The Mafia Leaders Son (Mafia Series #1)

I Will Take Care Of You

Song: Never Be Alone by Shawn Mendes

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"You put me here! You will fucking pay you bitch!" my dad throws me up against the wall, putting a knife to my throat. He sticks it into my skin deep, slitting it across my throat.

"No! Help! Please!" I scream out but nobody can hear me.

"You never would have amounted to anything anyway," he sneers, before everything goes back, and my voice seems to not want to come out.

"Emma! Emma wake up, please! Princess, it's me!" I'm suddenly being shaken, and my eyes fly open. They land on Jake, and his eyes filled with worry.

"I...," I trail off, not having any words, and my throat hurting. Suddenly, Jake's bedroom door bursts open, and two guards and his dad walk in, armed.

"Is everything okay in here?" Kian, the one who was guarding my house, questions.

"She had a nightmare. Stand down," Jake orders. They glance at Mr. Cantelli, and he nods, before shooing them out of the room.

"I mean this with utmost respect, I think you need to see a therapist, Emma," Mr. Cantelli says, then turns and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Are you okay, princess?" I look over at Jake, as he runs his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for waking you." This has been happening often, since finding out my dad only gets nine months in prison.

"Don't ever apologize, princess. But, I do agree with my dad," he tells me, gauging my reaction.

"I don't have any insurance, Jake," I whisper, looking down. "I already don't know how I'm going to pay my medical bills while also looking for somewhere else to live, other than my moms."

"Your hospital bills are taken care of. I will take care of you, no matter what. And if your mom can't get you on her insurance anytime soon, I will pay your therapy bills. And please, do not argue with me about this," his tone is stern, and his face is hard, leaving no room to argue anyway.

"I'm not a charity case, Jake," I sigh, and slump back onto the bed.

"Look at me. Right now," he demands, then gently grabs my chin and turns my head to look at him. "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone that isn't my parents. You are not a charity case to me. You are my world, baby. I will take care of you."

Tears prick at my eyes, and threaten to spill down my face. And soon, I'm full on sobbing. "Baby? What did I say?" Jake's worried eyes are back, and I just shake my head.

"I've never had anyone to love me like you do," I sob, curling into his chest. He wraps me up in his arms tightly, kissing my forehead gently.

"I will always love you. I will never let anyone hurt you, ever again," he whispers to me, and I believe him completely.

It takes me a while to fall back asleep after my nightmare, but Jake's steady breathing next to me helps. He fell asleep shortly after we talked, after making completely sure I was okay. I've never known someone so caring who has such a dangerous life.

I don't fear him. Which, you would think I would, from my dad. But I honestly feel so safe with him. Ollie once told me that Jake is a better person with me. Which means, I need to be a better person with him. I'm going to go to therapy.

I slip out of bed, grab my phone, and sneak out onto his balcony. It's almost 8am, and I know he won't be awake for a while still, since we were up from 5am until 6:30am talking. I call a therapist I used to go to, when I found out about my parents divorce, and set up an appointment.

——

"With everything you've been through, Emma, nightmares are going to happen. I want you to continue coming to see me, every week. If needed, you can make an extra appointment during the week. Come to me whenever you need to, okay? Stuff like this doesn't need to be pushed aside.," my therapist, Dr. Garrison, tells me, writing in his notepad.

"Thank you, Dr. Garrison," I tell him, standing up from the couch in his office.

"Let me know if you change your mind about anti-depression and anxiety medication, okay?"

"I will, I want to try it without first." He nods, and opens the door to his office, waving me goodbye. I walk out of the office, and see Jake, scrolling through his phone. "Jacob Cantelli."

He looks up at me, his eyes slowly glazing over with lust. "Fuck. Why is it so sexy when you call me that?" I giggle and shrug, walking over to him.

"I don't know, why is it?" I bite my lip, placing a quick kiss on his lips. He smiles, kissing my forehead.

"Everything you do is sexy, princess," he whispers in my ear, making me blush and shiver. "Everything go okay in there?"

"Yeah, I talked a lot of things out with Dr. Garrison. He wants me to come back weekly," I explain to him as we leave the office.

"Did he prescribe you anything? I know you're not too fond of medications," he says, making me smile. He always remembers the random little things I tell him.

"I told him I wanted to try working through everything without medication. If it becomes too much, then I'll try it."

"I'm proud of you, princess. You're so fucking strong," he tells me, pulling me into a hug, when we get to his Mustang.

"Thank you," I whisper, my eyes tearing up. He kisses me gently, end I return it.

He gently pushes me against his car, deepening the kiss. A moan escapes my lips when his tongue fights for dominance with mine. Things are quickly becoming heated, and we're in a parking garage.

"Let's take this somewhere else, yeah?" he whispers in my ear. I nod instantly.

"Please."