Hidden Away (Mafioso Series Book 2)

by Serena Light

  She did not go to the gallery, nor get any more pictures developed, just day after day, she spent it lying in bed and crying.

  Although, the worst she felt was that evening, when she had gone downstairs to grab something to eat, and saw that her plants were dying. Sniffling, she filled the water pot and sprinkled it over her plants, the sound of voices having her halt.

  Kneeling behind the door, she pressed her ear to it, listening.

  One voice was Theo, she recognized his voice, and the other was her nightguard, Eduardo.

  "She wasn't always like this..." Theo's voice spoke uneasily. "She never said anything to me, but...she seemed to have a personal vendetta against Alessio,"

  Serafina's breath hitched in her throat when it occurred to her that they were talking about the way she had treated Alessio.

  "She is, well was, nice. Greeted us good morning and sometimes bought us coffee, but then it all suddenly changed. She started bossing Alessio around and treated him like her errand boy, and I could see it infuriated him, I mean, why wouldn't it? His job was protecting her and not do her errands, but worst of all, she always found some flaw, no matter what, and it was always something benign like there is too much milk in my coffee, or this perfume isn't the exact one I wanted or stuff like that, but you know, Alessio, he did everything right, down to the last detail, yet still she found something."

  "Damn, that sounds tough," The other guard shook his head.

  "You know, the other day, she slapped Alessio,"

  "What?"

  "Yeah, he had just returned from France where he had gone to visit his mother, and she calls him in and I hear a slap." Theo nodded. "He spent about half an hour in there, but after he came out, his cheeks were red and he looked like he would break down. He didn't even say anything to me, just walked across the street and drove off, he's been reassigned since then."

  "Any idea where?"

  "No clue, haven't heard from him in a while,"

  "Well, as long as it's far away from this bitch, he's good."

  "You can say that again," Theo scoffed, their conversation suddenly shifting to their training.

  Serafina leaned against her door, knees pulled to her chest as she muffled her sobs through her hands, the pain and guilt of all she had done to him resurfacing as she just wanted to go to him and ask for his forgiveness, she would even beg him if she had to, but there was nothing more she wanted in this world than to hold him close again.

  She couldn't spend another day wallowing in guilt.

  Gasping for breath, she scurried to her feet, rushing upstairs and pulling on her coat, her hair an unruly mess as she struggled with it before throwing away the coat in frustration. Pulling on her shoes, she grabbed the car keys to her Mercedes before rushing out of her room and out of the house.

  The sudden opening of the door had the two men jump up as they stumbled back when she ran past them, getting in her car and driving off, meeting their calls with a deaf ear, not even caring that she didn't have any security detail because the man she would be going to is all the security she needed.

  Arriving at his bachelor pad, Serafina rang the doorbell and waited. A minute passed by, then two. Ringing it again, she waited and knocked on the door, hoping he would come and open the door. Frustrated, she walked around the house, peeking into the window, the interior of the house matching the darkness of the night.

  A fresh torrent of tears sprung forth as she made her way back to the front of the house, sniffling as she leaned against the locked wooden structure and took out her phone, sliding against the solid at her back. With bleary vision and trembling fingers, she looked for his contact, a sob escaping her at realizing she had deleted his number in her anger. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her mind trying to remember the numbers but only her family's phone numbers swam through her mind.

  Giving up with a frustrated scream, she sat with her back to his door, her knees pulled up to try and keep her warm as she sobbed into her arms.

  Serafina had no idea how long she sat on his doorstep, crying before her tears dried up, the cold unbearable around her as the temperature continued to drop with every passing hour. Shivering, she felt lethargic, her eyes dropping as she huddled into herself, her eyes closing and falling asleep.

  The music blared loudly in the interior of Alessio's car as he sang along to it, on his way back home after a long day at the Regnante's. His headlights illuminated his driveway, his eyebrows knitting in confusion to see the Mercedes standing there before the headlights pointed towards the figure huddled in his doorstep.

  An icy sensation prickled at his spine as he recognized the car, praying to God that it was not whom he thought it was.

  Stepping out, he walked towards the figure, kneeling down and placing a hand on the person, shaking them, but waking them was a futile attempt. Alessio swallowed thickly as he caught of a whiff of her shampoo, fear, and anger churning in his stomach. Slowly he reached into her pockets, looking for her car keys before he went and started the Mercedes, turning on the heating since he had no idea how long she had been sleeping out in the cold.

  Fear that she might fall sick.

  Anger because her guards were not here.

  Walking back to Serafina, he lifted her into his arms, cursing at how cold she felt as he instantly laid her in the back. Parking his car properly, he unlocked his door and ran inside, retrieving a blanket and going out again. Draping it over her sleeping figure, he tucked the duvet around her before getting behind the wheel. Before driving off, he ensured to give a little prayer asking for patience so as not to break the teeth of the guards on duty.

  Exhaling through his nose, he drove to her house and the closer he got, the more his blood boiled until he was gritting his teeth and his grip on the steering wheel had his knuckles turning white. He stopped at a red light, looking back at Serafina to see her sleeping contently with the color back in her cheeks.

  Heaving a relieved breath, he reached back to stroke her hair, looking at her with a pained expression.

  "What are you doing to yourself, baby girl?" He murmured with a strain in his voice before turning around to continue driving.

  All sorts of morbid thoughts infiltrated his mind, forcing him to wonder what would have happened if he hadn't returned home tonight and maybe gone off to Niccolo's? What if he had come home too late? What if she had died out in the cold, freezing at his doorstep? What if? What if? What if?

  Alessio tried to reign in his temper as he pulled up at her house, seeing Theo and Eduardo pacing around in fear, their eyes widening at the sight of her car and they backed away seeing him step out. Both of them swallowed thickly when he lifted Serafina into his arms from the back. Making his way across the street, he walked up to the snowed path, careful not to slip as he ensured she was still wrapped in her blanket.

  "Open the door," He commanded the two in a harsh tone as they instantly stumbled over each other to open it.

  Walking into her heated interior, Alessio walked up to the stairs and tucked her into her bed, ensuring she was comfortable before leaving the way he came.

  Closing the entrance door behind him, he looked at the guilt-ridden faces of the two boys in front of him, one being 24 and the other being 26, yet neither one of them having done anything.

  Inhaling deeply, he walked forward and stopped before the two who winced back. Raising his hand, Alessio slapped Theo across the face with the back of his hand, the cold leather against his skin having his cheek instantly flare red as the 24-year-old stood silently, knowing he deserved far worse than that.

  "What the fuck were you two thinking letting her go alone like that?!" Alessio demanded, seething as he tried to control his anger. "She was fucking lying there! Freezing half to death! And neither one of you was anywhere to be seen!"

  "We-we.." Eduardo stammered, fearing Alessio wrath as much as Salvatore's because both of them were very calm and composed men, but if angry, you knew it was bad.

  "Did you two eve
n try following her?" He asked, his voice growing heavy with his French accent mixing with the Italian as his chest heaved. "Did you two even fucking try!" His voice reverberated through the silent neighborhood, both the boys folding into themselves.

  Inhaling deeply, he tried to calm himself, seeing the slight tremors going through them as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

  "At least tell me you called Salvatore," He heaved a heavy breath, waiting for the two to answer as they just stood with their head lowered.

  Alessio saw red as he punched Eduardo's jaw, sending the man toppling in the snow as he staggered from the blow.

  "You two are fucking useless!" He screamed at them, his face red. "She could have died and it would have been on you two! You don't call boss? Fine, you're scared of him, but she has Arsenio! And then there is Marco! Call her fucking parents! Call someone at least and not stare at each other like fucking damsels in distress!"

  Taking a step back, Alessio tried to control himself, feeling the urge to kick something, hit something, or someone. Curling and uncurling his fingers he took out his phone, both Theo and Eduardo tensing.

  "Wh-what are you doing?" Eduardo stammered, his jaw turning green.

  "My duty," Alessio growled, glaring at the two as he held the phone to his ear, waiting for him to pick up. "Tazio? Yeah, tell the boss that Serafina had run off in the middle of the night, and neither Eduardo nor Theo thought it suitable to follow her, and I found her freezing half to death and utterly cold and pale. I managed to get her warm again and brought her safely home, but dealing with the two guards is not my duty, it's Boss's."

  With that he hung up and began to walk away, halting when Theo spoke up.

  "Are you fucking in love with her that you act like this, Romano?" Theo taunted his own face red with his anger at his former partner's actions.

  Gritting his teeth, he whirled back on the young man, glaring him down as he stood his ground.

  "That girl, could have died tonight, alright? She has already lost her husband, and has strained relations with her twin, yet he's the one ensuring she's fine, and she still has two more brothers, and she has parents who are worried sick for her every single minute of every single fucking day and I have seen that concern and worry on every single one of the Regnantes', yeah?" Alessio jabbed at his sternum. "Your fucking job is to protect her from her enemies, her allies, and from herself if need be. And what do you two fuckers do? Leave her to die! What if she was ambushed, huh? Or had a car accident in the middle of nowhere? What if she was mugged? Or raped? Or assaulted? Or shot at? Who's fault would it be? Yours!"

  "It's our job! What's yours, huh? Sure as hell not reporting to the boss-" Theo began to retaliate.

  "-That is exactly his job," A voice spoke behind Alessio, the two men freezing as they caught sight of their Boss looking at them with ice blue eyes and a poker face. "He is my eyes and ears to whatever he sees, hears, witnesses, whatever concerns my family, it is his job to tell me."

  "And he is right," Salvatore continued, leisurely walking towards the two men who cowered before him. "If anything happened to my sister, it would be on you two, and I will settle it the way I deem it appropriate."

  He looked down at the two men, radiating authority and power, but most of all anger as he watched how they cowered, their head bowed and their bodies trembling in fear of the man before them as a dark shadow fell over his face.

  "You may leave, Romano, I can handle it from here," Salvatore spoke with a dismissive wave. "Niccolo will take you home."

  Nodding in his boss's direction, Alessio followed after his elder brother as they both got into the car, driving off in silence.

  It wasn't until they were halfway there did Niccolo speak up.

  "So che sei innamorato di lei (I know you're in love with her)," His brother stated matter-of-factly. "You have been, for the past 2 years, and as each day goes by, you're getting worse at hiding it,"

  Alessio didn't say anything as he stared out the window at the passing scenery, swallowing back the lump in his throat as he just wanted to cry at seeing Serafina like this. So...torn and broken...and cold.

  "Alessio, she is Arcangelo Regnante's only daughter. She has three brothers, but worst of all, she is your boss's sister. This is a very dangerous game you're playing here," Niccolo tried to explain. "Where did you find her?"

  "On my doorstep," Alessio murmured solemnly, feeling like a child being scolded by his father, not that he could remember what that was like, but Niccolo had been as much of a father to him as he had been an elder brother.

  "Good thing you left that out, how would you explain that to the boss?"

  "Nothing happened between me and her, Niccolo,"

  "You resigned before anything could," Niccolo nodded in confirmation. "It's a good thing you got away from her," Believe me, I didn't want to. "It's better for everyone if you forget her Alessio, cleanse her from your heart and mind," How can I when that is all there is? "You don't want the burden of loving her," Yes, I want the burden of loving her; I would hold the world on my shoulders if that allowed her to be mine.

  "I shot her husband at the altar, Alessio; she isn't going to forgive that." Niccolo pulled up at his door. "Just forget about her, Alessio, you will find someone who's perfect for you."

  The younger Romano didn't speak a word after that, getting out of the car and walking towards his door, unlocking it as Niccolo drove away.

  Serafina woke with a gasp, grasping in the darkness as she fumbled for her lamp. The light blinded her as she squinted, taking in the interior and realizing it to be her bedroom, and she was still dressed in the clothes she had left. Staring at the cream duvet around her, she held the fabric between her fingers, holding it to her face as she inhaled deeply, tears gathering in her eyes as it smelt exactly like Alessio.

  Her Alessio.

  With the lump growing in her throat, Serafina knew she had to get away, go somewhere where he hadn't been.

  Shuffling out of bed she stepped out of her house with a backpack slung over her shoulder, locking the door behind her as she momentarily was surprised to see her cousin Alberto and Gun's son, Russo to be standing guard.

  "Hey, Sera," Her cousin, Alberto greeted, walking over to her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. "Where do you think you're going at 1 a.m. in the morning?"

  "To mom and dad's?" She asked meekly, not understanding what was going on.

  "Great! Russo and I would be more than happy to take you to Uncle Angelo's." He grinned, leading her towards her Mercedes as she got in the back, the two men seated in the front.

  "What's going on?" Serafina asked once they were driving. "What happened?"

  "Well, dear cuz," Alberto spoke behind the wheel. "You decided to fall asleep in freezing 3 degrees Celsius on a January night, and were brought home, where it was discovered that you had two very incompetent guards who have been taken care of and will be replaced first thing in the morning."

  "Who-who brought me back?" She asked in confusion, her heart hammering in her chest to hear everything.

  "Alessio," Russo spoke up. "Alessio was the one who ensured you didn't freeze and the one who brought you back, as well as the one who called Boss to let him know what had happened."

  "Did...did he say where he found me?"

  "Said something about a park bench,"

  Serafina collapsed in her seat with relief, glad to know that Alessio didn't mention where he had found her, which no doubt would have raised quite a few questions.

  "What were you sleeping on the park bench for?" Alberto inquired.

  "I felt suffocated at home and wanted fresh air; I must have fallen asleep without realizing it."

  "You're lucky Alessio went to the park that night, God knows what would have happened if you were left there."

  A silence fell over the car until they arrived at her parent's house, Serafina stepping out as she unlocked the door with her key, walking inside and surprised to see her parents sit
ting on the stair, seemingly having been waiting for her.

  "We prepared your room for you," Her dad informed as she looked down, shuffling on her feet. "We heard what happened, too,"

  "I-" Serafina tried to explain, her voice cracking as the tears streamed down once more, her mother coming to hug her as her father joined a minute later.

  "We'll talk in the morning, sweetheart," Rosalie assured her. "But for now, just go to sleep, you need it."

  Sniffling, Serafina nodded before making her way upstairs, changing into fresh clothes before cuddling into her comforter, inhaling the fragrance of the familiar washing detergent as her laundry never smelt the way it did at her parent's despite her using the same detergent as her mother. Closing her eyes, Serafina allowed sleep to overcome her.

  Meanwhile, Alessio sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the contact name on his screen with bloodshot puffy eyes, wanting to know she was alright but not being sure who to ask without raising suspicion. Closing his eyes tightly he clicked the name and held his breath as he waited for her to pick up.

  Serafina's phone vibrated behind her sleeping figure on the side table, buzzing as she squirmed at the sound. Sitting up, she glared at the device before taking hold of the phone, looking down at the screen which displayed an unknown number.

  Sighing, Alessio sniffled before declining the call, just as Serafina picked up, calling into it but receiving no answer. Pulling the screen away, she looked at the one missed call, having this feeling that she had seen it somewhere. Ignoring the sensation as sleep deprivation, she lay back down, drifting off to sleep and ignoring the number.

  Chapter XXVIII: Old habits

  "Something urgent came up, dad and I will be back for lunch." Serafina read her mother's message, yawning and rubbing her head.

  Stretching her arms, she decided to take a shower before going downstairs and grabbing something to eat. Changing into a dark grey sweatshirt and slim fit denim jeans, she combed the tangles out of her hair before making her way downstairs, wondering how obsessive her mother was about cleaning that the entire house was spick-and-span even at 9:30 in the morning.