Hidden Away (Mafioso Series Book 2)

by Serena Light

  "Alessio..." Serafina trailed in confusion, suddenly unable to remember when he came or when she left the venue, or how she ended in the water. "What...?"

  "It's okay," He assured and tucked a strand of her wet tresses behind her ear. "I'm here. I'll take care of you, okay?"

  Nodding numbly, she pulled her legs to her chest, resting her forehead on her kneecaps as Alessio slowly ran water over her hair, washing the blood and grime out of it as the residual smell of blood almost had her gag at the memory of the occurrence.

  Once Serafina was washed and free of the blood, Alessio grabbed a towel, holding it open before her and turned his gaze away. Looking up, Serafina struggled to her feet, taking hold of it and wrapping it around her body as she didn't understand what to do next and just stood with the water reaching just below her knees. Turning towards her, he offered his hand, the girl taking it uncertainly as he helped her out of the tub, unplugging it to drain all the water.

  Finding a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Alessio handed them to her and turned his back, allowing her to pull them on before he led her to the room. Both of them settled on the bed with his back to the headboard and Serafina's head on his lap as he combed his fingers through her damp tresses.

  He hoped that she'd fall asleep, but sleep didn't seem to come to her at this moment. A knock sounding on the door had Alessio move out from beneath Serafina, her head falling onto the mattress as he wanted to apologize but fell quiet when the door opened to reveal her parent's, both of them still in their wedding clothes and instantly Alessio knew that they were all back.

  At the altar, Salvatore had shoved a frozen Serafina to him, ordered him to take her to the estate and keep her there as he sent the rest of his family with various other guards to various safe houses. Wanting them separated and safe, promising that they'd be reunited once he settled things at the venue and find out what happened.

  "Could you leave us a moment, Alessio?" Rosalie asked of him as the man nodded and stepped out, closing the door and standing in the hallway.

  Neither of her parents said anything as Rosalie took Serafina's head in her lap, watching as silent tears streamed down her daughter's face and Arcangelo settled behind her, rubbing her back. There were no words exchanged, no explanations granted, no 'he-is-in-a-better-place' because everyone knew that would not have been the case if there were an afterlife. Serafina did not say anything and her parents didn't ask her to either. They knew their daughter was hurting and there was no way of reducing the pain.

  Having your future-husband shot at the altar isn't something one can overcome within a few hours.

  Marco, Arsenio, and Angelica came as well, sitting beside her and comforting her with their presence as the youngest assured that Salvatore would come to her soon, having promised to come after he realized where he went wrong.

  Eventually, her twin brother joined them as well, and the moment that he entered, her gaze shot up and Serafina found herself feeling like a little child again. Her lips trembled at the sight of his blood-stained suit, his hair disheveled and his blue eyes wide.

  "Salvatore," She whimpered, pulling herself up from her mother's lap and kneeling at the edge of the bed just as he pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as she sniffled into his shoulder, a lump forming in her throat.

  The twins held each other for a moment as Angelica and Marco moved to give them space when the Mafia boss sat down, his sister clutching onto his hand for comfort. Even if he was a few minutes older, he was still the older of the two and always had played the big brother role as much as Arsenio did. Serafina had always known that he was the stronger of the two in terms of emotional stability and given the way she clutched onto his calloused hand in desperation, she was hoping to get some of his emotional stability through the contact.

  "I'm sorry for your loss," Salvatore murmured quietly and rubbed his thumb over her hand. "Forgive me for failing you. For being unable to prevent this from happening. Forgiving me for having put you through this-"

  His words were cut short by Serafina resting her head on his shoulder, effectively silencing him as she was internally grateful to have familiar faces around her at the moment.

  "I have this..." Her twin brother trailed. "I have this beach house on the coast of the Lopes Mendes beach in Ilha Grande, Brazil. It's a beautiful little house with an astonishingly amazing view and I'd like you to go there,"

  "Salvatore-" Their mother called out warningly, sitting up straight.

  "-I'd like you to go there and grieve in peace and regain your bearings. Stay there for as long as you like, take as much time as you need, just get away for a while. I think disconnecting would do you good,"

  "You can't send her off on her own," Arsenio protested.

  "The poor girl is grieving, you can't do this to her," Marco spoke at the same time.

  "I am not sending her alone; I am sending Alessio with her." Salvatore defended as his sister looked at the side of his face with unblinking eyes. "And she isn't a 'poor girl', Marco, she is much stronger than anyone you let on,"

  "She can't go-" They father began to say before being cut off.

  "-I want to leave right now," Serafina spoke up, everyone falling silent as they looked at her in astonishment. "I want to leave right now,"

  "Can I get five minutes to give the hanger a call?" Salvatore turned towards her.

  "No, I want to leave right now,"

  "Good thing I told Alessio to pack his bags then," He muttered under his breath before he stood with her hand in his.

  Slipping her feet through some slippers she didn't even bother getting changed before a guard was loading up her bags into the back of the Range Rover, Alessio standing by the door with the sun setting behind his back.

  Her family tried to convince her to stay, but she had made up her mind. She needed to get away and Salvatore had known and provided her with that opportunity.

  "I'll be back," Serafina told them before settling in the back of the car, the door closing behind her as they drove off to the jet hanger.

  The drive there was a silent one, neither she nor Alessio spoke. Once they were on the jet for the eleven-hour flight, Serafina excused herself to the bedroom in the back and collapsed on the bed, instantly falling asleep. She slept through the entire flight there and even once they had arrived at their destination, she had her head rested against the window and sleeping as they drove to the beach house, being gently shaken awake by Alessio.

  Drowsily stepping out of the car, she had Alessio deal with the bags and made her way into the two-story sky blue and white house that had more windows than walls. Ignoring the gorgeous porcelain interior of the house - an open concept ground floor and windows facing the beach, a marble kitchen and lavish dining area with the sofas of the lounge facing the flat screen T.V. with sliding windows leading out to the patio which had a swinging hammock set in the direction of the beach – she walked up the staircase. Entering the master bedroom with a four-poster bed and two window walls, one of which led out to the balcony, both showing off the white sand beach and the blue waters.

  Climbing into bed, she promptly fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

  The first day there, Alessio had let her sleep in, he didn't wake even when he made dinner and let her rest up, knowing that she had suffered through a traumatic experience and her brain was exhausted.

  The next day when he went to check on her around midday, he found her lying awake and staring up at the ceiling.

  "Want some breakfast?" He asked her, but she acted as if though she hadn't heard him.

  Regardless, he made her food and brought it up to her only to bring it down untouched.

  When Alessio realized she wasn't going to eat, he had tried his hardest to get her to eat something. He sat by her, coaxing her, but she never even took a bite. No matter what he did or what he said, she didn't eat, she didn't move and it was like she was in a frozen state most of the time. Sometimes she slept for hours on end, sometimes she never s
lept a wink, she hardly talked, and most nights she cried.

  It didn't help that Alessio had no idea on how to help her through this.

  Once he had grown frustrated and raised his voice for not eating.

  "Goddammit, Serafina!" He had exclaimed in anger, watching her bling at him with emotionless blue eyes. "You have got to eat something!"

  She didn't respond, nor did she snap at him for raising his voice at her, instead she turned away and slept.

  After having informed Salvatore of the situation, the man had suggested that he come down himself, but the cacophony of sounds coming from the background enlightened Alessio how busy he was and couldn't ask him to do that – even if his boss assured it wouldn't be much trouble.

  Instead of asking for her brother to come, an idea occurred to the guard – a self-destructive one – but an idea nonetheless.

  It had been five days since they'd been in Brazil and just like every other day, he brought Serafina's dinner up to her and urged her to eat, but received no response from her.

  Sighing he put the tray away and stroked her hair.

  "I know it's hard," He told her gently. "And I understand you don't want to do anything, but Serafina, darling, you have to eat something. Even a single bite is good enough," He tried to coax but received no response and moved away with a sigh.

  "I have tried everything. I have tried being nice, being mean, and being angry. I even challenged you, and I have done almost everything in my power, but you won't eat." Alessio confided. "I want you to know, my job is to be there for you, and I can't do that if you plan to starve yourself to death. I know you won't listen to me, so I don't have a choice but to make you listen to me,"

  "It's very simple, Serafina. From now on, if you won't eat. I won't either. You won't drink, I won't either. I won't sleep, I won't either." He spoke to her motionless figure. "Whatever you do, I will do. Whatever you don't do, I won't either. It's that simple,"

  That night Alessio sat on the floor, his back to the wall and looking at her sleep: peaceful, serene, and broken.

  And as he watched her, he thought her beautiful. Even now, as broken as she has become, with shoulders slumped over, and knees wobbling in weakness, and bloodshot eyes that can't cry anymore because she's already shed so many tears, she is still beautiful. Because he could still see the girl that once was – the one who smiled at strangers. and blushed at ay compliment, and gave her best to everyone, even those who didn't deserve her.

  Alessio was determined to bring back that Serafina

  His Serafina.

  Chapter XIII: Past Demons

  Serafina was scared to turn in bed and find Paolo lying beside her, and due to that constant fear, her body couldn't keep down her food. But she knew she had to eat something, she just couldn’t get it passed her throat. Nowadays she didn't want to do anything other than sleep and even she knew that it wasn't healthy.

  Alessio had been trying to get her to ear, and in her mind, she always explained why she couldn't, but his response always made him realize she hadn't spoken aloud.

  Due to that, her guard had gone on his own hunger strike.

  The first night he sat on the floor with his eyes closed and his stomach growling so loud that even she could hear it in the silence of the room. Serafina wanted him to eat, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

  The only sound that ever left her mouth was those of her frightened and panicked screams in the middle of the night. Serafina often dreamt of what happened; only that it didn't actually happen: Sometimes she saw Paolo rising from the dead only to drag her to hell with him, sometimes it was her who pulled the trigger, other times Paolo was killing the people she loved most as they would stand and watch helplessly with their desperate pleas reverberating through her mind. Because of these nightmares, she would wake up screaming and it always had Alessio's blood run cold as he went and soothed her.

  He used to sleep on the downstairs couch initially, given that there was only one room, but now he slept sitting against the bedroom wall so that he was within an arm's reach if she needed him or if he had to calm her after a dream.

  Serafina could see that he cared, that much was evident, and she wanted to do something, say something, but her mind was in a haze, her thoughts muddled and the commands lost to her. She just couldn't do it, and Alessio couldn't understand what she was going through either. She wanted to make him see and didn't know how-to, but most of all, she wanted him to eat because she saw what an adverse effect this hunger strike had on him.

  The first day, he kept it together, ignoring the cramping in his stomach and the dryness of his throat. But the second day, his blood sugar had gotten so low that he could hardly bring himself to turn his head. His eyes kept dropping and he often had a hard time concentrating or even realizing where he was. Yet, despite all that, he dragged himself off the floor and made something, even if it was something as simple as a French toast, and he still coaxed her to try and eat. Forcing herself, Serafina managed a bite or two, but Alessio couldn't even manage that much.

  "I think..." Alessio pushed himself off the wall, stumbling over his feet before making his way over to the bed, Serafina's eyes following his movements. "I think you just want to talk. Get it all out of your system." He fell unceremoniously on the bed, causing it to bounce.

  "So let's talk," He heaved a breath, folding his hands over his stomach. "What do you remember?"

  Serafina stared up at the ceiling as a silence fell over the both of them, her bodyguard heaving a sigh beside her.

  "Alright, I'll start," He relented and instantly her eyes widened at the words. "I don't remember him all that clearly given that I was 4-years-old when he died, but I remember the two days I spent in the hospital beside him very clearly. I remember the funeral like it was yesterday and I still her mama's cries, I can even recall Niccolo's face when we were told. But most of all, I still remember the smile he gave us when we lost him. As a matter of fact, I even remember your dad standing beside him."

  It suddenly occurred to her that he wasn't talking about her wedding; instead, he was sharing his experience of loss: His father's death.

  "Nico is 3-years older than me. He was 7 and I was 4, but I still remember how we both were playing in our little Italian cottage - dad loved that cottage, he always loved coming home to it. We were plating and mamma was praying. Padre was gone off on a risky mission with your dad when we got the call. È stato colpito' I had heard the man tell her, he's been shot. Mamma cried the whole way to the hospital and I was terrified. When we got there and asked the doctor what happened, he told us that dad had been shot was couldn't make it, giving him 2 days at best,"

  Alessio's voice grew quiet. Serafina turned to look at him, seeing how his eyes drooped and his breathing slowed. He wasn't falling asleep, he seemed to be falling unconscious. For one whole week, he had gone without food or water and he was weakening.

  "He was so pale..." He murmured in a haze. "White...white with bright green eyes and, and a smile at seeing us...he didn't stop smiling once, he smiled till the end...Madre cried...she screamed and hit your dad, saying it was his fault and he agreed...Dad was the one, the one to say that Arcangelo wasn't responsible...he loved....he loved, loved your dad..."

  She watched how his eyes fell to a close, her chest tightening with panic to see how slow his breathing had become. Reaching out to him with a trembling hand, she tried to shake him but he didn't wake, instead, his head lolled to the side.

  "A-" Serafina strained to call out to him, her throat not accustomed to talking anymore. "Aless...Alessio..." Her voice was nothing but a whisper, and her shakes were nothing of much significant force.

  "Alessio," She tried to call out again, a little louder. "Alessio,"

  Fear engulfed her mind, scared that she was losing him too, she wouldn't be able to handle that on her own. Adrenaline had her push herself up in a sitting position and strained to grab the glass of water he had placed so dutifully on her side table. Her fingers trembl
ed as she grabbed the glass, a groan escaping her as she pulled it close. Putting the glass over his head, she tinkled the contents onto his forehead.

  Alessio awoke with a gasp, the cold needles piercing his skin as he coughed and rolled off the bed. His breath came out in heaving pants as he placed a hand against his chest, feeling how his heartbeat erratically in panic at the suddenness of it all.

  Kneeling on the floor, he looked up at the tears in Serafina's eyes as her lips trembled with the emotions and tried to give him a glare.

  "Don't die...on me," She choked out, the tears streaming down her face. "Don't...Don't, don't,"

  "Oh, baby," He murmured quietly seeing the emotional turmoil brewing in her pale blue eyes as he got on the bed and hugged her close.

  "I've lost Paolo..." She heaved into his chest. "I've lost Paolo, I can't lose you too,"

  "Ma chérie,"

  Alessio held her close, gently rocking back and forth as she slowly calmed down, wiping the tears with the back of her hand.

  "I...I can't remember much..." Serafina admitted once she calmed down. "I don't remember what happened before or after...I just know what happened then,"

  "I know that...the priest asked if he takes me as his wife and he was going to say 'I do' and before he could do that, there was this...this loud noise, like a bang and the next thing I knew I was covered in blood and he was...he was there...lying at my feet and staring up at me and-and-and..." She sobbed, the memories returning as her chest felt tight, her breath coming out in short wheezing pants as Alessio hugged her close, rubbing her back to calm her.

  "I don't want to talk about it anymore..." Serafina whimpered into his neck as he hummed in response.

  "Want me to tell you what happened before you walked down the aisle?" Alessio pulled back to look at her as she eyed him skeptically. "You had woken up late and because of that we had to rush - way to go, sleepyhead," He teased with a smile, lightly knocking on her head.

  "I took you to the salon with your bridesmaids and then I went and got everything set for you at the venue. Then I went to pick you guys up and took you to the venue and everyone got dressed and before you walked down the aisle, we talked,"