In bed with the Mafia

Moving on.

Anna

The days that followed were painfully slow. It felt as if my mind was put in a constant loop, where all I could think about was Aiden. I looked at the ring on my bedside table. Liam has finally dropped the ring, asking me to return it when I got the chance. I silently hoped that I never did. I didn't want to face him anymore. I felt another tear slip down my face. Father would be so disappointed if he was here. I could imagine the look of disdain on his face. Love was a fickle feeling not made for those in our line of work. I had wanted out, I had gotten out and now I had regretted it. I tucked my lower lip on and bit on it.

My heart was heavy and my mind clouded. I swung off my bed and walked to the curtains, drawing it. Golden sunlight filter in, illuminating the room further. We could no longer stay in certain places that were in Marcus territory, it would mean certain death, so we stayed in the Martinez' territory. Marcus would avoid us as long as we remain here, except he's willing to start a war. A full-blown war will be the last thing on his mind since he just gained power.

It was a classic ‘’killing two birds with one stone” move by Liam. We could get close enough to destroy the Martinez and also be protected by them. My brother, Liam, had always been the cunny one; as for Cain and Jason, I prayed that our paths never crossed. They were monsters and the main reason I hated my family.

I heard a soft knock on the door and I turned around. “Come in,” I said, sure that it could only be Liam. I was correct. Liam stepped into the room with his usual smile. He ran his hand through his hair. His gaze flicked to the ring that was still exactly where he had left it a couple of days earlier.

“You good?” he asked, training his gaze on me. “No.” He answered himself and smiled in an almost mocking manner. “Sulking doesn't look good on you, you know?”

“What do you want?”

“Can't I check on my little sister anymore? I got a little worried for you.” He shrugged. “Don't hate me for it.”

“Since when did you start caring?”

“I always have.”

I rolled my eyes and settled back in bed, pulling my duvet to my chin. It felt warm and cozy exactly what I needed. I let out a soft moan.

“I did a little digging into your boyfriend, sorry, ex-boyfriend.”

I shot him a glare and he chuckled, before he continued, “He's a bastard son. After Gabriel's father died, Lilian—”he shrugged“—f****d another man and got pregnant. Obviously that part was kept under wraps. A woman being the head of a Mafia is bad enough, if word got out that she was pregnant, it'll make them vulnerable. Aiden kept his father's name, Smith.”

He paused and looked at me as I listened with rapt attention. His name was part of the reasons why I couldn't connect the dots. If his surname was Martinez, maybe I would have caught on. At least now I know not everything was a lie. He told me his real name.

“That's not all, here's the interesting part. Your boyfriend—ex—is actually really popular. They call him the Devil's Spawn. Ring a bell?”

I nodded. If Aiden really was the Devil's Spawn then it was worse than I thought. I've heard rumors about him, and they were never good ones. The Martinez were popular and feared because of their brutality and it was the job of the Devil's Spawn to keep that fear burning. Wherever he went, the angels of death held a feast—it was always a m******e.

I swallowed hard. He was worse than a thug, he was the Devil's Spawn.

“He's been quiet for a few years for whatever reason.” Liam pulled a chair and sat on it the wrong way. “But he's back and there's been a couple of kills recently.”

Liam showed me a picture of a corpse that was beaten beyond recognition and then shot. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to reconcile the man I fell in love with this monster Liam was talking about.

“He's bad news…our focus is Gabriel, the heir to the Martinez name. Don't ruin things with him. Anything you had with Aiden should remain in the past. It could ruin our mission or get us—”

“I know, I know,” I interjected. “I'm not a kid, I know what I'm supposed to do.”

I knew what I was supposed to do, but could I bring myself to do it? To pretend like Aiden didn't exist? It's only been a few weeks without him and I still couldn't get him out of my mind. I was like a junkie in terrible need of a fix. I scoffed bitterly at how stupid I was. Liam had just told me that he was a monster, an epitome of the very reason I ran away from home. Yet, all I could do is wish to be in his arms and have him hold me tight.

“Good to know that we're on the same page.”

Liam sat for a while and said nothing.

“Anything else?”I asked.

“Actually, yes.”

“Then get on with it.”

He picked up the ring and spun it on the table, “Gabriel called me a few minutes ago.”

“What did he want?”

“He wants to take you out on a date.”

“No,” I said without thinking.

“He said he wants to get to know his fiancee. It sounds like a great idea.”

“I don't feel like it.”

“Do you really think you have a choice? You knew what you were signing up for when you agreed to be engaged with him. These are the sacrifices you need to make for our survival. Or would you rather I tell him that you can't come because you'd rather mourn your relationship with his half-brother?”

I looked at him without saying a word.

“7pm today,” he said, as he left my room. “Dress to kill.”