Married to the Mafia Boss

Frankie

Amelia hasn’t looked me in the eye since I confessed my love for her, but there isn’t time to wallow in self-pity. I can’t deal with her and Jose at the same time. As it is, I can’t leave the house to deal with the family business like I normally would, and it’s driving me insane that I have nothing to do to distract myself.

Joel walks over to where I’m standing in the garden, getting some fresh air. “Boss, Don Sorvino wants to see you. It’s a family meeting.”

I nod, adjusting my suit and running a hand through my hair. “Where?”

“The dining hall, right now,” Joel says. “He says it’s time to discuss the problem with everyone.”

“Thank you, Joel,” I say, walking away from him and back into the house. I walk into the expansive dining hall to find my brothers sitting at the table, as well as my father, some uncles, and Katya, Alessandro’s wife.

She’s a formidable character on her own. Next to my brother, they are king and queen.

I take my seat and look around. “Is there anyone else we’re waiting for?”

“Katya’s father will be here shortly,” Alessandro says, looking around.

As though on cue, he walks in. “Good afternoon, everyone,” he says with his thick Russian accent.

“We are ready to begin,” Alessandro says as he sits down. “As you all know, Don Catalan has declared war on the Sorvino family. He wants Frankie, and he wants him dead.”

“Why?” my father asks, stroking his beard. “Why Frankie?”

“A guy attacked Amelia and Frankie put him in a coma, with some permanent injuries. It turns out it’s Don Catalan’s bastard nephew.”

My father shakes his head. “He’s using that as an excuse to move into our territory. That man has wanted to own New York since he ascended.”

I listen, taking in what they’re saying. My uncles are muttering, but it’s Katya who speaks next, “We’re obviously not handing them Frankie, which means there’s going to be bad blood between their family and ours.”

She looks around as though challenging anyone to disagree with her. I see a small smile on Alessandro’s lips; he loves her power plays. She continues, “Frankie needs to lie low, away from New York, until we can figure out what to do with the Don and his soldiers. New York isn’t safe. He has many people here.”

I sit straighter, looking over at Katya. “We shouldn’t run from him. It’ll show him we’re weak.”

Alessandro speaks, “We aren’t going to run. If they bring war to our door, we will fight, but for now, they just want you. So we’re going to hide you away until we can come up with a plan to stop him. This isn’t a request, Francesco.”

When he uses my full name, it means business, and everyone at the table murmurs. I look into Alessandro’s eyes and bow my head in submission, I may be key to the family, but he is the Don. He leads us.

Katya starts speaking again, “It’ll have to be out of state, some affiliate establishments that you can visit and check on in different states. Instead of keeping you in a safe house, which undoubtedly will be traced, we’re going to keep you moving. Not settling in one place for too long will make you hard to trace. Burner phones only, and an untraceable VPN for emails and video calls to us.”

I nod. I’ve done this for other members who’d needed to hide, so it is familiar to me. We don’t take the typical approach to things.

Hiding in safe houses just makes you a sitting duck because Katya is right. They always find out where you are.

Katya’s father stands. “We are happy to have him check in on our establishments for Katya as well,” he says. “That should keep him plenty busy.”

At least I’ll have work to distract me from Amelia’s coldness. I nod to the old man, and Alessandro claps his hands. “It’s decided then. You leave tomorrow morning for Pennsylvania. Do you want us to tell your wife?”

“I can do it,” I say with a frown. “She won’t be happy about it, I’ll bet, but it’s probably best it comes from me.”

Alessandro nods and stands. “Thank you, everyone, for coming. We will meet to discuss what to do about Don Catalan in the future, but for now, our priority is to keep Frankie and Amelia off the radar. That means telling no one of this plan, not even your most trusted guard.”

Everyone murmurs their agreement, and they start to stand, heading for the door. I meet Alessandro’s eyes, is that worry? I don’t have time to find out. He turns and leaves through another door with Katya next to him.

I leave through the main exit into the entrance hallway and then climb the stairs slowly. I reach Amelia’s room and knock. “Amelia? We need to talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about,” she calls back. She clearly thinks I want to talk about us.

“About the plan for our safety,” I say calmly, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. “You need to pack.”

The door swings open. “Where are we going?”

“On the run, essentially,” I explain. “We’re going to be out of state at least until Alessandro figures out how to deal with Jose.”

She frowns. “How long will we be gone?”

“You know I don’t have the answer for that, Amelia,” I say honestly.

She sighs and looks away before meeting my gaze. “How much should I pack?”

“Don’t overdo it. We’ll be in a standard car that won’t draw attention to us, but you can probably do an overnight bag and one piece of large luggage.”

She nods. “Thank you. When are we leaving?”Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

“In the morning,” I say. “Although I would prefer to leave tonight since no one would be expecting that.”

Amelia looks behind her. “If I get packed quickly, can we go to Papa’s house? I want to say goodbye because I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”

“Okay,” I say. “That’s probably a good idea, something else they won’t expect from us. Leaving from there, we can jump onto the interstate and head straight for our destination.”

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“The less you know, the safer it is, but I promise to keep you safe. Pack your bags. We’ll go straight to your father,” I say.

I rush off to my room and pack my bags. There’s a knock on my open door, and I see Dominic standing there. “You put a guy in a coma?”

“He touched what wasn’t his,” I comment, looking at my brother seriously.

Dominic chuckles. “You make me proud, and here I thought you didn’t like violence.”

“Sometimes it’s necessary,” I say, packing my bag.

“What are you two talking about?” Alessandro asks as he walks in.

“Dominic is jealous I was the one to put Dave in the hospital,” I smirk at Dom.

Dom shrugs. “It’s okay. I’ll get over it. I have other people to see, so travel safely, Frankie. If you need me, call.”

“I will,” I say, giving my brother a brief smile. He leaves, but Alessandro doesn’t. “When do you want to leave?”

“I know you said the morning, but we’re going to Gustavo’s place now and leaving from there tonight.”

“I think that’s wise. I said the morning, so if anyone does betray us, that’s when they’ll expect you to leave the house. I was going to suggest leaving tonight. Leaving Gustavo’s is a bonus. Did Amelia protest?”

“She knows it’s for our own safety. I think she’s accepted that,” I say, putting in a few last-minute items. “Alessandro, do you think you can stop Jose?”

“I’ll die trying,” he promises me.