Bred In Violence (A Mafia Romance Book One) #𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏

Chapter 16

Loyalty isn't grey. It's black and white. You're either loyal completely or not loyal at all.

~SHARNAY, attributed,A-Thousand-Words~

Raphael

Watching Sophie embrace Gabriella made me so damn jealous. Not for hugging her, but for the way she seemed to need her. I wanted her to need me more than she needed her; I wanted to be her balance, the person she turns to when she is scared or felt insecure.

As I watched the scene in front of me, I realized that I cared about someone else more than I cared about myself, and it made me afraid. I haven't been afraid of anything since I was ten years.

"Stop staring at her," Bruno said, hitting the upper side of my shoulder, which brought me out of my absorption. I turned and glared at him before walking away towards the two women who had finally stopped holding onto each other.

"Welcome to my home Gabriella," I said as I extended my hand to her. She shyly took my hand, her tiny hand disappearing into my big one ."I hope you can remember me" I smiled, trying to put her at ease. She looked at me and nodded.

"Yes, I do. Thank you for letting me come see Sophie."

"Don't mention it. Though I have to cut this reunion short, we are moving to the new house right now. " I continued, turning my body a bit to look at Sophie. She looked sad, her eyes puffy and fixed on Gabriella's shoulder. She was still avoiding my eyes. I wondered if she was embarrassed for kissing me back.

It bothered me to see how vulnerable she looked. His heart-shaped face seemed tired. I wanted her to be happy. To smile and laugh.

"Why can't we go home?" she asked, daring to look at my eyes finally.

Standing awkwardly but looking almost elegant, her long hair rumpled her slender petite form in the clothes she had worn the first time I brought her here.

"I know you want to go home, cara, but you both cannot be out of my protection until further notice."

"What do you mean? We both have jobs," she continued in exasperation, running her hands through her mane of hair, her lips slightly parted like she wanted to say something, then changed her mind.

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten you have a life of your own, but for now, please just do as I say." I implored, moving closer to her; she nodded but took one step back.

I took one look at her and walked away without saying a word to either of them. I felt rejected, a feeling I had never felt. Not even when the old don straight out denied he was my father.

God, I have to stop wanting this woman

I felt exhausted. I hadn't slept in days. The only time I remember sleeping well was when I unintentionally fell asleep for a few hours when Sophie was comatose and the night she had the nightmare. I'm not a good sleeper; in fact, I only sleep a maximum of 4 to 5 hours which works just fine for me.

Walking back to the guys, I informed them of my need to move to the new house. It was a sudden decision, but the house was more secure than this one. It was a fortress, and no one would get in without clearance.
Sophie and Gabriella will be safe there before I worked out a plan on what to tell both of them. The guys didn't see it coming, but they weren't surprised. I told Bruno to take care of the girls while Romano and I left to take care of business.

"Why me? " he complained.

"Most probably because they watch Oprah. At least you have something in common," Romano smirked, patting Bruno's back condescendingly, which in turn swung his fist into Romano's face and walked away. I could read the annoyance in his walk.