Mafia Monster's Forced Bride Page 6

  “Oh, Alex, you are a sweetheart.”

  “I don’t like the thought of you being cold. You know. You need to keep warm, so that you and my dad can take care of each other.”

  Millie was slightly older than her father. Alex had once thought the two might … hit it off, but she had later learned after trying to get the two together that they saw each other more like brother and sister than as lovers. She’d asked Millie in private many years ago if she loved her father.

  “Of course, I love your father, but not like that, Alex. I’m not hiding anything, but he is a great man, just not a man I would want to be a love interest.”

  She’d been so gutted, but the three of them had made a good family. Alex had so many fond memories of Christmas, New Years, birthdays, and just about every celebration she could think of.

  The older woman pulled her into her arms and hugged her tight. “I love you, sweetheart,” Millie said.

  Alex wrapped her arms around her and closed her eyes. “It’s just a sweater.”

  “I know, but I also know you, honey. You cared enough to think about me.”

  “Always.”

  “And that is what makes you special. Your dad is so very proud of you, you know?”

  “Will he be all right?” she asked.

  Having breakfast with her father was a nice refreshing change, rather than eating alone in a sterile environment.

  He hadn’t been able to stay and chat though, making his excuses and leaving for business reasons.

  “You know your father, Alex.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She sighed.

  “Let’s not frown. Stuart wouldn’t want to see you frown. I’ve got brownies and cupcakes loaded in the van. I’ve also got a ton of ice cream scheduled to be delivered in about twenty minutes,” Millie said. “Time to go.”

  Alex grabbed the sweater she’d made and wrapped in some wrapping paper. She left the sewing room, pulling the door closed as she followed Millie toward the front door, only to come to a stop when she saw who was blocking their exit.

  Roman and his buddies.

  She had no idea what they were doing here. “Please, move,” Alex said.

  “You’re not going out there alone.” Roman looked toward Millie. “Can’t you go alone?”

  “No!” Alex snapped out the word. “She’s not going alone. I already talked to my dad today, and he said he didn’t see a reason why I shouldn’t.”

  Roman held up his hand, attempting to silence her and pressing some buttons on his cell phone.

  She heard ringing, and then the sound of her father’s voice.

  “What do you want, Roman?” Liam asked.

  “Alex is under the impression she can go to the orphanage.”

  “That is correct. I gave her my permission earlier. Enjoy, Alex.”

  She smiled.

  “Liam, have you lost your fucking mind?”

  Millie tensed at her side.

  “I agreed to let my daughter go because I had her husband and three of his closest friends, who, according to my records, have the ability to protect her. Not to mention if you four dipshits fail, I know I can count on Millie, isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Millie puffed out her chest, and Alex wrapped her arms around the older woman, giving her a squeeze.

  “Are we done here, Roman? Unlike you, I like my daughter to thrive, to have a life, and to show my fucking enemies that I’m not afraid.”

  She saw a tic in Roman’s jaw as he clenched his teeth. Liam had just embarrassed him. The call ended abruptly, and he looked up. She saw the anger in his eyes.

  “I do not like this.”

  “I’m going to go see Stuart. I trust that you will all keep us safe. Besides, last night, we dealt with two of the enemy’s men. I doubt they would try to attack so soon.” Stepping past them, Millie by her side, she walked out to the waiting van.

  As she suspected, Antonio, Marlo, and Cash took the three seats up front, leaving her, Millie, and Roman to sit in the backseat.

  “You know this is reckless,” Roman said.

  “Would you have us all staying at home and waiting for the enemy to get bored? Is that it?” Millie asked.

  “Her life is in danger.”

  “Alex’s life has been in danger her whole life. Being your wife doesn’t change that.”

  “It makes her more of a target.”

  “And yet, from where I sit, it makes her more protected. There are five people here to make sure she is safe. Do you have so little confidence in your men?” Millie asked.

  Alex winced at the jibe. It wasn’t a nice one.

  “Stop fighting,” Alex said. “I only want to see Stuart and the rest of the kids. I love them all.”

  “Why do you only have one gift?” Roman asked. “Do you favor one? That will make him a target.”

  Millie tsked. “There is a box in the trunk, next to all the brownies and cupcakes I’ve made. Alex has been making them kids gifts for as long as I can remember. When she wasn’t studying, she was sewing. The only kid’s sweater she had left to do was Stuart’s. The only reason she is holding it is because he’s so withdrawn. He doesn’t like to get involved, and the kids know that.” Millie shook her head. “Where do they make men like you? Always so suspicious.”

  Alex stared out the window, no longer caring to justify her actions. Roman was always going to see the worst in her. She didn’t know why he felt like she was this evil person or someone he couldn’t trust, but if she was being honest with herself, she was tired of it. Tired of him constantly putting her down.

  The battles. It was exhausting.

  The journey wasn’t long, and Millie ended up shouting at Antonio to stop when they came toward a private residence.

  Millie climbed out and typed in the code instead of telling Antonio and the car full of people the access to the orphanage. The gates opened, and Millie climbed back inside.

  “Does this help you to understand why Liam was happy for Alex to come to the orphanage? It’s protected. He would never put his daughter in any danger.”

  Millie continued to shake her head, and Alex just stayed quiet.

  There was no reason to add insult to injury.

  This was her life.

  Her father had told her since she was a little girl that he would do everything in his power to protect her. That she would never know fear or pain. He wasn’t accurate as she had experienced both, but each time, he’d been there to fight everyone else off.

  As she climbed out of the car, the front door opened, and the moment the kids saw her, they came running. All of them wrapping their arms around her. She had spent so much time with these kids. Boys and girls. She was there when they were adopted, and she always asked her father to make sure they were happy.

  She also received regular letters from kids who had been adopted, which she loved.

  “Ice cream, cake, and brownies,” Millie said.

  The kids cheered.

  “Now, who wants to see what Alex got you all?” Millie asked.

  Alex’s cheeks heated as they all screamed in delight, and the box she had spent a couple of months filling was held open. Millie started to hand out the gifts. Each one was labeled for each child.

  Carla, a little eight-year-old girl, came to her, tugging at her shirt. “He’s in the dining room. Under the table.”

  She smiled at the young girl and stroked her cheek. “Thank you.”

  The young girl’s name was called, and Alex made her way inside the house. She found Stuart sitting in the middle of the table, underneath it.

  Getting to her knees, she smiled at the young boy. His eyes went wide. “Alex?”

  “Hey, buddy, can I enter?”

  He nodded, and she crawled under the table. The moment she was close, Stuart wrapped his arms around her, pressing his face against her stomach. “I missed you,” he said.

  She put her hand on his back. “I missed you too, buddy. So, so much.”

  “
They said you were taken. That you weren’t going to come back.”

  “That’s not true. I … I got married to a man, and he … he didn’t know that I came here. Daddy is sorting everything out, and hopefully when it is all fixed, I can come here all the time.”

  It broke her heart seeing how tired and scared Stuart was. When she came to visit him every single day, he started to get stronger, confident. All that hard work had been undone.

  “I made you something.” She held out the wrapped sweater, and Stuart took it, staying as close to her as possible.

  He tore into the wrapping, and without looking at it properly, he pulled it on. “I love it.”

  His arms went around her. “Don’t leave.”

  “Not for a few hours. We have cake, ice cream, and brownies. I know they’re your favorite.”

  Stuart held her, and she smiled, not wanting to show him her sadness.

  “Or we can stay right here, and just … be safe.” Being under the table always made Stuart feel safe.

  Alex stared across the floor and saw several pairs of feet, and she knew they belonged to Roman and his friends. She didn’t care what they heard. They all already had a bad opinion of her based off some stupid test.

  They could go and suck it, not that she’d tell that to their faces. No, she was happy to stay under the table because the truth was, she was just as scared as Stuart, but she had different reasons to be.

  ****

  Roman got to meet the little boy under the table, but it took three hours of being at the orphanage for him to come out. In the end, it took Millie coaxing him out with ice cream and brownies.

  Of course, it meant that he never got to speak with Alex as the little boy was plastered to her side like a second skin. He also wore the sweater she made for him. All the kids wore them, and each one had a different design. Much to his surprise, they all adored her. The other kids accepted Stuart’s fear, though, and none of them commented about how he was stuck to Alex.

  They were approaching dinner, and after eating way too much ice cream, he was ready to head back, but Alex didn’t want to leave.

  Once again, Millie had no choice but to pull his wife away, and the guardians helped with Stuart, but he saw the pain in Alex’s eyes at leaving the boy. No, not just the boy, but the whole house. The kids put on brave faces, but he saw how much they loved her.

  Back in the car, Alex stared out the window, watching the house for the longest time. Millie held her hand. “We can return tomorrow,” Millie said.

  Alex didn’t say anything. She held Millie’s hand like it was a lifeline, and he guessed at that moment, it was exactly that.

  No one talked.

  He’d listened to Alex and Stuart when they first arrived at the orphanage. When he saw her heading into the main house, his suspicions had risen, but then he’d watched. He didn’t think Alex had seen him bend down to see who this Stuart was.

  The boy had been terrified, holding on to Alex like he was going to lose her.

  Antonio, Marlo, and Cash were there. None of them knew what to say.

  Arriving back at Liam’s house, Millie and Alex made their way inside. Dinner was expected within the hour, but he didn’t see any sign of his father or Liam’s car. He checked his cell phone, and still nothing.

  “Are you okay?” Antonio asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.” This came from Marlo.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I don’t know, it seems to me you kind of married a … good girl,” Cash said.

  “This could all be an act.”

  “An act that didn’t want to marry you in the first place?” Antonio held his hands up as Roman shot him a glare.

  “Look, your words, not ours. You’re the one who told us that.”

  Liam had been the one to tell him, as well as the few entries on her diary, which was inside his jacket.

  “I’m going to get changed for tonight,” he said. “My father will want you all there.” He left his friends to get ready as he headed up to Alex’s room. The bathroom door was shut, and he tested the door to find it locked.

  Roman could break it down, but he knew Alex needed some time. She loved those kids.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled out her diary and opened to where he’d left off. The edge of the page was pulled down and neatly folded.

  Dear Mom,

  You never got married, and I don’t want to either. So many dresses came today. Dad told me to have fun and to try them all on, but … I hate them. I hate dressing in white. I know he had to go and see … whatever his name was, because there was this stupid, horrible, request.

  The pages were smudged like Alex had been crying as she wrote.

  They want to find out if I’m a virgin. Have you ever heard of such a stupid thing? It is stupid. So fucking stupid.

  I’m so angry.

  Dad said that I don’t have to do the test. He believes that I’m a virgin. Of course, he does. He knows that I have no desire to be near boys. They’re horrible and cruel, and I hate this. I don’t want to marry Roman Greco. I don’t want to be married to that family, but I know how important it is to Dad. I overheard him talking to Millie. She was trying to help me get out of it, and he said that it is important. He likes Lucas Greco. The man, although old-fashioned with the whole virgin thing, is a good man at his core. He wants a world where I am safe, and he feels this is the best course of action. Roman is supposed to be a nice guy, but he’s not. I know he’s not. I’ve heard what the soldiers have said about him. He’s scary as hell.

  A damn virginity test.

  For what?

  He’s no virgin.

  Why do I have to be?

  Not that I’m not. I’ve never had sex. I’ve never kissed a boy. Never even hugged a boy unless you count Dad!

  I hate this. I refuse to do it. I won’t allow some strange person to look … there. That’s my place. It’s my body. There are limits, even now, right?

  There was no ending to the passage.

  Roman slumped.

  Not even kissed a boy.

  When he’d kissed her in church, her eyes had been wide, and if his memory served him right, she hadn’t even puckered her lips.

  Why hadn’t she done that? Did she not know how?

  The door to the bathroom opened, and he slid her diary back into his jacket.

  Alex had a towel on, and her hair fell around her in wet rivulets. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “My dad likes punctuality, and I need to get ready.”

  “I don’t have any clothes here for you. I can go and fetch some from my dad’s room.”

  “No need to. I already have clothes here. While I was waiting for you this morning to finish your sewing, I organized some suits. They’re in your closet.”

  Their marriage wasn’t coming to an end any time soon, and he doubted it ever would. Everything he found out about Alex showed him this woman was strong, loyal, and loving.

  Not the image of his wife he had.

  His past lovers and the women in his world were anything but. Innocence was often destroyed, and quickly, unless they were young children.

  She rubbed at her temples. “You’re right.”

  Roman stepped closer toward her. “You care for that boy, don’t you?”

  “I care for all of the kids at the orphanage. They’re all special. He was the one I found.”

  “He relies on you a lot.”

  She sighed and rubbed at her temple. “Can we not talk about this? It’s hard enough to leave them. I don’t want to think of them alone at night.”

  “Don’t they have guardians?” Roman asked.

  “They do, but they’re being paid to take care of them.” She went to step around him, but he placed a hand on her waist, stalling her. He didn’t grip her too tightly as he didn’t want to startle her or make her afraid.

  “Alex,” he said.

  “What is it?”

&n
bsp; He stared into her eyes.

  Roman had never taken the time to look into her eyes before. They were a deep brown. At first, he had thought they were cold, malicious, and that she was after whatever she could get, but he knew that wasn’t true.

  They were warm, filled with a great deal of love. There was a lot about his wife that he didn’t know about.

  He looked at her lips, and he had never noticed before how plump and inviting they were. He wanted to kiss them. To be the first man to actually take those luscious lips.

  He leaned forward only to have Alex jerk back. “What are you doing?”

  Roman frowned. “I was going to kiss you.”

  “What the hell for?” Alex shook her head and held her hand up. “No, I don’t want to kiss you. I don’t know what you were doing, but leave me out of this.”

  No woman had ever rejected him, and he was taken aback by the sudden move. This had never happened before.

  Alex made her way into her closet, and not one to linger, he walked into the bathroom and pulled out her diary again. She hadn’t been kissed, but she didn’t want his kisses?

  That made no sense. He was her fucking husband.

  Slamming the book down on the counter, he looked at his reflection, and he did appear to be a little … out of it. Roman didn’t go around begging women. They were waiting for him, panting for more, and desperate for whatever he could give them.

  He didn’t have time to stand idly by, so he quickly stripped out of his clothes and stepped beneath the shower. The water was warm, and he needed it cold. Blasting his body, he allowed the freeze to take him over. The cold was welcoming. The moment he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out into the bedroom only to find his wife was gone.

  Fuck!

  In this place, he was always going to be one step behind her. He changed quickly, hiding her diary near her bed, where he hoped she’d never look. The small book was proving to be quite insightful, if not a little obsession of his.

  He made his way downstairs, only to come face to face with his father.

  “Where is everyone?” he asked.

  “They’re at the table. I wanted to have a word with you, in private. Can we step outside?” Lucas asked.