C H A P T E R F I F T Y F I V E
Ashes and dust floated in the air.
The peacefulness after a big fight was filled with lingering sorrow and death. We lost some of our best men today, but they lost their leader.
I stood in their warehouse building, looking at the bloody remains of whoever was left. Some grumbled in pain, others had already slipped away.
I wasn't my own injuries, my joints had dislocated, I think I broke three of my fingers and I had a shallow stab wound behind my ear which stung.
But it was elaborating.
The moment after a successful fight. The gratification of a job well done and the knowledge that we made Graces world that little bit safer for her.
I felt two hands wrap around my waist from behind and his head rested upon my shoulder.
"We did it." He celebrated, his smooth voice soothing my pain.
"Technically Carlo was the one who pulled the trigger and I don't think he will ever let me forget that." I retorted.
"No Red, I mean we did it. Look around, we have access to all of his files, his documents, everything he owned. I can see which Blackburn members were working with him. I can see which of my shipments he used. I'll know everything. I can finally eliminate the moles and stop looking over my shoulder, second guessing who I can trust and who I can't."
"So, that sounds like the Valentino's came in and sorted all of your problems."
"Hm, if that's the way you want to look at it." I laughed and turned around to face him, he still kept his arms around me. Like me, he was covered in blood. Both his own blood and other peoples. We badly needed to shower.
"What other way is there to look at it?"
He nodded, agreeing with me.
"No, you're right. I couldn't have done it without you and your family but I also think you couldn't have done it without me. Nikolai was the mutual threat."
"Nikolai was a sexist nuisance but continue blowing your own trumpet."
"I was the one who came up with faking their deaths, all of our men came together and formed quite the large army. Me and you baby, we're the dream team."
I sighed lovingly, "you think Grace is going to be safe now?" His smile dimmed slightly but didn't disappear altogether.
"She'll never be safe Red. People know about her now. They'll come after her if only to get at me.
But look around, we've got all of your men, all of my men and now all of Nikolai's men. I'm pretty confident we'd win every time.
He ran quite the operation here. I'm actually excited to put his men through extensive training. I'll teach them to fight like me. I'll teach them to be loyal, to me. I'll teach them to die for me. Just like I did my men."
"Us." I corrected. "You'll teach them for us."
A cheeky smile stretched his face and his eyes gleamed in excitement.
"Us." He repeated. "My mafia girl." He teased. I narrowed my hickory eyes at him and grimaced.
"Don't call me that."
"My mafia bride?" He held back a laugh, knowing I was throughly hating on him.
"I will kill you." I warned with a menacing tone so he took note of my threat and stopped winding me up. Instead, he just laughed playfully.
"My mafia princess?" I shoved him away from me.
"Fuck off, now you're asking to be put in a casket."
"Okay, okay." He laughed, holding his hands up to show his submission. "How about just girlfriend?"
I smiled, I didn't mean to but I couldn't hold it back. "Girlfriend." I tested the word out on my tongue. "Well I guess it's simple and to the point, I like it."
"And soon you'll be my wife."
"Wife." Another word I tested out on my tongue. "Little more complicated but, I don't hate it and hey- I might finally actually end up with a name that feels like my own."
"Mrs Gabriella Blackburn." He beamed, so did I.
"I think I might just love it."
"Me too."
He leaned forward and kissed me, it was a kiss unlike all of our others. It was kiss that was no forbidden, we didn't mask our feelings of love behind loathing. We expressed them, we gave ourselves to one another and welcomed whatever came next, ruling side-by-side, as equals, together.
No longer enemies, now only lovers.
The End. 🥀