Married to the Mafia Boss

Arianna

I lie here, wide awake. There’s nothing I can do, no position where I’m comfortable enough to let go of my fear and fall asleep. I’m exhausted, but every time I close my eyes, I jolt awake, thinking someone is in the room.

It’s too much for me to handle, and there’s no point staying in bed if I’m going to stare at the ceiling all night.

I slide out of bed, fixing my tank top and pajama shorts that I found in the cupboard. Apparently, in every safe house, there are supplies for me-Alessandro thinks ahead.

I walk to the living room. I don’t turn the main light on because I don’t want to disturb Carmine. I close the door as quietly as possible and open a curtain to let in the moonlight. I can more or less determine where everything is, so I grab the remote and flip the television on.

I feel like my eyes are seared as the bright light fills the room. Thankfully the sound is muted, and I can raise the volume slowly.

The news channel speaks to me softly about an explosion that rocked a quiet neighborhood earlier. I look at the burning picture of my home, and I shiver, sitting on the sofa to watch.

The door opens, and I jump, snapping my neck to see Carmine walk in. He gives me a sad smile. “Can’t sleep either?” he asks.

It’s rhetorical, but I answer anyway, “Nope. They really did a number on our house,” I say, gesturing toward the screen.

He walks in and stands two feet away from me, just in his briefs, and he watches the news. “It was calculated and planned. Alessandro never shared the house plans with anyone and didn’t even update them at town hall. He paid someone off to ignore the alterations.”

“You know a lot about the estate,” I murmur.

“I was part of security. It was my job to know a lot about the estate.” He looks at me curiously. “Watching this isn’t going to set you at ease, and it’s not going to help you sleep.”

“What do you suggest then?” I sit back, watching him.

He holds his hand out for the remote, and I pass it to him. He sits on the sofa beside me, his bare leg brushing against mine. He flips through channels, pausing on each one until he finally finds a movie.

“It’s not great, but if you like chick flicks, you’ll enjoy this.”

I smile. It’s the Hallmark channel. Bless this man’s heart for thinking I’m a chick flick, Christmastime, lovey-dovey kind of girl.

Still, I settle down to watch. He stands. “I’ll get you a blanket and something warm to drink. Tea, maybe,” he offers. “It’s what Mom would make me….”

“When we couldn’t sleep,” I finish with a grin. “I know. I’m her kid too.”

He chuckles and leaves the room, and I realize that when he entered, the fear I had dissipated at the sight of him. Having him near me is so comforting. I forget for a moment that men tried to kill my entire family with a bomb and guns.

Now that he is gone, that fear creeps back in again. What if they attack here? What if he is in the kitchen when they attack? I feel a panic building up inside me, a panic I’m not used to. I wasn’t even this scared when I aquaplaned for the first time.

I take several deep breaths and try to focus on the movie. It’s a cheesy holiday movie, and I run a hand through my hair and tuck it behind my ear.

It feels like he takes forever, but Carmine returns with a blanket tucked under his arm and two cups of tea in his hands. He sets the tea down on the coffee table and shakes the blanket, covering me with it.

“Thank you,” I whisper in a soft tone. I startle myself at the softness in my voice.

Carmine has noticed, too. He’s looking at me with worried eyes. “You don’t have to be scared. I will protect you no matter what happens.”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

I look away, scared I’ll start crying if I think about it too much.

Carmine picks up a cup of tea and holds it out to me. “Here, sip this.”

I take it, blowing on the top of the liquid as Mother showed me all those years ago. I sip it and watch as he sits beside me with his tea. We both turn our attention to the movie as we drink.

I finish my sweet tea slowly, then put the cup on the side table. I curl my legs under me and wait for Carmine to put his cup down.

“Get under,” I say, tugging at the blanket. “I’m uncomfortable.”

He doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he gets up, climbs under the warm blanket, and sits beside me. I lift his arm and place it around my shoulders so I can rest my head against his chest. We watch the movie together, and slowly, my eyes close.

“What the actual fuck?” My brother, Dominic’s shout, jolts me awake, and I panic that we’re being attacked again.

Carmine removes his protective arm from around me and stands up. “Dominic, it’s nothing, man.”

“Nothing? You cuddling with my fucking sister is nothing?” my brother demands to know.

I step toward him. “I asked him to stay with me because I was scared,” I snarl. “We didn’t do anything.”

Dominic looks like he wants to shoot both of us. He glares at Carmine. “You’re my best friend, Carmine, but stay the fuck away from my sister. You may be like family to us, but you will never be good enough for her.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. My brother is being the biggest dick in the world right now.

Carmine looks furious, but he holds his hands up. “I wasn’t making a move on Arianna. I was comforting her.”

“And even if he wanted to,” I snap, “it’s none of your fucking business.”

Dominic glares at me and comes close to my face. I can see the anger set in his eyes. “Stop acting like a fucking slut, cuddling up to whatever man pays you attention.”

I’m not just anyone. I’m his sister. I slap his face before he can say another word, and I know he’s stunned because I’ve never raised my hands to my brother before. It’s always been about respect, pleasing, and falling into line.

Dominic touches a hand to his reddening cheek, but I don’t care. I push past him and walk out of the room. I hear him yelling at Carmine, and a pang of guilt hits me in the gut like a sucker punch. I can’t do anything about Carmine, but if Dominic hurts him, I’ll be having a very unpleasant conversation with Alessandro. Dominic is way out of line. I know they want to protect me, but so does Carmine. I don’t understand why they can’t see that Carmine is literally willing to lay his life down on the line to keep me safe.

Something needs to change in this family, something needs to give, or I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life because no one will ever be good enough for the innocent and pretty little Sorvino’s family princess.

I wait until I hear Dominic leave before I come back downstairs. I look in the living room but don’t see Carmine there. A sweet aroma reaches me, and I head to the kitchen. Carmine is dressed now, with an apron over his clothes, cooking.