Chapter 80 Chapter 80
Chapter 80 Chapter 80
Ayanna
I curl into Massimo and bury my face in his chest. His arms come up to secure me in place, holding me snug against him as tears wet my eyes and a silent cry leaks out of me. L
He recognizes what’s happening, his large hand sweeping across my spine.
“It’s alright, Aya,” he hushes. “Tell me what it is. I won’t get angry… or violent.”
There’s a hint of humor in his husky voice.
I can’t get the words out straightaway. I cry and sniffle and squeeze into him like I’m trying to fuse his body with mine.
The warmth he radiates and the hard contours of his muscles have become soothing comforts over our brief time together.
“Massi,” I mutter, “my mom wants me to go away with her tonight. She wants me to leave with my belongings so that I can help free my father from Salvatore.”
His hand stills on my back. His chest muscles flex. “The code that you have?”
“Yes…”
“And she didn’t want you to tell me?”
“She said it was best if…” I can’t even finish my words.
His inhale is rough and belabored. “You’re not going anywhere, Aya.”
“I don’t…” I lift my head up to peer into his eyes, mine like glass. “I don’t want to. I want to be with you.”
“Then that’s where you’ll remain. Your mother will have to figure out another way.”
“But my dad…”
His large hands take hold of my face. “Then we’ll figure out how to free him from Salvatore. I will help you.”
“I don’t think it would be fair to involve you any more than you already are.”
“You’re my wife. It’s what I’m here for. There’s a lot for us to sort through between your family being beholden to Salvatore and mine as well. I don’t have the same loyalty to my life as you do to yours. But we will find a way to help them.”
“I love you, Massi.”
“Mia bella ballerina, I more than love you. I dream of you.”
We kiss and cuddle ’til our eyelids refuse to stay open. Massimo’s medications kick in and my fatigue traps me. I slip off to sleep, spooned in his arms.
Hours of warm comfort pass us by.
My eyes blink to a groggy open in the pitch-black dark of our bedroom. I don’t know what time it is, but it must be far into the night for it to be so silent and still.
Sometime during our hours of rest, I’ve untangled myself from Massimo and drifted a few inches away. I roll over to return to my spot tucked into his side, then stop when I realize I’m not the only thing awake in the room.
We’re not alone.
A figure lurks in the dark. I blink several more times to parse out its shape.
“Mom?” I croak.
No one answers. But that doesn’t stop the figure from creeping closer. From emerging from the dark shadows and reaching out a hand for me…