Married to the mafia King

Alessandra

We ate lunch at a beautiful restaurant in old Florence. The tables were set with white linen and crystal glasses, and the food was amazing.

“The only time I’ve eaten a better meal was at your house,” I told Massimo.

He patted his full belly. “Two out of two experts agree.”

“You gotta admit, though,” Valentino said, “that place in Rome we go to is better.”

“Hey the lady just applauded our cooks at home,” Massimo said good-naturedly. “Take the compliment, huh?”

“I would hope you think certain things are better at home,” I told Valentino with a trace of irritation in my voice.

“Uh-oh, sounds like I’m in trouble,” Valentino said.

“Sounds like it,” Massimo agreed.

“What’d I do, exactly?” Valentino asked me.

“You were flirting with every woman in the store when you’ve got a wonderful woman at home.”

“Ah,” Valentino said as though he finally understood. “Look, Caterina went into this with eyes wide open. I never lied to her. She knows what I am.”

“And what’s that?” I asked in a deadpan voice.

“A man-whore,” Massimo answered.

I laughed.

Valentino held out his arms like, What can I do? “I am what I am and I want what I want.”

“And what do you want?”

“Everything,” he said with a grin.

“I hope you’re not including me in ‘everything,'” I said coolly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Valentino raised a finger like he had forgotten something. “I meant to say, ‘Everything that wouldn’t kill me if I got it.'”

“What, you’re saying I’d kill you?”

“No Dario would,” Valentino said. “And that’s the truth.”

I made a face like I didn’t believe him.

“Dario’s very protective of you,” Massimo agreed.

“I thought he was just very… possessive,” I said darkly.

“Dario doesn’t care about much. But what he does care about, he guards with his life.”

“Why did he kick me out of the house, then?”

“‘Why did he kick me out,'” Valentino said, gently mocking me. “A couple of days ago, you risked everything to leave.”

“Well…” I said, not wanting to admit he had a point.

“Ha you know I’m right.”

“That doesn’t explain why he sent me away.”

“There was a meeting with a potential business partner,” Massimo explained. “I suppose he wanted…”

Then he trailed off.

“What did he want?” I asked.

Massimo and Valentino looked at each other, then laughed.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“I can’t even lie,” Valentino said with a grin. “Dario didn’t want you gone ”

“Niccolo did,” I finished.

“Yup.”

“But why?”

“Probably for the same reason he only lets Caterina work half a day,” Massimo said.

“And why’s that?”

“So Valentino isn’t slipping off to fuck her every chance he gets. He only gets to do it in the mornings.”

“Oh my god!” I cried.

“What, your virgin ears can’t take the truth?” Valentino said with a laugh. Then he suddenly acted serious and put his hands over the sides of his head. “My virgin ears can’t take your screaming when you and Dario get together.”

I turned bright red and hid my eyes with my hand.

Massimo laughed but scolded Valentino at the same time. “Stop teasing her.”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…” I murmured, mortified.

Valentino howled with laughter. “Funny, that’s what you say with Dario just louder and higher-pitched. ‘Oh my god, oh my GOD ‘”

“STOP IT!” I cried out as I threw a dinner roll at him.

“No food fights, children,” Massimo chided us playfully.

“Yes, Dad,” I said, half-joking and half-annoyed.

“The truth is, we’re glad you’re with him,” Massimo said.

“Can we please stop talking about this?” I begged.

“I’m talking about in a general sense. Not in a Valentino kind of way.”

“What, sex in the kitchen pantry?” Valentino asked.

Massimo made a face. “You do it near the food? Come ON, man…”

“PLEASE can we stop talking about this!” I whispered.

“Alright, alright. But I am glad you’re here,” Massimo said. “At the house, I mean.”

“Why?”

Massimo smiled. “Because I’ve never seen my brother happier.”

I’ve never seen my brother happier.

I thought about Massimo’s words as we made our way back to the car.

Part of me was elated…

…but part of me was confused.

Dario was still frightening to me in many ways.

He was also a complete enigma.

He seemed like he was angry with me half the time…

…and the other half, he seemed like he was obsessed.

I started thinking about the second half…

And what he had done to me that morning…

When Massimo put a hand on my back and pushed me gently through the street.

“Go faster,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked as I came out of my daydream.

I was about to ask him why when I noticed that he and Valentino were looking around furtively.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

“Something’s not right,” Massimo muttered as he looked around.

The street was busy with pedestrians on the sidewalks but something seemed wrong.

It was like a picture where one thing was out of place. You could sense something was off, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

“Get to the car and open the back door,” Massimo ordered Valentino.

Valentino took off at a sprint

Which may have been what triggered our enemies to finally reveal themselves

Like they were afraid they’d been found out.

Two men across the street darted out into traffic, weapons drawn.

“DOWN!” Massimo shouted as he pushed me behind a parked car and drew his own gun from the back of his pants.

The two men shot at us from the street.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Glass shattered

Cars screeched to a halt

People screamed and scattered all around us

And Massimo returned fire.

BANG BANG BANG!

“STAY DOWN!” Valentino shouted as he fired his own gun over our heads.

I looked to my right and saw a third man collapse. A pistol fell from his hand to the sidewalk.

Massimo fired another shot to make sure the stranger was dead, then turned back to the two gunmen in the street.

He shot one man

And the other ducked down behind a car.

Massimo pulled me to my feet and shouted, “RUN!”

He stayed between me and the gunman the entire way, acting as a shield to keep me safe.

Fifty feet up ahead, Valentino was shooting at someone else I couldn’t see. He continued to fire as he flung open the back door of the Mercedes and circled around to the driver’s side.

There were gunshots everywhere

Glass storefronts shattered

And suddenly we were at the car.

“GET IN, GET IN!” Massimo bellowed.

I scrambled into the back seat.

Massimo shot a final round before diving in behind me and slamming the door shut.

Valentino was already in the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

The window next to me exploded with a spider-web of cracks, and there was a metallic ping ping ping! as bullets hit the car door.

I screamed then realized that nothing was getting through.

The car was bulletproof.

“GET US OUT OF HERE!” Massimo yelled.

Valentino swerved around stopped cars and took a hard left at top speed.

“Are you alright?!” Massimo asked me frantically.

“Yes!” I said. I was terrified, but I didn’t feel pain anywhere.

“Val?” Massimo asked.

“I’m good you alright?”

“I got nicked,” Massimo said with a grimace.

Only then did I see the blood on his shirt beneath his jacket.

“Oh my god!” I cried out.

“It’s fine, it’s not bad,” he told me.

“How do you know?!”

He gave a wry smile. “I’ve been shot before. This is nothing.”

“Should I go to the hospital?” Valentino asked.

“Fuck no just get us out of the city,” Massimo said as he pulled out a phone. “I’ll let Niccolo know what’s going on. He’ll tell us what to do.”