Page 69 of Married to the Mafia

“This is my family.”

Dino shoves me off the chair, and Ricardo fires at the same time. The bullet whips past me. I don’t stop to think. I reach for the gun on my thigh and pull it free, squeezing the trigger before it’s even lifted into the air. I keep firing until all there is from the gun is an empty clicking sound.

I look over, and Ricardo isn’t there anymore. I glance down. He’s on the floor, half his face missing. I turn away. I don’t want to see that. Dino grabs me a second later. “You did it,” he says, kissing my forehead. “You killed him.”

“Can we go now?” I ask as he takes my hand in his.

He tosses both of our guns to the floor.

“Sure,” he replies, stepping over Ricardo’s body. I don’t look down as I do the same.

“What happened in here?” I ask, seeing the two bodies in the corner of the room.

“They touched you,” he replies, leading the way into the tunnel beyond.

We make our way slowly, using the light of his cellphone to guide the way up the stairs and out into the street.

It feels surreal standing in the shade of the buildings. Atthe end of the alley, life is going on as normal. Tourists walking, cars beeping their horns.

We walk along slowly and Dino sees a car pulling up at the curb. “Took your time,” he says, opening the door. “It’s all over.”

“Ricardo?” the man in the driver’s seat asks, glancing back at us both.

“Morto,” I reply.

We set off, crawling through the traffic. I look out the window while Dino talks on the phone. I close my eyes and lean back against him. It’s hard to believe it’s all over.

“You’re safe now,” he says, hanging up the phone. “We’re on the next flight back. Gavino, take us to the airport.”

“What about all our stuff?” I ask.

“Someone will bring our passports to the lounge for us.”

“But all those clothes you bought me. We can’t just leave them.”

He squeezes my arm. “We need to get gone before anyone starts looking into this. I can buy you more things. Just be grateful you’re alive.”

“I am.” I look at the Colosseum as it appears next to the car. I glance up at it and then down at the lines of people waiting to get inside. “Just promise me we’ll come back,” I say with a sigh. So close yet so far.

“I promise,” he replies.

When we get to the airport, he’s handed two black holdalls by a man in a gray suit. No words are exchanged. “Here,” Dino says, passing one of the bags to me. “Change of clothes. Be sure to wash your hands.”

I go into the nearest bathroom and get changed, dumping my old dress in the bin by the sinks. I’m in another dress, this one light yellow. A few minutes later, we’resitting together in the lounge waiting to be called. He’s got our passports and tickets in his hand and he’s staring at me. “What?” I ask.

“You look beautiful,” he replies.

I look down at my dress and then at him in yet another immaculately neat suit. “Maybe I do,” I say with a wink. “What are you going to do about it?”

He growls and I laugh. It’s a good sound. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to laugh again after what happened in the tunnels.

I’m still smiling when we get on the flight, settling next to each other for the long journey home. It’s not as long as it could be. A large section in the middle is taken up by the two of us squeezing into the airplane toilet.

I can’t get naked in there, but I can lift my dress enough for Dino to hold me against the wall, sliding himself into me after teasing me relentlessly with his finger. He makes me come so easily. It’s as if he’s inside my soul. When he spurts deep into me, I wish I wasn’t on the pill.

I make a mental note to talk about it with him when we get back. All of a sudden, I want his children. Lots of them. A huge family all living happily in Gordon’s Cove.

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