Page 25 of Owned By the Mafia

He shakes his head, gets up, and squares off to me. I remain calm as he says, “The Irishman doesn’t seem to mind taking orders from you. Is it because there’s more there than a working relationship?”

I don’t bat an eyelid as I answer, “We’re nothing more than colleagues. I can assure you, you don’t have to worry about the Irish and me.”

Chapter 13 - Robbie

I was defending her, and she kicked me out. That makes absolutely no fucking sense. She should have booted the little dickhead that thought he could push me around. Does he know who I am? Little fucking twit.

I can hear her talking to them; the walls are thin. I hear her saying that we’re not together, that we’re nothing, and that they don’t have to worry about us. That hurts more than I expect it to. I want her to tell them, yeah, we’re together! What business is it of yours?

I want her to announce our relationship as though it was obviously written in the stars and always meant to be. It makes me feel so insignificant that she won’t fess up to it.

I wait outside as the men file past, each of them giving me filthy looks. I try not to smirk at the guy sporting a black eye because of me. I watch them all shuffle down the stairs and away, and then I turn to see Dina coming out, looking directly at me.

I shiver slightly. It’s the coldest look she’s ever given me, which says a lot, considering what she thinks of me and what I did to her when she was twenty-five.

“Go home, Robbie.” It’s another command. She’s acting the boss again, and I step forward so our faces are inches apart. “I promised to protect you, lass. I’m not going back on that.”

“I’m staying at the Sorvino estate tonight. Someone is already outside to collect me. Go home. You’ve caused enough trouble.” As cold as her stare is, I see the hurt in her eyes. This isn’t about letting me go. This is about showing any prying eyes that we’re not a thing. It’s for show.

I nod and sigh. “Fine. I’ll go home. Boss.”

I turn and walk away, leaving her standing there. I saw the tremble in her hand, even if she thought she was hiding it. I take the stairs to get out quicker. I tell the front desk guards to make sure she gets out safely, and then I get in my car and leave.

It’s late in the day now. We’ve been here for ages. I decide to drive around New York for a while to clear my head. I feel like something is wrapped tightly around my chest, and someone is pulling it tighter and tighter. I consider sending her a text numerous times, and eventually, I message Carmine to ask him if she reached the estate alright.

I get a thumbs up and know she’s okay, especially with the Sorvinos to protect her. I turn around and head back to the pub. I’m late for dinner, and when I walk in, everyone is already eating.

“You’re late.” The comment from Ronan is to tease, but I shrug. I don’t want to talk. I don’t trust my mouth and heart to keep my voice straight and emotionless.

Daniel picks up a plate, dishes some roast meat, potatoes, and vegetables, and pours a generous amount of gravy over everything before passing it to me.

I hate when they baby me, but at the same time, I know it’s the only way they can show me they care without showing weakness.

They did help raise me and Jarryd after our parents died, so they are very protective of us.

I nod as I take the plate and start eating, stabbing the potatoes hard. Ronan leans in and smacks my head softly. “You’re going to damage my dishes, you little shit.”

I smile up at him, my mouth full of potatoes. I sigh and nod. We eat in a more comfortable silence now that Ronan’s broken the tension, and once everyone’s filtered out or moved on to drink at the bar, we sit together, just me and Ronan.

“You want to talk about it?” he asks as Molly sets down a Guinness in front of each of us. I take a deep swig and then wipe my mouth on the back of my arm.

I wait for Molly to be off behind the bar, then look at Ronan. “Have you ever loved someone you shouldn’t have?”

“I don’t know about shouldn’t love them, but I have loved someone deeply. They wouldn’t be with me because of the things I have to do to protect our family and keep everyone where they belong. So we both simply didn’t fall in love with anyone else. She and I probably love each other more than anything, but I respect her.”

I glance over my shoulder as Molly yells at one of the younger lads to get out and then walks from behind the bar toward the kitchen, stopping to take Ronan’s plate. “Take a bath, you smell like a pig.”

“Thanks, Molly.” He chuckles, looks at me, and my mouth drops open.

Molly has been Ronan’s friend since they were wee kids, but she’s not… she’s not… I mean, she’s pretty, but she’s not like drop-dead gorgeous like the lasses that throw themselves at Ronan. She’s plump, and her hair is curly and all over the place, held up with several bobbing pins. Her face is round and pale with a splatter of freckles. She has grey eyes, not deep blue, like most people assume. I cannot picture her as sexy or with my brother because she’s like a ma to me.

Then I suppose Ronan is like a father.

“I’m going to do as she says before I get another earful. Have a good night, lad.” Ronan starts to stand, and I shoot out to grab his arm.

“Ronan, is there no way… You should be happy…”

“When you’re truly in love,” my brother says, “the way Dan loves Nat and the way I love… You put that person's happiness above everything else. It works easier if you both accept who you are and what you must do, but if what you do goes against everything they stand for… I’m grateful for the company I get. That’s enough.”

---