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New Normal
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Taken by the Mafia King Thank You Cards for the Mafia Princess
PaigeSera Bianchi was all grown up. Her brown hair was just as long as I remembered it from when we were kids. She used to brag that she could sit on hers when no one else could, but now it flowed down her back in a complex lattice of braids. Her day dress—God, how long had it been since I knew anyone who wore anything as ridiculous as a day dress?—shimmered in the light pouring in through the windows in the living room, highlighting her skin.Then, I realized she had her arm through Killian Ricci’s. Of fucking course. From one totally lethal mafia don to the next. Whatever would keep her in the lap of luxury.On the rare occasions I came over to the Bianchi mansion to play, she was exactly the same. She had a whole playroom, painted soft pink and covered in windows, but as a kid, I only cared about the fact that she had every toy I’d ever even heard about. No matter the toy, the line of dolls, or the board game, Sera shared freely until it got to the very best stuff, or the stuff sh
Taken by the Mafia King Long Road Ahead
TommasoI paced back and forth in the main sitting room in the guest wing, trying to enjoy the sweeping Byzantine arches I’d requested instead of worrying about what was going on the bedroom down the hall. Dr. Martinez had told me on the way in that she thought a private area would be important for the check-up, but that she didn’t think it should be the bedroom Paige would be sleeping in long-term so as not to form immediate bad memories. I’d sent her all the way down the hall, as far from the guestroom with the kitchenette as I could manage, had Olivia show Natalia the kitchen so they could talk through Paige’s favorite foods, and immediately posted up here with my scotch. It sat, untouched, on a mosaic coffee table. I couldn’t risk letting my guard down with Paige in my house for the very first time.I wanted to be excited to be home, wanted to run around seeing how all my designs turned out, but my every thought bent toward her and what nightmares Dr. Martinez might be uncovering.
Taken by the Mafia King No Place Like... Home?
PaigeI sat on the end of a queen-sized bed in a room I was told was mine. The lingering scent of fresh paint in the air reminded me this room was new like the rest of the house. Instead of one big window, it had a lot of tall, thin windows with arched tops separated by pieces of metal that looked almost like the columns outside. A mural of the sky at different times of the day covered the ceiling, and the light slanted in right on the afternoon section, like the ceiling itself was some kind of clock. The sheets under my fingers were softer than I’d felt in months, maybe ever, and clean. I changed into a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans from a duffel bag Mom had brought from home, though I had to belt the jeans, and the shirt hung loose. And still, I couldn’t stop looking at those thin windows and wondering if I could wriggle out of them.I stood up and walked over to the windows. From here, I had a spectacular view of the huge, meticulously landscaped yard. It even looked like Tommaso
Taken by the Mafia King Just Like Mom Made
PaigeThe kitchen, like every other room in Tommaso’s house, looked nothing like anything I’d seen before. High, light-wood ceilings with exposed beams loomed over a terracotta floor and butcherblock countertops of the same wood as the ceiling. Glass French doors showed a terracotta porch. I sucked in a deep breath and got a lungful of rich, buttery caramel and chocolate.Memories washed over me, but for the first time in a long time, they were happy ones. Saturday mornings, making my favorite caramel-chocolate chip cookies with my mom to the tune of Dad’s old Rat Pack records. She would croon along with Sinatra over the whirring of the hand mixer, and I would try to hit the lowest notes I could hear until both of us collapsed in giggles. Dad would always take advantage of our distraction to steal a spoonful of dough or a cookie from the cooling rack, so hot he puffed little dragon-breaths to keep from burning himself while Mom and I only laughed harder.I sagged against the wall, tea
Taken by the Mafia King Tallying Up
TommasoI blinked and walked around the bench to sit on the other end. I’d debated the pond for a long time, thinking it might be hard to maintain, but the breeze and the wildlife made Paige’s question feel a little less lonely in the quiet.“What do you mean, why?” I asked.She threw her hands up then pulled the coat close again. “I mean, you’re in the mafia. A new crime lord, or Killian’s new crime lord, or what the hell ever.”“Yeah.” I frowned at her. “So?”“So flying halfway around the world to”—she glanced away—“find a girl you’ve never met isn’t exactly traditional setting-up-shop behavior.”I stared out over the water. I’d taken the Polaroid I’d carried for so long out of my pocket before I went to her room, too scared of what she’d think if she found it on me, but I could still picture it. Her bright hair, her fiery eyes. I’d looked at it a million times. I’d never forget the look on her face.“I mean, what about the other girls?” She crossed her arms. “There were five of us
Taken by the Mafia King Waking Up in Purgatory
PaigeThe bastard loomed over me. Something in his hand caught the light and shone with the sharpness of a well-honed blade. My body ached and burned.“You stupid bitch,” he growled. “I can’t believe you thought you could get away.”If this one didn’t kill me, the next one would, or the next one. Tears spilled down my cheeks in tracks of fire. For every tear I shed, another part of my body lit up with pain.“Stop fucking crying,” he hissed. “You’re having the time of your life.”I sobbed, and I burned.Then, out of nowhere, another man entered the room, knocking off my attacker. Panic continued to wash over me as he carried me away.***I gasped in a breath and shot up. Where the fuck was I? Tall, thin windows showed a view of the night sky which matched a painting on the ceiling. Soft, cream-colored sheets slid under my legs. My legs were clothed in sweatpants I’d gotten out of a catalogue in high school.The events of the last few days snapped back into place. Tommaso. The plane rid
Taken by the Mafia King Sleepless in Philly
TommasoI stared up at the mural on the ceiling until Paige’s breathing evened out, and I figured she’d fallen asleep. Then, I sighed and turned over a dozen more times. If I’d been smart, I’d have made sure every couch in this house fit me. Ever since my growth spurt as a teen, I’d known the bumping and bruising of attempting to sleep on even a regular couch, and this stupid fainting piece of shit was even smaller than most. Plus, the throw blanket was a light quilt, and it wasn’t really cutting the night chill.There was no way I was going back to sleep tonight, but that was okay. Working with Killian, I’d gotten used to sleeping less than six hours a night most of the time. With a little extra coffee, I’d be able to start constructing my empire tomorrow.That was, if I could pull myself away from Paige long enough.Her breathing hitched, and I sat up to stare at her. The first sign of another nightmare? No, she just turned and fell back to sleep.I took a deep breath and stared up
Taken by the Mafia King The New Normal
PaigeI opened my eyes to find the sun well over the horizon, much later than I usually slept when I’d had a choice about when to get up. I blinked, feeling sleep crusted in the corners of my eyes. My mouth was dry, and my thoughts fogged. What happened last night? Was the medicine messing me up? I remembered having the dream, Tom coming in, and then…nothing. No more dreams, at least.I sat up and stretched. All my muscles burned, and as I rubbed my eyes, I spotted a throw blanket spread across the biggest of the tiny couches in the room.My face heated as the rest of the night clicked into place. I’d grabbed him, on purpose, and begged him to stay. After I’d pushed him away a thousand times, I’d relied on him to be here so I could go back to sleep. What had I been thinking?Had he stayed the whole night?I didn’t care. I got up, ignoring the aches, and headed for the massive ensuite bathroom I’d discovered the day before. The bathroom was full of girly-smelling soaps and shampoos, it
Latest chapter
Taken by the Mafia King Epilogue
Taken by the Mafia King Old Time's Sake
Taken by the Mafia King Big News
Taken by the Mafia King Checking Up
Taken by the Mafia King Humdrum Excitement
Taken by the Mafia King Perfect Fit
Taken by the Mafia King Beginning of Forever
Taken by the Mafia King The Only Ones
Taken by the Mafia King Peace Time
