Hidden Away (Mafioso Series Book 2)

by Serena Light

  "Good news first or bad?"

  "Bad," Serafina nodded, lowering her legs to the floor.

  "Now that sounds like a Regnante's mindset," Marco chuckled. "Well, okay so the bad news is that two men chased after the sniper and almost had him when he threw himself in front of a car. He was still breathing so they took him to the hospital in hopes to interrogate him once conscious, but he died,"

  Arsenio let out a disgruntled sound as he began pacing the length of the room.

  "And the good news?"

  "The good news is that a man found the casing and was able to trace it back to the manufacturer, who informed them that it was specially ordered and delivered to an address." Marco sat up straight, running a hand through his brown tresses. "Now Salvatore himself has gone to the address-"

  "-Himself?" Arsenio interjected, staring at his younger brother with wide eyes. "Is he crazy? Does he have a death wish?"

  "Our brother has lost his mind," Marco nodded suddenly fidgeting in his seat and avoiding Serafina's gaze as she looked at him in confusion. "But before when I asked him why he was going personally, he said that it was better to be dead than hated by your twin,"

  Serafina's throat ran dry as neither one of her brother's would look at her.

  "Does dad know?" Arsenio swallowed thickly as his fingers trembled despite the warmth of the bedroom.

  "I don't have the guts to tell him that his son has gone a suicide mission,"

  That seemed to have lured Serafina out of her room as she sat waiting for news on her brother with the rest of her family around her. The two little girls sat playing on the carpet, blissfully unaware of the impending tension pressing down on everyone. She sat with her hands clasped before her lips, her mother sitting at the edge of the sofa with her father leaning against the back of it, Arsenio couldn't stop pacing with Marco leaning against the wall behind Serafina, and Angelica seated beside her daughters' watching them with soft smiles and worried eyes.

  Suddenly the door burst open, a cold chill having the curtains ruffle as everyone sat up, hearing the noise of chatter as two men walked in with a wooden crate held between them, followed by two more and two more, the men dragging in three large crates as Serafina watched her mother mouth her brother's name at the lack of his sight.

  Tazio briskly walked in, Salvatore behind him, unharmed and calm.

  "Salvatore!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time, her twin jumping back in surprise before being tackled by his mother.

  "You idiot!" She exclaimed, hitting him on the top of the head as he rubbed at the abused area. "What were you thinking?"

  "What was I thinking going to an abandoned warehouse where the shooter had stored weapons?" He asked in confusion, looking around at the distraught faces. "I had an entourage,"

  "You shouldn't have gone at all!" Arsenio exclaimed, sternly looking at his younger brother.

  "Geez, okay, dad," Salvatore rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  "That wasn't a wise decision," Their father chimed in.

  "Are you speaking in the capacity of my father or my Consigliere?"

  "Both,"

  Salvatore looked around at the faces, all of them looking at him with disapproval or worry, his eyes lingering on his twin before he shrugged and nodded to his father, giving an order to one of the men behind him who nodded to his words.

  "Well, anyone cares to learn what I found out?" He asked, removing his gloves and coat, smiling and waving at his two nieces.

  "What did you learn?" Marco asked, stepping away from the wall.

  "They are specifically attacking Serafina," He stated nonchalantly, his twin freezing in her place as she stared at him in shock. "Now, why is what I don't know?"

  "The man guarding only knew that he was to hold the crates until further instructions were given to him to deliver it to another address, who then deliver it to another man who'd deliver it to the people who ordered it,"

  "Then why'd you take the crates?" Arcangelo asked in confusion. "Wasn't it better to put a tracking device on them and leave them there?"

  "The man would tell,"

  "Then kill him and replace him with one of your own,"

  "Couldn't, the crates would be delivered only by him, they have facial recognition delivery."

  "What? You won't find out who's after me then?" Serafina demanded haughtily, standing from her place to glare at her twin, anger flaring when he smirked at her.

  "Are we talking now?"

  "Just answer the fucking question, Salvatore!"

  "Hey! Kids!" Arsenio spoke over the two, reminding Serafina to mind her language.

  "I had no need for the man, nor a tracking device because the crates have their delivery address written on them inside the lid." Salvatore shrugged with a coy grin. "The man gave me the address he was to deliver them at, which was an intersection beneath a bridge and told me that they typically open the lid, not to check the delivery but to read the address."

  "And it's not encoded?" Marco asked in confusion.

  "It is," Salvatore nodded, chuckling. "But it's written in Greek,"

  "Greek," Their father looked at him with astonishment. "Are you sure?"

  "I learned Greek that one summer I was an exchange student in Mykonos, remember? And I could read it just fine."

  "What are you going to do?" Their father questioned.

  "The delivery is expected to the address in two days' time; I will send an envoy under my name instead of the weapons and learn what they want from my sister and why they have ordered so much weaponry."

  "In exchange for what?" Marco questioned.

  "That I'll give the weapons back,"

  "What?" Everyone stared at him in disbelief as he raised his hand to calm them.

  "Without the clips," Salvatore appeased them. "The weapons are useless without the clips."

  "I would never have thought of that," Arsenio muttered solemnly.

  "Well, I'll go as far as needed to protect my family,"

  Chapter XXXI: Wreck of our hearts

  The hallways were deserted with just a handful of people lingering around, but none of them paid her any heed as she walked across the ceramic floor.

  That was exactly what she wanted when she decided to come late at night; no one would bother her with unnecessary questions nor try to stop her either. Inhaling deeply, Serafina halted at the door of the room, gently sliding it open and stepping into the dark interior.

  The lights had been turned off, but the moonlight peeking through the blinds including the light from the beeping machinery was enough to illuminate the rough outline of the room, and the lamp overhead added to her vision.

  Shuffling across the room, she walked over to the side table with the vase on it. Taking out the dead flowers, she replaced the water and was about to place the new bouquet into the vase.

  "Oh, the joys of being born with the name Regnante where no one will question you in fear for their life," The person spoke on the bed, the suddenness of his voice having Serafina gasp and jumped back in fright. "Much less would they ask why Serafina Regnante was coming into the hospital rooms in the middle of the night long since visiting hours were over,"

  "I thought-" She began to speak with a hand on her chest.

  "-That I'd be asleep and miss the look on your face?" He finished for her with a chuckle. "You actually knew I'd be asleep given that the medications they give me have a sedative side effect,"

  "Then how come-"

  "-Don't ask stupid questions when you know the answer,"

  "Why didn't you take your medicine?" Serafina demanded, shaking her head and going back to setting the flowers into the vase. "You're injured; you should have taken them,"

  "Haven't you heard, it's impolite to sleep when there is a visitor for you," He grunted in pain as she heard the shuffling of sheets.

  "What are you doing?" She hissed at him, helping him sit up with a grunt. "You should keep lying,"

  "That's all I've been doing: lying, eating, sleeping, lying, e
ating, sleeping. I'm a man of combat, not one for bed rest,"

  "Well, this man of combat very conveniently got himself shot and ended up bed-ridden so face the consequences now,"

  "What? Would you rather I have let you die?" He chuckled with a shake of his head. "I would do it all again if I had to as long as I knew you were safe and unharmed,"

  Serafina swallowed thickly at his words, knowing he would do it all over again as long as she was safe. Despite everything she had done to him, he still loved her and didn't even deny it now. He probably got tired of denying the truth; after all, one can only do that to a certain extent before giving up.

  "I should leave," Serafina muttered once she had the flowers set up, about to walk away when he grabbed her wrist into his warm and calloused hand.

  "Stay,"

  "Alessio, I shouldn't be in here,"

  "You're a Regnante, rules don't seem to apply to you guys," He chuckled, pulling her back. "And besides, I had mom and Niccolo go home for the night, both of them had been taking shifts sitting by my side,"

  "How did you manage to do that?" Serafina asked incredulously, sitting at the edge of his bed and staring at him in the dim lighting, his dirty blonde hair an unruly mess with dark circles under his green eyes, his complexion as white as the snow outside and a tired smile across his dried and chapped lips.

  "Oh, it took a lot to convince them, but eventually they went home." Alessio chuckled, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

  "Back to the bachelor pad?"

  "God no," He let out a short laugh. "Mom hates my bachelor pad. No, Niccolo bought the cottage we lived in when Dad was alive and mom went back there with him,"

  "Must be hard for her," Serafina murmured looking at their conjoined hands.

  "Yeah," Alessio sighed. "It is,"

  A silence fell over the two as they sat in the dimness, their hands intertwined, their breathing and the sound of the machines being the only noise in the room.

  "Should I turn on the light?"

  "No," He seemed to shake his head. "You feel a lot more real like this, and I'm afraid you might disappear when the lights turn on,"

  "Hey, I'm here," She assured, pressing her free hand to the side of his face as he leaned into her touch, letting out a shaky breath.

  "Fuck," He chuckled uneasily, kissing her palm. "I've missed you so much,"

  "I've missed you, too,"

  She leaned forward, placing a kiss on his brow, as Alessio held her forearm, assuring himself that she was actually here, sitting beside him, even though it was dark, he felt as if though he could see her clearly: her black hair and her vibrant blue eyes, the slant of her nose and the arch of her lips, the slender skin of her neck and her shoulders. Even though everything was dark, he could see her like a light.

  "Arsenio scolded me the other day," Serafina revealed, playing with his fingers.

  "And why was that?"

  "Well, because since we're staying at the estate, I don't get out of my room and refuse to be in the same room as Salvatore and also because I know that everyone would see how guilty I am for your state," She swallowed thickly, her hair falling to curtain her face. "And the guilt just keeps eating me alive and sometimes I can't even move from the bed,"

  "Hey, it's not your fault," Alessio assured her, rubbing his thumb over her jaw. "I did that on my own free will,"

  "Or training,"

  "Or love,"

  Serafina let out a shaky breath, swallowing the lump in her throat as tears welled in her eyes again. Trying to regain her composure, she cleared her throat before speaking.

  "I'm so sorry that you risked your life for me," She sniffled, tucking her hair behind her ear as he wouldn't let go of her hand.

  "Please forgive me for having you crying day and night over me,"

  She stared at his figure in shock wondering how he knew.

  "Salvatore visits in the morning and talks to me, so do your other two brothers, and they all tell me you've been crying a lot,"

  "I've been so bad to you, Alessio," Her voice cracked. "I've been nothing but horrible,"

  "Did you ever think that there might have been something in you which had me falling head over heels for you for the past 2 years, hmm?" He questioned, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "And even now, I still see it, and it has me going crazy for you,"

  Pulling her hand away from his, she wiped at her eyes before the tears could fall, fidgeting with her hair when she didn't understand what to do, her eyes wide and taking in the darkness.

  "Why are you so nervous, amour?" He chuckled, his eyes piercing through her even in such dim lighting. "What's bothering you?"

  "The bullet was meant for me," She sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "They are targeting me. Salvatore says that since I survived this time around, they would try again, and again until they have me dead,"

  "Did Salvatore tell you who is after you?"

  "No, he's figuring that out,"

  "Does he know you come to visit me in the wee hours of the night?" He tilted his head with an amused smile.

  "You're changing the topic,"

  "From death to knowledge? Yes, yes I am." Alessio nodded. "Because I'd rather have you right here than 6 feet underground,"

  "What about Tatiana?"

  "What about her?"

  "She comes to visit you, too," She spoke, unable to keep the resentment from her voice

  "Yes, she does," He confirmed.

  "And your mom likes her, too,"

  "That's because she's never met you,"

  "And she never will; she probably hates me for landing her son in the hospital,"

  "Quite the contrary," Alessio assured. "She was hoping to meet you,"

  "Why?"

  "Because I never shut up about you," He chuckled in embarrassment.

  "Your brother hates me,"

  "He'll get over it," Alessio waved dismissively. "I know, Niccolo, he'll apologize eventually."

  "I guess I should too,"

  "To whom?"

  "To you." Serafina looked up at him, her eyes having adjusted in the darkness. "To Niccolo, to your mom, to my brother, my parents, to Arsenio, and Aurora and Irene, and-"

  "-That's a lot of apologizing,"

  "I've screwed up a lot,"

  "That's good," He nodded, Serafina looking at him in confusion. "Screw-ups means you're human and make mistakes, recognizing those screw-ups and wanting to set them right makes you a good person at heart even though some might not forgive you,"

  "Do you think they won't forgive me?" She asked in concern, nibbling on her thumbnail. "Have I screwed up that bad?"

  "No, I don't think anyone would not forgive you," Alessio pulled her forward, grunting a little when he shuffled to the side to allow her space to lie down with her head over his chest. "Who could resist that puppy-dog look you give them?"

  They both lay in silence, enjoying the presence of the other person as Serafina traced random shapes on his chest with her fingertips, Alessio running his hand up and down her arm. Enjoying the silence between them because neither one of them needed words to convey anything, their heartbeat was enough.

  "Alessio..." Serafina looked up at him as he hummed in confirmation. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you and for what I put you through, it was selfish of me and I was taking out all that pent up anger on someone who didn't know any more than I did,"

  "And I'm sorry for what I put you through," The man spoke gently, looking down at her. "I didn't see that you were using me and the other boys to forget the pain of Paolo, and I should have seen that and have you grieve for him, but instead we had sex rather than tears. I'm sorry for the way I treated you when I resigned - that was downright degrading and you are so much better than that. I should have realized that you were hurting and this was your way of coping - no matter how twisted it was - and I should have been there to guide you. If anyone should apologize it should be me, not you,"

  "I think it's agreed that we bot
h screwed up..." She murmured in embarrassment and buried her face into his chest as he inhaled deeply.

  They both fell quiet after that, neither one of them speaking until Serafina pulled away from his hold and sat up in the bed, her hair falling over her shoulder as Alessio watched her back in silence. His eyes following her in the dimness as she shifted and pulled the covers down, touching his stomach with gentle fingers until she found the area he had been shot at, caressing circles around the wound.

  "What are the doctor's saying?"

  "That I'm lucky to be alive," He shrugged. "Because it left an exit wound and I was on that operation table for quite a long time. No artery was obstructed but it shot through my intestine and came out my back and that was very dangerous. They didn't believe I'd make it, so they were surprised when I woke up,"

  Serafina swallowed thickly, the tears welling in her eyes as she couldn't even begin to think about Alessio dying.

  "Hey," He called out to her gently when she released a shaky breath. "I'm okay, I'm good and alive. Please don't cry,"

  "I'm such a mess," She sniffled, wiping at the tears.

  "It's okay, you're allowed to be a mess, especially in front of me, I'm not going to say anything,"

  She instantly choked on her sobs, not understanding why she was in this constant state of weeping. Exhaling heavily, she lay down with her head on his chest, and true to his word, he allowed her to cry and held her as long as she needed, as long as he needed to. It didn't take long for both of them to fall asleep, Serafina awakening at dawn and realizing that she should leave, but every part of her body didn't want to get out of Alessio's hold, didn't want to leave him again.

  "Serafina?" Alessio awoke when she pulled out of his hold, knowing she was going to leave. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

  "Of course," She nodded, sitting at the edge of his bed and cupping his ashen face into her hands. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Could you ask Salvatore why he gave Niccolo the order?" He asked her, covering her hand with his own when she looked at his bleary eyes in silence. "I think it's best that we both know the reason behind it,"

  She sat quietly for a moment, his words ringing through her head as she saw the logic behind it, get to know from Salvatore himself why he ordered the killing attack on her fiancée at the altar. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded, inhaling deeply before gently pressing her lips to his cheek, surprising him when she pulled back.