After giving it some thinking, I agreed to help Dario by talking to Niccolò. We got down to the living room, waiting for Lazlo to arrive.
After a few minutes of complete silence, my stomach grumbled, and I cursed my luck. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat anything?" Dario asked as he brought me a glass of water. His courtesy toward me was unusual since we constantly fought, but I guessed he was slightly empathetic.
I decided not to comment on his gentility and smiled.
"I made cookies a while ago, but they're still in the room downstairs. I forgot them there since you forcibly dragged me out." Without saying anything else, he walked away, leaving me to my thoughts, and got back a minute later with the plate in his hands.
I smiled at his gesture.
"Have some," I offered as I ate silently, and he hesitantly took one and stared at it for a few seconds. He was obviously reluctant to put it in his mouth but then gathered his courage and ate it. "So, now that you know I did not poison them, what do you think?" I asked once he finished eating it.
His expression was unexplainable. Did he like it? Hate it? What?
"So?" I urged for him to speak as he took his damn his time to give me a simple reply.
He cleared his throat as he took another one. "It's been years since I ate anything sweet, and this is perfecto! I forgot that cookies and chocolate were so good. I missed out!"
My eyes widened at his confession. It was unexpected, yet so Dario. "You have not tasted sweets in years? Why is that?" I asked as I sat crossed-legged on the sofa. He remained in his chair, with his elbows resting on his knees. The sight was attractive since he was in his dress shirt and folded sleeves, but I did not stare much.
"I did not have the time for such leisures due to my business, but I regret it now," he replied and took a third cookie. Silence with him was not always awkward, and I smiled at that.
"I am sorry for dragging you into all of this shit. If I had killed Atlas before you knew him, you would not be here, chasing your tail to escape from him." His apology came out of nowhere, but I remained calm.
I thought for a second about my reply, and he gazed at me intently, making me feel a bit uncomfortable. "As I said, it's not your fault he developed these fucked up feelings for me. Now, quit yapping and eat before I shove this cookie down your throat!" I remarked, and he smirked almost instantly at my words. My eyes widened when I thought about the double meaning, and I shook my head. "Don't you dare say something dirty!" I warned.
He chuckled. The Mafia don really just chuckled.
"I feel like I have known you all my life, like a pain in the ass. You are too comfortable around me. You are not afraid of stating your thoughts in front of me, even though I am the most feared man in Italy," Dario said in amusement, crossing one leg over the other.
I imitated his position and crossed my arms, and up for the challenge. "Watching me for the past couple of months makes you think you've known me all your life. However, you don't know much about me, Dario." I looked at him. "Why should I be afraid of a human just like me? You cannot intimidate me into stopping me from expressing my opinions here if that's what you're asking for."
He grinned and leaned back in his chair. "I know I can't; that's not my intention-" before he could finish, there was a heavy knock on the door. "That must be Lazlo and the possible traitor. Are you ready?" he asked for confirmation, and I nodded.
"Yes, let them in," I told him, and he opened the door. His grin was long gone, and his expression screamed authority and power.
So he lets his guard down around me... why?
Both men stepped inside based on Dario's gesture, and I waited for someone to say something. I did not want to break the ice. "Don," Lazlo acknowledged his boss, and I glanced at Niccolò. He was a tall skinny man, even taller than Dario, and had an average-looking face and a scar near his lip. He must have felt that something was wrong, and we were up to him due to all the sweating on his forehead. He seemed like a deer caught by lions.
Dario made Niccolò sit on the chair with just one look, and we stood before him. "Niccolò, do you recognize this lady?" Dario asked with no emotions in his voice. The man looked at me in fear and nodded. "Then you know she's been stalked by the man I want dead, right? You have been in charge of monitoring them both and should have reported back to me if they met again, right?" Dario's tone was low, indicating that he was livid and could only contain his rage for a few more seconds.
Am I being selfish for feeling good that Dario is angry on my behalf?
"Yes, Don."
I stepped in and made him look at me again. "Niccolò, did I do something to you?" I asked quietly. I never hurt a fly, not intentionally, so why did I have to suffer because of mindless and evil people?
"No, signora."
"Did you not feel bad while watching me drown or be stabbed by Atlas?" I asked again, but my tone was getting firmer. As I remembered what happened, my shoulder stung. I did not know this man, yet I felt betrayed for some reason. I glanced at Lazlo, only to see his eyes wide at my words.
"Yes, signora. I did."
"Then why did you not do anything to stop him? Why did you hide it from Dario?" I was mad at that point, and I raised my voice, not giving in to my pain.
He lowered his head and looked at my feet. "Because Atlas is my real boss, signora." I did not know if he felt guilty about double-crossing Dario or was just faking it. A few moments later, his actual facade came to life. He maniacally laughed, and I stepped closer to Dario just in case he lunged at me. I could stop him but did not feel like it.
"You wish I felt bad about him hurting you. I only take orders from Atlas Brambilla. You are a mere bitch, so why should I sympathize with you if he almost killed you multiple times? I wanted my boss to finish you off and not act as a hero later." He spat on my shoes, and I almost gagged. Disgusting.
"I am trying to help you escape death here; you are not helping your case."
Niccolò laughed louder, and Dario clenched his jaw. "He should have killed you, but he was bewitched by a bitch like you. My boss fell in love with a slutty nasty whore, and I could not do anything about it but let him have his twisted ways with you." Dario pulled my head, buried my face in his chest, and covered my ears with one arm as Niccolò spoke.
A moment later, a loud bang erupted from Dario's gun, and I flinched.
Dario did not let me see what he did to the traitor, but I was not naive. The smell of blood entered my nostrils, and I almost gagged. Dario did not release me from his tight grip yet and patted my head gently. He must have felt my discomfort.
"Lazlo, clean up this mess and make sure that no one besides grandpa knows about what happened here. I am uncertain if he was the last rat in my mafia, so I don't want to tip them off if they knew of his death. We will dig into this matter later, get to work, and I will give you a bonus. I will take Jolene to her room now."
As he said that, much to my demise, Dario lifted me by the waist and carried me upstairs. I wrapped my arms around his neck for support, but not my legs, since it would have been awkward. Dario had other plans because he made me wrap my legs around his waist without saying a word. He made sure I did not witness such an awful sight as he promised, so I did not complain.
Dario Romano is a ruthless mafia don, and I can not stop him from achieving his own justice even if I beg.
"Are you alright, Bambi?" he gently asked, opened my bedroom door, and turned on the lights.
I looked into his eyes before he sat me on my bed and nodded. "I will be once my ears stop buzzing. The gun was too close to me even if you tried to cover my ears," I replied.
Dario sat next to me, and I sighed. His guilty expression surprised me, but I did not say anything. "Mi dispiace, I had to kill him. He was talking nonsense, and I could no longer contain my rage... Just so you know, you are anything but what he said."
"His words did not affect me because I know they are not true. I am not insecure. I know my worth, even with a permanent scar. I am not perfect, but I am content with myself. Thank you, Dario, but there is no need to worry about me."
Dario smiled as if he was proud of me and stood up. "I will be in my room if you need anything," he stated and left.
Once I ensured he was in his room, I rushed to the bathroom, locked the door, and threw up. The smell of blood was still in my nose, making me dizzy, and I could not stop puking until my stomach was empty. "How could Dario not be affected by the sight of blood or taking others' lives?"
He is brutal, but I am glad to be on his good side even if we have our differences.
Dario is my only chance of survival, and I will hang on to him until the threat is gone.
~~~
12.03.2023
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