25.Luca
Luca
Even when she’s asleep, I can’t take my eyes off her. I don’t know what spell this girl has put me under, but Mariano was right. We’re like two magnets drawn to one another.
I gently brush my hand across her cheek, pushing strands of hair that have fallen onto her face behind her ear. Carefully, I stroke the soft spot where I saw faint purplish scales.
I pull my hand back slightly, reminded of her form on that rickety wooden bridge, her long tail hanging down toward the water.
What can I offer her? In my world, I can get anything I want, but her powers and her world are beyond anything I ever imagined I’d have to deal with.
I’ve trapped her in the mafia with us, even though it’s clear she can take care of herself. I understand that now.
Take care of herself? Who am I kidding, she’s a walking weapon. She made the Russians back off and disappear without even flinching. I suddenly wonder if learning her secret was really what I needed.
I feel far more insecure than I thought possible, and I can’t let her continue making me lose my direction. I’m the capo of New York, the son of the capo dei capi. If I show even a hint of my humanity, people would think they could fuck with me and start coming in droves to try and take us down.
I shift away from Alin’s body to the other side of the bed.
It’s hard to think clearly when her sweet scent invades my nose and every cell in my body.
She stirs in her sleep, protesting the distance I’ve put between us, “Mom...” she whispers suddenly, and a single tear rolls down her cheek.
My body tenses; she must miss home and want to go back to her parents.
The day she told me about her mother, I didn’t truly understand how complicated it was and that it was a completely different world.
I can’t send her back; she’s too deeply involved with the mafia.
And I’m definitely not letting any other bastard, merman or human, touch her, let alone marry her.
My blood boils just thinking about her with another man.
Does he have powers like hers? For the first time in my life, a small spark of fear and uncertainty ignites in my chest. What can I do to keep her here? I really have nothing to offer her.
The vibration of my phone pulls me out of my thoughts suddenly.
Have you decided how we’ll move forward? I’m at Mariano’s, we needed a drink after everything today.
01:20 AM
Looks like Pedro and Mariano are still awake at this hour too; Alin left a strong impression on all of us.
I sigh heavily, carefully getting out of bed and putting on the first t-shirt and shorts I see in the closet.
Mariano and Pedro give me a look from the couch in the living room of Mariano’s apartment when I step through the doorway. “Cheers, brother,” Mariano raises his whiskey glass toward me, and I sit next to him as he pours me a glass as well.
“You guys don’t want this long ass day to end, do you?” I raise an eyebrow, directing my question to Pedro, who looks sprawled out on the couch.
“Why does it seem like you’re handling this whole story way better than us? Are you so in love with her that you’re blind?” he retorts, his voice slightly slurred from drinking.
I clench my fists tightly, restraining myself from attacking him again. We all got a harsh slap of reality today. He’s really lucky he’s my brother.
“Alin is mine, Pedro,” I remind him venomously.
“I have no room for love and romantic games. She belongs to me, and she’s under the mafia.
Whether she has legs or a tail, she lives with us here and you’ll have to accept that fact.
” I continue, this time looking at Mariano as well, making sure the matter is clear to both of them.
They nod, and Mariano takes another sip of whiskey.
It’s hard to miss the heavy cloud hanging over the three of us.
I lean back on the couch, staring at the clear whiskey glass in my hands. “Where do we go from here?” Pedro asks again.
“Cora already knows we’re back,” Mariano suddenly updates with what was already clear to me. The man can’t breath a second with her. Pathetic.
“And how does that answer my question?” Pedro throws at Mariano impatiently, and I massage my temple, my head aching from these two.
“Mariano, no matter what happens, Alin’s secret stays here, and Cora won’t be a part of it until Alin decides so. Just as she requested. You break that, you’re breaking my order is that clear?” I clarify.
“And, Pedro, there’s nothing to move forward from. You keep an eye on the Russians. Stas won’t stay quiet, and we need to see his next move. And be careful with your comments about Alin, especially not in front of her. This isn’t the time.” I finish and return to my glass.
Maybe drinking now isn’t such a bad idea. I sigh and sink back into my thoughts.
“Drinking at this hour?” a tired voice asks behind us, and we all turn to look toward the staircase on the first floor.
“Just wrapping up some last things, did we wake you?” Mariano answers his wife, who is now standing in front of us in a loose t-shirt, rubbing her eyes tiredly and yawning.
She walks over to us and sits on Mariano’s lap. He welcomes her, enveloping her in his embrace, as she closes her eyes.
“No, I woke up and saw you were gone from the bed ... I was scared you went on another mission,” she replies sleepily, and he kisses her forehead and strokes her hair.
At least something made them stop with their tiring questions. Thank you, dear sister-in-law.
“Thank you for not punishing Alin for running off to you, Luca. I don’t know what happened there, but I’m glad you all came back safely,” she says, opening her eyes slightly and smiling at me, relief evident in her voice.
“She tried to help us and didn’t hinder our goal, so we have no reason to punish her,” I lie to her. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t kill her. How do you even kill a mermaid? What are her weaknesses? So many things I still don’t know.
A heavy sigh escapes me, and Mariano responds by lifting the half-asleep Cora in his arms and standing up. “We all need to rest,” he comments before disappearing with her up the stairs.
“No more questions tonight!” I wave my hand dismissively as I see Pedro about to open his mouth again. He takes another sip of his drink in clear reluctance.
I chuckle at the sulking child image he’s trying to portray.
Pedro will always be Pedro, no matter what we go through or how old we get.
I’m always so tough on him because it’s the only way to keep him from being eaten alive in the mafia, but no matter what, he always remains so energetic and full of humor.
I clink my glass against his in a gesture of reconciliation, and he raises it in acknowledgment, downing the entire contents in one gulp.
Just for today, I’d let Pedro be Pedro.
Tomorrow, the monster will return. It’s the only way I know to keep us safe, and it’s the only way I can function as the capo of New York.
I need to be cautious with Alin too. I can’t lose my head over a woman like Mariano has.
I can’t afford to feel insecure about her life and true identity.
I’ll give her what she needs, but nothing more.
I can’t offer her a fairytale romance, whether it’s The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty.