Her Mafia Brothers

Another Nightmare

It had been ages since I'd had a nightmare. But the whole thing with Logan, and Nick breaking his ribs, and the sheer violence that existed in this house, obviously scared my subconscious half to death. I sat up in bed, hyperventilating, my heart pounding so fast and so loud it echoed in my ears.

The house was dark, silent. My room was softly illuminated by the LED lights lining my walls, but there were no other lights on anywhere that I could see. I couldn't hear any movement; my brothers were probably all asleep. It was 3am, after all.

I tried to calm myself down, to slow my breathing. I took big deep breaths. I told myself over and over again that it was okay, it was only a dream. But the second I lay back down on my pillow and shut my eyes, there it was again at the center of my vision: violence. Blood. The sickening thud of fists against flesh. Fear.

I whimpered, and stuffed my fist in my mouth trying to stifle my scream.

This wasn't working. I didn't want to be alone. I couldn't be alone. I was too afraid.

But who to go to? Anna was here, so Jack was out as my first choice. I didn't even want to get out of bed and go stumbling down the hallway to my brothers; I wanted someone to come to me. But I didn't want to wake anyone. I'd caused enough problems for my brothers.

I whimpered again as my body shook, shudders racing the length of my spine.

"Don't hurt me!" I pleaded as quietly as I could, when the dream haunted me again the second I shut my eyes. "Please don't hurt me!"

I was too busy fending off panic to hear footsteps on the stairs or my bedroom door slide open. But I heard Nick ask if I was okay and I felt the bed dip as he sat down beside me.

"Bad dream?" he asked. "I've just got in from work and I heard you cry out," he explained. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. I wasn't okay at all. I wasn't reacting as badly to this nightmare as I had in the past, but I was still unsettled and afraid. The violence I'd witness both in our home that evening and in my dream had me completely unnerved.

Nick wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in close. "Come on sis, you're okay now. I'll protect you."

I buried my face in Nick's shirt and tried to slow down my breathing to match his. In. Out. Deep and slow.

"Please don't hurt me," I pleaded again, responding to the visions in my dream, but Nick thought I was talking to him. He squeezed me tight, pulling me close. With one hand, he guided my face up to look at him.

"Nobody is going to hurt you," he assured me.

Still holding me tight to his body, Nick rubbed his other hand up and down my spine, soothing me. Calming me down.

Even though he'd spanked me (very unfairly, I thought!) just a few hours earlier, and even though he'd broken Logan's ribs and injured him badly just prior to that, I felt safe with Nick's strong arms around me. Nick's violence may have been partly responsible for my nightmare, but his presence now calmed me down.

"Lie down sis and get settled for sleep, okay?" Nick tucked my blankets around me tightly and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"Don't leave me," I begged him. "Please don't leave me!" I reached for his hand, tugging it, wanting to pull him down beside me, but he was too strong. He didn't even budge.

"Let me take this suit off and I'll come back," he said.

But I shook my head. "No. Don't leave me!"

Nick hesitated for a moment and I really thought he was going to leave anyway, but he must have seen the look of abject terror in my eyes and heard the panic in my voice because he sighed, and started stripping off his clothes right there on my bedroom floor. He shed his suit jacket and tie and lay down beside me in his shirt and pants. He hugged me close, reassuring me that I was safe.

"Don't hurt me," I whispered again, terrified the nightmare was going to come back again the second I shut my eyes.

Nick squeezed me tight and kissed my forehead softly. "Nobody is going to hurt you little sis, I promise," he whispered, soothing me. "You're safe. I promise you're safe."

But it wasn't enough for me. Every time Nick moved, I panicked, thinking he was going to get up and leave me here alone with my dreams.

"Don't leave me," I begged, my whisper so quiet I'm surprised he could hear it.

"I'm not going anywhere sis."

"Do you promise?"

Nick nodded. "Yes. I promise. I'm going to stay right here with you."

"Pinky promise?" I held my left pinky finger out to him and smiled when he hooked it with his own.

"Pinky promise," he said. "But don't tell the boys I did that, they'll never let me live it down."

I grinned, and lay down next to Nick with my head on his chest, snuggled up close to him.

"What will you give me to keep me quiet?" I asked mischievously.

Nick glared at me, but I noticed the corner of his mouth twitching up into a small smile. "Don't push it, brat," he warned.

"I am not a brat!" I protested, my eyelids drooping as Nick held me securely.

"You keep telling yourself that, little sis."

"I will."

"Okay then. Sleep well." Nick pressed a kiss to my temple before snuggling down on top of my blankets, his arm flung across my body. Reassuring me with his presence.

Slowly, I drifted off to sleep, safe in the arms of my big brother.

Damon woke me up in the morning; I must have forgotten to set my alarms. And when he did, he held a finger to his lips, smiled and pointed - Nick was fast asleep beside me, still in his suit pants and shirt, his hair rumpled and messy, the tiniest bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. I smiled, tempted to take a photo to show my friends. Seeing Nick fast asleep like that, drooling, would probably make them decide he wasn't so hot after all. Or maybe not. Knowing them, they'd probably think it was cute.

As quietly as I could, I got myself ready for school and headed downstairs for breakfast. Jack and Anna were already eating, Alex was making coffee. Rocco, Damon and Logan were nowhere to be seen.

It didn't take me long to wolf down my breakfast, and Logan still hadn't appeared by the time I did.

"Isn't Logan going to school today?" I asked nobody in particular, hoping one of my brothers would answer.

"No sweetheart," Jack said. "He's going to be off for a few days at least, I would think. He's pretty sore."

"So how am I getting to school? And home?" Logan always took me to school. And, if neither of us had plans after school, he always took me home, too. If we had plans, sometimes I would walk with friends, sometimes another brother or even Paul would pick me up. But I'd never made my own way to school before, Logan had always driven me. Already, I felt lost without him.

"I will take you," Rocco informed me, walking into the room as he spoke.

It felt like all the eyes in the school were on me when Rocco stopped the motorbike right outside the school doors and helped me off. He didn't stop in the carpark like Logan did and let me walk from there, but he drove me right up, right through the throng of students, revved his bike, and reached out his arm to help me off.