Page 40 of Born into Mayhem
“I watched him very closely around you when you first started working with him, because you had just turned seventeen, and I would’ve killed him if he’d touched you. He never looked at you in any way that made me suspicious, though, and I even secretly watched a few training sessions.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. I’m your mom. I protect you in my own way. It may not be as in your face as your dad’s methods, but it’s still effective.” She waits a second before saying, “You’re eighteen now.”
“Mom,” I start to say, but she just squeezes my hand and cuts me off.
“I’m not asking questions. I’m just saying if something happens that your dad needs to be aware of, give me a heads-up and I’ll get a Valium from Tony, okay? I honestly don’t know if he’ll be able to handle it without being medicated.”
She pats my hand before sitting up. “Don’t tell me any details yet, because you know I can’t keep a secret like that from your dad. Right now I’m going purely on mom intuition. We’ll leave it at that until you tell me differently, okay?”
I say a simple, “Okay,” relieved when she nods and then quickly changes the subject, asking me what I want to pack and making sure I have enough underwear. By the time we’re done, my suitcase is stuffed, and my room is looking pretty bare. We’re taking one of Dominic’s private jets, so I have an entire bag full of weapons that I don’t need to worry about getting through airport security.
I have just enough time for a quick shower before we have to leave, and when I check the line of stitches on my arm, I’m relived to see it looks good and there are no signs of infection. Dario did a good job sewing me up, and it should be completely healed by the time I getback home. A little makeup will cover the scar, and my family will never have to know what happened.
When I’m clean and in the yoga pants and hoodie I chose for comfortable travel, I grab my phone and go out to meet everyone else. Sasha’s already here and waiting so our parents can drive us together, but I’m surprised when I see Nat.
“Don’t look so shocked,” she says, giving me a big hug. “Of course I came over to say goodbye. You’re going to love Italy, Mia. It’s gorgeous.”
We haven’t talked since she caught me in the closet with Dario, and I’m not at all surprised when she says, “Oh, you forgot your charger? I’ll help you find it.”
“Don’t be too long,” our dad says. “The plane is leaving soon.”
Nat laughs. “Don’t worry. I’m in good with the guy who owns it.”
My dad laughs while my sister leads me back to my room. As soon as the door is shut, she says, “Okay, I’ve been trying to think of the best thing to say, and all I could come up with is be careful.”
“I will be. That’s why I brought an entire bag of weapons,” I tell her.
She gives me a big sister look and leans against the door so I can’t run out and escape the conversation. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean your heart, Mia.”
I cross my arms over my chest, even though I know it makes me look defensive. “You don’t need to worry about that. My heart is not involved in this, Nat. It’s just some stupid attraction. We’ll get it out of our systems, and then it’ll be done.”
“It looked like a lot more than that from where I was standing. That man is obsessed with you, and you’re going to be spending a lot of time with him in the most romantic country on the planet.” She pauses and tilts her head like she’s thinking. “So we’ll be sisters but also what? What do you call the person who’s married to your husband’s cousin?”
“We’ll never know because that is not happening.”
Nat grins. “I’ll Google it while you’re gone so I know for sure.”
“Don’t you dare start wedding planning,” I warn her. “That’s not where this is headed.”
“Fine.” She relents, but I can tell by the sparkle in her eye that she’s not completely giving up hope, because if my older sister is anything, it’s a hopeless romantic. In her mind, I’m already knocked up and wearing Dario’s ring on my finger. Poor thing is in for a rude awakening, but I don’t have the heart to pop that particular bubble when she’s looking so damn pleased with herself.
“I’ll text you when I get there,” I tell her before she pulls me in for another big hug.
“You better. I love you, little sis. Have fun.” She laughs and adds, “Like a lot of fun. There’s a private beach, and I highly suggest you and Dario take full advantage of it.”
I hug her back, knowing full well things aren’t going to be like that between Dario and me. She’s thinking love and romance, and that’s not what we’re about. It’s going to be a hard fuck, a scratching of a very particular itch, and then we’ll go our separate ways and that’ll be that.
Nat doesn’t need to know all that, though, so I return her hug and tell her I love her before we go back out to meet the others. We’re a close-knit family, so I’m not surprised at all when everyone comes along for the ride to the airport. When we drive out on the tarmac, Dominic is waiting with several of his men. My eyes search for Dario’s broad shoulders and dark eyes, but he must already be on the plane.
Nat runs over to her husband while our dad unloads our bags and our mom pulls Sasha and me in for a suffocating hug. Her voice is shaky when she says, “I love you both so much. Be safe, have fun, and get your butts back home as soon as you can.”
“Love you, too, Mom,” Sasha says while I nod and squeeze her tighter.
“Hey, not without me,” our dad says before joining in and wrapping his arms around us. “You both better text all the time. I’ll be in touch with Dario and Sandro, and I can be on a flight in less than an hour if you need me there, okay?”
“Okay,” I say.
