Page 25 of Mafia and Protector

Without a backward glance, I stormed out of the room. Once we were outside again, Gabriel put both his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it. Like you said, we need to keep this quiet if you want to protect Jessica. We can’t keep it quiet if we end up killing him tonight.”

I nodded at him. Our father would get what he fucking deserved if it was the last thing I ever did. A battle was raging within me, but I had to focus on Jessica right now and put her first.

***

I went back to my room and found Lorissa outside with Gianni. She told me that Jessica had asked to be alone.

Entering the room, I found Jessica was curled up on the small couch and crying.

When she saw me, she scrambled to sit up and pressed herself back against the seat, trying to get as far away from me as possible. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “We can start annulment proceedings tomorrow.”

She thought I was angry with her. I was still furious at my father, but I attempted to calm my expression.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. We will stay married. There will be no annulment. Nobody knows about what has happened outside our two families.” I raked my hands through my hair. “Look, you should get to bed. We still have to get through tomorrow morning and the whole virgin confirmation thing.”

“What are we going to do about that?” she whispered, her voice quivering, obviously thinking I might still try to touch her tonight.

Nothing could have been further from my mind right at this moment.

She watched me warily, her breaths coming erratically.

“I will tell them that I found you to be a virgin tonight. Anything else is none of their business.”

She gave a small nod, biting her bottom lip.

“You should sleep.” When it became clear that she wasn’t going to move, I slowly walked toward her, watching while she held her breath.

“Up,” I instructed. "You need to get some rest."

She rose and scurried toward the bed.

As she reached it, I pulled down the comforter. “In you get.” I watched while she climbed in and then pulled the comforter up around herself.

I reached across the bed and she recoiled from me, scrambling back against the headboard. “Hey, I’m just grabbing a pillow—I’ll sleep on the couch. Now get some rest.”

She looked at me hesitantly, but eventually laid down again, all the while keeping her eyes on me.

I leaned my head against the couch. I had to wait a long time for her breathing to slow into the steady rhythm of sleep.

I could tell she was afraid of me. I was used to men being afraid of me—my own men and also men belonging to rival organizations. They feared my name, my reputation, and my Società tattoo. I could sense fear in the way someone breathed, talked, and looked at me. I didn’t want my wife to ever be afraid of me, though. She was mine—mine to protect.

Once I was sure Jess was asleep, I texted Gabriel and told him to meet me downstairs.

We were going to pay a visit to the clinic doctor. He had been complicit in my father’s plan to defile Jessica.

The doctor’s torture, and his life, would have to satisfy my bloodlust tonight.

CHAPTER 8

JESSICA

I found it impossible to fall asleep.

I was shocked that Rafael had been unaware of what his father had done. Even though I felt some relief that Rafael hadn’t been involved in his father’s plan to rape me, that relief was short-lived.

Rafael now knew that I was not a pure virgin for him. The latter was an absolute requirement in the Mafia world, and I had failed to be an adequate bride for him.

I was unworthy in his eyes.