Arranged Mafia Marriage

Karma

A knock on the door wakes me up. I open my eyes and grimace. A dull headache knocks at my temples, and my eyes feel swollen. I turn over on my back, and glance around the shadowed room. The curtains have been drawn… and I normally leave them open before I go to bed. That way, I know approximately what time it is when I wake up. Which means someone else must have drawn them… Michael… He must have done it before leaving. Had he stayed last night? Had he watched me sleep? I remember clinging to him, asking him to stay and then I had started to cry, damn it. I had clung to him and wept, and he had drawn me close to him and held me, and then, I don’t remember anything. I must have fallen asleep in his arms. When had he left?

Next to me is Andy. He walks to the edge of the bed, jumps off, then pads over to the door. He turns to me, then glances back at the door. I swear, that cat can talk without saying a word. He’s way too smart for his own good.

The knock sounds again. I sit up, call out, “Come in.”

Cassandra shoulders open the door and Andy darts to the side. She walks in holding a breakfast tray. Andy follows her. She places the tray on the table near the window, draws the curtains open. The sunlight streams in and I wince.

“Good morning,” she choruses as she looks me up and down. “How do you feel today?”

“Sore,” I cough, then throw my legs over the side of the bed. I stand up, and every muscle in my body feels like it has been put through the wringer.

Andy walks over purring loudly; he brushes against my calf. I glance down, remember I am still in my bra and panties. I glance around for a robe or something to cover myself with.

“Here,” Cassandra hands me the robe she grabbed from the chair near the bed. Andy prances away as I walk slowly into the bathroom, feeling every bit of the hard fall I took when I was ejected from the car. To think, I could have very easily died… Like Xander… Poor Xander… Like my child.

A shudder grips me. I walk over to the sink in the bathroom and grip the edge, take in a deep breath. Another. I need to stop circling back to what happened. Need to somehow focus on the now, the present… On proving to my husband that I would be safest by his side. I open the faucet, hold my palms out under the flowing water. I splash the water onto my face, brush my teeth, comb my hair back. By the time I step out, I am feeling a little better… At least, more collected, at any rate. I walk over to the tray of food on the table and take a seat. Cassandra pours a mug of coffee for me.

“Why don’t you join me?” I ask.

She seems like she’s about to refuse and I shake my head, “Please, I insist. I really could do with some company right now.”

She hesitates, then nods. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she sits down opposite me. I reach for one of the plates that had covered the dishes. I turn it over, pile it with scrambled eggs, toast and bacon, and push it toward her.

“Oh no, I can’t,” she protests.

I scowl. “I bet you haven’t eaten breakfast today.”

She blinks.

“Well, have you?”

She shakes her head.

“Come on, then.” I nod toward her plate.

“There’s only one set of cutlery,” she points out.

“We can share,” I reach for a fork and push my spoon toward her. She grabs it and for a few seconds the sound of cutlery hitting the plate fills the space. When I have polished off almost everything on my plate, I place my fork down, “Is the Capo working from his home office today?” I ask.

“He left very early and told me he wouldn’t be back for dinner.”

“Oh,” I blink, “guess he’s working from his office at Venom, then.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

She glances up at me, “He told me to help you in any way needed with the Christmas party.”

I hold her gaze, “Guess you’re thinking that it’s in bad taste to hold a celebration so soon after a funeral?”

“I think it will help bridge the rift between the brothers.”

“You mean between Michael and Luca?”

She nods, “And Sebastian and Christian.”

“What’s up between those two?”

She raises a shoulder, “I am not sure, but they seem to always be fighting.”

“Hmm,” I toy with my fork, “I’m hoping some kind of event to commemorate Xander’s memory is what they need to lower the barriers between them and talk.”

“More like talk with their fists,” she snorts. “Those brothers have been known to fight at the least provocation.”

“Really?” I frown. “They always come across as so suave and sophisticated.”

“It’s all a front.” She shrugs. “When they were younger, they got into scraps all the time. It drove Nonna crazy.”

“Nonna,” I chuckle, “that woman is formidable. I guess she’d have to be to survive so long in this family of men, but still… I don’t know whether to be in awe of her or to hate her.”

“The former.” Cassandra reaches for her coffee. “You have her on your side and it will be easier to win over everyone else in the family.”

“Not that I want to have anything to do with Michael’s father.” I shiver. “That man gives me the creeps.”

“The Don is dangerous,” she admits, “but I don’t think you have anything to worry about from him. Michael will make sure that the Don keeps his distance.”

“I sure hope so,” I murmur, “especially since they are both coming to the Christmas party.”

“You also need to reach out to Theresa.”

“Xander’s friend?”

She nods, “If it’s an event to celebrate Xander’s life, it would be incomplete without her.”

“Can you help me reach out to her?”

“Better than that, I’ve already asked her to come to meet you later today.”

“Why can’t I go to meet her?”

“Because the Capo has left instructions that you are not to leave the house.”

I blow out a breath. He doesn’t want me to leave the house and yet… he doesn’t want me to stay with him. The man is seriously making my head spin.

“What’s wrong?” Cassandra peers into my face, “Everything okay?”

“Peachy,” I murmur, “what time is Theresa coming?”