“Hello,” she said.
“Hello, Anna,” he answered coldly. She got the same feeling with him as she did with everyone else here, that he didn’t like her. He continued to stare at her.
She felt very uncomfortable being alone with him.
“Anna, tell me a little about yourself,” he requested.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I asked first.” He gave her a menacing smile.
“Yes, but you seem to be at an advantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.” She wasn’t about to tell anyone anything. Even she knew that talking too much was something the mafia wouldn’t tolerate.
“My name is Emilio.” He stared her down to see if she knew who he was.
“My name is Anna, and I come from Wisconsin. I had a normal and even boring childhood. I did well at school, and then I went on to college. I had to quit because my father died, and the money wasn’t there for something like that. I was able to find a job, but it was in New York City. I was brave and took it on. That isn’t typical for me, but I didn’t have another choice. I found an apartment, and everything was settled. Then I met your son, and he brought me here.”
He was surprised to hear that she had known that Antonio was his son. Her eyes hadn’t given her away. “What did you work as?”
“I was a translator. I speak Swedish, French and German. Not the most important languages around here.” She smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders.
He could see right away what his son had meant about her smile. He was melting too. It was now easy to understand why his son and Francesco were so taken with her. She did seem somehow sweet.
“Anna, what do you feel for my son?” he asked her.
“I um . . . I don’t really know him.” She avoided eye contact.
“Do you want to marry him?” Emilio asked her.
“Do you want to get me into trouble?” she asked him.
He smiled. “I suppose that is answer enough.” He glanced away from her and sat quietly beside her bed.
“Can you tell me what my son sees in you?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“I was hoping you could tell me. He doesn’t know me at all. I don’t think that he likes me. I don’t understand anything that goes on around here. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
“No, you helped. You have had me very curious, lately. I’m glad you are feeling better.”
“I’m really sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to be disobedient. It’s just I can’t eat anything spicy. I never could. It won’t stay down. I wasn’t trying to provoke him. Honestly, I wasn’t. My mother always makes jokes that I eat as if I’m already in a nursing home.” She shrugged her shoulders again.
She was so small town, Emilio thought. That she had caught his son’s eye was surprising. She wasn’t like the others he had dated. But then he had never mentioned marriage with any of them.
Maybe Antonio was wising up. He was right when he thought that she was marriage material. A virgin he had said. He believed that. But she didn’t appear to be stupid either, only very naïve and innocent.
“My son wants to marry you, soon.” He let his words hang in the air in between them.
She nodded.
“The question is: how will you react?”
“He has already been very clear that he will hurt innocent people if I don’t obey him. The question is: do I believe him that he really would?”
“Do you?” Emilio asked her.
“I have my doubts, but they aren’t strong enough that I would want to test him and then have to live with the guilt of being wrong.” She looked him in the eyes.
“I think you are very honest,” Emilio stated.
“Not always.” She smiled at him again. “But it is something he wants me to work on.”
Emilio laughed. “He has told me that if you are good, he will spoil you. Wouldn’t that be better?”
She frowned and glanced away from him. “He told me that too, but I asked him to stop. It made me feel like a . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to say whore. “Besides, no one can be that good.” She stressed the word that. The bar was hung so high that she could never reach it.
“Just try, for your own sake.” Emilio got up and left. He sought out his son who was working with the others in his office. They were planning a new route to smuggle out drugs.
Emilio motioned for Antonio to come out.
Antonio immediately stood up from behind his desk and followed his father into the living room.
They sat on the sofas very closely to each other. “I just came from Anna’s room. I talked to her, and I approve of her. I will call your mother and tell her to come and help Anna prepare for the wedding.” He hit his son on the shoulder. He had never seen his son happier.
“I knew once you met her that you would like her. She is amazing, isn’t she?”
“She has a very nice smile,” Emilio agreed.
Antonio was a little jealous that she had smiled for his father, but she hadn’t smiled at him in so long.
“Be good to her. She isn’t like the women you dated before. You have to be very careful with a wife.” Emilio explained. “She told me that she has a very sensitive stomach. If she lives in fear of you, you won’t be happy with her. A wife has to be able to go to her husband and tell him her problems. She is willing to marry you and to try to be good, but you have to give up some ground too. Let her eat what she can tolerate. That is especially important when she is expecting.”
Emilio leaned back. “A grandchild, wouldn’t that be something?”
Antonio watched his father grinning. He knew he had chosen well with his Anna.
Chapter 22
Antonio visited Anna periodically every day. He carried her to his bed at night. They had already grown used to sleeping with each other. He slept with his arm wrapped around her.
They sometimes spoke before they fell asleep. Anna said little, but Antonio talked to her, telling her this and that. Of course, he never told her anything about his work. Things like that would be kept far away from her to maintain her innocence.
He spoke of their wedding often. She wasn’t committing to anything in particular. She told him he could do what he wanted.
He wished she would show a bit more interest. A woman dreamed of her wedding from the time she was a little girl. Anna gave him the feeling that she didn’t want to waste her wedding dreams on him.
Did she still think that she could get away?
Anna was getting very used to Antonio. He was the only one who was interesting when he came to visit her. She was slowly able to sit up on her own. He fed her, only him and only when they were alone. He ate every meal with her.
She often lay in bed and waited for him to show up. He would help her to the bathroom, and he would wash her in the tub or shower. She was used to his touch. He was taking very good care of her.
Antonio talked to her too. He told her a lot about football.
One day, he brought the cat with for her to play with.
Anna had been too boring, and the cat wanted to leave right away again. It walked back and forth in front of the door, meowing.
Señora Raposa let the cat out then. She scolded Anna in Spanish until Antonio yelled up to her. She had closed the door and left then.
At night, he carried Anna to his bed. He held her close to him while he slept. She felt like his teddy bear, the old worn one that a child needed or else he couldn’t sleep.
Anna was giving up hope of ever getting away.
His mother would be here soon to help her plan the wedding.
Would she treat her like everyone else did? She had a feeling that no one liked her. They resented the fact that she wasn’t in love with him.
Chapter 23
Anna had been able to stand and walk for a couple of days now. Still, she was feeling terribly sick all morning. She had only eaten a little for breakfast, and that she only ate to avoid punishment. Antonio made sure that she ate, and she
didn’t want to do anything that could set him off.
Anna stood up and went into the bathroom. She went to the bathroom hoping that would solve the problem.
When she wiped, she saw blood. She had her period. That was the problem. She always felt a little weak the first day of her cycle.
Should she tell him? He had been getting very cuddly lately. He would want to have sex as soon as he could. She paced up and down in her room and thought about it. What was the right thing to do?
He came in and took one look in her eyes and knew that she was in some sort of emotional turmoil. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her head sank. He knew something was wrong. She had to tell him something. “Nothing is wrong. I um … I just got my … period.” She was terribly embarrassed admitting that.
He went to her and guided her head to his chest. “I’m sorry you’re not pregnant, my love. Maybe next month?” he said a little brighter. “Don’t be sad.”
She was so surprised. He was comforting her. At least, he wasn’t mad.
She cuddled into his chest and let him comfort her. He brought her down to supper. She ate with him and his father.
Antonio’s eyes were always on her plate. He wanted her to be eating a little more.
Antonio decided to marry Anna next week. That way he had three weeks to get her pregnant, so she wouldn’t get another period.
She was being very good for him. He had to think up presents to give her. Maybe he should pick out some books for her. He needed a wedding present too. Something very special that let her know how much he loved her.
It also had to be something that showed the whole household what position she held in this household. She would be the lady of the house, and the servants better do as she told them, or they would be replaced. He hadn’t been oblivious to the mean looks people were giving her.
“You still have to pick out a wedding dress. The seamstress will be here in the morning. She needs to get started straight away, or she won’t be able to finish it in time for the wedding.” Antonio watched her as she nodded at this information.
“Don’t you care about your wedding dress?” It hurt him beyond words that she never put her two cents in about anything that had to do with the wedding.
“No, it isn’t that. The dress I will choose will be very simple and easy to make.”
“You may have any dress you want.” He appeared to be mad.
“I want a simple dress. Not one that is overdone with lace and veils. I want something classic and elegant in its simplicity.” She blushed because she had gone on a bit. “But we shouldn’t be talking about the wedding dress. That’s bad luck.”
He beamed at her. This was the first time she had showed interest in their wedding. “Of course. If that is what you want, then you will get that.” He smiled at her. “We won’t talk about the dress anymore.”
“My wife, Rosangela, will help you pick out the things you need. She will be here in the morning. She is already flying towards us.” Emilio sounded proud as he spoke of his wife.
Anna said a silent prayer that the woman would be good to her and not treat her as if she wasn’t good enough for her son. Everyone was always giving her those looks.
Antonio talked with his father for a very long time.
Anna reached out and patted his arm. He leaned towards her to hear what she had to say.
“Please, excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom.” He had already trained her not to be embarrassed by those things, at least not with him.
He rose up from his chair and took her by her hand. “Excuse us, father. Anna is getting a bit tired. I’d liked to bring her to bed now and then finish our discussion in the living room.”
“Good evening, Anna.” Emilio stood as she walked past on his son’s arm. They made a lovely couple.
“Good evening, sir,” she answered.
He liked how his son was taking care of Anna now. He was treating her like a wife. If he continued to treat her this way, the others would treat her that way too.
Emilio smiled as he watched them leaving.
“Anna, time to wake up.” Antonio opened the curtains in her room widely apart. He was smiling at his little sleeping fiancée. “My mother is already here. She slept on the plane so she’s ready to start planning the wedding with you.”
Anna was blocking the sun with her hand, and her eyes were squinted against the light.
“Anna, time to get up.” He sat on the bed next to her. “I’m already finished in the bathroom. You can go shower. I’ll pick out something for you to wear.”
Anna got up and stretched. Moving her muscles was part of her morning routine. She was supposed to do certain exercises to help her heal faster.
Antonio was still smiling at her as if he had won the lottery. He walked her into the bathroom and helped her into the shower. While she washed herself, he went into her room and opened her wardrobe.
She hurried, knowing that he would be impatient. An outfit was laying out on the bed with fresh underwear and everything when she entered her room. She felt as if she were his toy doll. Anna owned over twenty dresses, which had been made especially for her. They were very pretty dresses with full skirts in the Mexican style.
She dressed quickly and then went looking for him. He was in his office with his parents.
Antonio hurried to her side. It was easier for Anna to walk when she held onto his hand. When she did, she moved regally at his side. “Mother, this is my Anna. Anna my mother.”
Anna smiled at how formally he had introduced them.
This had been the moment that he had been waiting for. She smiled at him, exactly like she had on the first day. Antonio stared at her, and then he glanced at his mother to see if she saw how beautiful his bride was.
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Anna. Please, I want you to call me Rosangela. We are family now.” She hugged Anna and smiled back at the blushing girl.
Her husband was right; she wasn’t like any of the other girls Antonio had ever brought home before. Well, he had never brought one home before. She had heard about what had been going on here. She didn’t believe half of it. The girl looked healthy and happy. “We have so much to do. Our wedding planner will be here after breakfast. She will help us with everything.”
“Really, I don’t need a fancy wedding.” Anna was shaking her head.
“But there will be hundreds of guests coming.” Rosangela was confused.
Anna’s jaw dropped, and she looked at Antonio for help. “But I don’t do well around so many people.”
Antonio was relieved to hear that was the problem. He smiled at her and took her face in his hands. “I won’t be leaving your side. I’ll take care of you. Plan whatever you want. Money is no object. I want you to enjoy our wedding.”
“Let’s go have breakfast.” Emilio stood up and reached his arms out. He escorted his family out of the door. His family was growing; he liked that. Anna was a very nice girl, and she was definitely getting used to his son. She had looked to him to take care of her problems, and he had consoled her. This would work out. They had met in an odd way, but the girl was capable of forgiveness.
They ate breakfast slowly. Antonio encouraged Anna to eat as much as she could again and again. He smiled at her a lot. He liked that things were moving right along. In a week, she would be his, and then he would never have to worry about her running away again.
Rosangela asked Anna about her family. She asked if Anna’s mother would be coming. Antonio answered that her mother would be there.
Anna wondered about that. He wouldn’t actually kidnap her mother and bring her here, would he?
Maybe he was only saying that, and then he would claim an illness to explain why she wasn’t there.
Antonio and Emilio talked about Francesco. He was proud to be escorting the boss’s daughter-in-law down the aisle.
Emilio leaned in towards Anna. “This is a once in a lifetime chance for him. He has four sons and no daughters.”
Anna blushed again. “He is a very nice man.”
“Yes, he is, Anna.” Emilio smiled at her naivety. She had no idea what they did. She shouldn’t either. Antonio was right, it was her job to give him a happy home and children. That was the way it was supposed to be.
After breakfast, the women went into the living room. They talked about this and that. Every once and a while, they laughed. The seamstress also joined them. Everything was well under way.
Antonio was on cloud nine all week.
Chapter 24
“Anna, your mother is here.” Antonio stepped into her room and closed the door behind him.
She had been reading one of the books he had ordered for her.
“I’m warning you, if you tell her anything that doesn’t fit to what I have already told her, then I will have to kill her before she could sound alarm. Don’t make me do anything like that. This can be a happy time for everyone.”
Anna stood up and nodded at him.
“Good, then you can go to her now. Francesco brought her here. They expect to see a happy bride. Make sure they do.” He held out his arm for her to take. He could feel her shaking.
This better go well or their marriage would start very badly, they each thought to themselves.
He brought her down to the living room.
“Mom.” She ran into her mother’s arms. She couldn’t believe that her mother was actually here.
Pamela hugged her daughter tightly. “You, I should really be scolding you. I was so worried about you. If Antonio wouldn’t have called me when he did, I would have called the police.” Her mother was smiling at her. “He seems very nice,” she whispered in her ear.
Anna nodded, not wanting to do anything to endanger her mother.
Mafia Bride Page 10