Her Mafia Brothers

Meeting

I followed along with the crowd through the wide corridor of the airport, to where I hoped my brothers would be waiting. Would I recognise them? Damon had sent plenty of old photos to jog my memory, but he hadn't sent any recent ones. What would my brothers even look like? How would I know how to find them? What if they didn't even turn up? Don't be silly, of course they're going to turn up! my sensible inner voice insisted, especially after spending all that money on the flight! But a tiny little part of me still doubted. I had visions in my head of standing there all alone at the airport, knowing no one, penniless, and having nowhere to go. I was fairly certain it wouldn't happen, but it wasn't like it would be the first time I'd been abandoned so ....

We walked around a corner and under an archway and there they were! I recognised them instantly - they'd changed, but not that much. They were basically just older versions of the guys in the photos that I'd been staring at over and over, for the past few hours. Three tall, dark, broad shouldered men wearing black Armani suits standing right at the front of the waiting crowd. Intimidating. Imposing. Everyone around them gave them a wide berth. They oozed wealth, power and danger. My heart pounded as I approached. I was the tiniest bit scared. I didn't know these men, after all. How did I know they weren't going to hurt me? After all, plenty of men had hurt me in the past, men my mother had trusted. How did I know I wasn't in for more of the same? These men looked far scarier and more threatening than my mothers string of boyfriends. I knew they could do a hell of a lot more damage. I wanted to freeze, to turn and run, but I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and carry on towards my fate.

One of them only looked to be a few years older than me - he must be Logan - and was carrying a green balloon filled with helium. "Welcome home Carrie" was scrawled across the front of it in black ink, written in all caps in a messy hand. I couldn't help but smile. It felt so good to be wanted and welcomed - something I hadn't felt in a very long time. And if I was honest, he looked pretty harmless. I wasn't sure about the two men with him, though. Were they my oldest brothers? I was about to find out.

"Carrie?" The oldest of the three brothers stepped forward, smiling warmly, and clasped my hand in his before leaning down and kissing my cheek. He was very tall and had to bend down a long way and even then he still towered over me.

"Damon?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"No. I'm Alex, your second oldest brother. Damon is working so he sent us to pick you up, but he's looking forward to seeing you."

I looked Alex up and down. He was wearing an expensive suit, but he was still scruffy. His black hair was too long and he'd spiked it up at the front and he hadn't shaved in several days by the looks of things. He had a white stud in his left ear. The suit looked out of place on him, like he'd stolen it off a garment rack in an expensive shop and ditched his holey jeans. He looked like he'd be far more comfortable in more casual attire.

"It's good to have you home." His smile was genuine, and now that I was standing right in front of him, he didn't seem as scary as I first thought.

The middle brother stepped forward and greeted me the same way Alex had, his whiskers tickling my cheek. My god he was hot! And then I instantly berated myself. This is my brother! I told myself sternly. You cannot think of your brother in this way! To be fair though, I was really only meeting him for the first time right now, so it didn't really feel like he was my brother. It wasn't like we had a bond or anything. Right now, he was just a random hot guy off the street. And boy was he smoking hot! He was the finest man I'd seen in a very long time. Far too old for me of course, even if he wasn't my brother, but still. He was mighty fine. I wished I could take a photo of him to send to my girls back home. They would definitely appreciate the outline of his body in his suit.

"I'm Nick," my hot brother introduced himself, gracing me with a little half-smile. He hadn't shaved either, but somehow he didn't look as scruffy in his suit as Alex did. He looked like a fashion model actually. Like he'd just stepped out of the pages of a glamour magazine.

"It will be good to be able to carry you around on my shoulders again, little sister." He winked at me, making me giggle.

"You're younger than Jack, right?" I asked him, trying to piece them all together in my head.

He nodded. "Yep. I'm 22. Jack's 25, Alex is 27, Damon is the oldest, he's 29. Rocco is 20. And the baby here is 17. You'll get us all figured out, don't worry."

"Oi!" Logan sounded insulted at being called the baby, but Nick glared at him and he quickly shut up and looked away. A little quiver of fear shot down my spine. Nick was scary when he glared like that. Far scarier than Alex. He exuded dominance and power. He was a dangerous man, I could tell. Far less laidback than Alex. What was I getting myself in for with these men, my brothers?

"Where's Jack?" I asked, looking around. I was a bit sad Jack hadn't come, he was the brother I could remember the best. He was the only one I could remember being truly kind to me. The others I could only really remember vaguely, even with the help of the photos. But Jack I could remember pretty well.

"He's working," Nick told me. "You'll see him soon. He's looking forward to seeing you again."

Then my youngest big brother came up and handed me the balloon. "Here," he said as he thrust it at me. "It's good to have you home. I've missed you." He didn't touch me, or kiss me like my other brothers did, but he gave me a shy smile and I knew instantly that we would be friends. We were fairly close in age, after all.

Logan wasn't as tall as Alex and Nick, but he was still around six foot. He wasn't as built as them either; he was a lot leaner, but he wasn't small. Not by a long shot. All three of them towered over me, making me feel like a fragile china doll.

"It will be good to have a partner in crime to help me razz the boys." He winked at me too, and I giggled.

"Don't even think about it!" Alex warned, smacking Logan on the back of the head, not gently, either. "If you value your ability to sit, you would be wise to ignore your brother," Alex said, looking directly at me. I looked back at him, puzzled. What did he mean? Did their house not have chairs? Why wouldn't I be able to sit? It didn't make any sense. But I didn't have time to ask him because he bent down and picked up my bags and was striding out the door with Logan in tow and I didn't want to be left behind. Nick took my hand, his strong fingers enclosing around my wrist, and led me quickly after them.