Page 79 of Mafia King: Matteo
As the sun beams into my study, I assume Alena is up. I flip the note I’ve tossed between my fingertips back into its hiding spot inside my desk. I could take the note to a specialist for analysis, but it would be useless without something to compare it to.
I look up at the muted TV hanging on the wall. The news is displayed with a running caption of international news before it switches to the local channel.
The name Santino Moretti catches my eye. I find the remote to turn the volume up. “Breaking news” is the banner at the bottom of the screen.
The anchorwoman says, “Santino Moretti was arrested for waving a loaded gun in a crowded pizzeria. He is out on bail. No more details are available at this time. It is speculated that he is the head of the Moretti syndicate, which has ties to waste management and recycling facilities along the Eastern Seaboard. There were overdoses in the city today, and the body of a young man was discovered after family members in England requested a well-being check by local officers. An investigation is ongoing.”
“Moretti, what is it about you that has your name popping up twice in two days? What should I know about you?” I mutter before a soft knock lands on my solid-stained oak door.
I move to open it.
“Sleeping beauty,” I tease.
“Good morning. I wanted to know if we have plans for today. It’s a Saturday.” Alena’s face exudes youth and vigor as she clasps her hands in front of her.
Her hair is piled on her head, and she has a stick through it. How that occurs, I’ll never know. She’s breathtaking as she stands before me in a black sweatsuit. I stifle a groan as her large boobs fill the top, and her curvy hips will soon support the weight of my baby.
She’s young and doesn’t have lines from years of worry on her forehead. Her eyes are bright, and her face inquires whether I’ll spend the day with her.
I wonder about bringing a child into my world. I’ve wrestled with it since my uncle brought it up in Sicily. The world is dark enough without my hand in making it darker. Will I fuck up a child and become my father?
When I see Alena, she dispels my worry. She’s an angel, and any child with her as their mother will know her love every day of her life. Is that such a terrible thing?
No, it is not. Perhaps that is why I have only considered this with her in my future.
“One minute, I have to turn off the TV.” I return to my desk and flick the TV off.
I return to her as she leans her back against the door jamb, one foot crossed over the other’s ankle. She’s sexy as hell. I close the door behind me.
“Are you off today?”
“We’ll see how it goes.” I hope today will be void of drama, but being in the business as long as I have, I have no expectations. I will be interrupted by something that will put me in a bad mood. It’s the reason I never smile. I have nothing to smile about. I put out fires, and someone creates a new one. The city never sleeps, so I rarely sleep through the night.
“What would you like to do?”
“I don’t know. What do you do? I’ve never had a serious boyfriend,” she says as she slips her hand into mine. I walk her to a cozy room with a fireplace.
“Thank God. If you did, he’d be a dead man walking.”
She stops walking, and I look at her face, filled with fear.
“There’s no ex-boyfriend. No harm done. Let me light a fire for us.” I lead her into the cozy room with dark green walls. The brown leather sofa is comfy and has an amber throw made of baby alpaca wool.
Alena sits on the sofa’s edge and watches as I open the damper and methodically stack wood before lighting the kindling underneath it. In less than a minute, the fire is a steady flame, and heat spills into the quaint, private room tucked out of the presence of anyone who could pass by.
“How is your job going?” I ask Alena now that the room is glowing with heat.
“Good. I’m getting into the routine. My new friend Penny noticed my ring, but I didn’t give any details.”
“Why not?” I snap with the quickness of a twig in a forest—the current in the air changes.
Alena’s face turns pale.
“I’m sorry I was so direct. Is there a problem?”
“Not really. I have no details to give anyone.”
“I think a June wedding would be nice, don’t you?” he asks as he stirs the fire with a poker.
