Veiled Vows: An age gap, marriage of convenience, secret pregnancy, mafia romance (Mafia Lords of Sin)

Theresa makes good on her promise.

Within two hours of our meeting, several of her armed guards turn up at my estate with instructions to sweep and secure the manor from top to bottom. Another armed brigade takes the garden, and by the time dinner rolls around, new security rules and systems are in place.

All my remaining security are interrogated and then paired up with one of Theresa’s men to ensure there’s no double-crossing. They work with quiet efficiency, which leaves me free to move onto the next part of my plan.

Which is … nothing.

I’m making this up as I go along to distract from the pain of losing my father and Roman within the same week. The busier I am, the less my mind runs like a hamster on a wheel, but I’m running out of ideas. To distract myself, I spend the next day poring through my father’s office and absorbing every detail of the businesses until I discover something.

Something to do with the Yakuza.

It’s enough to persuade Theresa to use some of her weight and secure me a meeting with the Yakuza, so three days after I gain an alliance with the most powerful family in the State, I’m standing in front of the pinstripe-suit-wearing Yakuza man I met months ago with Alto. He still refuses to provide a name, but his men refer to him as Chairman, so that’s what I use despite the curl of his upper lip.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Chairman.”

He stands tall and proud with several of his suited men creating an arc behind him. Each one is armed to the teeth with several of their sleek black cars parked deeper in the warehouse. Their condition of meeting me was that I come alone, and facing them down with no one behind me is incredibly intimidating.

In a twist of luck though, focusing on my anger and grief makes me feel like I can take on the world, so my stance remains strong and my words steady.

“You called this meeting through the Mancinis,” the Chairman replies stiffly. “Why?”

“I knew if I called, you wouldn’t pick up.”

“And you came alone.”

“I was told once that the Yakuza work on honor.” Roman flits through my mind. “In fact, that’s more important to you than money or even blood. Am I wrong?”

No one responds.

I swallow hard and clear my throat while looking the Chairman directly in the eye. “I’ll keep this short. For years, I thought my father’s war with you was a gigantic waste of time and resources. I didn’t see you as any great threat compared to some other issues we faced.”

The Chairman’s impassive face betrays his anger with a flicker of his brows, but the longer I talk, the more confident I grow.

After all, I didn’t come here alone.

“To me you were just the scum that kidnapped kids from school because your Gatti masters told you to. But since my father died, I’ve learned a thing or two about you and the real threat you are to me and my family. I know that you’re not actually the Gatti’s lapdogs. You two have an alliance. An old one at that. And my father knew. All these years, he wasn’t cutting you down to size out of revenge for kidnapping his daughter, he was keeping the pressure on you because he knew that the Gattis couldn’t act without you. Sure, they had enough support that we couldn’t ever crush them fully, but they were at half-mast compared to what would have happened had my father let up on you even for a second. So with you all caught up in defending your territory and your lives, the Gattis couldn’t make any real moves. Until now.”

The Chairman chuckles dryly. “You have a shrewd mind.”

“I am my father’s daughter.”

“Indeed. But given how close you are to the truth, you must also be able to see the future.”

I widen my stance slightly. “Which is?”

“Your father is dead. Your men are scattered. The threat on our territory and our business has dried up, and now we will take what we are owed.” He continues to chuckle, even wheezing slightly as humor takes him. “You come here alone preaching about honor, but you forget honor only exists within our organization. It does not extend to other families, so you, child, are foolish to think we honor agreements with others.”

“Ohh.” I sigh softly. “See, I knew that. Or I suspected that. But before we get into that, I want to tell you why you’re really here. See, all the workshops, trade routes and shipments, staff and cooking houses that you own? They’re mine now. In fact, I’m taking over the drug trade all down the East Coast. So your drug dens are now my drug dens.”

“You lie!” The Chairman’s laughter dries up instantly. “What is this insolence? You think you can stand there and make threats, little girl? For too long we’ve had to live under the Italian thumb, taking hit after hit, but no more. Your father is dead. Your trade is mine!”

Despite my racing heart, I force my voice to remain steady. “You misunderstand. I’m not here to negotiate or threaten. I’m here to inform you of a change that’s happening right as we speak. If you value your life you might want to fall in line and accept that your territory is now my territory.”

“Kill her!” The Chairman screeches suddenly. “Enough of this.”

As guns raise to me, I hold up one hand, but it’s impossible for me to keep my arm from shaking. “By the way? I lied. I didn’t come here alone.”

As soon as the words leave my lips, I hit the ground and lie as flat as I can as an explosion of glass rains down from the roof of the warehouse. Several of Theresa’s men slide down on black ropes with their guns firing openly at the Yakuza men who scramble for cover. I cover my head with my hands and fight the urge to curl into a ball.

My instructions were to lie as flat as possible, so that’s what I’ll do.

The doors at the far end behind me slam open and several more armed men and women pour in like the rushing sea, mowing down anyone and everyone left standing. A couple of the cars behind the Yakuza line explode as stray bullets enter fuel tanks and engines, and the dying splutters of injured men are quickly silenced by those tasked with walking through the bodies and making sure no one is left alive.

Then, silence falls and a hand lightly taps my shoulder. Lowering my hands, I peer upward at one of the captains Theresa assigned to me. He offers me his hand and helps me to my feet.

“Injured?”

“No.” I brush trembling hands down my shirt and skirt. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He turns me around while checking me over. “Adrenaline can hide things.”

“I’m sure, thank you.”

He doesn’t let me go until he’s satisfied I took zero injuries in the attack, then he remains close to my back as I walk to where the Yakuza Chairman kneels with blood pouring heavily from a shoulder wound.

“You should have taken the deal,” I say, my voice trembling from how hard my heart is beating. The tremble sounds weak but for once, I’m not scared. If anything, this is rather exhilarating. “You’ll die here, and whoever is next in charge will have to fall in line or I’ll keep killing until I find someone smart enough to agree.”

The Chairman spits at me and earns a blow from the butt of a rifle from one of the guards watching him. Then he’s kicked in the back until he falls, and the gunshot ending his life echoes around the warehouse like the clang of a bell.

“It’s over,” I sigh softly, shaking my head. “Wow.”

“Theresa for you.” The captain hands me a phone, then tilts his head indicating for me to follow him out of the warehouse.

“Theresa?”

“Darling.” Theresa’s relaxed voice drifts through the phone. “I trust things went well?”

“Not as I hoped, but almost exactly as I expected.”

“That’s how it always goes. I’ve received word that the caretaker we picked up earlier, the man in place to take over from the man you just killed, is eager to agree to your terms.”

“Excellent.” I sigh deeply as soon as the late afternoon sun hits my skin. “If this works, if what we’ve done really works, we might be looking at more product that I’ll know what to do with.”

“Don’t tempt me to take you over,” Theresa laughs gently. “This is your chance. Take a look at what you have and own it. I’m looking forward to my thirty-two percent.”

“Mom?”

She’s exactly where I left her three hours ago when I left. Sitting in the conservatory with a pot of tea, her favorite books, and a good show on the television. When she hears me enter she lifts her head, but instead of looking at me, she glances outside and then returns to the television.

“Mom, I’m back.”

Nothing. Not a word.

I sit next to her with a heavy heart and then slowly take her hand in mine. She doesn’t respond to my touch at first, but after a few seconds, a smile spreads across her face. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Mom?”

“Have you seen this episode? The detectives are looking for a dog because it ate a piece of key evidence. You know, I always loved watching this show with your Dad, wherever he got to.”

Her words are like a knife to the heart. I lightly squeeze her hand and encourage her to look at me. “Mom … Dad passed away, remember? He isn’t with us anymore. We had his funeral, remember?” The doctor advised it was good to remind her of these things, but I’m not sure how much good it actually does. She always reacts the same.

“Oh,” she says distantly. “Yes.”

“I can take you to see the headstone if you like? It was put in a few days ago. If you want to see him?”

She shakes her head and glances back at the TV. “I don’t have time for that, silly. Not with your wedding coming up. So much to do and so little time. After this episode though, I want to see them catch the dog.”

Trauma does terrible things to the mind. Killing my father seems to have been the final nail in my mother’s mental state. In some ways it’s a blessing. If she doesn’t remember what she did, then it can’t hurt her.

But I remember.

I lost my Dad, and somehow I’ve lost my Mom too.

And Roman. Thinking of the wedding adds another pain to my heart, and I close my eyes as the crumbling emotions I’ve been sitting on threaten to well up and overwhelm me. Not yet. I still have so much to do. I can’t lose control yet.

“Your father …” Mom’s hand tightens in mine. We look at each other and pain fills her eyes. This is the other side of the coin. When she does remember, there’s nothing but pain and distress. “You know I was trying to protect you, sweetheart, you know that right? I’ve kept you safe, haven’t I?”

Repeating this conversation taught me there’s only one good way to end it, so I smile and kiss her cheek. “Yes, Mom. You did. You saved me.”

“I saved you,” she says softly.

Suddenly something pings from under the cushion next to her. “What is that?”

“Nothing, honey.”

“Is that … what is that?” I ask as another ping sounds. It sounds like a phone, but I’ve kept all phones away from her just in case she decides to call and confess to the wrong person. “Mom, what is this?”

She starts to fight me as I dig into the cushions, but I’m faster than her and quickly snatch out the phone from underneath and stand.

“Jasmine!”

“Mom, how did you get this?!” It’s not just any phone. It’s the phone Alto—no, Roman—was texting her on.

“I found it in your desk. That’s my phone, Jasmine. Give it to me!” She surges up and I dart away from her.

“No. Mom, this is dangerous. You know that. These messages are lies. These messages led to you ki—” The words die in my throat as another message pings through. I open it and my heart stops.

Three messages, each detailing the tail end of their conversation, in which my mother agrees to meet Roman in order to discuss more ways to keep me safe.

“Mom! You’re so stupid!”

“Don’t yell at me, Jasmine! I am your mother, and I am trying to keep you safe.”

“And I told you that the man on the end of this phone is dangerous! I told you to forget about it, ignore it. Why did you go looking for it?”

“Because of the wedding! I couldn’t find your father, and I knew you were in danger, Jasmine. I’m trying to keep you safe!”

My frustration builds, but facing my mother’s tears brings a deep sense of defeat in my chest. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, not really.

“Mom. I am safe, remember?”

“Well it doesn’t feel like it!” Tears fill her eyes. “I’m worried about you, Jasmine. It’s my job. With your father missing, what else am I supposed to do?”

“Mom, Dad is dead. He’s dead and he’s not coming back! And you have to stop, okay? Stop looking for this fucking phone. Stop talking to dangerous people.”noveldrama

“Language, Jasmine!”

“I don’t fucking care—” It takes all my remaining threadbare control to rein in my anger and sit my mother back down. “Mom. Don’t look for this again, okay? I am safe. You see those guards out there?”

She follows my finger to the armed men patrolling the garden and nods.

“They’re keeping us safe. Me safe. I’m okay, understand?”

Very slowly she nods her head, and then she looks me in the eye with alarming clarity. “I miss Enzo.”

My heart breaks and I surge up, hugging her tightly. “I know Mom. Me too.”

She huddles into me and sniffles while tears leak into my own eyes.

Don’t cry. Not yet.

The phone comes into focus, still clutched in my hand.

If Roman wants to meet my mother then fine. I’ll let him think he’s meeting her.

And then I’m going to surprise him and kill him for messing with her after all the shit he’s pulled.

No more excusing his actions.

I am done.