The Mafia's One Desire

chapter 46: leave

I walk into my office to see Fiaro sitting at my desk. At first, I'm surprised that he even debated about the idea, even got the idea. He stands up, completely taken aback and embarrassed.

"I apologize, Boss."

"Don't worry about it. You're taking over anyway."

"I'm what?"

"Didn't you want to? Please say you still do."

"Yes, sir. I would love to take over."

"You are a sadistic bastard. We have to burn a body today."

"I'm just built for this life. You so aren't."

"As I know. Do you just want to do it? I just wanna go back to my wife. Unless you don't know how to do it, which I doubt."

"I can do it, sir. If you're okay with that."

"The job isn't all yours since the other members can challenge you, but I'm guessing you know that too."

"You won't have to worry about that though, Boss."

"That's paradise."

He snorts, and I move towards my desk. Wanting to get everything over with, I clean my things out of my desk. I take my gun and clean it before placing it in the hands of Fiaro.

"Your gun, sir?"

"My father used that gun too. Figured you would want it."

"You know me well."

"I wish I could make this fancier of a handover, but it's yours Fiaro."

"Isn't there a ceremony or something?"

"Not at all. I hand it over and if someone wants to challenge for votes, they do. After a week, if you haven't been taken over, it's completely yours. The government will know and probably come talk to you, but that's all on you."

He nods his head, and I move out of his way as he goes to sit on the chair. I give him a slight head nod, and a sense of relief flows through me. I feel like I can finally breathe, like everything in my life is exactly as it should be. There's nothing more than I want to do here. I just want to run away to Laglio with my wife. 

Not being able to help myself, I throw all of our clothes into a couple of duffle bags. My rustling wakes Sofia up, but she doesn't say a word to me. She only stares as I keep an outfit out for her and a couple of toiletry items to get ready for the day. I put the rest of the items we don't need away in bags, and I feel the heat of her stare at my back. The unspoken question hangs in the air, but I'm just so ready to get out of here, I don't acknowledge it.

"Baby, what are you doing?"

"I'm packing up our things."

"Why?"

"Because we are leaving."

"Why are we leaving?"

"I handed the Mafia to Fiaro ."

"What the fuck? You did?"

"You are all that matters. Every second we spend here is more dangerous to you and our baby's life. I don't want to be. I hate it here. I've hated it since the second I became the Boss. I hate the reputation it's given me, I hate the amount used to throw themselves at me, I hate that I have murdered more than I can count thinking it's on a twisted moral basis. I hate the things it's done to me, and the way it's changed me. I hate that my father forced me to do this. I hate that I'm still here. I hate that I can sleep at night knowing all that I've done. I hate everything about this, and I want to leave. Now."

She blinks her beautiful eyes up at me, her mouth dropping open.

"Close that mouth or I'll be obligated to put something inside of it."

My heart melts at her loving gaze and the graceful smile spreading across her face. Her eyes light up in a pure joy that I've only seen from her in the most precious moments of her life. A loud, shrieky squeal exits her mouth as she practically jumps out of bed. 

I don't think I've ever seen her get ready for the day faster than right now. I laugh out loud, glad that we are both on the same page. Within twenty minutes we are packed and ready to go, but she halts for a second.

"What about our families?"

"Should be home in thirty minutes."

"We can't just leave everyone hanging. Even our friends."

"What if we had a get-together at lunch. We can announce the Mafia thing and that you're pregnant and that we are moving to Laglio."

"Doesn't that seem-"

"I promise you that they'll understand."

Sofia nods her head, and I place the bag in the back of the car. She turns to go back inside, but I catch her arm. Besides our friends, there isn't anything left for us. It's time that we left. We can spend our hours till lunch somewhere, but I don't want to go back into that warehouse. I'm finally getting to go, and I don't, I won't, walk back in there again until I know that I can't be trapped in there. 

I feel so free right now. 

Free to do what I please, be a kind, gentle person, to be a good father and husband. If I go in there again, the rigid killer will just come out again. That's part of me, but I don't want to indulge in it anymore. I was drowning in it. Her head tilts, her face scrunching up in confusion, and I tug her closer to me. I watch her bite her lip as I lean down to press a kiss against her neck.

"Where are you two going?"

We both turn around to see our friends standing there.

"Since you all are here, and you can pass it on, Fiaro is now your boss. After everything with Luca and the Russians, I knew it was my time to leave. Sofia and I are having a baby as well, and to protect this innocent life, we are moving to Laglio later today. We were going to announce this at lunch, so y'all could eat food, but this works too."

I hear my wife giggle at my bluntness of the whole thing. I glance down at her, pulling her body closer to my side. The rest of the crew stares at the two of us in complete disbelief. And then, Valentina does something I've never heard nor seen her do before. She squeals, taking Sof out of my arms, and hugging her tightly. 

My girl chuckles while wrapping her arms around Val as she expresses her excitement for the pregnancy. She teasingly argues that we should stay, so she can help with the baby, but Sof agrees that she can visit us in Laglio, with a heads up of course. The rest of the group congratulates her before acknowledging the fact that I'm going to be a father. After the shock of our news has finally calmed down, they invite themselves to lunch at my parents' house and let us go.