The King's Executioner | Mafia Dark Romance | Book 2

19. If only she knew

Alejandro

The funny thing about a near-death experience was everyone in the family treated you like a fragile entity. Mamá knew one thing I disliked - coddling me. Now that she experienced almost losing me, she never left my side.

Whenever she couldn't guard me, she employed Sofia to do the same. Though I was discharged from the hospital for more than a month, my family still treated me like the incident only occurred yesterday.

I hated being in bed without a purpose. The only thing I wanted to do was talk to Antonio and sort out the issue. Every time I reached till the stairs, someone alarmed mamá. I felt like my five-year-old self again, having fractured an arm and being kept on bed rest for a whole week.

My current condition was way worse. Three weeks on the bed with nothing else to do than stare at the ceiling could take a toll on anyone's body and mind.

Every day I planned a sneak walk outside my bedroom. Every day I failed.

Yet, I didn't give up.

When the hallway cleared after the doctor's visit, I tiptoed my way into the study room. Antonio hadn't visited me since my arrival from the hospital. After what I did, he was right in taking out his anger in whatever way possible.

I knew the good family man that Antonio was, he wouldn't rat me out to mamá. Chances of him bashing me to death were high but there were certain codes he wouldn't break. One of them was never to throw his sibling under the bus for their stupidity.

Antonio made those rules just before he took over as the cartel head. Thought at that time, he made the rule to protect Agustin, in case he committed blunders, that rule was enforced for me. The very fact that mamá didn't walk into my room with an assault rifle was proof that Antonio honored the code.

I walked in through the ajar doors of Antonio's study. Although Antonio wasn't present inside, his esposa was conducting business in his absence.

"Where is Antonio?" I asked, pulling Valentina's attention to me. Her hands moved over to her face, hiding her gasp.

"What are you doing here?" Valentina, with great difficulty, pulled herself off the chair. It took her a whole minute to stand up, the aftermath of which was visible on her cringing face. Holding onto the side of the desk, she walked over. "If mamá or Sofia sees you here, they'll kill both of us." She gestured, slitting my throat.

"What are you doing here? Didn't the doctor tell you to rest too?"

Val ignored my question, coiling her hand with mine. "Al, you need to rest till you have recovered. I don't want to hear anything."

"But there isn't anything left for recovery, hermana," I rolled up the side of my silk-shirt that mamá forced me to wear, revealing my healing scar.

Truth be told, I knew any kind of heavy movements would result in the stitches being torn again. But I would rather have that than watch the ceiling of my room and the number of rotations the fan makes. If I stayed in that room one more day, I would go mad.

"I don't care, Al. I was told not to get you to work till the doctor certified," Val gently pushed my back, moving me towards the threshold. "I'll not let you pull another set of stitches. And I refuse to puke anymore seeing your blood."

Turning to face her, I placed my hands over her shoulders. "The baby is making you weak, Val."

Thud.

Val maybe pregnant, her punch to my chest still hurt. Clearly, she wasn't weak. 

"You don't want to keep doing that, Val. Your baby might turn out to be a violent man like me."