Her Mafia Brothers

Uh-Oh

I gulped. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. But I swallowed back my fear and bravely turned to face Paul, giving him my sweetest smile that all my brothers were suckers for.

"But you're not going to, right? You're going to pretend you couldn't find me, and just let me go? Alex will understand."

Paul's face remained impassive. He didn't look neither stern nor amused. His expression was completely neutral. But he shook his head.

"You know your brothers better than that, miss Carrie. If you try to run, it will only be worse for you. Now you just sit tight while I work things out here, then I'll take you home."

To make sure I couldn't leave, Paul moved to stand beside me, taking a firm grasp of my shoulder so I couldn't escape no matter how much I wanted to. He completely ignored me while he talked to the store manager, but he didn't let go of me for a second. I tuned him out; I was too busy worrying about facing Alex's wrath to be listening to what Paul was saying. But he must have finished whatever business he was doing because within a minute, he was steering me out of the store still with that firm grip on my shoulder.

"I didn't get to say goodbye to my friends!" I protested, trying to stall, digging my feet into the floor as hard as I could; but to no avail. Paul just continued to propel me along. I guess as a bodyguard he was used to manhandling grown men - I was no match for him at all.

"You didn't let me say goodbye to my friends!" I tried again, fighting against him, trying to pull away. But he completely ignored me. He talked into the microphone in his lapel instead, and his firm grip on my shoulder didn't budge. I'd have more luck getting out of the grasp of my brothers, than the burly bodyguard they'd sent to keep me safe.

Effortlessly, Paul marched me out of the mall and bundled me into the back of the black SUV waiting in the carpark outside. With a firm "stay there!" he walked around to the drivers side and hopped in, before driving me home.

The closer we got to home, the more my jagged nerves frayed. I was going to be in so much trouble! Why had I listened to my friends and pulled that stupid stunt? Why had I even left school in the first place? Why had I tried to get that cheap thrill of shoplifting when Damon gave me a credit card that allowed me to buy whatever I wanted?

By the time Paul pulled into the underground parking garage, I felt so stupid, and was close to tears.

Before Paul had even turned off the ignition, my car door was wrenched open and Alex stood there glaring at me.

"Thanks Paul, I'll take it from here," he said. Paul nodded and disappeared. So he wasn't going to save me, then.

Alex gave me a hard look that was both disapproving and disappointed at the same time, and indicated that I should hop out of the car. But I couldn't - I was frozen to my seat. If I stayed here, Alex couldn't hurt me. If I stayed here, I could pretend I wasn't in a whole world of trouble. And maybe if I stayed here long enough, Alex would decide that what I'd done wasn't that bad, and just leave me alone.

Alas, it wasn't to be.

"Get out of the car, Carrie. Now!" he commanded.

When I didn't budge, he stepped forward and smacked the front of my thigh hard. Really hard. The sting made me squeal and blink back tears and my hand flew to rub the soreness away.

"Get out!" Alex growled again. "Unless you want another smack? Because I've got all day, and how sore you get is up to you."

I gulped, not willing to call his bluff. Like Damon, Alex was a man of his word and like Damon, my tears, whether of contrition or pain, wouldn't sway him.

Slowly, my eyes brimming with tears, I undid my seatbelt, picked up my schoolbag and slid out of the vehicle, keeping my butt as far away from Alex as possible. I was pretty certain he was going to spank me, but I didn't want it to be out here, in the garage with the cars, where potentially anyone could see and hear.

Without a word, Alex pointed inside, gesturing for me to lead the way. I took a few sideways steps, unwilling to turn my back on Alex completely, lest he seize the opportunity and start my punishment out here. But my attempt to protect my butt didn't work - when I didn't immediately walk inside properly Alex grabbed my arm, spun me sideways, and landed several wickedly hard spanks to my skirt-clad ass.

I cried out in pain. Alex was definitely the hardest spanker of all my brothers - far harder than Damon, and Damon could reduce me to tears pretty fast.

The second Alex let me go, I grabbed my burning butt with both hands, dropping my bag on the ground, and ran as fast as I could up to my room.

Alex wasn't far behind. I heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs just a few seconds after I flung myself down on my bed, sobbing into my pillow. I was so scared. I'd never been in serious trouble with Alex before, and I knew it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

When Alex shut my bedroom door, I bolted upright. I think that was the point I actually realized just how much trouble I was in. I wasn't going to get away with just a lecture, obviously. Alex was intent on teaching me a lesson I wouldn't soon forget.

"I'm sorry!" I cried, looking at my big brother through my tears.

"What are you sorry for?" Alex asked, sitting down on my bed beside me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Everything!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I need more than that, Carrie."

Please don't make me say it, I silently begged, but it quickly became apparent that he was going to. He was going to make me recite my misdemeanors, and then he was going to punish me soundly for them. Tears trickled down my cheeks at my pathetic predicament.

"Failing to shoplift," I admitted quietly.

"And?" Alex prompted.

"Bunking school," I whispered.

"And?"

I looked at Alex blankly. What else had I done? Was there more I didn't know about?

"Security, Carrie. You're never to go anywhere without security," Alex reminded me.

"Oh."

"Damon told you that on your very first day with us, didn't he? He told you that at the same time he gave you your credit card. Which reminds me: hand it over. Phone, too. You're grounded for two weeks."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Grounded! Just like a normal teenager. Not spanked.

Almost happily, I put both my credit card and my phone into Alex's outstretched hand.

"Your credit card is mine for a month," Alex said. "You're to stay out of the mall during that time, you hear me?"

I nodded solemnly, doing my best to hide my secret delight at my lenient punishment. Anything was better than a spanking!

"Do you know what happens to people who steal from us, Carrie?"

I shook my head. I could guess, but I didn't want to risk getting it wrong and making Alex even madder at me.

"We kill them," he told me.

I gasped, and looked at him, horrified.

"You kill someone for stealing?" I couldn't believe it! "Where's the justice in that? I thought you were good people! But you're not, you're horrible!"

Alex frowned. "This is the Mafia. That's how things work, here. And the people we deal with, they know that."

I flinched as Alex tilted my chin up, making me meet his eyes, but if he noticed my discomfort he didn't acknowledge it.

"Bogiatto's don't steal," Alex said firmly. "You really disappointed me today, you let down our family name."