6. TROUBLE

~ Violet ~

“So, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Damon said in that deep husky voice.

“A girl like me?” she asked back.

“Beautiful, smart, and… clearly inexperienced,”

Violet narrowed her eyes and gave him a look like she was offended.

“For your information, I’m well-qualified for this job. I’ve been working here since—”

“I wasn’t talking about the job,” Damon cut her off. His deep brown eyes pierced into hers.

“W-what are you talking about then?”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me and you look away,” his eyes darted to her lips and back to her eyes. “Why? You can’t handle a little heat?”

She let out a little gasp, unsure of what to say. Damon only smiled and leaned closer. Both his hands were up on the walls, trapping her little body in place. She looked up at him and Damon could see the fear displayed in her eyes. She was squirming and it made Damon’s blood boil. He was thoroughly enjoying this.

Damon licked his lips and his eyes turned hooded and dark. She swallowed hard and turned her face to the side as his mouth landed on the skin of her neck. He inhaled her scent and let out an appreciative sigh. This made something inside Violet’s stomach twist into knots, and she didn’t know what that was.

“D-Damon…” she breathed.

“Scream if you must,” he murmured to her skin. “And if you need me to stop, just say the word,”

Scream if I must…?

Not wasting another second, Damon’s mouth connected with the sweet spot on her neck. He kissed and sucked hard on her skin like he was about to eat her alive. Her hands raised up to push him back, but Damon grabbed them and pinned her above her head.

Damon closed the distance between their bodies and he could feel her writhing against him. She was trashing and jerking around, clearly inexperienced in terms of handling her own body. Damon trailed kisses all over her neck and jaw, and he stopped right before their lips could touch.

“Tell me, what do you want?” he whispered breathlessly.

“I don’t want you… to stop,”

Violet didn't know how these words could come out of her lips, but that was what happened. She never had a boyfriend or experienced anything like this with a guy before. This all felt foreign and new, and felt the need to experience more.

“Are you sure about that?” Damon murmured to her lips.

“Y-yes,”

He let out another smirk, that devilishly sexy smirk, and then he closed the distance between their lips. Violet’s breath hitched as their lips connected, and his lips were coaxing hers into submission. Finally, she closed her eyes and let the sensation took over. Her hands were still pinned above her head and her skin was burning with a desire she didn’t know what.

“You’ve never done this before, haven’t you?” Damon said through the kiss.

Violet could only gulp. It was too embarrassing to admit that she was an eighteen year old girl who had never kissed a boy in her life. Damon pulled away slightly and he cócked his head to the side.

“Wait, don’t tell me,” he paused for a beat before saying, “Are you a virgin?”

• RING! * RING! * RING! *

The alarm clock rang incessantly and it woke Violet straight up. Her eyes jerked open and the ceiling to her bedroom was the first thing she saw. She let out a deep sigh before turning off the alarm. It was just a dream, she thought to herself.

Getting off from the bed, Violet grabbed her clothes and she was about to head to the bathroom when she noticed the big white box sitting on her desk. A week had passed since it was delivered to her house and the purple roses that were in it were getting dry, but they were still too pretty to be thrown out. Violet stared at the roses for a second more before she shook her head and went to the bathroom.

---

Today was a day like any other day for Violet. She woke up at five in the morning, took a shower, had breakfast, and went to her shift at the coffee shop. Her dream last night was something out of the ordinary, but apart from that, her day started out normal and great. The coffee shop was always packed with people in the morning, but by the time the afternoon rolled around, the business was winding down. Violet had finished all her side duties and there weren’t any customers in sight, so Violet started looking at her phone. Something intriguing caught her attention as there was a text notification from Jesse.

Jesse Miller: Hey Vi, it’s Jesse.

Jesse Miller: Are you free tonight for dinner?

Violet couldn’t stop the smile forming on her face. A week had passed since Jesse drove her home from the police station and she was starting to forget all about this dinner thing. She didn’t think Jesse was serious about asking her out, but he was. Violet thought for a moment as her fingers hovered over the keypad, thinking of something clever to say back.

“Excuse me, can I get a cappuccino to go, please?”

In the midst of her daydreaming, she didn’t realize that a customer was waiting in front of her. Violet quickly put her phone away and looked up. There was a man dressed in a sleek black suit staring straight at her.

“One cappuccino coming right up,” she said as she worked the register with speed.

Violet was suddenly feeling nervous as she worked the coffee machine. She had never seen this man before and seeing guys in suits in downtown New Jersey wasn’t something new, but ever since her encounter with the Van Zandt clan, she could never look at guys in suits the same way again.

“Here’s your cappuccino, thank you for waiting,” Violet smiled and handed the stranger his drink.

“Thanks, keep the change,” he put down a five dollar bill and walked out with his drink.

Violet let out a sigh and pulled the money from the counter. Then she thought of her phone again and Jesse’s offer for dinner. Violet was still thinking of what to say when suddenly her phone started ringing.

Is that Jesse…?

Violet quickly pulled her phone out, and her face turned to a frown when she saw Dylan’s name on the screen. She thought about hitting the reject button, but since the coffee shop was empty anyway, she decided to take the call.

“Dylan, I’m working. What is it?”

“Vi, mom fell,” Dylan’s voice was somewhat shaking.

“What?”

“She’s in St. Jude’s right now. Can you come over?”

Violet thought for a moment that this might be a joke, but even Dylan wouldn’t pull something like this on her.

“Please, Vi,” he said again. “I don’t know what to do,”

Violet didn’t even think twice before pulling off her apron and marching to the manager’s office.

“I’ll be right there,” she said.

---

“What the hell happened?” Violet demanded as soon as she spotted Dylan sitting in the waiting room of the hospital.

“I don't know, we were at home, I was in the living room and she’s in the bathroom and she just… fell,” Dylan looked confused, tired, and scared.

Violet let out a sigh. “And what’d the doctors say?”

“They’re still running some tests, but she broke some bones and she’ll need surgery,”

“Surgery?”

“Yeah, and since mom couldn’t get on Medicaid with the Alzheimer’s, we might have to pay full price for it,”

“Well, don’t worry about money, I have some,” Violet said, referring to the 30,000 dollars in cash she received last week. She hadn’t touched any of it and it was just sitting in the bank. “I can go to the ATM right now and give it to you,”

Dylan sighed and shook his head “We’re gonna need a lot more than that, Vi. Not to mention the medication, doctor check ups, and mom might need physical therapy,”

Dylan put a hand over his head and started raking his hair in frustration. Violet let out a deep breath and took a seat next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out, I promise,” she said reassuringly, though she herself didn’t know how they could pull through this. “When can we see her?”

“As soon as she’s out of surgery. The nurse says it’ll probably take another hour,”

Violet nodded and sat back on the chair. Dylan turned his head to the side and Violet noticed his eyes were getting glassy.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” she said, but Dylan only stayed quiet, staring out the window.

Violet threw her gaze at the hospital walls and her mind started to wander. Depending on the severity, this surgery could cost them twenty to thirty thousand dollars at least. Add the medication, physical therapy, and other expenses, it might come down to 100,000 dollars in total. Their family could barely afford a normal life, let alone this.

We’re gonna need a miracle to get through this one, she thought to herself.

And suddenly, as if her prayers were being answered, a man dressed in a sleek black suit stepped up in front of her. He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, and his long brunette hair was neatly tied back. Violet saw his face and he looked somewhat familiar. The man also smiled at her, but his gaze was mostly focused on Dylan.

“Dylan Carvey?” he asked.

Dylan turned his head instinctively and narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you?” he asked back.

“We’ve met briefly at The Union a week ago,” the man stretched out his hand to Dylan. “I’m Adrian Luciano, the consigliore to Mr. Van Zandt,”

Dylan didn't think twice before shaking the man’s hand and he quickly got up to his feet. Violet’s eyes shot up and she swallowed hard at the mention of that name. She and Dylan exchanged a worried look.

“…Okay, so why are you looking for me?” Dylan asked him, sounding polite but cautious.

“I’m sorry to bother you at such an imposing time, but Mr. Van Zandt has required a meeting with you,”

“With me?”

“Yes,”

“W-what about?”

“Just… pleasantries,” he said as if the word held a different meaning. “You’ll know more once you’ve arrived at the estate,”

The estate?

Violet and Dylan exchanged another look. The mafia’s boss consigliere had tracked Dylan down all the way to the hospital to call him out for a meeting at their estate. This must not be a normal meeting. And even though they didn’t know what it was about, this could only mean one thing for them.

This means trouble.

• • • • • To Be Continued - - - - -