Into the Darkness: a mafia love story

Arianna POV: 

That morning, I was awoken to the sunlight and a warmth cocooning me, keeping me slightly under the effects of the sandman. It all didn't feel real, the previous day had been the most eventful one in my life to date, getting kidnapped, then escaping even if by design, being rescued and returned to Gio, and for us to…

When I came out of the shower last night, I thought it would end up in the usual routine: he would make his excuses to go work or see to the defense of the house, or perhaps we would find ourselves down in the kitchen like we normally did and play house. Instead, he sat up and looked at me, his mind made up I felt fearful for a moment he would send me away, ship me off to Italy with Becca.

Before my fears could consume me, he kissed me, holding me tightly to him, pulling me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. We tumbled onto the bed, and in an unleashing of desire, we found ourselves covered in sweat, heat, and passion. He was exactly as you'd expect him to be: commanding and assertive, but with the gentlest of touches as he showed you what he wanted. 

I felt like a newborn deer wandering through the forest, weak in the knees as I tried to meet his demands. My body quaked as he and I came undone, and a shiver ran down my spine as I thought of it. We had spent most of the night doing the same, making up for lost time over and over again. I felt my muscles sore but in the best way. I couldn't help the smile that erupted on my face as I relived it all in my head.

I had told what my father said to me, the ludicrous notion I would take over from him. Giovanni darkened for a moment before he assured me my father wouldn't get the chance. It did make sense as to why he was so desperate to have me back in his life. Gulia was no mastermind, and I was a solution to the problem that had his arms wrapped around me as well. I smirked, glad it had all gone horribly wrong for my father, he didn't count that I'd have a mind of my own. 

"It is still far too early let's go back to sleep," He mumbled behind me. I tucked my leg in between his and scooted as close as I could against his chest, our bodies aligning like two separate halves of a whole. 

"I agree," I told him pulling the sheet up above us. 

He began racing kisses up my arm and along my neck and I giggled as he did so, "This is not sleeping," I teased. 

"It's much better than sleeping," He challenged me. I gave in without much fight turning over to kiss his lips as we continued our marathon from last night. It wasn't until the sun was streaming brightly into the room, and we were once again breathless that we agreed to go out from our refuge to find food. 

We walked down to the kitchen our eyes tracing over each other, ever so subtle, just like two teenagers. I blushed as we passed the men in the foyer, with the office gone we had moved all the work here. I laughed as we headed back to the food, I felt like I was ten years younger, my face red as Giovanni held me close with a hand on my hip. 

Luca sat in the kitchen a cup of espresso in one hand, a paper in the other. "I'm shocked that we've been blessed with your presence, you seemed determined to stay in there forever," 

I looked at the ground chuckling to myself. "Good morning Luca," 

Giovanni swatted at his cousin's head, who deftly moved out of the way grinning a smug grin and sitting down at the table. 

"What's the plan for the day?" He asked still not looking up from his reading. 

I began rifling through the fridge and cupboards looking for quick food to fill my starving belly. I settled on some fruit and bacon tossing the meat to Giovanni and cutting up the rest myself. 

"Figuring out where to attack next I suppose," I offered we didn't have a lead right now, but it was best if struck again before my father gained any traction against us, I knew he must have something in the works already. If there was one rat amongst Giovanni's men we had to assume there was more. 

Guilt dribbled into my empty stomach and I moved my weight from one foot to the other as I cut up the food trying not to feel bad. Giovanni kissed my shoulder and rubbed my arm. 

"The detective seems to have taken his drug makers into custody so he's still weakened if he can't deliver his product he loses money, and thus power," He explained. 

"He'll be furious that I got away, that his plan didn't work," I advised. "He'll strike and when he does he'll go for as much blood as he can," 

Giovanni nodded returning to cook the bacon with a dark cloud hanging over him. I huffed furious that with one mention of my father, our happiness had run for the hills. I thought to the mere moments ago when we woke up in complete bliss wrapped up in each other, I wanted more mornings like that. I wasn't going to give up without one hell of a fight. 

"We need to finish this, and son the way it's going is only going to end with a city of dead people. We have to find his weak spot, he has to have one somewhere," I told them, desperate to begin work so i could return to the bed where nothing besides him mattered. 

"Well you should know better than we did, your mother was able to keep him at bay for years without him interfering in your life how did she do it?" Luca set down his paper and came over to steal some food for himself. 

I thought back to the folder with the images of his business partner beaten and bloody, I had hidden back beneath the baseboards of her closet. Leaving in such a hurry and state of fear that day I didn't think I'd had the time to grab it. 

"She had some information on him, but it wasn't much," I looked down. "Besides it's back at our house I doubt it's still there," 

"No harm in looking," Giovanni shrugged. 

I almost choked on the grape I was eating. "You're joking right?" I laughed. Did we not endure the same thing the day before? "I was almost kidnapped yesterday, you were almost killed," 

He gently put his hands on my arms. "That was with us apart which we won't be, besides I've been thinking your mother might have something more for us as well. Luca is right it had to take more than just a few photos of him killing a man to keep him away, he's too powerful for that," 

I felt my heart race at the thought of leaving here, especially to return to my old house. I thought of everything that had happened since I'd left. It felt like I had lived a dozen lives since then, I couldn't imagine returning as if nothing had changed. It didn't matter though, they were right, I knew my mother was clever enough to have kept tabs on my father and his misdeeds. I had not heard from him once and with her gone, I hadn't been able to get rid of him. She must have had something good. 

Perhaps it was just wishful thinking.