Conquered by the Mafia Boss

Oh shit.

The blood drains from my upper limbs as Johnny pulls away from me, his head perking up with the air of a hound scenting a rabbit. A small group stands at the entrance of the courtyard, their dirty leather cuts at odds with everyone else. I recognize Tanner and Blaze standing next to my dad, who pushes aside an older woman with raven-black hair-Mom!

They’re actually here.

Oh God, this is about to get ugly.

Through his grizzled mane of hair, he spots me sitting down at the table, Johnny at my side. Hair swinging wildly, my dad walks across the courtyard, making a beeline straight toward me.

François heads off my dad before he can take a couple steps, placing both palms on his chest as the rest of Johnny’s men frisk my dad’s entourage. They back away, finding nothing, and Johnny slowly rises to his feet.

“Stay here, Maya.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

My legs lock together as he walks away to meet Dad, but I just can’t get over this impending sense of doom. Shit is going to get bad, really fast.

It takes seconds for me to jog up to Johnny’s side, and he gives me a stern look that I ignore. Whatever. He doesn’t know how to handle my dad. I do.

“Carlos, I’m glad you could come.”

Dad looks as though he hasn’t shaved in about a week and his eyes have a permanent red tinge. My ball-busting mom stands behind him, looking wrecked. Her hair’s a mess and her makeup is half made up, as though she forgot about it halfway through applying her mascara. Her pale lips tremble when she sees me, and suddenly I can’t hold back the dam.

What has he fucking done to her?

“Maya!”

Suddenly what I want most in the world right now is just to feel Mom’s arms around me. Am I fucking crying? I take a step toward her, but a cold, clammy grip holds me in place. Johnny’s hand curls around my elbow, his face grim.

“Let me go!”

“I need to talk to my daughter alone.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Johnny speaks in a polite tone, but Dad reacts by spitting on the ground, dangerously close to Johnny’s feet.

“I don’t take orders from you anymore, John.”

“Our business arrangement still stands.”

“You fucked over our alliance when you decided to stick your dick in my daughter.”

A small crowd gathered nearby erupts into scandalized gasps, and Johnny glares at me, jerking his head.

No, I’m not fucking leaving!

Johnny steps in Dad’s space, their faces inches from each other as rage ripples off my father’s body. “Shut your fucking mouth.”

“I told you, I don’t take orders from pieces of shit like you.”

Jesus Christ.

“I let you run your fucking mouth at that meeting-I won’t let you do it here at my fucking engagement party.”

In slow motion, I watch as Dad lifts his hands and shoves the boss’ chest. Johnny stumbles back, which seems to be just what his soldiers were waiting for.

Everyone knows that you don’t get physical with the boss. You don’t touch him.

They draw their guns, and Mom and Dad are right in the line of fire.

“Do you have a fucking death wish?” one of them screams.

“STOP! That’s my mom!”

I shove one of them aside and sprint into the thick of that circle, ignoring Johnny’s outrage. “Maya!”

She wraps her arms around me, and I squeeze her middle, breathing in the smell of her clothes-smoke and gunpowder. God, I missed her.

“Back off!”

Over my mom’s shoulder, I watch as they lower their guns. Blood pounds through the veins in my head. I hear the roar almost drowning out Johnny’s voice.

“Let’s go somewhere private to talk.”

Johnny motions with his head and two of his soldiers follow Dad as I trail behind with Mom. We walk inside the empty restaurant and Johnny sits behind his usual table. It’s pleasantly cool inside, but dark. Mom sits beside me.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“I-I’m fine. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

God, having her here makes me realize that there are a lot of people back home who I care about.

“What happened to Chuck? Is he all right?”

Mom’s eyes lower and she gives me an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Then I feel a gaping void in my chest. That poor man was just about the only decent guy in that place. The only fucking man who stood up for me is dead.

Suddenly I hate everything about my father, from his grizzled face all the way down to his shitty, steel-toed boots. All he ever did was wear me down and make me feel less than human, and now he’s a murderer.

“You killed him.”

Johnny’s hand finds my knee under the table and squeezes it. Shut up.

I won’t shut up.

“He never did anything wrong, how could you?”

His voice explodes as his fist smashes into the table. “How could you let one of them touch you?”