L'Angelo della Morte | A Mafia Romance

♛18 ⥄ ❝ Perdonami ❞

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See I'm afraid to love but afraid to be alone.

~ Nathan Wagner

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𝐕 𝐈 𝐓 𝐓 𝐎 𝐑 𝐈 𝐎

The sunlight seeping through the curtains illuminated Carlissa's pale skin, and I couldn't help but admire her peaceful face. It was rare; her face usually held some degree of worry, fear, or sadness, but on that early morning, she looked peaceful. Safe. The warm light made her lashes shimmer like copper; the only evidence that she was a natural redhead. There was no trace of the usual crease between her eyebrows and her lips didn't hold the hint of a frown.

I fought back a smile when she let out a soft whimper – stirring in her sleep. Her thin arm was draped over my midriff and her cheek was solidly planted against the left side of my chest. Her lips had fallen open and I'd be lying if I claimed she wasn't drooling a little.

I brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead, careful not to wake her. Once she had fallen asleep, it had almost been morning, and I hadn't been able to drift off again. Waking her from her much-needed sleep wasn't an option, so I'd just sat there, watching the sun come up. Well... I'd watched the sun some of the time.

Attempting to keep movement to a minimum, I reached over and snatched my phone off the nightstand. Three unread messages. All from Romeo.

I opened our message thread and rolled my eyes. Memes. I chucked my phone to the end of the bed and threw my head back against the headboard, cursing under my breath.

Romeo hadn't let me in on why he was going – or even where to – and I was starting to get impatient. Every question I'd asked him since he left had been responded to with memes.

I sighed when I heard the familiar buzzing of a phone, and was about to reach for mine when I realized it hadn't lit up. My brows knitted together and I glanced in the direction of Carlissa's nightstand.

My eyes fell to the sleeping woman on my chest and my stomach dropped. How the Hell did she get ahold of a phone? And more importantly, who had she been contacting?

I ground my teeth together, my fingers curling into fists. Exhaling slowly, I eased her off of me, placing her head on my pillow as I got off the bed.

I walked to her side of the bed and pulled the drawer open; a slick, black phone stared back at me.

"Clever girl," I muttered. Not only had she locked the phone, but she'd made sure notifications didn't show on the lock screen.

I glanced back at her. Part of me – the part that had grown to care for her – wanted to put the phone back and pretend I hadn't seen it. The rational part, however – the trained assassin in me – knew better.

Gritting my teeth, I allowed myself a moment to build up every wall I had. To switch it off. Then the moment was over.

The phone clattered onto the nightstand inches from her head. She jolted awake, her wide eyes darting around the room to locate the threat.

They landed on the phone.

"Care to explain, Darlin'?" I kept my voice steady. Monotone.

"I –" Her voice broke and her eyes found mine. They were distant – disoriented – but her face clearly showed her dread.

I tilted my head back a little, forcing a smirk on my face. "It almost – now correct me if I'm wrong," I took a step closer, "– looks like you're hiding something."