The Mafia Boss Who Captivated Me

The door to my study almost comes off its hinges with the force as I burst inside to confront my devious little sister. She sits on the small sofa in the corner, her hands in her lap as she picks at her fingernails. She's nervous as hell and she should be because I have never been so goddamn pissed at her in my entire life, and she has pulled plenty of shady shit before today.

"What the fuck, Joey?" I hiss, anger vibrating through every muscle in my body and making me shake with suppressed rage.

She looks up at me, her long dark lashes wet with tears.

"I'm sorry, Dante -" "Sorry? Fucking sorry?" I shout, banging a fist on my desk and making her jump in fright.

"I didn't think you'd care."

"Don't fucking lie to me," I snarl. She has never been afraid of me before and she'd never had reason to be, but I haven't felt a rage like this for such a long time. Not since I found out about Nicole. I swallow a ball of anger and it knots in my chest instead. "Why, Joey? Do you really hate me that much?"

Her eyes flicker with anger and years of suppressed emotion. I actually see it ripple through her body before she jumps up from the sofa. "I hate this goddam house. I hate that I can't take a fucking shit without someone watching me, Dante," she screeches. "I hate that you and Lorenzo get to do whatever the fuck you want because you were born with a dick! While I have to be the perfect, pampered princess who doesn't get to even breathe without permission." Her chest heaves with the effort of her diatribe and tears run down her cheeks.

"What the hell does that have to do with Kat?"

"Why do you get to keep your little pet? Why can't you be miserable just like I am?"

I step closer to her. "You think I wanted this life, Joey?

You think I don't dream about just walking away?"

"Running off to Italy like Lorenzo?" she snipes.

"I never said that."

She shakes her head and stalks to the other side of the room. "I have no one, Dante," she sniffs.

"That's not true."

"Yes, I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to pay you back for sending me away. And Kat wanted out of here. She is desperate to leave, she had to be if she came to me, right?

She even pretended to like me." She scoffs. "She would have found another way if it wasn't with me. She will find a way, big brother. Lucky for her she's not tied to this family like I am."

Her words hit me way harder than I expected them to because I know there is a ring of truth to them. How desperate must Kat have been to trust my little sister, who has shown her nothing but contempt. And I knew it all along, didn't I? I convinced myself that I was the one in control, and she manipulated me into thinking that there was something more between us than just physical. Damn, she was good at it too.

"I hope it was worth it, Joey," I say. "Because whatever happens to her now is on your hands."

She narrows her eyes at me. "What are you going to do to her?"

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"I don't." Lies come so easily to her, tripping off her tongue like they cost nothing. I'm not sure there has ever been a woman in my life who hasn't lied to me as easily as Joey just did. And usually, I can see right through them.

Like I did with my mom when she used to tell me everything was okay and my father was a good man. Like I saw through my ex-fiancée, Nicole. But I didn't see it with Kat. She lay in my bed every night, and I never saw it. I guess I didn't want

to.

"Good to know," I say before I turn and head out of the door.

"I know what really happened to Nicole, Dante. Lorenzo told me."

The mention of her name makes me falter for a second.

My heart seems to stop beating. I knew he was going to tell her the truth, but I didn't think she'd ever speak of it.

I don't reply. I can't think about anything but Kat and how she's ripped out my goddamn heart. I can't take my anger out on my sister, but I will damn well take it all out on her.

I have no idea how long I've been lying on this bed. It could be hours, it could be minutes. Time seems to have taken on a whole new meaning. It does when you have nothing to tell the time by. It's still dark outside, but I don't even know if it's tomorrow yet or still today.

The sound of the door being unlocked makes me bolt upright. My heart rate kicks up a gear, and I swallow as I wait for someone to walk inside. I don't know whether to be relieved or terrified when I see Dante walking into the room. He closes the door behind him, and I jump up from the bed, running to him.

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When did I become so pathetic?

"Dante, I -" He doesn't let me utter another word before his huge, powerful hand is wrapped around my throat, and he slams me against the wall.

He presses his face close to mine. His anger from earlier hasn't dissipated at all. In fact, it seems even fiercer than before. "Don't," he hisses, his hot breath dusting over my cheek as he squeezes my throat tighter until I'm struggling to breathe. This isn't the way he usually grabs me. I've never felt my airway restricted like this before. He's trying to hurt me. To kill me. "Did you honestly think I would be blind enough to let you slip out from under my fucking nose, Kat?" "N-no," I rasp, my throat already raw from the pressure of his grip.

"You think I'm stupid, then? Is that it?"

"N -" Tears run down my cheeks, and my head pounds from the pressure on my throat. In a few seconds, I'm going to pass out and then I won't be able to tell him. I won't be able to tell him about the only thing that might make him spare me. I use every ounce of breath left in my body to gasp out two words. "I'm pregnant."

I clutch at my throat as the cool air rushes into my lungs. It's only then I realize he's let me go. His hands are on either side of my head now, caging me in as he keeps me upright with the weight of his body against mine. "What?" he growls.

"I'm p-pregnant," I breathe.

He shakes his head. "You're lying to me."

"I'm not," I insist. "That day in your office. You never got me the pill after..." And I forgot to remind him.

He narrows his eyes at me..

"I took a test. I'm five weeks." I sniff.

"So, not only were you running from me after you swore you'd repay your debt, but you were trying to take my child away too? Is that what you're telling me?" he growls, and it's so full of menace and vitriol that it makes me shiver. But he does not get to pretend like he's the victim here.

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I wipe my tears away and glare at him. "What choice did I have, Dante? It's not just me now. I did what I had to protect my child."

"My child," he snarls. "You think it needs protecting from me?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But I do know that I would rather die than be forced to give him or her up."

"You think I would make you do that?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know. You made all these decisions about our child without knowing anything. You didn't think of just telling me you were pregnant instead?"

"I only know what you told me," I shout in his face, and he inches closer to me.

"And what is that?"

"That as soon as I'm no use to you, you'll hand me over to your men." I swallow hard as the thought of that happening, of being torn from my baby makes me feel like someone just tore my heart out of my chest. "What use will I be to you when I'm nine months pregnant. Or breastfeeding a tiny infant? Or when I'm exhausted and sore?"

He slams his fists on the wall either side of my head and I can feel the anger in him rising to a crescendo. But he pushes himself back and then walks out of the door, locking it behind him and leaving me alone.

I MUST HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP SHORTLY after Dante left because it's bright when the sound of the door unlocking startles me. I rub my eyes and focus on the figure walking into the room. It's the young new housekeeper who started here a few days ago, and whose name I can't recall. She's carrying a tray of food and my stomach growls at the smell of eggs and toast.

She sets the tray down at the end of my bed, avoiding eye contact the entire time.

"Thank you," I say as I pull the covers off myself and climb out of bed, but she slips silently back out of the room, leaving me alone again.

I sit next to the tray anyway, wondering how long it will be before I see Dante again. We have so much to talk about. I expect he'll be here in a few hours. Shouting at me for leaving and demanding answers that I don't have. So, why is a part of me look forward to seeing him anyway?

There are two boiled eggs and two slices of brown buttered toast on the tray as well as a jug of water and a glass of orange juice. And right there, nestled beside the cutlery is a blue and white box containing a pregnancy test - one of those expensive digital ones. So, he wants proof, does he? Fine by me. I will light that baby up like the Fourth of July.

I sit cross-legged on the bed and start to eat, feeling better with each mouthful and hopeful that if Dante hasn't killed me yet, then maybe we can figure this out.