Mafia's Broken Omega (Mated in the Mafia #6)

11. Cord

11

CORD

“How did I get roped into doing this particular task?” Andro Ferrini looked unlike how he had ever looked before. Flecks of purple paint dotted his otherwise white shirt, and his jeans were a kaleidoscope of colors.

"You guys wanted a meeting. I had this planned for today. We're killing two birds with one stone," I said. "You missed a spot." I pointed to the corner where Andro's roller had not quite reached the top of the wall.

"Okay, I can understand that, given that you don't want people in your house when your mate has been threatened, but surely you have lowly guards that could be assigned this responsibility." Despite his protests, the alpha took great care in making sure the job got done right. Thanks to his height, we didn't even need a ladder for the job.

The three of us—Andro, Felix, and I—had been tasked with painting the nursery. Avery had requested that we paint the background so that he could come in and fill the walls with a mural depicting a jungle or an undersea adventure—he hadn't yet decided. We had to paint the bottom third of the wall green, the middle third blue, and the top third purple. Passion purple, to be exact. We were just about finished.

"Perhaps when your mate is finished with the mural in here, I will have him come over to our playroom," Felik said. "Jeremiah has been wanting something special for the walls there. According to him, they're boring."

Andro snorted. "Get some of those sticky stars that glow in the dark, or stickers you could put up on the wall. That's easier than paint."

"I suggested that too, but apparently that's not creative enough." Felik shrugged. Whatever his mate Jeremiah asked for, he got. Same went for Joey, Andro's mate. And, well, being that I had just spent the better part of a day priming and painting a room for our child to Avery's exact specifications, I suppose I fit that description as well. Our omegas were the only ones who knew just how weak we were for them.

"Did you give any more thought to who would have threatened Avery?" I asked. "Any rumors on your side from any enemies who might be opposed to us working together?"

"Everyone is opposed to us working together. Orsino and Louie are working on a list. I've added a few people I could think of. Once we have our list, we can figure out who might have been able to find out about Avery and what their motive might be. We knew when we formed this partnership that there was going to be pushback."

"Indeed." Either people didn't want us to work together because they could benefit from us fighting, or they wanted our partnership with them instead.

Andro put a hand on my shoulder, the wet paint sneaking onto my otherwise white shirt. "Don't worry, we will not cave to these demands. Our partnership is secure, not just because our brothers are married and we are family, but because I trust you, Cord. That will not change. What's important through all this is that we keep our omegas safe and we communicate."

I nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate that." The Mennetti businesses would not have survived after Vance's demise without Andro's help. Not only had Vance hurt the business with his ruthless, often reckless, dealings, but because I had a ton to learn.

"I'm just happy to see you smiling again, brother. Having Avery is good for you," Felik said.

I nodded. Indeed it was. We still had questions to answer. I still hated that I had been deprived of so much time with him and that he went through much of his pregnancy alone, but he was here now, safe, and that was what mattered.

"Have him come to the house. He can meet with the doctor there. We have the ultrasound machine as well."

I chuckled at that. Andro had disliked the idea of his mate having to leave the house for anything he could possibly need, and so he had remodeled several rooms in his house as a makeshift hospital. He employed a doctor and nurse full-time to be available for whatever his mate and children needed throughout every stage of his pregnancy, including birth. All the Ferrini children, including my nieces, had been born in the Ferrini house.

Perhaps I should speak with Avery about what his intentions were for the birth. Did he want a home birth with a doula, or would he prefer a hospital? Could we risk a hospital if we didn't resolve this situation by then?

"I can see that head of yours working," Andro said. "Take it one day at a time."

He put his roller down, and the three of us looked around the room.

"Well, I think that looks nice." Felik didn't sound quite convinced.

"It will once Avery does the mural. He also has some furniture he wants us to move."

Andro groaned. "That one for sure you could have some of the guards do. I don't have the strength for that. Surely they are more equipped."

I slapped at his chest playfully. If our enemies could see us now—people weren't allowed to hit Andro Ferrini. "Come on, tough alpha. I'll tell Joey how helpful you were, and I'm sure he'll have a reward for you."

Andro's eyes narrowed and for a moment I thought I took it too far. "I suppose you have a point. He was most annoyed with me yesterday because I got blood on a shirt he bought for me. I thought I was saving time by preparing for our dinner before dealing with some business. Letting him know I do normal things will be good."

Felik snorted. "Yeah, it's not all torture and murder. We do normal shit, too."

"Precisely."

"I'll show you what needs to be moved, and you can tell your mate how you were so big and strong and helpful today."

Just as we left the nursery, Avery and Joey came walking down the hall. Joey’s task was to keep Avery as far from the nursery as possible while we painted.

"Oh, are you guys done? I was just showing Joey the sketch of the mural I want to paint." Avery grinned widely when he saw us.

Joey bit his lip to keep from laughing. We couldn’t possibly have that much paint on us. But when I looked over at Andro and Felik, each of them had a rainbow of colors on their face and even in their hair.

"He is so talented. We should have him paint the playroom." Joey’s hand linked into Avery's like the two of them were best friends. I was happy to see it. The closer we were to the Ferrinis, the stronger our partnership and the safer we were. And I liked that Avery had a friend he could talk to.

"We are indeed finished. Cord was about to send us on our way, but he mentioned you might like some furniture moved, Avery. Cord didn't want to do it today, but I insisted that we help. Just point us in the direction. I’m more than happy to assist." Andro stopped short of bowing down and kissing Avery’s feet. Meanwhile, Joey beamed up at his mate like he was a god.

Well. I thought I could trust him.

Avery beamed. "Thank you, Andro, that's so kind. It’s just a few pieces, but they can wait until I have the mural done. Otherwise they may be in the way. I wouldn’t want to damage the furniture while I work on the mural."

"Are you sure? It’s no trouble at all," Andro said. His mate sided up to him and wrapped his arms around Andro's middle, gazing up at him like he hung the moon.

"I'm sure. That is so kind of you."

"Yeah, Andro. So nice of you to think of that,” I said.

Andro smirked. "Anything for family."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide my smile. Moments like this let us forget about the threat that hung over our heads. It was almost like we were normal.

"We should get going. Jeremiah is a miracle worker with multiple kids, but even he has his limits," Felik said.

"Of course. Thanks again for your help."

"Yes, thank you. It means a lot to us." Avery laced his fingers in mine as he stood next to me. HIs head rested on my shoulder.

"Absolutely. We're in this together." Felik squeezed my shoulder.

"I'll show you out." I nodded.

"I'm gonna take a look at the nursery," Avery said.

"I'll be back soon." I gave him a quick kiss on his forehead.

As we made our way downstairs, Andro turned back to business. "We'll get this figured out, Cord. We always do. Make a list of anyone who would have known about Avery."

"Most of my staff would have known. Our arrangement lasted a little while before he took off. We weren't discreet. There was no need to be."

"I was afraid of that," Andro said.

"Enough shop talk. Let's focus on the good things," Joey said. "You're going to be an amazing dad, Cord."

"Thanks, Joey." With friends by our side and Avery back where he belonged, we had no choice but to get through this.