Seven
Roman had never been a spontaneous person. He usually had trouble adapting to changes. Yet here he was in Las Vegas with Dean in a hotel room at the Palazzo.
There was a moment of surprise when the airport transfer sent them to this hotel but then he remembered who Dean was.
"Dean?" he asked as he unzipped his bag. "What are we doing here? On the plane, you said that you'd explain once we checked in."
Dean sipped the espresso he had bought from Starbucks on the way to the hotel. "Two reasons, Rome. One, I know who your friend Seth is and two-"
"Of course you do, Dean. I told you; he's my former roommate."
"Besides that. He's actually my half brother."
Roman's eyes widened. "What? That's impossible!"
"When you know how horny my mother is, you wouldn't be surprised. She fucked with men behind my father's back: business associates, a neighbor or two. Heck she even fucked our gardener. My father's no saint either." He popped a piece of grape in his mouth. "Don't get me wrong, Rome. Seth is a spoilt brat. He gets things handed to him because his real father was my father's best friend. That said best friend died in a shoot out a couple of years ago in Queens."
By now, Roman was sitting down on the bed, listening attentively. He did remember reading about the shoot out in the newspaper. It had taken place in a fusion restaurant in Ohio. About eighteen people were found dead. Only one waitress and three cooks escaped the horror incident caused many people to be on the edge. Mobsters were back in business again?
"I loved Seth; he is my half brother after all but he's also unreliable. He backstabbed me once in the back and I had refused to speak to him. Even threatened him to stay away from me. But my father wanted us to put the past behind us and made us both enrol at NYU. I split on him the minute I stepped on campus. He was supposed to help me out at the bar on Thursdays but he's been bailing out recently. My father thinks he's working out a deal on the side."
"So that's why your father came over. Is there anywhere in America with no ties or members of the mafia?"
"As far as I know California and Wisconsin."
"So why are we here?"
"Rome, what do you know about your father?"
Roman shook his head. He didn't want to talk about his family. "Dean, I told you I'm not ready-"
"I know who your father is, Rome. I know what he does for a living, where he hangs out…"
"Dean… what… what are you babbling about?"
"When you were a kid, didn't you wonder why he disappeared for weeks at random times? Huge family gatherings with locked doors after dinner because the men needed to talk?"
Roman straightened his back and gripped the edge of the mattress with both his hands. "How did you know that?"
"Because your father does business with mine from time to time."
Roman's immediate reaction was to race for the door. Dean blocked his way. "Calm down, Roman."
"Calm down?" he shouted. "How do you expect me to calm down after your little exposure?"
"Let me explain, Rome. Please," Dean implored.
"No! Get the hell out of my way, Dean!"
"Not until you hear me out."
"You expect me to believe you after all these secrets?"
"Rome, I brought you here to protect you!"
That stilled Roman. He stumbled a few steps back. "Protect me from who?"
"His name is Randy Orton and he's after you, Rome. His father was responsible for that shootout that killed Seth's father."
"That doesn't explain-"
"They were after both our fathers. There was a meeting at that restaurant that day. A gathering of some of the biggest mafia families. Your father couldn't make it that day because your grandfather was admitted to hospital. Mine skipped because of a problem with his latest shipment. Seth's father hadn't and well…"
Roman leaned against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor. Dean stood before him.
"Anyways, once my father found out what happened, he vowed to take Orton out. Turns out the waitress had caught a glimpse of his face. Your father wanted in too." Dean sighed. "They both killed him point blank in front of Randy. Imagine my surprise when I found him in our campus, a Law major."
The irony of it wasn't lost on him.
"I cautioned Seth before telling my father. Naturally Seth wanted revenge but my father asked us to lay low. Your father was worried about you so he asked either Seth or me to look out for you. Seth bailed out because apparently your figurines freaked him out so I stepped in."
Roman turned his head away. Nothing had prepared him for this. He felt his heart breaking.
He knew he was walking on shaky grounds with his parents but this…
His entire life had been a lie: his parents, his extended family, Seth, Dean…
Dean.
Pain pierced through him and he felt nauseous. Even his friendship with Dean had been a lie, he thought sadly.
"I'd like to be alone right now," he told Dean, his voice wavering.
"Rome…"
"Please, Dean. Just give me this."
Dean nodded slowly. "Okay. I'm right next door if you need to talk."
Roman said nothing as he moved aside when Dean walked past to the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned around and said, "I meant what I said, Rome. Nothing has changed; I'm still your brother."
It pained Roman that he didn't believe him.
He waited about half an hour after Dean had left before he started grabbing his things. Roman felt claustrophobic. He hated this; hated his life and everyone in it.
Making a beehive for the lift past reception to the hotel's main doorway, he jumped into the first available taxi and headed for the airport.
He was always frugal with money so getting a ticket to head home wasn't a problem. As he stared out of the plane, he realized that despite his resistance to change, it somehow kept sneaking into his life, throwing him off guard.
The moment he reached his hall, he kept looking over his shoulder, worried about what might be lurking around the corner.
How was he supposed to deal with all this? How many people on campus were watching him? Did they have links to the mafia too? Who was he even supposed to trust?
The answer was no one. Roman had no clue what to do. All he knew was to get out of his dorm and that's exactly what he did.
A/N Thank you once again for your reviews. It's sincerely appreciated and I wish I can give you a big hug. To Guest, I'm sorry I don't know your name but hey I'm glad you appreciate the fast updates. Writing has been a stress relief to me as I'm going through a hard time so it comforts me when I see such a comment. Thank you! Next chapter is going to be interesting to say the least...
