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28 : Reality Check
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2024-10-29 19:42:56•
Veronica shut the bathroom door and let go of the cold doorknob. The drawn curtains dimmed the room to an extent, but not enough to hide her face from his scrutinizing gaze.
Her legs felt like they'd regained full mobility after a moment of her just sitting motionless on the bathroom floor, so she took quiet steps towards the hotel bed. It would be dawn in a couple of hours, and neither of them seemed eager to call it a night. She forced her feet to keep moving as her eyes centered on the guy hunched over on the bed.
His dark clothing emphasized the yellowish covers. Théo's left arm was bent because he was nail biting—a habit she thought he had grown out of. Crumpled in his other hand was the small paper bag from the drugstore.
She stood still by the foot of the bed and watched, feigning calmness and apathy to obscure the fact that she was having trouble getting a word
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•"Is she upset?" Théo frowned the second she stepped out of the bathroom in a robe, hair damp and fresh out of the shower."Who? Mom?""You told her?"The room looked tidier than she remembered. Veronica stared at the guy standing near the bed. He cleaned up again, most probably. "Told her what?""What we were up to last night?" he replied. His dimpled smirk was every bit teasing as it was laughably arousing."Not really." She looked away and tightened the belt of the bathrobe. Of course she didn't tell her mother he had to buy the test kits himself just so she would stop procrastinating. She wouldn't hear the end of it if her mom knew."Crap. She hates me even more now," her ex muttered with a fake half-grin when she got quiet. "Can't blame her, though.""She doe
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 30 : Ready, Set
•"Did Tomek text you again?""Yeah. We'll meet up sometime soon, when he's not too busy." Veronica sat closer to the table than to her date for tonight.It wasn't exactly a date. Well, okay. They were alone, having a meal together, exactly like the other couples in the small dining area. To outsiders, they definitely looked like they were on a date. He didn't seem to care, though.Beside her, Théo reclined and pushed his empty plate away from the edge of the table. "So Dan's gonna be in the studio with you and your backup guitarist?" He drank what was left of her apple juice, having already devoured the last spoonfuls of his goopy carbonara."We're pretty much done with Kyle's parts." Veronica nodded her head slightly. "Dan and Ed, they've got a show tonight in Brooklyn. Mini-concert of some sort," she said."Ah... You want to go?" A
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 31 : Action
• Rome, Italy •18 days left"Sì. Stiamo arrivando, Mamma. Sì. Già. Ciao.""Is she home?" Théo glanced at his companion, his seatmate for the entire flight. He could tell she was tired and ready to sleep, but he also knew she had a lot on her mind at the moment."Yeah. Waiting for us. I told her you had to work late," Anastasia muttered without looking at him. She had been acting distant for the past hour. Almost too quiet, reserved.He wasn't used to her being this quiet. "What's up?"She shook her head weakly."You feelin' okay?""Just another headache." "Did you get enough sleep?" he asked next. He wasn't pretending to care; if she didn't feel well, they might not get to attend the event. Crucial day tomorrow for him and her family. They both had to be in good shape for an eventful weekend. "Barely." Anastasia sighed and looked out the window. The midnight sky appeared pitch-black. Some clouds blurred their view from time to time. In a few minutes, they'd be in her family's e
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 32 : Prep
• Piazza Di Valtieri • Grand. Spacious. Bricks and stone. Freshly trimmed grass. Well-maintained. For aristocrats.As part of his preparations, he had to study the blueprint of the entire lot and villa for days—which he had already done a week ago. Théo already knew what to expect, but of course he would pretend as if this was his first time ever seeing the property. The estate's security setup was also quite impressive. Familiar with the basic rigs, he glanced at the security cameras obscured by lampposts towering above the tall, shiny white gates welcoming their vehicle and their escorts. Well, Anastasia's security escorts, to be specific.The thick iron gates ostentatiously showed who owned the entire place. "Piazza Di Valtieri"—which basically meant "The Valtieri Estate"—was etched in eye-catching golden letters in the middle. It immediately reminded him of the last time he'd been in a private property as secure and extravagant as this prime real estate. That time, he had been
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 33 : Break
• Cape May, New Jersey •"Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire demain?"Veronica fixed her hair into a ponytail and grinned to herself, noting her friend's French had improved greatly over the past year. Jamie's once atrocious accent was nearly gone. "Snorkel, or something." Veronica glanced around.As expected, the late summer crowd pretty much crammed the entire beach resort. Beside the resort was a private property for rich folks with vacation homes in the area. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the long day. Bikini-clad teenagers showing off their tanned bods played volleyball near the cabanas. An amplified car stereo somewhere nearby had also been blasting dubstep music for the past hour. The band had to play a live set and do an interview the previous night, right here in New Jersey. It was almost an hour-long program and they had to show off their new singles from their newest record.It was also their first public show they performed at without Kyle, who was still recovering in th
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 34 : Face Time
•"Dammi il telefono."The heck? He hadn't even gotten past the backdoor yet. And now this prick was already itching to snoop on his phone?"Why?" Théo squinted at the guy with the slicked back hair and watchful eyes that looked as dark as his demeanor.The guy had on a leather jacket and tight black jeans. Like every other henchman in a mafia flick. What a cliché. It wasn't one of Anastasia's bodyguards. Probably her parents' head of security, or something, tasked with looking after the entire estate's security systems. "Cellulare. Per favore." The guy dared to take a step forward after glancing at his phone again.The dude's grating voice was as authoritative as much as it annoyed Théo. The goon's breath smelled like an ashtray, and his aftershave just worsened the scent. Théo gripped the phone and stared back at the guy. Of course the prick was just doing his job, and since he was the outsider here, Théo knew he had to cooperate. Otherwise he'd look like he was hiding something
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 35 : Intro to Théo 2.0
•"Where are your parents from?"Théo smiled at the older woman awaiting his answer. He sat opposite her while Anastasia sat next to him, quietly swirling her creamy pasta. The head of the family, Ana's father, sat at the end of the table and seemed more focused on his daughter at the moment."My mother is Canadian, my father Parisian. They're both living in France," Théo replied."And you have siblings as well?" Alissa Valtieri took a sip of her water and maintained a modest smile. Her questions for the past ten minutes had been focused on his background more than anything else.Hugo Valtieri, on the other hand, was busy trying to coax some straight answers out of his daughter. Apparently, Anastasia didn't make a habit of updating her parents about her itinerary for the past few weeks. The two spoke in fluent Italian, almost conversing in hushed tones.Théo pretended not to eavesdrop. Acting like he didn't understand the language was easy enough. But then again, maybe they were only a
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 36 : Enigma
•Veronica unlocked the passenger door and put on a smile while she waited for her ex's best friend to get in her car.Tomek stepped inside the vehicle the next second. Wearing a plain gray shirt and dark pants, he gave her a quick hug and smiled timidly while she drove away from the sidewalk."Want something to go? Coffee?" She focused on the busy road and stepped on the gas. It was barely nine in the morning and the band's schedule was a bit crazy this week. But when Tomek called to inform her he wanted to meet up to talk about something, she couldn't decline. Based on his tentative tone over the phone last night, she knew it was something pretty urgent and important.Tomek never was the one to call to meet up, much less meet up with her alone. It was either Théo who would call him to hang out with them, or one of their close friends."Yeah. Coffee's great." Tomek cleared his throat and buckled up in the passenger seat. "No shows or shoots today?" Veronica glanced at his profile w
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 114 : We'll Make Our Own Future
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 113 : Setting Things Straight
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 112 : Nice Seeing You Again
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 111 : You've Done Enough, Sport
• Disobeying a direct order. Obstruction of an investigation. Impeding the course of justice. Whichever was most applicable to his case, he had no choice but to face the music. His luck just kept running out lately. Saying he "meant well" wouldn't be enough for any of the big bosses, but at least his mother had his back this time. Well, somewhat. A judge might be more sympathetic, actually. Théo shifted on the hospital bed as he watched his mother wrap up another phone call. Perhaps her 20th for the day. Just part of her job. Like cleaning up after his mess. "Not like it's the first time," she would say. He most probably embarrassed her after what happened, but at least she showed up today. It must be just another debriefing. Or she only came over to reprimand him for disobedience and his defiant actions that almost ended in a vendetta.
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 110 : Job Well Done
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 109 : Back In His Arms
• "Aya! Don't even... Argh! Cazzo!" "No, Aya!" Veronica could only stand and watch as Raffaele ran after his pregnant girlfriend. He rushed out of the SUV the second Alodia started running for the tall gates. They were wide open, almost too tempting to ignore, which eventually convinced Alodia to step into the property amid the ongoing standoff. "Please don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Alodia kept screaming as her tears ran down her pale cheeks. "He's... He's not himself! Please! I'm begging you. Don't shoot him!" She was all eyes on Leandro while begging for the authorities to spare the guy's life. Before she could even reach the parking lot surrounded by Italian cops and their heavily armed tactical team, two taller guys clasped her arms, effortlessly holding her back, keeping her stuck and sobbing beside a police car. Raffaele didn't get that far. Three cops blocked his way before h
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 108 : A Defensive Stand
•About half an hour of begging and tears eventually granted her wish. Raffaele obviously hated to say yes to her request, but he gave in when she didn't stop pleading for him to take her to Castiglione.Such an impulsive decision on her part—a choice that might put her life in serious danger, but she just couldn't stay behind. Wait. Do nothing. No thanks. She had to be there. See Théo with her own eyes.This would be the last time she would be risking her own safety for him. Seriously. The last time. Her mother didn't even know she was back here in Italy, begging for help from strangers just to find her ex. Raffaele didn't treat her like a stranger, though. For the past 24 hours, he had been indulging her, consoling her, helping her to the best of his ability as though they were old friends.Did it mean he already forgave Théo? F
