Submitting to The Mafia

Chapter 1

I buried my face deeper into the pillow, clutching the blanket like it was my last line of defense. “Hailey.” Alex’s voice was sharp, carrying that no-nonsense edge he’d brought back from the military. Four years of being molded into discipline had left him with this eternal itch for routine.

“Go away,” I mumbled into the pillow. Maybe if I stayed perfectly still, he’d give up and let me rot here in peace.

“Not happening.” His footsteps drew closer, steady and purposeful. A soldier on a mission.

Before I could even think about rolling away, he yanked the blanket off me. “Alex!”

“You’ve got ten seconds to get up on your own.” His tone was flat, but I could hear the smirk hiding underneath.

His arms were crossed, posture perfect, like he was back at inspection. “You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“Seven seconds.”

“Ugh, I hate you.”

“Three.”

I didn’t move. I thought maybe I could call his bluff. In one smooth motion, he scooped me up like I weighed nothing and tossed me over his shoulder. My fists pounded against his back, half-hearted. “Put me down, you caveman!”

He didn’t even slow. “You had your chance.”

By the time we reached the kitchen, I was dangling upside down. He dropped me—into a chair at the table.

I glared at him through messy strands of hair while he calmly set a mug of coffee in front of me, like this was all perfectly normal. “You’re deranged,” I grumbled.

“Maybe,” he said, sliding into the chair across from me, “but at least we’re on schedule.”

The smell of bacon and fresh biscuits drifted through the air as I slumped into my seat, still sulking from Alex’s ridiculous wake-up call. My hair was a mess, my mood worse. Mom floated in from the kitchen with a tray stacked high with eggs, sausage, and pancakes, humming like it was the best morning in history.

“Dad,” I groaned, stabbing my fork into the tablecloth for dramatic effect. “You have to do something about Alex. He literally dragged me out of bed and threw me into a chair like I was a sack of potatoes. He’s insane.”

Across the table, Dad folded down his newspaper, his mustache twitching with amusement. He looked at me, then over at Alex—who was sitting upright like some kind of poster boy for discipline, coffee mug in hand, not a hair out of place.

“Sorry, princess,” Dad said with a chuckle, shaking his head. “You know how he is.”

“That’s it? That’s your whole response? Sorry, princess?” I threw my hands up. “He treats me like I’m still five!”

Alex didn’t even blink, just sipped his coffee with military calm. “Correction. You act like you’re still five when it comes to mornings.”

“See?” I jabbed a finger at him. “He’s impossible!”

Dad only laughed harder, and Mom set down another plate of food in front of him, rolling her eyes but smiling. “Don’t encourage him,” she told Dad, though her lips twitched with amusement too.

“Encourage him?” I gaped. “He’s a tyrant!”

Dad leaned back in his chair, grinning at me with that unshakable patience only he seemed to have. “You’ll thank him someday, Hailey. Until then, just eat your breakfast.”

I let out a huff, snatched up a pancake, and muttered, “Someday better come fast, because right now I’m living with a drill sergeant.”

Alex smirked into his coffee, and Dad just laughed all over again.

“So,” Mom said as she set down a plate of scrambled eggs in the middle of the table, “what’s everyone got planned today?”

“I’ve got a few meetings at the office,” Dad said between bites. “After that, just the usual paperwork.”

“Meetings, paperwork, meetings, paperwork.” Mom smiled knowingly. “You make it sound so exciting.”

Dad grinned. “Well, someone has to keep the wheels turning.”

“And you, Hailey?” Mom asked, her voice warm and expectant.

I straightened a little, trying to sound less whiny than I felt. “Classes this morning, then I’m meeting Lexi after to work on homework. She’s already freaking out about our psych midterm, so I promised I’d help her study.”

“Lexi,” Dad repeated, smiling. “Still your partner in crime after all these years?”

I couldn’t help but smile too. “Of course. We’ve been best friends since we were five. She’s stuck with me for life.”

“Poor girl,” Alex muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I roll my eyes before getting up and walking away. I eased the front door open, holding my breath as it creaked just a little too loud in the quiet morning. My backpack strap slipped off my shoulder, and I fumbled to catch it before it hit the floor. If I was lucky, I could make it down the steps, into my car, and out of the driveway before Alex even noticed.

“Going somewhere?”

The voice came from behind me, low and sharp. I froze. My stomach dropped as I slowly turned to find Alex leaning against the wall by the stairs, arms crossed, looking at me like he’d been waiting all along.

I groaned. “Seriously? Do you just… camp out here to catch me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You should already know—I take you every day. That hasn’t changed.”

“I can drive myself,” I argued, gripping the strap of my bag tighter. “I’m not twelve.”

“And yet you’re sneaking out like one.” His eyes narrowed just enough to make me feel caught, exposed.

He almost smiled, but caught it before it could fully form. “Nice try. Go put your bag down. We leave in ten.”

I stomped a foot against the floor, half out of frustration, half because I knew there was no winning against him when he used that no-nonsense tone. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

“Routine is routine,” he said simply, pushing past me to grab his keys off the counter. “You’ll thank me someday.”

I muttered under my breath, “Someday, someday—someday I’m gonna lose my mind.”

He ignored me, opening the door like it had never been a crime in the first place. “Come on, Hailey. Clock’s ticking.”

And with that, my stealth mission was officially a failure. The hum of Alex’s truck filled the silence as we pulled into the college parking lot. He drove the same way he did everything else—precise, controlled, like even the turn into the lot was some kind of tactical maneuver. I sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, counting down the seconds until I could escape.

The moment he shifted into park, I unbuckled so fast it probably broke a world record. “Thanks, bye!” I blurted, throwing the door open before he could even give one of his patented lectures.

“Hailey—”

Too late. My feet hit the pavement and I bolted toward the familiar figure waving at me across the lot. Lexi stood by the front steps, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Girl!” I called, grinning as I ran up to her.

But her eyes weren’t on me. They flicked past my shoulder, wide and sparkling. “Oh. My. God.”

I didn’t even need to turn around. “Don’t,” I warned, shoving her lightly with my elbow.

Lexi fanned herself dramatically, leaning in close. “Hailey, you did not tell me your brother got hotter since the last time I saw him. I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “Please stop drooling. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

If there was one thing in life I could count on, it was Lexi’s completely hopeless crush on my brother. Honestly, it had been going on forever—since she was thirteen, to be exact. One day she was just my best friend who came over to raid the pantry and watch movies, and the next she was staring at Alex like he was the lead in some cheesy teen drama.

She tried to be subtle at first, but subtlety was never her strong suit. By high school, she didn’t even bother hiding it. Alex gives her this look. It’s never long, never obvious—just a flicker when she laughs too hard at one of her own dumb jokes. He won’t smile exactly, but his eyes soften in a way they usually don’t.

On with our day I guess.