AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A chill runs through my body, he has been watching us the entire time.
21
Frankie
“What the hell, Sebastian— you went to his house?” I am home, trying to reconcile my thoughts on Marco, given he was at my door this morning trying to keep us united. I tried to end it, I tried as best as I could. Marco was disappointed, but he is also determined and a small part of me is glad he said he wasn’t giving up. There is still a glimmer of hope that I feel burning deep inside me.
Now Sebastian has called my cell and dropped this bomb on me. I am so angry; why can’t he just let me handle it. I am so sick and tired of everyone getting into my business. I just want to wallow in sadness and eat my feelings away in peace.
“Calm down, Fifi, I just went to scare him a little,” he says in such a way that I know he is smiling, like he had fun intimidating my boyfriend. While I know he doesn’t take pleasure in killing people, I know he takes pleasure in scaring them. So, he obviously had some fun with Marco this morning, and for that I want to throttle him.
“And?” I demand. Sebastian may be my older brother and soon-to-be head of the family, but I am pissed. It is one thing to tell me what to do, but it is an entirely different thing to not let me handle my own shit. I understand that he is my big brother, but I seriously wish he would just butt out sometimes.
“Well it didn’t fucking work. You escaped less than a year ago and not only have you caught the eye of a fucking billionaire, but the guy has balls of steel. No one has ever spoken back to me—ever— and the stupid fucker kept doing it. I nearly put a fucking bullet in his brain. If it wasn't for you liking the guy so much, I might have.”
“WHAT?!” I scream down the phone at him and jump up from the sofa where I was sitting. If Sebastian was here in front of me, I would have tackled him to the ground. “What are you talking about?!” I am nearly hysterical. My voice is pitched high, and my body is trembling. “Oh my god, did you pull a gun on Marco?” I am scared to ask but need to know the answer, and I hold my breath as I wait for his response.
“I can see why you like him. He has a strong protective streak and he would look after you. He has your back, I can acknowledge that. He was standing up to me. He wants to be with you. Hell, the guy looks to be in love with you.”
The air leaves my lungs at that comment and all anger from before dissipates. “What?” I whisper out. Did Sebastian just say Marco loves me?
“You’re on lockdown for the week. Just so you know, I fucking know everything about him, and I am following him too, so stay away from him. The last thing we need is more photos across the fucking internet. I am looking into another place for you, in another city. I think it is time we moved you.”
“Sebastian!” I yell as I rub my hands over my face, confused and frustrated about what exactly happened between the two of them this morning.
“Listen, Fifi, I need to go, but promise me you will stay away from him. He can’t go to the bar anymore, Alf will kill him. There are to be no visits, you can’t see him. It can’t be a thing, it just can't be, Sorella.” Sebastian is telling me one final time, and I need to listen.
Sebastian ends the call before I can say anymore. He doesn’t give me a chance to ask any further questions, he doesn’t give me a chance to plead my case. I can’t believe he went to see Marco behind my back! God, what if he hit him or injured him. I’m sure Sebastian would have told me, but still, he can get a little too protective of me sometimes.
I start to pace my sitting room, unsure what to do. I know I can’t leave my apartment; Sebastian has people watching and he would not be happy if I left. Sofia is due to come by soon with supplies for me for a week, so I can stay at home and away from prying eyes. My body is full of nervous energy, and I am unsure for the first time in my life as to what I should do. My body and heart are telling me to go to Marco, to make sure he is all right, to be with him. But my brain keeps my feet firmly in place, like they are in a block of cement, they are not even moving an inch.
I stand still, completely at a crossroad. I’m not sure what Marco thinks of me now. He now knows exactly who I am, there is no hiding it anymore, and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame him if he ran far away from me. The King of Boston could have any damn woman he wanted, why in the world would he want me now, knowing all the trouble I can bring to him. Knowing the evil that lurks in my body, in my blood.
I am the only daughter of the biggest mob boss in New York city. My life has been planned out for me from the moment I was born. I am not allowed to work in the business; my role is to look pretty, be smart, and marry who I am told to. The fact that I ran away from home, to escape the prison sentence of an arranged marriage my papa had organized, I know has angered him greatly. If he ever finds me, I know I will pay a steep price, but it is a price I am willing to pay.
Potentially, even with my life.
But this mess of a life that I lead, it is just something that I can’t have Marco dragged into. I am prepared to die. It is something I have come to know, and I have made my peace with it. But I can’t take Marco down with me.
I know how scary my brother can be. Even for someone like Marco who has all the protection and security and money right at his fingertips, he still couldn’t compete with Sebastian. I am not sure what happened between the two of them this morning, but I have no doubt that Sebastian would have been terrorizing. Hell, he is my own brother and even I find him scary at times.
I am still in turmoil when Sofia arrives an hour later. She doesn't stay for long, just long enough to drop off the food and supplies, then she kisses me and then leaves straight away.
I feel terrible for letting everyone down, especially Alf and Sofia. I know, deep inside that Marco is the one for me, but I just can’t make it happen. I need to start removing myself from him, and for once I am glad to be locked up here for a week. It will give me the space I need to sort through my feelings and build up the steely resolve I will need before I can face him again.
There is only one place that helps me think and that is the kitchen. So, I do what any normal Italian woman does. I cook my feelings away. I let my frustrations out on the pots and pans, cooking and then cleaning like a mad woman.
A few hours later, I have made enough pasta to feed a small country, and I even got creative making delicious Italian cannolis. Given my current heartbreak status, I no doubt will devour them over the course of the next few days and probably come out of lockdown 10 pounds heavier. As delicious as they are, the smell of them is enough to pile on the pounds.
I wipe down the benches and pack away the food, now too exhausted to eat, and once everything is tidy, I go to my room and lie on my bed.
My sheets still smell of Marco, and I feel protected by his scent. I haven’t heard from him today, so Sebastian’s visit must have had the desired effect. Now that Marco knows who I am and who my family are, he doesn’t want anything to do with me. Perhaps it is all for the best.
With sadness in my heart and sorrow in my mind, my eyes slowly close, giving way to the exhaustion I have as I drift off to sleep, his scent infiltrating my dreams.
22
Marco
