The Dancer and the Don | ✔️

Chapter 19

She followed the hand to a rather large body, then up to a head...Nathan's head. As soon as he discovered she'd been crying he wrapped her up in his arms and her sobs began.

"No need to cry, Mrs. Romano, he'll be alright. Everything will be fine," he assured. His arms rubbed her back slowly for a few minutes until her tears stopped and the hiccups began. "Go relax on the couch, alright? Turn on the TV. I'll finished the dishes."

Fran didn't bother replying to Nathan. Her feet blindly led her to the living room and threw her body onto the couch. Her hand mindlessly turned the TV on and scrolled through the channels until she found a rerun of her favorite romantic comedy and she burrowed into the couch.

She didn't want to think about Tony and what he was going to do tonight, but her brain wouldn't leave her alone. It forced her to watch as every negative outcome involving her husband played out in her head. She whimpered and focused her eyes on the television, trying to forget what her husband did for a living.

Nathan walked in with a blanket a few minutes later, and Fran whispered a quiet thank you as he laid it over her body. The warmth comforted her, and though her thoughts were making her tired she knew there was no way she would be sleeping anytime soon.

"Fran?" Tony's quiet voice caused his wife's head to shoot up. She winced and rubbed her aching head before sitting up slowly.

"Are you leaving?" She asked. He sat on the edge of the couch and nodded. His hand reached out to brush her tangled hair out of her face.

"Go to bed, baby, and I'll be here when you wake up," he suggested. Fran scowled and laid back down.

"Don't tell me what to do," she demanded. Tony's laugh was so loud it make her jump and glare at him. He quickly quieted down. He kissed the side of her head and looked her in the eyes.

"I'll be fine," he promised. She frowned, then puckered her lips. Though it was morbid, she couldn't help but think that if it was the last time she saw her husband, she wanted a real kiss. Her body couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

Tony was all too happy to comply, kissing his wife on the lips longer than she had intended but she didn't complain.

"I love you," she whispered, "please be safe." Tony kissed her on the lips again, then smiled.

"I love you too, and of course I'll be safe. I have this to come back to," he said. Tony tried to keep the smile off of his face as he motioned towards his wife. Her hair was a tangled mess, and three out of four limbs were hanging off the couch.

He couldn't help but laugh when his wife smacked him and pushed him to the ground. He stood and puckered his lips towards her, laughing again when she kissed him.

"I love you!" He shouted as he jogged out the front door. The smile on Fran's face lasted just a few seconds after she left. It was too quiet now, and her brain once again focused on the bad things that could happen tonight.

Her eyes drifted towards the clock. It was four thirty in the afternoon. How long would this take? One hour? Two hours? More? Would she be waiting for over twenty four hours? Why hadn't she asked Tony?

"Nathan!" She shouted. Fran stood up so quickly the blanket fell to the floor and she had to hold onto the sides of the couch for balance. Nathan came skidding into the room with his gun pulled, and Francesca couldn't hold in her gasp. "Put that away!" She shouted. The man gulped and slid the gun back into its holster on his waistband.

"What's wrong?" He questioned. She reached for the remote and turned the TV off.

"What time will they be back?" She demanded. He shrugged, putting his hands on his hips.

"It depends, sometimes it's a few hours, other times it's a few days," he said. Fran clenched her fists. "I don't think this one will take more than a day, but that's a guess."

"Alright," she said, "so I'm just supposed to sit here and wait?"

"I'm afraid so, Mrs. Romano," he answered. Her phone buzzed on the table and she scrambled to grab it. It was a text from Tony.

"Made it safely. Don't give Nathan and Maran trouble. I'll see you in a few hours."

Fran looked at the clock and saw that it had been about thirty minutes since he'd left. Apparently the drive wasn't that long. She sighed.

"I'll just...I'll just go back to the couch, Nathan. Would you and Maran like to join me for dinner later?"

"That would be nice, Mrs. Romano. Rest for now." Francesca nodded in agreement and plopped back down on the couch. She pulled the blanket back around her and turned the TV on. She could do this. She just needs to really focus hard on something else. Tony would be fine.

One hour passed, then another, then a third, and Fran couldn't stand her growling stomach any longer. She called out for Nathan to ask what he would like for dinner but didn't receive an answer.

Unease filled the pit of her stomach as she grabbed her phone and quietly made her way to the kitchen. She began to hear Nathan and Maran yelling upstairs and took the stairs two at a time to get to them quicker.

When she was about halfway up the stairs Nathan appeared at the top with Maran behind him. Both men looked disheveled, their eyes wide and hair a mess. Fran froze.

"What's wrong?" Fran questioned. Was Tony hurt? Dead?

Before Nathan or Maran answered, Nathan's body was flying down the stairs. The man had jumped from the top step and slammed his body into Francesca's, knocking the breath out of her. They landed with a loud thud, Nathan having turned their bodies in midair so that she landed on him.

As soon as they crashed to the floor Maran leapt from the top step all the way to the bottom, withdrawing his gun and looking around the house.

"Clear!" He shouted a few minutes later. Fran was still trying to catch her breath. She coughed and Nathan removed his body from hers to check her for injuries.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Romano?" He asked worriedly. She nodded and looked around the room in fear.

"What's going on? What's happening?" She asked quickly. Nathan ignored her and pressed a finger to his ear.

"She's alright. How far out are you?"

"What's going on?" Francesca snapped loudly. Maran kept his gun out and his eyes moving around the house, but answered her while Nathan focused on his phone.

"There was no shipment. It was just some of Sangue Verde's guys trying to keep Boss distracted. Boss thinks they're going to try and hit the house," he said quietly.

"Hit the...hit the house...no," she murmured and began to look dazed. Nathan snapped his fingers in front of her face and pulled her back to reality.

"They're on the way back. We'll be alright, Mrs. Romano," Nathan assured. She gulped.

Quiet filled the room until a loud boom shook the house. Nathan's body flew over Francesca's again and Maran ducked down with his gun pointed towards the door.

"Shit!" He yelled.

"What just happened?" Fran asked. She was surprised she hadn't had a heart attack yet. Fran prayed the noise was made by Tony and his men.

"They just blew out the front gate. We have to go."

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Hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think!

Random question: What's your favorite genre of music?

--Mine is pop, more specifically Kpop if you can't tell :)--