Kenzie

 

It was almost impossible for Kenzie not to roll her eyes at Xavier. He was just another typical biker who thought he could get any woman he wanted. He was hot, and there wasn’t much doubt about it. She didn’t usually go for gingers, but his auburn hair suited him. It also went well with those pale green eyes and his chiseled jaw. She hadn’t missed his strong arms and tight abs, even seated at a table. Even so, he was just another jackass that rode a motorcycle, drank himself into oblivion every weekend, and probably wouldn’t ever have a real job. Kenzie didn’t have time in her life for men like that. There were enough of them between work and the goons her father hired.

 

She scowled as she headed back to the kitchen, trying to keep her anger going so her fear wouldn’t take over. Kenzie didn’t know this man or what he was capable of, but he must be important and dangerous if her father wanted to mess with him. Matteo wouldn’t have bothered otherwise. Her stomach jumped as she wondered what kind of trouble this would get her into. What if the guy was a lunatic?

 

Candy came in the back door smelling of cigarette smoke. “Anything crazy happen while I was gone?”

 

“Just the usual. The burger buns are still stale and we still have mice getting in the store room. Getting hit on by bikers and truckers and general sleazebags.”

 

Candy ignored her nasty attitude. “I wouldn’t knock the bikers. There’s something kind sexy about a man in a leather vest and riding a motorcycle. Did you see that one out there with his buddies, the one with the red hair? God, he’s hot. His friend seems more interested in me than he is, but I think I would take any of them.” She popped a fresh piece of gum in her mouth and fluffed her hair with her fingers.

 

“Oh, I saw him all right,” Kenzie replied. “He’s been trying to catch my attention for a while, and I finally had to wait on their table while you were gone. He gave me some corny line about whether or not I was on the menu.” She did roll her eyes now that only Candy could see her. He might as well have asked her if she was tired because she’d been running through his head all night. What a load of shit.

 

“Aw, that’s sorta cute! So are you going to go with him? We only have an hour until we close, and it would be real easy for you to ask for a ride.” Candy’s blue eyes sparkled at the thought.

 

Kenzie scoffed in disgust as she threw several tumblers in the sink to be washed. “Yeah, cause it’s going to be so delightful to fall in bed with him after he’s been drinking all evening. He won’t be so sexy with a limp dick.”

 

“Give him more credit,” Candy insisted. “Lots of the regulars can hold their own. Besides, if there’s anyone here who needs to get laid, it’s you.”

 

Not interested in finding out how Candy knew about the customers and how well they performed while drinking, Kenzie moved on to the last part. “Me? Why do I need to get laid?”

 

Candy laughed. “You’re kidding me, right? You’re so uptight, Kenzie. The tiniest things make you angry, and you storm around here like someone pissed in your cereal. You need to learn to relax a little.” She grabbed a tray of drinks and trotted back through the door.

 

Sighing, Kenzie knew that the other waitress was right in some ways. She was angry, but she had lots of reasons to be that way. Her father controlled every bit of her life, or at least he tried to. He had been so proud of her when she’d said she was going to law school, but he would change his mind as soon as he realized she was actually getting her degree in criminal justice. It was a shock that none of his hooligans—who she knew were always watching her—had figured it out and reported back to him, but it was probably because they were just too stupid to know the difference. Even so, she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere or talk to anyone without Matteo’s approval. Others might think she had a charmed life simply because she drove a nice car and had expensive clothes, but she would have gladly traded it all for a more normal existence.

 

She scrubbed the counters down with force, as if she could chase the germs and bacteria away with her anger instead of just cleaning chemicals. No amount of soap or water could ever quite get them clean, and the ratty bar had always driven her crazy. It was filthy, just like her life was. Kenzie knew she could have taken advantage of being a mafia boss’s daughter. She could have enjoyed the benefits of the free-flowing money if she had only been interested in material things. But Kenzie cared more about getting her education, getting herself a career, and becoming an independent woman. It was only when she was able to get out from under her father’s shadow that she would finally feel like her own person.

 

Throwing the dishrag back in the sink, Kenzie twisted the ring she kept on her right hands. It had been a gift from her mother. It was battered and dented, but she never took it off.

 

“I’m going to give you something, baby.”

 

Kenzie sat on the edge of her mother’s big bed, bouncing on the mattress. She liked presents. Her daddy gave them to her all the time, and her room was filled with big stuffed teddy bears and every single Barbie doll they made. She always knew she would get whatever she asked for her birthday. Still, she would gladly take more. “What is it?”

 

“It’s something very special.” Mother opened her jewelry box and plucked something out of it. She sat next to Kenzie on the bed and showed her a little ring of metal. It was old and faded, not a shiny gold color but a dingy brown. Mother’s dark eyes were soft as she looked at it, turning it over in her fingers. “My grandmother—your great-grandma—came to this country with nothing. Her husband had passed away, and she had no family left in Italy. She had big hopes for coming to America and starting a new life for herself. She had to work very hard, and there were some nights that she didn’t sleep because she was so scared.”

 

“Why didn’t she ask Daddy to protect her?” Kenzie didn’t understand.

 

Mother kissed her forehead. “Your daddy wasn’t around then, and Great-Grandma didn’t have anyone else, remember? She had to take care of herself. She got a tiny apartment, but she had to have money to pay the rent. Well, she got a job in a grocery store. The man didn’t want to give her the job, because he didn’t think she was strong enough. But Great-Grandma got up and went to work every day, lifting all the heaviest boxes, stocking the shelves, and running the cash register. There were some days when she worked from the time the store opened to the time they closed. She didn’t get a lunch break, and she had to eat a sandwich out of her pocket when the boss wasn’t looking.”

 

Kenzie blinked at Mother, studying her big brown eyes and her dark hair. She was so beautiful, as was everything in the house. It was impossible to imagine things being any other way, but it was also intriguing. “Then what happened?”

 

“Well, Great-Grandma started making deliveries. Grocery stores did that back then, especially for businesses like restaurants. She was nervous because she hadn’t done this part of the job before. She went to the Italian restaurant her boss had sent her to and began bringing in all the food. She watched the chefs as they made focaccia bread. ‘Add a little thyme,’ she said. ‘It will make it taste better.’ When she came back the next week, they told her their customers went crazy for the focaccia, and they asked her to taste the spaghetti sauce. ‘You’re cooking it too fast,’ she said. ‘You have to cook it long and slow to bring out all the good flavors.’ By the next week, Great-Grandma was working in the restaurant instead of the grocery store. The owners were very good to her, and they even let her stay in a nicer apartment above the restaurant. Great-Grandma always had food to eat, and she was happy again.”

 

Furrowing her brow, Kenzie studied the little circle of metal that was still between her mother’s fingertips. “What does this have to do with the ring?”

 

“Ah, well, once Great-Grandma had a good job and a nice place to stay, she finally had a little extra money. This was the very first thing she bought for herself. She wore it every day, which is why it’s in such bad shape, but it was a reminder that she didn’t need anyone else to make it.” Mother handed the ring to Kenzie.

 

She rolled it between her fingers, studying every notch and dent in the metal. It wasn’t like the big diamond ring her mother wore on her finger, nor like the sapphire earrings Daddy had given her. But there was still something special about it that Kenzie couldn’t describe. The little nicks in the metal had a personality all their own. “It’s kind of pretty.”

 

“I always thought so, whenever my mother would take it out of her jewelry box. Great-Grandma gave it to my mother, and she gave it to me. Now I’d like you to have it.” Mother smiled softly as she gently closed Kenzie’s fingers around the ring.

 

Kenzie’s eyes grew wide. “Really? You trust me with it?”

 

“Of course, I do. But you have to promise to keep it safe so you can pass it down to one of your children someday. It’s been in our family for a long time now.”

 

Kenzie slipped the ring over her finger.

 

Kenzie sighed. She had changed a lot since those days, and so had her father. Or maybe it was just that she had come to realize, as she got older, what an evil man had sired her. At one time she’d thought he was the best thing in the world because he lavished her with gifts and always let her do what she wanted. Kenzie’s bedroom got redecorated every time she got bored of the paint color, and she had an endless supply of gorgeous party dresses. Unlike some of her friends at school, Kenzie was never restricted on what sort of lessons she took. It didn’t matter how much it cost to learn ballet or piano or horseback riding, because her father would arrange it all.

 

But as she had gotten older and Matteo had realized she could be a key part of his business plans, all of that had changed. Kenzie had started questioning his motives when he’d insisted that she hang out with certain people at school just so Matteo could meet their parents. She’d heard the whispered rumors at school that the Labriolas were a crime family, whatever that meant. She wanted to deny all of it, but as she grew she realized there was no point. Every child eventually learns that their parents aren’t perfect, but Kenzie had to learn that even more than most.

 

The ring had hung so loosely between her knuckles when her mother had given it to her that it had to stay in the little jewelry box on Kenzie’s dresser for several more years. She’d nearly forgotten about it until she was looking for a lost earring and happened to try it on back in high school. The story of her great-grandmother and everything she had endured had come flooding back instantly, helping her see that she didn’t have to be alone, not really. She always had the spirit of her great-grandmother watching over her.

 

After that, she wore it all the time. It was hard to look at it sometimes and know that her mother was gone. Sometimes Kenzie was angry with her for getting into drugs, for leaving their family home when Kenzie was just twelve. While Kenzie mostly remembered Mother as being a beautiful woman who wore nice dresses to her family’s dinner parties, she hadn’t forgotten those other times. Kenzie had seen her at her worst, late at night, when her mother staggered into Kenzie’s room by mistake and collapsed onto the floor. The image of Mother in the bathtub, passed out in the cold water, refused to leave her mind. She had already been coming to know what a monster her father was, and now Mother had started turning towards the darkness to escape.

 

Kenzie had caught her packing her bag and had begged her to take her along. She didn’t want to stay with Matteo, not if Mother wasn’t going to be there as well. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ve already let you down so much. I can’t keep going on like this, but your father will take care of you. You’ll be fine.” Mother had brushed her fingertips across Kenzie’s chin and turned toward the door.

 

Less than a month later, news that Mrs. Labriola had been caught in the crossfire of a gunfight reached them. There had been no hope after that. Kenzie had been left alone, with nothing but a dented ring to remind her that things would be better someday. Eventually, she would escape the life her father had forced her into.

 

Shaking off the ghosts of the past, Kenzie stepped out of the kitchen to tend to the patrons at the bar.