His Corrupt Mafia Queen

Chapter 5: Love and Hate

“Babe, Carmine wants to meet. I’m sure it's nothing” I hollered so he could hear me from the bathroom. I clothed myself with jeans and a plain white t-shirt. As I laced up my sneakers, I watched Francisco come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but sweatpants.

“This is our last night together before we go our separate ways-” He started, with my sneakers secured on my feet. I stood up and approached him. My arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I know, I won’t be long. Just give me an hour, alright?” I reassured him, pulling away from him. It took him a while to respond, but when he did, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. Our bodies separated and I made my way out of our apartment. 

With my hands stuffed into my pockets, I moved down the hall, furthering myself from my apartment. Sounds of music, lovemaking, and faint conversation could be heard as I passed by the numerous doors that led into other apartments belonging to my colleagues. It was our last night of relaxation before we departed, people were bound to enjoy it. Anxiously, I waited by the elevator hoping I wouldn’t run into anyone, I dreaded the thought of follow-up questions or someone shooting me down with a repulsive look.

A soft bell alerted me that the elevator had finally stopped on this floor. A few seconds went by before the elevator doors opened swiftly. I took a single step in before I halted. Isabel was leaning against the wall, wearing a hoodie and jeans. A plastic bag hung from her left hand, she must've gone on a trip to the convenience store a few blocks away. Her head lifted from the wall, she too was shocked to see me. Not wanting to make anymore of a scene, I stepped onto the elevator and pressed onto the button sitting above the rest. Once the doors closed, and the elevator began to move once again, Isabel spoke up, breaking the awkward silence,

“You could’ve told me..” She said, a small exhale left my lips and I leaned against the wall opposite of hers. That was the thing. I didn’t want to tell anyone about the trip. The girl who toured Italy with a man whose name I shall never speak again, was a naive, immature girl who let herself get played.

“I didn’t want to tell anyone, I hated myself for it, the last thing I wanted was for others to look down upon me too. No one understands, I want to forget everything that happened in Italy” My eyes met Isabel’s and I could see in her eyes that she disagreed with my words. She leaned her head back against the wall and focused her attention on the ceiling. 

“Back in Africa, I had to get in close with the militia group that killed my family. In doing so, I met a guy. We spent months together not knowing that we had developed feelings for each other. He was my enemy, although he didn’t kill my family, he stood with the group that did. I fell in love..-” Isabel was a woman with secrets in disguise, her mysterious demeanor was alluring. Isabel made herself out to be a person who didn’t fall in love, a stern woman who didn’t open herself up to others. Learning that she was in love once with someone who wasn’t supposed to be made me feel a little less alone.

“The love we shared was immaculate. We made each other woven bracelets so we had a reminder of what we had. After killing the leader of the militia group, I didn’t want to, but I had to kill him too” Isabel looked back at me and smiled faintly at me with a soft shrug of her shoulders.  I wanted to hug her, I saw the glisten in her eyes, she was fighting off tears. She held up her wrist and presented the woven bracelet on her wrist. It was black and red braided in a simple pattern,

“I understand, trust me, more than you ever know” Isabel cleared her throat and dropped her arm back down to her side. I wish she had disclosed it with me earlier, but I’m glad we have an entire trip to London together, it was our opportunity to get to know each other on a vulnerable level. Thinking about when I received the necklace that hung from my neck, I felt the fingers trace along my skin as if I was in that hotel room once more. My hand grasped the necklace and took a deep breath,

“If he was your enemy, if you were supposed to hate him, how could you keep the bracelet..” Yes, I was intrigued with what her answer might be, but I also needed an explanation on why I haven’t been able to rid myself of this necklace if I claim to hate the person who gave it to me.

“The same reason why you kept the necklace, I presume..” Isabel was a sharp and attentive woman. She drew up answers with just body language. I didn’t think it would’ve come back to bite me. I told Francisco that I bought it during my first few days in Italy. My hand dropped from the necklace and I shook my head.

“I never loved him-” That was the key difference between me and Isabel’s story. She loved the man. I was blinded by lust. Isabel raised her eyebrows at me and smirked gently. Before she could make her own conclusion, I spoke again.

“I just-” I started, I didn’t even know what I was going to say. I was trying so hard to prove something to Isabel, but she wasn’t buying it one bit.

“You wanted to know what it would be like if things didn’t go horribly wrong,” Isabel said. There have been nights where I have been over the last few nights in Italy a million times and there wasn’t an instance where things could’ve gone smoothly. We were bound for chaos and destruction. Before I could answer, the elevator came to a sudden stop and, followed by a soft bell, the doors opened. There was more to be said in this conversation and I definitely wanted to revisit it. 

“Let’s talk more on the plane tomorrow” I said, stepping out of the elevator. Isabel nodded  at me and we left each other with warm smiles. The doors closed, removing her from my view. I’m glad we had that shred of conversation and I couldn’t wait to continue it with her.

Carmine lived in the penthouse on the very top floor above all the other residents. The elevator placed me in her living room. Very few lights were lit, the view of Australia through her floor to ceiling reminded me of the apartment I once had in New York. I stepped further into her living room. The ceilings were high, a white sectional sofa took up most of the living room space, the floors were a glistening hardwood that reflected any image. The area was simple, not much decorations or photos, except a single painting of a rose. I’ve been in her penthouse millions of times, each time I expected something to be different.

“I’m sorry for requesting you this late, I just wanted to talk and see how you were doing” Carmine emerged from a hall that led into her kitchen. She was dressed in a floor-length black silk robe that moved effortlessly in the air  with every step she took. She brought up the lighting in the living room and motioned for me to take a seat. Her untamed curls fell recklessly and stopped at her lower back. A thick choker concealed her neck and hid what was on her skin. Still harboring a bit of resentment towards her, I crossed my arms over my chest, brushed past her and crashed down onto the sofa. 

“I’m fine” I responded, Carmine playfully rolled her eyes at my words and sat down next to me. My attention focused on the twinkling lights that littered the Australian skyline. Being able to detect my lies from miles away, Carmine scoffed, which brought my eyes over to her.

“Raina, in all honesty, I was waiting for you to drag Sabrina across that table” The smile on her lips was contagious, I fought off a smile and dropped my arms from my chest.

“I’m trying to be more level headed. Besides, did she say anything that wasn’t a lie?” One of the main reasons why I don’t like opening up to people is because I’m afraid that they’ll use my trauma against me. Blame me.

“She didn’t speak one ounce of truth, you have grown into this fearless young woman. Do not let Sabrina of all people diminish everything you have been through and what you stand for..” When Carmine and I were alone with each other, she let me see a different side of her. She was more tender and careful with her words around me. 

“Besides, you can’t trust the words of someone who is currently having a hysterical pregnancy” She spat, looking out the windows. With my anger disappearing, I lifted my hand up and traced my thumb along her black velvet choker. I wanted nothing more but to know about her past. Carmine caught my hand and squeezed it, she pried her eyes away from the windows and settled her gaze back onto me. 

“Why did you give him the necklace?” She breathed desperately, she must’ve asked me this question a million times. Absolutely no one told me that the necklace contained sensitive information. Looking back, it all made sense and I should’ve figured it out. When the masked men asked Zeke where the information was, he looked at my neck, then diverted his attention elsewhere. I would give her the same answer with different words.

“Had I known that the necklace contained any kind of important information I would’ve never given it away” Carmine kept my hand in her lap holding onto it fiercely, it was as if she was nervous. 

“We need to get that necklace back..” She said, looking down at my hand, knowing it just wasn’t her after it but other groups of people, I could only imagine the kind of information that's disclosed in the necklace.

“We will” I reassured her. Finally, she caught my eyes and we held each other’s gaze. Carmine was my chosen family. I don’t think I could ever explain the kind of relationship we have. I decided to spend more time with Carmine. I enjoyed her company more than anyone else's. We curled up on the couch and indulged ourselves with humorous conversation and wine.

“Francisco and I haven’t had s*x since we left Italy. He says he forgives me but he refuses to have s*x with me. He will always see me with another man..” You would think I would be sad. I was, I was devastated that he refused to make love to me. There was a twisted smirk on my lips. If I didn’t find the humor in this dark, messed up situation, I would be tearing up every night until guilt and depression ate me up.

“Abstinence isn’t a bad thing, besides, I can pleasure myself way more than a man ever could” Carmine said, raising her glass in the air. She did have a point. I didn’t hold back from laughing. My glass collided with hers and we both took a sip of our drinks with wide grins on our lips. With a bit of liquid courage and finally pushing the burning question out from my lips, hopefully it wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass. 

“What’s your story with the Ace family? Why do you hate them so much?” I kept a firm grip on my glass as Carmine halted abruptly. The wine glass was halfway up to her lips. She shot me down with an ice-cold glare, slowly taking the wine glass away from her face. After a few moments of shooting me down with her piercing eyes, her face finally relaxed, as if she was tired of holding herself back. 

“Okay, it’s a long, complicated story. Only a few know the story, including Drisco..” She responded by making my heart jump. After numerous failed attempts to get her to open up to me, I finally succeeded. Ready to dive into her words, I drank the last of my wine and set the glass onto the floor and focused my attention on her.