Page 52 of Christmas with the Mafia
She holds up her hand. “Relax, I may be a stay at home mom, but I have my interests.”
“What are they?”
I’m really enjoying our conversation, and Sophia grins. “Tapestry. I love making them, and there are various examples of them all over the house.”
“That’s amazing.” I’m impressed, and yet before we can speak any further, she glances at her gold wristwatch.
“I’m sorry, Regina, I really must dash. Julius will be arriving any minute, and I must be on hand to greet him. We should head back to the men.”
“Of course, and, um, thanks for the coffee. I reallyappreciate it.”
“And I appreciate you, Regina. Don’t let them change you.”
As I follow her out, I’m struck by the words she used. Who are ‘them’ and why would they change me? Perhaps I’ll ask Nico; he may know what she means. But I push the comment aside because at least Nico’s mom is cool and that makes the entire weekend ahead seem a lot better.
Julius terrifies the shit out of me. We meet him on our journey from the kitchen to the living room as he blew in through the front door like an ill wind.
I stay back when he notes his mother and heads straight for her, pulling her in for a hug and kissing her respectfully like Nico did. When he pulls back, his gaze lands on me, and the dark eyes powering inside me feel as if he’s violating my soul.
I shiver inside. Dark menace is the only description I can put into words, and I can’t believe he is surrounded by even more security than we were.
Their staffing bill must be huge every month.
“This is Regina, Nico’s fiancée.”
Sophia introduces me and Julius steps closer, his eyes flashing as he offers me a sinister smile.
I shake off my reluctance and paste a broad smile on my face.
“Nico’s brother, how lovely to meet you.”
I step forward, unsure if I should kiss him on the cheek or not, but resort to holding out my hand instead. His hand wraps around mine like a steel glove, almost crushing it, butalso with reverence, politeness even. He nods and shakes my hand, his grip powerful, and then he pulls it away just as quickly.
“Regina.” He speaks and, like Nico, his voice is husky, slightly rougher around the edges, tough, and the intensity of his gaze more unnerving, if that’s possible. When he lets my hand drop, it reminds me that breathing is a necessity to prolong life, and the air rushes into my lungs as he turns his attention back to his mother.
“They are waiting in the living room.”
She explains as he falls into step beside her, leaving me to scurry along after them, wondering about the gene pool I have fallen into.
As we enter the room, Nico’s eyes immediately find me, and he is like a port in a ferocious storm that I easily run to for cover.
His hand slips into mine, and he pulls me slightly behind him as he turns his attention to the dark soul who has joined us.
“Julius.” There is no brotherly backslapping or obscene joke or gesture; it’s as if they are polite strangers who ran across one another once.
Julius is an interesting one for sure. His father does that thumping back thing as they embrace and whispers something in his ear that causes the newcomer to smile in a strangely sinister way.
I say nothing because the air is growing increasingly toxic in here, and as we take our seats, I long to open the floor to ceiling windows and take a deep breath of fresh ocean air.
“Where are the others?” He asks in a husky whisper,and Mr. Ravera answers him with a deep, authoritarian voice.
“Simeon will be here later this evening along with Joseph. Our guests arrive in the morning.”
Nico’s hand tightens in mine, and he says casually, “We will settle in and meet for dinner. Please excuse us.”
There is silence as we stand, and it’s a little odd as we leave the room, the unspoken words swirling around us much louder than the silence in which we leave.
Twenty-Six
