Page 93 of Doll's Eye

“I could have lost you,” Mamma cries and cradles my face in her hands.

“Mamma, I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay. You have a cast on your arm and broken ribs,” Gemma points out.

I glance at my brothers who’re all waiting in line to give me their two cents. “That was from the transportation here,” I mutter a bit sheepishly.

“Oh,Madonna!” Mamma exclaims, making me smirk.

“What happened?” Gemma asks and everyone is waiting for me to explain.

Glancing over at Tullio who knows what happened, he’s not at all willing to throw me a bone here. “It was just a small accident. No need to fuss over it.”

“No, no. It’s a really good story. Tell them what happened, Alessia,” Tullio baits and crosses his arms with a smug look.

“Oh, yes. It’s a very good story,” Paolo says, glowering at me. Then I look at the rest of them, and they all have the same knowing look.

Okay, so my brothers are definitely pissed about the accident. I’ll allow this tiny moment to be angry with me.

“Let’s have a seat, Mamma.” I bring her over to the couch in the room we’re all congregated in, and Gemma sits on my other side.Perfect. I’m surrounded. When my brothers all come to stand in a straight line in front of me, I swallow hard. This is going to be a long day. No wonder why Massimo made himself scarce.

With each revelation about why I came home and how I sustained my injuries, my mom and my sister became increasingly shocked. I shouldn’t be surprised Tullio wouldn’t show me any mercy, not at all softening the blow for me ahead of time. It’s his way of punishing me.

I give my first apology, foranything, to my mother. It’ll be the only I give because her and my sister are the only ones I regret worrying.

Paolo and Armando drop the tough guy act and give me some leniency knowing that I have been punished enough by making Mamma cry. They each give me a bear hug making me suck back the tears threatening to spill as they express how much they genuinely missed me.

Last is Santino. He’s been mute the whole time, but I know he has a lot to say. He gestures with his head for me to follow him outside of the room. The rest of the family fills the room with chatter and we’re able to sneak away.

“Let me have it, Saint.”

We stop somewhere down the hall and face each other. “You don’t owe me an apology.”

“No?”

“I warned Tullio and Massimo that sending you away would be severely consequential. I knew your resentment would evolve into something toxic.”

“So…you’re not angry with me?”

He takes a deep breath in then lets it out slowly through his nose. “I’m not proud of your actions, but I can’t be angry at who you are,piccolina.” He playfully pinches my chin. “Babbo’s little warrior.”

My nostrils flare in restraint. “I thought that nickname he gave me was reserved for private.”

He snorts. “When we would call you little psycho, he would correct us in saying you’re his little warrior.”

I swallow around the rock lodged in my throat. “I miss him, Saint.” My heart aches with the fact that I didn’t get nearly enough time with him and never got the proper chance to mourn him. Just as I was beginning to accept from grief, I experienced my first heartbreak.

“I know. I do too.” He pulls me into his arms and I wrap mine tightly around his torso. Santino is the tallest out of my brothers, even taller than Massimo, but he’s not the gentle giant he’s perceived to be. But to me, he always is.

We turn to go back to the room. “That reminds me. Do you think I could pay Angelo a visit soon?”

He chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Only if you promise not to chop his cock off and make him choke on it.”

I roll my eyes grinning. “I won’t make any promises I can’t keep.”

By the time my family decides to leave, I'm exhausted. I tried to weasel my way into leaving with them by using Mamma, but she turned out to be a complete traitor. She said that I needed to stay with Massimo and that he’d keep me safe.

“You really don’t care that I’m being held prisoner here?”