Page 14 of Bound to the Mafia Guard

My cheeks heated, and I took a sip of the hot chocolate; apparently we were keeping our omegas’ night fairly tame. Thank goodness. I couldn’t handle anything crazy.

Jeremiah and Joey sat on the two large wingback chairs that gave off mafia boss vibes, especially with the roaring fireplace in the background.

“I don’t… There’s not a whole lot to tell,” I said, knowing full well that they were not going to let me off the hook that easily.

Though I wasn’t deeply ingrained in the family, since I was a distant cousin, not by blood, Jeremiah and I had always been close. Of the four Ferrini brothers, he was the closest in ageto me. Plus we were both omegas. I’d been shocked when he’d come home from his time in college with a mate on his arm. Even though the two of them had talked and texted over the years, he hadn’t mentioned Felik until he brought him home.

If the rumors were correct, his mate had been sent to spy on him for his mafia boss brother, only he’d switched sides once he fell in love with Jeremiah.

“There is always something to tell. Apparently Ferrinis don’t do boring love stories.” Joey held his coffee mug in both hands and wagged his eyebrows at me.

“Catch me up then. I never get the stories, I just get the rumors,” I said. “How did you and Andro get together?”

“Well, Andro kidnapped me and convinced me to get married.” Joey shrugged like that was totally normal.

“Wait, what? I thought that was just a rumor. That part was true? Were you really part of a rival family?”

“Oh yeah. Louie helped him kidnap me from a party. He held me hostage and proposed. Then when I moved into the mansion after our whirlwind wedding, Connor and I became friends. My family were small-time crooks. I wouldn’t consider them rivals, just not allies.”

I turned to Connor. “So you were really part of the harem then?” My face burned just saying the words. Was that an offensive thing to ask? I wasn’t sure that I’d ever met an omega who worked in a harem. I had nothing against sex work, as long as it was the job the person wanted and not something they had been tricked or coerced into. I had learned about the omega harem by accident when my father was talking with Uncle Vern about it. My father’s advice to his stepbrother had been to findan omega from the harem and get laid. I’d run away from that conversation. TMI.

“Yup. But I pretty much was only ever visited by Louie. Once he staked his claim, everyone else stayed away. Then I got pregnant by accident–damn Ferrini swimmers are strong–and I had to run away because I was worried that they wouldn’t let me keep the baby.”

“And he found you?”

“Oh yeah, he did. Trev was there too. You can’t hide from these guys. Not that I really wanted to anyway. I missed Louie something terrible. Being apart sucked.”

Holy fuck. These two were making my romance with Trev sound like a walk in the park. Unexpected heat in a dorm room was pretty boring compared to kidnapping and a runaway omega.

Jeremiah remained silent through it all. Then he reached over and grasped my hand.

“Rowan.” His voice was serious, and I gave him my full attention. “Trev’s really important to us. I think you know that I owe him my life. He took a bullet for me, saving my life.”

I nodded. I’d seen the scars. I’d brushed my fingers over the wounds that had nearly taken my alpha’s life.

“We want him to be happy, no matter what.”

It wasn’t hard to read between the lines. Jeremiah wasn’t going to toss out direct threats like Andro might, but it didn't make his words any less impactful. If I hurt Trev, things wouldn’t go so well for me.

“I love Trev, Jer. I do. He’s amazing. I know that this thing between us happened quickly, god knows I didn't intend to go into heat in my dorm room. It was the least romantic space ever. But I don’t regret it. Sure, I wished we’d had a bit more time to get to know one another and maybe gone on a few dates before he got into my pants, but I’m not complaining. I’m lucky to have Trev, and I will not take him for granted.”

Jeremiah nodded and patted my forearm. “Good. Andro will give him the same warning. Trev’s not going to hurt you either. You’re good for one another. Trev needs someone to loosen him up. I think you’re just the omega for the job.”

I bit my lip. I wished I could borrow some of his confidence. I wasn’t like these omegas. I wasn’t as strong or capable as them. I knew so little about the world they were so comfortable in. “What if I’m not the right omega for him? Trev’s job is important. He’s important to Andro and the whole…organization.” Was that the right word? Ugh. I was already doing a shit job of even talking about what it was that the Ferrinis did.

“You love him?” Joey asked.

I nodded. “Of course. I’ve been attracted to him forever. Not that he ever knew that.”

“Really?” Jeremiah gave him an incredulous look.

“Yeah, it was silly because he worked for Andro, and I’ve always been told that anyone who worked for Andro or Uncle Vern were off limits. I never talked to him directly, but I’d see him at family events. He always wore his leather jacket and those sunglasses. Giving off hot alpha vibes.” I leaned back into the cushions as I recalled the last few times I’d seen Trev at family dinners. Hewas always so sexy, standing in the background, protecting the group.

A pillow hit me smack the face, pulling me from my daydreams.

“Fantasize on your own time,” Connor teased.

“I guess Uncle Vern’s lecture to stay away from the bodyguards didn’t really matter in the end, did it?” Just because I wasn’t involved in the business, didn't stop me from being caught in the crossfire.

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