him Ned is a good boy and he likes me, and he also says that he doesn't want to see me single all my life, he has also included that he wants to have nephews soon. Which has surprised me, although he has said that it is not necessary for him to have them now and not be in a hurry about it. I was amused by the tone with which he said it, he seemed so sure and when he has brought up the subject of nephews even his voice has changed to a harsher one.

Christian, I'm only eighteen. I don't want to have a boyfriend for now.

I'm not saying you have them now. In a few years maybe.

He says lifting and dropping his shoulders.

The clamp has clearly gone.

What do children and boyfriends have to do with it now? I was talking about how I should go out with Ned and suddenly she brings up that topic.

I'm not going to have children, not now or in three years. Until I'm twenty-five or twenty-six I'm not going to have anything, get those birds out of your head.

It is something that I have always been very clear about.

I have always liked babies and I am clear that I want to have children, but that will be seen in the future.

And in time when I have my boyfriend and if we both love, maybe we will have children.

Chris looks at me and raises both eyebrows as he smiles and nods.

I see it well. But that's what you have Ned for, I'm sure he'd be delighted to have a child or twenty with you - I open my mouth to speak but he raises his hand and keeps talking - I know you're friends and all that stuff, but I can swear he's been in love with you and you with him, even if you don't want to accept it.

»Don't you see how he hugs you, kisses you or treats you? You look like boyfriends and everyone notices it, there have been people who have asked me how long you have been or if you are boyfriends. You look like a couple.

Voucher. It is true that many people think that we are a couple, but we are not. We're just friends and I'm tired of repeating it to people a thousand times, so I let them think what they want.

I roll my eyes and keep sweeping the floor.

I know we look like it, but I'm fine, I have no problem with it and what people think. I know and he knows that we are just friends and nothing more so I don't care what they say.

Chris rolls his eyes and at that precise moment I throw him a pillow from the bed, which he was about to place.

But before I even get to catch it, he catches it in his hands and returns it to me by throwing it and hitting me squarely on the head.

You'll say what you want, but here I see good love.

You're a bore, drop the topic Chris. There are more guys in the world, Ned is not the last one left in the universe, you know?

I mumble as I roll my eyes and follow mine.

Chris grimaces and I throw another cushion at him, followed by a laugh.

Chris wants to match me up with Ned. And I do not understand why, I am fine as I am now and I do not need any boy for the moment.

When it arrives, it arrived.

But for now I feel pretty good alone and I don't need anyone, not even Ned.

I'm just saying you'll stay old and alone.

–He says catching the cushion that I have thrown back at him and throws it on the bed.

-It does not have to be this way. And now, go to what you have to do. Your room is sure you haven't finished cleaning it.

Chris grabs his chin and squints his eyes as if he's thinking about something; —I don't know, I see it difficult.

I look at Chris seriously, without a hint of humor. He glances at me and laughs, throws his hands up in the air and walks backwards to leave my room slowly.

-OK OK. Easy, I'm going.

When he takes his ass out of my room, I let out a sigh and walk over to the bed, dropping into it.

This boy is crazy, his head is completely gone. But actually, I still love him.

Well, it's going to be that it's not finished yet.

He yells from his room.

I shake my head and bring my hands up to my face.

It was obvious that he was not going to be, I would swear, that I have not even seen him take the broom or some cloth to clean.

Then finish it!

-scream.

That's what I'm going to do, don't entertain me. Heavy!

He yells again.

Heavy? me?

He is the one who has entered my room without coming to mind and has begun to tell me to go out with my best friend because according to him we make a good couple and everyone thinks so.

Eating the coconut with that for more than ten minutes with the same nonsense.

Anyway, he's my brother, what difference does it make? So is he.

Fuck you, Chris!

I yell again.

-I love you too, sister!

He yells and then starts laughing.

I laugh and after lying on the bed for a few minutes, I get up lazily.

I have to finish cleaning the room as soon as possible. Although luckily despite Chris having come to give me one of his many absurd talks, I was able to finish half a quarter.

Chapter 4

I get up somewhat lazy from the bed and remain sitting on it. Today I have classes but I am not going, it is raining very hard with thunder included and it can be dangerous to go on the way to the university.

I put on my slippers at home and walk to the dining room where I find Chris sitting with coffee for breakfast, very unlike him since he only eats milk with cereal every day, not one more thing, not one less. According to him, he feels bad eating more things just awakened and always eats the same breakfast.

-Good Morning

I say in a yawn.

Chris lifts his head in greeting as he finishes sipping his coffee and then sets the cup on the table.

And why are you having coffee? it's weird coming from you.

I say while taking a cup from the cabinet.

Chris takes another drink from his coffee cup and his eyes are staring at me.

"Can I not?

He asks raising an eyebrow.

No, of course you can. But it's strange to see you drink coffee. You always have milk and cereal for breakfast.

–He says pouring two tablespoons of sugar into the cup

I feel like having coffee today. Also, there is no cocoa left.

–He says pouting.

I let out a few laughs and shake my head as I pour milk into the cup and walk to the table where he is, sitting across from him.

Don't go to class today, a good one is falling.

He says, changing the subject.

I wasn't going anyway, it's dangerous to drive like this. You work today?

I say as I unpack the cupcake.

Chris looks at me and shakes his head.

I told him I felt bad, I'm not going to leave the house like this. Besides, it's true, something made me feel wrong yesterday. That barbecue pizza was the cause.

Now you blame it on the barbecue pizza?

I stifle a laugh as I take the last bite of the cupcake and tilt my head at him.

Don't blame the pizza. You ate almost all of it and left me only two portions and out of pity. Who is to blame then? Don't complain that it hurts, it's karma.

I murmur raising my shoulders.

Chris rolls his eyes and sets the empty cup on the sink, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and looking at me.

-Whatever. Is the heating on?

I nod and finish drinking what little is left in the cup. He nods and turns walking towards the dining room leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I grab the cup and set it on the sink walking into the living room where Chris is on the couch hidden under a blanket. I take another blanket which is on the other sofa and I cover myself with it.

—With Ned you share a blanket, but not with your soul brother?

He asks seriously raising an eyebrow.

I laugh out loud.

Did you just say soul brother?

I laugh again.

-Soul brother? –Rio– I didn't know if you wanted to share it with your soul sister so I took this one.

-And I do not want.

–He responds calmly giving a yawn.

Between I open my mouth in surprise mode.

So, is that what he hurts me for?

I grab the cushion that I had on my arm and start hitting him with it without using force and even if I put it, it is not that it could hurt him much.

You are a brute.

He says rubbing his arm.

—And you a complainer, I didn't hit you that hard, weakling.

I stick my tongue out at him.

He looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

I burst out laughing when I see Chris's hands go straight to the cushion beside him and a wicked smile comes from his thin lips.

I get up from the sofa taking the cushion that I have thrown at him earlier and I put it on as a shield.

I don't know what they hit us with in the cushion war, but I wouldn't trade these moments with him for anything.

Although sometimes he is a bore and an idiot.

You should learn to hit, you do it fatal.

I say from across the small room.

I like to tease him, it's fun. And he does it to me too many times.

He looks directly at me and raises his hands making a T with them for time.

I nod and put the cushion down on the couch, walking into the kitchen to go get some water or a refreshing drink.

-Give me some of that.

He says passing by me and grabbing the plastic water bottle taking a sip from his nose.

Hey, don't be a pig!

I yell,