The Lost Mafia Principessa

Part 99

Everyone is in bed by the time Gustavo and I finish with Andrea's fiance and brothers. In New York they're squeezing Ivan as the Leo's squeeze from their side.

Andy and I share a bathroom in this house so I peak into her room to see her fast asleep sleep in the bed. White linen curtains rustle around the veranda doors. Bugs, birds, and the breeze is all you can here up here. The forest hides the house. The road is hidden and bumpy with lots of side shoots to get lost in. No one can find us here. No one can get close to the house without us seeing them first. I close the door and start to shower. As I'm crawling into bed I hear a sound. A cry? Panic creeps into my chest. Then it gets louder and it's beginning to sound like screaming. It's Andrea. I rush into her room. Andrea is thrashing in her bed. She's crying. She's having a nighmare.

"Andy mi amor wake up. Mi amor wake up its a dream." I try to shake her.

"No please no Miguel no please. I want to go home. My family. No please my family. Please." She keeps thrashing and screaming. That's when her door flies open and Natalia runs in with nothing but a long tshirt on.

She runs to the bed and holds onto Andy's hand.

"Andrea." She says her name the way it was meant to be pronounced. What she was born to be called. "Andrea. It's me Natalia. Wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up."

Andy starts to wake but her first look is me and she scrambles away into Natalia. She's shaking her head. "No no please. They're my family. Please I want to go home please."

Natalia places her hands on her shoulders and in italian she talks to her softly. "Andrea we're ok. We'll see them again. It's alright. You're safe. Shhh we're safe."

"Mi amor I never..." I start to reach for her but she backs away still haunted by her dreams. I take my hand back. "I'm so sorry mi amor. I had no idea."

Natalia glares at me and I take it as leave. She gets in front of Andrea and begins stroking her hair and talking to her in italian. Andrea begins to relax and then begins to cry into Natalia's shoulder.

When I find them early the next morning. They're in the same bed holding each other. They look so alike they could be sisters. Raphael and the Romanos really were idiots for not figuring out Andrea's secret before now.

At breakfast Natalia is in the kitchen pouring some juice. Everyone else is outside by the pool. "Thank you." I offer from the doorway.

Natalia startles and turns. She scrunches her face up. "For...?"

"For calming her down last night." I reply.

She nods. "I have them too. With all of the trauma we've seen and felt. The one thing that gives us nightmares are men trying to chase us and brings us back to them."

I step toward her. "Who gives you nightmares?" I ask her.

"Ivan." She whispers.

"We're going to take care of them Natalia. You have my word." Her eyes flutter to mine.

"Thank you." She breathes. She turns then stops and turns back. "She told me she started having those dreams when she ran away from you. If you love her why did you lie to her? Why did you do what you did?" She nibbles on her lip and her eyes meet mine again.

"Because I'm not a good man Natalia. I do bad things. I would do anything to keep her safe. Anything." I reiterate.

"Ivan says the same thing." She swallows. Her eyes grow wide. She's beginning to realize that we're all kind of the same. Bratva, mafia, cartel doesn't matter. When we make up our minds that something is ours it's ours whether it wants to be or not.

"She has two of us that would do anything for her. Four if you count her brothers. She would bring three of the largest crime organizations to their knees if wielded against them." He warns. "I will not let anything happen to her."

She nods. Then turns and leaves. I hear a sniffle as she walks down the corridor.

____________

One Month Later

Andrea

"Andrea I have a surprise for you!" Miguel hollers from upstairs.

"Miguel I'm tired." I groan. He and Raphael came up with a plan for us to continue the training I was getting with the instructor Raphael brought in before I left for Mexico the first time. Miguel has us sparring with Gustavo everyday amd Gustavo took us through the ringer today. I'm so sore.

"Now Andy! You'll enjoy this." He demands. "Oh and bring the girls they'll enjoy it too."

Natalia stands above me and helps me up. All five of us walk up to the second floor and into Miguel's room. I'm stopped dead in my tracks. "Miguel. Is this?" 

He smiles and waves his hand around the room. "We had them shipped. Milano was gracious enough to work with me and you're supposed to be getting married in a few months. It's my job to make sure it doesn't get derailed as your man of honor. So we're dress shopping today."

My heart melts and I run to him. I hug  him as he hugs me back and then spins me towards the dresses. "I took the liberty of adding a few Cassandra dresses as well. Figured spice it up a little." He pushes me forwards. "Go pick."

He pours us all a glass of champagne and then walks with me through the dresses. "I like Raphael's taste you can tell backless is his design of choice."

I try to stifle a laugh. "Ya it is."

"Ok if you don't start pulling some I will for you." He fingers over a dress. "Yep try this one." He hands me a dress. He looks over his shoulder to see that the other girls have already started to pull a few dresses for the bridesmaids.

I laugh as he calls out. "Nothing ugly. I won't stand next to yall if you pick some sort of horrendous dress." Natalia turns and sticks her tongue out at him and throws him a silly face. He begins to make his way towards her with a threatening smile. They've become a dynamic duo zinging each other and playing pranks on the other. Atleast someone is having fun.

I've tried on what feels like every dress here. I know that that's not quite true but it feels like it. I pull on another dress with a barely there lace detail along the sleeves. I wanted something a little conservative considering we're getting married in a church. None of the dresses have provided me with that. The lace sleeves act as more of a faux sleeve. The sheer fabric connects the lace detailing down my arm. The back is lined with lace details bordering the edges as it dips down. The actual neck line is strapless and boned as it constructs the shape of the bodice. The lace details sits along my collar bones and across my chest as it blooms across the dress in beautiful detail. The dress gives the illusion of conservative yet elegantly sexy. A tear falls down my face as I smile at myself in the mirror. This is it. This is the dress. I gasp with a small laugh and wipe the tear from my face. When I walk out Stacey smiles wide and Natalia matches it. Daniella gasps and Miguel turns to look and then stops. "Andy that's the dress." He beams. "That is the dress. Eres hermosa. You look beautiful." He pulls his phone from his pocket and looks up  "I was told to get a picture for your mother when you found the dress." He snaps a picture and then walks to me and kisses me on top of the head. "You look perfect." I sniffle and nod my head. 

"Thank you" I smile and try not to cry. 

Stacey stands and gives me a hug. "Ok now for the rehearsal and reception dress." She pushes me back into the bathroom and dresses start coming in for the rehearsal.