Married to the mafia boss Series

Carmelo

I hate being here. I hate being stuck in this room. I hate that I have to leave first thing in the morning. I especially hate that I have to leave Arabella.

We didn’t even get a proper goodbye. Every time I try to leave to find Arabella, there’s a man waiting outside my room saying it’s under Lazzaro’s orders that I do not leave. Even when I said I just wanted to get food in the kitchen he had some sent up for me. He told me I should get some sleep before my long flight tomorrow.

I have to find her. I have to just say goodbye or tell her everything is going to be okay. Fuck. I don’t know. I just have to see her. It’s driving me crazy that I don’t know what’s going on right now. For all I know she could be scared and crying.

Sitting in the guest bedroom with nothing to do is driving me insane. I feel antsy and anxious and can’t keep still. Not even after an hour long shower to help calm my overstimulated mind. My fingers itch to have my violin. That instrument has always brought me solace and the music I play-the notes calm and settle my nerves.

I brought nothing with me but it seemed Lazzaro was nice enough to send some clothes up to my room. The pajama set was a little too tight for my body but were better than wearing the clothes that had sweat and blood stains and reeked of sex and murder.

After several failed attempts at escaping my room, exhaustion caught up with me. The second I lay in the surprisingly comfortable guest bed; my eyes closed and didn’t open until a disturbance woke me in the dead of night.

A high-pitched scream and the sound of pattering footstep running down the corridor woke me out of my deep sleep. I fling the covers off my body and rush for the door. When I open the door the bodyguard who was previously standing outside it, is gone. I hear sobbing and men talking over each other down the hall and at the end of the stairs.

When I get closer I notice it’s Arabella clearly distraught. She’s shaking her head and screaming at Lazzaro. Her body is trembling, her face red.

“I know what I saw!” She yells.

I rush down the steps and the second Arabella spots me she rushes toward me. She wraps her arms around my body and pulls me into a tight hug. I place my hands on her back and look up to see Lazzaro and a few of his men staring at me. A few of them have their eyebrows raised.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“This doesn’t concern you.”

“I am Arabella’s bodyguard! This does concern me!” I growl.

“Not anymore,” Lazzaro shakes his head. “This is none of your business. It’s mine. I am the acting Don and you are a guest you should be leaving in,” he checks his watch, “a few hours.”

“Please!” Arabella spins around and claps her hands together begging her brother. For what I have no idea. “Please, Carmelo has kept me safe. You can ask Tony, he is the best bodyguard! He even hired him to watch his wife and baby. Please, let him stay. They followed me here, I know it! He can protect me. Please, I don’t trust anyone else!” She’s in near hysterics.

Lazzaro pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration and takes a deep breath and then a long sigh.

“Who is they?” I chime in with curiosity.

“Samuel or his men, I don’t know which, but they followed me here. Someone was in my room. They were going to kill me but I woke up and screamed and they left out the balcony in my room.”

My hands clench in frustration, because I wasn’t there to protect her she could have almost died. “I’m staying,” I declare.

“That is not your call to make,” Lazzaro guffaws.

“Apparently your security is too lax here. I’m the best man to keep her protected.”

“Please, Laz,” Arabella whispers and looks up at her brother with wide pleading brown eyes. “He’s already here. Let him stay. That way he can protect the property as well as me. He knows what these men are capable of, it makes logical sense. I’m begging you.”

Lazzaro chews the inside of his cheek and ponders for a few minutes before he spits out, “Fine, but one wrong move, one mistake, one breath of yours to piss me the fuck off and you will be on the first plane back to Chicago,” he digs his finger into my chest. Before I can open my mouth to curse back at him, he turns to Arabella and grumbles, “I have to call Antonio. Excuse me.”

When I can no longer hear Lazzaro’s or his men’s footsteps receding, I embrace Arabella and rock her back and forth. “Are you okay?”

Breathlessly she answers, “Yeah. Just a little shaken I guess.”NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

“Everything will be okay now,” I promise her. “I told you from the beginning, I will always protect you.” When we pull out of hug I notice just how tired she looks. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

She noticeably tenses. “I’m… I’m scared.”

“I’ll sit in your room and make sure you’re alright.”

“Don’t you need sleep, too?” She frowns.

“You’re more important,” I whisper.

She gives me a weak smile and a curt nod before ascending up the staircase. She turns around to see me following and says in a small voice, “Thank you.”

Arabella turns back around and leads me down the corridor and into her master-sized room. The first thing I do is look around to see if there’s any sign of forced entry or anything he might’ve dropped. The room looks spotless, nothing seems to be knocked over, no sign of muddy footprints on the hardwood floor.

Next, I check out the balcony. The curtains already drawn and when I reach for the handle the balcony door is already unlocked. I open the sliding glass door and I step outside to look out into the backyard. The well-lit area has no sign of anyone and further in the distance near the vineyard, it’s too dark to see if anyone is lurking.

I step back inside, lock the door, and draw the curtains. I sit in the chair in the corner of the door facing her bed. I get myself comfortable and know I’ll be in for a long night of no sleep, but it’s worth it. No sleep is worth knowing Arabella will get some if I’m there to keep her safe.

“I’m so tired,” she whispers as she turns off the bedside lamp and rests her head against the pillow.

“Then sleep,” I reply in a hushed tone.

“I can’t.”

“Even with me in the room?” I raise an eyebrow, even though she won’t be able to see.

I hear her small chuckle, “I just like when your body is next to mine. I always feel safer in your arms.”

There’s nothing I’d rather do than lie in bed with her and cuddle until she fell asleep, but there’s no fooling around so carelessly with Lazzaro around. If he entered her room in the morning to see us in bed together, I would be catching the flight back to Chicago like planned.

“Just because I’m not holding you, doesn’t mean you’re not safe. Sitting here gives me an advantage, I can watch both the door and the balcony should anyone try to break in again.”

“Okay,” there’s a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“There’s no need to be worried. Sleep, I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“I know you will.” Even though I can’t see her, I know she’s smiling which, in turn, makes me smile back.

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” I say vehemently.

“Promise me?” There’s a desperation to her voice. Almost a heartbreaking strain that tugs on my heart and makes me want to yell that I am her protector, her guardian and I would rather die than let anything hurt her.

“I promise,” I constantly reassure her. I never break a promise.

“Laz knew it was the smart decision to let you stay. Even though he’s mad about it,” she yawns.

I know she really wants to talk right now, because I do too after hours of being separated and scared of never seeing each other again. I know that the best option for her is to go to sleep. With every word spoken I can tell she is fighting off the deep sleep that is trying to claim her. Maybe she is scared she’ll wake up and I’ll be gone… or maybe that’s just a fear of mine. There’s one thing I know for sure we both want to stay in each other’s presence for as long as possible. When it comes to her, she reminds me of home and Chicago would never be the same if Arabella isn’t there.

“Go to sleep,” I hush and ignore the need to keep talking to her.

The room falls silent and soon after I hear her deep breathing, which tells me she’s finally asleep.