Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy. I do, however, own Marlowe, Nico and any other OCs that appear in the 2 Sons Universe.
Reno, Nevada – Sunday, March 6, 2011
It was situations like these that made Dominic Torelli think that maybe his mother was right all along and he hated that shit!
Although he loved his mother unconditionally, he certainly wasn't blind to Rosanna's flaws, which—according to Nico—there were plenty to choose from. What usually set Dominic's teeth on edge, however, was his mother's insistence that every word that came out of her mouth was gospel and should be adhered to as such, no questions asked. Having grown up under such tyranny—even though his sisters got it a lot worse than he ever did—had prompted Dominic to rebel in any way he could, namely when it came to the women he hooked up with.
Apparently, his current lady love was hell bent on proving his mother right when Rosanna insisted that he would be better off with an old-fashioned Italian girl. This being the third time in two months that his crazy Russian girlfriend had locked him out of their apartment had Dominic contemplating the wisdom of that advice.
'Cause Elena is gonna be the fuckin' death of me, he thought grimly as he angrily punched in the key code that allowed him to cruise through the security station of Nico's gated community.
Dominic loved women, loved almost everything about them—their luscious bodies, the way they felt, the way they smelled. Everything, that is, until they started acting like his mother. That was a deal-breaker and had been an issue with one or two past girlfriends, but Elena had been different. As laid back and fun as she was gorgeous, Elena had suddenly morphed into a domineering ball buster like his mother as soon as they had relocated back to Reno from Southern California. Although Nico had taken a liking to her the first time they had met five years ago, with Elena lately flashing shades of Rosanna, Nico had recently been campaigning for Dominic to ditch her ass.
"That's a little harsh, don'tcha think?" Dominic had asked Nico less than two weeks before—the last time Elena had kicked him out of their place.
Handing her little brother a steaming demitasse of espresso, Nico crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I don't think it is," she replied. "Ma is who she is and gets away with what she does because she's put in her time with Dad and, by extension, the Syndicate. Elena has to earn her place on the food chain before she can start dictating shit to anyone, especially you."
Dominic shook his head. "I don't know about that, Nico. She's my girl, you know. She—"
"Let's you fuck her on the regular? I get that, Dom, but right now you should be focused on learning the business, not worrying that Elena might change the entry code to your condo as punishment for working late."
"I did miss our reservations for her birthday dinner, Nico," Dominic reasoned but was once again interrupted by his protective older sister.
"She needs to get over it, Dom, and you need to stop making excuses for her," Nico chastised. "You grew up in the same family I did, Dom. How many birthdays and anniversaries did Dad miss out on because of work?"
"A lot," Dominic agreed, "but he always made it up to Ma."
"Then you do the same for Elena—after you take care of business for the family," Nico advised. "This is Reno and the family business, not Southern Cali and the drag racing circuit. You love her, I know you do, but she has to accept the fact that she won't always get top billing in your life. If she can't understand that, then she's not the one for you."
At the time, Dominic had very adamantly defended his relationship with Elena to his sister. After all, she had selflessly agreed to moving back to Reno so he could be closer to his family after Gianni's cancer was diagnosed. Dominic had relocated his crew to Northern Nevada and it was business as usual for the group of hijackers and life with Elena hadn't been all that different than when they had lived in Los Angeles.
Now, after the murder of his former brother-in-law Rocco Agnello, the pressure was on Dominic to prove he was the next logical choice for leading the organization that bore his family's name. The decree that he was to give up running his small crew in order to learn from Jimmy and Nico the daily operations of the multi-million dollar empire had been handed down by his own father. With 99% percent of his time devoted to learning the business, Dominic had been spending more and more time away from the three-bedroom luxury condo he shared with Elena and apparently she had had enough.
Instead of partying with friends with her man by her side at a downtown nightclub, Elena had been stood up just one time too many. Upon his return to their apartment, Dom discovered that Elena had changed the entry code, locking him out yet again. And no amount of cajoling or promises on his part to be more considerate could convince her to open the door.
"Vhat you do to make next time different, Dominic?!" she shrilled at him through the door.
"Come on, babe," Dominic banged a futile fist on the heavy and ornate oak door. "I've never broken a promise to you before we moved back to Reno. And it's not like I'm cheating on ya or anything. I'm working, learning the family business. Come on, open up."
A litany of Russian curse words he didn't understand assaulted him as Dom leaned his forehead against the door.
"Cheating I handle!" Elena yelled in a heavy-accented voice. "I know how to fight other woman for my man, but how, Dominic, how I fight against all your family? I try, I lose. I don't try, I still lose. Just go!"
"Go?! This is my house!" Dom barked, but quickly took a step back to reassess his current predicament. After taking a deep breath, he started again, "Elena, baby, this is our home. It's just taking me a minute to wrap my head around all the shit I need to know before taking over for my father. I can't do this without you. I need you, baby."
Silence greeted Dominic from the other side of the door. For about fifteen seconds he was sure that Elena had walked away, leaving him to plead his case to the enormous door keeping him from his home and his woman.
"I need time to think," Elena finally spoke, in a considerably calmer and subdued tone. "To your family, I am just Russian girlfriend. To your mother especially I am whore. Only Italian wife matters."
"That's not true, Elena," Dominic started but Elena wasn't convinced by the lack of indignation in his voice.
"Is true," she insisted. "I don't care vhat they think, but now you treat me like whore too."
Dominic ran his dominant hand over the stubble on his chin to distract himself from pulling his Glock and shooting the keypad off the door. Apparently, whisking her away from a life as a showgirl at a low-rent Reno casino and giving her a life of luxury is what passed for him treating her like a whore.
"Show me I matter as much as family, Dominic," Elena stated. "Or I go."
Dominic did a double take. "Go? Go where?"
"Los Angeles, but tonight, you go! Sleep in your precious office!" This time, Dominic could hear the clip-clopping of her heeled slippers as she retreated into the large apartment and back to their bedroom, leaving him once again homeless for the night.
Which was why he was currently pulling into the driveway of Nico's house at such an ungodly hour only to discover that his favorite big sister was entertaining.
Dominic's eyes narrowed as he pulled his Persimmon-colored Lamborghini Aventador into the driveway, taking great care to park it directly behind the motorcycle that was blocking the entrance of the second garage. Getting out of his car, he slammed the door shut and made his way over to the Harley.
"Son of a bitch," he murmured to himself, his eyebrow rising with very little surprise as he noted the familiar-looking Reaper etched onto the gas tank with "SOA" in bold letters underneath it. "What fucked up shit are you up to, Nico?" he questioned aloud as he nudged the front tire with the toe of his black tasseled Bruno Magli loafers.
Taking a look at his Rolex, Dominic snorted. At nearly half past two in the morning, he had to figure that whatever biker was currently in residence had not rolled up to his sister's house in order to collect a damn vig.
"Jesus Christ!" Dominic cursed as he ran a hand over the five o'clock shadow on his face and chin. "Isn't thirty-five too young for a mid-life fuckin' crisis?"
It was one thing having to eat crow by making amends with SAMCRO for his crew's botched hijacking of a shipment under their protection. It was another thing altogether for Nico to troll skid row for the biker that had nearly killed a member of his crew. There was absolutely no doubt in Dominic's mind as to exactly whom that Harley parked in his spot belonged to.
"Bald-headed, tattooed-freak motherfucker!" Dominic cursed viciously, almost tempted to knock the Harley over on its side. Almost. Suicidal he wasn't, after all.
Besides, better than anyone in their family, Dominic knew that his big sister had every right to move on with her life after the divorce and, especially now, after Rocco's death. It was a secret to no one that their relationship had been more of an arranged marriage than a love connection. The fact that it had lasted as long as it had was a testament of Nico's devotion and loyalty not only to their father, but to the entire Torelli organization.
Shoving his hands into the pocket of his slacks, Dominic briefly thought about the man he had called brother but considered his best friend. As much as he owed Rocco for encouraging him and financing his desire for a crew of his own, Dominic couldn't ignore all that had come to light after his—according to the mounting evidence—well-deserved death. Only after Rocco was no longer around for Dominic to pound into dust did Uncle Jimmy finally decide to share why his ever-dutiful sister had brought shame on the family (according to their mother) by being the first in two generations to seek a divorce.
Little did Rosanna know that illegal gambling and snorting cocaine by the kilo was just the tip of the iceberg. Underage prostitutes, the product of human trafficking, had been a particular (and peculiar) weakness of Rocco's, and something Nico could not abide, no matter how much she loved her family. The fact of that matter was that it had been a small miracle that she had stayed in the marriage for as long as she had. Had his nephew Tonio not been a part of the mix, it was likely that Nico would have killed Rocco herself, if he believed his sister capable of such a thing.
Making his way up the steps, Dominic conceded to himself that if Nico wanted to put a bad marriage behind her by getting plowed by some dirty biker, then so be it. It was no one's business but her own.
Unless, of course, said dirty biker steps out of line. Dominic nodded to himself as he punched in his own code on the keypad. Then it becomes Family business as well.
Humming under her breath, Nico was hard pressed not to giggle like a teenage girl. As it was, she was practically skipping around her kitchen as she searched the contents of her refrigerator and cabinets, pulling whatever seemed interesting and discarding one item before choosing another. The muted lights of the kitchen cast bright shadows on the gleaming appliances and the marble-tiled floor of the room that was Nico's pride and joy.
A stereotype it may be, but the heart of any Italian home was indeed the hearth and in spite of it feeling like a bribe, the kitchen had completely won Nico over when her father had gifted the house to her and Rocco as a wedding gift. Although Rocco would have preferred a bigger house farther away from her parents, Nico had accepted the house with as much enthusiasm as she could muster for her upcoming marriage and, over the years, had managed to turn the micro-mansion into a home for her and her son. Thankfully, Rocco had no issue with her desire to live a life that was often separate from his and for the most part left her alone. To the outside world, however, Nico remained the ever dutiful wife and the kitchen was, aside from the boardroom, where she felt most at home. There was something therapeutic and satisfying about creating a meal for the people she loved with her own hands.
With its own informal dining room where her family would sometimes gather for Sunday dinner, the kitchen was enormous. The island in the middle of the room was extra long and wide and was beautifully crafted from a large slab of marble that her father Gianni had imported from Italy. Boasting its own sink, the island provided a work-space big enough for when Nico was in the mood to make her own pasta or when it was her turn to host a gathering of the women in her family during tomato canning season. Tonight, however, the cold stone counter was being utilized to put together a tray of gourmet snacks to take back to the hungry beast currently in her bed.
For a brief moment, thoughts of Happy made Nico stop what she was doing in order to take a deep breath. Leaning against the counter, Nico realized just how achy and sore the last several hours with SAMCRO's SAA had actually made her. In spite of the flecks of gray she had spotted in the stubble on his chin, Happy was a man with serious stamina. Actually, in retrospect, Nico had to admit that he was more than a little demanding.
Although she took care of herself and exercised several times a week, at first she had been somewhat hard-pressed trying to keep up with him. Eventually, however, the cardio circuit her personal trainer had developed for her had finally kicked in. Not only was Nico able to match the animal that was Happy in the sack, but he had been the one to call a time-out, claiming his dick was sore. The truth, Nico noted with a self-satisfied smirk, was that she had finally managed to knock the wind out of him. Considering her experience, that was something to be proud of.
When it came to the practice of law and business management, Nico took a back seat to no one, not even in the male-dominated world of organized crime. As Consigliere for the Torelli Syndicate, she was extremely confident in her skills and had the education and experience to back her shit up. In her private life, however, Rocco had been the one to call the shots when it came to their bedroom activities. A virgin on her wedding night, Nico's vanilla sex life revolved around what Rocco wanted and would allow to happen in the confines of their marriage bed. As Nico would later find out, Rocco reserved his "A"-game for the favorite mistresses and whores he had scattered as far as New York City. Over the years, Nico learned to live with her repressed sexual needs, channeling that energy into her work and in raising her son instead.
Now, Happy Lowman was a horse of a different color. The biker, she learned rather quickly, was many shades of kinky and the things that her husband would have considered taboo were routine with Happy. It was quite clear that Happy preferred that his bed-mates be active participants, so even though he had her bending and pulling in ways she never thought possible before meeting him, Nico had enjoyed every minute of it. And in spite of Happy being the one in control during their encounters, which was how he preferred it, Nico quickly found herself making demands of her own that Happy—SUPRISE!—was more than willing to accommodate.
After being trapped in a loveless marriage for 16 years, it was liberating to know that the outlaw biker came with no strings attached. To Nico, romance was overrated and, as far as she could tell, Happy felt the same way. With neither one too keen on muddying up their dirty lovin' with no romance, it was a mutually satisfying, if not temporary, situation for the two of them. Running out of excuses to see each other, it was bound to come to an end unless Jax Teller accepted her offer, something she was still waiting for word on.
Shaking off her thoughts, Nico made her way back to the massive stainless steel refrigerator and pulled open its French doors. Bending down to rustle through its contents, Nico made a mental note to thank her housekeeper for stocking up on all her favorites. Grabbing a jar of olives stuffed with Italian tuna, Nico turned and let out a piercing scream as she clutched the jar to her chest.
Halfway down the stairs at the back of the house, Happy tensed as he heard what was to his trained ear a woman's panicked screech as it barely echoed in the staircase. Turning to take the stairs three at a time, the biker raced back to the master bedroom to grab his gun still in its holster before running back down the way he had come.
Wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers, Happy quickly but stealthily made his way down the curved stairway, his arm extended at his side as his thumb silently released the safety on his trusty Glock. Doing a quick check behind him, Happy's eyes glittered dangerously in the semi-darkness as he realized that in spite of the fancy security system, some douche bag with shit for brains had successfully breached Tiny's safe haven. Getting past such high tech security was no small feat. Unfortunately, their timing was off and their one big mistake was doing so while he was in residence.
Fuckin' and killing shit, my two favorite past times, Happy smirked to himself as his bare foot hit the landing.
So it was with great surprise, as he edged his way out onto the first floor and into the kitchen, that he spotted Nico walloping her intruder upside the head.
"Jesus, Dom! Why the fuck would you sneak up on me like that?!" Nico chastised her brother as she continued pummeling his shoulder with her balled up fist.
"Looks like someone forgot how to knock first," Happy muttered sourly as he clicked the safety back on his gun.
"He's just lucky I got rid of that damn Rottweiler after he ate my sister's Chihuahua," Nico retorted as she turned and saw Happy and his hand cannon. "Well, hey there, outlaw," she grinned as she sashayed her way over to him. "Were you ready to bust a cap in someone's ass for little ol' me?"
"Yeah," Happy muttered, grabbing Nico around the waist and pulling her into his side. "Still can, if you want me to," he scowled menacingly at Dominic Torelli. "Especially if little brother's gonna give me some shit for being here."
Dom crossed his muscled arms over his broad chest as he eyed the older man. As he had suspected, it was the same biker that had patted down Nico and then tried putting the moves on her during their visit to Charming. "I think sis here will agree that seeing her naked ass in what I'm assuming is your cheap ass t-shirt is punishment enough," he said sarcastically. "And I have no shit to give as even Ray Charles can see that you're an invited guest."
"Good, 'cause it's none of your damn business anyway," Happy retorted rudely.
Noting the challenge in the biker's comment and her brother's suddenly tense shoulders, Nico quickly interjected. "Of all of my siblings, Dom's the only one with enough respect for me not to get involved in my personal life, which I truly appreciate." She watched as her brother turned and made his way to the utensil drawer and grabbed a bottle opener before heading to the refrigerator.
Pulling out a bottle of his favorite beer that Nico always kept in stock for him, Dom popped the top and drained it half dry. "There's that . . . plus the fact that Nico knows how to handle herself. Step out of line with her and what she leaves behind won't be identifiable as human," he said knowingly.
"I doubt that," Happy replied with a sardonic smirk. "Tiny couldn't get rid of me if she tried."
Sensing a double meaning behind his words, Nico caught herself about to grin like a big ol' doofus as she realized how much she liked the sound of that. Quickly clearing her throat, she decided to cut this impromptu gathering short as her plans for the night did not include getting caught in the middle of a scuffle between her little brother and biker lover.
"You must really like my beer," Nico addressed Dom. "Or I have Elena to thank for you almost literally scaring the shit out of me." She watched as her brother shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, well, must be that time of the month again," he replied cheekily.
"She should really get that checked out then because it's been 'that time of the month' for weeks now," Nico said snarkily. "Well, you know the drill. As usual, there are clean sheets on the bed and clean towels in the guest bathroom," she said pointedly.
"I guess that's my cue to get the fuck outta Dodge," Dominic replied.
"Your timing sucks, but you ain't as dumb as you look," Happy retorted as Nico rubbed her suddenly-aching forehead, practically pleading with her eyes for Dominic to leave the room.
With a grimace that looked like a snarl directed at Happy, Dom grabbed another beer and scooped up the jar of olives that Nico had placed on the counter. "See you in the morning," he said before making his way up the back staircase.
"I sure hope not," she muttered before turning to Happy, who nodded at Dominic's retreating form.
"He make a habit of crashing at your place?" he asked.
"Only when he fights with his girlfriend, which lately, yeah, has become somewhat of a habit," she grinned as wrapped her arms around his neck. "You sure do move pretty fast there, Hap. It must have been like a minute after Dom scared the life out of me before you came a running."
"I can handle my shit," Happy smirked with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows.
"So I've seen."
Quickly switching gears, Happy all but blurted out, "He didn't seem too surprised finding me here. He used to dropping by and catching you in a stranger's cheap ass t-shirt?"
"No, of course not," Nico replied quickly and adamantly and cursed under her breath as she realized just how telling her reaction actually was. Looking up, she could see that it had registered with the biker as well, if the self-satisfied smirk he was wearing was anything to go by. "Don't go getting too full of yourself now, killer. I've been way too busy to properly celebrate my newly-single status. I have every intention of purging my ex-husband's memory by re-christening every room in this house as soon as I can."
"With baby brother chaperoning, things might get a little awkward at the breakfast table come morning, but I'm game," Happy replied. "I have some shit in mind we can do in that big ass bathroom of yours."
Nico grinned and in one smooth motion jumped up, allowing Happy to catch her around her waist as she wrapped her legs around his. "Bathroom sex, huh? That might be a first for me, but I thought you were hungry," she nodded at the tray that she had stacked with treats.
"That shit can wait," Happy said as he turned and headed back up the stairs. "We got all night."
Nico grinned before boldly taking his mouth in a deep kiss.
All night indeed!
"Hmmm," a sleeping Nico murmured as she snuggled herself deep into the thick comforter.
The bright rays of morning sunshine streaming through the large bay windows were moving steadily across the room until finally reaching Nico's side of the bed, warming her half-burrowed face. Rubbing her sleep-filled eyes, Nico smiled as she caught sight of the gorgeous blue and cloudless sky. It was only right that she should be greeted by such a beautiful day after the fan-freakin-tastic night she had enjoyed. With thoughts of waking the man who had made it possible with a well-deserved blow job broadening her smile and making her cheeks ache along with the rest of her, Nico rolled over to catch an eyeful of her sleeping lover.
And found the bed empty.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, now fully awake.
Hoping that Happy was just making use of her bathroom facilities, Nico sat up and frowned as her eyes landed on one of the upholstered chairs in her bedroom's sitting area. Her heart sank a little as she took note of the biker's missing clothes, kutte and boots. Flipping back the covers, Nico scampered out of bed to grab her robe from the other chair to cover her nakedness. Struggling to get it on as she peered through the window, Nico muttered to herself as she realized that the desert palms dotting her property obstructed the view of the driveway.
Crossing the room, she grabbed the television remote on her nightstand and turned on the large flat screen that hung on the wall opposite her bed. Flipping to the channel for the closed-circuit security cameras, Nico nearly stamped her foot as the view of the garage and driveway flicked onto the screen confirming that Happy's bike was indeed gone.
"Fuck!" she cursed. Crossing her arms over her chest with a petulant look on her face, she realized that the outlaw was finally paying her back for ducking out on him. Twice. "Asshole," Nico muttered as she ran her hands through her seriously twisted bed head. "I wasn't done with you yet."
Letting out a deep sigh of resignation, Nico stepped over the remains of the tray of food they had finally managed to consume just after dawn and entered the bathroom. Stripping off her bathrobe, Nico headed towards the glass encased shower but stopped short, the image of Happy fucking her from behind in the midst of the warm waterfall provided by the five separate shower heads flashing before her eyes.
"Damn, he's ruined the shower for me too," she grumbled.
Opting for a nice soak instead, Nico walked over to the large marble bath tub and turned on the gleaming faucets before dumping a generous amount of expensive bath salts into the steaming hot water. As she waited for the tub to fill, she took care of other, more pressing morning tasks, such as relieving herself and brushing her teeth. When ready, Nico finally eased herself into the tub. Using a remote to turn on the concealed sound system, Nico laid her head back on the bath pillow and with a breathy sigh, closed her eyes and waited for the hot scented water to work its magic on her extremely sore muscles.
Although trying to convince herself that she wasn't in the least bit trying to romanticize last night's encounter, Nico was more than a little peeved at Happy for ducking out on her. Subconsciously, she had actually hoped that he might consider hanging around for a day or two before heading back to California. Anticipating a lazy morning in bed with the biker, she had even considered showing off her kitchen skills, which Happy seemed to doubt she possessed, by making him breakfast.
His loss, she thought. However, remembering Dom, her other overnight guest, Nico figured it was all for the best after all. It was fun while it lasted.
After nearly an hour in the tub, Nico finally managed to drag herself out and finished her morning toilette. After throwing on a pair of designer yoga pants and a fitted tee, she made her way downstairs to find her brother sitting at the kitchen island scarfing down a bowl of cereal. Wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a white tank top probably left behind after his last sleepover, Dom was thumbing through the local newspaper.
"Heh, look who's doing the Walk of Shame," he taunted without looking up from the paper.
Stopping in front of the counter where a percolator of fresh coffee sat, Nico turned and placed a hand on a cocked hip. "I prefer calling it the 'Stride of Pride', little brother," she teased as Dom rolled his eyes dramatically. "That's right," Nico did a little shimmy before rolling her hips while moving her arms in front of her in a circle, her interpretation of the Cabbage Patch which never failed to embarrass her son Tonio. "I got awesomely laid last night while you were hugging the pillows in my guest room all by your lonesome, so eat your heart out."
"Jesus Christ, Nico!" Dom blurted as he feigned feeling nauseous. "I'm tryin' to eat here!"
Laughing, Nico grabbed a mug and filled it with rich, dark coffee before perching herself on the pub chair next to her brother. "So," she started, taking several sips from her mug before continuing. "What did you do to piss Elena off again?"
Dom flashed her with a look of indignant exasperation that only their mother fell for. "Why would you automatically assume I did something?"
"One, because I know men and men are pigs. In particular, I know you and you can be a bit of an asshole sometimes," Nico explained as her brother gave her a dead-eye glare. "And two, I'm giving Elena the benefit of the doubt, even though I'm pretty sure I know why she put you out on your ass again."
"What the fuck is wrong with you women, huh?" Dom asked soberly. "You need to come with a frickin' manual or something, but I know there ain't a man alive on Earth that can write that shit 'cause women are straight up crazy."
"Aww, poor baby," Nico crooned as she rubbed his bald head. "She got you by the short and curlies?"
"Practically," he replied irritably. "She's not happy and is threatening to go back to LA."
It was a struggle, but Nico managed to contain the exaggerated eye roll she felt coming on. Let her, she wanted to blurt out, but didn't. Although she questioned Elena's feelings for her brother, Nico knew that Dom deeply loved the former exotic dancer. Unlike her sisters, Nico refused to jump on their mother's "Dump the Russian Gold-digger" campaign train.
"Look, I'm not one to sympathize with Elena. I know how important it is to Dad that you, his only son, be the one to take over for him, but it's not always going to be like this, Dom," Nico started. "Right now, you're devoting 90% of your time to the family business and that's how it should be. You are the new face of the Syndicate and you need get out there and let everyone know you're in charge. Until you find the right balance between your duties to the Family and your love life, you need a way to buy yourself some time with Elena."
Dom chuckled bitterly. "How? By making even more promises I have no time whatsoever to keep? That well of good intentions has run the fuck dry."
Releasing her mug, Nico raised her hand and slapped her brother on the back of the head. "How dense are you? Did you not learn one fucking thing from watching Dad handle Ma and her bat-shit craziness? Buy. Her. Something!" Nico advised adamantly. "Reach into those newly-deep pockets of yours and buy her something that will shut her up for a minute."
Dom shook his head in disappointment at his sister. "So you think she's a gold-digger too?"
"That's not what I said, asshole," Nico chastised. "This situation with Elena can have a detrimental effect on your transition to power whether you realize it or not, understand? So stop hearing me with your fucking emotions and start listening to me as counselor for the Syndicate. Shit will go a lot smoother for you once you learn the difference, alright?" she advised.
Sitting back in his chair with his right arm draped over the back, Dom stared at his sister as if she had just fallen out of a plane and landed on her feet. "You talk like this to Dad, too?" he asked bewildered.
"All the fucking time," Nico replied candidly. "So get used to it."
Shaking his head, Dom finally cracked a smile. "Okay, Executive VP of Ball-Busting, what do you suggest?"
"It's simple," Nico started, before pointing a finger at her brother. "And if you weren't a man, you'd understand. Elena is feeling neglected and unimportant, so buy her something that shows you put a lot of heart and thought into it because you love her. At the moment, she can't have her man's undivided attention, but diamonds are a girl's best friend and will always do in a pinch."
"Are you fuckin' kidding me right now?!" Dom laughed. "That's your sage advice, a cliché?"
"It's only a cliché because it's true," Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders as she picked up her mug of coffee and brought it to her lips. "It never failed Dad and you know Ma has enough diamonds to open her own DeBeers showroom."
Recalling all the times his mother threatened to have Gianni's balls on a platter, yet never seeing them fight or exchange harsh words gave Dom pause. Maybe Nico's right.
"So," he started slowly, trying not to seem too eager to take her advice. "If I did want to get her something, what do you recommend? Like a tennis bracelet?"
Nico cocked a sardonic eyebrow at her brother. "And you have the nerve to accuse me of tossing around clichés? You know what, forget it," she declared. "I'll take care of it. I'll give Dad's personal buyer a call and have him pick out something nice, okay?"
Dom suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Nico. "Since you've been working for the Syndicate, how many of Dad's gifts to Ma did he actually pick out himself?"
"None," Nico replied with a smirk. "Dad's motto has always been 'happy wife, happy life.' The 'how' wasn't important as long as the result was always the same and as his consigliere, I make sure shit always lands right side up."
Dom laughed. "Does Ma know?"
"God forbid!" Nico exclaimed. "And if she finds out, I'll know you told her, so please, don't make yourself into a problem I have to fix."
"Pfft!" Dom waved away Nico's playful threat. "You know you can't whack a Don without a unanimous vote by the Underbosses."
Pushing thoughts of her hand in her ex-husband's unsanctioned demise to the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind, Nico laughed. "Absolutely, but you ain't the Don yet, twerp. Just keep focused and let me worry about your personal life."
Dom pushed away his half-eaten bowl of cereal and eyed his sister. "Speaking of personal lives, you know I don't normally get involved in yours—"
"And we're keeping it that way, right?" Nico interrupted.
"Normally, I wouldn't," Dom nodded. "But you bangin' biker scum ain't normal, Nic."
"You don't know him well enough to call him scum, Dom," Nico started defensively. "How about giving me the same courtesy I give you regarding Elena?"
"You can't compare him to Elena," Dom replied somewhat affronted. "I love her—whoa! What the fuck, Nico?! You in love with that asshole?!"
"Hey!" Nico exclaimed, ignoring the fact that her heart rate had accelerated exponentially at the mere mention of Happy and love in the same sentence. "Does love automatically have to be part of the equation when it comes to a single woman having sex? Without it, I'm the Whore of Babylon?!"
"I would never call you a whore—"
"Maybe not, but just now, I'm sure you were marinating on it," she insisted. Opening her mouth to continue, Nico suddenly found herself with lips puckered up like a fish as Dom grabbed her cheeks in one hand in an effort to focus her attention on what he had to say.
"I'm not judging you for getting your groove back, Stella," Dom started. "I'm just questioning the wisdom of doing it with that douchebag and in your own house too. I hope you made sure nothing's missing 'cause I saw your 'friend' practically tip-toeing it the fuck outta here early this morning."
Nico placed a hand on his arm, gently pushing it away and releasing her face from his death grip. "Trust me," she started as she massaged feeling back into her cheeks with the tips of her fingers. "It's not that serious and I have it under control."
"So she said shortly before her hacked up body was found in a suitcase on the side of the road by joggers," Dom said as if reading it from the newspaper opened in front of him.
"Such a fucking drama queen!" Nico rolled her eyes. "Taking lessons from Gia, I see." Just then, loud chiming echoed though the house, indicating someone's presence at her front door. "Who the hell?" she muttered before thoughts of Happy maybe having a change of heart invaded her mind. Practically falling out of her chair, she dashed to the wall by the refrigerator and tapped on the security touch screen. Dom raised an alarmed eyebrow as he watched her face blanch.
"Who is it?" he said with concern as he stood up ready to do battle.
Nico flipped her hair over her shoulders as she eyed him with slight apprehension. "It's the attack of Ma's clones!"
"Fuck! Sorry, Nic," Dom said as he turned to head for the stairs. "But you're on your own with that shit."
"Don't you dare leave me!" she practically shrieked. "It's always been us against them, little brother. You can't bail on me now!"
Cursing himself for his loyalty to Nico, Dom reluctantly turned back and hovered behind her as she watched the figures on the screen. "Don't answer and maybe they'll go away," he suggested hopefully.
Praying that he was right, Nico bit her lip and focused on the two women on the small screen. She winced as she heard the doorbell chime again and knew they were digging in their designer heels and waiting her out. Gingerly pressing the intercom button, she eavesdropped on her sisters.
"Don't stop, Donnie. Nico's home. She's just playing possum." Nico and Dom heard Gianna say petulantly. "Besides, Dom's car is parked out front."
"Really, Dom?! Why didn't you park in the garage last night?" Nico muttered through gritted teeth as she turned to glare at her brother.
"Because your boy toy was blocking the fuckin' door with his ride," Dom shot back. "Look, they know we're here. Might as well let 'em in." Returning to his seat, Dom sat down to finish his cereal as the doorbell continued to chime relentlessly. "Open the damn door and stop that god awful chiming already, will ya?" he complained through a mouthful of cereal.
"Fine!" Nico stamped her foot with each number she punched into the keypad, finally allowing entry to her two annoying older sisters. "God, had I known this was coming down on my ass this morning, I might have drowned myself in the tub."
"I might have taken a cue from your boyfriend and hit the bricks as soon as my ass rolled out of bed," Dom agreed, ignoring Nico's indignant glare as they heard the clicking of high heels on the polished hardwood floor.
"Where are you two?" Donatella yelled.
"In the kitchen!" Nico called out. Running her fingers through her hair, Nico turned in time to face her sisters as they barreled past the dining area. Always impeccably dressed, it surprised no one that the two women looked ready for lunch at an upscale restaurant this early in the morning.
Donatella, the oldest at 42, carelessly tossed her long and curly hair away from her face. At 5'8, Donnie-as everyone in the family called her-lived on a perpetual diet in an effort to lose the last 10 pounds of the pregnancy weight she had gained five years ago. Long-legged and permanently tanned thanks to her year-round membership at a trendy tanning salon, Donatella still managed to retain a youthful complexion and supple skin. Dressed in a chic white Armani pantsuit, and strappy red heels, she looked more runway ready than soccer mom.
Her younger cohort (and life-long partner-in-crime) Gianna was dressed in head to toe Dolce & Gabana. The long-sleeved black and yellow dress clung to her generous curves, including her recently sprouted baby bump. Also 5'8 and 39 years old, the faux redhead was a younger, softer version of their mother. Gia was also the currently reigning winner in the never-ending favorite daughter contest, having conceived Rosanna's soon-to-be tenth grandchild and squeaking past Donnie to snag the title.
Only three years apart, Donatella and Gianna were as close as twins and the best of friends, serving as each other's Maid of Honor in their respective weddings. As disciples of Rosanna Torelli's strongly held views of what made a proper Italian housewife, neither of them could make head nor tails of their younger, more independent and obviously touched in the head sister, even if they loved her to pieces.
At the moment, however, neither of them was at all happy with the sight before them.
Gianna tsked as Donatella shook her head in disapproval as they checked out Nico's morning ensemble. "Oh my Gawd, Nico," Donatella drawled. "What the hell are you wearing? You look like you're heading down to Torelli Waste Management to start a shift as a garbage collector!"
"That's not fair, Donnie," Gianna said as she walked around her younger sister, eyeing her up and down caustically. "The uniforms those men wear are custom made. The garbage collectors on Daddy's payroll at least take pride in how they present themselves."
Nico gave Gianna the hairy eyeball as Dom nearly choked on his cereal. "Gee, thanks for sticking up for me, Gia," she groused. "With you in my corner, who needs enemies?"
"I'm only giving you constructive criticism, which is what Ma would do if she were here," Gianna replied. Bending down, her 3" heels giving her an additional height advantage over Nico, Gianna air kissed her little sister on both cheeks to avoid smearing her perfectly applied makeup.
"Except Gia does it out of love," Dom teased, prompting Nico to stick her tongue out at him. It never failed. Not five minutes around her siblings and Nico, a high-powered mob lawyer, found herself regressing 25 years.
"Hey, Dom, get me a bowl of that cereal," Gianna suddenly demanded. "I'm hungry."
"You're always fuckin' hungry 'cause you're always fuckin' pregnant," he replied as he got up to grab another bowl and a spoon. "Don't you and Enzo know anything about birth control?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth around the baby," Gianna cradled her stomach fondly. "She can hear you."
"Oh Christ Almighty, please help me," Nico muttered under her breath.
"Oh hush," Donatella said as she grabbed a mug and helped herself to a cup of coffee. "Gia's right. The baby's at an extremely sensitive stage right now, something you would know had you read those books I gave you when you were pregnant."
"Those books did nothing but scare the shit out of me," Nico replied.
"That was just first time jitters, Nico," Donatella responded with authority. "Had you had another kid or two, you would know that and my poor nephew wouldn't be an only child."
"Aw, come on! You really gonna start up that old shit again?" Dom moaned.
"Stop saying 'shit', you moron," Gianna said loudly as she shoveled cereal into her mouth.
"Oh, 'cause moron is so pleasant, huh?" Dom shot back.
"It's better than shit," Gianna retorted before slapping her hand over her mouth. "Stop making me say shit!" she yelped.
As the squabbling continued, Nico barely managed to keep herself from running to the nearest exit as she was sucked into its orbit. Snatching Dominic's now empty cereal bowl away from him, Donatella gave Nico the third degree on her failure to provide their little brother with proper nutritional sustenance. Nico could do nothing but watch as Donatella grabbed the kitchen apron hanging from a hook and headed for the refrigerator where she pulled out eggs, bacon and milk.
As Gianna got up to help, saying that they might as well make Dom some pancakes too, Nico quietly exited the room and headed up the stairs.
Maybe after doting on Dom's ass, they'll all leave so I can enjoy the rest of the day in peace.
She was so wrong.
Glossary
Consigliere: An adviser, especially to a crime boss.
A/N: I know, I know. It's been a really long time. Unfortunately, I've been struggling through a serious case of writer's block. I'm not back at 100% yet so please bear with me while I try to get my muse up and running again. I want to thank everyone who has contacted me out of concern for my well being. Words can never express how much that really means to me. Your kind words and well wishes are what pushed me to finish this chapter.
On another note, as you can see, although the Torellis may seem like polar opposites of the Teller-Morrows, the two families aren't really all that different. Aside from their criminal activities, there is a lot of love and affection in both families in spite of the dysfunctional world they live in on the fringes of society. And much like Jax with Gemma, there is plenty of busy body interference for Nico to deal with.
I hope you enjoyed this little taste of Nico's family and recognize her desperate need to get a bit of a break from them, which is coming up sooner than you think! As always, reviews are welcome!.
Hugs, Harlee.
