The mafia boss owns me

CHAPTER 14

Lucy’s POV

The first thing Lucy heard was the Dog purring.

Not the alarm, she would never hear the alarm, but the deep, steady purr of Dog, pressed against her arm.

For a moment, she didn’t move. The morning light filtered weakly through the half-open blinds, cutting across the room in soft stripes. Riley was still asleep beside her, one arm thrown over the blanket, hair spilling across the pillow in bright blonde tangle. She looked peaceful too peaceful, considering the kind of night she’d had.

Lucy blinked the sleep from her eyes and turned slightly, careful not to wake her. Her body still felt heavy. Mornings like this quiet, gray, had become her favorite.

She reached over and gently scratched Dog behind the ear. The cat arched against her hand, eyes half-closed in lazy satisfaction, before hopping off the bed and padding toward the window ledge. His tail flicked once, twice, as he watched the street below.

She slipped out of bed, bare feet finding the cool floor. She picked up her phone, the time read thirteen minutes past six. They had less than an hour before their shift. They usually run morning shifts as bartenders in a small time bar that was just a few blocks down.

She reached the bathroom and the mirror welcomed her with a sleepy reflection of brown curls in a loose, wild mess, eyes still rimmed with fatigue. She splashed water on her face and tied her hair into a bun, staring at herself for a moment longer than usual.

Because even in the soft quiet of morning, the memory of last night wouldn’t leave her.

Riley’s voice, low, strained, and too calm replayed in her mind.

The moment Riley had told her about them, I Senza Volto'

Lucy laughed at first. She thought Riley was being dramatic she was always dramatic. But then she’d seen her friend’s face. The bruise on her jaw, her lips torn

“They dragged me to a warehouse, Lu,” Riley had said, “I thought they were gonna kill me. But then their boss told me to work for him

Lucy remembered how it felt, how Riley had confessed it like it was something that happens everyday.

She had sat there, heart thudding, staring at her best friend like she’d just spoken another language. Work for the mafia.

And then Riley had gone on, the way she always did, narrating the entire episode like it wasn’t a big deal. Like being pulled into a criminal organization was just another one of her messy adventures.

Riley had a way of walking straight into danger and making it look like fate. And she, well, she had a way of following her, whether she wanted to or not.

She pulled on her outfit for the day, and then went to put the kettle on. The small apartment was still dim, the only sound the faint patter of Dog’s paws as he leapt onto the counter to watch her.

“You hungry, troublemaker?” she asked, reaching for the can of cat food.

Dog meowed, tail flicking impatiently. She smiled, scooped his breakfast into the bowl, and set it down on the floor.

Behind her, the sound of rustling sheets came from the bedroom. Riley stirred, groaned, then rolled over. Lucy peeked in and saw her squinting against the pale morning light.

“Morning, sunshine,” Lucy said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

Riley mumbled something unintelligible and pulled the blanket higher. Dog padded in and jumped back onto the bed, curling up near her stomach.

Lucy shook her head. “You can fight mafia thugs, but you can’t fight getting up for work, huh?”

Riley’s hand emerged from under the blanket just to flip her off.

Lucy laughed. The sound filled the small space, warm and familiar. It was these little moments, it was the teasing, the quiet mornings, the shared exhaustion, that made everything else bearable.

“Come on,” Lucy said, crossing the room and tugging gently at the blanket. “If we’re late again, Mrs. Hargrove’s not gonna take it lightly.

Riley groaned but finally sat up, blinking blearily. Her hair was a wild halo, and there was the faint bruise on her jaw

“Still hurts?” she asked quietly.

Riley shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

That answer didn’t comfort her, but she let it go. There were some walls even best friends couldn’t break through.

Riley got up, stretching, and Dog meowed in protest as she disturbed his resting spot. She scratched his chin in apology before heading for the bathroom.

Lucy busied herself making tea. She poured two mugs, one for each of them but her thoughts kept circling back to the warehouse, to whatever dark road Riley was being pulled down.

She didn’t know what kind of man he was, but she could guess. People like that didn’t recruit for kindness. And Riley for all she knew, her strength and sharp edges weren't unbreakable.

Lucy stared down into her tea, watching the steam curl like smoke.

A few minutes later, Riley emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a black jean and a T-shirt, hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. The bruise on her jaw looked darker under the light. She caught Lucy staring and gave a small, crooked smile.

“I’ll live,” she said, as if reading her mind.

“You better,” Lucy muttered, handing her the mug.

Riley grinned, that mischievous grin that had gotten her into more trouble than either of them could count. “You’d miss me too much anyway.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny it.

They drank their tea in silence for a while, side by side at the tiny kitchen table. Dog jumped up and tried to nose Riley’s cup, earning himself a half-hearted scolding.

When it was time to leave, Lucy grabbed her bag and checked her reflection by the door. Riley was tying her shoes, still looking half-asleep.

“Ready?” Lucy asked.

“Born ready,” Riley muttered, grabbing her jacket.

As they stepped out into the hallway, the city greeted them with its usual noise, car horns, distant chatter, the scent of coffee and asphalt.

Lucy glanced at Riley walking beside her. Same confident stride, same unbothered face. You’d never guess that a few hours ago, she’d been pulled into something that could swallow her whole.

And Lucy, as Riley locked the door behind them, whispered a silent prayer, not to anyone in particular, but to whatever force might be listening.

Please don’t let her get hurt.

Riley turned her head then, catching Lucy’s gaze. “What?”

Lucy smiled faintly. “Nothing.”

And together, they walked toward the bar, Dog watching them leave from the window, tail flicking like a metronome.

The day was just beginning.

And somewhere deep down, Lucy knew it was only a matter of time before the quiet mornings like this became memories, fragile, fleeting things before the storm returned.

But for now, she held on to it, the sunlight on their faces, the sound of Riley’s soft laughter, and the illusion that everything was still normal.