Amelia
We manage to be friendly, despite the sex, and Frankie’s back to his casual but business-like self. The honeymoon is fun, but Frankie seems distracted, playing on his phone more often.
He steps out of the room to take calls, and I wonder if there’s a problem with business back
home. Not that it’s any of my business, but I wonder if it will cut our holiday short.
I wouldn’t mind either way. Staying here is fun and going home just means returning to life. However, it would mean finding out where I fit in with this new life. I guess it could kind of be an adventure, and if Frankie isn’t going to be a dick the whole time, then it won’t be so bad.
He’s good in the sack. I’ll give him that. He always has been, but I have terrible shagging
regret. I got the closure I wanted. Frankie made it clear in the morning. We can just keep things the way they are now. In other words, he has no residual feelings for me.
I will be fine. I know I will be. It’s just something I have to accept.
What I don’t accept is the weird sense that we’re being followed around. Frankie keeps me to
the public beach, the dining hall, and our room. He has asked me not to do any private activities until he lets me know. This makes me nervous.
I have seen the same three men with the weird tattoos almost everywhere we’ve been.
Normally, it’s not something I’d notice, but they stick out. It’s clear they aren’t here for a holiday.
I walk out of my bedroom and see Frankie sitting in the living area in a suit, his legs crossed
and his arms on the back of the sofa.
“We need to talk,” he says gravely.
I keep my poker face. “Are we done? Are we going home?”
“Just sit, Amelia,” he says, and I can tell he’s really serious.
I sit down. “Is everything okay? Is my family okay?”
Frankie leans forward, and I hate that he takes his time to tell me what’s going on, only to ask
me the strangest question.
“What do you know about your ex-boyfriend, Dave?”
I frown. “I’m not going to be seeing him again if that’s what you’re trying to get at. It’s really none of your business.”
His eyes are bluer than his usual gray today, a clear sign he’s worried about something.
“That’s not why you want to know,” I say slowly. “What’s he done?”
“Did you ever meet any of his family? Know anyone that he knows?”
“We ran in the same circles. I know he’d occasionally deal drugs to some of the people I know.” Frankie frowns, and I hold up my hands. “I didn’t party like that. Alcohol is my friend. But…”
I pause. “No, I didn’t really know his family. We weren’t that close yet, and he was a bit secretive.”
“And with good reason….” Frankie says, sighing deeply. “Amelia, your little ex is the
nephew of a rather prominent drug mogul.”
I look at him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, wow, he didn’t seem that important.”
“This is no time for jokes, Amelia. We’re being followed by members of his uncle’s gang.
We’re in danger.”
I stand up. “The men with the tattoos.” “You’ve noticed them?” he asks me.
“Yes, I mean… I bumped into them once or twice and noticed they’re always where we are. The tattoos give them away. At first, I thought there was some kind of conference or something, but it started getting creepy.”
“I noticed them, too, ever since the other day when we built sandcastles. They’re trying to get
close to us. I assume to kidnap us.”
“Why would they want to kidnap us?” I ask, mouth slightly open. “I mean,” I stumble over my
words, “surely Dave isn’t that hard up that he’s having his uncle get me back for him.”
Frankie looks away, and my eyes instantly narrow. “What did you do?” I accuse him.
“Francesco, what did you do?”
He sighs, looking up at me with those piercing eyes. “He clocked you with a gun, Amelia.
What do you think I did?”
“You hurt him,” I say, shaking my head. “Must everything be a beat down for you?”
“He needed to be taught a lesson.” Frankie stands, towering over me. “And quite frankly, even
knowing who his uncle is, I’d still kick his ass. It’s not like I killed him.”
I snort. “Which is surprising.”
Frankie runs a hand over his hair and walks to the window, looking down at the beach below.
“They’ll probably come for us when we leave the hotel, but I’ll deal with travel arrangements.”
I feel a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry, Frankie, this is my fault. I really do have the worst taste in men.”
“You don’t say.” He offers me a smile. It’s a truce for now.
I sit down on the sofa and put my head in my hands. “What if they try and attack us in the
room?”
“They won’t,” Frankie explains. “It’s not their way. They’re not about public displays.
They’re about revenge, though.”
I sigh and sit back. “I don’t really feel like going to the beach today.”
“We have to.” He turns to me, looking at me seriously. “In fact, we will enjoy the rest of our honeymoon as though we don’t know a thing about what’s going on. We can’t alert them to the fact that we’re onto them. Otherwise, they may make this public and hurt not only us but innocent people, too.” “Since when do you care about innocent lives?” I ask.
“I don’t,” he says, giving me that steely look, “but that will draw attention to us, the family,
and what our family does in the background. You need to learn to be part of this family, Amelia. Family is everything. You take care of the family, and the family will always take care of you.” “My family has never taken care of me,” I mutter bitterly.
“It’s different now,” he sits beside me and strokes my hair behind my ear. “Our family is
different. We take care of our own. Now, Alessandro is sending us back up. So, until they get here, we simply lay low, do our thing, and enjoy our honeymoon. Okay?”
I nod. “Got it. Try not to let the drug lords know we know they’re here.” I give him a somewhat sarcastic thumbs up.
“I debated telling you because I didn’t want to worry you, but I know your poker face. You won’t give anything away.”
I snort. “You know me a little too well.”
Frankie pulls away from me and stands. “Why don’t we go downstairs? I saw the hotel has a small casino. We’ll gamble a little and have some fun.”
“I’ll need to change.” I point to him. ‘You’re a lot more formally dressed than I am.”
“That’s because I mean business.” He tries to give me a reassuring smile, and I nod, getting up and walking to my room.
I dress in a little cocktail dress and heels and join him. We walk down the hallway, both
acutely aware of the man pretending to get into a room near ours.
Straight poker face, I think, that’s all that’s needed. The man looks at me, and I give him a small smile. He nods to me, and I continue to walk, looping my arm through Frankie’s without hesitation.
Once we’re in the elevator, Frankie glances at me. “Whatever happens, don’t go somewhere where there’s no one around, and you can be taken.”
I nod. “I’m not a fool. I’m a woman. That’s a normal rule for us.”
Frankie
When I first saw Dave in my club, I didn’t recognize him. That’s really dangerous because I always make sure to know every key operator and family member of the important crime families that interact with or around us. The world of mobsters and mafia is unforgiving, and there are rules you don’t break. It’s an eye for an eye, you hurt one of their family, and they’re entitled to come after one of yours.
I wouldn’t have gone to town on him if I had known that Dave was the lovechild of the Catalan Don’s brother. I probably would have reached out to Jose Catalan to deal with Dave himself. It’s how things are done.
Now, I must deal with the consequences of my actions, and Alessandro is beyond irritated
about the situation.
After all, Jose and Alessandro had a peace treaty in place even though every family knew that Jose wanted to take over our territory in New York. He can’t attack us outright without cause because the other families will rally behind us. Another unspoken rule, but now he has leverage to get his revenge, and I know he won’t stop until he gets it.
I frown; it’s a weak excuse at best. I didn’t kill the kid. I just had him put in the hospital. I
don’t have any regrets, and that’s probably what Alessandro finds most annoying about the situation. I’ve given them an in, and I would do it again if I were presented with the same problem.
Amelia is still asleep as I sit in my room, scanning over the files sent to me on my phone. Jose Catalan reigns over the drug trade in most areas of South America, and he’s made several plays to get into the US. We allow him in our area under supervision. I know he doesn’t like that. He’ll like it even less when Alessandro denies him trade in our territories because of this move. It’ll start a war between our families, one that we may find difficult to fight.
I know he has a few states already under his control, but he’s been after our territories for a while. He’s never satisfied, which is a bad trait for a Don. You have to know when to play your move, not just play what your temper says you should. It’s how Dons fall, fast and hard, but until we have a solid plan for how to deal with Jose and his goons, I need to make sure that Amelia is safe. We must get out of Maryland and back to New York, pronto.
No other family will get involved in this, but I know they’ll be watching closely to see who comes out top. Not everyone is happy with us. Although we try to keep good relationships, sometimes our paths cross in an unpleasant way.
It’s just the way things are.
I get up and pour myself a whiskey. I’ve booked a ticket on a bus for Amelia to take back to New York. I’m hoping that traveling away from me in an unexpected way will make her less of a target since I’m the one who attacked Dave.
I’ll be going my own way, and I have some people who resemble the two of us taking another route. Hopefully, it’s enough to confuse the people following us, and we can get back under my family’s protection without a hitch.
I’ll have to explain this to Amelia. I don’t think she will be afraid, but she needs to be
vigilant.
My phone rings.
“Alessandro,” I say in greeting.
“Frankie, your transport leaves this afternoon. I’ve sent some extra guys to see you guys here
safely. Don’t take any chances. Jose won’t care about hurting a few people to get to you.” “He hasn’t attacked us here,” I say quietly.
“I said a few. That’s too many people,” Alessandro says grumpily. “Now listen, you get back
here, and you get straight to safety. Don’t go around town trying to do any business or anything. We don’t know how many of his soldiers are in town and waiting for you.”
“Understood,” I say with a sigh. “I didn’t know this guy, Alessandro. I didn’t know he was connected.”
“I know, Frankie, neither did we. When the guys first asked around about him, they were told he’s some low-rolling drug dealer to the stars. No one knew his connection to Jose.” Alessandro breathes deeply. “But what is done is done. I know you would do it again. Stupid, but I know you would do it for Amelia.”
“She’s family,” I say calmly. “Family comes first. Surely, we can say he attacked her, and
she’s our family.”
“Tried, but we’ve received word that Amelia had been with Dave the same day when the fight happened, so she couldn’t have been with you or planned to marry you. They’re angling this well to make us look like we did this as a direct attack on them.” Alessandro sighs, then continues, “I’ll figure something out. I just need to think things over and work out how I’m going to do this.”
“I’m thinking on it too. There must be a way to either get him off our backs or put him in his
place, though I feel like putting him in his place is going to be the option we’re going to have to take.” I sip my whiskey. “Would be nice.”
“Could be deadly,” Alessandro points out to me. “Be logical, Frankie, don’t let your feelings for Amelia start to cloud your judgment. You’re the business-minded one. I trust you’ll come up with a solution long before I do. I have to go. I have a meeting. Don’t get killed, baby brother.”
I smile. “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to.”
I hang up and look out over the ocean. I hear Amelia’s door open, and I leave my room, whiskey in hand, and I watch as she walks toward the living area, already dressed.
“Good morning,” I say calmly.
“Morning,” she greets me. “Are there any updates?”
I nod. “We’re leaving today to go back home. We are to go straight home, with no detours. But
there will be a few adjustments to the plan. I’ll explain shortly.”
She nods. “Have you ordered breakfast yet? I’d rather eat here.” “Go ahead. I’ll have whatever you have,” I say.
“Eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast,” she says. “That’s the plan.”
She goes to the phone and orders the food, and we sit silently while waiting. I’m musing over
the plan in my mind, going over the last few details of how this is going to go down.
Once we’re eating at the table, Amelia gives me a steady gaze. “Tell me the plan, Frankie. I want to be prepared.”
I nod, swallowing some scrambled eggs. “We’re going to split up.”
“Is that safe?” she asks immediately. “Shouldn’t we stay together?”
“We’re going to have some folks who look like us take one way. I’ll take another and you
another. Don’t worry, there will be guards with you to protect you,” I explain.
She continues to eat, not saying anything, so I continue, “The plan is to throw them off our trail or split them up at least. Get home, stay home, and make a new plan from there.”
“I can’t believe he’s related to a drug lord,” she says softly. “I should have known.”
“We didn’t even know, and we make it our business to know Amelia,” I point out. “He’s a
love child. His father is the brother of Jose Catalan, and his mother was a mistress that got pregnant. There’s no direct tie or name matching or anything. He is basically a blot on the family name. But they’ve wanted something on us for a while, and now they have it. So, they’re going to come for us.”