Page 37 of Mafia and Protector

I couldn’t blame Rafael for feeling the way he did. All these men were brought up knowing that one day they would have an arranged marriage to cement a bond with a fellow family. And their reward for that arranged marriage was a pure, untouched virgin.

Of course, before marriage, the men would play around with other girls and sow their wild oats. But those girls weren’t suitable to be their wives or the mothers of their future children, not in this world where discretion and duty were key. Not many women could understand those duties, not unless they had been born into and brought up in this world. That was why it was so important that we married one of our own.

Today I cleaned the office, but I didn’t go into Gabriel’s bedroom because I would ask him before going into his private quarters.

The office had two desks in it, and I assumed that one was for each brother. I thought about how they did everything together. They had moved out of their parents’ home and moved into a place of their own together. They worked together and they lived together.

The Società was their sole desire in life. They both knew that they wouldn’t marry for love; instead, they would marry a Società daughter who would support them in their work and give them the heirs they needed to succeed in this world.

For a Made Man not to have a son was unthinkable. He needed a male heir to take over his position within the Società.

Within the organization, family was key. We couldn’t trust outsiders or bring them into our world. Instead, we bred the future generations—the future Made Men and the future Mafia princesses who would marry them and produce their babies. And so, our dynasty continued.

The Mafia’s obsessive focus on family was a big reason why we were so successful. Our marriages cemented the bonds between the families and guaranteed a line of future generations to carry on our great organization.

***

That evening, when Gabriel and Rafael returned home, they both headed straight for their office first.

I was checking on dinner when I heard my name hollered from down the hallway. “Jessica!”

I headed to the door but before I could get there, Gabriel stormed to the kitchen. “Have you been in my office today?”

My body tensed at his expression. “Yes, um, I thought I would tidy it up for you. But I didn’t move anything. I just dusted, cleaned, and polished around things. And it looks better—”

“You shouldn’t go in there without my permission.”

“I…I didn’t go into your bedroom.” I couldn’t stop my voice from shaking. “I thought I would ask you about your private quarters before going in there. But I didn’t think you’d mind about the office.” I saw Rafael come up behind his brother, frowning as he listened to our conversation.

“The officeisone of my private areas. Stay out of there from now on—”

“Gabriel,” growled Rafael in warning, as he walked into the kitchen. “Don’t speak to Jessica like that.” His tone silenced Gabriel, who glared at me once more before stalking to the office.

“Sorry about my brother—he’s an asshole sometimes,” said Rafael, touching me lightly on my arm.

I was taken aback by Gabriel’s words and felt tears sting the back of my eyes. I knew he disliked me. Not only was I a constant reminder of Juliana, but I was also the reason he had gotten shot just before my wedding. And he wasn’t going to forgive me for either of those things.

I would have to tread more carefully around him. I now knew that the office the brothers shared was off-limits. He and Rafael were at work most of the time anyway. When he was home, it was a big house and I would avoid him as much as possible.

RAFAEL

The next day, I was sparring with Gabriel in our home workout studio.

“Get your head in the game,” snarled Gabriel, as he landed a shot on my upper cheek, causing blood to pour out from the resulting cut. “There’s no point training with you if you don’t even attempt to put up a decent fight.”

My brother was right—I was distracted by thoughts of Jessica and getting revenge against my father. This was something that was constantly on my mind, my bitterness eating away inside me.

Just then, Jessica came into the studio, carrying various cleaning supplies. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw blood running down my face and Gabriel wiping his bloody knuckles against the bottom of his sweat-drenched white t-shirt.

She made a small indistinguishable noise before trying to clear her throat. “I…uh…” she mumbled, her huge gray eyes unblinking and wary and her breaths coming too quickly. I could see something was affecting her, but I wasn’t sure if it was the pouring blood or the bare-faced aggression emanating from my brother who was in full attack mode.

“What is it?” snapped Gabriel, throwing a hostile glare in Jessica’s direction as she cowered against the door, her eyes fixed on him as if she feared he’d pounce on her if she let her defenses down.

Gabriel hated being interrupted while he was working, and training was work to him. He treated his body like a machine and honed every inch to perfection.

“N-Nothing,” she stammered as she rushed out of the room, almost tripping over her own feet.

“What the hell?” He glared after her. “I hardly said a word to her.”