Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss (Mob Boss’s Unexpected Twins Duet #1)

16. Chiara

CHAPTER 16

Chiara

It’s Rocco who brings me some water and a sandwich and lets me go to the bathroom. He just stands at the door, watching me. It’s unnerving. I don’t have anything to do. There’s nothing I can occupy my mind with.

Maybe I should ask Rocco to give me a book or something. But where is Adriano? I haven’t seen him in a while. What is he doing? What is he up to?

I don’t even know if my mom and dad are still at Nico’s or if they returned home. Either way, they must be worried sick. Unless Adriano is sending them texts from my phone. But my parents would never believe I just disappeared without telling them anything about it in person or at least over the phone.

I stare at the ceiling. No matter how much I try to think of something to escape, I don’t come up with anything. And how can I? I’m on my own in a huge building full of armed men.

My only option is to run for the window once I’m untied and jump through it to my death, and I don’t like that idea at all. I don’t want to die, but I don’t know if Adriano will let me live, even after he gets what he wants.

After I don’t know how long, the door opens and Adriano strides in. The corners of his lips are quirked up. He’s happy about something, and I have no clue if that’s good or bad for me. Probably bad.

“You can go,” Adriano says to Rocco, and his gaze lands on me. “Missed me?”

I don’t respond.

He pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his strong muscles. I don’t look away, even though I should. Why is someone so evil so good-looking? Why did my path have to cross with his?

He disappears in the bathroom, and I glance up at the cameras that Rocco set up in the corners of the room. There was a small red light that was on while the cameras were filming. I don’t see that light anymore.

My pulse speeds up. What does that mean? Maybe it’s just because Adriano wants some privacy or he doesn’t have the need for the cameras any longer. I have no idea why they were even installed.

Adriano might have wanted to keep an eye on me himself, especially if he didn’t think he could trust his men after one of them tried to help me. Or he showed the feed to someone. My mom and dad? I’ll have to take a risk and ask him because I can’t stand the uncertainty. It’s driving me crazy.

When Adriano walks out of the bathroom, I force my gaze away and stare at the wall. Once I hear the closet door close, I look at him. He’s fully dressed, and he tosses a key on the bed next to me.

“Take off your cuff,” he says. “Let’s eat something.”

He has his gun out. I push myself up and unlock the cuff. As I place the cuff and the key on the nightstand, he nods toward the door.

“You know where the dining room is,” he says.

I do, and he’s right behind me, with his gun. Rocco is right in the hallway too. Again no chance for me to try something or grab a weapon.

If I’m going to die anyway, I should at least try to take Adriano with me, right? But I don’t think he’s going to give me another chance.

The table is full of food again, and we take our seats just like last time.

“Can I talk to my parents?” I ask.

“Not yet.”

I eye him carefully. Does that mean they’re still at Nico’s? Probably. Why else would Adriano be dragging this out?

“Do you think your project is worth going to prison for?” I catch his gaze.

If I can’t do anything else, maybe I can talk him out of going after my neighborhood.

“You say that as if you think I can actually end up there. Funny.” He smiles.

“Do you really believe that’s impossible? You can sign as many contracts as you want, but everyone will know how you got those signatures. People will talk, and one day, someone will be brave enough to speak out. Or you’ll go too far. My neighbor said you burned a woman’s house down to get what you wanted. One person is enough to start a domino effect. People will put two and two together and realize what you’ve done. They’ll want you to pay, and the whole thing will be so big not even you will be able to stop it.”

“Are you here to eat or talk? Because if you’re not hungry, you can leave.” Adriano makes a shooing motion with his fingers.

“You’re avoiding the conversation. Got it. That means I’m right.” I spread my lips into a smile.

“I’ve already been to prison. Well, juvie, to be exact.” He leans across the table. “What makes you think that would scare me?”

“What did you do?” I read somewhere that people who were imprisoned young had way bigger chances of sticking to a life of crime.

“Does it matter?”

“I’m just curious.”

“My bro—” He pauses. “I stole a car. Really expensive one. Well, I wasn’t alone. It was the other guy’s idea, and I went along with it. He was driving and crashed the car. I told him to run and stayed behind to try to clean it up a bit, get our prints off, but... I wasn’t fast enough. Got caught. Told the cops I did it all on my own. They somehow pinned a few other crimes—thefts—on me that I didn’t do, but no one cared.”

“Your brother? Is that what you were about to say?”

Adriano rolls his eyes. “He’s not my brother. Well, he technically is, because his father adopted me.”

I furrow my brow. “So that’s why that guy said you weren’t a real Gaviani.”

“I still have their last name, so I am. If they wanted it back, they could’ve come and told me so. But they haven’t. I haven’t spoken to them since that night.”

My mouth falls open. “Wait, you’re saying your adoptive family hasn’t spoken to you since you were arrested?”

He nods.

“But...” I don’t even know what to say.

It’s incomprehensible to me.

“I turned eighteen in there anyway, so I didn’t need anyone anymore.”

The way he says it... as if it makes the whole thing better.

“Your family abandoned you just because of that?” I’ve never done anything stupid like that, but there’s no way my parents would’ve abandoned me. “They didn’t even visit you to hear your side of the story? And your brother didn’t feel guilty?”

Hell, I’m pretty sure I read stories in the news about the mafia breaking their members out of prison or getting the best lawyers and whatnot. I thought they were all about not abandoning their own, especially actual family members.

He presses his lips into a white line. “In the Gaviani family getting caught is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.”

“Where are they now?”

“Close by. Their territory is right next to mine.”

I’m speechless. How could someone do that? And there I thought Adriano was heartless.

“Don’t look at me like that, like you pity me. I have everything I want, and being on my own has made me better and stronger. They could’ve canceled my bank account, but they didn’t. My adoptive father—Gennaro—he knew I could make it on my own.”

“When did he adopt you?” Maybe Adriano’s time with the family was short, so they hadn’t really gotten attached.

“When I was about five.”

“So he raised you? Like his son?”

“Yeah.”

Nope, I can’t find any excuses for the Gaviani family. No wonder Adriano gets pissed off when someone mentions family.

“What about your birth parents?”

“Who knows? I was left at someone’s doorstep shortly after being born with a necklace around my hand. Then I was placed in a home with a family of alcoholics and drug addicts. I got out of there and was roaming the streets. One day, I was so hungry I stole a bag that was left in the middle of a dark alley because I thought I’d find money or food. Armed men ran out of a garage after me. They chased me for a while until they finally caught me. I thought they’d kill me, but Gennaro saw me and he was impressed. He shot the guy who left that bag, which was actually full of drugs, and he asked me if I wanted to join his family. I said yes. It was better than going back home or staying on the streets.”

I blink at him. The whole thing sounds so surreal I half expect him to start laughing, but his face is completely serious.

“And that necklace? Did it mean something? Maybe your parents were in a bad situation and were hoping to find you later.”

“I don’t know. Gennaro threw it away.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m sorry you never had a real family.”

He scoffs. “Why? Do you think that will make me let you go?”

“No, I just... No one should go through something like that.”

“Not even me?” His eyebrows shoot up. “Your enemy? Come on, Chiara. You tried to kill me, remember?”

“If that hadn’t happened to you, we wouldn’t be here. It’s all I’m saying. You’d be a different person. The people around us influence us in ways that—”

He laughs. “If you’re so bored. We can find something more entertaining to do. Find a better use for your mouth.”

I clench my jaw, glaring at him. He’s a lost cause. Nothing I say will change his mind. But I understand him a little better now. I was right. He wants to do this to prove to his adoptive family that they shouldn’t have abandoned him.

Maybe he doesn’t want to admit it, not even to himself, but it’s a good explanation for why he’s doing this and why it matters to him that everything is executed so perfectly. He wants to show everyone and himself that he can do everything on his own and doesn’t need anyone in his life.

In a few years or decades, when he’s all alone, he’ll realize that he needs more than just money and power, but it’ll be too late. I shouldn’t feel sorry for him, but I do. I feel sorry for him and for everyone who has suffered and will suffer because of him.

A wave of strange warmth overcomes me. I pull my chair back because the world is spinning around me. It’s as if I’ve gotten hit by a truck. Dark spots dance in my vision.

“Chiara, are you okay?” I hear Adriano’s voice, but it’s quickly drowned out.

And I’m falling.