Mafia's Bride

Chapter 20

I wake up still surrounded by warmth radiating off of both mine and Alex's body. I untangle our bodies from each other and head to the bathroom for a shower, being careful as to not wake him up. After seeing him for the first time in a while yesterday, it was very apparent that Alex had not been sleeping. And a mafia boss with lack of sleep in not the best combination, it's destructive.

After blow drying my hair, I leave it down in light waves and throw on a blue athletic set and sneakers. Then I apply some light makeup and call it good.

Once I give Alex one last glance at his sleeping self, I exit the bedroom and head toward the kitchen. I see my mother making eggs and Giovanni sitting at the bar stools patiently waiting. 

I enter the kitchen and give my mother a quick kiss on the cheek and then head to sit with Gio.

"Morning Layla, how are you feeling?" My mother asks as she finishes the eggs and plates them for the three of us.

"I am feeling much better, I am just ready to head to the warehouse to start training the recruits." I say as I shove eggs into my mouth moaning pleasantly. I have missed my mothers amazing cooking.

"I wish you wouldn't Layla, you could just stay home and we could have a girls day." I hear the desperation in her voice as she tells me this. 

I sigh but hold my ground, "No mother, I would like to go and help. We can spend some time together tonight." I smile at her as she nods and we all finish eating in comfortable silence.

I know my family continues to worry for my well being, but they must trust when I tell them that I am really and truly okay. It has been an interesting two weeks, but I am holding up just fine.

Once we finish our breakfast we both thank our mother and then head to the garage. I see Branson heading for us while my brother grabs a set of keys.

"Can I drive Gio?" I say with pleading eyes and a puppy dog look. He is heading for the Aston Martin Vantage and I can't resist asking to drive.

"Yeah, not gonna happen." Gio says as he hops into the driver seat. I see Branson chuckle to himself as I glare at him. He ignores my gaze and hops into the passenger seat. 

Around thirty minutes later we arrive at the warehouse and head towards the training area. This warehouse is much more spacious than the other one in Italy, but I suppose that makes sense. 

I look over the place and notice there is a set place for everything. There is a shooting range, knife throwing zone, hand to hand combat matted area, and a boxing ring. 

Taking a look over all the recruits I can see just how scared they really look. They all stand in a circle anxiously waiting, while some of the more advanced members are hanging around the edges conversing.

It's weird to see recruits and being able to watch the whole process. My father would have never allowed something like this, if I were back home. Now he will just have to watch with a smile. I smirk lightly at the thought of how that will go.

I can tell everyone is waiting for Alex to arrive. I look to my side and see that there is a small group formed consisting of our fathers, Caleb, Branson, and it looks like Gio is heading over there as well. I follow along, making my way over to the group.

"Hello boys." I smile at all of them and we exchange pleasantries. 

I notice several glances form the men over my body and I realize that I still have extensive bruising over my abdomen, neck and face. I thankfully wore a long sleeve that some what covers me. I then pull my arms over my stomach to try and hide some of the injure that show with the crop top that shows my mid-drift.