Mafia's Woman

17- Omerta

Opening my heavy eyes, I peered around the room. It wasn't my room. It looked like one of the guest rooms I'd cleaned before after Ermanno spent the night.

I noticed a glass of ice water sitting on the table beside the bed and I reached for it. My throat was dry and scratchy. It felt like a desert.

I drank the cool liquid slowly, wincing when I swallowed but relieved by the hydration.

By the time I finished the glass, I was still thirsty. So I started to stand up in search of more water, but the door opened to reveal Arsenio and Dr. Rossi.

"Hello, dear. How are you feeling?" Dr. Rossi asked. His presence in the house was nice and calming. He never made me anxious. I wish he came to the house more than when I injured myself.

"I'm okay. What happened?" My voice came out kind of hoarse, so I coughed to relieve it.

"You passed out. After Mr. Campione told you about his business, it was all too much of a shock to you and you passed out. There is nothing wrong with you, dear, so don't fret. Only a shock." I nodded and looked at Arsenio. He was finishing up his conversation with Dr. Rossi.

I looked over all of the features of his handsome face. I could stare at him all day.

As I watched his jaw move while he spoke to the doctor, the memory of what he had told me came back. He was the boss of a Mafia.

Boss. Italian. Mafia.

My hands felt clammy. Partly from fear, partly from the fact that I'd felt more comfortable with a man responsible for a party of organized crime than I ever had with my father.

Dr. Rossi shook Arsenio's hand before he walked out of the room. Arsenio ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the chair by the wall. He looked over at me and we held eye contact for the longest time. I wanted to look away from the captivating man, but it was like my body was preventing me from doing so.

He stood up and dragged the chair to the side of the bed and sat down once again. He looked down at me and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Eloise, I know you just passed out and are exhausted, but we have to have this conversation now. It is very important." I reluctantly nodded. I didn't know what this conversation would entail, but I was not looking forward to it.

"No one is going to kill you. I would never hurt you, and I will never let anyone hurt you, but you are now a part of this, so there will be rules. I told you, and now you are involved, so these rules need to be followed to keep you and everyone else involved safe." He reached down and brushed a piece of my hair around the back of my ear. The motion sent a shiver of pleasure through my body and I couldn't help but lean into his touch.

Arsenio stared intently at my face, almost as if he was in a trance. He must've noticed my staring back because he shook his head slightly and began talking again.

"You will need to sign a contract. It's the Omertà Code. I assume you've never heard of it, so I will explain. It means that a man can deal with his own problems without the help of the law. It's also the Mafia's code of silence. It essentially says that you will always be protected by us as long as you follow the rules, and do not involve any outsiders or figures of authority in our business. If you do not follow the rules, you will be seen as a traitor to the family and consequences will ensue."