Indebted to the Mafia King
Plan Into Action

Chloe

The first rays of sunshine come through my window and I grumble, turning on my side so I'm not blinded by the light. I frown, my eyes still closed, and I feel sleepiness embracing me again. But then I hear a scream coming from downstairs and I sit up in a flash. My brain takes a few seconds to make sense of what I'm hearing, but when it does, I frown.

Is my mother yelling at someone? She'd know better than to do that when Ellie is probably still asleep. What time is it anyway?

I look to the side and grab my phone on my nightstand, seeing it's still 6:25 A.M.

"What is he thinking?" My mom's muffled voice continues.

I throw off the blanket and swing my legs out of bed. Something bad must have happened for her to be screaming like this so early in the morning.

Before I check what's going on, I stop by Ellie's room at the end of the hallway to make sure she's all right. I open the door a crack and peep inside, replaceing her sleeping like an angel in her crib. I let out a sigh of relief, but close the door immediately so the next outburst from my mom doesn't wake her up.

I rush down the stairs, running into quite...a peculiar scene.

My mother is jabbing her index finger with her long red nail into Armando's chest, who looks as if he'd rather be anywhere in the world but here.

"This is not happening. You can go and tell your boss that he might be running the Saints, but he doesn't get to do all he wants. Not inside my house. If he plans on marrying my daughter, he should come here himself and ask for my... fucking... blessing," my mother snarls, pressing her finger harder into his chest as she emphasizes each word.

"What is going on here, Mom?" I ask in a hushed voice. "Can you stop yelling? Ellie is sleeping," I scold, looking from her to Armando with a frown on my face.

Is she making a scene because of Tony's plan to keep Mateo away from us? I don't know how she heard about it, but if she did, she should know that this is all just pretend.

Her head snaps back at me, acknowledging my presence, but it's clear she doesn't intend to give me any of her time or attention. If it were possible, her eyes would be firing bullets at me.

"If Tony thinks I'll allow my only child to get married at a courthouse, and not in a church, he couldn't be more mistaken in his damn life," she carries on as if she wasn't interrupted, turning to face Armando again. Her voice is lower though, so for that I'm grateful.

I look at Tony's secondhand, who looks relieved to see me. Poor man. Only my mother would be able to turn a big, tough guy like him into a scolded, wide-eyed kitten.

"You should know better than to come here and do what that man says, Armando. Tony should know better!" my mother hisses, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She's still wearing her nightgown, but thankfully she has put on a robe over it before she answered the door.

"Mom, can you please calm down and tell me what's going on?" I ask calmly, walking toward them.

Armando steps past her, approaching me. "You need to get your purse and come with me, Ms. Bertolucci."

"Why?" I crease my brows at him, although I'm certain he won't tell me.

I look at my mother, who has now stepped to the side, but still looks grumpy and angry. Armando is staring at me, his stoic expression back now. He raises one brow at me as if telling me to move and do as he said, but I can't make myself do

it.

I can't believe Tony meant it when he said we were getting married. For a moment, I thought he wasn't serious about going to this extreme to keep Mateo away from me. But apparently he was. Knowing Tony since he was a kid, I should have realized that he wouldn't change his mind once he had made it up.

My body is screaming at me not to do this, to insist that Armando tells me where he wants to take me first, but that ain't happening. He was probably ordered not to mention anything to me, even if I begged.

My heart knows this is all part of Tony's plan. And even though I trust him-otherwise I wouldn't go to him for help in the first place-my body still feels torn.

"You are not going anywhere until I have a word with Tony," my mother says, stepping in and grabbing my arm.

I sigh, closing my eyes for a brief second before turning to face her. "Mom, you know better than to refuse this. Tony is the Boss. We don't have a choice right now."

"What the hell are you saying? Did you know about this?" she asks, sounding offended that I might have not told her.

"He brought it up yesterday, but I didn't think he was serious. Look, Mom, Tony might be right," I tell her, not at all convinced this is the best idea. But I need her support on this, otherwise I won't believe that I'm doing the right thing by agreeing with this nonsense. "This might be the best way for him to keep us protected. Mateo won't go after a mob boss's wife, or at least he will think twice before making a move."

Or that's what I hope. I want to believe this so badly.

"Won't he put a ring on your finger? This is so unacceptable, even for him," my mother murmurs, as if that's the biggest concern she should be having right now. She darts another glance at Armando, who simply shrugs, clearly not wanting to be dragged into this unnecessary drama.

Mom grimaces and curses to herself as she wrenches off her own engagement ring that Dad gave her nearly forty years ago and slips it onto my finger. I look up at her, too astonished to speak, then notice the tears swelling in her eyes. I don't understand why this is so important to her, but if accepting it means she will be less angry at me and this situation, so be it.

I nod at her, silently thanking her, and offer her a soft smile.

"I will take Ellie to brunch with the other wives today," Mom sniffs, changing the subject. "You go do what you have to and I'll bring her back to you later tonight."

I nod again, grateful that she didn't argue any further. I don't think I'd have the energy to try and convince her that this is for the best. Right now, I'm trying to convince myself. It's a good thing to know Ellie will be with her so I don't have to deal with all of this shitshow while worrying about her.

And I'm also glad that my mom has a group of friends to lean on right now. Sure, I don't doubt she will blab about what's going on, and everyone will have something to say about it, but well...what can I do? People will know about it anyway. If I'm suddenly moving in with the boss and playing house with him, the word will be out as fast as a rocket.

I'd just be avoiding the inevitable anyway.

Knowing my mother though, I'm sure she won't spill the truth. She will spin this to her advantage, probably making up a story of how Tony and I have been in love for years and that we couldn't wait any longer. She'd never accept that anyone knows I'm marrying him because I need to escape my psychopath of an ex.

"I'll just get my stuff upstairs," I say to Armando. "I'll be back in a minute."

I don't have time to get dressed as I'd like since Armando told me not to take long because Tony is waiting. So, I just brush my teeth, put on the first jeans and shirt that I can replace, and grab my purse.

I still don't know what's the plan or where I'm going by the time I get into Armando's car. He starts the ignition and storms out of my driveway. It takes me a while to realize where he's taking me. It's only when I spot Manhattan on the horizon thirty minutes later that I understand we're going to New York City.

"You seriously won't tell me where you're taking me?" I try for what seems to be the third time since we left my house.

Armando doesn't even look at me, his eyes kept on the road ahead as we cross the bridge. The traffic is already chaotic, even though it's still early, so it takes longer than I imagine he was expecting. Armando huffs to himself, honking angrily whenever someone takes too long to move out of his way.

I let out a sigh of relief when he pulls up in front of a fancy hotel on 5th Avenue. He helps me out of the car and walks me inside, handing me a room key.

"Since our schedule was delayed, you only have," he looks down at his watch wrist, "thirty minutes to get dressed and ready."

"How am I supposed to get dressed if I have nothing with me?" I ask, feeling dumb. He didn't tell me to bring anything with me, only my purse.

"Just get to your room, Ms. Bertolucci." He ushers me away, gently pushing me toward the elevator. "The boss has already provided everything for you. You should get used to that. He will always make sure you have everything you need." Oh, boy. What did I get myself into?