The Assassin's Blood: The Confradia Assassins 3

Chapter 14: Life goes on

Santana

I'm gathering my bag for work when Connor walks in. "Connor, what are you doing here?" Connor rushes to the window and peers out warily. He looks spooked, which makes alarm bells go off in my head. Following behind him, I elbow him to get his attention. "What's wrong? Did something happen in school?" He shakes his head and turns back to me, muttering distractedly. "No, nothing bad happened at school. They canceled classes because a few teachers got sick. Guess who I ran into when I got here?" My heart falls at his questioning scowl.

"Umm… Declan stopped by this morning. He wanted to offer us money again, and I refused." I respond begrudgingly. He nods his head, looking back out the window. "I know. He told me. What you missed, though, is that he kicked Eddie Morano and his boys' asses a few minutes ago. I guess they tried to jack his car and got more than they asked for. He wouldn't tell me, though. When I asked him what happened, he clammed up and drove away."

Disbelief rushes through me as I move towards the window and see the unconscious men lying on the sidewalk. Several moments later, a police van pulls up and hauls the unconscious men away. Connor and I gaze at each other in astonishment as the van disappears around the corner. Surprised by what I see, I pull back from the window and plunk down on the couch. Connor gives me a bewildered look and gazes back out the window in disbelief.

"Who is Declan, Connor? Eddie Morano is a crazy asshole that everyone is scared of. How is it that this man comes along, with a million-dollar car, and kicks his ass without breaking a sweat? This is crazy." I utter, holding my hands up in surrender. Connor shrugs his shoulders with a puzzled frown. "I asked him, but he wouldn't answer. I mean, he had a military jacket in his file, which means he's like trained to kill people. Right?"

I nod my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "I guess that's it. I just hope Eddie doesn't realize that Declan was here to see us. I don't want him to give you trouble." He shakes his head. "Nah, he and the others were out by the time I got to the scene. And I didn't see anyone else around. Too early for the crackheads and hookers." I breathe a sigh of relief at his reassurance. "Okay then, I have to go to work. The new boss is supposed to come in and inspect the place today. Thank goodness I don't have class." Connor takes his bag and follows me out the door. "I'll walk you to the train and head back to school afterward." Feeling grateful for my brother's company, I nod my head and follow him out the door. However, my mind is still reeling from my confrontation with Declan. I just can't help wondering who Declan really is. I guess I'll never know now. Depression settles in on me at the thought. Right now, all I can do is hope that the rest of the day isn't as eventful.

Thankfully, I make it work on time. As soon as I walk in the door, I'm greeted by a few other waitresses. Lilly and Mel are lifers at the diner. They've both worked here for longer than I've been alive. Lilly is a grandmotherly type with gray hair and a kind wrinkled face, and Mel is a forty-three-year-old mother of four. The ladies wave me overlooking frazzled as soon as they spot me. Tying my apron around my waist, I hurry towards them. "Hey, girls, what's going on?"

They both look around as if someone might be listening then look back at me. "The new boss is here. He's looking around the kitchen right now." I nod my head, trying to get a look at the mysterious stranger. "So, did he make any comments?" They shake their head empathically. However, I can tell that something is wrong. Mel moves close to me and whispers. "No, but he did ask about the employees. He's an older guy looks kind of shady, so be wary." I look around the kitchen window, but there's no sign of the man.

Moving around the counter, I head towards the coffee pot. "We better look busy then. Don't want to give anyone an excuse to fire us." They both nod their heads in agreement and move to find something to do. As customers walk in and out, I pour a few drinks and smile. Once in a while, my mind will wander back to Declan's kiss. Then I recall what he said and get a little depressed. I look back when the doors to the kitchen open and come face to face with Stefano Perroni. Stefano was an associate of Alistair's. He's the one that greeted me at their funeral. I avoided him as much as I could after that.

Whenever he came around to see Alistair, I'd give him a wide berth. Sometimes. I would catch him staring at me, and it would creep me out. I was sixteen when I first noticed his stares, and I always thought that he was up to no good. Over the years, he's tried to contact me, but I've avoided his advances. I mean, the guy is sixty years old.

My heart speeds up in fear when he gives me a sly smile and moves closer to extend his hand in greeting. "Santana, good to see you. I wasn't aware that you still worked here." I nod my head, giving him a polite smile. "Mr. Perroni…hello. Yes, I still work here. So you're the new owner?" I ask conversationally. However, I know for a fact that he has always known that I work at the diner. My mouth dries at the implications of his sudden interest in the diner. But I keep my face blank and my thoughts to myself.

He nods his head, letting out a loud guffaw. "Yes, I am. I guess that would make you my employee, huh?" The tone makes warning bells go off in my head. There's no way that this man has good intentions towards me. Smiling vaguely, I don't let him see my inner turmoil and sigh with relief when a customer waves me down. Perroni glares at the customer and looks back at me expectantly. I don't know what to do with his look, so I just give him a polite smile and step around him. "Welcome to the diner Mr. Perroni. It looks like a customer is calling for me, so I better get back to work." He steps around, giving me a heated stare, which I ignore.

For the rest of the day, I avoid being anywhere near him. However, I can feel the heat of his eyes as I move around the diner. It gets to the point that my body shudders in disgust every time I make eye contact with him. When the end of my shift comes, I give everyone a quick wave goodbye and rush out the door. There's no way that I'm going to stop and have another conversation with Perroni. The guy just gives me the creeps. A few of the people seem surprised to see me rush off. I've always hung out after my shift, but Mel and Lilly wave me away. I can tell by the look on their faces that they know why I'm leaving in such a hurry.

Once I'm safely in the subway car, I release a sigh of relief and lean my body on the rail. I had never felt as threatened as I did today. Which doesn't bode well considering that I work there. Unfortunately, I have to learn to deal with him because I need the job. Thankfully, it doesn't take me long to get home that night. I'm so distracted by my thoughts that I don't even notice I'm home until I unlock the front door.

My gaze hones in instantly on Connor's form. He's once again sitting comfortably on the couch with his computer on his lap. His fingers move across the keyboard with determination. Clearing my throat, I lay my things down on the couch, place my hands on his shoulders, and embrace him. "Hey kid, how was school?" I ask with a gentle peck on his head. He shrugs his shoulders. "It was okay. Same-o, same-o." I nod my head relieved to see that he's simply playing an online game. For a moment, I was worried that he was doing something illegal again.

Straightening up, I head to the kitchen and call out. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't guess who the new owner of the diner is?" He pauses his game and looks back in question. "Who?" Before I answer, I place my hands on my hips and look around anxiously. "Stefano Perroni."

I shake my head incredulously. "That's not possible. Why would he go through so much trouble to get with me? It makes no sense." He shakes his head, looking unconvinced. "You have to admit San; this guy has been pretty persistent over the years. Did you forget he followed you on that date one time? Or the time he waited for you after school. The guy wants you. As creepy as it is, you have to be wary of his motives. You're more than likely the reason he bought the diner." I gulp deeply feeling dread at the prospect.

"What do I do, Connor? I can't quit my job. We need the money." He shrugs his shoulders, looking unconcerned. "Maybe I can get a job." I shake my head. "No, Connor, I need you to finish school." He shakes his head exasperated, but I know that letting him work will only make things worse. Connor's learning issues have not completely gone away, and I'm scared that if it gets too tough, he might drop out, and he's so close to finishing school. Thankfully, Connor relents quickly. He understands where I'm coming from. Trust me, this is not the first time we've had this argument. "Fine then, I'll go with you to the diner when you go to work. I can do my homework in one of the back tables."

I shake my head. "No, Connor, I think we're being paranoid. Perroni's a businessman. This is what he does. He buys and sells businesses all the time. Plus, I don't want you to be distracted. You're doing so well in school. I'm just blowing things out of proportion. I'll be fine."

Connor remains pensive for a moment but eventually relents. "Okay, but I think that I should walk you to and from work when I have nothing to do, and I won't accept any argument on this." I agree with this. There's no point in cutting off my nose to spite my face. I hate walking home by myself. "Okay. That sounds good. Now, what do you want for dinner? Chicken or Pasta?"