“No… No…” My chest clamps tight, no air can get in. My lungs are too busy screaming the house down.
Stopping dead in my tracks, rounding the corner to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of juice after a quick joint shower to wash yesterday’s grime from me, my eyes land on two large guys sitting at the table. Scanning fast around me, two others stand by the door. Starting a second round of squealing, I’m quaking all over, my fight or flight response kicks in. I am so out of here. I can’t go back. This time Dimitri will kill Alex and me…
Trying to retrace where I came from, I halt. My eyes must be as wide as head lights. My body’s going limp by the second from the lack of oxygen. Without turning, I try and take steps backward, putting distance between these scary, older men.
With one last almighty breath, my face white from fear, my mouth as far open as it will go, I scream, “Alex…! Help…! Men…!” My legs are going to give out, I can feel the limpness climbing up the back of my knees, reaching my hips. The short gasps I’m trying to get air inside me is doing minimal.
“Sweetness.” I look behind my shoulder. A calm, but angry looking Alex, dressed only in pants, strides holding a gun by his side, toward me. There’s no way he can see the men yet. Alex’s eyes are pits of blue ice, his mouth is grim and stoic. Alex is dangerous. I can see it before my very eyes how lethal he can look and be.
I don’t move. I’m frozen. The amount of air left in my body restricting me to go anywhere. Alex is upon me in a second, protectively standing in front of me, gun raised as he does so.
“Fuck…” Shoulders drop and with it, the gun by his side. “Didn’t take you long to get here.” The annoyance in his voice is evident. Who the hell are these mean looking men?
“We shouldn’t be here… But here we are.” The burly guy isn’t conveying any happiness about being here. If looks could kill, I would be dead by now.
Reaching behind my waist, Alex pulls me tighter to him. “Isla, this is my Uncle Stefano, head of our Family, and Benito, his righthand man.” The way his voice introduces them, he’s not happy about them being here.
I try and smile at them but fail miserably when I see them glaring my way. “Hello,” quietly pops out.
With a less than welcoming demeanor, the older man points for us to sit with him at the table.
Alex ushers me to sit. Resting his arm on my shoulder, he asks, “Drinks anyone?” Glaring at him, holding my breath, hoping he can read my mind not to leave me alone in here with them, a slow smile appears. “It’s alright, Isla. These are the good guys.”
Really? Are they? They don’t look like they like me or Alex much…
My eyes roam around the men. My skin prickles. My hands and insides are shaking. Sitting down, Alex looks across at me, running an assuring hand over my knees and my vice-like hands resting on his lap. “Look at me, Isla. It’s all going to be okay. This is The Family. We protect what is ours. Believe me when I say this, belonging to me means we will do as humanly as possible anything to protect you.”
“Yes, Isla Winters, you will be protected from Sokolov and his loyal followers.” The older man speaks with authority. Alex nods at him. My mind is still playing catch up after seeing Alex with a gun and sinister looking men sitting in the kitchen…
“Alessandro, you’re lucky you two are still alive. What happened to waiting?” Benito, I think his name is, sits there and lights up a cigar while Alex’s uncle speaks. I can tell he is restraining his anger.
“I spoke to Isla’s mother last night.”
He did what? Holy Mother of Jesus, what is he talking about? My head is throbbing on the verge of exploding, I don’t think I can take any more today. And it’s only just started. Standing upright, Alex looks between me and his uncle before sitting back down. I really couldn’t stomach a drink now anyway. I’m concerned about what my mother has said to Alex, how much she told him about my father and how he cared for his family, about Dimitri and how he bashed her to get back at me for trying to escape. Oh…the list is endless. I hope this doesn’t scare him away. But being here with me today and taking me from Dimitri was beautifully unexpected, so maybe mother said something that stirred him to action.
Crap…
My heart rate picks up a few extra beats. Alex broke the rules given to him by his uncle, so the news mother gave him must be bad. So bad he risked our lives… My legs start tapping with my thoughts, my mind’s running wild. What could be so bad?
A warm hand reaches my legs, stopping my nervous habit. At least I haven’t had a panic attack for a while. Deciding to take control of my life must be making me stronger all over.
“Adeline tracked me down after I left the room.” His hand continues rubbing my leg, calming me of the turmoil running through my mind and body. “She had a few things to tell me.” Looking at me, Alex looks grim. “Because she wanted my help to get you away from Dimitri. Now.”
“Why would she choose now to speak up? I don’t understand.” My fingers now fiddle together. “She’s had years to do something about him and never made my father leave his clutches.” My body is sinking. Thinking about all she could have done before my eighteenth birthday, I don’t understand why now she’s trying to clear her conscience. It’s as though only Alex and I are in the room. His eyes drill into me and I stare back at him, for the answers I so desperately need.
“I didn’t want to talk to your mother, Sweetness. Believe me, it took every bit of will power not to continue walking away from her, but she begged me.” Squeezing my leg tenderly, he comforts me. “I’m glad I listened. Although it fucking made me burn with fury inside listening to her.” Gripping my leg tighter, I jolt as he hits a nerve. “Fuck, sorry.”
“It’s okay. Tell us what she said.” I’m hanging on by the edge of my pants, wanting to know what the hell mother has said and why she has waited until now to do it.
Lifting my left hand, Alex looks at my engagement ring. A scowl covers his face, replaced with a sigh of relief when he next tugs it off, putting it on the table. “Your mother told you the other month who this ring belonged to, didn’t she?”
“Umm, yep. Heading out of her house with Dimitri, she whispered to me it had been her mother’s ring, or my grandmother Somerset’s ring. I had never heard of her until that day or met her. I still don’t understand why she said it.” Benito’s cigar smoke is filling the air. My lungs already struggling to get air in them because of this bizarre situation this morning and the smoke isn’t helping any. But I can’t piss these guys off, they might decide I’m too much trouble and find me a nice hole somewhere. I concentrate on my breathing.
“Your mother explained to me that she stayed with your father through the times of abuse and gambling problems because she simply loved him. She believed he was her soul mate. Your mother gave up everything to stay with him, Isla.”
“I know…” Sighing, I run my finger under my eye to stop water from coming out. “She gave up hers, mine, and Ben’s happiness to be with him. I lived it. I know. And I guess I understand in a way because I would do anything to stay with you. I get it, I do.” I’m rewarded with a sweet kiss on the cheek.
“But, Isla, your mother didn’t tell you a few things about her family. The family who belongs to that ring.” His head nods toward it. “Your mother decided to walk away from her family, her mother and father, because she knew they would destroy your father somehow.”
I’m not really understanding.
“What?” My brain has been fried from seeing two fearsome looking men sitting in what I thought was an empty kitchen. I’m confused.
“Your grandmother is a very wealthy, influential lady it would seem. An heiress to a fortune in England.”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t she use this money to get my father away from Dimitri? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Your mother chose to walk away from everything she knew growing up for your father. She told her mother that she needed to cut ties with them because she feared your father would drain them of all their security. She kept what she had and didn’t look back. She was happy to give your father what she had, but no more.”
“Oh…” I’m unsure what to say. Looking at the other men in the room, the two standing up are stoic as I first laid eyes on them, but Stefano and Benito seem intrigued.
“Sweetness, your mother asked your grandmother to give you and Benjamin her share of their estate when they decided the time was right, instead of risking it being lost from gambling. In her way, she was protecting you, setting you and your brother up for life.” Resting back on his chair, Alex looks at me, hesitantly smiling, patting my leg. Your grandmother set up a trust fund for you and one for Ben. When you turn twenty-five, you inherit a small fortune.”
“Ttwen…ty-ffivee? Today? Are you saying today I am entitled to money from a family member I’ve never met? Was my mum drunk when she told you this? It really can’t be true.” My hand wipes my hair back from my face, placing it behind my ears. “Can it? How did we not know about them?”
“I don’t know all the details, but later we can chat to your mother when it is safe. Adeline implored I get you away from Dimitri now, because she gave up her life of money and power to be with your father and she didn’t want that happening to you. Your father took all her jewels and money that she had over the years and gambled them or paid off debts with them. She was left with nothing, as you know. She needs you to rightfully use the money as you see fit.”
“Are my grandparents alive still?” I’m blank. My body isn’t understanding very well. It’s all foggy. Have the other two left the table? Why aren’t they talking?
Standing, his large, handsome stature walks over to the sink and gets four glasses of water.
“I believe they are. Your mother didn’t say much, except that she implored I research them and that I would know what to do when the time was right. Whatever that means… She wouldn’t let me leave until I said that I would find out about The Somerset family.” Placing the water in front of each of us, his shoulders seem stiff as he sits back down.
“We will work it out. We need to move on with our lives. Destroying Dimitri first, then we will deal with your family.”
Benito sucks away. Stefano sips his water, contemplating what his nephew has revealed.
A cough racks Stefano’s body. He composes himself quickly. Benito looks unsettled looking at Stefano. “So, Alex, you have the girl. What do you suppose we do now so Sokolov doesn’t kill your ass?”
“Obviously Isla will be staying here. The security, usually, unless you’re a family member,” a smirk crosses his face, “is impenetrable here. I’m confident that we can get the other families to fast track their actions against Sokolov, taking over his drug clients. Kolton’s working at planting info into other associates of Sokolov’s to turn them against him, so they join the new families taking over the scene. Taking out Sokolov as they take over or we will be there to step in and do it. Make no mistake, he will be dead before much longer.”
My stomach is feeling queasy. I want Dimitri gone, but hearing about it is scaring the hell out of me. What is it these men do for a living? When Alex explained about his family, I must not have listened properly. These men intimidate me. They remind me of an Italian Dimitri. The way they command attention, oozing power and authority.
Crap…
Hell…
My stomach is doing somersaults… The Family….
Hands trembling, feeling icy cold, my mind’s finally playing catch up. Fuck, they are an Italian version of Sokolov. Oh…my… Fuck… This means Alex is a part of…this…of crime…? Of drug trafficking…? Of Prostituting women?
I’m hurting inside… My chest is heaving noticeably. I am unsure what this means. I can’t be a part of that again. I have to break free of all that adversary. My hands cover my heart. It’s splintering just thinking about it. There’s no way I can leave Alex… I wouldn’t leave Alex.
“Isla…” Hearing my name brings me back. “Isla… What just happened? Where were you?” Alex’s eyebrows are knitted together with worry.
“Oh… Sorry,” nodding at Stefano and Benito to apologize, “I can’t believe I just worked out what you meant by The Family.” My voice lowers to a whisper. My eyes watching the floor. The Godfather movie, Goodfellas, and Scarface all run through my head in a blur. I’ve seen what happens to people if they betray the mafia, even cross them in the wrong way. I’m unsure how I’m supposed to behave. “Will they kill me if I say anymore?”
Laughter fills the room.
Oh, holy hell…
I didn’t just say that out loud did I?
My eyes flick up, staring at the men in front of me, including Alex, they are all concentrating on me, continuing to chuckle.
The eldest man talks. “Isla. Trust me and my family. We are not going to kill you. We only hurt people when it is necessary. When they have been disloyal, a traitor in the ranks, or if they try and harm us in any way.” He taps the water glass on the table. “Our family has been solid in Italy, after Alex’s dad stepped down and I took over, we limit our involvement, vowing to stay undercover and only help under those circumstances I mentioned. I can tell you we don’t do prostitution, weapons, or drugs. Our fathers before us made us who we are today, doing what they needed to survive, keeping our name feared across the world, but we have all decided the legal way is our future.” Raising the glass, he takes a drink, never letting his eyes leave mine. “That’s not to say we won’t break the law if danger exists. We are selective and proceed stealthily when we have a job. Hence why we are feared and at the top of the food chain. We get the job done, without a mess and ties to us.”
My hands have slipped to my knees, covered by Alex’s, igniting me with strength.
“You are certainly safe now. One day, this will all be yours.” The old man searches my eyes. I search his back. If I am to be a part of this, I have to shove my fear back within. Show toughness and intensity, never weakness or your opponent will eat you alive. I’ve learned that over the years. At least from now on when I crumble, Alex will be there to catch me and put me back together. Just as I will do for him.
My hands are left, letting the air dry my sweaty palms, Alex’s hand goes to my shoulder. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Getting rid of this venomous Russian is first and foremost. But, Isla, you are now a part of this family. You will continue to have protection, even when I can’t be here.” Sincerity is evident. Leaning up, I kiss him on his lips. I know everything will work out. With these men beside me, there is no doubt.
Crash…
My body jolts from the sheer loudness of a door banging. The men all spring to their feet, finding a weapon from somewhere. I fall on the floor, trying to make myself as small as I possibly can. Fucking hell… My heart is going to leap out of my body if this keeps up. Twenty-fifth birthday, hot sex, heiress to a fortune, grandparents I didn’t know about, the goddamn Mafia. Now what?
“Alex…” Liam looks out of breath, his large frame heaving. Jared does too. They’ve slammed through the front door. Something’s wrong. My stomach plummets… Again…
“It’s Sarah.” They say in unison.