Page 17 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Heir

“Get some rest. I have a little task for you tomorrow,” Nick says with a yawn.

Nick’s tasks are anything but little. He wakes me up before the sun is up and tells me to meet him in the backyard. I sleepily pull on sweatpants and a t-shirt and stomp my way to the yard, noticing that Vinny is no longer on the couch. My stomach flip-flops.

“Did Vinny go to bed?” I ask as I walk down the porch steps.

Nick is standing next to three huge plastic bags and a heap of dirt. “Vinny left.”

I groan. “Again?”

Nick points to the plastic bags and I immediately feel queasy when I get closer. I spot black sneaking through the plastic. Ahorrible stench fills the air and I hurl what was left of last night’s pizza dinner. Nick isn’t moved.

“When you’re done you can help,” he says.

“I’m not helping with that!” I cry.

Nick narrows his eyes. “Were you not the one who ran away?”

I blot my mouth with the bottom of my t-shirt. “He told on me?”

“I needed the full rundown. The only way this works is if I’m not in the dark,” Nick says as he kicks the bodies into the hole he worked on. “Now, you cover them with dirt.”

I grab the shovel and get to work. I don’t allow myself to think about how vile it is to bury bodies. The swiftness of Nick's movements let me know he’s no stranger to this. He works quickly and quietly. We don’t exchange any more words until the final body is covered. Nick sighs and takes my shovel from me.

“Vinny might seem different to you, but he still cares,” Nick says out of the blue.

“Where could he have gone this early?” I ask.

Nick juts his chin towards the direction of the door and I follow him. “More like where he’s returning.”

Nick starts up a new pot of coffee and cracks four eggs into a pan. “You need to take your mind off him for a while. Put those electronics to good use. Be resourceful.” As much as I’d love to complain, Nick is right. If I sit and let thoughts of Vinny stew, I’ll become enraged. So, the entire day is spent on my Kindle reading eBooks and bingingThe Office.I remain holed up in my room, only leaving to get a snack. Every time I come out, Nick is looking over a notebook, and every page is filled with words. I don’t bother to ask. Nick is odd and I don’t trust him.

I just have to get through the day until I can see Vinny.

Nighttime has fallen when I hear Vinny’s voice again. I sprint from my room, almost excited until the door bursts open and I see Vinny in the arms of two women with lingerie on.

Vinny pauses at the sight of me. “Nick? I told you to keep her away!” he screams.

“What is this?” I cry. Nick comes around the corner, not saying a word. He pulls me out of the way as the women bring Vinny to the living room and start to take off their lingerie. Tears stream down my cheeks.

“What the fuck?” I cry.

“Go back to the room. Don’t see him like this,” Nick urges me. I would throw a fit but what’s the point? Vinny isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my kidnapper. Why am I shocked?

It doesn’t stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks. It doesn’t make me feel any better. I have no idea why he’s turned into this distant, disgusting man practically overnight. I throw myself onto the bed and cry my eyes out. There’s loud techno music playing and Vinny clapping and ogling over the dancer’s bodies. I wait for the vomit to hurl out of me but it never comes.

My eyes crack open when there’s a slight knock. I sit up straight as it eases open. Nick stands in the doorway and over his shoulder, I see Vinny slumped over with the dancers shoving money into their panties.

“Rosa, I told you to take your mind away from him, he’s not himself,” Nick says softly as he walks over to me.

“No, I think this is exactly who he is. I was just too dumb to see it,” I sob. Nick watches me cry for a few more minutes. Once I get my last sniffle out, I dry my eyes. There’s no use in crying.

“I was never going to win in this situation, was I?” I ask in a whisper.

Nick looks over his shoulder like he’s expecting Vinny to come into the room. He glances back at me with worry in his eyes.

“You have no idea how hard he’s working to keep you alive,” Nick says.

“Why don’t I believe you?” I say through gritted teeth.

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