Forever Masked & Mine (High Stakes Syndicate #1.5)

Chapter 14 – Marfa

@DEVILS_SOVEREIGN

MARFA

I hear one half-assed knock before I see a pissed-off Marcello barging through my office door. “Mar, who’s going to fill me in on this issue?” He has his phone gripped way too tightly in his hand, shoving the screen in my face. I’m staring at a picture from our commitment ceremony. A smile immediately pulls at my lips—fuck we all look so happy.

“I don’t see an issue that you’re speaking of, Marcello. Everyone looks happy and in love.” I act as dumb as possible because I sure as fuck know what he’s enraged about. It’s been two weeks since we’ve been back in Vegas, and that week of peace and quiet seems like decades ago. It’s been one problem after another since getting back, so why the hell wouldn’t Marcello goddamn Barone be in my office bitching.

“Why does my enforcer—and best friend, I might add—look like he’s eating my niece’s face off her skull?” They kissed right after we all were announced with my last name. Blair was incoherently crying, so of course, Vin swooped in to comfort her. It all just happened to be caught in the pictures.

“This isn’t my story to tell, Marcello… but I will tell you I’ve never seen Blair so happy in all my years of knowing her. Please don’t ruin this for her… or Vincent, for that matter.” I’m a firm believer that everyone deserves to be happy, whether that’s with or without a partner—or multiple.

“Fuck!” He slams his hand on my desk.

“Marcello, if you want to throw a tantrum, go do that with Ellie and the guys. I highly doubt she puts up with this behavior, either. I sure as fuck don’t deal with toddler behavior. My two are at home icing their balls for a reason.” His brows pull together in question, probably thinking I knocked their nuts together or something. “They got vasectomies for wedding gifts. You know, since our rights are getting stripped from us daily as women,” I say with an unhinged, beaming smile on my face.

None of us wanted kids anytime soon, and I’m more than okay not having to go through pregnancy and birth—if I were to survive. I’m three times more likely to die during childbirth. Purely because of the melanin in my skin. They try to blame it on complications, but it boils down to deep- rooted racism and discrimination that runs through the U.S. healthcare system. We can always adopt if we ever want children. I really don’t want to stress about traumatizing another soul and bringing it into the danger and chaos that the mafia life brings.

I stand quickly and pack up my stuff, slinging my cross-body over my shoulder, silently telling Marcello it’s time to go as we walk to my office door.

“I guess Vin is one of the best options for Blair,” he wonders out loud.

“Blair’s grown, Marcello. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you don’t have a say over who she fucks and who she doesn’t. The only one you have a say over is Vin as your enforcer… but I would think about that. He’s been loyal to you forever.” I let that sink in for him while he’s narrowing his eyes at me. I pat his chest. “Okay, I’ve got to go and check on my man-children at home. You’d think two little half-inch cuts above their sacks wouldn’t have them down, but fuck are they milking it,” I complain to Marcello as I lock up my office, and we walk out to the parking lot. “And thanks for the plane for the honeymoon, especially so last minute.”

“No problem, and thank you for talking me off the ledge, Mar.”

“Here. Now I’m going to smoke and relax.” I tell Mack and Percy as I readjust their fresh bags of frozen peas. “Actually, I’m bringing the blunt out here. You two need to chill the fuck out, too.”

I head to our spare room, where I also keep all my weed goodies and pull a pre-rolled blunt from its tube.

“It’s an Indica. Hopefully it knocks you two out so you can get some rest.” Sending a chant down to the devil, I silently ask for a few minutes of bliss. Or at least a few minutes without them bitching about their balls hurting. They wouldn’t take the pain meds the doctor prescribed… very strong pain meds, I might add. For one of the most minor surgeries you can get. Women are forced to get an IUD placed with nothing, and they get something to relax them before even stepping foot into the office. Why in the hell we don’t at least get that, I’ll never know.

We all pass the blunt around a couple of times while sitting on the couch with the low beat of the playlist going in the background. Mack asks the both of us, “Can you believe this is where it all started a little over a year ago?”

Percy shakes his head, seemingly in a daydream, and I answer Mack, “Our souls were brought to each other for this exact reason. Somebody, somewhere, knew that we all needed each other in this lifetime.”

And I hate to tell whoever’s in charge… but these two will be Forever Masked & Mine.