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MAFIA RULES 65
NIKO Past... “Nikki, what are you doing here?” I ask, wondering who I have to maim for letting her into my office without permission. The dark-haired woman stutters towards my desk in a red jumpsuit, a designer bag hanging off her arm. “Sometimes a girl needs a little excitement in life, where else to find it than here in New York? We always have fun together, fighting, fucking, blowing shit up, a man like you has needs, so I thought why the hell not” she ends with a shrug. I keep looking at her with an unamused expression because that’s all I feel at the moment, my wife is in a delicate condition right now which makes her vulnerable and emotional. Not like she’s able to control her emotions on a normal day, but these days it’s worse, just yesterday, she called me crying because she saw cute puppies on the internet. The time before that was baby shoes. I don’t want anything upsetting her, and Nikki being here will upset her greatly. She’s a jealous little thing, my wife, I can’t
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LOLA Present... Niko bathes the children and I assist him in dressing them, he picks out a cute baby blue sweat and matching pants for Caela and puts some accessories in her hair, I’d like to point out she didn’t fight him half as much as she would have me. I am the assistant parent today because when it’s time to feed them I take a back seat and watch as he feeds spoons of oatmeal into their little mouths, handing him napkins and holding the plates when necessary. Caela is all smiles, as he wipes her chin, her hand going to hold his arm to her face. Then he leans towards the right to do the same to Angelo who pokes out his tongue, getting a little taste of napkin. I bring out my phone and take a picture of them saying “commemorating family history” when the three of them look at me, when he turns back to the children, I take some more, I swipe through the pictures finding one that came out really nicely, I should frame this one, I think to myself, in the afternoon we put them do
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Niko rises off my lap like a corpse in a creepy movie, throwing his legs to the side at the same time he fishes out his phone from somewhere. “Damn it” he cursed under his breath. He pulls his jaw to the right, then the left, popping bones, he shakes his head once. Phone to his ear he growls “Get up here now” His fingers fly around the keypad in rapid sessions, shooting out messages is my guess. My brows go up and I wonder who it is that has him reacting so strongly. I get up slowly. My eyes flew between Niko and Maria. And did she say, Madam Salvatore? ...Isn’t that supposed to be me? Or Eva? I shake my head, no, that’s wrong. “Where is she?” Niko asks the same time I ask “Who is that?” “At the entrance, as per your orders, the guards cannot allow armed men into the premises and she refuses to be without her men” “This is a cluster fuck, how the fuck did she get here without my knowing, fuck, fuck!” Niko mumbles to himself, eyes still on his phone, a scowl on his face. Who
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** “Your Nona seems nice” I lean into the door, looking at my husband as he dresses, Valantina just left and he came straight up, phone glued to his ear in conversation with Matteo, I could only catch bits and pieces of the conversation as I followed behind him upstairs. He grunts in response, slipping his hands through the sleeves of his black shirt and doing up the buttons. “You were upset” I state, still wanting to know why everyone seemed wary of her presence, though she was a far cry from what I’d been expecting, she didn’t seem bad, just serious. “I don’t like surprises. She wasn’t supposed to be here for about a week” My brows go up, “Then you were expecting her” another grunt as he slips on his cufflinks, folding down the collar of his shirt. “You didn’t think I had to know we were having a visitor?” I questioned as Niko fastened his watch to his wrist and then turned to me. “Why?” I push off the wall, my long dress sweeping the floor as cross my ankles. “Oh, I don’t
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Valentina turns to me and I feel cold from the glare of her ice-blue eyes, “What did you say?” I clear my throat, heat spreading up my cheeks at how flippant I had been, I lick my lips nervously, and my eyes fly to Eva beside me, she is quiet, I don’t think she has moved once since we started. Trying to be as polite as I can, I look to Valentina so she knows I didn’t mean to offend. “I don’t have anything against the name Valentina or even Isadora, I quite like it, nice name, I have a younger cousin who goes by that name, we call her Dora.” Fuck, I’m rambling, I look up from my glass, trying for a smile “But we can add that to the list for any future babies,” Thea included, not Tomasa though. She looks at me for a moment then turns back to Niko “Names have meaning, a good name from our line, one with good meaning not some coined version” She makes a face as though she tasted something foul. “Change it” That didn’t seem like a suggestion anymore, it was an order. Still, I hold o
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“I’m sorry Niko but your Nonna is a bitch” I pace the length of the room, my hands at my hips, trying to calm down. Valentina just left and the others tickled out of the room one after the other, Tommy saying something about being famished. His eyes follow my movement, the chair turned to the side, not saying a word, in fact, he seems content to stare at me while I seeth silently. “Nothing to be sorry about, I always thought she was a bitch myself”I pause "Why are you looking at me like that?”“Your ass looks delicious in that dress”I give my husband an unimpressed look. “You cannot truly be thinking about sex right now”“Why not?” He corcked a brow. with his hair combed back, his features look sharp, his blue eyes piercing. I stop my pacing and walk up to where he remains seated, I'm so wound up I want to throw a fit, its times like this his cold personality angers me. When I’m close enough, he pulls me by my arm until I’m between his parted thighs and then sits me on one lap.
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The door opens a head with brown curls peakes in before he enters the room fully, followed by a low whistle” Was this you Eva? Damn” Tommy eyes the destruction with keen appreciation. His long legs eat up the space easily and before I know it he is lowering down to the couch beside me. I take note that Eva and Matteo are no longer touching. “Are you all planning on how to get back at Nonna? Why did nobody call me?” at my surprised look je pushes his hair from his eyes with a careless shrug, “She wants to take my girl, that’s more than enough offense in my book” “We aren’t planning to get back at Valentina, I was just telling Lola to avoid her, you will do the same” “But why…” he practically whined, throwing his large arms around my shoulders in a hug. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Niko said no so we should be golden” “It's cute that you think that’s enough to stop Valentina,” Tommy says with a pat on my head. "Pretty sure she sacrifices virgins every night and drinks their b
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Angelo is sleeping on my chest, just months ago his little body could ball up on my chest but now his hands and legs hang over my sides, his head resting on my breast. They are growing up so fast. To imagine that a year ago they were inside me. My hand drops to his back.“Caela” I called softly. She turns to me, lips parted and struggling with Angelo's toy car happy to be alone with it, the both of them were fighting over it before Angelo had given up, deciding on a nap instead. Caela would have fought over her beloved giraffe until next year before letting someone have it. When I smile at her she turns back, slamming it on the couch and giggling by herself. “Caela” I called again and she turned immediately, eyes wide. I shake my head with another smile. When she turns away from me I say “Valentina?” Waving the car in front of her, she tosses it to the other end of the couch then struggles unto her hands and knees, crawling towards it. “Vale?” I try again. Nothing. “Isadora?” T
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MAFIA RULES Epilogue I
My uncle was right, everything will change from now on, the Grecos, Mendoza, and the Oriente arms of the New York Families are no more. Though we weren't particularly friendly with the other two, it wasn't required for the business. The Greco’s however have always been closely allied with the Salvatores, it wasn’t because of that friendship that Julio was my father's right hand and his father before him, as capo it was my decision to choose my right hand, but for decades, that honor belonged to the Greco’s, until Julio fucked it up. With them gone, there is a gap, in the prominent families, and someone needs to take over for the business to run smoothly. As things settled, I just wanted some peace to be with my family, my children, I already missed so much. It was something I would never retreat, I kept them safe. I did what had to be done, even though it hadn't been my Knife in their throat or my orders. My actions lead to their deaths. And their deaths created a power vacuum, one
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**“We have to leave here, get to another safe house we don’t know who else- this place has been compromised” Arms wrapped under my arms trying to pull me away. I was staring blankly at the Man I'd grown so close with. I didn't know what to do.“We can’t leave him here” Tears spilled down my cheeks. “You think I want to leave him? He was like a father to me, but I have to protect you, he would want you to get to safety”“Miguel…”“Now Lola, Now." he shook me "We have to-“ a phone ringing cuts off the rest of his words. Miguel bends down and searches through Matteo’s jacket to retrieve his phone. I crawl back to him lifting his head into my lap, spatches of blood stained my jeans as I run my fingers through his hair. “Please Matteo open your eyes,” I begged softly.He couldn’t be gone. He felt warm despite the blood pooled on the ground beneath him, he couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t...“It’s Matteo…” I hear Miguel say to the other person on the phone “He’s gone” is all Miguel says
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I straightened at the sound of a car pulling closer. I know it isn’t Miguel as he’s in the next room, slowly tiptoeing to one of the windows and pushing back the curtains, “Lola don’t do that-“ “It’s Matteo” I gasped in recognition at the dark hair and family face of the man that exists the drive's seat. “It’s Matteo” I repeated “He’s here!” I announced as my heart began to race in my chest. “Stay here, stay down” Miguel ordered, as he headed to the door a gun in hand. I remained at the window, clutching my rounded belly with a shaky hand, the other fisted around the thick curtains as I tried to listen to their exchange. It went on for about half a minute but it was too long and then Miguel crossed back to the porch, he disappeared from my line of sight, and I moved to the door. The bottom of my oversized jeans dragged on the floor over my bare feet as I had left the zipper undone to accommodate my large bump. I’m standing behind the door when it opens and Miguel says “It’
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“That puta was whoring around dirtying the family line-“ she gurgles, choking as red spills from a thin line across her throat. A hand flew to her neck eyes wide in shock. No one was allowed to speak of that, I took pains in ensuring it remained that way. The consequences would be devastating. I look at the blade in my hand then swipe the napkin beside her tea set to wipe the little blood at the end. I turned around and came to a stop at the dark figure at the entrance. Fuck. “Is it true what she said?” I observe his stance, the pistol hanging loosely at his side, my brows furrowed as I tried to figure out how long he’s been standing there, how much he heard, I let out a sigh, “Tommy…” He sucked in a deep breath, his empty hand clenching into a shaky fist. “Did you know?” Tommy asked calmly. I grit my teeth and wipe the blade once more, then I return it to the sheath strapped to my wrist, soothing down my sleeves to keep it hidden. I turned to my brother fully and asked “Wh
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Bang! Bang! Bang!!! Gunshots sound as I make my way down the hall of an Italian-styled penthouse. The enemy tries to return fire, but they are quickly overwhelmed by my men. Martino Greco led me to Valentina's hideout like a mouse to the cheese. Pained grunts and shocked yells followed by the thuds of bodies heating the ground, and then quiet. Hmm. I walk in smooth strides past pools of blood, bodies littering the polished wooden floors noting the soldiers Valentina called from her mansion in Italy, I frown at the sight of a falcon tatted on one of the fallen men’s forearms, seems she hired some mercenaries also. Splendid. Last night Valentina sent her men to Mendoza and Orinete households while they slept and took them out in one swell move. It is why I can break in with little to no resistance, half of her man power is gone. Danilo inclined his chin at me then motioned up silently a gun in hand, corked and still at the ready. Chase and Emilio stand beside him each o
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I stared out the window on the ride back. Like the two times we’ve gone out, I remain in the car while he checks the property, when he signals all clear I open my door and move to the back to get the kids. Miguel goes around the other side and gets started on Angelo’s seat, he undoes the strap holding the child to the seat and then unhooks the chair fully so he can take it inside. “Want to tell me what happened at the clinic?” he questions as we walk. I shook my head nothing. “You don’t really expect me to believe that do you?” “What makes you think I did anything." “Excluding the fact that you looked guilty as hell when we got back, there’s a tear glued to your lashes" he pointed one end of his bottled water at me, "Why were you crying” We entered the cabin and I unstrapped the kids to let them run free. “I just needed to use the bathroom quickly” I paused helping Angelo to his feet. “I called him” I admitted. His expression remains unchanged. “You don’t seem surprised
MAFIA RULES 111
NIKO That evening I left using one of the hidden exist. There's a car parked under the bridge, I pull up behind it, leaving the engine still running as I look out the window, moments later a male form, wearing a black oversized coat blowing the wind takes long steps in my direction as far as his short legs can carry him, the side door opens and he drops down beside me, the smell of tobacco that follows him where ever he goes fills the car. I make no effort to his my frown. Excluding the fact that it was a shitty habit that kills the liver, I imagine it would make stealth impossible if they can smell you from a mile away. And I preferred to leave no traces, unless it was a warning that is. I have half the mind to ask him to exit my vehicle before he saturates it with his unpleasant smell but I need him tonight so I decided to play nice. “How did it go?” Martino Greco smacks his lips once, “Just as you expected boss, Maxim sent another offer, I did as you said while showing some
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LOLA I’ve been teaching my twins simple words and pointing out items around the house for them. I once read that kids need contact with other people and other kids to stimulate growth, and I’ve been doing what I can to fill that role. "Nana" Angel mumbled pointing at the banana when Miguel walked past eating a banana last night.It is also his favorite fruit. Micaela liked peaches.I also roped Miguel into watching some soap operas airing every evening with me so I’d have something to look forward to and someone to discuss with. Soap operas were always better when you had someone to discuss them with. He acts like he hates them but I swear he secretly enjoys them. He finds it hard to understand the motives of the main antagonists and often wonders why the ‘good guys’ give so many chances.No one is that inherently good. Miguel had said when the main female character got played for the fourth time in twenty episodes. It's plain stupidity. he added his two cents, I shook my head with
MAFIA RULES 109
NIKO -Months later... “Who can we count on?” Tommy asked his chin on his jaw. In front of me at the other side of the desk Matteo cleared his throat and the other turned to him, “Brenadi, Orisi, Ajello, the Sances are a given" he tips his head. With Chase one of my trusted enforcers the head of the Sances family, it was a given, I trusted him to keep his house in check, the others however, "The others will need more convincing" Matteo added voicing my exact thoughts. “That’s four out of twelve” Vincent grunted unable to hide his displeasure. “How can Valentina have eight over us, the bitch has been in Italy for almost three decades," Tommy growls. “Exactly, lots of families owe her favors, she ran this family before us with an iron fist and she never fully removed her claws while my brother was capo, that’s nearly four decades of loyalty from the New York families. "Enough time to amass a fortune's worth of secrets and debts to call in, moreover, a number of the men are too sca
