Page 23 of His Tesoro

The smallest smile tugged at her lips, and I hoped I was forgiven.

“You deserve to be happy, you know,” she said softly.

I swallowed hard, unable to look at Sienna as she slipped out of my office. Leaving me alone.

14

SOFIYA

Iwas sore and tired as I puttered around the kitchen. I used my rollator to keep balance, but it was hard to put any weight on my arms with how much they were hurting after yesterday’s workout. I hoped the exercises would pay off in the long run, because right now, the pain was just making me irritable. I’d taken my pain meds, but I knew the pain would probably last all day… all week if I was unlucky.

Nothing I tried to alleviate my symptoms ever seemed to help. Mila had gone on a “wellness” kick a while back, convinced she could fix me if we only did the right things. We drank green coffee bean extract and meditated and did yoga. The last time I tried yoga, my knee had subluxed and I’d fallen over on top of Mila. We’d laughed so hard I’d actually peed myself, which had just made us laugh harder.

Our enforced isolation in the Pakhan’s mansion the past few years had been agonizing, but there were also things about it I missed. It had been Mila and me against the world for so long, and now I was on my own.

I ate a banana from the fruit bowl while trying to figure out what to do with my day. The kitchen was fully stocked. I grinned as I decided to do some baking and cooking. Only to pass the time, of course. Not to secretly impress my husband with the one skill I had. I would just need to choose recipes that didn’t require much upper body strength.

A knock at the door pulled my head from the pantry. I chewed my lip. Was I supposed to answer? I was still on edge in this beautiful, huge apartment, just waiting to do something wrong and get yelled at.

The person at the door knocked again. I grabbed my rollator and made my way slowly to the entrance. I peered through the peephole to see my bodyguard standing there.

“Good morning, Mrs. Rossi,” Angelo said, a wide smile on his face as I opened the door.

“Good morning. And please just call me Sofiya.”

“I’m not sure the Boss would like that.”

I cocked my head. “But you’re my bodyguard, right? So I don’t know… don’t I get a say?”

Angelo chuckled. His laugh was warm and deep and instantly put me at ease. “The Boss has his work cut out with you, doesn’t he?” He winked at me. “Alright, Sofiya. As you wish.” He gave a little bow with a flourish, making me snort.

“Do you want to come in?”

“No, thank you, bella. I just needed to give you this.” He held out a brand new, top of the line cell phone.

My eyes widened. “Really? For me?”

“Of course. The numbers you need are already programmed in. There’s me and Enzo—he has the night shift guarding the apartment. Also Romeo, the Boss’s second-in-command, and Domenico, his enforcer. If you’re ever in an emergency and can’t get in touch with me or the Boss, you can call any of them.”

The phone felt smooth and cool in my hands. “Am I allowed to call other people? Like my sister?”

“Of course.”

“And… can I go on the internet and stuff?” Mila and I’d had a phone the past couple of months—an old model that Nikolai had smuggled in. I’d left it with Mila and had hoped I’d find a way to contact her, but I never expected to just be given a phone.

His brow furrowed. “You’re not a prisoner here, Sofiya.” His voice was low, and he bent down so our eyes were level. “You’re married to the Don. That gives you power, status. Do you understand?” He took in my bewildered expression and sighed. “I see you don’t, yet, but you will. You’ll get used to your position and I’m confident you’ll play your role beautifully.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. It was one of the nicer things anyone had said to me, not that there was much competition. Although it was another cold reminder that I was just here to play a role.

“Do you need anything else?” Angelo asked.

I shook my head. “No, this is great, thank you. I’m going to do some baking.”

His eyes were bright. “Ahh, tiramisu?”

A smile tugged at my lips. “I haven’t decided yet.” It was exciting to have free rein over the kitchen, a phone to look up recipes, and people who wanted to taste what I made.

“Well, I look forward to finding out,” he said with a wink.

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