The Assassin's Blood: The Confradia Assassins 3

Chapter 16: Moving on

Santana

It has been weeks since I last saw Declan. My body still yearns for him. All I can do is playback every second of our kiss. But it hurts because I know that I will ever see him again. Connor has become more reserved too. He hasn't talked about Declan since the day he saw him in front of the house. I know though that he's still hurt and disappointed by his brother's rejection. Eddie and his boys were released from the clink a few days ago. Thankfully, they haven't connected their encounter with Declan, to us. Either way, Connor and I avoid being within their vicinity whenever they're around.

Unfortunately, my life has gotten even more difficult at work. Whenever Connor has a free moment, he walks me too and from work. As I step out of the train stop and make my way to the diner, I look up into the sky. The sun is shining brightly as if mocking my sadness. Work has become unbearable since Stefano has taken over the dinger. The tug of war begins as soon as I get to work. He constantly stands behind me when I'm refilling glasses or cups. And he'll make sexual innuendos knowing that they make me uncomfortable. I try to ignore him, but I'm nearing my breaking point.

The other night he decided to look through the previous year's ledgers. To my consternation, he sat in one of my assigned booths and began to work. Unfortunately, his work involved harassing me. He would make up excuses to rub against me and touch me. I tried to keep my cool, but at some point, it became too much, and I ran into the bathroom. I'm terrified of being alone with this man. I don't want to tell Connor because I'm scared of what he may do. Stefano is a very powerful man, and Connor can never win against him. Lilly and Mel notice his unwelcome attention and try to divert him away from me as much as they can, but he's persistent.

The next evening is worse because it's just me in the diner. Unfortunately, Mel's daughter got sick with the flu, and Lilly had to babysit her grandchildren. I don't know what to do, so I decided to wear my baggiest uniform and put my hair up in a severe bun. I don't want to draw Stefano's attention. The night starts out okay. Lenny and Craig, the cooks, are there to create a buffer between me Stefano. I'm sure Mel told them to keep an eye on me. But even that is difficult to do because they have their own jobs to attend to. Thankfully, the diner is busy that night. And I spend most of it taking care of customers.

Stefano remains in his office throughout the day, which gives me the opportunity to relax. I'm still pretty wound up, though. And as the night progresses, I can't help but look at the old clock on the wall. I've never been so desperate for closing time to arrive. Not wanting to stick around after work and clean, I begin to sweep the floors and clean while the customers were still there. The ketchup, salt, and pepper bottles are refilled without incident, and all tables are cleared as soon as the customers walk out the door. Forgetting the threat in my midst, I make the mistake of letting my guard down and continue to work. However, Perroni's vigilant eyes continue watching me as I make my way around the floor. Walking around each booth, I run a cloth over each table and clear out any mess.

Suddenly, two arms wrap around my waist, startling me out of my pensive bubble. I flinch and push away from Perroni's arms and take a few desperate steps back. "What are you doing, Mr. Perroni?" I ask in a calm voice, even though every part of me wants to run away. Mr. Perroni smiles slyly, and slides his hands across his greasy gray hair, completely undaunted by my fear. "Really, Santana? Are we going to keep pretending that you don't know?" I swallow deeply, my heart beating a mile a minute as fear turns into panic. Blood rushes to my head with a deafening sound. Taking a few deep breaths, I try to keep my cool and look around for Lenny and Craig, but they're nowhere in sight.

Stefano's smile widens. He's enjoying my alarm. I feel like a zebra facing a lion. "You're a very beautiful woman Santana. But you already know that don't you? I can make you a very rich woman if you let me. All you have to do is be nicer to me." My breathing quickens as I try to figure out a way to let him down without inciting his anger. "Look, Mr. Perroni…" I take a deep fortifying breath when my voice trembles. "…I…I'm grateful for your offer, but I'm not interested in getting involved with you." His face stiffens, and his eyes narrow into angry slits. "That's too bad, Santana. I really thought you were interested in working here." I frown, aghast at his underlying words. "What?"

Perroni shrugs his shoulders carelessly, uncaring about the fact that he's discussing my well-being. "I think you know what I'm saying, Santana." Tears glimmer in my eyes as the implication of his comment penetrates my thoughts. "Are you saying that you'll fire me if I don't have sex with you?" He shakes his head and places his hand on his chest in affront. "What? No. What I'm saying is that you're not really a good waitress, and I would hate to fire you when you don't have anything to offer."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. How dare he say that I'm a bad waitress? I've worked here for years without a customer complaint. He knows that I'm not a bad waitress. Trying to keep my cool, I straighten my spine and cross my hands in front of my chest rigidly. "Actually, Mr. Perroni, I'm a great waitress. I've been working in this diner for years, and I've never received a complaint. And you can call it whatever you want, but what you're asking me is to have sex with you in exchange for keeping my job. Therefore, my answer to you is a resolute no. I'm not interested in you in that way."

Just then, the door chimes, and Connor walks in. His eyes hone in on Mr. Perroni right away, and his posture stiffens as he makes his way to us. "Hey, sis, I came to walk you home." He mutters, pulling me beneath the protection of his arm. Mr. Perroni's lips tighten into a firm line. Connor has thwarted him, and he's not happy about it. "Well, well, well, look at you, little Connor— all grown up." Connor puffs out his chest and straightens his spine. "That's right sir, I'm all grown up, and I don't appreciate you messing with my sister."

Perroni quirks his brow defensively, "What makes you think you can talk to me that way, boy?" He utters with penetrating glare. Connor doesn't respond as he leads me out the door. Perroni's voice follows us as we make our way out the door. "You better get your little guard dog in line, Santana, before I do." Connor turns around with the intent to attack him. Before he can, I grasp his elbow and pull him to me. As much as I would like to see Connor kick Perroni's ass, I know that he won't play fair. The man knows too many people who would love to hurt Connor, and I can never allow that. "Don't Connor. Please don't!" I mutter with urgency, but Connor refuses to listen. "No San, this guy has been harassing you like some crazy stalker for years. It's time he realizes that it's not going to happen." He strains against my hold and narrows his eyes with a killing glare. "Don't you get it, old man? Santana is not interested in you. She'll never be interested in you. You're like a hundred years older than her." Perroni smolders with rage. "I suggest you back down, boy. That is if you want your sister to keep her job." Unfortunately, Connor refuses to do what he asks. He's always been hard-headed even as a baby. It must be an Irish temper. "Screw you, asshole!" He yells with a belligerent glare as he pulls me into the safety of his back.

Mr. Perroni is not intimidated, nor does he lose his smirk. "Well, then I guess that's that. Santana, you're fired." He grits out with a satisfied sneer. Connor's face falls as he absorbs the repercussions of his actions. Nausea rolls through me like a punch in the stomach, and bile threatens to spill from my mouth at the thought of what has just occurred. I know that this was coming, but it's still difficult to process.

Instead of arguing, I gather my things and reply with dignity. "Fine then, I'll take my check and leave." He shakes his head with an unpleasant snicker. "Unfortunately, you are not getting paid this round." Connor places his hand on Perroni's chest and pushes him aggressively. "That's bullshit! It's Santana's money!" Mr. Perroni slaps Connor's hand away with a cold glare and shrugs again. "If you want your money, sue me!"

Connor and I are stunned by his belligerent words. As if on autopilot, I take my brother's hand and lead him out the door. "Let's go, Connor," I utter numb as Connor, and I make our way to the train stop. What am I going to do now? Connor gives me an apologetic look and wraps his arms around me. "I'm sorry, San," He whispers miserably. My breathing quickens as I try to keep the tears at bay. However, inside I'm falling apart, but I don't want him to see it. Instead, I shake my head. "It's not your fault Connor. Mr. Perroni would have found a reason to fire me anyway." I reply with a grim shake of my head. I know that it's true, but it still depresses me. Exhaustion weighs me down as I consider the bleakness of our future.

Connor remains quiet the whole way home. But keeps a tight hold on me. It's almost as if he's frightened that I will fall apart. I don't even realize we're home until we're inside the living room. Connor rubs my back, making soothing sounds when silent tears fall down my face. "It's okay, San. We'll figure something out." He whispers comfortingly. But I know it's not okay. We barely had enough money to pay the rent, and there are no savings.

Connor holds his hand out and waves it around, aggravated. "I can't believe that bastard fired you. What an asshole!" I grimace and tighten my lips. "Of course he knows we can't afford a lawyer, and that I wouldn't win even if I did. The bastard has too many resources that would put us in danger.

What are we going to do? We need that money!" I think as I slam my fist against my thighs with frustration. Feeling spent, I slump down on the couch and close my eyes. "Oh God, maybe I should have slept with him."

Connor shakes his head in horror. "No! No way! He can't get away with this. There has to be a way to make this right." It breaks my heart to hear the desperation in his voice. I guess it's my turn to comfort him. "It's okay, Connor, we'll figure it out. Maybe we can sell a few things. I have Alma's wedding ring. We can pawn it." Connor squats down in front of me and takes my hand. "Yeah, and I can sell my computer too. Listen, I'm proud of you, sis. It took a lot of guts to turn Perroni down, and I wouldn't have respected you if you hadn't." I nod my head in concession because I know that even though I said it, I would have never slept with Perroni. The mere thought of sleeping with him makes my skin crawl.

Shifting on the couch, I take a deep breath and wave at the bed with an exhausted sigh. "Right now, all I want to do is pass out in my bed and sleep. We can regroup and discuss our next step tomorrow." Connor holds his hand out and helps me up.

My sleep is restless that night. As I lie in my bed, all I can think about is what I'm going to do. Looking at the card lying on my bedside table, I bite my lips and sigh. I kept the card even though I know I would never call him. It's my problem, and I'll handle it like I always have.