“Smart,” Mario said.

  “He better be smart since all he seems to have time for is work these days,” Taina said with a little bit of salt in her voice.

  “You aren’t very close, I’m guessing.”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, don’t take it to heart. I don’t know what his life is like, but I can only assume it’s very hectic.”

  “Fuck that. He shouldn’t have had a kid then.”

  “Ooookay,” Mario said, realizing his words hadn’t really helped any.

  “I’m sorry.” Taina knew she was targeting her bitterness at the wrong person. “I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch.”

  At that moment, the bell rang, signaling that their lunch period was now over. Mario grabbed both of their trays and took them to the trash can.

  Great. You just blew your chance with him, Taina thought, standing to her feet.

  Mario came back to the table and grabbed his book bag.

  “I have a way you can make it up to me,” he said, interrupting her negative thoughts. “Go out with me this weekend? To dinner on Saturday . . . We can go to a movie too, but I don’t really do movies like that.”

  “That’s perfect,” Taina said a little too fast. “I mean, uhh, let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you. Here, take my number.”

  She hurried up and gave him her number. Looking over his shoulder, she saw Marisol standing at one of the cafeteria exits, looking impatient. She grinned, knowing that Marisol was dying to know what had transpired during their lunch period. She told Mario she would see him later and walked away without looking back. When she reached Marisol, the two girls linked arms and bustled their way through the cluster of students in the hallway.

  “Soooo?” Marisol shook her arm a little bit. “You’re killing me.”

  “I like him,” Taina said with a dreamy look. “I like him a lot.”

  Taina went to Marisol’s house that day after school to review their earlier homework. She texted her mother when her driver drove her and Marisol away from the school. When they arrived at Marisol’s house, Taina said a quick hello to her mother and kissed Marisol’s little brother, Eduardo, on his forehead. Marisol led the way to her bedroom, and once there, both girls threw their book bags to the side.

  “Well, I guess they haven’t called home yet,” Marisol said. “My mom is being nice.”

  “They probably already called my house,” Taina said. “I doubt Stephanie told my mom, though. You know she doesn’t give a fuck about what I do. There would be no point.”

  “That’s crazy,” Marisol said. “Anyways, back to Marioooo.”

  The singsong voice she used made Taina roll her eyes.

  “What about him?” Taina tried to sound nonchalant.

  “Bitch, now it’s ‘what about him,’ when you were just hella geeked at the school behind his ass.”

  “Nah, I’m just kidding,” Taina said, grinning. “He’s just so cool. I don’t know, but there is just something about him that I like. He’s not like the other guys at school, from what I can tell anyway. He didn’t even care that I was Denny Capello’s daughter. I was just Taina at the lunch table today, and you don’t know how good that felt, Marisol.”

  “Well, shit.” Marisol winked. “You’re always just Taina to me. You don’t get special treatment, chica.”

  “Shut up,” Taina said, smiling dreamily. “I’m trying to be serious with you.”

  At that moment, she felt her smartphone vibrate in her pocket. When she checked the name, she squealed excitedly and used her butt to bounce up and down on Marisol’s bed.

  “It’s him!”

  “What’d he say?”

  “Ummm.” Tiana checked the message. “He said, ‘Wassup ma?’ Ahhh . . . What should I say? What should I say? I don’t want to sound too geeked. Should I wait like ten minutes before texting back?”

  Marisol looked at Taina like she was an alien and burst out laughing.

  “Marisol.” Taina poked her lip out and looked desperately at her friend for help.

  She had never really talked to a boy she liked so much and didn’t want to mess it up by saying the wrong thing.

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Marisol said. “Just ask him about how his day was. That’s always a good conversation starter, and then after that, just let it flow naturally, chica.”

  “OK,” Taina said, sending the text, and while she sent it, Marisol was eyeing her.

  “Girl, before you get that pretty head wrapped up in a boy, just remember the rules of the game.”

  Taina raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “Rules? What rules?”

  “Rule number one is never to give too much too soon. Rule number two is never to lose yourself behind any guy. And rule three is always to remember you are beautiful and young. The guy you meet now most likely isn’t who you’ll marry, so there isn’t really a point in trying to get in too deep.”

  “You mean fall in love?”

  “Exactly.”

  “OK, Confucius,” Taina said sarcastically.

  “I’m being serious, B.” Marisol laughed. “For real, just follow those rules, and I promise you will be saved from a world of heartbreak.”

  “Well, I firmly believe in following whatever path you’re on at the moment.”

  “Bitch, you just made that shit up.”

  “So?” Taina laughed.

  Taina stayed over at Marisol’s house for the next few hours. She texted Mario on and off, and the girls finished their homework. She knew that having her homework done by the time she got home would save her from receiving a bad verbal lashing from Stephanie. Taina pictured Stephanie sitting on her bed, waiting for her to walk through the bedroom door, just ready to dig in.

  When it was time for them to say goodbye, the two girls hugged each other tightly like they would never see each other again.

  “See you at school.” Marisol waved to Taina before her driver took off.

  Taina waved back out of the window, then rolled it up. She had just gotten comfortable in her seat when her phone vibrated again. She grinned when she read the message on her screen.

  There’s just something about you. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get you out of my mind. Call me when you get home?

  Taina quickly sent him an “OK” text and held the phone to her chest with her eyes closed. She silently willed Thomas to drive faster so she could hurry up and call him. She couldn’t wait to hear his voice. She tried to think of different topics to talk about the whole ride so that they wouldn’t just be sitting on the phone listening to each other breathing.

  Taina barely paid attention to the scenery that the car passed by on the way, but when they finally pulled up, she had never been so grateful to see the gates of their home. That had felt like the longest car ride she’d ever been on.

  “Thank you!” Taina said to Thomas, and she hopped out of the vehicle before it was in park.

  Thomas sputtered something about her safety, but she didn’t hear him. She’d already slammed the door shut. Taina ran into the house and up the stairs toward her bedroom. She looked over the stair railing back to the first floor and saw her mother watching one of her sitcoms in the living room. She didn’t even acknowledge the fact that Taina was home. But Taina didn’t care. She only had one thing on her mind.

  When she reached her room, she took her phone out, preparing to dial Mario’s number . . . but a throat being cleared interrupted her in midbutton press. She looked over and saw Stephanie sitting on her bed, checking out the manicure on her short, stubby fingers.

  “So, what’s this I hear about a fight you had at school?”

  “Fuck,” Taina said under her breath, already knowing that she was in for a lecture that she would never forget.

  Chapter 6

  Denny Capello sat in the plush white seat of his private jet as it made its way to California. He had some major business to wrap up there, but his mind was on everything but business for some reason. He thought about his conversation with his wife right before he left. His words had been harsh, and even though he wished he could take them back, he knew they needed to be said. After Taina’s outburst, Isabella sat down at the table with tears falling from her eyes. She looked at Denny and shook her head.

  “I can’t believe she said that.”

  “Why not?” Denny said. “She’s completely right.”

  Isabella was even more surprised to hear those words from her own husband. She choked on her spit when she tried to catch her sob from coming out.

  “How can you agree with her? I have done my best to raise that girl.”

  “No, you haven’t. Neither one of us has.” Denny was looking at his paper, but his eyes didn’t focus on any of the words. “We tried . . . but not hard enough. We aren’t consistent whenever we try to mend the relationship with her. We give her so much and then take it away from her in a heartbeat.”

  Isabella silently listened to her husband, but she still did not agree with his words. When he paused, she wiped her tears away and spoke again.

  “I just feel that she has everything she has ever wanted and is ungrateful. I’m tired. I’m tired of getting calls from that school of hers. I’m tired of going up there and meeting with the principal.”

  “What I don’t understand, my love,”—Denny disregarded everything Isabella had just said—“is that you have been a stay-at-home mom and wife for almost eighteen years. Why isn’t your relationship with her better? I’m not making any excuses for myself, but you focus more on yourself than your own child. I do what I must to keep money in our accounts and ensure we will never need anything. What do you do?

  “I knew when I married you that you were not the type to take any part in my business ventures, and that is fine. You can keep your hands clean. But I did not know that even after you had a child, you would continue to put yourself first. Why is it that the help know our child more than you do when you should be with her as much as them? I’m not saying it is OK for Taina to speak to you out of turn, and I will handle that, but do you really blame her for feeling the way she does?”

  At that moment, Denny’s phone rang. He was informed that his car was ready to drive him to his jet when he answered it.

  “I have to go,” Denny said to his wife. “While I’m gone, think about what I have just said to you. I love you.” He kissed her on her forehead and left.

  He replayed his words repeatedly as the plane soared through the sky. Out of everything to not have under control, nobody would have guessed that this would be it. He knew he would need to get it in check, or he feared losing his daughter forever.

  “Denny.”

  Denny snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention toward Chris, who had accompanied him.

  “That’s the third time I called your name.”

  “I’m sorry,” Denny said, motioning for his flight attendant to pour him a shot of tequila. “I was in deep thought.”

  “Yeah, I could tell. I knew something was really bothering you. Anything you want to talk about?”

  “Nah,” Denny said and threw the shot back. “It’s just Taina.”

  “Boys?”

  “Hell no. I’ll shoot any motherfucker she brings through the door.”

  “Believe me,” Chris said, “I know. But she’s almost 18. It’s about that time.”

  “Thank you for your honesty and support,” Denny said sarcastically.

  Chris was trying to make light of the situation, but he understood. He had been around Taina a few times and noticed how different she was from the child he had once known. She had grown up and become her own person. With a father as busy as Denny, the mother’s job was to keep the child well-rounded. That was his take on it, anyway. Chris had warned Denny about marrying a woman like Isabella. She was selfish and didn’t know how to connect to a child.

  “She’s just a teenager who needs some guidance, that’s all. If this deal goes without a hitch, you can take a whole year off to dedicate to being a father.”

  “Not if she goes to college,” Denny said sadly.

  “College?” Chris scoffed. “What does she need a degree for when she can be a CEO at age 18? We’re Capellos. We make our own way. Fuck a degree.”

  Denny laughed and shook his finger at his cousin.

  “You’re a crazy fool, man,” he said. “I want her to have an education. Who knows, she might go into something in the legal field. If that’s the case, I will be firing Bernard.”

  He spoke of his lawyer, and Chris laughed.

  “Just don’t stress yourself too much,” Chris said. “But times like this, I’m glad my daughter is only 5 years old.”

  Denny smiled at the mention of his beautiful little cousin, Mia. Just like Taina was the spitting image of him, Mia was the spitting image of her father. Suddenly, regret filled Denny’s gut as he remembered that Mia’s existence had almost never occurred. If he had killed Chris that night long ago, he would have never had the joy of becoming a father.

  “Do you truly forgive me for that night?” Denny asked Chris, looking into his eyes.

  “You ask me this question at least twice a year.” Chris leaned forward in his seat across from Denny. “Sí, I do. All my bones healed, and I am alive, living well. If the roles had been reversed, I would have done the same thing.” He extended his hand. “By shaking my hand now, you promise never to bring that shit up again. My knee gets this weird feeling whenever you make me think back to that day. You have a mean swing. Always have since we were kids.”

  After the two men shook hands, the pilot announced they were arriving and asjed the to put their seat belts back on to prepare for the landing.

  “If you close this deal, Denny, you’re going to change the heroin game in both New York and Florida.”

  “If I close the deal?” Denny said, fixing his tie. “I don’t travel anywhere unless it’s a sure thing. The deal has already closed, and I haven’t even shown my face yet.”

  Denny touched his hip to feel the gun there. He pulled it from his waist and checked the clip.

  “How many did you send before us?”

  “A whole fleet.”

  “Good,” Denny said. “Rodriguez isn’t going to know what hit him. I think the contract will be signed within the hour.”

  “You’re a crazy motherfucker, man,” Chris said, checking his own gun.

  “If you’ve noticed, all the greats have been crazy motherfuckers,” Denny said. “After today, I’ll be on that list.”

  Chapter 7

  The rest of the week, Taina shocked Stephanie. Whenever she went in to wake her up in the morning, not only was Taina already awake, but she was dressed too. Taina took her time in the morning with her wand curls and put on a little makeup, enough to cover any blemishes but not enough to tell she had any on.

  She and Mario had been spending a lot of time together. They texted each other throughout the day, and when they got home from school, they talked on the phone all night. She found out they had so much in common, and she loved that he was a deep thinker. He had dreams of one day becoming a famous architect and designing buildings.

  When they were at school, they met up between class periods to talk since Taina hadn’t yet figured out a way to see him outside of school. She was still working on how she would make it to their date on Saturday. The only way she could think of was to lie and tell her parents that she was going to Marisol’s house for the weekend, but knowing her father, he would still send two men with her for safety. She could try to sneak out Marisol’s window, but she’d get caught faster than a cheater who forgot to delete their text messages. As Saturday drew nearer, she finally realized that she would just have to tell her parents flat-out that she had a date. There was no getting around it if she wanted to go.

  On Friday, after she got ready for school, she took a deep breath before she went downstairs to speak to her parents. Stephanie came and kissed her on the cheek. Taina had already told her of her dilemma, and she said she would be there for moral support.

  “Ay probrecita,” Stephanie said and gripped Taina’s shoulders. “It won’t be so bad. Come on, you must go now, or you’ll be late for school. You’ve been making me so proud, by the way. I should have known there was a boy involved.”

  Taina began the walk of death down the stairs—at least, that was what it felt like. Stephanie gave her a slight push whenever she was about to stop walking. They walked toward Taina’s parents’ voices in the kitchen.

  “My daughter,” Denny said, greeting her. “Sit down. Have some breakfast before you leave.”

  He saw Stephanie behind Taina but didn’t say anything about it. When she didn’t sit, Denny looked up again.

  “I’m not hungry, Papi,” Taina said and then looked back at Stephanie, who did a shooing motion with her hands, urging Taina to continue. “I have something I want to ask you.”

  Isabella stopped eating her oatmeal and tuned in to the conversation. Denny set his paper aside and gave Taina his undivided attention.

  “What is on your mind, princess?”

  “You see . . . uh . . .” Taina searched for the words. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t practice that part at all. Finally, she just said forget it and spit it out. “There is this boy at school who I like, and he seems to like me just as much. His name is Mario, and he asked me to go on a date with him on Saturday. I told him I would love to go, but I would have to ask you first, Papi. Can I go?”

  Denny looked at Taina as if he had never seen her a day in his life before. He was at a loss for words because that was definitely the last thing he had expected her to say. He had done good and lucked out for almost four years, but now, there he was with the inevitable staring him in the face. He should have known something was up by how Taina carried herself lately. He was forced to see her as a beautiful young lady, not his baby girl. Still, he would try to prolong it for as long as possible.

  “What about our agreement, Taina?” he said evenly.