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Chapter 38: You're safe now
Last Updated:
2023-01-31 23:41:18Related chapters
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 39: Promise
“You’re safe now.” Callie repeated the phrase over and over as she held her friend close. But as she did, Callie realized she was muttering the phrase to herself as well, like a mantra, to convince herself that she wasn’t in danger anymore. What happened back at the warehouse would haunt Callie forever. She had an idea of how cruel these mafia families could be, but seeing it first-hand was a different thing entirely. Especially because it was Vin who had tortured him. Vin who had caressed her skin reverently was also capable of such horrible actions. “What about you?” she heard Sienna mutter after a while. Ella continued her examination and proceeded to treat her minor wounds. “What about me?” Sienna threw her an accusing stare. “What happened to you? Who are these people? No offense,” she added, to which Ella snickered. “They’re uh…” Callie began, glancing nervously between Ella and Raleigh, who was leaning on the door frame, watching everything unfold. “They’re the Baros mafia
Last Updated : 2023-02-03The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 40: So Much More
The nightmares were all too familiar. The shivering, the crying… this was nothing new, and she was used to it. She would wake up, usually with an anxiety attack that she would calm by singing or humming to herself. But tonight, when Callie woke up in a crying fit, she wasn’t alone. In the darkness, strong arms caged her, holding her flush against a muscular chest that echoed her racing heartbeat. They didn’t talk. He didn’t ask her to explain herself. He simply held her, and that was enough. When Callie could breathe again, she would hold Vin closer, and start humming. It didn’t matter what song it was, or if Vin recognized it, they both returned to sleep as sweet melodies filled the cold night air. But when Callie woke, Vin wasn’t there. Day after day, she would reach over to his side of the bed, only to find it cold and empty. At first, she wondered if she dreamt it all, but deep inside, she knew that Vin was there for her. She felt his warmth as he held her, and she believed it
Last Updated : 2023-02-05The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 41: Nerves
“I still can’t believe what happened, Callie. You live here now. Is this forever?” Sienna was allowed to enter Vin’s private floor atop the Tomb after much persuasion from Callie. An opportunity the two women took full advantage of, to Vin’s dismay. Callie had been spending all her time either helping at the refuge center or with Sienna and Ella, which quite frankly made Vin jealous. It was now almost one week since the fire, and they were getting ready to go back to university after their class suspension. Out of consideration for all the students, all school activities had been suspended, but it was now time for them to go back. “Callie!” Sienna called out from the door to the spaced-out Callie inside the bedroom. “Did you hear a word I said?” Shaking her head, Callie offered Sienna an apologetic smile and followed her out the door. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just really freaking out right now!” Grabbing Sienna’s hand, they dashed down the stairs to meet Raleigh, her usual chauffeur.
Last Updated : 2023-02-07The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 42: Rebuild
Now, he was interested. Immediately leaning forward, Raleigh urged Sienna to continue. There was little he knew about Callie, and if she were to be the family’s new mistress, then it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her friends as well. He watched Sienna’s face as it lit up at the memory. “A lot of people hate talking about their darkest moments, but I’ve grown quite fond of mine,” Sienna began, taking a sip of her soda. “I met Callie years ago. I was on the brink of jumping from a bridge, just to end it all, you know? But then Callie appeared out of nowhere and jumped over the railing to talk with me. We must have hung there for hours, only holding onto the railing barely having a foothold. I used to think, how her arms must have hurt. I was kind of high so I was kinda numb, but Callie… she kept smiling and talking with me like she would an old friend. She convinced me that my life was still worth living.” “Why did you want to jump?” Sienna snorted, sitting further down the booth.
Last Updated : 2023-02-08The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 43: Shelter
Callie spent her days between school and the Tomb. Vin had honored her request and the two of them had not returned to his residence for a while now. When she wasn’t rehearsing, she was downstairs, helping feed or entertain the children. Weeks passed, and each day, Callie watched the number of people in the refuge dwindle. As the city was rebuilt, more and more people left, but the children stayed, they had nowhere else to go. Callie, together with her friends, Ella and Sienna, helped the women who had volunteered to stay behind to care for the kids. When she asked them about the possibility of putting the children in an orphanage, the women advised against it. “It’s not a good place, Miss,” one had told her. “I have friends who grew up in the system, they didn’t have any good stories to share.” “The orphanage is understaffed. There is not enough money to feed and clothe the children there, let alone provide for the social workers.” Callie knew it all too well. “And who allocat
Last Updated : 2023-02-11The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 44: Thankful
“This is your way of ‘taking care of it?’ By driving her around in public again?”“Shut up. She wanted to visit the orphanage.”Soren scoffed, unrelenting. “And you’re bringing her personally, because?”“Shut up, Soren.”The lawyer rolled his eyes. It was useless to talk to Vin about it. When he decided to do something, there wasn’t much Soren or anyone else could do about it.Vin tried his best to ignore his right-hand man’s accusing tone. He didn’t have the patience and energy to deal with him, piling that on top of his pounding headache.He had stayed up the entire night thinking about Callie’s request. He had to figure out how to allocate the budget for the shelter, and frankly, he didn’t think running one would cost so much.It wasn’t big enough to leave a dent in Vin’s bank account, but the amount wasn’t loose change either. It was nearly daybreak when he was finally content with the accounts.Callie was another issue he needed to think about. The hold that woman had on him wasn
Last Updated : 2023-02-12The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 45: Donation
Vin’s morning started dreary, with only meetings and paperwork to look forward to. Since nine that morning, a dozen people have filed in and out of his office to present and report different aspects of the reconstruction project. On top of that, Vin had the drug cleanup to worry about.From across his dark mahogany desk, his accountant presented the latest budget proposal for the reconstruction of the Ashen City.“The construction project was a huge undertaking, but we’ve managed to allocate the funds properly,” his accountant said. “If you could just review these and sign, the additional budget will be released and allocated to the workers’ salaries.”Vin took the folder and thumbed through the pages. Those that required his signature were already marked and he knew Soren had already reviewed them.“Good,” the mafia boss said curtly, before scribbling his initials on each dotted line. “And what of the proposed budget for the children and women’s shelter?”It was a sudden project but
Last Updated : 2023-02-14The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 46: Filthy
That night was different. Vin’s body was buzzing with excitement as he hopped into the shower.It had been a while since he was home so early. Normally he would stay at the Tomb or in his office dealing with his several businesses and only return to his residence well after dark. But tonight, he had his reasons. He wanted to wait for Callie.Freshly showered, Vin lounged in the living room with a tumbler of bourbon in his hands. The television hummed low in the background as the reporter covered something about the reconstruction of the city.All was well. Vin made sure of it. With the media being heavily controlled by the Baros family, there wasn’t much that outsiders knew about them.Vin didn’t n
Last Updated : 2023-02-17
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The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 101: Plan
Fresh out of the bath, Callie softly called out that she was done.The woman who had prepared the bath for her entered with a white fluffy towel draped on one arm, and a salve resting in her other hand.“Thank you…” Callie started when the woman handed her the towel.“Nabi,” the woman answered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.“Thank you, Nabi. I’m Callie.”Nabi offered a small smile as Callie slipped into a fresh white robe, then she led the singer to sit in front of the vanity.“I’ve heard your name before,” said Nabi as she pulled one drawer open to grab a brush. Slowly, she took a section of Callie’s hair and started to brush it.Callie didn’t ask her to elaborate. Somehow, people knew her name by her association with Vin, and every time, nothing good came out of it.They stayed silent even as Nabi pulled the hair dryer out of another drawer and started to dry Callie’s hair. The blonde brushed and pulled sections of Callie’s hair and pinned them away from her face in
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 100: Cast Aside
Callie’s ears rang with Cullen’s howling of frustration but her mind remained on the memory of Vin. His words, no matter how hurtful, his touch no matter how brief.She couldn’t look him in the eyes, feeling disgusted to put on display like that to a man who threw her out once. But she caught glimpses of him. His tired eyes, the downward curve of his mouth, the way his shoulders sagged a bit, these were details only Callie noticed. To anyone else, Vin was a picture of a bored man, but Callie saw through the façade. She saw the darkness that ringed his eyes, his pale skin, and sunken cheeks. Her stomach twisted with worry that he hadn’t been eating well.Maybe he’d changed his mind. Perhaps he’d come to save me, Callie thought earlier. But Vin’s words cut too deeply to be fake. She was a passing plaything. And she will never be more, because Vin had cast her aside for the second time.Callie’s empty stomach tightened as she swallowed the bile that threatened up her throat. Disgust cra
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 99: Sorry, Little Bird
Vin drummed his fingers onto the tabletop of Cullen Reich’s private game room. The wait was pissing him off. He had a clear idea why Cullen ever so politely invited him into his territory and into his private establishment.“He’s going to gloat,” said Soren during their earlier meeting. “Callie will be there, that’s given. But we have no news whatsoever after her location was confirmed. We don’t know if…”“We don’t know if she’s alright,” Vin finished for him. “She’s alive. That much, I’m certain. He wouldn’t call me out like this otherwise.”The date of their meeting came. Two full days after Callie left, no, since Callie was taken.Vin reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a small flask. The whiskey burned down his throat, but it did nothing to ease his nerves.On the outside, he was a picture of calm, but the storm in his eyes betrayed his exterior.Callie was somewhere in Reich’s territory. The plan was already in place, he only needed to set a few more pieces on the board
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 98: Sold Again
Callie woke up shivering and sputtering the water that was thrown in her face. Disoriented and cold, she was pulled from the floor and forced to sit in a wooden chair.“Tie her legs and arms,” said a voice she vaguely recognized. “I don’t want her filth touching me.”Callie’s head pounded along with the throbbing ache in her jaw. She ran her tongue across her lips, surprised when she tasted copper upon them. The slap from earlier must have left a cut. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt her wrists being bound together by zip ties, followed by her ankles.“Is she alive? Wake up, darling.” It was the same voice, deep and masculine, but it held a sinister vibe that Callie couldn’t help but shiver. Another splash.Sputtering and coughing, she slowly opened her eyes, groaning when the bright overhead light invaded her vision, worsening her headache.Memories came flooding back after she’d regained her bearings.She had been kidnapped; beaten; drugged three times with sedatives; and now
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 97: Missing
Ella stared at Vin’s back wondering what the best way to murder him was. She’d asked him—no, begged him before not to hurt Callie, and yet he still did.The doctor waited until Liam was out of earshot before she spoke, and she didn’t bother disguising the venom in her voice.“You fucked up,” she told him icily. “You fucked up big time, Vin. Callie is a one-in-a-million. No, one in a zillion!” Ella watched Vin’s shoulders straighten as he faced her, his face a mask of indifference. “You’ll never find another woman like her, and you gave her up just like that, for what?”Vin’s skull throbbed with a migraine on top of the ache he felt in his right thigh. With his hands fisted at his sides, he fought through the pain to answer Ella.“I didn’t give her up,” he replied. “I gave her freedom.”His voice sounded strained and tired, but it held a hint of doubt.“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Ella scoffed. “You’re an idiot.”She turned his back on him and started to put away the
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 96: She'll Be Back
The air in Vin’s office seemed to thin by the minute. It had not been a day, and yet Callie’s absence weighed on him like they had been apart for years.There was only so much he could do to distract himself from the fact, but Sienna, Callie’s best friend was not making it easy for him.“How could you?” Sienna asked, disbelief thick in her voice. Vin didn’t need to look up from his laptop to know she was glaring at him. He had enough on his plate, Sienna’s outburst was the least of his priorities, but Raleigh’s presence warranted the crime lord’s attentionRaleigh was like a son to Vin, so when he looked up and saw confusion and disbelief in Raleigh’s eyes, Vin’s chest pricked.“I never question you, Vin. You know that,” the boxer said in a low, even voice. “But this is just wrong. You know more than anyone that Callie belonged here with us.”A muscle throbbed at Vin’s jaw upon hearing those words.“That’s enough,” he growled. “I don’t need any of your opinions, and I do not appreciate
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 95: Three Doses
Callie’s heart thudded in her ears. Nothing registered except for the pain, so much pain that she couldn’t tell what was hurting.It was like Vin ripped her heart out from her chest, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it with heavy boots.Tears blurred her sight, she struggled to pull herself and the suitcases out of the elevator, and once the doors closed behind her, she collapsed.It was over.She hit the ground hard, scraping her knees and palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.She sobbed into her hands, crying out, uncaring that a few stories above her, Vin was probably hearing her as he sipped on his drink, uncaring.The tears were unrelenting as was the stabbing in her heart. She sat on the ground, crying until no more tears fell from her eyes. She cried until she felt exhaustion wrapping its arms around her. She needed to leave before she collapsed in front of Vin’s elevator.Mustering the strength to stand was equivalent to squeezing her heart
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 94: You Love Me
Soren stared at Vin, worried about his friend. He had suspected that the letter would contain some kind of message from Jimmy, but he didn’t want to break the news to Vin. There was no way to make this easy for him.Vin could lie to himself all he wanted, but anyone with eyes could see that he was in love with Callie. And his reaction to the letter he held in his hands was proof of that.“Callie’s free,” Vin whispered a second before crumpling the piece of paper in his hand.The world seemed to spin around Vin. Callie had been a constant in his life for only a few months, but he knew he couldn’t live without her.Everything in him screamed not to let her go. To find an alternative. To buy her back. But another part of him, the moral side of him, knew that Callie deserved to be free.That deal was to play with her, right? Never did he think he’d be this devastated when this day finally came.Callie wasn’t a bird trapped in his cage anymore, and she deserved to see the world, as the wor
The Mafia's Songbird Chapter 93: Free
“Where are we going?” asked Liam as he sucked on his chocolate drink. Vin helped him get strapped into his seat in the back. “Home. We’ve been gone for too long.” Callie looked at Vin nervously, but she managed to plaster a smile on for Liam. “You hear that Liam? We’re going home!” she said excitedly, buckling her own seatbelt. She turned to Vin then. “You okay?” Vin glanced over at Callie as he eased the car out onto the highway. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” But Callie could tell something was wrong. Something had been wrong since the night of her attempted kidnapping. Had she said something to piss Vin off? But if she had, then he would have called her out on it already. Vin wasn’t the type of person to hold back on her punishments if she needed it. So, what was wrong now? “We’re driving straight home,” said Vin after a couple of minutes on the road. “If you need something, just let me know. We can pull over for food or bathroom breaks.” Callie’s eyebrows scrunched together
