Mafia Wife (Mafia Series Book #2)

Part 5

Water?

Gabriella cracked her eyes open, darkness surrounding her. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, trying to adjust to the lack of light. Why was there water running? She tapped her way to the nightstand, finally feeling her phone beneath her touch.

She turned on the screen, the time glaring back at her in bright white numbers: 2H10AM.

She flipped around in the bed, catching the light coming from under the bathroom door. Niccolo. Who else could it be? He hadn't spent one night in their room since they announced their wedding to her mother.

He had even acted out of character like he had a chip on his shoulder. She didn't question it. After all, he was leaving her alone. These moments of peace allowed her to stash away a very important item.

Her grandpa's journal.

She didn't have a perfect grasp on this world, but she knew enough to know what it was. Blackmail. That was how he quit the life, how he moved on. They didn't pry into his fake death, his name change... they didn't go looking for him.

Because he had accumulated a blackmail journal, enough to ruin a few families from what she saw. If they went poking around, he might release it and a lot of them would have a price to pay. So they let it be.

She didn't see everything. She couldn't risk anyone knowing about it. She hid it in her purse, and luckily for her, as soon as they got back, Niccolo left. She dug around the house, finding a metal box with a lock. She couldn't ask anyone or they might get suspicious. She finally found one and put it inside.

The second part was hiding it. Locking it away wasn't enough. Purse in hand, she went outside for a stroll, despite the darkness. She noticed by the gardens there was some beautiful flowers, and under the pretense that a rabbit had ruined some of them, she took a shovel, replanting flowers.

And burying the box at the same time.

Darkness was her friend, though a lot of shielding and crouching was necessary to ensure no one would notice what she was doing. She wasn't stupid enough to think there weren't a thousand pairs of eyes on her.

As for the key, she had shoved it in her lotion bottle that came with a pump mechanism. She put it in her drawer, which should limit anyone tossing it. Worst case? She could break the lock or something.

It had been three days, and no one had said anything and the flowers had remained undisturbed. She probably got away with it - except she could never be too careful. This was hers - only hers.

Niccolo had his plans and his own safety in mind. She had to have hers. If she shared it with him, he might use it for himself. She couldn't afford that. If something bad happened, Gabriella needed a bargaining chip and this was it.

So now that Niccolo was finally showing up - and taking a shower to boot - she was concerned. Had he gone digging? She tossed the blanket aside, getting up from the bed as quietly as she could manage. She tiptoed her way around the room until she reached the bathroom.

The only way to know was to go in.

She turned the handle and in one good yank, opened it. As soon as she stepped inside, Niccolo stopped moving. His arms, which had been up scrubbing his hair, went down. He turned, the fog in the glass shower doing very little to hide him.

Gabriella glanced at the floor, seeing his discarded clothes. Red. They were covered in blood. One glance at the bottom of the shower, and she could also see the red tint that colored the otherwise clear water.