Page 72 of Claimed By the Enforcer

“For what?”

“For loving and protecting my sister. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. Maybe if I had...”

“This isn’t on you. If anyone, it’s on me for not having the balls to be a man and come talk to you about how I felt for Mira before she fell for that snake.”

“What do you say we just blame it on that manipulative, deceitful Sicilian instead?”

“Deal.”

I ended the call, mentally preparing myself for whatever I might be walking into. I pulled into my driveway, but I wouldn’t be staying home long. I just needed to pack a few things for the trip, and I’d be off.

Chapter 26

Mira

I sat in a large reading chair beside the window that overlooked the tranquil Mediterranean Sea. It was a beautiful view and one of the only enjoyable things I’d found since arriving in Sicily. A beautiful view from my prison tower.

Luca had always called me principessa, whether it was because I was practically mafia royalty or because he thought that I acted like a spoiled princess, I wasn’t sure. I wondered what quips he’d come up with if he saw me literally trapped in a tower.

Even under such crushing circumstances, the thought of Luca made me smile even while the reminder of losing him brought tears to my eyes.

I placed my hand over the slight baby bump I'd begun to develop. It was as if one morning I woke up and there it was.

Stefano couldn't have been happier. He immediately began planning a gala to show off his new bride and heir. It was scheduled for the week before I was to return home for my third trimester.

He'd said that it was to send us off in style, but I knew it was really so that I would be showing more before the event. He wanted visible evidence of the baby growing inside me.

My baby. I'd become fiercely protective of the life I carried even though Stefano always emphasized the fact that it would be his child. I wouldn't let him control my baby's life. I wasn't sure how, but I'd find a way to escape the situation. I was just biding my time until we were scheduled to return where I'd be surrounded by allies and the home I knew.

The sun sank lower in the sky. Soon it would be time for another dinner alone. Not that I minded, considering my options for dinner companions, but it annoyed me on principle that Stefano kept me cooped up in the house while he went to business dinners nearly every night.

After dinner, I mindlessly spun my wedding ring around my finger while staring out at the moon's reflection on the water. The ring felt foreign on my finger. I'd imagine in happier scenarios, that the new weight would be a pleasant reminder to the newlyweds but for me, it was like a tiny shackle.

I'd read that it was common for hands and feet to swell in the final months of pregnancy. So much so that many women had to remove their rings until after they gave birth.

I looked forward to that. How freeing it would feel to slide the ring from my finger, even if for just a few weeks.

My phone rang and I checked the caller ID to see Stefano’s name flashing on the screen. I rolled my eyes and thought about ignoring it but that would only pointlessly provoke him, so I answered.

"Ciao."

"Ciao, amore mio. I was just calling to let you know that I will be home late. We are going to the lounge for after dinner drinks and to discuss business, so I don't want you waiting up."

"Okay."

"I mean it. Don't stay up too late. You need to rest all you can while growing my son in there."

"I'll turn in early. I promise."

What did it really matter? What else did I have to do?

I ended the call with Stefano, slipped into comfortable silk pajamas, and climbed into the empty king-sized bed with a good book.

A gloved hand over my mouth jolted me from a sound sleep and my book fell to the floor. I kicked and clawed at the figure pinning me to the bed. I tried to scream but only the slightest sound escaped the leather glove that had been clamped over my face. My eyes struggled to see anything in the limited silvery rays of moonlight that danced in the curtain of the open window. A window I was sure had been closed before settling into bed.

A million terrifying scenarios flashed through my mind in the seconds before a familiar voice whispered in my ear. "Shh. Mira, it's me."

Luca?

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