Married to the mafia boss Series

Angelo

I gained new trust for Anastasia.

I don’t feel the need to lock her in my bedroom. I let her walk up the stairs as I make my way into the dining room to pour myself a glass of wine.

I am more free with you than I ever would be with him.

The words struck me to my core. I’m not her savior. I’m digging myself a hole and no way to get out. I’m growing attached when I should be keeping her at much more than an arm’s length distance. Even if we are from the same misunderstood world, we’re living in two different countries. She’s the daughter of Bratva leader and I’m Don of the Mafia. We aren’t compatible. There is no happily ever after.

There’s no promise behind the ring she wears. There’s no forever I wish I could give her. I know where this leads and no matter how many scenarios I try to come up with to make us work, it always ends in disaster. My men would never accept her as their Mafia Queen.

And there’s no promise I wouldn’t kill her father the first chance I get.

“I held my tongue all night,” Antonio startled me as he enters the kitchen. He takes a seat across from me. Arms crossed with a major pissed off expression. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

I gulp down the rest of my wine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit,” he slams his palm down on the table. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Antinio Moretti has always held a lot of power and authority. Hell, at one point I was terrified of him. He’d make any man piss himself. After years of getting to know him, years of being his brother in law, I’ve seen a different side to him. The side that would do anything for his wife. The side that forbids him to do me harm or face the wrath of my sister. I stare him down putting on my best scowl.

“You don’t think I have my resources here in Boston?” He leans in closer. “I know that’s Anastasia Vasiliev.”

My heart skips a beat and my eyes almost widen in shock, but I put on my best stoic poker face. Playing dumb.

“What the hell is going on? You’re living with the enemies daughter, ignoring my wife-your only sister and now you’re not wearing your hearing aid?”

“People change,” I shrug.

“You may be my brother in law but I’m to fucking knock some sense in you in a minute. You have to bring that girl to one of your warehouses, and you need to send Vasiliev something that tells him if he doesn’t cooperate with you, his only daughter is as good as dead.”

“No.”

“No?” Antinio raises his voice. I can tell he’s fuming. He’s not a man accustomed to hearing the word no. “Vasiliev is never going to give in if he thinks your soft and that’s exactly what you are.”

“I’m not fucking soft,” I stand up sending my chair flying back. “You think I’m fucking soft because I refuse to torture a girl?”

“But you didn’t refuse to kidnap her? Didn’t refuse to keep her here as your little pet? Your pretend fiancée?” He stands up pointing his finger directly at me. “Are you fucking her?”

“What!? No!”

“Then why the need for this? Why is she here in your home?”

“Because she gets me okay?!” I shout. I look over my shoulder making sure Anastasia isn’t standing in the threshold or that I didn’t wake Liliana with my screaming.

“She gets you?” He laughs. “Open your fucking eyes! You think you could have a life with her? With a Russian?””Of course you wouldn’t understand,” I walk to my pantry to pull out the harder alcohol. Bourbon.

“Not understand what?” Antonio follows me. “Not understand that you are thinking with your dick and not your head?”

“Fuck off,” I scoff.

Antonio grabs me by the shirt and shoved me up against the wall. “You want to fuck up your life? You want to marry Anastasia because your men will kill you. They won’t stand for a traitor as their Don. Half your men already hate you because you are nothing like your father-”

“And I never will be!”

“-I shouldn’t fucking care less if you want to fuck up your life. But I do. You are my wife’s brother and my daughter’s godfather. Liliana wants you in her life, God knows why. You treat her like shit and every time she cries to me because you ignored her I want to beat you to a pulp.”

“Then do it.”

“Fuck. Angelo, just fucking listen.”

“I am!” I shove him off me. “I never wanted this position!”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“We don’t get a choice! Don’t you get it? You were born a Ricci just like I was born a Moretti, destined to take over. Just like any girl will be married off for political advantage. We don’t get a say in our lives. You are Don and the only way out is death and my wife will probably never fucking forgive me if you get your dumbass killed.”

“So what, you think I need saving?”

“I think lately you haven’t been thinking clearly. You haven’t for the past three years.”

“I wonder fucking why,” I spit bitterly.

Antonio pinches the bridge of his nose. “You got lucky, Angelo. Not everybody is lucky to get cochlear implants.”

“Lucky? Fuck. You really don’t get it. Aside from the fucking tinnitus that drives me insane, before I got those hearing aids I heard the world better than I ever have. Now that met Anastasia I’ve realized the world is so much better silent. But you wouldn’t know anything about it. Hearing the world doesn’t make someone lucky.”

Antonio stares long and hard before finally saying, “So, what is your plan.”

I take a large sip of bourbon from the bottle. “I have no idea.”

He shakes his head. “Tonight. You figure it out tonight. I don’t want to have to clean up after your mess.”

I watch Antonio walk out of the kitchen and back upstairs to his sleeping wife. My mind wanders to Anastasia and whether she’s already asleep or maybe sitting up waiting for me. Or reading a book.

Another shot, or two, of bourbon and I’ve finally gathered enough courage to head upstairs. Anastasia is laying in bed. The lights are off and the covers are pulled to her neck.

I stand at the bedside and look over at her. Her long eyelashes are framed beautifully against her cheeks. Her skin looks smooth and my fingers twitch with the urge to skim down her cheeks. Her pink lips are parted as she snores. The sound oddly comforting to me.