Married to the Mafia Boss

Sofia

At least I’ve eaten something, even if it was just cereal. We’ve only been on the run for a handful of days, but it feels like forever, and I don’t want to spend any more time with Carmila’s killer than I have to, so I’m glad to hear that I’m going back to my father soon.

From there, my father’s men can protect me, and I don’t ever have to see Dominic again.

It feels like some errant feeling is tugging inside me when I think of leaving him. He disgusts me. He’s a killer, but at the same time, I’m starting to see a new, caring side to him, and it’s causing a conflict to stir within me.

I stay quiet as we drive out of the safe house and hit the freeway, heading back toward New York Central. I hate the silence, though, and my curiosity is irritating me, so I finally ask, “So, what are your brothers like?”

“Excuse me?” Dominic says, slightly distracted.

“Your brothers, you mentioned you have brothers. What are they like?” I ask again.

“Alessandro leads our family now that our father has stepped down for retirement, and Frankie is very business-minded but on the run because Jose Catalan wants to kill him. That’s why we’re keen on bringing Jose down, aside from other reasons.”

“Do you all look alike?” I ask.

“We do, including my sister. Same dark hair and blue-gray eyes, and none of us take bullshit excuses,” he says.

I glance behind us to make sure no one is following us. I feel slightly paranoid being this out in the open again.

“You have a sister?” I ask. “What’s she like?”

“Arianna is a princess, like you,” he scoffs, but I’m not offended by how he says princess this time. “She’s fiery and hellbent on getting what she wants, and it drives both my parents and my brothers insane.”

“And you?” I ask. “Does she drive you insane?”

“Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for her because she’s the baby of the family or maybe just because we’re closer in age, but I find her fun to be around.”

“You know how to have fun?” I ask, genuinely surprised. “What do you do for fun?”

He scowls. “Of course, I know how to have fun. I just work a lot.” He pauses, considering my question. “Mostly drink together, go dancing.”

“You don’t dance, though,” I point out.

“Arianna doesn’t believe that, and she’s normally plied me with alcohol, so I’m more…. flexible.” He grins and indicates to change lanes.

“What is your family like?” he asks suddenly. “And why do they hate the Catalans so much?”

“Well, I told you a family member married into the Catalan family, and, well, it was forced,” I explain. “Our family really didn’t have a choice, and we’ve been Jose’s slaves ever since.”

“I’m surprised by how much you know,” he says.

“I eavesdrop a lot. My father mistakes me for a pretty face, everyone does, but I know a lot about what goes on. More than my sisters, but probably less than my two brothers.”

He nods. “My sister wanted to be involved with the family business as well. My father put his foot down and refused flat out. The family business is no place for women. It gets really messy.”

“Women can handle messy, I assure you,” I say, raising an eyebrow. His comment irritates me.

He chuckles. “Wait until you meet my brother’s wife. You’ll see I know that better than most.”

There’s silence again, and I’m thinking about what else we can talk about when he asks, “So, what did you say you want to study in America?”

“I want to become a digital artist,” I explain, and when he scoffs, I frown. “What’s wrong with that?”

“You get irritated that I say women have no place in family business, but you want to study something that cannot help your family. Why not become a lawyer or doctor?” He glances at me.

I shake my head. “I said women can handle messy. I didn’t say I wanted to.”

He grins. “Ah, I see.”

“What did you study?” I ask curiously.

“I didn’t. I trained with private elite forces to hone my skills to assist the family.”

“Is that what you wanted to do?” I ask curiously, wondering if he had always wanted to be a killer.

He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter what I wanted. My life was chosen for me from the day I was born. Every decision made throughout my life was to groom me to be a good family member, and that’s what I am. A good son, a loyal brother, and a soldier.”

I look at him, and for a moment, I feel pity for him. I imagine it must have been such a lonely life growing up.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Dominic shakes his head again. “Honestly, it’s what I’ve always known, so it doesn’t bother me. You wonder why I don’t let killing get to me? Because I was surrounded by it my entire life. When I was seven years old, I saw a man get executed for crossing our family.”

“That’s horrible,” my eyes widen, and my mouth drops open.

Dominic shrugs. “It is what it is. It wasn’t exactly on purpose, I was spying on my father, but he knew and didn’t chase me away. So it was accidentally on purpose, I guess.”

As we join city traffic, I look at the road ahead. “You must need therapy, and like tons of it.”

“I deal with it my own way. Mostly, I compartmentalize.”

I’m surprised by his honesty, and we fall into a more comfortable silence. His honesty makes me reconsider what he has already told me, including Carmila’s involvement. What if he was speaking the truth and she had betrayed me? Would I want her dead? I mean, if she did, it’s her fault we got captured and my life nearly ruined.

I honestly don’t know what to think now, but Dominic seems to be a bit softer with me now, as though he’s afraid I’ll break.

“Can you teach me how to shoot?” I ask quietly.

“I can, but we’ll have to do it later,” he says, sighing as traffic slows to a crawl.

“Do you honestly think Carmila betrayed me?” I ask, the question almost gets stuck in my throat, and I feel as though my chest is being crushed with emotion.

Dominic doesn’t look at me, not even a glance, but he does say, “I do. She had this smile about the whole situation, and she just… I can’t explain it, but I’ve dealt with enough evil people to know one when I see one, Sofia. I’m sorry your friend betrayed you.”

The fact he uses my name and doesn’t call me princess makes me want to believe all the more. He is being genuine with me, and if it were different circumstances, I know I could probably fall for a man like him with his piercing eyes and no-nonsense attitude.

I sniff and wipe my eyes, looking out the window to my right to hide my tears.

We don’t speak again as Dominic pulls into a parking garage and finds a spot. Once we’re parked, we grab our bags, and Dominic holsters his gun. “You ready?”

“I’m ready,” I say, trying to sound braver than I feel.

I follow him toward the park, unsure of how I feel.