Mafia Heir’s Broken Vows (Rosewood Hall Broken Vows)

7. Serafina

SERAFINA

T he morning light barely filters through the dusty blinds of the safe house, casting pale stripes across the wooden floor. I tiptoe through the kitchen, trying to steady my hands as I pour stale coffee into a chipped mug. Every noise feels too loud, every movement too big in the small space. I haven't slept. Not with Alessandro's accusing eyes burned into my memory. Not with the weight of Leo's secret pressing on my chest.

A sharp knock rattles the front door. My breath stalls. No one should be knocking—not here.

Alessandro is instantly alert, appearing in the doorway, his hand instinctively moving to the gun at his side. His eyes narrow at me, silently questioning.

I shake my head. No one should know we're here.

He moves to the door cautiously, peering through the peephole. Then he stiffens, the gun now in hand.

"Stay back," he whispers to me.

Slowly, he opens the door just enough to snatch the small, black box sitting on the threshold. It's plain, unmarked—except for a crimson ribbon tied around it. Alessandro closes the door with a quiet click, placing the box on the table between us. It could be a bomb or a finger—I have opened a finger before. It stank, and my stomach rolls at the memory.

Unexpected, unmarked gifts are almost never a good thing.

Neither of us moves. We both just stare at it for a while.

He pulls the ribbon and lifts the lid.

Inside, a single blood-red rose. Beneath it, a note.

You can't hide from me.—M

My knees buckle, and I grip the edge of the table. Fuck.

"It's Marco. He knows where we are." Why a gift? Why not just storm the place? He knows I'm here—what is he playing at?

Alessandro's expression darkens. "We need to leave." It doesn't matter where we go, they're going to find us. This is his fault; my life was fine until he came back like a fucking wrecking ball.

By the time we reach my event planning office, it's too late. The glass door hangs from broken hinges, shards glittering on the ground like ice. The alarm is blaring as I punch in the code to try to silence it. The security company will be here soon, asking questions. Wanting to call the police. Spray-painted words stretch across the front wall in jagged red letters:

TICK TOCK.

My stomach knots and burns. This was my escape—my fresh start. And now it's been violated. I had one thing in my life not tainted by violence, and fucking crime. One damn thing!

Alessandro steps ahead of me, scanning the empty office, gun drawn. "Stay back." They're not here, this is a message—like a text only with more impact and harder to erase.

I walk inside, broken glass crunching underfoot. My carefully arranged event mock-ups, color palettes, and portfolios are shredded, torn apart, and strewn across the floor. Marco didn't just want to send a message—he wanted to destroy me. To break what I had built and make sure I had nothing left. He tried to take me, and I got away, now he's going to make me pay.

I hold my breath and fight off the urge to cry. My lip quivers, but I will not let him see me breaking.

"What is really going on, Serafina?" Alessandro says quietly. "This is not nothing—Tick Tock? That's very specific." He thinks he knows everything.

Back at the safe house, Alessandro stands in front of me, arms crossed.

"You're coming with me. Pack some things." There's nothing here to pack. My life at my home and my shop—my business has become what I live for. I haven't been here in a long time, I never intended to come back. I hid here after my brother was killed—after Alessandro killed him and started a fucking war.

I stare at him. "Excuse me?"

"To my estate. It's secure. Safer than this place. And safer than your office." I wouldn't call him or his home safe.

I shake my head, defiance rising. "No. I can't just uproot Leo. His life—" There are bigger things in my life than what Alessandro wants. I can't make decisions on a whim, I have a son, and he comes first.

"His life is already in danger. Or did you miss the part where Marco nearly killed you?" Me—he nearly killed me, not my son. So far, they've left Leo out of it, I just had to do as I was told. Which I thought I had.

His words are harsh, but they're true. My hands shake as I stare at the box still sitting on the table.

"Leo won't understand." He's just a kid. I am his entire world. Moving to a strange place, and uprooting his life, isn't fair.

Alessandro softens slightly. "He doesn't have to. Not yet. But if Marco gets any closer, there won't be anything left to explain." I don't want to fuck him up and make him like all of them—a monster.

Leo's footsteps bang on the wood floors as he races down the hall, and I turn to see him clutching his favorite stuffed lion, blinking sleepily. Even half-awake, he moves at lightning speed.

"Mommy?" My heart warms at the sight of him, and guilt washes over me. I miss him even if I wasn't gone for long—I hate leaving him.

I kneel down, brushing his hair back. "Hey, sweetheart. We're going on a little trip, like a vacation, okay?"

His brow furrows. "But why? Where are we going?"

Alessandro watches quietly from the doorway, his posture tense but unmoving. I glance back at him before forcing a smile for Leo.

"It's just for a little while. Somewhere fun. You'll like it." I don't know if it'll be fun—but I don't want to scare him.

Leo nods slowly, childish confusion in his eyes. "Cool. Can I take my toys?"

"Some of them. We won't be gone for long."

Before I can finish packing, Laura appears in the hallway, her face pale and drawn with worry. She stops just short of where Alessandro stands, her eyes darting between the two of us. Her voice is low and controlled, but the edge in it is impossible to miss.

"Sera, what's going on? You didn't come home, and I didn't hear from you all night. I was worried something happened."

I straighten, my chest tightening. "I'm fine, Laura. We're fine."

Her eyes flick to Alessandro, narrowing slightly. "And he just happened to be there?"

"He was," I say quickly, not wanting to get into this now. "And I don't have time to explain."

Laura crosses her arms, her gaze hardening. "I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. That you're not—" She glances at Leo, who is now zipping up his dragon-shaped suitcase, oblivious to the tension in the room. Lowering her voice further, she continues, "—putting him in more danger."

I swallow hard, the weight of her words settling heavily on my shoulders. "I know what I'm doing."

She doesn't look convinced, but she doesn't press further. Instead, she kneels in front of Leo, her expression softening. "Hey, buddy. Going on an adventure?"

Leo grins, holding up his lion. "Yep! Mommy says it's like a vacation."

"Well, you take good care of her, okay?" She ruffles his hair, her smile strained but warm. "And your lion too."

"I will!" Leo beams before zipping up his suitcase with a triumphant flourish.

Laura stands, her worry bleeding through as she looks at me one last time. "Call me. Please."

"I will," I promise, my voice barely above a whisper.

Alessandro's phone buzzes, and he checks his watch. "We leave in ten minutes," he says, his tone clipped.

Laura steps back, her shoulders tense as she watches us head for the door. "Be careful, Sera."

"I will," I say again, my voice quieter this time. Alessandro steps in, his presence heavy and commanding, as he leads us straight back into his world.