Filed to story: No Escape From The Mafia Kings Embrace
“Am I still allowed to work?”, I asked nervously. “Not at Nick’s, you won’t”, he answered sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know that. I mean in general”, I asked. Then it dawned on me that I had never told him where I worked.
“Wait a minute.”, I said, giving Luca a suspicious look. “I never told you where I worked. How did you know that?”, I asked. Luca’s face contorted into a look of ‘oh shit’, before he masked it, but not before I saw it.
I crossed my arms over my chest as he uncrossed his. I wasn’t mad at him. I figured he would find out everything he could about me, but I wanted him to admit that to me.
“I recognized your uniform.”, he said, trying to save himself. I arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”, I teased. “Because, I specifically remember you saying and I quote, ‘where are you coming from dressed like this?'”, I imitated, trying to reconstruct his deep voice.
Luca’s face broke out in a huge grin as he backed me up against the bookshelf. He braced his hands on the shelf, on either side of my head, caging me in his arms. “That was fucking cute”, he growled.
I put my hand on his chest, making him look down at my hand. “And you’re trying to change the subject”, I pouted.
Luca looked back up at me and smirked. “I have a file on you”, he whispered, teasingly. “And where’s my file on you?”, I asked, arching an eyebrow. Luca smirked as he leaned into my ear. “You don’t get one”, he uttered.
I frowned as I turned my face toward his. “That’s not very fair, is it?”, I asked sadly. “I’ll answer any questions you ask”, he justified. “So would I”, I countered. “Would you have?”, he asked, skeptically, as he pulled back to gaze at my face.
“Yes”, I frowned, holding my ground. “So you would have told me about your tuition, or how you were the only one paying the bills at your mom’s house?”, he asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. “Yes. That’s why I asked if I was allowed to work. I was getting to the rest”, I answered, allowing my honesty to flow with my words.
“And you would’ve told me about your medical record?”, he asked, pinning me with his eyes. My heart stopped in my chest, as my face drained of color. He has my medical record too? Of course he does.
“I better understand why you wanted Carl dead”, he whispered softly. I turned my head away in shame. Those weren’t the only times Carl had hurt me. They were just the times it was so severe I had no choice but to go to the hospital because I couldn’t treat myself.
Luca’s fingers grasped my chin. He turned my head, forcing me to look at him. “Tell me”, his voice was low and drenched in demand. I slowly shook my head, “No. No I wouldn’t have told you”, I confessed in a whisper.
Luca’s nostrils flared, “Why?”, he asked, hurt lacing his tone. “Because it’s in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. Never did, really”, I answered solemnly. Luca frowned deeply, “Of course it matters. Everything about you matters. Your past, present and future. They all matter, especially to me.”, he said softly, as he ran his thumb lightly over my jawline.
“Can I ask you something?”, he uttered. I nodded my head, and looked at him expectantly. “Did he hit your mom too?”, he asked gently. I pulled my chin from his grasp and looked away once again.
No he fucking did not. I was the beating post because he couldn’t fuck me. What the fuck? How am I supposed to tell my future fucking husband that? Every one of her boyfriends was like that. Because that was mom’s one rule. So in exchange, to keep them happy, they were allowed to take their anger out on me.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I snapped them closed and focused on my breathing. Fuck. Not here. Not right now. I started shaking my head no, as the tightness closed in around my chest. Fuck. Help me.
“Marabella”, I could hear Luca’s deep voice call my name, soothingly. “Marabella, look at me, baby girl”, he commanded softly, as he cupped my face with both of his hands. My eyes snapped open meeting his. I couldn’t stop the pour of words or stutter that left my mouth when his gray eyes reflected so much support, comfort, and concern.
“S-She would-d l-leave me. She left me, w-with them”, I confessed in a cry. Luca’s face contorted to confusion and anger, he tilted his head to the side slightly. “Breathe, bambina (baby). You are with me and safe, amore mia (my love)”, he cooed softly.
