TROUBLE

thirty five

Miles' POV

5 months later

One fucking year.

It's been an entire year since my woman, my Cecilia left without a word. The last full memory of her was underneath me, cuddling her. And the next, I am reading a handwritten note of her telling me she is leaving, how she loves me.

She loved me.

Cecilia Saldaro was in love with me.

A fucking mafia leader.

I went against her words, I looked for, I am still looking for her.

I have gotten no where. Her family have gotten no where in looking for her and Rocco.

I was getting frustrated. I became ruthless. I killed anyone who would lead me to her, lead me to anyone who even had a single idea where she was.

I missed her, I needed her.

Cecilia is my constant, she keeps me level headed. She doesn't judge me when I kill or hurt someone as long as it's justified and not selfish. She is all I need.

She was the reason why I want a relationship. Why I spontaneously asked her to marry me, it was truly what I wanted, I want the marriage, the kids, the settling down in a house we would call home. With Cecilia I want it all.

When I get her home, she will have a ring on her finger so fucking quickly, she won't even have a chance to tell me why she left.

But right now, I am sat inside the Saldaro house, with her entire family while we update one another on updates and our next plan of action.

"I've told you everything I fucking know!" Leonardo shouts for the final time before walking away, with his mother on his tail.

A few days after Cecilia and Rocco left, Leonardo returned from his covert operation in London, I was immediately on his ass demanding him to tell me what was going on. He only said one sentence to me that day, "wherever they are, trust me, you don't want to be there."

But I wanted to be there, I promised Cece that I would help her get revenge for Giovanni's murder, to take down King, I made the promise through my treaty with the Italians to invoke revenge beside them against Villin.

"He must know more!" I seethed, banging my hand down on the desk in front of me.

"Leo will only tell us what is necessary, he trusts Rocco and Cesca in whatever they were doing. They wouldn't have told him all the details because they are smart, he would've gone after them like we are all doing now." Flavio compromises calmly.

I sigh, gulping back my remaining whiskey, pouring myself another one.

"What else do we know." Vincenzo, Cece's father asks.

Myth walks over to him with a manila folder in hand, "inside is a series of photos from roughly 4 months ago in Monte Carlo. They are snapshots from the security footage."

I look over Vincenzo's shoulder at the black and white candid photos. In a few of them Cece was walking down a corridor with an elderly man clinging to her. He was groping her and she was smiling?

Like she was enjoying it?

But a couple of them, you could her glaring at him when he wasn't looking, or staring down Rocco who was a few metres behind them. Silently laughing at Cece's discomfort.

Seeing her with him, despite her hopeful faking it, I was jealous. I was angry.

What if her feelings for me have changed in the last year? What if she doesn't love me anymore?

Because her love me for has been what has gotten me through this last year.

It has been difficult to be myself when my normal is god knows where.

I was getting angrier at the thought of her being with someone else, so when someone puts there hand on my shoulder I get defensive, I throw my fist in their direction only for it to be stopped.

"I wouldn't do that Alexander, you may be apart of this family because of my sister, but I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your shoulder." Cyrus growls at me, he twists my hand to the point it almost breaks. Almost

I yank my hand away from his grip, rubbing the sore spot discreetly.

"What the fuck?" I yell at him, this wasn't helping the anger in the slightest.

"I get you're angry, trust me I do. My twin sister is off gallivanting around the globe and I have no idea how she is, if she is safe. But you know what is getting me through this? Knowing she is capable of looking after herself, she is fucking Raven for crying out loud. She killed Derek and Ricky without mercy, she runs an organisation fo geniuses, who have been self sustaining perfectly fine on their own. Why? Because she had prepared them for situations like this." He shouts back at me.

He made perfect sense. She was Raven, she had to be fine.

But I swear if I find a single mark on her body when I am finally reunited with her, god help them because I don't show mercy.

As Cecilia would say, "mercy is for the weak, so don't go expecting any."

Camden continues. "Anyway, if something were to happen her, she has Rocco with her. Being with him, she is probably the safest she has ever been."

He was right. But she was safest with me, where she belongs.

"If you are done, there is something else." Myth interrupts, attempting to tell us more about our search.

Vincenzo gestures for him to talk, while closing the manila folder. I might burn it so I am not reminded of another man touching her.

Yeah, I am territorial and possessive over what's mine, because she reminds me of everything I admired growing up with my mom and mad, before the divorce and everything else. The constant attention he gave her, the random kisses or cuddles of an evening on the sofa. Thats why it confused me when he had an affair.

But I know I couldn't even dream of cheating on Cecilia, she gave me everything I wanted and more. I mean where else was I going to find someone as beautiful and as charismatic as her. Someone who understands the extremes of this world, not judging me for the things I have to do.

"Cecilia and Rocco didn't go under there names into the casino, but under the aliases of Marinette and Arturo Bernard, a young married couple from Southern France."

"Why married?" Flavio questions confused.

"They had to make up a story that was believable when they meet other people. It is a strange back story but it would be believable, a young pair travelling across Europe."

"Exactly, 'Arturo' has been seen buying expensive jewellery in stores for his 'ma fleur', AKA Cecilia." Myth adds.

It makes sense, they need to stay under the radar, so it was smart.

"So where was the Bernards last seen?" I ask sarcastically.

"Not since Monte Carlo, their rented apartment was handed over the night Bill Montgomery was killed. Assuming Raven killed him."

"So we don't know where they are now?"

"Nope."

I sigh frustratedly, I run my hands through my hair, loosening my tie as well.

I will see you soon. I promise

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Edited: As of 2022

--M <3