Page 26 of Owned by the Italian Mafia Boss
My hand slaps against my chest, and I sag against the front door. Footsteps thud against the expensive floor, and a bruised face appears from the shadows, the stench of alcohol following him.
I think back to Carmine’s knuckles and piece together what must have happened.
“I’m Ari. To clear up any confusion,” he says. “You might get me confused with my twin, Matias.”
“Well, with bruises on your face, I doubt it,” I sass, opening the door to get out of here when he places his hand against the door.
He moves closer, invading my space. “I’m not going to stop you from going, Princess. It will infuriate Carmine to wake up and to know you’re gone, and you need to be ready for those consequences when he finds you because he will. And I won’t lie to him. Tell me where you’re going, Delilah,” he orders, keeping his hand on the door so I can’t escape.
“You’ll figure it out.” I fight him, struggling to open the door, and he pulls out his phone.
The light shines from the screen, illuminating the bruises on his face, and they’re gruesome. I have to look away.
“You don’t like what you see? Well, that’s just a taste of what Carmine does when someone says something he doesn’t like. He got very bent out of shape when I talked about you. Nothing personal. I wanted to rile him up.”
Did he beat his brother for me? Do I find that romantic?
In a sick and twisted way, I do.
“Do you see this button?” he shows me a screen with different views of the house, and there’s a red button at the top. “I press this, and the entire house goes on lockdown. The doors will seal into place with steel bars, and steel sheets will cover the windows. If you don’t tell me where you’re going, I will press this button and wake Carmine up. He is not a morning person. He isn’t an anytime-of-day person, actually. So, he’ll be furious. Where are you going, Delilah?”
He has been so rude. “I’m going to school. I’m in college, and I will not let him stop me from earning my degree. I’ve already had my dad do that one too many times, and I won’t let Carmine’s need to control me pick up where my dad left off.”
Ari grins, a side smirk that tells me he likes what I’m saying. “You won’t have much time, but if I were you, I’d expect to see us in a few hours.”
“You’re going to let me go? You aren’t going to stop me?”
“Why would I do that? Plus, if I do this, I’ll be your favorite Milazzo in the family, making Carmine angry too.”
“Why do you like to make him mad?”
“It’s fun. He’s always so put together. Plus, it’s what little brothers are for.” He tucks his phone into his pocket and opens the door, allowing me to leave. “Be careful.”
I snort and step outside, but Ari’s hand grips my arm. “I’m serious, Delilah. Be careful. You have no idea what we are capable of. If anything happens to you, expect my brother to burn the city to the ground.”
“He barely knows me.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re his. And he always takes care of what’s his. You’re family now, Princess. We protect family.”
“Not according to your face.”
“Even families fight,” he corrects me. “Plus, I basically asked to get my ass kicked, and it was all for you. Have fun at school. Learn something.” He slams the door in my face, and I hear a click.
Panicking because I don’t know if I made the right decision going out, I try the handle, wiggling it for good measure.
Nothing.
He locked me out.
“Damn, Milazzo men.” They are all the same and oddly intense, which should be a con on my pros and cons list, but I’m finding my pro side longer.
What’s that say about me?
Wanting to get out of here before the sun is officially up, I run down the path that leads to the gate, passing the stone fountain.
I notice coins at the bottom, as if someone has made wishes. Why make wishes when you already have everything you could ever want? Maybe they were their victims’ wishes, made before someone put them out of their misery.
I look up at the balcony belonging to Carmine’s room. The sun is creeping over the roof, telling everyone it is time to get up. Guilt eats away at me, but I stick with my decision and begin to climb the gate. Since it is a tall piece of solid metal, no one can see through it. I have to place my feet on the beams that stabilize it to hoist myself over.
