Page 44 of Wicked Rivals

The more I considered this mystery woman, the more I thought about her on a more personal level. Had he put me in her room? Was I wearing her robe after having bathed in her scented bath oils?

The idea of it all turned my stomach, not with jealousy but with a strange eerie feeling.

Then again, this suite could have been stocked to accommodate any other women Stefano brought home regularly. Everyone knew mafia men often didn’t uphold the morals of chastity or monogamy.

But a cashmere robe seemed a little much for one of his whores. It made more sense that it had been purchased for his fiancée. Then I realized it really didn’t make sense.

Mafia princesses didn’t have sleepovers with their fiancés before the marriage. Their families usually made sure they remained virgins until their wedding day.

I squeezed my eyes shut. None of that mattered.

If Stefano had a problem with me wearing the clothes stored in this suite, he would just have to deal with it. He hadn’t exactly given me an option about where I was going to stay or what I was going to wear.

With a sigh, I pressed my thumbs against the bridge of my nose to relieve the pressure building behind my eyes. I would have killed for a glass of wine to calm my nerves and take the edge off. I couldn’t do anything else while waiting to see what move Stefano would make first. So yes, a delicate glass of red.

Waiting was always the worst. It offered too much time for nerves and overthinking.

The door to the bathroom whispered over the floor as Enzo entered my room.

“Mama?”

I sat up and looked him over, instantly recognizing the potential for having missed some smaller injury during the earlier chaos of this never-ending night.

“Yes, baby, I’m right here. Why aren't you sleeping? Is everything okay?”

“I never went to sleep, Mama. I went to have a talk with Mr. Vignali while you were taking a bath.”

He said it like a grumpy old man complaining about having to chew someone out over something annoying but trivial.

I might have laughed if his confession hadn’t caught me so off guard. Now I didn’t know what to say. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and nodded.

“Enzo…”

He had questions. Of course he did. And I couldn’t be upset with him for that. After all, it was my fault, all of it. I had to tackle his questions. Who knows what Stefano told him.

I opened my eyes and met his.

“I’m sure you have even more questions now, huh? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah… in the morning. I'm tired, and I just wanted to know if you would read me another chapter.”

He drew his hands out from behind his back to reveal the book we’d started reading before our quiet little life had literally been shot to pieces.

I hadn't even realized he grabbed it.

The fact he wanted something so simple and calming at a time like this overwhelmed me with relief. All I wanted was to pull him into my arms, hug him so tightly, and never let go.

“Sure, buddy. Let's go to your room. I'll tuck you in again and we can read one more chapter. Sound good?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Mama.”

He turned on his heel and marched back to his room, hugging the book to his chest.

Once I pulled back the covers for the second time, Enzo crawled between the soft sheets beneath the thick down comforter. I tucked it all around him, then lay down on top beside him, opened the book, and picked up where we’d left off earlier.

A little girl running from her powers, from her destiny, from the people who would hurt her for simply being who they made her to be.

Despite the chapter’s action scene, I kept my tone low and even, hoping it would lull him to sleep while I absently played with his soft curls.

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