Falling for the Mafia Boss

Prologue Mia POV Armando wipes the sweat from his brow on the back of his hand. Tonight is in the forties and chilly with a slight breeze. His sweat is not from the outside temperature but from the adrenalin of what he is about to do. “Get on your knees.” Armando shoves the gun aimed at my side roughly into my ribs. “Armando… you don’t want to do this.” I try to keep my tone level and calm as Donnie taught me. Armando squeezes my shoulder so tightly that I have no choice but to obey. He shoves me onto my knees before him. “Close your eyes.” He orders. At first, I don’t which only awards me a smack in the face with the hard metal. He brings the gun up to my forehead, “Close your fucking eyes, Mia.” He orders me through clenched teeth. I squeeze my eyes shut mainly to hold back the tears from the sting of the gun splitting my cheek. He pulls the gun from my forehead, “This is a message for your husband from the Russo family. A life for a life.” A burning force plunges into my cheek, splitting the bone instantly. The cold solid ground catches me as I fall. I faintly hear his feet pounding the ground as he runs away in the opposite direction. I open my eyes and watch his back disappear into the woods behind our house. A normal girl would have begged for mercy the moment she felt the cold bite from the tip of the metal gun resting on her forehead. A normal girl would have cried when the pistol was shoved into her side. A normal girl would have fainted the minute she saw how much blood was flowing onto the ground from her face after she was shot. A normal girl would be dead right now, but I’m not a normal girl. I’m Mia Genovese, the wife of the most feared mafia boss on the east coast. I have seen hundreds of people killed at the order of my husband. I have even pulled the trigger myself and watched as my victims took their last breaths. I knew before I ever saw the gun that I was going to die tonight. I knew by the way the man at my side walked me out of the party. I knew by the tone in his voice when he lied and said my husband needed me in the garden after Lorenzo told me moments ago he would see me in a few hours. My own bodyguard - a traitor. I should have trusted my instincts the moment I met him. It's too late to think about ‘what ifs’ now. I have already been shot in the face. I watch the blood spread across the pavement at a rapid pace. My heart becomes slower with every inch added to the thick pool that surrounds me. I want to scream for Enzo but instead, I use the last of my strength to grab ahold of my stomach, “Ti amo.” (I love you ) I whisper to my unborn son. I close my eyes and accept my fate in hopes that they will find me in enough time to save my little Genovese. The chill from the nightly breeze numbs my skin, or maybe I grow numb merely because of the blood loss. My body feels heavier with each second that passes by. The metallic scent of blood has taken over the aroma from the rose garden in which I lay. After a while, I feel warm again, cozy even, like I’m sitting next to a fire. It's nice, nicer than the cool breeze I once felt. The tiny hairs in my ears vibrate from a sound wave in the distance. I try to focus on what but I can’t make it out. The earth shakes beneath me, or at least I think it does. The world begins to spin, the smell of blood, the vibrations all around me, and the stinging pain from the bullet is all too much, and I’m swept away into darkness. Moments of my life play in my mind, as I get to relive every moment of falling for the mafia boss. Lorenzo POV I don’t experience fear often. That emotion along with the rush it brings is foreign to me. I have never been so scared that it ended with me in tears, but there is a first time for everything. I can only see a few feet in front of my face from the tears that flood my eyes, but I don’t need clear vision to see how bad off my wife is. The gorgeous white dress that made her beautiful face light up this evening, is stained crimson from the thick fluid that still flows from her open wound. Her long black wavy hair that was done up to make her look like the queen that she is, is caked to her head from the drying blood. Her dainty hands have already turned blue from the lack of oxygenated blood flowing to them. If she dies, it will all be my fault. I knew how dangerous this life was and yet I invited her to experience it with me. I understood the risk of having a family as the boss but chose to ignore the truth in it. I accepted my life to end similarly to this, but I never thought the enemy would claim her life instead of mine. My mind is so clouded I can’t do anything but sit here and beg for my wife to stay alive while Donnie speeds to the hospital. If he doesn’t get us there quickly, she will die. Her body has already gone limp and her heartbeat has slowed down to merely nothing. I have wrapped her in my jacket in hopes to keep her already chilled body warm enough so that she doesn’t go into shock. There is no guarantee that the doctors will be able to save her. There is a hole in the back of her neck where the bullet went through her face. Whoever shot her did a sloppy job, but I’m thankful. I’m thankful she was shot in the cheek, rather than her head, because she is technically still alive. If I could only get the blood to stop, she may have a chance. I don’t even recognize my voice when I ask Donnie how far away we are from the hospital. “Less than two minutes. She’s going to make it, she has to.” I think the constant positive statements that barrel out of his mouth every few seconds is more for him than for me. I’m honestly not paying attention. I’m holding my wife and telling her how much I love her because I fear this moment will be her last. Do you know how long two minutes are when every second that passes is crucial to someone’s life? A long fucking time. With each second my fear and sadness transforms into anger. I feel out of control like everything I built is crumbling to the ground and my sanity is slipping through the cracks. I hug Mia closer to me begging God to spare her life and take mine instead. I deserve to die, not Mia. Sweet innocent Mia. I kiss her bloodied lips “Sei la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata, amore mio.” (You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, my love.) I whisper part of my wedding vows to her. She has to survive this because I’m not done loving her.