Chapter 37
This arranged Mafia marriage has veered more into the domestic category.
Emilio said he liked to keep a low profile in Chicago, so we slipped on the baseball caps from yesterday before shopping. He didn’t flinch at a single price tag as we shopped for a new phone and clothes. He also paid for everything in cash.
We ate tacos for lunch in the car, and now, we’re on our way to meet the baby. He called Aurora earlier, and she said they had left the hospital and were at Andre’s family’s estate.
When we reach the family estate, I’m reminded that while the locations and organizations may be different, so many of these crime families are similar. Like now, we’re stopped at a wrought-iron gate when we arrive.
These men aren’t only armed; they’re also wearing full tactical gear and masks. Security cameras watch us. The masked guards grip their rifles as one motions for Emilio to roll down his window.
Instead of doing that, he grabs his phone and texts.
At his lack of cooperation, a tall guard approaches us and bangs on the window with the butt of his gun.
I jump, slapping at Emilio’s shoulder, as if he suddenly went deaf and blind, not noticing the madman looking ready for murder.
To further prove his homicidal point, the man points the rifle at Emilio’s head.
“We’re outside the gate,” Emilio says into the phone. “Tell these fuckers to stand down.” He ends the call and tosses his phone in the cupholder.
The guard retreats a step seconds before the gate slowly opens.
A decked-out, bright blue golf cart with gold rims comes speeding through. Blinking, I notice Andre behind the wheel. He slams on the brakes and jumps off the cart, casually strolling toward us. You wouldn’t think the man was shot only a day ago.
Emilio waits until Andre is at his window before rolling it down.
Andre’s heavy gaze bounces from Emilio to me before returning to Emilio. He gestures to the right. “Park there. You know the drill. And no guns.”
Emilio nods, turns the wheel, and parks on the side of the isolated road.
“Don’t tell anyone your name unless I introduce you first,” Emilio says to me, opening his door.
Okay.
Sounds very un-women’s rights, but whatever.
“What if someone asks me?” I throw out before he steps out.
He peers over his shoulder, and with a slight annoyance in his tone, he says, “I’ll do all the talking.”
“Do I pretend I’m a mute then?”
“Just let me do all the talking. Okay?”
“Okay.” I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “You do all the talking. I act like I don’t know words. Got it.” I wait until he’s out of the car and at my door before getting out.
We walk to the gate, where Andre is waiting in the golf cart. We climb in, and he guns the gas, driving down the long drive. The property is massive, sprawling with fountains and more weeping willows than I can count. Benches of different colors are beneath each tree.
It’s like we’re in a park that was designed when someone was tripping on LSD. Every few yards, I notice another armed guard. I scoot in closer to Emilio.
To get my mind off them and since Emilio still hasn’t asked, I lean forward and shout, “Niece or nephew?” to Andre.
“Niece,” Andre yells back.
I smile, peering over at Emilio, and notice a slight smirk on his lips.
Andre makes a sharp right, and Emilio wraps his arm around my shoulders to stop me from flying out of my seat.
Jesus. He’s a new dad.
Someone needs to teach him about safe driving.
My jaw drops as the home comes into view.
It’s huge. Bigger than the Morozova estate, than Emilio’s, than any home I’ve ever been inside. It’s all stone, reminding me of an old-time castle. Straining my neck to look up, I notice more armed men on the roof, perched up like birds.
We don’t stop at the front door. Andre speeds past the men and landscapers, only slowing when we reach a set of double doors tucked in the back.
He brakes, throws the golf cart into Park, and hops out.
Emilio and I follow him through the doors, landing in a large living room that screams just as much wealth as the exterior of the home.
While the furniture and decor look expensive, the space also feels cozy and comfortable.
Family pictures hang on the wall and are displayed on the end table and coffee table.
A tall woman—my guess, in her mid-fifties—stands from the couch. Her dark hair is pulled into a sleek bun, and she’s wearing a Chanel pantsuit.
She barely pays a glance at Emilio before her eyes cut to me in suspicion. “Who’s she?”
“Ma,” Andre says, sounding tired, “I told you Emilio was bringing his wife.”
Her gaze lingers on me, still untrusting. “Does she know what’ll happen if she tells anyone about Aurora?”
“She won’t talk,” Emilio says flatly, stepping slightly in front of me in protectiveness.
“She’s who dug the bullet out of me last night,” Andre adds. “Be nice to her.” He turns to look at me. “She’s protective of my wife.”
I understand Aurora’s attraction to Andre.
His face is strikingly handsome with a natural tan complexion, high cheekbones, and a sleek jaw. Eyes and hair the color of straight coffee. His body is lean and muscular. He also has the whole serial killer with a smile vibe going on.
“Rightfully so,” Andre’s mother says, still eyeing me like I’m about to pull out a gun and shoot the place up. “You know the wrath I’d force your father to unleash if anything were to happen to Aurora or the baby.”
So, they call her Aurora, not Hannah?
Emilio brushes his hand along my back to put me at ease. “Angelica, I promise, you can trust Liliya.”
“Liliya.” She repeats my name.
I shift uncomfortably, not sure if she’s saying it so she’ll remember the next time she sees me or so she doesn’t forget the name she’ll put a hit out on if needed.
Her smile is half sincere, half patronizing. “Pretty name.”
“Angelica,” Emilio warns at the same time Andre groans, “Ma.”
“No arguing or violent threats when the baby is around,” a sweet, tired voice calls out.
Aurora appears, looking exhausted but on top of the world, carrying a baby bundled in a pink blanket. Her hair is pulled back in a tight braid, and she’s dressed in pajamas and UGG slippers.
She grins when she notices us. “She’s ready to meet her uncle Emilio.”
All eyes are on my husband as he steps forward, his gaze locked on the little one in Aurora’s arms.
Aurora rocks her in place. “We named her Evalina.”
Emilio freezes for a moment, scratching the back of his head. “You named her after Mom?”
“I did.” Aurora looks down and softly runs her finger over Evalina’s cheek. “She has her eyes.” She motions toward the couch. “Sit down. You can hold her.”
Emilio’s steps are slow, and the other woman slides to the other end of the couch to give him room. He reaches out, gently taking Evalina in his arms, as if she were made from glass.
As she’s tucked in his hold, for a moment, his body goes still.
Everyone tries to pretend their attention isn’t fully on him.
He stares down at her in affection, like she’s already everything to him.
“She does have Mom’s eyes,” he mutters, staring deep into them.
The same man I feared to marry, who saw bloodshed as a daily hobby, cradles his niece with tenderness.
We give him a moment, allowing him to meet his niece.
“Would you like to hold her, Liliya?” Aurora asks.
“I’d love to,” I whisper.
I don’t look at Angelica, but I almost expect her to stop Aurora, as if I still can’t be trusted.
She doesn’t.
Instead, she tells us she needs to get to her nail appointment and will be back soon. I’m surprised when she tells me goodbye and says it was nice meeting me. As I sit down next to Emilio, I’m not sure if I should take Evalina from him or wait for him to hand her over.
Aurora steps forward, as if reading my mind. She gently takes Evalina from Emilio’s arms and places her in mine.
“She’s perfect,” I whisper, hugging Evalina close.
Evalina purses her lips in her sleep and is smaller than I imagined. She stirs, a sigh escaping her before nodding back off. My heart has never felt so warm and happy.
When I peer at Emilio, his gaze is fixed on me, his features softer than I’ve ever seen.
Could this be our future one day?
A child. A home. A life built on love.
Reality settles through me.
I want this. I’m done running.
I want us to build a family and have a home filled with happiness.