The Mafia Saved Me [SAMPLE BOOK]

Chapter 21 [SAMPLE]

When it's only me and Sofia, she pokes my side.

"What was that?" she says in a teasing tone.

"Nothing," I say avoiding her stare.

She hums, unconvinced. Then her hands rise to her chest, to form a heart with her fingers.

"We don't know each other like that."

"Whatever you say, dear cousin," she says, her voice still teasing.

I glare at her as she hands me a plate before encouraging me to follow her to the dining area, where everyone is already enjoying their food.

When I enter the room, a wave of testosterone hits me in the face. From seeing the thirty strong and intimidating men, my hands around the plate become clammy.

They also notice our presence, and their talking fades away as they all look at me and Sofia.

My throat tightens, and I scan the room, looking for a corner away from them all, but the only seats available are the ones beside Francisco and Leo. My breath gets caught at the idea of sitting next to the man I'm avoiding.

I make my way toward the seat beside Francisco, away from Leo, and when I'm about to sit, Luca takes the seat, giving me a grin.

I send him a glare before making a beeline toward the seat on the other side of Francisco, but Sofia sits down when I get there. She gives me a cheeky smile and pats the top of the table next to her. I swallow my nervousness because this is the only available seat left, and it's the one right beside Leo.

I glimpse at Leo, and there's a surge of guilt inside me when I see his forehead bunched up and his lips slightly pursed into a frown.

With shaky hands, I pull the chair out. When I do, it makes a loud, screeching noise. Everyone's eyes turn to me.

As I go to scoot my seat forward, I silently gasp when an invisible force pushes my chair in.

Swiping my head around, I find Leo hovering behind me. He gives a curt nod before returning to his seat, leaving me in a state of shock.

Sofia nudges me from under the table and she's grinning.

I ignore her and glance around the table, only to be met with similar expressions of shock on the men's faces. Their eyes move from me to Leo, who takes a lazy sip from his glass of red wine.

Luca, across from me, opens his mouth in disbelief. The unchewed food is visible in his gaping mouth.

There's a slight tremble in my body from their eyes on me, and when Leo senses my agitation, he places a comforting hand on my thigh. The warmth from his hand eases my worries.

"Go back to eating your food," he demands, voice stern. The men's eyes widen, and they all turn away. The room is quick to grow loud as they talk to each other.

Leo removes his hand from my thigh, and coldness fills the spot.

My attention once again draws to Luca, who has beans smeared all over his face. I laugh out loud, and Sofia turns to see and laughs at the mess around his face.

Luca rolls his eyes, and his cheeks burn bright red. He wipes his face with a napkin, completely missing the food on his nose, and we laugh at him again.

Leo shakes his head at the sight of a messy Luca and lifts his Sope, trying to eat it without getting dirty.

The moment he lifts the round tortilla toward his mouth, the Sope falls apart and drops onto his plate in a messy mountain.

Everyone at the table laughs out loud, but the men turn quiet when Leo glares at them, muttering words in Italian, no doubt curses.

Noticing the sudden mood change in the room, I lower my laughter to silent giggles, and Leo gives me a teasing glare.