Page 31 of Mafia’s Final Play

“If I wasn’t worried about snow, I’d say yes. But we need to head back once it’s finished.”

“I understand.” She leaned over to kiss him and went back to watching the movie.

Yeah, maybe it would be best to take her back. She needed to talk to her counselor some more, and he knew she wanted to see her doctor. She was worried, and he had to admit, he was concerned about the tremors, the restless nights she had, and maybe a doctor’s assurance would help. That had to be weighing her mind down too, worrying that she was going to end up like her mother.

Well, she could never be like her mother. She wasn’t made from the same cloth, even if they did share genes. Marie would overcome anything that came her way, she always had before. She’d get through this too. He’d be there every step of the way.

He decided to talk to Anton and see what he thought. If they could keep her safe in New York, he’d take her back to the city and let her run wild if she wanted to.

15

When they got home Matteo kissed Marie and headed into the kitchen to talk to Anton. She wasn’t sure what it was about, but they often had these little talks, so she went up to the bathroom to shower before bed. He’d been acting strange since they left the theater, lost in his own thoughts.

She thought, perhaps, their discussion before they’d arrived for dinner had set him to thinking. Her goal hadn’t been to depress him or make him feel sorry for her, she hadn’t even had a goal. He’d asked questions and she’d answered as best she could. She wanted to share with him, and he’d even done a bit of sharing of his own.

There was no use worrying over it, so she showered, put on some warm pajamas, and went to bed. He came up after a while and she asked him if he wanted to watch something.

“Yeah, find something funny. I’d like to end the night laughing with you.” He winked at her before he went to the bathroom.

She found a new comedy on Netflix and had everything ready for him when he came back in.

“I went down and got you a bottle of water and some apple juice.” He held both bottles up and she took them with a grateful smile.

“I’ll be up all night if I drink both of those.” She put them on a napkin she’d put there to protect the nightstand from moisture.

“I wasn’t sure which you’d want. I’ll take the one you don’t want.”

She handed over the apple juice and opened the water. He settled into bed and pulled her to him, with his arm over her shoulders. “What are we watching then?”

She told him the plot of the movie. He seemed to like it, so she put it on. She stayed awake for the first hour, but by the time the movie was almost done she was almost asleep. She had turned over, onto her right side away from him, because she just couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore.

“Marie?” he asked quietly, as if afraid to wake her but needing to talk to her.

“What, babe?” She reached back and took his hand in hers.

“Do you want to go back to New York?” The question came just as quietly but she heard him.

“What?” She rolled over, awake now. “Back to New York? But there’s still someone after me, isn’t there?”

“I talked with Anton. We can work out a way to keep you protected there: keep guards with you, change routes when you go somewhere, keep security tight. It will be a challenge, but if you want to go home, we can.” He turned to her and she touched his face, a little rough now at the end of the night.

He’d shave it all away in the morning. She thought about those few days he’d let it grow before he’d had to shave it off because it itched him so much. “You know my home is you, remember?”

“I do, I meant it too. But you’ve been a prisoner your whole life, Marie. First your mother’s, then mine when this contract was made. I’ve done it to keep you safe, but it’s not much different is it?” His eyes searched hers, begged her to tell him he was wrong, and she could only smile.

“At first, I felt the same, I have to admit. I wanted to escape the seclusion, the inability to breathe fresh air. I knew why it had to be like that, Matteo. I knew this was my life that was in danger. You didn’t keep me at the house to be your maid, to throw things at me, to make me wipe your ass, or change sheets you’d pissed in, on purpose I might add. She did that so many fucking times.”

Marie started to swear as she spoke more about her mother. She didn’t always swear, but when she did, it was usually because she was talking about her mom, or very upset about something. Some emotion prodded her into it, and she knew there must be anger showing through on her face. She tried to calm herself down, to relax as he waited for her to continue.

He needed to be reassured that she didn’t hate him, and she didn’t. She cupped his cheek in her palm, slid a finger over his lips, and looked straight into those gray eyes that made her melt now, as they always did.

“You didn’t keep me there to degrade me, Matteo. You kept me there, you brought me here, to keep me safe. It’s totally different.” A tear slid from her eye, but she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the sensation of loving him that made the tears come to her eyes, she wasn’t sure, because she wasn’t sad, just… in love. “You have been nothing but wonderful to me.”

“But I’ve brought my world to you. I’ve brought the shit that comes with it. With me. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be safe right now.”

“Would I? Or would I be homeless, wondering when I would be able to eat next, where I’d sleep?” She smiled, a sad smile, but one that changed as she looked at him. Hope took the place of sadness. “You saved me, Matteo, and you gave me the world.”

“Maybe I should take you away from all of that forever,” he mused as he rolled to his back.