Page 7 of Vows of a Mobster

“Brie, are you listening?” Marissa exclaimed and I blinked my eyes, clearing my depressing thoughts and focused on my friends.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I forced a smile, pushing the fear out of my head and my heart. I would do it all over again… for my daughter, I would go to the ends of the Earth and back. She was my everything.

“I got in touch with Marcus, my cousin I told you about. It worked out perfectly. One of his secretaries just quit. He said he will start you on Monday. Marcus is totally laid back and rather considerate when he isn’t sleeping with his secretaries.”

First sign of some good luck. Thank God! I wasn’t worried about sleeping with him at all; I would never jeopardize my job for any man.

I took a relieved exhale. “Thank you so much, Mar,” I muttered. “I cannot thank you enough. Having that insurance might-” I choked on my words but I couldn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t even think about it.

“She will pull through it,” Daphne took my hand and squeezed it.

“Yes, she will. She won’t have a choice,” Marissa declared in her firm voice. “She is strong like her mother and her aunts. We will all pull her through it, and this will all soon be a distant memory.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears and I had to blink several times. As a young adult, I never considered how hard certain things in life were. And how important some basic life requirements were… like having health insurance. Good health insurance. Two years ago, I pretty much bankrupted myself paying for those treatments, almost losing the roof over our heads. Luckily, I was able to keep my grandmother’s house. But it was maxed out in mortgage loans, and this time around, I had nothing to sell or mortgage off. I needed that insurance.

These things they called being an adult and responsibility sucked sometimes. There were days and nights I missed when my only problem was how to avoid my mother or skip ballet classes without getting into trouble.

“Mommy, look! It’s a frog,” Emma squealed, trying to catch the frog that jumped into her pool, laughing out loud, and my heart instantly melted. No, I wouldn’t change any of it for a minute. She made it all worth it. We’d get through this, just like everything else.

I laughed, Daphne and Marissa joining in. Then we got up and all three of us tried to help Emma catch the frog as we giggled.

“Catch it,” Marissa shrieked, laughing, pushing the frog towards Daphne and me.

“I don’t want to touch it,” I exclaimed through my laughter. “It’s slimy.”

“You two are babies,” Daphne announced. “I’ll catch it for my favorite niece.”

“Yay, Aunt Daphne.” Emma kept jumping, excited, her eyes sparkling like stars and her blonde curls bouncing up and down. I gently grabbed her hand, ensuring she didn’t slip and fall.

These were the moments that mattered and would help me through. Whatever was coming, I would endure it. For this! To see my daughter grow up and turn into a beautiful young woman. Despite my mother or any obstacle thrown my way.

Three

Mateo

Italy

Isat at the head of the table; Antonio behind me. I unbuttoned the middle button of my three-piece suit; my gun holster visible underneath it. You never knew when shit was going to hit the fan, and I was always prepared.

This trip was long, way too long. Four damn weeks of jumping from one country to another. I had business to deal with in the U.K., then had to jump to France, followed by Spain, and just as I was ready to board my private plane to take me back to the States, I got a call about this fucking issue. I should be back in Boston now, not dealing with a mole that tried to betray me.

The meeting with the five heads of other families that reported to me was inevitable but it still irked me. There was always someone that wanted to fuck with the way I handled the business. It's not as if I had planned to take over the family, yet here I was all the same. However, usually nobody was stupid enough to try and come after me or the ones under my protection.

Either they were stupid, power hungry, or just envious. I had enemies that didn’t like the wealth I’d accumulated for myself and the ones that worked under me or hated the handle I kept on my businesses and people. I ruled with ruthlessness and a firm hand. But the return for everyone was more than fair. They were richer, much richer than they were before I took over as the head of the Italian mafia. But I wouldn’t tolerate betrayal. And that was exactly what I had uncovered. There were no second chances in my book. Second chances were for the weak.

My phone dinged. Turning it over, I glanced over the message. It was from my brother. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of stupid shit he was doing now. Ideally, I would have him here alongside me, ruling beside me, and we’d cover each other's back. But Marcus was not cut from the same cloth. Fuck, I wasn’t sure what cloth he was made of but it seemed the only thing he was good at was chasing skirt. Swiping the email message open, I read through it.

Mateo,

Per your request, you have been booked with the property agent Thursday, a week from today. Please see the enclosed address, time, and agent’s name below. They will hold the property open until your return at the minimum.

Comparable prices for the area are attached. Ranges vary from $10M to $15M depending on the acres and waterview. The art display is included with the home.

Anything else, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Marcus

I frowned at the message. It was exactly the information I requested; however, the email sounded nothing like Marcus. In fact, I was surprised he’d even accomplished obtaining the information on the property. The agent had been reclusive, only open to showing the property to fellow friends that would probably pay him a bigger commission. I was interested in purchasing it as an investment. The area and the price were right. Maybe he was finally coming around, although I had a hard time believing it.