Sniping Her Mafia King

On Monday Arwen was beyond furious with Adrianu Cavallaro. She needed to shoot something, preferably him. Since he'd f****d her mercilessly in the bathroom on Saturday night, she had heard nothing from him. Nothing. Radio silence. Not a word. This was not

the kind of punishment she enjoyed. What the f**k was wrong with him?

She slammed into her office in her office, not even stopping to say hi to Norah at the front desk. She was just sitting down at her desk when her cell phone rang, and she recognized the number. "Hey Jesse. If you're calling to discuss your dickwad of a cousin, I'm not in the mood." "Well, I am but he asked me to pass along a message and this one I think you'll want to know."

"What is it?"

"He's been detained by the feds. He's been in jail since early Saturday night and was only released moments ago." Jesse paused, "his favorite fed decided to try to get him here in New York instead of Vegas."

She closed her eyes. "Are you kidding me?" A sudden release of her anger at him had her feeling strangely bereft. Now how was she supposed to feel about him? Anger was easier to manage.

"No. They tried to get him on s*x trafficking. An insider still loyal to Luca clearly thought someone else needs to be in charge and they tipped off the feds about the container we intercepted. He's going to have his hands full as he starts wiping out the men loyal to Luca because he had no idea about the container and someone in the organization should have notified him."

"Oh f**k," Arwen groaned loudly as she swallowed with the memory, "I forgot he didn't know about them."

"No and now he's on the warpath. He's been released this morning but he's now trying to locate the missing girls. He asked me if anyone had come into the women's center unexpectedly and admitted to me Luca had shipped a bunch of girls and he was scared the container was rotting on the dock. He's personally going through every single container with a Cavallaro tag on it."

"We've got them in protective custody," Arwen whispered. "He'll never find them."

"And if he can't find them, the feds won't find them. They can't charge him without evidence. He's safe from them but Jesus Christ, Arwen. I never thought my world would collide with my family's world like this." "I'm sorry, Jesse. What can I do?"

"I don't even f*****g know. Artemis, Psych-One, and I will have a meeting shortly. The funny thing is," Jesse paused, "his first instructions to me were to call you and tell you he'd been tied up, but he'd see you as soon as he could. He also said he'll give you a bit of space to keep the feds off you."

She laughed, "someone needs to tell him the feds are always on me."

"That's your story to tell, chick. Not mine." Jesse grunted. "Did you end up hooking up with him after not shooting him?"

"Went to meet a friend on Saturday night for a hook-up and guess who was also at the same bar. A million bars in New York and I happen to find the one he's in." She grimaced as she turned her computer on. "He was not impressed I was on a date." She gave a chuckle suddenly, "I think he thought I was bluffing when I told him I had a date Saturday night."

"f**k, Arwen are you dense? I told you to not make him jealous." Jesse shrieked at her on the phone. "No wonder he got into your house and why the only way he left was because you pulled a gun on him."

"Yeah, but I needed him out of my head so I thought anyone else would help."

"And did it?"

"No. The minute I sat down with the guy I knew I couldn't go home with him. Your cousin caught me in the bathroom as I was realizing I couldn't sleep with Henry."

"Did you do it the bathroom? No, don't tell me because he is my cousin. Argh, but then I need to know," Jesse was torn and laughing, "tell me you did something sordid and raunchy in the bathroom. I'll pretend it isn't my cousin."

"Yes, son of a b***h had me in the bathroom and then told me to go home and wait for him for us to finish up and then he didn't show. I just wanted to finish what we started. I need him out of my system so I can move forward. I won't play by his rules but damn he's hot."

"He's been in federal custody on suspicion of s*x trafficking since around eleven Saturday night, so you may need to give him a pass. I can't believe he still hooked up after you threatened to shoot him."

"I did too." She giggled suddenly. She caught movement in the doorway and then laughed. "Guess whose favorite FBI agent just came into my clinic. I'll call you back." She hung up her phone and hit a button which scrambled devices not encrypted with her software and looked up at the man rudely entering her office without knocking. "Agent Block Knob. Do you have a warrant?" She held up her phone and hit record. He rolled his eyes.

"I don't need a warrant to talk to you. A colleague of mine told me you're dating a mob boss." The balding man had attempted a combover and his suit jacket barely fit around his protruding gut. Arwen was certain the spot on his tie was mustard.

She played dumb. "Well, I'm not dating anyone right now but a mob boss? A real one? That's a huge accusation."

"Yes, a dangerous one. I don't think you know who you are dealing with."

"Is that so? Which one? I go on lots of dates but I'm not serious about anyone right now, so..."

"Adrianu Cavallaro."

"I know him," she nodded, "you think he's in the mafia?" she batted her eyelashes hating the man was stupidly oblivious to her clear mocking of him.

"I don't think it. I know he is, Arwen. I think you're being duped. Do you know where he is right now?"

She was suddenly over it and decided to play antagonistic. It always riled him up more. "I had dinner with him Friday night. f****d him Saturday night. Haven't seen him since. Maybe he's recuperating. I've heard I'm a lot of woman to handle." At her crass language he grimaced, "He's been in our holding cells. He's dangerous Arwen."

"And you care why?"

"Because only six of the eight men who murdered your family were ever recovered. Two could still be out there looking for revenge. You have enough on your plate without bringing in the mafia. For all you know, they hired him to find you." "I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl."

"Arwen, this isn't shooting clay pigeons at the gun range or in a competition. This is serious. He could bring you down with him. I am worried for you."

"Do you have anything on him, Agent Tiny d**k?"

"Stop with the name calling. I can't disclose information on an ongoing investigation. Just know, he eats little girls like you for breakfast."

"Actually, it was more of a late evening snack," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "He thought I was quite delicious." "Arwen."

"Agent Little Rod."

They stared at each other, him profoundly serious and Arwen grinning broadly. She looked in surprise as her phone rang and noted the name on the display. "Oh, speak of the devil! His ears must have been burning."

"Do not tell him I am here." The man's beady blue eyes were furiously warning her as she grinned mischievously.

"Hi Adrianu."

"Arwen."

She cut him off before he could say anything, "Guess what. Agent Small Pecker of the FBI is standing in my office. He thinks you're going to bring me down with you. I hope you don't mind. I told him we had s*x on Saturday. He seems quite disappointed in me." She deliberately disobeyed his demand for her silence. Addy's silence carried into the room.

"Go on Agent Small Fry, say hello to Mr. Cavallaro. I believe the reason you're in my office is because you wanted to warn me about him. Do you not have the balls enough to do it while he's on the phone?" This time the flicker of irritation came out in her words. "Arwen," Agent Croft glared at her. "Enough."

"Arwen, are you okay?" Adrianu's voice carried into the office, his voice cold and furious.

His tone made her feel even feistier than she already was. "I'm great. I mean, now I know you didn't just leave me hanging for the weekend, I'm great. I was a little pissed off earlier, but I know now it wasn't your fault," she made big eyes at the Agent in front of her. "Agent Mini Slider here checks in on me from time to time in case bad guys come get me. Someone told him we went on a date Friday night," she mock whispered into the phone. "I let him know we did so much more on Saturday."

She saw Agent Croft shake his head furiously at her his hands shaking at her warningly. She smirked back.

"What's the matter Agent Spaghetti String? Did you not want me to tell the mob boss you accused me of dating you were here to warn me off?" As the man glowered, she gasped playfully, "oops sorry Adrianu. I think I was not supposed to tell you the FBI paid me a visit, or they think you run a mafia. He came to warn me I could be in danger. Could you possibly forget I said anything?"

"No." Adrianu's word was curt.

She shrugged, "sorry Agent Littleneck Clam. He can't forget. You should leave. Also, next time you come here to see me, you need a warrant. I don't have to have friendly conversations with you. Your boss has already told you multiple times your obsession with me and my family is going to get you fired. I'll be sure to let him know when I call him to report your visit to me today how you said you were doing it out of an abundance of caution for my wellbeing."

The slamming of her office door reverberated around her, and she gave out a hearty chuckle and then looked back to the phone and grinned. "Still there, Mr. Cavallaro?" "Are you alone now?"

"I am. He's stormed out all cranky because he thought he was going to give me a surprise. He genuinely believes I'm a naïve little girl who didn't know you are a - "

"A what Arwen?" Addy's voice cut in furiously.

"A ruthless businessman with many interests from owning various hotels, like the one you're currently staying in, to resorts all over the world. I read online you also own half of Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City. Gambling is a very lucrative business. You also own a vineyard and after what I read last night, a shipping company. You're very diversified."

"An online search tells you all this?"

"It did. I might have been looking for ways to find you at work and shoot you in the balls from a distance given I thought you were messing with me Saturday night..." she let her voice trail off with a laugh.

"I can't tell if you're joking or serious," he said simply.

"Are you okay?" she changed the subject. "Jail doesn't sound fun."

"It never is fun, but I am fine. I was more annoyed to know you were probably furious with me. I've been a guest of the state a few times though I've never been formally charged."

"How are you able to stay in the US? If you're trouble, can't they just toss you?"

"I was born here. They can't kick me out of my own country. My parents were here first. Then my uncle and his wife came. My father moved back to help my grandfather and took us back with him when I was two." "Huh, I didn't know. I thought you were through and through Italian."

"Sicilian," he corrected as he laughed louder at her. "Being born American doesn't make me less Sicilian."

"What's the difference between the two? Italian and Sicilian?" She twirled in her chair curious about him.

"The language is one. What we speak on our island is different than what is spoken in Naples or Rome. The people are different, perhaps not in appearance, but more, the same way a person from Texas would say they are nothing like anyone from the Jersey Shore. We feel the same way. Different way of life. Different customs. I will bring you one day and let you see for yourself."

She was quiet as she contemplated his words. She finally whispered, "Addy, I won't kowtow to you. I won't do it. I will never bite my tongue just because you demand respect. I'm not that kind of woman. My dad was a marine. He raised me to stand up for myself. He'd roll over in his grave if I let a man disrespect me and I won't do it. If you give me motive to say something, it's coming out of my mouth."

He sighed, "in my work, cara I have a reputation to uphold. I cannot look weak by having a female be disrespectful."

"Addy, we went out on Friday evening. In the whole time, did I once embarrass you in front of your friends?"

"No."

"Because you treated me right. Treat me right and there is nothing for me to respond to which would potentially affect your reputation."

He was quiet as he considered her words.

"Look, you can think on it. I'm not backing down on this. I can leave things how we ended it in the bathroom on Saturday night or we can pick it up where we left off. I've got the monkey off my back right now so I'm good for a bit." She mocked her s****l desires, "It's in your hands now but your rule isn't one I will agree to. You either compromise or it's done. You'll have a few days to think on it as I will be out of town for a bit."

"Where are you going?"

"Boston," she shrugged not seeing the need to keep it from him. "I have a potential new client. I need to go meet with him and his team. They want me to provide a program his treatment team will be able to do remotely. He's been doing a program with a local physio and he's not progressing the way they want. They're looking for a fresh set of eyes. I'll give my two cents and be back on Wednesday."

"I will have an answer for you on Wednesday," he said suddenly.

"Sounds good," she hung up on him then, hating how her throat clogged off with emotion at his words. Why did he need a full two days to decide whether he could simply treat her right and she would reciprocate? What the hell was wrong with him? Worse, what was wrong with her she was upset by his indecisiveness. She should be telling him to pound sand and instead she was bellyaching at her desk about why he should want her enough to stop being desperately focused on his stupid reputation.

She was just starting to get into her emails when her phone rang again. She groaned as she considered she wasn't going to get any work done at all but then noticed it was Deidre. "Hey Dee, what's going on?" "Can you come get me?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Her cousin sniffling immediately had her throwing her jacket on and grabbing her bag. She motioned to Norah as she raced out the door to cancel the rest of her appointments.

"I'll tell you when you get here. I'm at the school library."

"Be there in twenty." She immediately jumped on her bike and made her way to her cousin.

Arwen pulled the bike alongside the curb and raced up the stairs to the library and went in search of her cousin. She saw her in the tiny office behind the librarian's desk. The woman at the counter waved her through. "Hey kiddo. What's going on?"

Deidre started sobbing as she looked up at Arwen. Arwen wrinkled her brow and noticed Deidre had make-up on, her foundation was plastered on thick as if trying to mask the scars and her mascara and lipstick were too bold for her face. Arwen had wanted to teach her to do make-up when she was younger and Dee had always argued against it, never wanting to wear it. For whatever reason today she was wearing it all and it was too much. She hugged her tight to her abdomen. "What happened baby?"

"I tried to do it the way Portia did it for me Saturday night, but it just came out chunky and I look like the before picture of clown academy. I just wanted him to notice me. He always looks right past me as if he can't stand my scars and today, he looked right at me and frowned as if he was purely disgusted by my face. He just stood there staring at me like I was a circus freak." She sobbed bitterly, "then to make it worse, Raven, the stupid c**k-sucking b***h, saw me and started laughing loudly and pointing."

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Arwen hugged her tighter, the rage she felt in her chest overwhelming. She wanted blood. Someone needed to pay for making her baby cry. "What do you need me to do?" "Get me out of here?"

"I can. I have to go to Boston for a couple of days. Want to come?"

"Yes," she sniffled against Arwen's stomach. She pulled back and made a face. "My make-up is all over your t-shirt."

"I have lots of t-shirts." She motioned to the bathroom. "I left the bike at the curb. You go wash your face and we'll go home and pack. I'll get Norah to book the other ticket. Can you meet me outside?" "Yes."

Arwen grabbed her chin, "listen to me. You are strong. You're smart and you are beautiful. Do not measure your beauty by their shitty standards. Do not let them steal your worth from you. You are valuable." Deidre nodded. "I was just humiliated. He walked away right as Raven started, and I froze. I had so much I wanted to say to her, and I couldn't get the words out."

"You will find your voice. It will come." She kissed her forehead. "Go wash the stuff off and we'll get out of here."

She waited until the girl was locked in the staff bathroom and then made her way back to her bike. She was furiously texting Norah, Jesse, and Cat, praying one of them could calm her down before she murdered whoever this Raven girl was. Jesse had a couple of photos to her in minutes and she shook her head.

A trio of girls were walking past her as she lounged on her bike and immediately recognized the girl who would be Raven. She saw Deidre coming down and her face contort in the direction of the girls. Arwen didn't want to make things more uncomfortable for Deidre, but she really wanted to punch the young Raven into the ground.

"Oh look, there's Deidre. She washed her face. It's even worse now."

Arwen stood up ready to do battle, but Deidre met her gaze and swallowed deeply and then stepped off the final stair.

"Raven, your dad's a plastic surgeon, right?" Arwen heard the tremor in her cousin's voice but let her continue.

Raven smirked before cackling with her friends, "Do you need him to do work for you? He could probably do it pro bono out of pity."

"No," Deidre shook her head, her blonde hair sliding over her face before she took a breath and pushed it back. "I was only thinking in order to be a surgeon you need to be really smart. He must be really proud to know the only way his stupid daughter can hit the honor roll this semester is by the bruises on her knees. Tell me, Raven, how does geriatric d**k taste? You seem to have a lot of it in your mouth lately. Is it an acquired taste or do you just naturally go for expired meat like a rabid dog?"

Arwen's jaw fell open as her cousin brutally tore the woman to shreds and then she met Deidre's eyes who appeared shocked herself at the words which had just poured out of her mouth. Arwen considered Deidre had been rehearsing this for a long time. "You little b***h," Raven lunged toward her, her fist pulled back.

Deidre immediately took a defensive stance her cousin had taught her and as the woman went to swing at her, Deidre blocked the hit and shoved her backwards hard. Deidre teetered off balance by the motion, but she regained her ground. Raven staggered and then lunged at her again.

This time Deidre being off balance, Arwen knew if the girl went for her, Deidre would fall. The other two girls with Raven were clearly ready to back the girl up and lunged at Deidre as well. Deidre put her hands up as if suddenly realizing she was outnumbered. Arwen reached out and shoved the two girls backwards before they could blink and then grabbed the blonde ponytail of the girl named Raven and yanked her backwards. "Really b***h? Do you think I'm going to let the three of you jump her?" Arwen grabbed the young woman's face and pulled it close to hers, "let me tell you something, Raven. I know who your father is. I have photos of you sucking geriatric d**k. If you as much as whisper Deidre's name in your sleep, I will find out and I will send your daddy all the photos of your lips on the old man's c**k." She grabbed her phone and shoved the photo in her face and watched the girl's face pale.

"Where did you get that?" the girl was panicking.

"I have friends who are investigating your professor friend for s****l assault and harassment. You just happened to be in the middle of their investigation. Do you think you're the only one sucking him off? You should get a prescription of valacyclovir for the herpes you probably have coating your lips because his d**k has been everywhere." "Who are you?" The woman was blinking rapidly and shaking now.

"Me? I'm nobody. As I said, I just happened to be friends with a person investigating the professor and since my cousin is in the class, they asked me if I could possibly identify his victims. You don't look much of a victim here though." Arwen made a pretense of studying the photo before looking to the girl with hatred in her eyes. "Leave Deidre alone." She motioned a now grinning Deidre towards the bike, "and Raven, if I were you, I'd keep your mouth shut to the professor about what you know. You'd hate to go down with him. If it's determined you pimped out your girlfriends," she looked to the two visibly shaking girls with her, "to increase your grades, all the "As" in the world won't matter from where you rot in prison."

As Arwen swung onto the bike, she blew the trio of girls a kiss and chuckled as Deidre waved goodbye cheerfully as if nothing had happened. The entire day had been a clusterfuck and it was only ten in the morning. As far as Arwen was concerned, it could only get better from here.