Arranged Mafia Marriage

Michael

One minute, she’s trembling on the ground; the next, she is on her feet and firing off the gun as if she’s done it her entire life. She holds her finger down on the trigger and fires. Her body shudders with the recoil. She pauses, changes her stance, then grips the gun tighter and fires again, and again.

Each time she fires, her body shakes with the recoil. Each time the gun spits out a bullet, she winces, but she doesn’t stop. She keeps her finger glued to the trigger, long after the rest of us have stopped.

Her features are contorted, her cheeks flushed; her chest rises and falls as she widens her stance to better support herself and the weight of the gun she holds. At some point, I realize the rest of the men have stopped shooting and are watching her. But she still doesn’t stop.

The skin across her knuckles stretches white, but she keeps the trigger depressed, keeps shooting, until the empty clacking of the chambers fills the space. Tears run down her cheeks, drip from her chin. She sways, her legs seem to give way from under her, and I catch her as she crumples.

The gun slips from her fingers, and Seb snatches it up. I lower her to the floor, take in the sheen of sweat on her forehead, the trickle of sweat that runs down her temples, and my heart stutters.

“Bellezza!” I haul her close as I peer into her features, “You are not feeling well.”

“I am fine,” she insists, and her voice cracks.

“You are not fine.”

“I…” she swallows, and more color leaches from her features, “I am fine, really, I am.”

Seb drops down to one knee next to us, “What’s wrong? How is she?”

“We need to get out of here.” I glance up at him, “I need to take her to a doctor.”

“No!” She rears up, “No doctor.”

“You need to see someone to find out what’s wrong with you.”

“I… I know what’s wrong with me.”

I blink, “You do?”

She nods.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“I…” she glances away, “it’s nothing, really.”

“It’s something if it has you jumping to your feet to fire off your gun, only to collapse in the next instant.”

“Michael…” she opens and shuts her mouth, “it’ll pass.”

“What is it?”

“Honestly, it’s nothing that you need to concern yourself with.”

“Everything that concerns you concerns me.”

“Argh!” She makes that sound deep in her throat that she does when she is frustrated, and fuck, if my cock doesn’t instantly twitch. Everything about this woman is designed to drive me mad, surely?

She glowers at me, “You’re impossible!”

“And you are beautiful.”

Her lips tremble, “Don’t say that.” She glances away from me.

“Why not?” A cold sensation coils in the pit of my stomach. “I’ll say it as many times as I want to you. You’re my wife, after all.”

“Am I?” she muses in a low voice, but I catch it.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She doesn’t reply and that knot in my stomach pulls tighter. “Karma, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“If we don’t do something about those men shooting at us, nothing is going to go on, because we’ll all be dead,” JJ interjects.

I jerk my chin up in his direction. “Don’t you dare interrupt when-”

“He’s right,” Seb says in a hard voice. “We’re stuck in the middle of a gunfight.”

“You don’t say?”

“What do you want to do, Capo?”

I glance down at Karma, then at Seb, “We need to-”

“We’re going to stay and fight it out,” Karma retorts.

I glare at her, “Now, you’re going to make my decisions for me?”

“She’s right,” JJ cuts in. “Try to leave here and you will be gunned down.”

Seb nods, “Our only hope is to stay and fight and take down those shooting at us.”

“We have the weapons needed to outlast them,” JJ reminds me.

Karma grimaces. If possible, she turns even more pale. Sweat dots the front of her dress, which clings to her chest. Her chest rises and falls and her lips twist. She’s in pain. She’s not admitting to it, but she’s in pain.

“No,” I say in a cold voice.

“What?” Seb stares. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean, no.” I glance down at Karma, “I am going to find a way to get her out of here and to a doctor.”

“Fuck,” Luca swears from above us, “that’s suicide.”

“We’ll survive. I’ll make sure we survive.”

“Cazzo!” Seb growls, “Fratellone, that is not a good idea.”

“I’m going to do it anyway.”

“Think of her, if not yourself; you don’t want to put her life in danger.”

“I am thinking of her,” I say in a low voice. “If I don’t get her out of here, her life will be in danger.”

“But-”

“Let him go,” JJ murmurs. “You can take her to my doctor; I’ll text you the address. I’ll call him and let him know to expect you.”

“Grazie,” I jerk my chin at him.

“You’re welcome.” JJ pulls out his phone and walks away to make a call.

Just then, footsteps sound outside. The door flies open and Christian, Massimo, and Antonio burst through the door.

“What’s wrong?” Christian sinks down to his knees next to Seb, “What’s happening?”

“Karma is not feeling well, and the Capo has decided he is going to make a run for it to get her to a doctor.”

“You are both going to die,” Christian says flatly. “There are still, at least, ten people out there, and probably more on the way.”

“I am not going to let my wife suffer. I am going to get her to a doctor.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Christian growls, “I assume you parked your car a distance from the house so you could approach without being discovered?”

“Cazzo! ” I swear aloud, “It’s not going to be easy to get to it without being spotted.”

“You can use my car,” JJ pockets his phone as he prowls over to us. “It’s in the garage and it’s bullet-proof.”

“No vehicle is completely bullet-proof.” Christian snaps. He turns on me, “I speak the truth and you know it. Try to take her out of here and you endanger both of your lives.”

I hesitate. Do I want to be more beholden to one of my enemies… more than I already am.

Making my decision for me, Beauty gasps. She grips my hand and I glance down to find her eyes closed. Her chest rises and falls; her breathing is shallow. Fuck this. “Fine,” I snap, “I’ll take the car.”

“What the-!” Christian explodes, “How can you willingly put yourself in danger, and after what happened to Xander-”

“It’s because of what happened to Xander that I can’t allow anything to happen to her.” I scowl up at him.

He holds my gaze and whatever he sees on my face must convince him, for he blows out a breath. “Fuck,” he growls. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He rises to his feet, then stares down at us, “I am coming with you.”

“No, you’re not,” I snap.

“If you are putting yourself in danger-”

“Nothing is going to happen to us.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“No,” I say in a low voice.

He opens his mouth to protest and I slice the air with my palm, “This is not open to debate.”

“Cazzo!” He sets his jaw. “We’ll cover you. We’ll fire at the motherfuckers and make sure they are so occupied that they won’t be able to stop you.”Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“Good plan,” JJ remarks.

Christian glares at him. “We’re out of ammo.”

“You know where to find it,” JJ replies.

“Don’t we need your iris scan to unlock the door?”

“Do you?” JJ smirks.

Christian’s face suffuses with color.

He jumps up to his feet, swoops out and jams his gun into the side of JJ’s temple. Everyone freezes as the two glare at each other. JJ doesn’t flinch, doesn’t lower his gaze. The staring match goes on and on, then Christian nods. He slowly lowers the gun, pivots and walks out.

“I’ll come with you.” Antonio follows him.

A bead of sweat slides down JJ’s temple. “The boy has balls,” he concedes, “and he’s hurting.”

“We all are.” It’s not lost on me that in the space of a few hours I’ve gone from wanting to kill the motherfucker to trusting him…albeit grudgingly. Perhaps it’s because of the life and death situation in which we currently find ourselves. It’s what happens when you are under pressure. You need to make snap decisions, and trust your instincts. And right now, my gut says JJ is on our side. Temporarily. Until we find out who the hell is after us.

“You’ll need this,” JJ holds out his phone, “I’ve deactivated the lock and the doctor’s address is already keyed into the GPS.”

I slide the phone into my pocket.

“Garage is at the back of the house, through the kitchen,” he adds, as he hands over the key fob. I take it, then rise to my feet and scoop Karma into my arms. She protests and I scowl at her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“But-”

“I am not going to let you walk.”

“I was going to ask for my gun back.”

I scowl at her, she tips up her chin. “My gun, Michael.”

I nod at Seb, who reloads her gun, then holds it out. She accepts it, and cradles it close to her chest.

“Don’t shoot me with that thing.”

“Don’t insult me.” She purses her lips. “I may not be used to holding a gun, but I can hold my own with it.”

“That you can,” Seb concedes.

I glance around, take in the faces of my brothers, then turn to JJ. “Thanks,” I say grudgingly. “This doesn’t mean that I trust you.”

“Same.” He jerks his chin.

Seb picks up my gun from where I had placed it on the floor. He loads it, then slides it into my waistband at the small of my back.

I head for the door and he follows me.

“Where are you going?” I frown at him over my shoulder.

“Going to get you guns so you can defend yourself.”

“I’ll stay here,” Massimo rumbles. He glares at JJ and it’s clear he doesn’t trust the other man to leave him on his own. Good call.

I head down to the ground floor, then out of the back door, and into the garage. The lights flicker on, revealing six parked cars. I press the keyfob and the Mercedes in the corner lights up. As I head toward it, Seb pulls out his phone, calls Christian and asks him to come to the garage with the ammo. We reach the car and Seb opens the passenger door; I place Karma inside. Then walk around to the driver’s side.

Christian and Antonio join Seb, and together, they pile guns and boxes of ammo on the floor in the back of the car.

“You realize, if any one sees this, they are going to report you to the police immediately, right?” Karma grumbles.

“Will they?” I take in the pile of weapons.

“Maybe not in Sicily, but not too many people know you here,” Karma insists.

“I’ll make sure not to draw attention to the car.”

“And the doctor?” She frowns. “Won’t he get suspicious about it?”

“It’s JJ’s doctor; I assume he’s used to seeing guns,” I retort.

“Guns are not as common in England as in Sicily.”

“More’s the pity.” I shake my head, “Never understood the appeal of a stiff upper lip, when you could simply leave a stiff behind that wouldn’t talk.”

“Is that a joke?” She scowls, “That is a joke. OMG, Capo, you made a joke?”

“Your English sense of humor must be rubbing off on me.” I smirk.

“Here,” says Christian as he lays a dark blanket over the guns. “Done.”

The guys slam the back doors shut.

“Wait for the diversion, then drive,” Christian orders.

“Don’t worry about us. Don’t stop for anything; you just keep going,” Seb adds.

“I wish you’d let me, at least, come with you.” Antonio scowls, “I am your bodyguard. It’s my responsibility to make sure that nothing happens to you.”

“And I want you to stay with my brothers and fight back.”

With a last glance at the men, I slide into the car.

“Arrivederci,” Christian calls out. Until we meet again.

They turn to leave, and I snap my seatbelt into place at the same time as she does.

“Now what?” Beauty lays the gun across her lap, then looks at me expectantly.

I reach over, wrap my fingers around her neck and bring her close. I kiss her, then thrust my forehead into hers. “Now we wait.”

“And what do you suggest we do while we wait?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“What do you think?”

“You’re not well.” I scowl and she raises an eyebrow.

“Let me be the judge of that.”

She reaches over and grips my crotch and my cock instantly hardens.

“Karma,” I scold, “now is not the time.”

“Now is exactly the time.” Her eyes twinkle. Color seeps back into her face and she doesn’t seem to be sweating anymore.

“You’re feeling better, I take it?”

She massages my crotch, “I am now.” She winces again and I glare at her.

“You lying to me again?”

“I…” She scowls, then pulls her hand back. “Fine, fine,” she glances to the side, “have it your way.”

I blow out a breath, “Baby, I know you want me, but your health is more important.”

She scoffs, “What would make me feel better is if you eat me out.”

“And get you overexcited again?” I shake my head, “not that I don’t want to, but I am worried about you Karma, and I’d rather play it safe until we have you examined by a doctor.”

That’s when shots ring out.