Married To The Mafia

6. They Could Still Be In There

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|| OLIVIA SMITH ||

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Joanne leaned on the window watching the city lights as I drove. Or dragged. Whatever you call travelling in New York at rush hour.

"You know.." She said. "Daniella is not all that she pretends she is."

"I know." I replied. "They are hiding something."

"But what?" She sighed. "Maybe we should run a background check on them? Just to be safe. I know they are hella rich and therefore tough to c***k but I am sure they will pick up something."

"Are you telling me that you didn't already hire them?" I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew this devil. She was not one to wait for second opinion.

She turned to me, grinning sheepishly.

"I may have called Mom as soon as Anika and Daniella acted sus." She shrugged. "I mean, this is about Stella and I didn't want to wait till we got home and I got my hands on my laptop."

Though Joanne was a web designer by degree, she was also a decent hacker. Her mother was a pro. She was an orphans and her adoptive parents, Rodney and Stephen Lake, were CIA agents, her mother being an extremely skilled hacker. But she quit her job after Joanne's father died on a mission and she was worried for the safety of Joanne.

From the stories I have heard from Joanne, her mother is an amazing person.

"And?"

"She sent a mail."

"You read it?" I asked. Of course, she would have read it on her phone by now, right?

"It's sent via a different software on my laptop." She pouted. "Something about being discrete while prying into influential people's business."

I nodded. "Makes sense. It is kinda illegal."

"She didn't say anything else?" I asked, rolling down the window so I could give the asshole honking behind me the finger.

Why do they think honking helps clear a mile long traffic jam?

"She was at the airport. She's flying to Greece for vacation. On a cruise ship. Won't be back for a few weeks." She said.

"She's living the life, isn't she?" I laughed. I have never met the woman in person but I have said hi to her from time to time when Joanne facetimed her. She was a cool lady.

"My Mommy darling is something else." She laughed.

The relationship between Joanne and Rodney was beautiful - they cared for each and loved one another. I am sure Joanne never felt the absence of her real parents because Rodney loved her so much.

Though I guess she misses her father, who died when she was thirteen.

Stella's parents were on a whole new level.

Her mom was on her seventh husband and her dad's present wife was twenty one, that is two years younger than Stella.

I almost felt bad for being grateful that my parents were nothing like Stella's. They let me do what I want with my life. All my Pops ever said was, "Do what you think is right. Do what you think is fair."

I smiled to myself. My parents have become their parents as well. But Pops can't make it here for the wedding to walk Stella down the aisle. Guess who is going to do it? My dumb brothers Luke and Dexter.

They are sixteen and twins and the most horrible specimens of the human race.

I don't even know what Stella was thinking. I wish Zach was here but he is in Australia for a joint venture of his company and he is going to there for two more months.

I miss him so much.

"You are missing Zachy-poo." Joanne sang, making kissing sounds.

"Shut up Jo. But how did you know that?" I whispered the last part.

"You play with your promise ring whenever you do." She shrugged.

I forget that she's really good at observing people. She just never thinks too much into things and let things go the way they go. It is me who is always trying to get to the bottom of things.

"You noticed something when I was talking to Anika?"

"Yeah. After you asked me to distract Daniella, I agreed to the fitting and dragged her out of the room but she gave Anika a look and gestured to Ava and she paused." Joanne explained. "But then she continued talking to you right?"

"She lied after that." I was getting really restless right now. "And am I the only person who thinks it's weird that marriage is only applicable to Anika and Stella and not to Daniella?"

"Nope. I had the same doubt and I asked Stella. She just laughed it off saying maybe Anthony was making an excuse to get married to her. She is blind in love right now." Joanne pursed her lips but then looked out and her face lit up.

"Can we get take outs from McDonald's?"

I nodded and pulled up to the drive through. We got ourselves a heavy dinner and made our way to our apartment.

"I bet Old Man is bored to death by now!" Joanne laughed as she turned the key but she paused.

"What?" I asked.

She took the key out and opened the door.

"Did we forget to lock the door?" She asked me.

I shook my head. I remembered clearly that we had indeed forgotten to lock the door and Wolverine had barked from inside and showed us the key.

She quickly walked in and turned on the lights.

The whole house was trashed.

I held a hand to my mouth as we walked in. I quickly held her hand making her stop.

"They could still be in here." I whispered.

"Then they already saw us come through and turn the light on." She said out loud and walked forward, her hand wrapping around a vase on the table as she did.

"Babe?" She called out.

She called Wolverine that when she was feeling much love for him or worry. Tonight is definitely worry.

I dialed 911 as I followed her into her room.

"This is 911, what is your emergency?"

"Baby, where are you?" Joanne called. No response. I turned on the lights.

I described the situation to the operator and she said the cops will be here soon. I hung up after answering a few more questions.

The Great Dane was nowhere in sight. But the room was fully trashed and all the clothes and stuff scattered everywhere.

We were about to leave the room when we heard something fall in the bathroom.

"Jo no!!" I tried to pull her back but she hurried into the bathroom without a care in the world.

I gasped, choking on my own tears taking in the sight as I hurried in after her.

Wolverine lay there, blood gushing out through multiple wounds on his abdomen, whimpering helplessly, his eyes dilated and trained on Joanne.

"NO THEY DID NOT!!" Joanne yelled angrily as she fell to her knees, lifting her baby's head to her lap.

"Momma's here love. Nothing's gonna happen to you." She whispered. "You are my Wolverine. You are too strong!"

"Quick get me some clothes and duct tape!" She yelled at me, her face red, sweaty and full of fear.

I quickly exit the bathroom and grabbed the clothes littered on the bedroom floor and gave it to her and headed to the storage room for duct tapes.

When I finally found them and got back, Joanne was working her way through the wounds, trying to compress them with the clothes while Wolverine struggled to breathe.

I knelt down, trying to control my tears as I helped her with the wounds. We quickly patched the wounds up with cloth and duct tape to stop the bleeding.

I looked over at Joanne. She was not letting her fear and dread come in the way of her thinking. She was doing this rationally and had thought everything through. Where do you get this kind of courage?

She hauled the one-sixty pound canine over her shoulder like he weighed nothing and we ran like mad-women.

It was on our way out that we realized that the security guards were also missing.

Joanne quickly dialed 911 again and updated them.

Shit. This was worse than we thought. What is going on?

"Shouldn't we call Stella?" I asked.

"Not now Livy!" She gritted through her teeth, her hands shaking. "Just drive!"

We didn't talk as I drove like a madwoman. Joanne kept soothing Wolverine telling how she was going to find whoever did this to him and how she was going to let him rip their limbs off. These are the times when I actually get scared of Joanne - she can be very violent.

When this was over, I was getting tickets for speeding and missing seven red lights.

I am just glad nobody got hurt because of my rash driving.

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We watched as Wolverine got wheeled into the Emergency Room.

"Whoever did that to my kid, is gonna pay!!!" Joanne screeched, stomping on the ground.

She quickly speed dialed '0' and threw her phone in frustration when she realized that Rodney cannot be contacted right now.

I picked up the phone. Luckily it didn't break.

"I will call Stella okay? And I will deal with the paper work. You stay here." I told her before I walked away, turning around to see her slide down to the floor.

I quickly made it to the reception and dealt with paper works.

I called Stella and she didn't pick up.

I called her again and again and bombarded her with messages. No reply.

Then I decided to call someone else.

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