Married to the Mafia Boss

Frankie

There is no going back from this, not this time. I’m not going to let her toy with my feelings just because she has an itch she needs to scratch. The reality of the matter is that she’s either mine or she’s not, but one way or another, this game needs to end.

If she chooses me, I will not let her go, not this time. I will possess her in every way, and I will protect her. She will be mine, my wife, the love of my life. She knows how I feel. I can’t be any blunter than I have been. It’s up to her now.

The night we slept together in Maryland was everything to me. I felt as though a piece of my soul that was missing had been stitched back together with me. It might sound sappy, but it’s the truth. I felt like I was home in her arms, with her in mine. It’s meant to be, or it’s not.

She pretended it was nothing, and I allowed that. I allowed her to act as though what we had meant nothing, and I won’t let that happen again. If she wants me, she has to commit. There are no two ways about it.

I step back and watch her. “If you want to be mine, then come here and declare it.”

This isn’t going to be a one-night, every now and then thing. If she wants this, truly wants this, she’s going to have to come over here and kiss me. Then I’ll finally know it’s meant to be and that we can start our lives as one, together, forever.

I see a look on her face as though she’s come to her senses. It unsettles me, but she blushes. She turns away from me and goes to her bed. No word, not even a goodnight. I get into my bed and turn off the light.

It’s her decision. I will never force her to be mine. As much as it hurts now, at least I know for sure, and I can now guard my heart and my feelings. This is just a marriage of convenience, and that is all it will ever be.

I try to sleep, but there’s a dull ache in my chest. It’s like I’ve been spurned, and now only half my heart resides in my chest. The other half is asleep in the bed opposite mine.

I eventually fall asleep, and when I wake up, she’s already dressed. She’s sitting on the bed, reading a book. She looks so beautiful, but that’s not the sort of thought I can think of anymore.

The decision is made.

I get up, go to the bathroom, and prepare for the day.

I take out the secured laptop and check on my emails. Alessandro has explained where I need to go first and what he needs me to sort out.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

It feels so weird not to be able to make these decisions for myself. I’ve worked hard for my position in the family, and now I’ve lost that as I’ve lost her. And it’s all because of her. Ever since I bumped into her, my life has turned upside down, and nothing has gone right.

Maybe this decision is for the best.

We spend the day mostly in silence. She asks me if she can order room service and if I want anything, but that’s about it, really. I respond to Alessandro about some emails and work that needs to be done and then I take a nap. I’m driving at night this time and need to be rested. Before I do, I tell her not to leave the room, and she doesn’t seem to because when I wake up, she’s still there.

“I’ve ordered dinner,” she says. “So, we can eat before we hit the road.”

“Did you get some sleep?” I ask, trying to play it cool.

“No, I’ll sleep while you drive.” she shrugs. “That way, if you’re too tired to drive tomorrow, I can.”

I nod. It makes sense. Logic, I can deal with. We pack our things and wait for dinner. She’s ordered us toasted sandwiches, and I scarf mine down with a soda from the minibar.

She seems too quiet, and I sigh. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she says quietly. “We’ve both made our decision.”

I nod. “We can still be amicable, try and make the most of what we’ve been given.”

She nods. “I will, just… stop looking at me like I’m a piece of meat.”

I fluster slightly but nod. “Okay.”

We finish our food and take our luggage down to check out. Once I’ve paid the bill cash, I walk her to where I parked the car the night before. We load the luggage, and I slide into the driver’s seat. I check around us and drive out, driving to the freeway where there is almost no traffic this late. We pass a car every now and then, but mostly it’s just us on this long road.

She does as she promises. She props her head up on a travel pillow and falls asleep, snoring slightly because of the angle she is lying at.

My mind is exploding with doubt, wondering if I should have been more forceful, if I should have begged. If I have made a terrible mistake by marrying her.

The thoughts keep me awake, along with the bright truck headlights that pass me by now and then. One comforting thing about driving at night is that it’s easy to tell if you’re being tailed.

I’m alert to any cars that come up behind me, and I move onto the shoulder of the road so they can overtake me. I don’t want to come off as suspicious, and through the night, there’s no one that stays behind me or seems determined to tail me.

I stop at a gas station and shake Amelia lightly. “Do you want to stretch your legs and grab some snacks while I put in gas?”

She nods sleepily, and I hand her some cash. I go to the pump and fill the car, keeping a wary eye and looking around for any suspicious activity.

I think we may just have made it out of New York without detection.

Alessandro has mentioned that some of Jose’s men have been outside my place and his and that they follow some of our people around as though hoping they’ll be led to where Amelia and I are. So maybe we got lucky, and we got out right on time.

I finish pumping the gas and go inside to pay. Amelia is at the counter chatting to the cashier about interesting things to see along the highway.

“Yeah, you’ll find many of these cute little towns along the way which have an attraction of their own. It’s to generate business,” he says as he rings up her snacks.

I come up behind her and raise an eyebrow at her.

She falters slightly and pays for her goods. “Thanks so much for the advice.”

“Have fun in Pennsylvania,” he calls.

My blood boils, and I pay for the gas quickly. I wait until we’re back on the road before I round on her, “This is why I didn’t tell you where we’re headed and why I won’t be giving you any more information.”

She looks at me wide-eyed. “He’s just a cashier.”

“Jose has men all over the country. You can’t trust anyone,” I raise my voice slightly. “Don’t be a naive little girl, Amelia, because you will get us both killed.”

She huffs and turns her back to me, hugging her travel pillow.

I stare straight ahead, wondering what to do next.