HURT FOR ME

Chapter Fourteen - Bad Business

"There is no such thing as success in a bad business."

‒ Elbert Hubbard

Olivia Bennett

An annoying beam of sunlight crept through the opening of the curtains, warming the side of my face. I was so tired last night, I didn't even bother changing out of my dress. It was quite uncomfortable to sleep in but I didn't care. I don't remember much from last night after Aaron left. I just know I found myself missing him and I wanted him to come back.

The smell of waffles and bacon filled my nose as I got out of bed. I decided plaid PJ shorts and a white shirt were better for breakfast than this itchy dress. I left the dress on the floor and quickly brushed through my hair in an attempt to look halfway decent.

Natalie and Aaron were mid-conversation when I entered the kitchen. They both turned to look at me as I stood in front of the fridge, searching for orange juice.

"You guys can stop staring at me."

Natalie giggled and joined me at the refrigerator, "I wasn't staring," She said matter-of-factly. "I can't say the same for Aaron, though." I turned to find him staring me down with an annoyingly handsome smirk on his face.

"Can I help you?" I asked sarcastically. Natalie disappeared around the corner, saying something about a phone call.

Aaron walked around the island in the center of the kitchen and stood directly behind me, pressing his body against mine. I gripped the handle on the door and sucked in a breath, waiting for his next move.

"Yeah, you can," He whispered into my ear. His breath grazed my neck, sending a line of goosebumps down my spine. "You can move out of my way so I can get the butter."

I rolled my eyes and his hand wrapped around my curls, "And you can stop rolling your eyes at me." My body tensed under his touch and my balance became unsteady. I wasn't sure how he could always tell when I rolled my eyes, even when I wasn't looking at him.

"Apologize." His grip tightened slightly, pulling my head back.

"I'm sorry." I wasn't actually but he didn't have to know that. I bit down on my bottom lip, waiting for him to release my hair that was bunched in his fist. After a few moments, he let me go and reached over my head for what he originally came over here for. I let out a deep breath at the loss of our contact as he walked away.

The TV was on in the living room and the sound played throughout the entire place. I flipped through the channels to find something interesting but my search was useless. I returned it to the news channel it was initially on and placed the remote on the wooden table in front of the couch.

I made my way back to the kitchen and pulled the orange juice out of the fridge. As I poured the juice into the glass, a blonde reporter mentioned the rivalry between the most known mafias in Seattle. I didn't know very much about them aside from the fact it was made up of two high-class families, the Accardi and Caruso family. My eyes flickered to Aaron at the mention of bad business between the two of them as I sipped on my juice.

He shook his head, "I have nothing to do with that." I returned my attention to the reporter and she continued on with the story.

"Johnathan Bennett, a 56-year-old Seattle resident, was found dead outside of the Caruso family-owned nightclub."

The glass in my hand nearly slipped at the mention of my uncle. He was found dead outside of Caruso's club, but Aaron said he has nothing to do with them. My eyes were back on his, waiting for him to say anything.

"They'll suspect it was a drug deal gone wrong and that the Accardi's were sending a message to the Carusos," His modulated voice sent chills down my spine. He spoke as if he was familiar with all of this. I was thankful for what he did but I didn't like that it was all so comfortable for him.

"They finally got him, huh?" I turned to find Natalie standing in the kitchen again. They? I guess it was a good thing she didn't suspect Aaron but what business did my uncle have with the mafia?

I cleared my throat before speaking, "This was expected?" I questioned. She sat on the bar stool and began spreading butter across the waffles Aaron had made.

"Well, of course." She began. "Mom and dad only allowed John to stay with us to keep him away from all of that." Her hand waved through the air as she spoke. "Everyone suspected something was happening between our family and the Carusos so John had to cut all ties with them to prevent any more damage to our name."

I glanced over at Aaron and let out a quiet sigh. I assume that's why every paper and article was filled with my name when I woke up. My parents paid these people to mention something good and bright about us, otherwise, the Bennett family would just fall apart. My parents didn't care that I actually survived or woke up, they just needed to draw attention away from the fact our family had business with the Caruso family.

Natalie spun around on the bar stool before continuing, "I thought mom and dad took care of that problem but apparently not." She laughed. "Asshole got what was coming to him."

She wasn't wrong. Although what she thought happened wasn't true, he still got the fate he deserved. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask Aaron but I couldn't ask them in front of Natalie so I took another sip of my juice and settled on eating my breakfast.