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Chapter 15
Last Updated:
2025-03-13 09:15:39
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Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 16
Rafael“Get out,” I say to Claire, one of my maids, as I enter the kitchen with Madeleine.The maid drops the potatoes she’s peeling and rushes to leave the kitchen through the back door that leads out onto the lawn, where one of the groundskeepers is busy putting up Betsy’s new playset.Madeleine sees it, but doesn’t comment. Her disapproving scowl and the nasty looks she’s giving me tells me everything I need to know.“Here,” I say and pull out one of the bar stools next to the kitchen island. “Take a seat.”I have been choked before - I know what it feels like - and the doctor told me that the poison she took was slightly caustic, so her throat has been burned pretty badly, but he thinks her mouth and throat will heal.He’s not so sure about the potential nerve damage.It’s a concern, and something that could follow her around for the rest of her life. And I did it to her, she was right about that. I allow myself a moment to feel the guilt. It’s there, sharp and lingering, but the
Last Updated : 2025-03-14Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 17
RafaelThere’s no sign of Paulie when we pull up to the police station. He’s either inside, or sitting somewhere out of sight, keeping an eye on the situation.“Stay here,” I say to Enzo and slam the door shut before I jog across the street.I have no idea what Bruce’s plan is. He must know that coming here is a fatal mistake - the man is a scumbag, but he’s not stupid.Unless he’s hoping the feds will give him protection if he turns state’s witness.If that’s the case, he came to the wrong fucking place.I step inside the air-conditioned police station. People stop. Avert their gaze. Turn around and flee the other way.Only a few of the officers - the ones with honour - stand their ground, refusing to back down to me.They believe they’re better than I am. And fuck it, they are.I walk up to the front desk. “Where is Bruce Carmichael?”Without even looking up, the officer mutters, “Interrogation room three.”With a curt nod, I turn right and walk through the busy station, my back stra
Last Updated : 2025-03-16Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 18
MadeleineI pace around my room. I’m restless. And I don’t want to be here. Everytime I look at the painting, Jesus stares back at me, telling me that I’m a sinner.On the drive back, I waited and waited and waited for Rafael to scold me, it would have made me feel better, but he turned on Enzo instead. I got out of the car while his lieutenant stepped away for a smoke, and Rafael was furious at Enzo for not even noticing my escape.I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have gone to the police station to get my revenge. There was no reason for it. I just wanted to destroy what was left of Bruce, and I wanted to see Delilah’s face when I tore her whole world to pieces.I was selfish and vindictive, and I knew I’d get away with it because I had Rafael on my side.My eyes fall on the ratty pack stashed in the corner of my room. I didn’t unpack it - unpacking it would mean I’ve made this my home.It's not my home. It can't be home. I've only been here two days, and I already sunk to the
Last Updated : 2025-03-17Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 19
MadeleineIt takes me a long, long time to wake up. It’s as if someone stuffed my head full of cotton and magnets are pulling my eyelids shut.I’m vaguely aware of the soft beeping of a machine, and my right hand itches something fierce. Betsy!My eyes fly open, and I stare straight up at a white ceiling.Where am I?Home. I must be home. But my apartment doesn’t have nice, clean ceilings like this.I have to get Betsy to school. It must be late. If she’s late again, they’re going to call me in. This time they might expel her.I groan softly and try to sit up.“Cara?” Rafael’s voice cuts through the confusion, and then I feel his warm hands on my brow. “She’s awake!” he calls out.“Whu-” my throat is dry and scratchy, my lips numb.“You are in the hospital.”“Whu?” I ask again.“Sh-sh. Don’t talk. Wait for the doctor.”“Ha-ppened. Wha- happened?”I look up at his handsome face, but it’s as if I’m trying to pierce through a white veil. He isn’t in focus. I can feel him, though. His han
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RafaelI can tell just by looking at Madeleine that she thinks I’ll deny her request to see a priest and take confession, but priests take their vows seriously. I’ve yet to meet one who has broken the sacramental seal.No one knows that I still regularly go to confession myself. The priest is often the only person I can trust, and there are times when I need to unburden myself. I never give penance though—I’m not that much of a hypocrite, and I don’t plan to change any time soon.Unlike my often delusional partners in crime, I know exactly where I’m going when I die, and I don’t care anymore. It's far too late to save my soul.“There is a chapel on the first floor,” I offer, “with a priest in attendance. I’ll arrange for a wheelchair.”Madeleine stares at me - big, blue eyes are filled with guilt and shame.“There’s something… I have to beg you for forgiveness too,” she says softly. “I will do penance, but I don’t think it’s a sin that will be forgiven.”I cock my head at her and fro
Last Updated : 2025-03-19Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 21
MadeleineRafael stands by the door, his hand on the handle as if he’s fighting the urge to turn around and run away again.He’s back to being Rafael. Every sign of Dom has disappeared. His eyes are strict, face set in an emotionless mask, body coiled tight like a snake getting ready to strike.“I- I can’t go yet,” I voice the obvious. I’m still attached to the drip and the machines.Rafael stares at me for the longest time, as if he’s trying to make a decision about me. Leave me here and run, or stay and risk… something.“What happened?” I ask.“Nothing. Doc said we could take you home.”“No, I mean with you… this week, while I was out.”He gives a nonchalant one-shouldered shrug. “Same old. Business as usual. I got Betsy into a really good private school. She started two days ago.”I should be angry. It’s not his place to make decisions for my sister.But I just don’t have it in me. Not yet.My debt to him is growing bigger by the day. And I know guys like him. He won’t just let it
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MadeleineWith Marco’s help, I somehow manage to make my way up the three flights of stairs, but I’m exhausted and out of breath when we reach the landing. I sit on the top step and cling to the railing, taking in large gulps of air.Just over a week ago, I ran from the casino to my flat without breaking a sweat. Now I can’t even climb a flight of stairs.It’s sad. And humiliating. Marco fafs over me like a mother hen, desperately trying to get me up and into bed without outright overstepping his boundaries by picking me up.“I’m fine, Marco,” I wave him away. “I’m just tired. I’ll get up in a second.”“If you fall down these stairs, the boss will never forgive me,” he says, his voice filled with urgency. “You are my responsibility.”“Tsk,” I click my tongue, but stop myself before I can say anything else.Marco is just doing his job. And he can’t speak badly of Rafael, he’ll be punished for it. The poor man just stands there, wringing his hands and looking terrified, waiting for me
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MadeleineA scuffle at my door wakes me from a dead sleep.Ethel came by a few hours ago with my medicine and a little broth. It can’t be her.I slept for a week, and I’m still tired. As soon as the nurse left, I fell asleep again with Betsy pressed tightly against me.Her warmth and presence does give me comfort. Ethel was right.There it is again.I freeze, my insides turning to water, coldness spreading through my body as my heart rate spikes.Someone’s at the door.I try to tell myself it’s just Ethel, or maybe Marco adjusting his position in the chair, but the sound is wrong. It’s coming from the wrong place.A shadow breaks up the thin strip of light shining in through the closed door, and then it’s gone.For a long time, I lie perfectly still, unable to move, barely even breathing, holding Betsy as tight as I can.Slowly, the terror dribbles from my body, and I can command my limbs again. Still trembling, I gently extract myself from Betsy and swing my legs over the edge of th
Last Updated : 2025-03-24
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Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 27
Madeleine“You belong to me, Madeleine. You have since the day we met.”His words run like a refrain through my head. Over and over and over again. I couldn’t even argue with him, because it was true. I felt it that day we met. It was the day I started to believe in love at first sight.At some point, I fall asleep, still with those words running through my head, his warm, melodious voice lulling me to sleep.I dream of him. Not Rafael. I don’t know him. He’s a stranger to me.I dream of Dom. The man who walked into my church all those years ago.**I was twenty when Dominic Perelli walked into our little chapel, asking for a priest.The other sisters were out for the day, going to the nearby town to do their monthly shopping and then to the movie theatre to watch a film they'd been talking about for weeks. I chose to stay behind. I always stayed behind. Mother Superior always brought me what I needed - she never asked why I didn't want to join them on their monthly excursion. I enj
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 26
MadeleineBetsy is still peacefully sleeping when we go back to the bedroom. Rafael leans over the bed and picks her up, folding his arms almost protectively around her. Betsy moans softly in her sleep, then turns into Rafael, trustingly resting her head on his shoulder.“No,” I whisper. “What are you doing?”Now that I’m back, I don’t want to let Betsy out of my sight. I kind of trust Rafael with her - he kept her safe when I couldn't - but I want my sister near me. I feel better when she’s close.“If you want me to stick around,” he answers in a hushed voice. “She needs to go to her own bed or we’ll wake her.”My heart tumbles in my chest. I just invited a man into my bedroom. Anything could happen. But the more time I spend with Rafael, the more I can see Dom. He’s hidden by a hardened shell, but I know what is under that exterior.He’s just like me in a way. Shedding one skin for another so he can cope, so he can do his job.At long last, I nod and walk over to the bed to sit down
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 25
Rafael Madeleine hesitates for a moment, glancing past me at her bedroom door. “We had an agreement,” I remind her. “If I made it so you could come home-”“No. Yes, I know. It’s just… you want to take me to bed. Betsy’s in my room.”My eyes fall on her lightly trembling hands. Her eyes are dark, uncertain, but she holds her head high, back ruler straight.I take a step in her direction, wrap my hand around her fragile little wrist, while I stare at her beautiful, inviting lips. My heart tumbles in my chest. My knees go weak. My mouth runs dry.God, I want to kiss her.She had that effect on me the first day I met her. I knew then, as I know now, that she possesses a beauty and quiet innocence that needs to be protected at all costs.If only I found her sooner. The casino wouldn’t have touched her delicate soul. But it’s not an indelible stain. We can still wash it out.“What, exactly, do you think I will do to you?” I ask her, keeping my voice quiet, my tone low.“I… well, men take
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 24
RafaelI stand with my foot on the first stair, hand on the railing, when my phone starts ringing. The incessant pring-pring-pring echoes off the walls, setting my damn teeth on edge.I reach inside my pocket, and for some reason look up, straight at Madeleine who has a phone to her ear, and is leaning over the barrier, looking down into the foyer.With a grim smile, I glace at the number on the screen, knowing she’s the one using Enzo’s phone. I answer the call regardless. “Yeah?” I keep my eyes on her, unable to see her expression in the gloom, but I can feel her exasperation all the way down here.“Can you come up?” she asks.“You are supposed to be in bed.” I am trying with everything inside me not to laugh. I haven’t laughed in years - not a proper, feel it down in your belly, laugh at any rate.“Something happened,” Madeleine says.The laughter dies as abruptly as it started. “I’ll come up.”She ends the call and disappears from view. I can hear her hushed conversation with Enzo
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 23
MadeleineA scuffle at my door wakes me from a dead sleep.Ethel came by a few hours ago with my medicine and a little broth. It can’t be her.I slept for a week, and I’m still tired. As soon as the nurse left, I fell asleep again with Betsy pressed tightly against me.Her warmth and presence does give me comfort. Ethel was right.There it is again.I freeze, my insides turning to water, coldness spreading through my body as my heart rate spikes.Someone’s at the door.I try to tell myself it’s just Ethel, or maybe Marco adjusting his position in the chair, but the sound is wrong. It’s coming from the wrong place.A shadow breaks up the thin strip of light shining in through the closed door, and then it’s gone.For a long time, I lie perfectly still, unable to move, barely even breathing, holding Betsy as tight as I can.Slowly, the terror dribbles from my body, and I can command my limbs again. Still trembling, I gently extract myself from Betsy and swing my legs over the edge of th
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 22
MadeleineWith Marco’s help, I somehow manage to make my way up the three flights of stairs, but I’m exhausted and out of breath when we reach the landing. I sit on the top step and cling to the railing, taking in large gulps of air.Just over a week ago, I ran from the casino to my flat without breaking a sweat. Now I can’t even climb a flight of stairs.It’s sad. And humiliating. Marco fafs over me like a mother hen, desperately trying to get me up and into bed without outright overstepping his boundaries by picking me up.“I’m fine, Marco,” I wave him away. “I’m just tired. I’ll get up in a second.”“If you fall down these stairs, the boss will never forgive me,” he says, his voice filled with urgency. “You are my responsibility.”“Tsk,” I click my tongue, but stop myself before I can say anything else.Marco is just doing his job. And he can’t speak badly of Rafael, he’ll be punished for it. The poor man just stands there, wringing his hands and looking terrified, waiting for me
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 21
MadeleineRafael stands by the door, his hand on the handle as if he’s fighting the urge to turn around and run away again.He’s back to being Rafael. Every sign of Dom has disappeared. His eyes are strict, face set in an emotionless mask, body coiled tight like a snake getting ready to strike.“I- I can’t go yet,” I voice the obvious. I’m still attached to the drip and the machines.Rafael stares at me for the longest time, as if he’s trying to make a decision about me. Leave me here and run, or stay and risk… something.“What happened?” I ask.“Nothing. Doc said we could take you home.”“No, I mean with you… this week, while I was out.”He gives a nonchalant one-shouldered shrug. “Same old. Business as usual. I got Betsy into a really good private school. She started two days ago.”I should be angry. It’s not his place to make decisions for my sister.But I just don’t have it in me. Not yet.My debt to him is growing bigger by the day. And I know guys like him. He won’t just let it
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 20
RafaelI can tell just by looking at Madeleine that she thinks I’ll deny her request to see a priest and take confession, but priests take their vows seriously. I’ve yet to meet one who has broken the sacramental seal.No one knows that I still regularly go to confession myself. The priest is often the only person I can trust, and there are times when I need to unburden myself. I never give penance though—I’m not that much of a hypocrite, and I don’t plan to change any time soon.Unlike my often delusional partners in crime, I know exactly where I’m going when I die, and I don’t care anymore. It's far too late to save my soul.“There is a chapel on the first floor,” I offer, “with a priest in attendance. I’ll arrange for a wheelchair.”Madeleine stares at me - big, blue eyes are filled with guilt and shame.“There’s something… I have to beg you for forgiveness too,” she says softly. “I will do penance, but I don’t think it’s a sin that will be forgiven.”I cock my head at her and fro
Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story Chapter 19
MadeleineIt takes me a long, long time to wake up. It’s as if someone stuffed my head full of cotton and magnets are pulling my eyelids shut.I’m vaguely aware of the soft beeping of a machine, and my right hand itches something fierce. Betsy!My eyes fly open, and I stare straight up at a white ceiling.Where am I?Home. I must be home. But my apartment doesn’t have nice, clean ceilings like this.I have to get Betsy to school. It must be late. If she’s late again, they’re going to call me in. This time they might expel her.I groan softly and try to sit up.“Cara?” Rafael’s voice cuts through the confusion, and then I feel his warm hands on my brow. “She’s awake!” he calls out.“Whu-” my throat is dry and scratchy, my lips numb.“You are in the hospital.”“Whu?” I ask again.“Sh-sh. Don’t talk. Wait for the doctor.”“Ha-ppened. Wha- happened?”I look up at his handsome face, but it’s as if I’m trying to pierce through a white veil. He isn’t in focus. I can feel him, though. His han
