Escaping The Mafia Boss

Chapter 9

Katerina Dale

With slow, hesitant footsteps I entered the extravagant dining room that was located in Arosio's parents' private quarters. It was a little smaller than the main dining room that we ate in yesterday but it was still grand nonetheless. The staff had decorated it beautifully with red roses and candles since I had instructed them to do so for Eliana's birthday. 

Everyone was already seated since it took me a bit more time to clean up Elijah before returning. I had nothing else to wear so I ended up taking one of the designer baby blue summer dresses that Arosio purchased for me but I made sure to take the least expensive of the lot and made a mental note to transfer him the money once all of this was over. 

The left seat beside Arsenio was empty though so I looked around the room and finally spotted Arosio who was outside on the patio at the far end of the room, taking a phone call. It looked like he was having a heated conversation, making me narrow my eyes and strain my ears to hear some of his words. 

Italian. Of course, he'd be speaking in Italian on the phone too.

 I sighed in frustration before turning towards his family with an innocent smile, hoping they did not catch me trying to spy on Arosio. 

"Come, figlia. Sit beside me tonight," Arsenio stated as I approached the dining table with Elijah resting on my hip. (daughter)

Looking at him with furrowed brows, I hesitated to sit in Arosio's seat but nodded my head when Eliana gave me an encouraging smile. I took my seat right beside Arsenio and tried to place Elijah on the seat next to me but he refused to leave my lap. Sighing, I adjusted him on my lap and pushed my plate away to bring his plate in front of me like last night. 

"You're back, good. Let's all eat, the chefs have prepared a wonderful meal for your mothers birthday," Arsenio stated and I finally noticed the slight Italian accent hidden in his voice when he spoke in English. 

Arosio apologized for taking the call during dinner before sitting right beside me.I thought he would look at me annoyed for sitting in his spot but he looked quite pleased. Though, I felt a bit annoyed since he was so close to me and unconsciously shuffled my chair closer to Arsenio's side. 

This did not go unnoticed by Arosio who sent me a hard look which I obviously chose to ignore. Instead, I focused on feeding Elijah his food as the rest of his family began to discuss business again. However, this time they all spoke in English as though they did not want me to feel left out. 

But as the night went on, I found myself becoming paler by the second and wished that they had just discussed in Italian instead. Some of the words they spoke so casually made my blood run cold as I suppressed shivers of disgust. 

Gun transportation? Drugs? Moving the murdered bodies? 

At the last topic, the fork actually slipped from my fingers as I gulped nervously before lifting my eyes and staring at their amused expressions. Elijah peered up at me curiously and I seriously wondered how this young boy could remain so unfazed by the violence around him. 

God, what was I thinking trying to help this crazy family? They're the freaking MAFIA for Christ sake. I need to keep my distance and get far away from these dangerous people. 

"Forse dovremmo parlare di qualcos'altro, penso che il tuo coniglietto farà passare il fratello," Alanzo's teasing voice broke the silence as he smirked towards Arosio whose gaze lingered on me for a few moments. (Maybe we should talk about something else, I think your bunny is going to pass out brother)

"Are you alright, tesoro?" Arosio leaned closer and caressed the side of my face with his warm hand. I unconsciously leaned in closer to his hand before blinking my eyes.