The Mafia Contract Series

WINTER

I am alone for the first time. Nonna showed me to a guest room and even though it’s luxury on a grand scale, it scares me. Jasmine was shown to a different room and despite asking to stay with me, I could tell she was tired and so I pretended I wanted to be alone. I’m not.

Something is terrifying me. After hearing the harsh, brutal words of Alessandro’s grandmother, I no longer feel welcome here. She is tolerating me because this is what her grandson wants, but even though we are just friends, she believes it could be something else.

He loves me. I replay the moment he said it over and over again and the fact it wraps around my heart and fills me with happiness makes me feel so guilty about that. I only know what they tell me and who knows if that’s the truth. Until my memory returns, I can’t make any decisions and as much as I want to fall into Alessandro’s arms where I feel so safe, I know I have no right to be there.

Nonna was right. I am another man’s wife. No longer a virgin and now don’t qualify for the job of Alessandro’s future one. I’m shocked that I’m disappointed about that. Why don’t I want to find my husband? He’s dead. Nonna’s words tell me one thing, but it was obvious it isn’t a physical state. Somewhere he is breathing and one day he will find me. I will be punished.

I shiver with fear because deep inside I’m waiting for it to happen, which means it’s happened before. I am always being punished. Domestic abuse. That’s what they told me and the fading bruises on my face and neck tell me they’re right. Did he try to kill me? Or did somebody else? My world is a scary place right now, and something inside me is telling me it always was.

The darkness is oppressive despite the lamplight that illuminates the shadows in the room. The night sky is as black as my heart and as I stand by the window, there aren’t any stars to shine and guide my way. I wonder where I go from here. Part of me wants to stay, the other wants to leave immediately.

But I don’t want to leave Alessandro, despite what his grandmother says. He is my lifeline and without him, I am struggling under the waves of despair that are threatening to pull me under.

A soft knock on the door makes me jump and, wondering if Jasmine has come to find me. I say with a stutter, “Co… come in.”

As the door opens, my heart flutters when the object of my thoughts fills the doorway, his eyes glittering in the darkness like a predatory beast sizing up his kill.

“Am I disturbing you?”

His husky tones make my heart leap and I say shyly, “No, please come in.”

His body fills the room and I swallow hard because I can’t tear my eyes away from him. There’s something so commanding about Alessandro Majerio. From his wild shoulder length hair that has been tamed into a ponytail, the rough stubble on his face and the dark penetrating eyes usually covered by shade. He wears his black tailored suit paired with an partly buttoned black silk shirt, showing off a tanned and buffed torso that is scripted by dark tribal ink. His pants sit low on his hips and the leather shoes he wears must have cost a small fortune.

Yes, Alessandro is a magnificent man, and I can’t ignore the power that surrounds him whenever he is near.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

It’s as if I’m so small in comparison, and he makes me shy and as he sits on the bed, he pats the space beside him.

“Come, we need to talk.”

Like a docile servant, I do as he asks and am surprised when he reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together.

“I will say this again.” His husky voice reaches out and settles my heart. “You are safe here and nothing will hurt you again all the time I am beside you.”

“But how?”

“How what?”

“I can’t stay here forever. You have a life, Alessandro, and I’m conscious I have steamed into it and blown it apart. You have a family; a job and I have…” I break off and sigh. “I have unanswered questions and a life that is hiding from me right now. I should just stay here until I remember, or then again, perhaps I should head back with my brother and Jasmine. They are my family, I guess.”

For a moment there is silence and then he surprises me by saying, “What do you want?”

“Me?”

I’m a little shocked at that because, for some reason, it’s as if nobody has ever asked me that.

I consider my answer and then say sadly, “I want my memory back.”

“I see.” He squeezes my hand and says with a sigh. “Be careful what you wish for, Winter. Some may say you’ve had a lucky escape, forgetting the past. Your future is what counts now and it can be anything you want it to be. You are young, in good health and have people who love you surrounding you. The world is yours for the taking and you just need to say the word and we will arrange it for you.”

“We?”

“Me, your brother and your friends. We all want the best for you, and we always have.”

“My friends.” I roll the word around my mind and resist the urge to lay my head on his shoulder, because for some reason I am desperate to be close to him.

“Yes, do you remember when I spoke of Rockwell Academy?”

I nod and his voice softens. “There were seven of us living in a house. Angelo, me, Ivan, Flynn, Malik and Emma, your friend.”

“I don’t remember.” I wish I did because it sounds as if I was happy there and he says gently, “You wanted your freedom, but Angelo made that impossible. He forced you to move in with us and insisted you brought your roommate to keep you company.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he loves you and, well, your father had a different future for you mapped out.”

“My father?” I am struggling to picture him and Alessandro snarls, “After graduation you were to be married to a man your father chose.”

“My husband?”

He nods. “It turns out your father promised you to his friend Massimo Delauren and one night you never came home.”

“What happened?” I’m so afraid for my past self and Alessandro growls, “We learned you were taken by a teacher to Massimo’s house, where he married you and kept you prisoner. The only time we saw you was when the occasion dictated it and to the world, you appeared happy.”

“Maybe I was.”

Alessandro hisses, “You were far from happy. It was evident in your eyes and I’m guessing you were made to put on a show for our eyes only. What hold did he have over you, Winter? What did he threaten you with to make you do everything he asked?”

His words bounce around my mind like the draw for the lottery and yet none of them comes up with the answer I need.

“I don’t remember.” I place my head in my hands and whisper, “I hate this, Alessandro. There is something holding me back from seeing through the fog. It’s as if it’s so important to remember. I have nothing but anxiety and a fear of being punished, but I don’t remember why.”

I turn into his chest, allowing his strong arm to wrap around me as I struggle to remember. As his hand rubs low circles on my back, he says with a catch to his voice, “Would you like me to tell you how we became friends?”

I nod, just grateful for any bit of information he can give me, and he says in a softer voice, “When you came to Rockwell, Angelo warned us not to touch. You were under our protection because of the future waiting for you. You were to be a mafia bride and must remain untouched because if you went to your marital bed any less than a virgin, you wouldn’t wake up the next morning.”

I stiffen as Nonna’s words come back to haunt me and Alessandro laughs softly, “You were so strong, Winter. So curious and so afraid that you would never discover what it was like to experience the passion of your first kiss.”

“What are you telling me, Alessandro?”

I pull back and stare up into his dark eyes that are brimming with passion, and he tilts my head to face him and whispers, “You went there, anyway.”

“With you?”

I hold my breath as he smiles. “One night only, that was your request. Give you a memory to treasure in the dark days ahead.”

The expression in his eyes and the emotions that swirl inside me are telling me he’s speaking the truth. One night only sounds so familiar to me. Even a little of the fog clears in my mind as I let him inside and I’m discovering he has every right to be there.

“Show me.” I whisper the words so quietly he raises his eyes. “What did you say?”

“I said show me what happened next.”

I edge a little closer and, as his strong hand wraps around the back of my head, I lean in for something I want more than anything. His lips hover tantalizingly close to mine as he says, “Are you sure?”

“Kiss me, Alessandro. One night only you said. Why do I have the feeling that it was the best night of my life?”

As our lips touch, I close my eyes and my soul sighs with relief. His gentle pressure makes my heart ache as if he is frightened I will break. As I reach out and cup his face, I love the rough stubble against my fingers, and I lose myself in a kiss that’s been a long time coming.