Prince of Hearts Page 3

  “Hey, Jimmy.” I shook his hand. “How’s the roster looking?”

  A slow smirk tugged at his lips. “Better now you’re here. Want me to find you a spot?”

  “Nicco, this isn’t a good idea,” Matteo whispered.

  “Yeah.” I stepped forward, stretching my neck from side to side, a blast of adrenaline shooting through me. “Set it up.”

  I swear dollar signs flashed in his eyes. “The regulars have been asking when the Prince of Hearts is going to make an appearance again.”

  “Not that bullshit again,” I mumbled.

  “Heartless Prince didn’t have the same ring to it.” Deep laughter rumbled in Jimmy’s chest.

  “Fuck off, old man,” I growled. “Before I change my mind.”

  Jimmy winked before disappearing into the crowd.

  “Prince of fucking Hearts my ass.” Enzo slammed his beer down.

  “You’re just jealous you didn’t get a stage name.” Matteo smothered a grin.

  “It’s bullshit,” our cousin grumbled.

  “It’s just a nickname.” A stupid nickname Jimmy had given me the first time I’d ever stepped into the ring when I was a cocky sixteen-year-old. I didn’t need a name; everyone already knew who I was. But the people liked a show and Jimmy liked busting my balls.

  He caught my eye across the basement and gave me a thumbs up. “That’s my cue,” I said to my friends. My brothers in all the ways that counted.

  “You have nothing to prove,” Matteo said. “Tell him, Enzo. Tell him he doesn’t need to do this.”

  “Like he’ll listen.”

  “It’s cute you care.” I flashed Matteo a smug smirk. “But I need to do this.”

  “You could just call up Rayna and get her to come over.” Enzo suggested.

  And on any other night I would have.

  But not tonight.

  Tonight I needed to hurt.

  I needed to hurt until it all went away.

  Until she went away.

  Chapter 3

  Arianne

  “H oly crap.” My eyes widened at the sight of Nora staring down at me. “Creeper much?”

  “Sorry, it’s just I have a meeting at ten and you were out for the count. Since you didn’t get home before I was asleep, I wanted to...” She let the words hang between us.

  “You wanted to know all the gory details.” I sucked in a shaky breath, my fingers curling around the sheet.

  “Ari, what is it?” Concern flooded her expression. “What happened?”

  I sat up, pressing my back into the pillows. “Everything was fine. I mean, I didn’t feel the spark or anything, but Scott was polite. After dinner he took me to this party and things went downhill from there.”

  “Downhill how?” She frowned.

  “I wanted to leave. He was buzzed, so I drove his car and then he...” The words lodged in my throat as I remembered his fingers clawing at my thighs, his hot breath on my face.

  “Ari?” Nora’s voice cracked. “What did he do?”

  “N- nothing,” I breathed, forcing down the memories of his fingers clawing at my skin. “I managed to get out before he could...”

  “I’ll kill him.” She leaped up. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  “Nora, calm down.”

  “Calm down?” Her eyes almost bugged out. “Oh, I’ll calm down. After I’ve called your dad and told—”

  “No.” I shot to my knees, wincing as my tender skin brushed the sheet, and scrambled off the bed. “You can’t call my father.”

  “I most certainly can,” she seethed.

  “Nora, think about it. Scott is as good as family. He’s Tristan’s best friend. And I’m nobody.”

  Her brow quirked up at that. “You’re not nobody.”

  “I know that and you know that, but to everyone here I’m just another freshman at Montague. Besides, if my father thinks for a second that I’m in danger he’ll yank me out of here quicker than I can say no.” If he even believed me. In his eyes, Scott was a good man. An upstanding member of society.

  “So what did you do?”

  “I... I managed to get away and came straight here.” I flinched. The lies were stacking up around me.

  I don’t know why I felt so guilting lying to Nicco about my name last night. After all, it was only what everyone else believed. I was here under false pretenses, a condition to my father agreeing my enrolment at MU. I was too precious, too important, to be here under my true identity. So for all intents and purposes, I was Lina Rossi, a friend of the Capizola.

  I didn’t want to lie. It wasn’t in my nature. But some lies were worth it.

  Some lies meant my freedom.

  I’d spent so long locked away on my family’s estate. Lonely days spent watching the world beyond from the window seat in my bedroom. When I was a young girl, I’d often dreamed of a handsome prince coming to rescue me; to steal me away from my prison. Nora said it was the romantic in me, but when you had so much time to daydream, reading became an escape. I was no longer a prisoner though. I finally had some freedom and I was not about to let Scott Fascini, or anyone else for that matter, ruin it for me.

  Nora regarded me, some of her anger ebbing away. “You’re right, it’ll be the excuse he needs to end your college experience before it’s even started.” She flopped down on her bed defeated. “But what are you going to do about Scott?”

  “Nothing.” I swallowed the bile rushing up my throat. “I’m going to do nothing. Tristan and Scott are seniors. They’re going to be busy with the football team and classes. I can avoid him easily enough.”

  “I still don’t like it, Ari. He tried to...” Guilt flashed in her eyes.

  “This is not your fault. Hopefully Scott will realize I’m not the kind of girl who wants to fool around in the back of his car and turn his attention elsewhere.”

  “I heard he was hooking up with Carmen Medina over the summer.”

  “See, maybe they’ll start up again.” I could hope. Carmen and Scott had history. Messy, colorful history. She was also a family friend, but I’d never really gotten to know her. Like most of the people in my life, I knew them. I knew all about their lives and their families, but they didn’t really know me.

  They weren’t allowed to know me.

  I was the girl looking in, always on the periphery but never in the spotlight.

  Just then, a knock at the door startled us. Nora frowned, glancing back at it. “Expecting someone?” I shook my head, and she went over to it, peering through the peephole. “You have got to be freakin’ kidding me.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Scott,” she half-whispered, half-snarled.

  “Let me.” I steeled myself, grabbing a hoodie and slipping it over my thin pajama top.

  “Are you sure? I don’t like this.” My best friend gnawed her thumb while glancing between me and the door.

  “It’s fine. Maybe he came to apologize.”

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stared right at the guy I’d known almost as long as Nora. “Scott,” I said flatly.

  “Hey, Lina. I just wanted to bring this by, you left it in my car last night.” He thrust my purse at me, and my eyes narrowed.

  “That’s all you came by for?” Anger rippled up my spine. He was acting as if nothing had happened. Smiling at me in that easy way of his.

  “Did you need something else?” He turned the tables on me, the faintest smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.

  “Nope, I think I’m good.”

  His eyes went to my chest and I yanked the zipper up higher, suppressing a shudder.

  “I guess I’ll see you around then. Welcome to MU.” He gave me wicked smirk before spinning on his heel and walking away as if he hadn’t tried to force himself on me last night.

  As if it had all been a dream.

  But I was wide awake and I had the scraped knees to prove it.

  “What the hell was that?” Nora asked as I closed the door, clutching the purse t
o my chest, anger radiating through every inch of me.

  How dare he.

  How dare he act as if nothing had happened.

  “He knows I won’t say anything.”

  Nora made a hacking sound low in her throat. “Tristan would—”

  “Would he?” I arched a brow. “You know as well as I do, the two of them are practically Montague royalty.” Scott didn’t apologize because he didn’t need to apologize. He was used to girls falling at his feet. Acknowledging my rejection would be a huge dent in his reputation. Besides, nobody would ever believe I turned him down.

  “This is bullshit, you know that, right?” God, I loved Nora. She was exactly the girl I needed in my corner if I was going to survive MU. I’d been so excited about coming here, about escaping my four-walled prison. I’d underestimated just how difficult it would be being no one.

  “Don’t worry about me,” I gave her a weak smile, “I can handle it.”

  I had to.

  Because the alternative, telling my father, was not an option. Not now. Not ever.

  A look of pride washed over her. “Damn right, you can. Just wait, Ari, you’ll see. This year is going to be epic. Starting with the party tonight.”

  “Party?” My stomach dipped. “I’m not sure—”

  “Oh, hell no,” she grinned, “We missed all of orientation. So no excuses. We are doing this and we are going to have fun. It’s long overdue.”

  Fun.

  I rolled the word around on my tongue. It was unfamiliar. Full of possibilities and promise.

  It was my life now.

  And Nora was right, it was long overdue.

  MONTAGUE CAMPUS WAS beautiful. A mishmash of Gothic architecture and limestone buildings were scattered among a canvas of red leaf Maple and Oak trees. Perfectly tended lawns and evergreens filled the open spaces. But the showstopper was the Saint Lawrence Chapel, standing proud at the heart of the campus, with its pointed arches and intricate bell tower.

  “Seeing it never gets old.” Nora let out a little sigh of contentment. Being here was as much a blessing for her as it was me. Nora’s family, the Abato, had served my family for generations. Her father was my father’s driver, and her mother was our housekeeper. They lived in the cottage on our estate. Outside of immediate family, Nora and her brother, Giovanni, had been my only playmates growing up. We’d spent our summers exploring the grounds, discovering new ways to sneak beyond the perimeters. It helped there was a stream at the back of our property that flowed into the Blackstone River. We used to go down there and try to catch fish or dip our toes into the icy cold water.

  I never saw Nora as anything less than me and she never looked at me as anything more than her. We were best friends. And when my mother finally convinced my father to let me attend Montague University, I think they were both relieved I wanted Nora by my side.

  Of course, as a benefactor of the college, Roberto Capizola was able to pull enough strings to not only secure Nora’s place at MU, but to make sure his daughter and her best friend were allocated a shared dorm room.

  “Are you hungry?” Nora turned to me.

  “I could eat. Maybe we can try out the coffee shop?”

  “You read my mind.” She hooked her arm through mine as we walked toward the Student Union. “How are you feeling about classes?”

  “Nervous. I haven’t sat in a class for a long time.”

  “Like I’ve told you a hundred times before, you really didn’t miss much.” Nora flashed me a smile. “I can’t believe we only have one class together.” She tucked her head onto my shoulder.

  “You’ll live,” I chuckled. “I can’t wait for Introduction to Philosophy with Professor Mandrake. He’s one of the best in his field.”

  “And this is why we only have one class together. I like answers to my questions.”

  “Because the Sociology of Fame is so much better.” I rolled my eyes.

  “To each their own.”

  “Indeed.” Our laughter filled the air and I took a moment to appreciate this moment. Me. Nora. A wealth of possibilities before us. So maybe I couldn’t truly be myself here, but I could still soak up the fresh air; the knowledge that, for the first time in my life, I was free.

  “What?” Nora pulled away to look at me, her brows knitting together.

  “Nothing.” My lip quirked.

  “You’re finally getting it, huh?”

  I gave her a small nod, understanding passing between us.

  “Come on,” she said, taking my hand. “I might be your much poorer friend but I think I can afford to buy you coffee.”

  We entered the coffee shop only to be met with a sea of students. “Wow,” Nora breathed. “It’s... busy.”

  “It’s fine.” My eyes scanned the room for a table. “I’ll find a seat while you order?”

  “Sure.” She joined the line while I stood there, rooted to the spot. There were so many people. Friends talking over one another, trying to hold court. Couples kissing over pastries and lattes.

  Taking a deep breath, I focused on the task at hand when a deep voice said, “Lina, is that you?”

  I found Tristan across the room, sitting in among a group of people. Football players, if their jerseys were anything to go by. He waved me over and I jolted into action.

  “It is you.” He stood up, waiting for me to reach their table. “Everyone, this is my friend Lina Rossi. Lina, this is everyone.”

  God he was good at this. The lies. The façade.

  A grumble of hellos rang out around me while I lifted my hand in a small wave. I recognized a few of the guys—Tristan’s teammates—the girls not so much. One eyed me up and down as she pulled my cousin back down beside her.

  “I’m Sofia.”

  “Lina.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Freshman?”

  I nodded, aware everyone was watching our icy exchange. “Oh you might know Emilia,” she tipped her head to the pretty girl beside her, “She’s a freshman too.”

  “Are you the same Lina, Scott took out last night?” Emilia asked, jealousy glittering in her eyes.

  Heat flooded my cheeks. “I...”

  “Put your claws away, Em.” Scott appeared, slightly breathless. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair and flashed me an easy smile. “Lina is a friend,” he said without missing a beat, “I wanted to help her settle in.”

  “I bet you did.” Sofia and her friends snickered.

  “Back off, babe.” Tristan glared at her. “Lina’s family are good people.” He shot me a knowing wink.

  No one else spoke. But I was hardly surprised. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen my cousin exert his position as my father’s favorite eldest nephew.

  “Let me get you something to drink?” he asked, his eyes silently asking me more.

  Was I okay?

  Did I need anything?

  “Nora’s in line.”

  “Nora and Lina?” Sofia’s perfectly plucked brow mocked me. “Cute.”

  Emilia smothered a snicker, and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

  “Don’t be a bitch, babe.”

  Sofia ignored Tristan’s warning though, pressing herself closer to his side to whisper something in his ear. My cousin released a strained breath, desire clouding his eyes.

  I’d watched enough men to know when they were drunk, angry, or in this case, turned on. I already disliked the beautiful girl at his side, but I couldn’t deny I envied the way she handled my cousin. How she used her female prowess to command his attention and distract him from the situation at hand.

  Me.

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” I said, excusing myself before Tristan could argue. Scott caught my eye as I turned to find a table but I didn’t linger.

  I had nothing to say to him.

  Nothing good, anyway.

  A couple got up, leaving an empty table. I slid onto the soft leather couch and searched for Nora in the line. She was finally being served, thank goodness. See
ing Tristan and Scott had set me on edge. Or maybe it was Sofia and Emilia’s reaction to me. Whatever it was, my good mood was slowly dissipating.

  “Here we go, one caramel latte, extra cream.”

  “You’re the best.” I gave her a warm smile as she placed the tall glass down in front of me.

  “I see shitface is here.”

  “Nora!” I almost choked on my latte.

  “What? He deserves it. Who’s the girl?” She discreetly glanced over in their direction.

  “That would be Sofia, Tristan’s latest fling.” My cousin was a playboy. But it was okay for him. He wasn’t the heir to the Capizola empire.

  I was.

  He got to play football and attend college. To date pretty girls and get drunk at parties. He got to have the life that should have been mine. And while I loved him like a brother; a small part of me also hated him for it.

  “If she thinks he’ll keep her around, she’s sorely mistaken.”

  I shrugged. “They want to tame him.” And they always failed.

  “I don’t get it,” Nora mumbled, “the whole taming a bad boy thing.”

  “That’s because you don’t read romance.” My brows waggled.

  “Oh, please. Don’t tell me you buy into the whole notion?”

  “I don’t know.” Sitting back, I ran my finger around the glass. “There’s something poetic about the tortured hero and the girl who saves his soul.” Dark intense eyes filled my head.

  Nicco’s eyes.

  He was brooding and mysterious enough to rival any of the heroes of my favorite romance novels.

  “You need to get out more.”

  “Hey!” I protested and Nora poked her tongue out, laughter shaking her shoulders.

  “It’d be one way to stick it to your dad. Can you imagine if you went home with someone like...” Her eyes roved the coffee shop, landing on two guys over by the display counter. “Him.”

  As if he heard her, one of the guys glanced our way, his cold stare sending a shiver up my spine.

  “Sweet baby Jesus, he’s looking over here.”

  That was one way to describe it. He wasn’t looking at us. He was glaring with such intensity, the air left my lungs.