My Mafia Romance

Capitolo Ventinove

"Stay here," Domenico ordered handing me a gun that had been stashed in a kitchen drawer without my knowledge and shoving me into the pantry. Carmine and my husband fearlessly started out of the spacious kitchen and towards the commotion coming from the front of the mansion. 

I could hear mean cursing in Italian and English and gunshots ringing over the yelling. I felt my blood run cold and the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I waited for one of the two men to come back and retrieve me. 

I felt as if I had been waiting in the darkness of the pantry for hours before silence fell over the mansion and I could hear footsteps hurrying to the pantry door. 

"Apollonia," I heard the familiar voice of Carmine say gently as to not alarm me. He opened the door and led me out before turning to me. "Everything is fine but I'm going to need you to close your eyes until I get you to your bedroom."

I wordlessly nodded too frightened to put up a fight at the moment. Carmine placed one hand on my arms and used his other hand to cover my eyes, he then proceeded to lead me past the dining room and up the grand staircase until we eventually reached Domenico and I's bedroom. As I flipped on the overhead light I could now see the blood stains that coated Carmine's clothes and face. 

"Oh my God!" I let out a gasp. "What happened? What's going on? Where is Domenico?" I hadn't realized that I was shaking when Carmine placed his hands firmly on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down. 

"He's fine," Carmine reassured me.

"What about my boys?" I started for the door when suddenly Domenico appeared in the doorway. He gave Carmine a curt nod, silently telling him that he could go. 

"What is going on?" I demanded feeling myself becoming more and more frustrated with the events that had just transpired in the downstairs portion of my home. 

"There was a failed hit on us, everything is fine now," he said to me calmly as I took in his appearance that resembled his cousin's blood splattered clothes. "But I have decided that you and the boys need to go away for awhile, so start packing a suitcase for you and the boys." 

"Are you coming with us?" I asked scared for my husband to be a target in plain sight while I was in hiding with the kids. 

"No I'm going to be staying," he stated leaving no room for argument. "Just grab a few clothes, I'll send some more clothes for you but I don't expect for you to be gone for more than a few weeks." He glanced at me and noticed my worried expression, "Don't stress over this, it's nothing that I can't handle."

He walked over to me and pulled me into his strong arms, hugging me close to his body. "Relax cara being this worried isn't good for the baby. I want another strong, healthy son," he chuckled as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Go ahead and pack a suitcase, I'm going to have Frank drive you and the boys to the airport and then you'll take a plane to Rome."

I pulled away so that he wouldn't see how upset I was becoming, never in my life had I had to run from my home pregnant and tote around a four year old and a four month old in the middle of the night. Just thinking about it made me want to break down. 

I hurried to pack clothes for the boys, as well as diapers and bottles for Christian. I stuffed a duffle bag with skinny jeans, blouses, a pair of flats, as well as my Bible, rosary, and other necessities I found to be essential in my life.

"I'm ready," I said as Domenico took the heavier of the two bags and helped me to the front door where Antonia and Giacomo were waiting with Christian sleeping in his car seat and Daniele rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

"Be safe dear," Antonia kissed both of my cheeks as she handed Christian over to me. 

"I will be," I attempted to reassure her as Danny walked over to me begging to be picked up. He was becoming increasingly cranky from having been woken up mid-sleep. Domenico came and picked him up while ruffling his dark brown hair, "Be good for mama." 

He walked us out to the awaiting town car and placed the bags in the trunk while I got the boys situated in the car. "This is for the best," my husband kissed me quickly seeing as how his parents and Frank were standing behind us. After he said goodbye to Christian and Daniele he helped me into the car and Frank went ahead and got into the driver's seat, pulling the car down the driveway and out of the villa. The drive to the airport took a little over an hour and a half during which Frank repeatedly reassured me that everything would be fine and that Domenico had everything under control.