I had been at the Mancini house for two days now, and I hadn’t received a single note since I was at my apartment. Perhaps it was because the Romano’s didn’t know where to find me, but the more plausible answer was that the security at the Mancini house was far too great and flawless for them to get through, unlike back at my apartment.
My routine these last two days had been the same. I woke up next to Massimo in his bed, we had breakfast with his brother’s in the dining hall, and then we separated for work. He usually retreated to his office on the top floor with Gio, his current project being on how to stop the Romano’s without unsettling the other mafia families or even better, how to get them on our side so the Romano’s ancient countdown assassination tradition could be put to a stop, once and for all. I usually used that time to stay on top of my college work.
I had been really cryptic with my friends, telling them that I had returned home to spend a week with my family as we were all going through a rough patch. What I didn’t tell them was that I was at the Mancini house and Massimo had set some of his men to guard my family in case the Romano’s decided to start playing dirty. I had switched my shifts around at work so while I wasn’t working anything this week, the next few weeks would be busy for me.
Two days had passed, and this routine was quickly getting boring from. Not wanting to leave the house because I was going through an introverted few days was fine, but when I knew that I couldn’t leave the house, well, that was a completely different matter.
And for that reason, I was currently slipping out of the Mafia house through the back, dressed in dark clothing and a ball cap I had found in Massimo’s wardrobe.
“Massimo’s not going to like this,” a familiar voice sing-sang from behind me.
“Please don’t tell him, Detta,” I sighed, already knowing who it was without even needing to glance over my shoulder.
I may have only been here for two days, but I had spent a lot of time with the Mancini’s, and that included Benedetta as she practically came as a package deal with Fabrizio. And to think that I believed Benedetta and Massimo to have been an item before. Looking at them interact now, they looked more like business partners, but I quickly discovered that after winning Fabrizio’s case against the Huntsberg’s, she had turned into somewhat of a family lawyer for them all.
And in a house full of men, it was nice to have a woman about.
“It would be wrong of me to let you leave like this,” Benedetta sighed, and when I heard shuffling around from behind me, I was surprised to find that had tied her hair up into a messy bun and threw an oversized hoodie over herself. I recognised it to be the one that Fabrizio had been wearing this morning.
“You’re joining me?” I asked in surprise.
“Someone has to make sure the Romano’s don’t kill you while you’re away,” Benedetta shrugged as she followed me out through the back, and since she knew the house and its surroundings so much better, she guided me away from the path which led from the front of the house to the guarded gates, she guided me over to a concealed hole in the side of the bush.
“How did you know about this place?” I asked curiously as I followed her.
“Apparently this is how the boys use to sneak out for parties during the middle of the night,” Benedetta laughed as she grabbed my hand, making sure I made it out of the bush alright. “Now, where are we going on this wild adventure of yours?”
“I want to visit my roommate at the hospital,” I told her. “Massimo and I tried to go yesterday but they wouldn’t let us in to see her. Some stupid nurses turned us away because apparently only family are allowed in.”
“Yes, I heard about that. I’m really sorry you’re going through all of this. I know it’s difficult, but you have the Mancini’s on your side. You’re one of us now, and we won’t let anything happen to you,” Benedetta assured me, and I felt my shoulders relax a little at her words. “Now, come on. I know a shortcut to the subway station.”
Within an hour, Benedetta and I had rode the subway to the station near the hospital. We made up a random room number and somehow, the receptionist let us through and we were able to sneak about until we spotted Luciana through the small window of her room. Thankfully, she was alone so I would actually be able to talk with her.
“You go ahead,” Benedetta told me, gesturing over to the waiting area. “I’ll be out here for when the nurses finally find you and kick you out.”
“Thanks,” I smiled warmly at Benedetta. After a quick glance up and down the hallway to make sure none of those nasty nurses were here from yesterday to stop me, I squeezed the handle and rushed into the room.
“Yas?” Luciana called out to me in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here to see you,” I sighed and rushed over to give her a hug. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Luce. You didn’t deserve this.”
“You don’t deserve it either, Yas,” Luciana sighed, hugging me back. “But don’t worry. I’m completely fine. They’re just keeping me here for some checks but said that I’d probably be discharged this evening. Tony went back to his apartment to get me a change of clothes.”
“The police told me that you were mugged,” I told her as I took a seat on the edge of her bed, still holding her hand as I struggled to keep a reign on the overwhelming rage that washed over me.
“It was so much more than a mugging,” Luciana told me, her face quickly growing serious. “But first of all, I’m not sure if you know this but your boyfriend, Massimo–”
“I know Massimo is the mafia boss of the Mancini Mafia,” I said, cutting her off. “I’ve known all along.”
“And you’re okay with it?”
“The mafia isn’t as bad as you think,” I murmured, not quite sure how to explain it to her.
“Right,” she murmured back, not looking that convinced. “What does Massimo think about the mugging?” she asked me, watching my reaction carefully.
“We all know it was only staged as a mugging. This was the Romano’s doing to get back at me.”
“Not at you, the Mancini’s,” Luciana tried to insist but I shook my head.
“No,” I denied. “The Romano’s are trying to get back at me. I had a bad run in with one of their own, and it ended quite badly so now they’re out for revenge. Believe it or not, but I actually managed to get myself into this mess without any involvement from Massimo or his brothers.”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” she asked, her face morphing into an expression of the utmost confusion. “Why would the Romano mafia want to get revenge on you?”
“Because one of the Romano’s tried to date rape me but he couldn’t. And then when Massimo found out about it, he and his brother beat him up, and now they Romano’s want revenge on me.”
“What?” Luciana gasped, unable to believe what I had just told her.
“Don’t worry. I’m over it now,” I tried to assure her. “I’m just sorry that you were dragged into this mess, Luce. You didn’t deserve any of this.”
“The guy that mugged me,” Luciana gulped, struggling over her words. “He told me to give you a message. He knew that we were roommates.”
“Did you manage to get his name?”
“No,” she shook her head. “But he told me that you and your boyfriend could hide as much as you want, but when the Romano’s find you, they will get revenge for the dishonour you put on their name.”
I gulped as I locked eyes with Luciana, and a brief moment of silence passed as we locked eyes, just staring at each other.
“He didn’t hurt you too badly, did he?” I asked after a few moments, that feeling of guilt starting to swallow me up once again.
“He didn’t hurt me at all,” she shook her head. “He just stole my bag and then threw me to the ground. The only reason that they didn’t discharge me yesterday was because the police spent so long questioning me that by the time they were finished, it was past midnight and they decided to just keep me overnight.”
“I’m so sorry I got you into this mess, Luce. But I promise this is it. I promise you won’t be dragged into it anymore.”
“What are you going to do?” Luciana asked in a quiet voice, no doubt having caught onto the hidden meaning behind my words.
“I can’t tell you,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I’m sorry once again, Luce, but I have to get back now. Text me when they discharge you.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Yas,” she called out to me, and I merely chuckled and shook my head.
I knew Luciana didn’t approve of me dating Massimo as not only was he part of the mafia, but he was the mafia boss himself. I also knew that once my family found out his true identity as well, they wouldn’t approve either, but Massimo was it for me. Just like Benedetta, I was blessed enough to find out the truth about the mafia – the Mancini’s specifically. More than criminals, they were a family and while some of their methods were questionable, they were far from bad people.
“How is your friend?” Benedetta asked, rising to her feet as I approached her.
“She wasn’t hurt,” I exhaled.
“I’m really glad to hear that,” she smiled and nodded. “We need to get back to the house now. Massi has been blowing up my phone for the past half hour now and frankly, I’m scared to listen to the voicemail he’s left me.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” I chuckled as I looped my arm around hers, the both of us beginning out of the hospital. “Let me deal with him, but only if hep me with something.”
“What do you need my help with?” Benedetta asked, her eyes narrowed at me in suspicion.
I grinned and began telling her about my grand plan which had formulated while I had been in there, checking on Luciana.
Benedetta wasn’t convinced at first but when we arrived back at the Mancini house nearly an hour later, she was onboard which was a good thing as I would need her help to convince Massimo. Perhaps he would be more inclined to listen to the rational voice of a lawyer.
“Where the fuck were you?” Massimo swore as he rushed down the driveway to engulf me in his arms, holding me tighter than anyone had ever held me before. “I was so worried about you, Cara. I thought the Romano’s had gotten you.”
“I’m sorry, Massimo,” I apologised and held him, starting to feel bad that he had been worrying so much. But in my defence, if I had told him where I was going, or that I was even going somewhere in the first place, he would have never let me go.
“I sent out a whole search party for you,” he whispered, and I could practically feel his heart thumping heavily in his chest against mine. “Where did you go?”
“I went to see Luce,” I told him.
“Cara,” Massimo groaned a guttural sound, squeezing me a little tighter. “That was the one thing I asked you not to do.”
“You shouldn’t have asked something so impossible of me.”
“You know the Romano’s could have been watching you. What if that was their plan to lure you out there where they could get their hands on you?”
“I couldn’t not see Luce,” I sighed. “I’m sorry for making you worry, but I’m not sorry for going to see my friend. Especially since I’m the sole reason that she’s in the hospital in the first place.”
“I know, Cara,” he sighed and pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. “I just worry about you, is all.”
“How about a way to put an end to that worry once and for all?” I suggested, bracing my hands on either side of his face, demanding his attention.
“Cara?” he sounded in a low hum, his eyes fluttering open to stare into mine.
“Just hear me out, okay? I have a plan.”
“I don’t like the sound of this already,” Massimo groaned and squeezed his eyes shut again.
-
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Layla Knight
05.02.2022
