Married to the Mafia Boss

Evgenii

I have been texting her for hours, and I’m pretty much in stalker mode now. I want her to tell me she’s okay because if she’s okay, then maybe we can be okay.

Sitting alone at home, I stare at my phone. She’s read the texts but not answered. I sigh and decide to draft a slightly more honest text. The simple solution is to go to the expert.

I knock on Natalia’s door and explain the situation before handing her my phone.

I know you’re reading my messages.

I’m sorry I interfered with your date last night. It was really condescending. To be honest, I was jealous that you would be into someone like Mikhail because that means I’m the bottom-of-the-barrel choice now. I know you said you wanted nothing to do with me, but I really want to make it up to you. I’m sorry for last night, and I would love to see you again to make it right. If you’re willing, meet me at the pier tonight. There’s a carnival in town, and I promise a fun night. I remember how you used to love carnivals.

Ev.

“Ev?” I look at her, scandalized. “And you already sent it without me approving it. I look like some emotional wreck of a man.” I stare at my sister, who smiles smugly.

“My older brother comes to me about a girl he hurt, that he can’t stop thinking about and that he desperately wants to prove himself to. No matter how fucking badass you are in the Bratva, you’re an emotional wreck of a man when it comes to her.”

She has a point, but I keep my grumpy face, grumble to myself, and leave, saying, “If she doesn’t reply, I’m coming for you.”

I try to focus on the work I need to do in my office, trying not to check my phone constantly. I even set her a unique sound so I can ignore other messages.

An hour passes until she finally messages, and I almost fall over reaching for the phone that has somehow made it to the outer rim of my desk. I open the message and read it quickly.

“What did she say?” Nat asks from the doorway.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. It worked.” I smile brightly. “She’s coming, and I can pick her up at six.”

Natalia pretends to be impressed and then laughs. “Have fun. I’m going out now. I have plans with some friends that involve me getting a tan.”

I look up sharply. “Please take a guard with you…at Ivan’s house….”

“I heard,” she interrupts me. “I will take two guards, don’t worry.”

I watch her leave and decide to get ready. I don’t want to dress as a businessman, so I put on a form-hugging white tee and a pair of jeans. I wear my Nike shoes but leave my stubble, which has gotten long.

I walk back to my office, where a guard is waiting for me. I frown. “And now?”

“One of our northern warehouses was raided. None of the blues on the payroll know anything about it, and they’ve confiscated everything, boss.”

Those warehouses are well-kept secrets. You’d have to be told about them to know where they are. I nod. “Get me a list of the cops involved in the raid. Maybe they can join our payroll.”

I glance at my watch. I have just enough time to go to my barber, and then I can fetch Shirley. My men drive me into New York City to this out-of-place barber. There are high-rise buildings on either side of his two-story office. He lives on top of his shop on the ground floor.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

I walk in, and he glances up. “Cutting it close, Mr. Volkov.”

“No pun intended.” I smile. “A quick haircut and some beard maintenance, please. I am going out this evening.”

“In the chair, please.”

My guards stand nearby as Charles works his magic. I relax as he scalps, cuts, shapes, and otherwise makes me look a lot younger than I am. I stare into the mirror. Surely there wasn’t that much gray in my hair and beard before? I shake my head. It is my birthday soon. A sudden thought strikes me. I should throw a celebratory party and invite the Sorvinos and, therefore, Shirley.

It’s genius, but I think Natalia will have to put it together. I’m useless at that sort of thing. That would also give her something to keep her busy.

At six sharp, I’m outside Alessandro’s home. Instead of driving with my guards, they are following in another vehicle. I want privacy with Shirley, and I don’t want stories getting back to Ivan.

I stand outside the car and watch as Shirley walks toward me wearing tights, trainers, and a knitted jumper. She also has a fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck.

I offer her a smile and my hand, she takes it, and I help her into the car before I get into the driver’s side. I wait for her to buckle up before I drive toward the pier.

She doesn’t say much, and the silence is a little awkward. When we arrive, I help her out of the car. She seems different. I don’t know why, but something about her screams that she isn’t the same as she was the last time I saw her when she got in that cab.

I smile and take her hand. “Tonight, we are going to play all the games until we win you a giant teddy bear prize.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not a kid anymore, Evgenii.”

I pout. “But you loved it when I won you bears.”

She looks away, but I see the smile tugging at the corner of her lips, so I lead her toward the entrance. My guards do a great job keeping us safe, but at a distance, as we move from one game to another. We win various prizes until the very end, when I manage to win her an oversized panda.

She holds it happily, beaming at me. We walk to the food section and gorge ourselves on the deep-fried and sugary goods that we should sensibly deny ourselves. I won’t lie, I feel stuffed when we’re done and somewhat sick. I don’t eat sugar in that quantity.

I lead Shirley to the Ferris wheel, another fan favorite, and I get us tickets to get on. The night is drawing to a close, and it’s chilly, so we sit right up next to each other, and I put an arm around her shoulders. The wheel moves slowly, and for a moment, there is silence but not an awkward one. It’s very comforting. The view is stunning, looking over the ocean and seeing the city lights on the opposite coast in the distance. I smile softly. “Thank you for letting me take you out tonight.”

“It’s no problem,” she says quietly. “To be honest, I’ve just wanted someone to talk to.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” I ask quietly.

“Mikhail’s proposal is good. I know Don Pacheco is leaning toward him,” she says quietly. “And I don’t know if my offer is any good.”

I pull back slightly and say, “You don’t have to discuss business with me, Shirley.”

“I know, but I feel like there’s no one else I can be vulnerable with. I can trust you, right?” The way she looks up at me seals it. She is my everything, and I will kill any motherfucker to give her what she wants.

“You can,” I say confidently. “What are you proposing?”

She smiles, almost sadly, and takes a deep breath. “Well, I’m thinking a 20-million-dollar down payment, with a monthly stipend of ten percent of sales for the rest of time or until we lose control of the area. Also, I want to position his sons in charge of some of our more legitimate businesses. They’ll distract the cops from what we’re actually doing.”

I nod as she speaks. “It’s good, but I can’t imagine Don Pacheco taking that. Mikhail is probably offering more than that. I would work on it a little more.”

“I’ve been in and out with Don Pacheco for a while now, he semi-approved my rough draft, but I think he’s negotiating between families, but he’s so secretive. That’s why I was trying to get Mikhail to tell me what he’s offering.” She looks up at me again, her eyes sparkling.

I lean down and kiss her lips softly. She raises a hand, but she doesn’t push me away. She returns my soft kiss. That’s all we do-soft small kisses on the lips and face, enjoying each other’s taste.

“I am falling for you….” I murmur between kisses. “I don’t think I ever fell out of love with you….”

That’s when I feel her tense. I’ve said the wrong thing. She withdraws from me and looks the opposite way. “I can’t do this again. I’ve already told you too much.”

“I won’t use what you’ve told me,” I say, reaching to turn her face back to mine. “Shirley, please tell me what I must do.” I’m hurt, but I need to focus on her. “Tell me what I must do to prove my love to you.”

Shirley sniffs and looks away. It’s as if the Ferris wheel has the worst timing ever as it starts its slow descent back to the ground.

“Right now,” she says quietly, “I just want to go home.”