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I held a whole lot of rage at Nico's parents and it was totally justified. I was even a little pissed at the police that refused to listen to me or Nico because his parents were rich.
It made me see that money made the rules in this world, so I needed to make some, or rather a lot of money. I wanted to make sure I had more than Nico's parents so they would have to follow my rules.
"When I got out of prison, my father sent me back to the old country to work for my grandfather. I started out at the bottom. I was basically a thug, acting as security and driving my grandfather around, but over time I proved myself to him and I was able to advance up the ranks. When he retired, he made me the boss."
"Of the mafia?"
I nodded.
"Have you...killed someone?" Nico asked. "I heard you had to kill someone to become a made-man in the mob or something like that."
I grimaced at the bad taste that welled up in my throat. I didn't want to lie to Nico, but I didn't want him to hate me either. "I have," I finally admitted. "But every time has been in self-defense."
At least that part was truthful.
"Have you ever been hurt?"
"A time or two."
"So, your work is dangerous?"
"It can be, but I have a good team of security guys that work for me and keep me safe. They will be keeping you safe as well. As the spouse of the boss, your safety is their first priority."
"Being in the mafia is against the law, isn't it? They could send you back to prison."
"Technically, that is true, but things are a little different in Italy than they are in America. As long as we don't go after any civilians or create too much chaos, they pretty much leave us alone to do our thing."
It helped that I had a lot of police and politicians in my pocket. Cost a pretty penny, but it kept me out of jail and kept the police out of my business.
"Can they send me to prison because I'd be your spouse?"
"No!"
Nico jumped when I shouted and looked at me with wide eyes.
"Sorry, didn't mean to raise my voice," I told him. "No, they won't send you to jail. For one, you won't be involved in the business so they would have no reason to send you to prison."
"I won't testify against you."
"They can't force you to testify against me, but to ease your mind, I'll make sure that you never witness anything that they could question you about."
"You can do that?"
I smiled at how naive Nico was. "I can."
Vinnie had talked to me for a very long time, explaining to me how it worked for him and his husband. He didn't want Nicky involved in the business either and made great strides to make sure it never happened.
"When we get back to Italy, you'll have the run of the place, but you'll have guards. One will be assigned to you fulltime and he will go everywhere with you, but more guards will go with you if you leave the house."
I thought Nico would be happy that I had arranged for his security. I was totally confused when he paled. "Nico?"
"G-Guards?"
"You won't be a prisoner, Nico. They are just there for your safety."
"But...but..."
I frowned at the fear I could hear in his voice. It didn't sound normal. "Nico? I swear you won't be a prisoner. I just want you to be safe."
