Mafia Secret

by Angie Derek

  "Where are we going?"

  He urged Lessa forward so her mother would follow. "My place. We'll see you later, Clarissa."

  Clarissa's mouth pouted in a glare at the dismissal, but she'd have to take it up with her brother. "Bye."

  Lessa waved at her sister, but Erin was still focused more on the car and him.

  John jumped out to open the back door. Marc slowed his pace and gestured Erin in front of them. She climbed into the car as Jio stepped forward to waylay Lessa.

  "A moment of your time, sis?" Jio asked softly.

  Lessa nodded and walked a few feet away from the car to the jeep. Erin immediately stuck her head out of the car. "Lessa?"

  "Jio wanted a quick word with her before we leave," Marc assured her stepping into her path.

  Lessa tried to smile reassuringly at her mother as she waited for whatever it was Jio wanted to tell or ask her.

  "Are you alright?" Jio asked.

  She nodded. Her feet were still sore and stung a bit, but she didn't think he was asking for a rundown of her injuries. Thankfully, the scratches were on the bottom of her feet and her mom hadn't paid any attention to them. "I'm fine just tired."

  Jio held her gaze in his piercing stare. "You're probably not ready for this, but if you're going to go through with marrying Marc you're gonna have to learn fast. Ryan did not abduct you today. He wasn't involved in your kidnapping in Florida. You saw him in the house at breakfast and haven't seen him since. You hung out with the family and went for a ride with Marc. You don't know why Ryan would suddenly pack up and leave town."

  Lessa could feel a smile curving her lips at the pace of his instructions. She knew it was odd for her to find it amusing, but for some reason the oddness of what he was saying made her want to laugh. "Got it."

  "I'm serious, Lessa."

  She forced the smile away. "I know. I understand what you're saying." Considering she was the one who had pushed Ryan out the hayloft it would be on her shoulders if anyone knew what had happened. She bit her lip before she asked him how Ryan was doing. She didn't really want to know the answer to the question at the moment. Her nerves were already strung out from the up, down, up, down pattern her days seemed to be on. She wasn't sure she could take another down right at the moment.

  "The cops still haven't questioned you about your kidnapping in Florida. They will and it'll be sooner rather than later." He sighed. "You'll need to tell them as little as you can."

  His gaze shot to the car as her mother gave up on waiting and was climbing out.

  "Look, just remember what I said, we'll talk more later." He pulled her into a rough hug. "Bonus tip would be to not tell your mom what just happened either."

  Lessa was prevented from answering him by her mother's approach and she forced a smile. "I'll see you later."

  Jio nodded and smiled at Erin. "Nice to see you, Ms. Noelle, have a good visit with your daughter."

  He didn't wait for her response, but jumped in his Jeep, turned the engine over and backed up to spin the wheel and head back into the vineyard. Erin look nonplussed for a moment before turning her attention back on Lessa.

  "Who was that?" Erin asked.

  "My half-brother, Jio," Lessa said walking back to the car.

  "What did he want?"

  Her stomach immediately seized into a knot at the question. "Family stuff."

  Marc's hand rested on her shoulder as her mom's eyes narrowed on her before Erin slid into the car. Lessa bit her lip and followed her in. Her tension eased as Marc sat next to her so she was sandwiched between him and her mother.

  "My place," Marc instructed.

  She was glad to see her mom yet also not so glad. She wished she'd had more time to process everything that had happened. Andrew backed the car to the driveway and her mom didn't say anything until they were through the main gates of the estate and on the road.

  "Family stuff?"

  Marc squeezed her hand reassuringly and she smiled in thanks before taking a deep breath.

  "Boring stuff." The lie rolled off her tongue a little too easily.

  Erin watched her carefully. "Don't let them suck you in, honey."

  She hunched her shoulders under her mother's knowing gaze. "I'm a part of the family now. I can't pretend I'm not who I am."

  "You left and came home just a few days ago."

  Guilt crawled up her throat. "We saw how well that worked."

  Erin was quiet again for a moment. "I'm just glad you're safe." She leaned forward to look at Marc next to Lessa. "How do you fit in to all of this?"

  Her breath froze in her chest. She hadn't figured out how to tell her mother that not only was she claiming her family, but was also marrying into the world Erin had run from.

  "To protect your daughter and you."

  "Do you normally hold hands with the person you're in charge of protecting?"

  "No," Lessa answered first and braced herself for whatever her mother's reaction would be. "But Marc and I are...engaged."

  Erin's expression didn't change, but she leaned back in the seat and stared out her window to the passing scenery. "I see."

  Lessa glanced quickly at Marc. He wore his usual blank mask and she narrowed her eyes at him. A slow smile appeared and he leaned more solidly against her.

  His lips moved to her ear. "Don't worry so much. I can take whatever your mother throws at me."

  The soft confidence in his whisper warmed her, but she still couldn't quite relax as she waited for her mother to launch into an argument against her staying and marrying Marc.

  Erin sighed and turned back to them. "I can hear you."

  "I expected you could." Marc shifted to slide his arm around Lessa's shoulders and pull her more snugly against him. The tension in her body began to melt away as usual, but it didn't help the thoughts spinning through her mind. "I love your daughter and I will keep her safe."

  "I would say she'd be safer back home, but that's no longer true, is it?"

  Lessa grabbed her mom's hand in both of hers as her stomach twisted again and tried to think of what to say to ease her worries. She couldn't come up with the right words to reassure her on anything that had happened. She still hadn't figured out the answers herself.

  "She's safe with me," Marc said quietly.

  Erin suddenly sat forward. "I'm going to choose to believe you, but just so you know. If anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible."

  "Sounds fair to me."

  Lessa shifted her attention back to him with a frown. He always piled everything on himself as if he controlled the outcome. "Not to me."

  His gaze was serious as he met her eyes. "I'd hold myself responsible anyway."

  "Marc—"

  His serious expression lightened. "Don't worry about it right now." He shifted forward and kissed her softly. Her heart fluttered at the sweetness of the kiss. "Plenty of happier stuff to chat about. We could start with our wedding."

  THE END