Loving Her Forgotten Mafia

JAKE

It had been more than a week since Jane was gone and she threatened Dominic when he tried to get her out of there. What I couldn't understand was what she could possibly have said that could threaten a powerful don like Dominic.

I was starting to think he didn't want to rescue her at all. If he wanted, he could have done it. But Mom was still putting all her trust in him.

When I asked her why she was not upset about the truth of Dad's death and still trusted Dominic, what she told me left me questioning everything I knew about Dad.

FLASHBACK

"Why are you still singing praises about that evil monster? He killed your husband, for god sake," I raised my voice as frustration and anger simmered just beneath my skin.

Mom watched me, unphased, while I paced around our small living room, trying to contain my anger.

"You don't know your father like I do. Dominic did us all a favour by killing him."

Her words echoed in my head as I tried to understand where she was coming from. Dad wasn't such a bad person who deserved to die like that.

"Mom."

"You want to know why I am not upset, right? Make up your mind. Because what I am about to tell you can break you. Are you sure you'll be able to hear the truth about your… beloved father?" The last two words sounded like she was mocking me, while her tone was as calm as the ocean.

My heart hammered in my chest as I watched her face, which was giving away nothing.

"Tell me, Mom. I want to know." I finally spoke with a resolution.

She let out a deep sigh and her shoulders sagged. She looked tired and ten years older than what she was, in just a week.

She looked in my eyes before speaking,

"He was working as a drug peddler after losing his job. I had asked him several times to let me work so that he could keep looking for jobs without much stress. But guess what?" She looked away with a sad and sarcastic smile.

"According to him, women were only made for taking care of the house and kids. We weren't made to work outside. That was the first time when I felt a disconnection with him. I couldn't see him as the same person for whom I had left my family and my old life. He was a completely different man."

"Okay, Mom. I understand. He was wrong. But still, did he deserve to die like that?" I asked.

"That's not all, Jake. There's more. Let me finish. So, while peddling drugs, he came in contact with Rosario's father and in a few years, he became one of the trusted members of his inner circle. I tried so hard to take him away from all of that, but there was no way. As you know, once you get into the mafia world, there is no escape, unless you die."

I just nodded, waiting for her to continue when I noticed her eyes were glistening with tears.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her thumb and index finger before speaking again.

"He was too deep in it. He was happy because of the amount of money he was earning and when Jane turned sixteen, he decided to throw her a birthday party. You remember that, right?"

I nodded. I remember that was the first time we hosted such a lavish party in a five-star hotel. By that time, there was already a big rift between Dad and Jane, as he used to scold her, throw subtle insults at her and micro-manage her life, starting from the clothes she wore to what she ate to whom she befriended in school.

Jane was upset but she still loved Dad. And after that birthday party, something changed in Dad. He became gentle to Jane, like before, when she was a kid and Dad was working in the D'Amico's arms manufacturing factory. Their relationship improved drastically after that.

"Rosario and his father were invited to that party as guests of honour. It was Dalton's way of showing his loyalty to the Salvatores.

But something happened that night. Rosario saw Jane for the first time. Do you know what he did?" Mom squinted her eyes and her lips were pressed in a thin line.

"What?" My eyebrows met as I stared at Mom. My brain was running on overdrive as I tried to think of the possible outcomes.

"He said he wanted Jane for himself."

"That's nothing new. He wants her. But we are talking about Dad. Not Rosario."

She let out a mocking laugh.

"Francesco Salvatore, Rosario's father, told Dalton about it, and do you know what your Dad did? He sold your sister to Rosario as if he owned her." Mom's lips quivered and tears pooled in her eyes while my mind was blank. My stomach dropped.

Her words weren't sinking in. My mind stopped working as I stared blankly at Mom.

I was standing like a statue, not able to move my hands and legs until I heard Mom's cries, and I was pulled out of the trance.

"Mom!" I rushed to her side as she held her face in her hands, her shoulders shook and she was crying out loud.

My vision blurred with tears but I kept them at bay.

"Mom. What happened then? Tell me, Mom. I want to know." My voice broke despite trying hard not to let my emotions out.

She hid her face in my chest and I hugged her, patting her head gently. After a few minutes, with her head still resting on my chest, she spoke again, her voice thick from crying.

"Fortunately, I heard their conversation and took Dalton away to talk to him. I tried to convince him but he said there was nothing we could do. Even if we didn't agree to their demands, Rosario could have still taken Jane, and they might have killed Dalton.

I was ready to leave everything and go somewhere far away. But Dalton…he had other plans. Francesco had offered fifty million dollars in exchange for Jane, and Dalton was greedy. But I convinced him to let Jane stay with us for two more years until she turns eighteen."

She lifted her head and looked at me. Her face was dry again. There was no sign of tears, but it was swollen, and her eyes were red.

"Your father signed a blood oath with Francesco Salvatore. According to that deal, he will get fifty million dollars and in exchange, he'll give Jane away once she turns eighteen. Francesco paid the money immediately after the deal was sealed."

I gulped as my stomach was in knots. I didn't know what to do with the image of Dad I had in my mind anymore.

How could he do that? Sell his own daughter to a mafia? Our sweet little Jane. Didn't he feel any remorse?

"Then you know what happened on Jane's eighteenth birthday. I was already planning to leave with you and Jane. I was going to let Dalton deal with the mafias. I didn't care anymore if he even died. I just wanted my kids safe. I wanted my Jane to live her life the way she wanted."

I remember Mom had asked me and Jane to be ready as we had to go on a vacation to Italy and asked us to keep it a secret from Dad. Because Dad had to go to Italy for work. She wanted to surprise him there.

"The war happened before dawn and he was killed in that war. Rosario would have taken Jane away in the morning, but before that, Dalton and Fransesco were both dead. And who killed them? Dominic." She smiled a little.

"Now tell me. Don't you think Dominic did a favour to all of us?"

FLASHBACK ENDS…

We left the country the next day. James helped in getting us tickets. He even offered to send a few of his special guards with us permanently, but we refused.

We didn't want him to get involved in this anymore, or Jane's sacrifice would go to waste if Rosario decided to take his revenge for helping us.

So, here we were, at our old apartment in New York. Mom had asked Dominic to meet us and the only thing we had to do after settling in was, wait.

Sitting on our worn-out sofa with my legs crossed on the centre table, I shut my eyes, and Sofia's face filled my vision.

Yes. James' wife, Sofia. Five years ago, I was sent there by Rosario to kidnap Sofia but I fell in love with her. She wasn't meant to be mine, but how would I make my stubborn heart understand that?

My chest tightened as I thought about how far I was from her. I might never be able to see her again. I was content, watching her laugh, talk, walk, eat, and just exist. We were good friends. But now…

A low thud followed by a whiff of chilly air made me jerk out of my thoughts as I sat up straight, looking around the dark room. The window was open and the lights of the city outside fell on the floor in straight lines, dimly lighting the room.

The window was shut, as much as I could remember.

My heart sprinted and I decided to check on Mom. All the hair on my body rose in alert as I stood up. Walking ahead slowly, my head turned everywhere to look for any intruder.

My gun was in my bedroom. Despite the ice-cold air filtering through the window, bellowing the white curtain in its wake, beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

I was almost near Mom's bedroom but no one had attacked me yet.

Maybe the window opened because of the wind.

My shoulders relaxed a little and I grabbed the door handle. But before I could knock, something poked the back of my head and I froze. My heart thudded in my ears.

Slowly turning around, I came face to face with a pair of black eyes staring back at me. Nothing else was visible except those eyes until I realised a gun was pointed at me, just an inch away from my forehead.