Mafia Collateral: A Deal With The Devil

Target

Luca

"Where do you want this desk boss?" Pierre and Tony come barreling into my office carrying Olivia's desk with them. I had the other side of the office cleared out for her desk. I point over to where I want it, directly across from mine except twenty feet away. The room looks as if was cut in half, into sides. My side so masculine and the other side, her side completely plain except for the green paint on the walls. No pictures or posters lingering on the walls. Nothing. She wants to decorate her side then so be it.

They carried the desk through the door and over to where I want it and sat it down.

"I just want to thank you for giving me my job back, you didn't have to but it means a lot that you did." Pierre smiles gratefully at me.

"Only because she asked me to." He looks at me as if I've sprouted another head.

"Why would she do that?" He asked slowly sounding unsure.

"She has a soft spot for you, said you're far too good to be picking up dog shit." I smirk as he knits his eyebrows together.

"Why would she do that?" He asks again clearly not placing the pieces together.

"Because she's your friend and as much as I don't care what kind of job you have, she does." He simply nods but says nothing else. It bothered me seeing her dance with him and it bothered me that she seems to care so much about him but it gave me relief to know they were just friends.

"How am I going to decorate my side if I don't have access to decorations and stuff?" Olivia strutted into the office from her lunch break. She walked up to her desk and ran her fingers over the ancient wood top.

"What is it you're needing?" I ask curiously and her eyes meet mine. Those deep brown eyes....

"A lamp, picture frames, stuff for the wall nothing much really." She sighs in defeat and it pulls at my heart.

"We can go to the store?" I suggest and her eyes widen once the words leave my mouth.

"Like right now?" She beams and immediately I start nodding. If I said it didn't scare me what she could get me to agree to I'd be lying.

"Well then let's get going!" She claps her hands in a chop chop motion and before I know it I'm leading us to the garage.

"Pierre." His head snaps my way and I gesture for him to come along. I don't miss the appreciation in his eyes. I want her all to myself but learning that he is her friend may work in my favor bringing him along.

We climb into the suv and Franco starts driving us to target per her request. I've never stepped into a target but she insisted. We walk into the store her leading the way. We earned some stares, they are seeing a young woman followed by two men in suits it definitely turns some heads. Either she doesn't notice or she doesn't care.

We start walking up and down aisles and she touches everything she can get her hands on like a child would, touching all the shiny new toys. I watched her every move mesmerized by just her in general. She's beautiful which I've already established that and anyone with eyes can see it. She's innocent and pure so full of life. She's not tainted or damaged like everyone else in my life. She gets excited about the simplicity of things. She doesn't need flashy stuff or expensive things which is a trait that I admire. She literally squealed so loud looking at the fucking clearance rack.

"Get whatever you want. Don't worry about the price." I tell her watching as she picks stuff up looking at the tag frowning and putting it back. Even if it's something she clearly wants.

"Nonsense!" She waves her hand dismissively and keeps pushing the shopping cart further down the aisle. She grabbed a lamp and some picture frames and sat them in the basket along with some posters from what I guess are her favorite bands and a few little decorations for her desk and walls.

"Put this on!" She grabs a neon pink flowy beach hat and sits it on my head before she starts giggling making me narrow my eyes at her. She pulls her phone out and snaps a few pictures of me which would usually anger me or even annoy me but the smile on her face has me playing along.

"Oh you're so cute!" She gushes and takes even more. I want nothing more than to rip this hat off but I don't want to ruin her fun. She pulls a lime green beach hat off the shelf and places it on top of Pierre's head and starts laughing so hard she has tears in her eyes and streaming down her face.

"Get closer together!" She instructs but we each stay put both of us refusing to move.

"The sooner you do the sooner this is over!" She sings and I step closer to Pierre who takes a step closer to me at the same time.

"Smile! Duck face! Serious face! Come on boys give me more than this!" We reluctantly do as she says the bossy little thing that she is.

"Okay that's enough!" Pierre whines and tosses his hat off. I toss mine back on the shelf and she leads us towards the front of the store.

"Live Lou?!" A teenage boy came barreling down the aisle towards her and instinctively I grab her and push her behind me shielding her from this guy.

"Alonzo?!" She shrieks from over my shoulder trying to peer over but I'm easier a foot taller making it hard for her to see.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" She asks in a motherly tone and the kid rolls his eyes. Who is this kid? How does she know him?

"I had to get something for class. What are you doing here with these guys? Who are they?" He steps a little to the side trying to go around me but I put my hand up stopping him.

"You're close enough." My voice comes out hard and warning. As if Olivia could sense I was on edge she rubbed up and down my back in hopes of calming me down which surprisingly worked because I leaned into her touch.

"He won't hurt me Luca." She leans against my back and whispered in my ear her warm minty breath sent shivers down my spine. This girl is my personal form of kryptonite...

"How do you know that?" I turn my head to the side looking over my shoulder at her.

"Because he is my cousin." She smiles softly and I immediately step to the side and she pushes passed me and wraps her around the kid.

"Who is that guy? He looks like he wants to break my hands for even touching you." He whispers but loud enough for me to hear making me smirk. Oh you have no idea....

"Alonzo this is Luca Marino, Luca this is my cousin Alonzo." She gestured back and forth between us and when he hears my name his eyes widen in shock and his jaw starts opening and closing repeatedly trying to speak but no words will form.

"And this is Pierre he works for Luca." She gestured towards Pierre.

"Uhm nice to meet you guys- I mean sirs? Shit I don't know what to say-" The kid was practically sweating in his tracks.

"Nice to meet you Alonzo. Liv we have to get going." Alonzo looked back and forth between us clearly questioning but not sure of what.

"Yeah I've got to get back to school. I'll see you tomorrow night?" He asked hopeful and she just nodded answering him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She wraps her arms around him once more before they separated. We made our way to the checkout aisle and the cashier rang up everything she picked out. She glared at me when I swiped my card paying for her stuff.

"I can pay for that-" She protested.

"I know."

"I have to go to the photo center to pick up some pictures." She walked to the photo center and quickly paid for the pictures she had printed out and we left the store. The car ride back to the bunker is quiet but it's a comfortable silence.

"Thank you for buying my stuff." She whispered next to me. It wasn't much but I could tell it meant a lot to her.

"You're more than welcome Liv." I place my hand on her knee squeezing it gently. I felt my body loosen up just from making contact with her. She enjoyed it too because she scooted closer absentmindedly leaning against my body laying her head on my shoulder. I close my eye briefly inhaling her vanilla floral scent, so intoxicating, so Olivia.