Page 5 of The Mobster's Flower

Fuck, of course, I knew Arya was alive. I spoke to her moments before I came busting through into the room. Her weak voice wasn’t a good sign, but I assume she was speaking that way because of whatever is in the IV fluid bag.

I let out a relieved sigh as the panic eases a little. I take a step toward my sister, and my heart aches at how small she looks in the hospital bed. Her eyes are heavy, and she only manages a small smile and a glance toward the far wall before they fall closed. I turn around, expecting to see a nurse I missed when I came in, but…it’s not a nurse.

Standing by the open curtain is a fairy. I’m not an overly superstitious person, but if ever fairies did exist, then this girl would be one. Soft, olive-green eyes stare back at me with something akin to curiosity. She is in a stunning yellow dress that hugs the top half of her body tightly with a startling amount of curly red hair hanging loose around her shoulders. The sunlight dances on her skin, highlighting her delicate features, and I find myself staring.

Exotic.

That is the only way I can describe the girl standing in my sister’s hospital room. She seems to be from a whole other universe because she sure as hell doesn’t look like she’s from around here.

I would know.

Thirty-seven years in Valor Springs, and I recognize an out of towner if I see one. In my business, it pays to know whobelongs and who is out of place. I remember this particular girl by the effect she has on my alone, which in itself is a surprise. I don’t entertain women. Relationships can be a liability when you have a family and enemies like mine, and I vowed never to put myself in such a vulnerable position. Except…no one has made my breath catch in my throat at mere sight or sent all my blood rushing south. All without so much as a touch. Without even hearing the sound of her voice.

Christ, she looks young. Perhaps a year or two older than Arya if not the same age. I should not be looking at this stranger with desire in my eyes, but I can’t help myself. I can’t look away to save my life.

There is this shameful urge to walk toward the only girl who has ever brought any kind of feeling to my dead heart and…touch her. I want to know how that long hair would feel between my fingers and if her skin feels as soft as it looks.

The faint blush on her cheeks, is it natural?

“You are not what I was expecting,” she mutters, almost as if she let herself think out loud. Her voice is light and airy, and I am so stuck on this that her words don’t immediately register.

I clear my throat and slide my hands into my pockets. “And what were you expecting?”

Her eyes shoot to mine in alarm. “Oh, did I say that out loud?”

“You did, and now I want to know what you mean.” I am curious about a whole lot of things about this girl, but I stick to the one she has brought up.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend—”

“I am not offended. Tell me.”

I use the same voice I do when I want answers from my men, and while I expect to see her eyes flash with fear, I witness nothing of the sort. She tilts her head to the side and watches me with her bright eyes.

“She was expecting you to be the huge, mean, fire-breathing dragon that everyone thinks you are.” We both turn to Arya, whose eyes are still closed, but there is a smile on her lips when she speaks. “You better not be glaring at my new best friend. I don’t want you to scare her away.”

I shake my head, approaching the girl who is clearly trying to fight off the meds. My sister looks little like our father’s side of the family, and thank God for that. It’s unfortunate that she even carries the family name, but that decision was beyond my control as she’d already been named before she was dropped off.

“How are you feeling, Arya?” I ask, standing next to her bed.

“Like I drove my new car into a flower stand,” she croaks, finally opening her eyes. “I didn’t mean to. Something was wrong with the brakes, and I couldn’t control the car.”

Did someone mess with her car? Well, that is something I will worry about when she is safely on the other side of the ocean. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Once you are cleared for travel, I am sending you right back to—”

“I am not going back to Belgium!” she snaps, surprisingly firm for someone in a hospital bed.

“I have already made the decision, Arya.”

“You will have to knock me out to get me on that plane.”

“I’ll give you that choice.”

She glares at me before choosing another tactic when anger doesn’t work. “Please Vlad, I don’t have anyone there…”

“I am not sending you there to make friends, but for your own safety.”

“…Or family. I went to school there, and it was fine; I was safe, but I was lonely. I can’t go back. Please.” Her eyes shift to look behind me. “I’ve been in Valor Springs for a few weeks, and I’ve already made a friend, right Rue?”

I turn around to find the girl in the yellow sundress trying to sneak out of the room. Her hand is already on the door knob and she would have slipped out if Arya hadn’t stopped her.

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