ARELLA (A Mafia Story)

Nineteen

Freya

A tiny whimper breaking through the silence of the night is what wakes me. I'm exhausted. Although Damon was supposed to give Arella her bath tonight, she still insists on me being in the tub with her.

Sitting up in bed, I blink my blurry eyes as I pick up my phone that's charging on the nightstand. Two in the morning. Great.

Arella took forever to go to bed last night. She wanted Damon to read her about half a dozen bedtime stories and sing her several songs. After she finally crashed, I ended up putting her in her toddler bed in my room. She's still not ready to sleep by herself.

"Mama's coming, angel. Give me two seconds." My body protests when I kick off the heavy comforter.

I'm not old by any means. I'm only thirty-seven, but these days I feel more like sixty. It's been many years since I've had to keep up with a toddler. I'll admit I'm a little stiff around my shoulders.

Arella sits up in her toddler bed, little tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks by the time I make it to her. She raises her arms in a silent request to be picked up.

I oblige, lifting my baby girl into my arms. She wraps her leg around my hip and nuzzles her head under my chin.

"Did you have a bad dream? They suck, don't they?" I question while rubbing her back.

Pacing the length of the room, I attempt to get her back to sleep. She fights me every step on the way. Every time she's close to sleep, she'll jerk her head off my chest.

Sighing, I move to sit on the bed beside Damon. He sleeps like the dead for once, blissfully unaware of my exhaustion. I'm not mad at him. No, I'm just a tad bit envious.

The only reason I don't wake him is he, Andrea, and Alessandro have a big day tomorrow. They're setting a trap for Dimitri. I know little about it. Just something about his website and using one of our new soldiers as a trap.

From what I was told, to get access to the website you have to meet one of Dimitri's men with the cash amount requested. Once the money is handed over, the code to enter the sight is given.

The soldier will show up to the meeting with cash at the ready. As soon as the password is in his hands, Andrea and Damon will grab Dimitri's guy. It's the only in we have right now. I'm just hoping it works.

If I'm sick of being cooped up in the house, then I know Arella is too. I only got to take her out a couple of times before we were put into lockdown. It was enough for me to notice how she loves the outdoors.

The way her face lights up at the most insignificant things is adorable. It truly puts a new perspective on life. While I might look at a skyscraper and not think anything of it, Arella looks up at it with awe.

The tiniest things are huge to her. I miss watching her little face transform with glee when seeing and experiencing new environments.

Tiny fingers tapping my chest is what brings me back to the here and now. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I look down to where Arella is trying to get my attention.

"What is it, angel?" I whisper.

She points towards Damon, her dark brown eyebrows raised in question. She wants her daddy. Too bad he needs his sleep.