December's Symphony: A Mafia Trinity Novel

“Where am I?”Amy opens her eyes to blackness. She wasn’t sure where she was or how she got here. Her head hurt and she was cold. Touching her head, she feels the injured spot... Only after she got her bearings, did the metallic scent of blood hit her.Heart thumping and panicked, she tries to stand up, only to falter and stumble forward. As she falls, she hears the clinking of a chain.“What the hell...!” She reaches down to touch her ankle and realizes, to her horror, that they shackled her to a chain. “No, no, no, no, no...” She breathes out. Yanking the chain, she screams in vain, “HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY!” Tears flow down her cheeks as she continues to scream out, not able to hold back her tears anymore.She shrinks to the floor and whispers her beloved’s name. Mentally willing him to hear her and rescue her from this predicament,

The one named Antonio caught her walking over. He shakes his head while making eye contact as if to tell her to stay away. She ignores him and proceeds forward. “Excuse me, gentlemen. This is a family establishment. There are a lot of children present here today. If you cannot behave in an orderly manner, please leave.” Amy stands at their table with arms crossed.“What did you just say to us?” Luciano says and starts toward her. Amy feels her heart hammering and suddenly regrets her sudden bravado but stands her ground. “Kindly leave if you cannot behave in a manner befitting a family establishment. Again, there are children here.” Amy says and waves behind her. The man was getting red in the face as he starts towards her. “Um, please, sir. We don’t want any trouble.” Amy begs and backs away, cursing her big mouth.Suddenly the one named Antonio gets up and whispers in Luciano’s ear. 

Arianna looks up from her laptop and smiles warmly at Amy. “Sit down, doll.” She says and gestures for her to sit. “What would you like to chat about, Ariann?” She asks, just wanting to get straight to the point. She couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Arianna nods at her and replies, “Yesterday you proved to me you have this diner’s best interests at heart. That you care about your patrons. So, I would like to offer you a promotion. How does general manager of Arianna’s sound, Ames?” Amy’s jaw hits her chest at lightning speed. A promotion? “Arianna, are you sure about this?” She asks, not believing what she heard. “Of course, dear. You are the only viable choice and the only one I trust to keep my business afloat. Please say yes?” Arianna begs her. Tears well up in her eyes and she nods, “Yes! I would love the position! Thank you so much!” She

Amy stares down at the expensive cello that was bought for her, feeling undeserving. She didn’t ask for this, didn’t ask for Antonio’s attention, much less his father’s. And for some reason, she knew that having caught the attention of the Russos would never be a good idea.Sighing, she hangs the cello from the old cello crook on the wall and leaves her room. She didn’t want to think about the future or what it held now that she had Antonio’s attention, so she plopped down on the couch and decided to numb her brain with TV. Ͼ Ͼ ϾShe returns to work the following day with worry settling in her heart. The cello hanging in her room was a constant reminder that she was tied to a family she wanted nothing to do with. She knew she should return the instrument, but Antonio had said that his father would see it as a major insult if she had to return the gift. You

Antonio watched her cry in the passenger seat next to him. He knew she would react this way, but if she didn't face her trauma now, she would never be able to move on with her life. Her life would be paused on the night her parents died.She looked over at him with hurt clear in her eyes, which left him with a pang of guilt in his chest. "Why did you bring me here, Antonio?" She breathes out, tears streaming down her face. Antonio cocks his head to the side and takes her face in his hand. "Your life was put on hold on the night your parents passed away, Amy. If you do not face your demons now, you will be dragged down by them." He answers her and proceeds to get out of the car.He walks over to her side and opens the door, but she was staring straight ahead with no intention of getting out. Antonio sighs and gets down on his haunches, "Amy..." he trails off and she turns her head to look at him, trying to hide her anger after wiping her tears away. "Why do you care