Married to the Mafia Boss

Evgenii

I have a smile on my face the whole way back to Ivan’s house. Tori keeps glancing at me skeptically while she cradles a sleeping Roman in her arms. Ivan also seems quiet, but it doesn’t bother me. I have prayed and hoped a heartfelt apology would make Shirley see that I was sorry, for her to give me another chance, and it’s worked. Honestly, it was Natalia’s idea after I spoke to her last night, so I really have her to thank.

We reach Ivan’s house, and Tori excuses herself quietly to put Roman down. I follow Ivan to the back deck, but he still hasn’t said anything. He pours us each a drink, and I thank him, sighing with contentment.

Tori comes back, and Ivan hands her a glass of wine while we drink our Vodka neat.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ivan asks after several moments of silence. “If you break Shirley’s heart again, I won’t stop Alessandro from stringing you up.”

I frown and shake my head. “No, you’ve got the wrong idea. I want to be with Shirley, guys. I am head over heels in love with the woman. I apologized for what I did, I explained everything to her, and she said we stand a chance together. I need to try because I see a future with her.”

Ivan glances at Tori and sips his drink. “You’re my favorite cousin, Evgenii, but surely you realize you shouldn’t trust Shirley. You destroyed her world last time. You convinced her you loved her, and then you broke her heart. I doubt she’s just forgiven you and decided to build a life with you.”

It’s rich coming from him, but I can’t say that. He may be my cousin, but he’s also the head of our family. Instead, I smile. “Shirley has always been a good, kind, loving person, and I know she won’t hurt me.” I feel confident as I speak. “I know if she says we stand a chance, we do. She isn’t like me. She isn’t cold and ruthless. She’s matured since we dated, and to be honest, I didn’t pretend to be in love with her. Looking back, I now know I always was in love with her. I just kept my blinkers on and wouldn’t admit it.”

Tori clears her throat. “I don’t know about that. Shirley is well known to be harsh, especially on the West Coast. She gets things done, whether you stand in her way or not. She may not be the same person you remember. Do you really think Alessandro would let her run the West Coast if she was soft?”

I finish my drink. “I’ll show her my intentions every step of the way and win her love back, you’ll see. I will prove to her we deserve to be together, that we belong together.”

I know I sound like a hopeless romantic, but I also know that if everyone else can find their better halves, so can I. I know it’s Shirley, and I know that together we are stronger than apart.

Before they can say more, I excuse myself. “Thanks for the ride, but I need to work on our proposal for Don Pacheco. I don’t want to keep him waiting and give a chance to rival families to take Staten from us.”

“Not even Shirley,” Ivan comments, raising an eyebrow.

I give him a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Pakhan. Enjoy your Sunday.”

I leave, and I try not to let what they’ve said get to me. Shirley isn’t a pushover, but she isn’t heartless. She has always had a heart of gold. I think about Tori saying Shirley runs the West Coast. I wonder if that’s really true. I thought her brother Pierce ran the operations there.

I arrive back at the house and immediately start working on my proposal for Staten Island. I remember what Shirley is offering and will keep it in mind as I draft our proposal. I remember what Ivan said before I left. He is doubtful that I will want to win the bid because I’m against Shirley. To be honest, I am hesitant, but I know I have to put my family first. Well, unless I can devise a way to convince Ivan to do me a favor.

A notification sounds on my laptop, and I see it’s an email from one of my informants. I open it, and as I read the writing, my eyes widen.

Don Pacheco was attacked and is currently in the hospital, fighting for his life. They don’t know who or which family is behind it.

I know this will cause a war.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

I race back to my car and drive to Ivan’s house.

“I can assure you, I wouldn’t instigate a war like that without forewarning you,” Ivan is on the phone as I walk out to the deck. “I trust you weren’t behind this either, Alessandro.”

He’s quiet for a moment and then nods. “Even though we’re competing for Staten Island, I would not go behind your back like that. Our families are tied together, and a slight against your family is a slight against mine. I will, however, have my men investigate who is behind the attack so we can form a united front and deal with the offending culprit before it escalates to full-blown war.”

Ivan falls silent again, listening to Alessandro. I get myself a soft drink and sit on a lounger as I wait for Ivan.

“Don’t worry. I have the best man for the job. I’ll keep you updated.”

Ivan hangs up and looks at me. “What information do you have?”

“None.” I shake my head. “I came straight here to find out if it was the Sorvinos, but clearly, it isn’t. I do, however, think the only other family with enough manpower to challenge either of our families is the Gobulevs.” I meet his eyes, and Ivan sighs.

“Don’t let your feelings for Mikhail cloud your investigation into this. Find out what you can, and if Mikhail has instigated this, I will personally deal with him.” Ivan sips from a water bottle. “And be safe. Who knows who the culprit will attack next.”

I nod, and Ivan walks back into the house. I take out my phone and dial Shirley’s number.

“Hello.” Her answer is short, but I can hear chatting around her.

“Sorry, I thought you might be home,” I say quickly. “This is clearly a bad time.”

“I have a few moments,” she says. “Kira and I are just outside the bistro about to tuck into some delicious food.”

I stand up and pace. “Did you hear about Don Pacheco?” I ask curiously.

She pauses, then says, “I did. Did you have something to do with it?”

“No, our family didn’t, and I heard Ivan confirm with Alessandro that yours didn’t either.”

“Do you have any idea of who it can be?” she asks.

“I think it’s Mikhail’s family behind it,” I answer truthfully. “But I need to prove it before Ivan will deal with him.”

“Every family has a secret they don’t want to expose. I bet this one is Mikhail’s.”

I don’t like the tone she is taking, as though she’s forming a plan to personally extract the information from him. Maybe she has a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know, which bothers me. What could she possibly be hiding?

“Maybe you and Kira should go home. First, there was an explosion at our territory in lower Manhattan, then an attack at Ivan’s house, and now this. Someone is determined to get what they want, and I will die if something happens to you, Shirley.” I wait for her response, my hand shaking slightly.

Shirley says something in what sounds like Italian to Kira. At least, I assume it’s Kira. “No, Kira says we’re safe here. No one would dare attack the bistro. It’s one of Alessandro’s biggest ventures, and they would be asking for a death sentence.”

I don’t feel better because if it is Mikhail, he won’t care. He’s brazen enough to pull something like that off, especially if he thinks Shirley snubbed him.

“Just, please be careful,” I ask. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

My mind goes back to her comment about everyone having a secret they don’t want to share, and I decide to ask her about it.

“Shirley, what did you mean when…”

There’s a loud explosion, and the line goes dead.

Dread envelops my body, and I dial her back, but it goes straight to voice mail. I try again and again, hoping it’s just a bad signal.

That’s when one of my guards comes in. “A store next to the Sorvino’s Bistro has been blown up, sir.”

I feel the blood drain from my face. I grab my holster, throw it across my body, slide my gun into it, and throw my jacket over it. If I see Mikhail there, I will fucking shoot him in the head.

Shirley had better be all right, or I won’t wait for him to arrive.

I call Dominic. I have to dial twice before he picks up. “You heard?’

“I’m on my way there,” he says. “I’m with Frankie and some of our men. It’s a disaster.”

The pit of my stomach falls away, and I feel like my world is turning upside down. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there soon. Shirley, she was there. She was with Kira.”

Dominic swears, and I hear him tell Frankie that Shirley was with Kira there.

“I’m sure she’s okay,” he says. “I’m sure of it.”

I hang up.

I’m not sure of anything.