by Cala Riley
I look to Dr. Fields as she gives Bash a wary look before she meets my gaze. I don’t know how she got mixed up with the mafia, but she always did give the impression that she wasn’t here by choice.
“Mia, you have shown true potential. I saw the light in your eyes over dinner. You love the medical world. I want to train you to take over for me. I think it would be beneficial to you and give you a purpose.”
I bristle at her words. “What do you know about my purpose? You just assume I want to take on whatever debt you owe Bash?”
She looks guilty as she glances over at Bash. “That’s not what I meant.”
I cut her off before she can continue. “Why don’t you tell me what you meant then. If I’m going to do this, which I’m not saying I am, but if I do, I want all the information up front. How did you get caught up with Bash?”
I can’t deny my excitement, but I’m also suspicious. Once you’re in this world, you can’t leave.
I watch as Dr. Fields looks to Bash.
“Go on. Tell her. She deserves to know.”
She sighs then and turns back to me. “When my son was fourteen, he got mixed up with the wrong people.”
“Watch it, Dr. Fields,” Lo warns besides me as I feel his hand clench in mine.
Dr. Fields nods. “Let me rephrase. He was leading a life I didn’t want for him. By the time I realized what he had done, it had been too late for him to back out on his own. I appealed to Don Tommaso, and he had been willing to release my son Trey from his responsibilities, but only if I did him a favor. I didn’t know what the favor would be, but I accepted nonetheless. Then he called one night to come help one of his men who had been hurt. Once I finished, I thought that was it, but he said my debt had not been paid yet. He said he lost a good soldier. Ever since then, I have been the family doctor. I never wanted this life, Mia.”
Her eyes tear up as she tells her story. I glare at Bash. He might not have been able to do anything before, but he can now.
“Why don’t you release her? Hasn’t she paid her debt?”
Lo hisses in my ear. “Watch your mouth, Mia.”
Bash gives me a smile, but it isn’t filled with humor. It’s filled with malice. “I think you have the wrong idea about me, Mia. I’m not this generous man you seem to think I am. I will admit, I’m not the cold man I used to be, but I still have a family to run. While it is unfortunate for Dr. Fields, her son was an idiot who got involved with the mafia against her wishes. She hasn’t told you the whole story. After we refused her son, he went on to join another family. Her sacrifice had been in vain, and by the time she realized it, she was already invaluable to us. We need a family doctor, Mia. That’s all there is too it. I don’t care what I have to do to obtain one. Dr. Fields is paid generously for her services, so don’t let her act all innocent in this.”
She looks down, ashamed now.
“What happened to your son?”
She starts to sob. “Killed. I couldn’t save him. Too arrogant for his own good.” She lays her head on the table as she lets the tears consume her.
Could I resolve myself to her fate? Could I take this burden from her? Do I want to?
“I’m not a doctor. I have no schooling. What makes you think I could do this?”
She looks up, and I notice the tears still falling on her face.
“You’re more talented than any student I have had work under me. You have a real knack for it. I don’t know where you learned what you already know, and frankly I probably don’t want to know, but I can teach you more. I can show you everything I know and teach you where to look for the things you don’t. I want to retire, Mia. Not just from the family, but from my practice. I want to move and never look back. This place holds too many bad memories for me.”
The haunted look in her eyes, along with the excitement of practicing medicine again, decides it for me. I look to Bash.
“What’s the catch? I need to know everything before I walk into this.”
His smile is calculating.
“No catch, Mia. You will belong to the family. You will be on call at all times. If we need you, you come, no questions asked. You will need to ask permission before you leave anywhere, even on vacation. You will not be able to just leave this position. Anyone you decide to commit to”—his eyes slide to Lo, and I feel the tension roll off of him—“will need to be vetted through my men.”
“So pretty much I give up my life to you.”
I appreciate the respect in his eyes at my bluntness.
“Yes, but have you not already done so, Mia? It seems to me you're already in deeper than you realize.” He nods his head to Lo. “I’m not saying you should take this, Mia. Don’t misunderstand me, I trust you more than I trust Dr. Fields over here. I would much rather keep this business in the family as much as possible, but out of respect for my tesoro and you as my family, I won’t force this upon you. This is a decision you will have to make yourself.”
I bite my lip. Could I go back to this? I look to Sofia, and she gives me an encouraging smile. She saw how I took care of Matt. I admitted to her I love the medical aspect. She probably thinks this is perfect for me. She doesn’t know my dark past though.
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course. Lo, will you show Dr. Fields out?”
He finally let’s go of my hand, and I feel pinpricks from his tight grasp. I hadn’t realized how tightly I had been holding his hand. Or maybe it was him holding mine.
Once they leave the room, Sofia turns to me.
“Take your time, Mia. You don’t have to do this, but if you want to, I’ll support you.”
I nod at her.
“This needs to be your decision, Mia.” Bash’s voice flows over me. “This is a lifetime commitment. I’m giving Dr. Fields an out now only because I meant what I said. I trust you, Mia. I trust you way more than I ever trusted her. I see this as a benefit for the family. You will not be afforded the same luxury of resigning from this position.”
I take a deep breath as I stand. “I think I need to go home and think.”
“I’ll take you.” I jump as I hear Lo’s voice from the door.
Sofia comes and hugs me before Lo takes my hand and leads me out the front door.
Coming in here, I thought I had done something wrong. Now I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders as I walk out. Bash trusts me, which should make me happy, but instead it causes me to feel guilty. How can he trust me when he doesn’t even know me? I’ve lied to them all since day one. If I come clean now, will I keep my life?
∞∞∞
Lorenzo
I dropped Mia off, but she isn’t herself. I offered to take her back to my place, but she asked me to take her home to think. I don’t care for the dark look on her face. It makes me not want to leave her. An angel shouldn’t have darkness in her eyes.
I park across the street and watch the house until her guard shows up. I told him to take the evening off since I had her, but I didn’t expect her to want to come back here. Izzy’s guard is here, but I can’t leave without knowing Mia is also protected. Izzy’s guard would protect them both, but there’s a reason we have a personal guard for each girl.
One is, of course, if they separate. The other is so each man only has one objective. To protect their mark.
I let my eyes scan the street as I think about the events of the afternoon. I could kill Bash for springing everything on me and her like that. I don’t want her involved with the family, but I can’t say that to her. It’s not my place, even though I wish it was.
The curtain covering the front window moves, and I see Isabella standing there. She’s talking, and I assume it’s to Mia. She flips me off, and I chuckle. Isabel has a hatred for all of us in the mafia. If it were up to her, we would all disappear. She won’t leave her best friends though, and each seem to be tangled into the life. Sofia will never leave Bash, and now Mia is about to make a huge decision that might intertwine her fate with the family more t
han committing to a man ever could.
Isabel: If you’re going to sit outside, you might as well come inside.
I smile as I read the text from Isabel.
Lo: Mia wanted time to think. I’m giving it to her.
My phone rings in response. I pick it up with a smile.
“Hello, Isabel.”
“She’s in her room. Can I come out and talk to you?”
I stay silent and watch as the curtain moves again and she gives me a dirty look.
“Answer me, jackhole, or I will come out there on my own.”
I sigh. “Let me come to the door first.”
I hang up and jump out of the SUV. When I reach the door, Isabel steps out. She doesn’t wait for me as she heads back down the stairs, and I growl. The woman has no sense of self-preservation.
Once at my SUV, she looks at me, waiting. I unlock it, and she climbs in. I get in on my side and lock the door behind me.
“What is it, Isabel? It’s been a long day.”
“You need to talk her out of it, Lorenzo. She’s going to get hurt.”
I look over and identify the worry in her face. “This is her decision. If I could make it for her, I would say no, but she needs to make her own choice. I’m already making enough decisions for her.”
“Oh yeah. The no-sex thing. Why is that anyways?”
These women are gossips, I swear.
“None of your business.”
She gives me a hard look. “Mia really likes you, Lo. You need to cut this… whatever it is.” She gestures between me and the house. “cut it off before she falls in love with you.”
She’s right, but it makes me angry hearing her say it.
“That’s also none of your business.”
She looks at me then with curiosity. Whatever she sees in my face confuses her. “Are you in love with her?”
I school my face before I answer. “No. I’m not capable of love, Isabel.”
She narrows her eyes before she sighs. “You have one of two options. Love her the way she deserves to be loved, which is with a committed relationship filled with all the gushy shit good girls like Mia deserve, or let her go. If you continue this with no intention of giving her the white picket fence with two-point-five children, then you’re going to break her. She won’t recover from you.”
My heart stalls at her words. She isn’t wrong. I’ve told myself the same thing every day since I met Mia. It’s why I’ve kept my distance from her. It’s the same reason I have been scaring off all those fucking losers she had been going out with. They weren’t worthy of someone like her. She deserves the world, and they wouldn’t have given it to her, and I’m well aware I cannot give it to her either.
If it were about money, I would be able to give her anything her little heart desires. Unfortunately, she needs a good man who can have a family and be the perfect man for her. I have too many skeletons in my closet for that. For once, I regret my past. I regret my body count and the things I have done for this family. Not because they were wrong, because they weren’t, but because they made me into a man who’s not worthy of Mia. Mio piccolo angelo.
“I understand, Isabel. Are you done?” I ask through gritted teeth. I don’t enjoy the mirror she’s holding up in front of me. I’ve been fine living in my bliss.
“Just please try and remind her the dangers of being the family doc. I don’t think she’s really thinking it through. She wants to say yes, but something’s holding her back. I hope it’s her morality.”
Hearing that Mia’s seriously considering the job makes my heart beat in fear. Hearing that she’s hesitating gives me some relief. Maybe I will talk to her. Appeal to her innocence.
“I’ll try. You have my word.”
She nods before reaching for the door.
“Let me walk you up.”
I check the streets before I get out and open her door before helping her down. At the door, she turns and gives me a sad smile.
“Thank you, Lo.”
It doesn’t escape my attention that she called me Lo. I guess, in a way, we bonded. I just wish it wasn’t over something that’s going to end up hurting my cold, dead heart.
∞∞∞
I jump up out of a dead sleep at the sound of my phone blaring. I pick it up on the second ring.
“Yeah,” I grumble, irritated from my sleep being interrupted.
“Lo?” The sound of her sweet voice melts all irritation away and replaces it with worry.
“What’s wrong?” I’m already out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweats. I look at the time on the clock on the wall, noting it’s two in the morning.
“I need to see you. Can you come get me?” There is sadness in her voice, but no fear.
“I’ll be there in five.”
I hang up and pull a T-shirt on before grabbing my keys. Within minutes I’m in my SUV on the way to her. All the lights in the house are out as I pull into the drive. I walk over to the guards on duty. They each slide out of their cars and meet me at the back of mine.
“Is something wrong, Lorenzo?” Dante asks.
“I don’t know. How has it been tonight?”
“Quiet. I did rounds about fifteen minutes ago,” Angelo says.
“I’m due for rounds in five, but I think I’ll do it now and again in five.”
I nod and head toward the door.
Lo: I’m here.
Within seconds, the front door unlocks before she opens the door. She’s in a tank top and a pair of shorts. She has a bag over her shoulder.
“You shouldn’t open the door without looking,” I scold her.
“You told me you were here.” She steps out and locks the door behind her.
“You’re going to be cold. Why didn’t you put some clothes on?” I hiss.
My body is reacting to her in a less-than-honorable way. She shivers as a breeze blows by. I grab her hand and pull her toward my SUV. I unlock the door as we approach and help her inside.
“Wait here.”
I go around and turn on the SUV before cranking the heat.
“Lock the doors. I’ll be right back.”
I don’t give her time to respond. I shut the door and head back to where Angelo’s sitting. Dante’s still missing.
“What’s going on, boss?”
“She’s coming with me tonight. You sit here on the house and help Dante. Let him know I took Mia, but Isabel is still inside. I’ll let you know when I bring her back.”
“Sure thing.”
He goes back to his car and gets comfortable. The beauty of having them live in the same home is we don’t have to switch off guards. One stays awake while the other sleeps and vice versa. Someone always has eyes on them at all times.
I head back to my vehicle and knock on the window. The doors unlock before I climb inside.
“Want to tell me why I’m picking you up at two in the morning?”
She murmurs something, but I can’t make it out. I sigh and put the SUV in drive.
“Maybe when we get back to my place you’ll feel like talking.”
I am being a dick, and I know it, but I can’t help the tension in my body. She scared the life out of me calling in the middle of the night. Hell, calling at all. She only ever texts me.
The drive to my house is short and silent. Once there, I round the SUV and help her out before taking her inside. I instruct her to wait by the door as I clear the house. Once I’m sure it’s safe, I grab her hand and lead her to my room.
“Sit.”
I point to the bed, and she complies easily. My body responds to her willingness to follow my command, but I resist the urge to act on my primal urges. I need to find out what’s going on first.
I peel off my shirt then climb under the covers. “Come lie with me.”
Again, no hesitation. She climbs into bed, and I wrap her in my arms.
“I’m going to ask you again. Do you want to tell me what happened tonight? Why did you call me?”
She hesi
tates now. I contemplate using my commanding tone, knowing she’s responded well before, but I resist. If she’s going to talk, she needs to do it of her own volition.
“I’m going to take Bash up on his offer. Well, if he will still have me.”
The tone in her voice cause me to worry.
“What do you mean? Of course, he will have you. He offered it to you.”
She sighs. “It’s a long story. I know it’s outside the friend’s thing, but can you just hold me for a few minutes?”
“Of course, mio piccolo angelo. I wish you would tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can fix it.”
“I’ll explain to you tomorrow. I want to tell Bash at the same time. Do you think you can set it up for me?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Now forget about it for tonight. I want to do some other stuff instead.” Her hands trails down my bare stomach reaching for my waistband. I shiver at the feel of her perfect, soft hands on my body.
“We don’t have to, Mia.”
“I know we don’t, but I want to. Please, Lo.” Her begging does me in.
You know what they always say: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. That describes what I’m feeling right this moment. I should push her away. I should tell her we need to end this now. I just can’t in this moment. I’m too caught up in the feeling.
I grab her face and turn it toward me as I press my lips to hers. As soon as they touch, she opens up and licks my top lip. My cock jumps in response. I tangle my tongue with hers as my hands do their own exploring. Her hands dip into my sweats, and as she grabs my cock. I can’t stop the moan falling out of my mouth. I rip her tank top down, and my hand to kneads her breast. She grips my cock hard in response.
I roll over on top of her and begin kissing and biting down her neck. Her hand slips free from my cock, and she whimpers.
“Hush, mio piccolo angelo. In due time.” I look up into her eyes and detect the desire within.
I did that to her.
I lean down, my eyes still locked with hers, and nip her nipple. She gasps as I do it again before sucking it in my mouth and using my tongue to circle it. Moaning, she arches into me. I smile as I move to the other nipples and give it the same attention.
