Mafia And Maid

53. SNEAK PEEK

All books by Isa Oliver are interconnected STANDALONES within her mafia world:

Mafia And Captive

Mafia And Protector

Mafia And Taken

Mafia And Maid

Mafia And Angel

SNEAK PEEK…

MAFIA AND PROTECTOR

She was the plain sister, the unpretty sister…and the sister who had a dark secret.

Jessica

I don’t know how to stop feeling scared.

I don’t know how to stop feeling unlovable.

And I don’t know how to trust again…

An incident before my marriage takes away any safety I've ever known.

I’ve always known that I would have to marry a man chosen by my family, but from that moment on, I realize that monsters lurk in both suits and the shadows.

My future husband, Rafael, is a powerful Mafia man.

And he's just one more man who wants to hurt me.

Or so I think…until Rafael touches my heart and brings me back to life.

His words make my pulse flutter too fast, and his looks make shivers skate down my spine.

He tells me that he loves me.

And that he’ll always protect me.

But I shouldn’t have believed him.

I should have known that life isn’t a fairy-tale.

That my happily ever after could be snatched away from me in the blink of an eye.

Because I’m wounded and fragile.

And the darkness is always lurking where you least expect it, waiting to strike me down…

CHAPTER 1

JESSICA

“Jessica, your father wants to see you in his office.” My mother, Casmundina Bonardi, had just dashed into my bedroom and was acting all dramatic as usual.

“You mean right now?” I asked her.

“Yes, straight away. What on earth are you wearing?” She grimaced as she saw me dressed in my lilac sundress, with my dark, wavy hair pulled back into a simple French braid that was already starting to unravel. “I thought I told you to get rid of that dress. It’s shabby and does nothing to enhance your plain features.”

It was a hot day here in L.A. and my outfit was perfect for the weather. “But, Mother, I like this dress and you know it’s my favorite.”

“You’re eighteen years old now. That dress makes you look like you’re fourteen and still a schoolgirl.” She seemed to have forgotten that I had been a schoolgirl until just a couple of weeks ago when I’d finished high school.

“I thought it would be okay to wear it since I’m just spending the day at home—”

My mother cut me off. “There’s no time to change now. You know your father hates to be kept waiting. You need to put some shoes on.”

She threw open my closet door and grabbed a pair of five-inch spiky heels for me to slide my bare feet into. My mother had bought these shoes for me some time ago, though I had so far managed to avoid wearing them.

The sparkly gold shoes looked ridiculous with my dress, but there was no time to argue over her choice of footwear.

“ Pronti? ” My mother asked if I was ready. She always broke into Italian when she was nervous. Or when she was excited, or happy, or sad, or angry—so, basically, when any sort of emotion reared its head.

“I think so.”

“Quickly now, you don’t want to anger him.”

She was right—I definitely didn’t want to anger him. My father, Cecilio Bonardi, was a Made Man— a man initiated into the Mafia. He’d always been fairly short-tempered; however, after the recent kidnapping of my older sister, Juliana, he’d been as explosive as a piece of dry tinder. I really missed Juliana—I hoped she would be home soon and that things would go back to normal.

I rushed downstairs to the office which was located at the front of the house.

As I hastened my step, I ran my palms over my wavy hair, trying to smooth any stray tendrils. Maybe if my hair looked half-decent, my father wouldn’t notice my dress.

I knocked on his office door, waiting as always until I heard the deep ‘enter’.

I opened the door to his office, hoping that he wasn’t irritated with how long it had taken me to answer his summons. As I hurried into the room, I suddenly came to an abrupt halt as I realized that he was not alone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Father. Mother said that you wanted to see me? I didn’t know that you had company. I’ll come back later.”

“No, Jessica, stay. We’ve been waiting for you.”

My heart started pounding in my chest. In the room was the Capo , Emanuel Santino—he was the boss of the Società Mafia. From their base in Los Angeles, the Società ran their criminal empire and ruled over the West Coast.

The Capo sat in one of the wingback leather chairs in front of my father’s desk. Standing by the fireplace was his oldest son and heir, Gabriel, and his second son, Rafael. My thoughts were racing through my mind. I hadn’t done anything that could incur the wrath of the Capo…or had I?

I hated this room and had always tried to avoid this part of the house to minimize the chance of running into my father or any of the men who worked for him. And there were a lot of comings and goings, given that my father was one of Emanuel Santino’s Underbosses, meaning that he held a powerful position within the organization.

“Sit down,” my father commanded me.

In my haste to obey, I wobbled in my heels and lost my balance.

I managed to grab the edge of his desk in time, preventing me from falling flat on my face, although I couldn’t stop the flush from rising up my cheeks.

I hoped that no one had seen, but one look at the expressions on the faces of the Santinos was enough to tell me that they had definitely noticed my clumsiness.

I silently cursed my mother for making me wear these ludicrous shoes.

I gratefully sank myself down into the second wingback chair, sitting on the edge of the seat with my hands tightly clasped in my lap. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Is there something wrong, Father?”

“You must know that we have always hoped for a marriage bond between our family, the Bonardis, and the Santino family. We have now decided to go ahead with that union.”

Oh my God. They’d found my older sister, Juliana !

My heart soared—they’d finally gotten my sibling back after her kidnapping a few weeks ago. Gabriel Santino was in love with Juliana. It had always been thought that they would marry, and now they finally could.

“You’ve found Juliana?” My voice was giddy with excitement.

“Do not mention that girl’s name in this house! Everyone in the Società knows that she is a slut,” thundered my father, the venom in his voice making me sink back into my chair. “Your sister means nothing to me now. She is no longer part of this family.”

My father paused for a moment as if collecting himself, before continuing. “We have decided that you will marry into the Santino family.”

“I’m to marry Gabriel?” I was dumbfounded.

“No, he’s not interested in you.” My father was as blunt as always. “Instead, Emanuel has suggested his second son, Rafael. You will marry him in two months’ time.”

I stole a glance across at Rafael, who stood leaning against the mantel of the fireplace.

Despite his casual stance, Rafael’s whole demeanor was icy. He had handsome features and sandy-blonde hair, but it was his dark blue eyes that I noticed as they radiated a stark coldness. A shiver ran through me.

The Società Mafia had started out by controlling the port and the drug trade in L.A. before extending its influence into other activities. Now it was one of the most formidable criminal organizations in the US, and the Santinos were some of the most powerful—and most feared—men in the country.

“What does Mother think about this?” I squeaked, forgetting my place. My father didn’t like to be questioned about anything, even if it did concern my whole life.

“Your mother will do whatever is the best for this family and the Società, as will you,” snapped my father. “We will sign the engagement contract today.” The Mafia was still a traditional institution and families followed the custom of signing an engagement contract.

“Today?” I blurted out. My mind was scrambling, trying to calculate the age gap between Rafael and me. He was twenty-five years, if I remembered correctly, making him seven years older than me.

“Yes, today,” interjected Emanuel Santino.

My gaze darted across to Rafael again and I wondered what he thought about this marriage. A black Brioni suit hugged his muscular body. Brioni and black: the typical Mafia uniform. And although his suit was obviously expensive, there was something untamed about him, and that sent a shiver through my body.

I knew that he couldn’t be thrilled with me as his future wife. After all, I knew that everyone thought I was plain and unattractive. It was my older sister who was the beauty of the family, and she’d always been the one to draw admiring looks. I’m sure he had expected, as the second son of the Capo, that he would at least marry someone prettier than me.

Emanuel pushed the engagement contract across the desk until it was in front of me. He might be Capo, but he was also a slimeball who treated his wife with a complete lack of respect, sleeping around with a long line of lovers and hookers. I prayed Rafael did not take after his father.

“Um…please may I ask why we are signing this today? Usually, the contract is signed at the engagement party.” I was unable to keep the bewilderment from my voice.

“The engagement party will be in a week’s time; however, we want this finalized today,” said the Capo. “Everyone is unsettled after the recent kidnapping of a Mafia daughter. We must focus on making the Società as strong as possible from within, and there is no better way than by a marriage between the families of the Capo and his Underboss. Once this contract is signed, we can announce the engagement to the rest of the organization. This union will be a demonstration of strength to the rest of the Società. And that should put a stop to the various jitters and rumors swirling around.”

Great, I was being used as a means to quiet the gossipmongers and calm the over-wrought nerves within the Società, regardless of what I might actually want.

I worried my lower lip, trying to think of a way to delay the signing. I was told two minutes ago that I was to marry Rafael Santino, and now I was being asked to sign away my life to him via the engagement contract. I knew that once the contract was signed, there was no way out and that I would be bound to Rafael Santino forever.

But then, I thought to myself, I am a Mafia daughter—I had no choice in the matter of who I was to marry. Did it really matter if I signed the contract now or next week? There was no way out of this, no way to escape Rafael Santino, no matter what my wishes on the subject were.

I licked my dry lips and picked up my father’s favorite fountain pen.

I looked up and in desperation said, “Wouldn’t Gabriel prefer to wait for Juliana to return, and then he can marry her? And then our families will be united through that marriage?” I couldn’t stop the words tumbling out—why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?

“For God’s sake, Jessica!” My father really lost it now. “She’s obviously no longer pure. When we get her back, no decent man will look at her. She’ll be worth no more than a used whore. Now sign the damn contract. We need to move on now that your sister is no longer of any use to us.”

Gabriel’s jaw tensed and his eyes darkened at my father’s harsh words. It was obvious he was still interested in Juliana, and I was glad that someone else apart from me still believed in her and realized that what had happened wasn’t her fault.

I signed my name slowly, all the while wondering if this was really happening. As I completed my signature, I laid the pen down carefully next to the papers.

Rafael prowled toward me, his jaw tightly clenched. He took the pen to sign his own name, and as he towered above me with his tall frame, I wished I had thought to push the contract toward him so that he wouldn’t have to stand so near to me.

He was so close that I could smell him—a clean, masculine scent with a hint of cologne. As he wrote, I noticed his strong wrists. They were tanned and my eyes followed the trail of sandy hair which disappeared into the sleeve of his dress shirt.

After he had finished signing his name, I glanced down at my fingers, seeing that some black ink had leaked from the fountain pen and stained my fingers.

I felt like I wanted to wash my hands straightaway. In fact, I wanted to wash my whole body and try to wash away the stain of the Mafia, the stain of this life that I’d been born into. But I knew that even though I could wash away the ink, I could never get rid of my duty as a Mafia daughter. I could never get rid of my obligation to marry this man standing next to me.

After we had both signed the contract, I knew that there was no way out for me, and I was now bound to the Santino family for life.

Great, I thought, I’m marrying into a family where the father is a murderous psychopath, his eldest son is still in love with my older sister, and the man I am going to marry was…well, I don’t know what he was because I’d never even spoken to him.

Emanuel stood. “We should leave the couple alone for a minute so that Rafael can present the engagement ring.” With that, they filed out of the office while they carried on talking about business matters, leaving me sitting in the chair and Rafael standing over me.

This couldn’t be any more awkward. Wasn’t getting engaged supposed to be romantic?

But then, this wasn’t a usual sort of engagement. As was the norm in the Mafia world, our families had arranged this marriage. Rafael clearly wasn’t interested in me—he’d never sought me out at formal Società functions to talk or ask me to dance. He was just marrying me to keep his father happy and the Società stable.

His whole energy filled the room, his proximity unnerving me and his scent consuming me. I didn’t know where to look or what I was supposed to do.

“Stand up.” His low voice penetrated the silence.

I would prefer to have remained sitting rather than risking standing on these heels again, but I guess he couldn’t put the ring on like that. I slowly got to my feet, my left hand holding onto the edge of my father’s desk for support.

He got out a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a large oval diamond flanked by two smaller sapphires, all set on a thin band of platinum. It was an exquisite design.

I watched as he removed the ring from the box and brought it toward me. “Give me your hand”. Was anything he said not a command?

I hesitated, not wanting to let go of the desk in case I lost my balance again.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he said softly, as if realizing why I was reluctant to give him my hand.

I slowly gave him my hand, and as his fingers touched me for the first time, I felt a flush run up my cheeks and my heart thud too fast. It was the first time I had been touched by a man who was not a family member.

He slid the ring onto my left hand, but he didn’t let go of it immediately. Instead, he admired the ring on me.

I discreetly looked at him. Up close, I could see that the stormy dark blue of his eyes was warmed by some lighter turquoise streaks. And as I ran my gaze over his hair, I thought somehow he was less scary than I imagined he would be. Yet I knew how deceptive appearances could be. And he was a Santino—there was nothing that wasn’t scary about that family.

“I was taken by surprise when my father said our families want us to marry,” I said in a rush.

“I could tell by your reaction.”

“Oh, I don’t want you to think it was personal against you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had worse said to me than someone indicating they’d prefer my brother marry into their family,” he drawled.

I flushed. “I didn’t mean any offense.”

“I’ll survive.” His response was curt.

I fiddled with my hair, trying to tuck in the loose strands. “Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to brush my hair before my father summoned me.”

“No matter. It looks fine.”

“Do you think? My parents like me dressed properly, especially in front of company.” I realized then how that sounded and rushed on. “Not that I don’t dress properly at other times.” Jesus, why was I rambling in front of this man?

There was an awkward silence, and I willed myself not to fill it with any more of my gabbling.

“Do you always wear those shoes?” he said dryly.

I frowned, wondering if he was making fun of me.

Deep in thought, I flinched when he brought his hand up to my face.

He ran his thumb over my brow and my eyes didn’t leave his gaze. “You shouldn’t frown so much.”

I didn’t know what to say, yet I felt the frown relaxing under his thumb. His touch was gentle, but I knew better than to be disarmed by small gestures. He was a Made Man, and his whole life was about violence and cruelty.

He slowly dropped his hand as our fathers returned to the room.

My father’s voice broke the tension in the room. “That’s all we need from you, Jessica.” He was dismissing me. I should have been relieved that I could escape this room now. However, I was confused—was this all the discussion there was going to be about the biggest decision of my life? About whom I was going to marry?

I bit down on my lower lip, knowing there was nothing I could say now. So, I walked toward the door and let myself out quietly.

I ran up to my bedroom, keeping my head down and trying to keep my tears at bay until I was safely ensconced in my room. I didn’t want any of the live-in staff to see my distress. My mother had always drummed into me the need to maintain appearances.

I didn’t have long to myself before my mother appeared at my bedroom door, pouncing on me immediately. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Jessica! Why are you hiding yourself up here? Did you sign the engagement contract?”

“Yes, I did. Why didn’t you tell me that Father wanted to see me to inform me of my engagement?” I had felt ambushed, and I couldn’t help the hint of accusation in my voice.

“It wasn’t my place to say. He wanted to tell you himself. What did Rafael think of you?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t speak and he barely looked at me. I’ve never spoken to him before, and I didn’t even speak to him today.”

“No, of course he wouldn’t have noticed you before today. After all, you and Juliana were always joined at the hip, and standing next to her, it made you look even plainer.” My mother really knew how to boost my self-esteem. “Really, Jessica, what were you thinking putting on that lilac dress this morning? It makes you look unsophisticated and insignificant.”

My mother gave me no time to answer, however, and instead launched into wedding talk. “You will have to dazzle Rafael by wearing the most expensive wedding dress money can buy.”

“I’d prefer something simple and elegant.”

“Nonsense! People will be expecting something elaborate and opulent. After all, it will be the wedding of the year!”

I recalled her saying exactly the same thing about Juliana’s wedding—and we’d all seen how that had turned out.

I knew there was no way out of this marriage now that the contract had been signed. Once we were married, I would do my duty as a Mafia wife and do what Rafael expected of me. I knew I was plain, shy, and uninteresting. However, if I was a good wife to him, he might treat me with respect and remain faithful to me. Some arranged marriages turned into love over time, and I was determined to work as hard as possible to achieve that within my own marriage. I wanted a loving husband with whom I could build a happy family life.

“Come along and change your dress right this minute,” nagged my mother. “Then it is only fit for the trash can.”

I would change out of my lilac dress to stop my mother from badgering me, but I definitely wouldn’t throw it away—I wasn’t going to give up my favorite dress so easily.

As I undressed, I couldn’t help thinking to myself that soon I was going to lose even more control of my life, and that thought made my blood run cold.

***

“Ortensia Santino telephoned this morning,” my mother informed me later that week. Ortensia was Rafael’s mother. “She rang to arrange a doctor’s appointment for you to start on birth control. The Santinos are sending a car tomorrow, which will take you to see their doctor.”

“Couldn’t I just get it from our own doctor?” Better still, I thought, we could just not consummate our marriage at all. But I didn’t say that out loud because I knew that was out of the question.

Not only would I be expected to consummate the union on our wedding night, but also my husband would be expected to confirm to everyone the next morning that I had been a virgin for him.

Consummation on the wedding night was mandatory—it was my duty. If the marriage wasn’t consummated, then it could be annulled. And an annulment would be a disaster, given that the marriage was a strategic business arrangement between the two families.

I shuddered at the humiliating thought of my first time having sex being discussed by the men in our families. To them, it was a business detail, but to me it felt like an invasion of my privacy.

“It’s all arranged now, Jessica. Anyhow, the Santinos are only trying to help by making you an appointment with their doctor. Even if you don’t seem to appreciate it, at least they recognize how much I have on my plate to arrange a wedding within such a short timescale,” said my mother in a martyred tone.

She set a large box in front of me. “I’ve chosen what you will wear to the engagement party,” she announced, sounding exceptionally pleased with herself as she proceeded to pull a dress out.

I looked at it with undisguised dismay.

It was completely over the top. It was obvious my mother had bought it at Signora Demonte’s boutique, otherwise known as The Desperate Brides Boutique . It was where Società mothers went to get ‘eye-catching’, high fashion dresses for their unmarried daughters to wear at Società functions in the hope of snaring a good husband.

The more desperate the parents got, the more daring the outfits became. It was an embarrassment for a Mafia daughter to not be engaged by the time there was a ‘2’ at the front of her age—in other words, by her 20 th birthday. On the other hand, the men were permitted to get engaged at a later age and no one raised a single eyebrow at their sleeping around and sowing their wild oats.

This was clearly one of Signora Demonte’s signature dresses: low neckline – check, high hemline – check, sequins – check, lace – check, bright screaming color – check, clingy fabric – check, slutty – check.

My mother insisted I try on the dress. After I had put it on, I pulled down at the hemline, wondering if it would stretch any further.

“Mother, you know that this sort of dress really isn’t my style.”

“Jessica, first impressions count. And Rafael’s first impression of you would have been awful in that dreadful lilac sundress you were wearing. We need to put you in a dress which will show him that you’re not an unsophisticated young girl.”

“But that’s what I am,” I wailed, although I knew I had no chance of changing her mind over the dress.

“Nonsense. This dress will transform his view of you.”

Yes, he would now change his mind to thinking that I dressed like a call-girl. “What does it even matter what I wear to the engagement party? Rafael has already seen me and he’s signed the contract, so it’s not as if he needs to be persuaded into marrying me.”

“It’s important he changes his view of you.”

My heart sank to my stomach. “Did he say he wasn’t happy with me…?”

“No, but of course he wouldn’t have been happy—he wants a sophisticated wife. We can’t do much about your disappointing looks, so we’ll just have to try and impress him through your clothes. Even a plain Jane like you will look sensational in a dress like this.”

Jesus, my mother was delusional.

***

The next morning, when it was time to leave for the doctor’s appointment, I was surprised to see that my mother wasn’t getting ready to leave. “Aren’t you coming with me?”

“No, Ortensia said that Emanuel told her that he had arranged everything so that I wouldn’t need to attend with you. He is even sending a car and two of his soldiers to escort you. The Santinos are determined to get all the preparations out of the way and keep the wedding date on track. They know that the only way the Società will get some stability after recent events is through a Santino-Bonardi marriage.”

I worried my lower lip. “But I don’t know the doctor and I really want you to come with me for this.”

“You have to appear to be a grown-up, confident young woman. After all, you are marrying into the Santino family, the head family of the Società.”

I looked at her doubtfully.

“For goodness sake, Jessica, you will do this and attend by yourself. You will not embarrass this family any further, especially after what happened with your sister, and not to mention your outburst at the contract signing when you suggested Gabriel might still want to marry Juliana.”

“But I didn’t mean to embarrass our family when I said that. I only meant—”

My mother cut me short. “Jessica, you are a smart girl, so try not to act like a tactless American tonight. Sometimes I think we should have brought you up more in the traditions of the old country.”

The old country —Italy, of course.

My mother was always harking back to her land of birth, where she had lived until her parents brought her to America as a young child. She looked at life in Italy as the pinnacle of perfection, conveniently forgetting how much she enjoyed the trappings of her wealthy American lifestyle.

“Your father is still unhappy about what you said, so please think carefully before you speak today and make sure you do not cause any further shame to the Bonardi name.”

I headed out to the car sent by Emanuel Santino, sitting in the back behind the two soldiers sent to guard me.

I was wearing a white tailored dress, although its formal style wasn’t really to my taste, and I felt uncomfortable due to the neckline and cap sleeves being edged in scratchy lace trim.

I thought that white clothing always made me look washed out, my pale skin merging with the pale fabric, making me look sallow and tired. However, my mother had insisted that I wear white, cream, or ivory as much as possible in the run up to the wedding, so as to remind everyone that I was the bride-to-be. She definitely wanted to shout it from the rooftops and emphasize to everyone that I was marrying into the Capo’s family. My siblings and I had always joked that our mother, Casmundina Bonardi, was a typical Mafia wife: obedient and demure, yet ruthlessly ambitious for her family.

When I arrived at the clinic for my appointment, I was shown into a sterile examination room and introduced to the doctor.

I wasn’t sure why, but something about his demeanor set me on edge, putting my senses on high alert.

“I need to ask you some questions and then we can get on to the examination.”

Examination? No one had said anything about any examination. I felt a chill spread through me.

The doctor took my medical history and asked me all sorts of questions about my periods and whether I was still a virgin.

After that, he handed me a paper sheet. “Take off all your garments, including your bra and panties.”

“I don’t understand…why?”

“Didn’t your mother explain? You will need a vaginal examination before I can prescribe you birth control, and I’ll also need to examine your breasts. The contraceptive pill can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, so you will need to have regular check-ups. Once you have undressed, wrap the paper sheet around yourself and lie down on the examination table.”

Once the doctor had left the room to give me privacy, I quickly undressed and wrapped the crackly sheet around my body.

I had never had an internal examination. The Mafia didn’t allow a girl to have a pap smear before her marriage, so as to prevent any accidental damage to her hymen before her wedding night—they wanted to take no chances, given that the blood was imperative in proving the bride’s virginity.

I looked down at the sheet. I assumed it was to provide some modesty, although it only came to mid-thigh and I wished it covered more of me.

A few minutes later, I heard the door slowly open and close, and then heavy footsteps came into the room.

The doctor was back.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I sensed that something didn’t feel quite right.

I looked up and felt the blood drain from my face...