AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Perfect. I’ll make the arrangements. You can go.”
He stops me as I’m heading toward the door.
“One more thing, Sienna.”
I turn around. “Yes?”
“Start learning Serbian. You have three months.”
* * *
When I exit Ajello’s building, I stand in the middle of the sidewalk as people rush by. Parts of various conversations reach me. Laughter. An angry mother calling for her child. The noise washes over me, and it’s like I entered a beehive, its walls closing in on me. I want to leave, but I can’t make my legs move. Someone bumps me with their elbow, making me stumble to the side, but I’m still stunned and barely register the impact.
Am I really going to marry a man I’ve never met? I could refuse, but in Cosa Nostra, the don’s word is the law, and going against his orders is akin to treason. I could tell Arturo the truth, and he might be able to convince Ajello to drop the idea. My brother saved his life about a decade ago, so I highly doubt the don would actually kill him. But the thing is, Ajello is right. My brother did put his life on hold when our parents were killed. I need to leave.
A shudder passes through my body just thinking about it.
I’ve never lived alone, and I don’t think I can handle it. It’s already too lonely with Asya gone and Arturo being away so much for work, so I usually spend time during the day hanging out at Luna’s. But the nights are hard.
After what happened when Asya was kidnapped, I promised my brother that I would never take sleeping pills again. But I have considered it. Not to hurt myself; I just can’t sleep in an empty house.
If I ask Arturo to stay home more, I’m sure he’ll say yes, but I would never do that. He has enough of his own shit to deal with and doesn’t need my crap on top of it. My brother’s social life has been nonexistent for fifteen years. Outside of work, his sole focus has been on raising Asya and me. He hasn’t even brought a woman to our house, ever, and I’m afraid he won’t as long as I’m there. It’s as if somewhere down the line, he forgot that he’s not our parent. I’m not a child anymore and I can’t let this continue. Arturo needs to live his own life.
But the mere idea of living alone, with no one to talk to, is sending me into a full-blown panic. I can’t do that. I can never do that. If marrying a stranger is the only way not to end up on my own, I’m going to take it. I just need to convince Arturo that it was my idea. He would never allow me to be married off simply because the don ordered it.
“Ms. DeVille.”
I look to the right and see my driver standing by the car, holding the door open for me. I cross the distance in silence and slide in the back.
“Is everything okay, Ms. DeVille?” the driver asks as he gets behind the wheel.
“Of course.” I give him a beaming smile. “Head to the mall, please. I hear there are some big sales today.”
As the car pulls onto the street, I fish the phone out of my purse and dial my brother. It rings several times and goes to voicemail. He’s probably in a meeting again.
“Hey, Arturo,” I chirp after the beep. “I know you’re busy, but I wanted to tell you the news. After Asya got married, it got me thinking about my life, so I went to see the don this morning and asked him if he could arrange a marriage for me. He said yes!” I giggle. “I hope it’ll be a lawyer. Or some CEO. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. I’m heading to the mall right now. There’s this amazing multicolored chiffon dress I saw online. It’s pleated and the shades just blend together so beautifully! It looks like it was made just for me. Love you!”
I throw the phone back into my purse, quickly brush a stray tear off my cheek, and focus my gaze on the street beyond the window.
I observe the man sitting in a puddle of blood at my feet. The left side of his face is so swollen, it looks like it’ll burst any second. I grab him around the neck and lift, pressing his back to the wall.
“So, you just happened to blurt out sensitive info while our competition was present?” I ask.
The man whines and wraps his hands around my wrist, trying to free himself. I slam him against the wall and lean close to his face.
“Do you know what I do to traitors, Henry?”
The man’s eyes go wide as saucers and he shivers. A moment later, the stench of urine fills the air.
“I see that you do.” I smile and reach for the knife lying on the nearby table.
When I press the tip of the blade to Henry’s abdomen, right above his navel, he starts thrashing around, so I put more force into my hold. His face gets redder as he fights for air. Keeping my grip on his neck, I drag the knife straight up, slowly. Blood trickles down Henry’s naked torso as he screams in agony. When I reach his collarbone, I move the tip of the knife below his left nipple and repeat my efforts, only, this time, slicing horizontally toward his right side. The man chokes a few more times and his body goes limp. His glazed-over eyes stare blankly at me. I finish the shape I’m carving into his front, clean the blade on the leg of his pants, and let his body fall to the floor.
“Bolt him to the wall,” I say to the two men standing off to the side and then I turn toward Filip—my second-in-command—who’s lounging on the couch. “What did Ajello want?”
“He wants to meet,” Filip says. “He has a business proposition for you.”
I grab the kitchen towel off the counter and wipe the blood off my hands. “Call him back. Tell him he can shove his proposition up his ass. We’re done doing business with Cosa Nostra, as I’ve already told Arturo countless times.”
