Sixteen

Damian

I toss and turn all night. At 4 AM, I get up to go to the gym, hoping it will distract me, and stay for four hours before I give up. Covered in sweat, I go back to my room in the penthouse. I can hear music from the kitchen, so I know my mother is awake, and I hurry past, not wanting to talk just yet. I shower, scrubbing my body before getting out, drying myself, and dressing in my jeans and tight Henley V-shirt, knowing how much Sofia loves them. I need all the help I can get to win my wife back and, hopefully, meet my little girl. I turn my head to the nightstand near my bed, the pictures Alexandr brought me last night, sitting there in photo frames. My chest tightens, looking at the most important people in my life. If my enemies knew about them, then they would be left vulnerable. They all think Sofia is dead, but if I could find her, then so could they. Fuck, I really need to fix this. I check the time at 8:40; there are just under two and a half hours to go.

I head back into the living area, then into the kitchen, where everyone is drinking coffee. My mother sees me first, then goes and makes me a cup, handing it to me with a slight smile, and I lean down to kiss her cheek. I know I'm to blame for why she hasn't met her granddaughter, and it kills me she's had to miss out, too.

My dad and Stefano give me a head nod, and Alexandr slaps my back while mom places French toast—my favorite—in front of me.

"Thanks, Mama." Her eyes soften, calling her “mom” in Russian, showing her my vulnerability and fear about this meeting. I want my wife and daughter back, but I know I've done a lot to hurt them. My mother rounds the counter and wraps me in her arms while I tighten mine around her. I glance at my dad, and he just looks sad. Alexandr puts his hand on my back.

"You'll convince her to return, son. I know you will; she loved you then, and she loves you now. You can't stop that kind of love; she still has her wedding rings, not in some drawer but around her neck. A part of her can't let you go; you'll bring our girls home," Stefano says from next to me, and I nod, wanting him to be right. He has to be right. I can't breathe without her anymore. I know I'll have to tell her about the women I tried to sleep with since she's been gone, and the women I've let grind on me in the strip club, or have tried to suck me off. Still, I never got off or even hard, so I'm hoping that will work in my favor, right? Look at me, a pussy whipped soon-to-be Don and Bratva Pahkan. Yeah, the men would love this!

Alexandr must see the look on my face when my mother goes back behind the counter to continue cooking her heart out.

"Brother, it's been three years, and you haven't exactly slept with any women. Yes, you've tried, but you didn't succeed. You wanted your wife but didn't think you would find her; you also wanted to punish her a little, too. I think she'll understand, and Savannah doesn't count, either. She only gave you a lap dance. You didn't get off."

I frown. "It still feels like cheating, though."

Stefano jumps in. "Son, she'll understand; it has been three years. I'm pretty sure she's not lived like a monk."

I growl, making my mother tut at me, pointing a spoon in my face.

"Don't be a damn hypocrite, syn,” she snaps, calling me son in Russian. “You've been sleeping with other women before you made things official when she was seventeen, and you continued to do so despite being with her, and clearly, you slept together before the wedding. So even after she gave herself to you, you still played around on her, even two days before your wedding. We are all to blame for her turning her back on her family, which is supposed to be a crime in our way of life, but you broke her heart. She deserved to run the way she did, and even some of the men who didn't believe she was dead murmured ‘good for her.’

If she has been with someone else, then that is part of your punishment for what you did to her—not seeing her carry your child, being a part of the birth, and missing the first two years of her life, that is the rest of your punishment—and ours for our part."

Then she proceeds to cook. Yeah, I deserved that, but hypocrite or not, if I find out she's been with anyone else, the guy’s dead.

"And another thing," she turns around and all of us men look at her and freeze, frightened with how she's looking at me.

Shit.

"With how you’re feeling right now, about possibly seeing a guy she has been with, how do you think she'd feel, seeing every one of the women you slept with, one is her own cousin, the other…" my mother shakes her head. "Sofia has to agonize over what you're doing day in day out if she decides to forgive you. She knows that woman, Candice, works with you, Sofia knows how that woman told everyone you got her pregnant, more than once. And continues to slaver after you for the last three years. We can't kill her because she's your father's capo’s daughter, and we can't fire her from our legit businesses because she could sue, which leaves us not being able to kill her without starting a war within the Bratva."

With that, she turns around again and continues to cook like she didn’t just scold me like I was eight years old again.

Fuck.

Stefano chuckles while my dad's shoulders shake. Alexandr, at least, has the decency to try and hide his smirk while I stand there with my mouth hanging open like a complete idiot in shock. Dickheads, the lot of them.

After we finish breakfast, and my mother has stopped reaming my ass, my father slaps me on the back, and we make our way to the room he made into the office to get some business done. My brother goes to his computer to start looking at the books. At the same time, Stefano calls his men to ensure everything is running smoothly.

Suddenly, he shouts, "I don't give a fuck what she says; she's not in charge. I'm the fucking Don. She's not in the right frame of mind at the moment, she doesn't need to know my whereabouts, got it?" I give him a raised brow, and he just waves us off, continuing to try and get his wife under control. Poor bastard, you can tell she loves her, she's just pushed him too far.

My father and I go through emails, and so far, things have stayed in line, but then I read an email from Sergi.

It seems Mikhail also had two other men helping him: Boris and Igor. They're trying to recruit more men to help take me down after my accension in a few months. They're making waves about the Greek Mafia because we're forming an alliance, and they've got two men from the Irish Mafia helping them: Rowan and Conner.

Yeah, fuck that.

I rap my knuckles to get Dad's attention, and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I nod toward my screen, not wanting to distract Alexandr and Stefano.

"I'll contact Noah to let him know he has two traitors among their men; they weren't happy that he married out of the Mafia, and for love instead of an alliance. It doesn't matter that he now has an heir in his son," my father states after he reads the email.

I scowl, and he notices it.

"Son, they’ve denied knowing anything about Sofia disappearing, yes. I know they probably had something to do with her managing to hide for so long, but we have no proof. Just let it go.

She didn't want to stay. We all failed her. We should be thankful they loved her enough to help her so our enemies couldn't find her. Plus, he's one of your closest friends."

I just nodded, refusing to speak about them. They were her best friends, and I know they helped her leave, but I also can't put a bullet in their heads because then I would lose Sofia for good! That and I've become close with Noah since Sofia left. He helped pull my head out of my ass.

I look at the time. 10:30.

"I'm leaving; I'll call after I see her."

The men nod solemnly, and I head to the kitchen to give my mother's cheek a kiss, saying bye, before she hands me a box of cookies—triple chocolate cookies, to be exact—Sofia's favorite. I give her a weak smile. It only takes me twenty minutes to arrive, and I park outside the restaurant. I look around and notice her Mazda parked outside the beauty salon. Hmm, maybe she wanted to look her best for me? My heart skips a beat at the thought. I look around again and see no threat. I can't be too careful. I'm five minutes early but still decide to head in; I know she's already here. I get out of my rental SUV, bringing the cookies with me.

I walk through the door, and the waitress smiles, telling me to sit anywhere. I lift my left hand and shove it through my hair while keeping my tight hold on the cookies. Fuck, I'm nervous. I look around, and there, sitting at a table with a glass of water in front of her, is my wife, my best friend, and my heart.

Fuck, she's more beautiful than I remember. She has more curves, and I can thank our daughter for that extra goodness. She was always too skinny back then, and her curves suited her perfectly. Her hair is down, and I can see the blue feathering in it. She's wearing a flowy white top with a denim jacket over it, jean shorts, and her cowgirl boots, which she seems to always wear in the pictures we've seen. She takes my breath away.

She looks up, and our eyes meet. Fuck, her deep Mediterranean-sea eyes used to shine bright—until they dulled on our wedding day—look at me with disgust. She's so hesitant right now that I can't help but feel sorrow and guilt. Fuck, I've missed her.

I walk over to her table and stop a few feet away.

"Hello, printsessa," I say with a low growl.

I can't help it; I've missed her so fucking much. I sit opposite her and notice the chain around her neck, but the end is hidden in her top. I place the cookies on the table in front of her, then put my elbows on the table and rest my chin on my clasped hands to hide my smile, then look up, but before we can say anything, the waitress comes over.

"Hey Sofia, where is that little cutie today? She always lightens up my day."

My heart squeezes, but Sofia just smiles lovingly at the mention of our daughter.

"She's at daycare."

Fuck, I missed hearing her voice, so sweet and soft.

"They're baking today, so she's pretty excited. Can I get my usual order, please, but double, Rachel?" The waitress, who is Rachel, smiles.

"You better tell her I expect some of that baking this time," she says with a chuckle, causing Sofia to smile wider.

"No promises."

The waitress walks away to get our order, which is who knows what, but I don't care, I just want to talk to my wife. Just as I'm about to open my mouth, there's another shadow over the table, and I growl lowly and place my hand on the gun strapped to the holster on my jeans. I'm getting fed up and impatient with people interrupting when I'm about to talk to my wife for the first time in three fucking years.

Sofia looks at me and raises an eyebrow, her eyes following where my hand is, and shakes her head. She then looks to see who graced us with their unwanted fucking presence. She stills, her body going rigid, before turning back to me and nodding.

This time, I frown. She wants me to kill someone. In public? Which I don't mind doing for her, but really? What happened to my sweet, innocent wife? I looked to see who she wanted me to murder and had to do a double take. Fuck, I thought it was Candice for a second. She had bleach-blond hair but brown eyes instead of green. Still, they could be sisters. I look back at Sofia. Okay, now I know why she wants me to shoot her. She's one of my mistress’s look-alikes, but that still makes no sense. Sofia’s not the murdering type, even against the women I cheated on her with. In her eyes, I'm at fault because I didn't say no. Heck, most of the time, I instigated it. Shit, I fucked up a lot. Mama was right; I've got to kiss her feet, but her behavior still doesn't make sense, even after three years apart.

My wife’s nod to murder doesn’t make sense…until the woman opens her fucking mouth.

"Hi there, handsome. I'm Amber, and I thought I'd come and save you from this boring date with that thing. Want to come sit with me?" she chirps in what she thinks is a seductive voice but, to me, it sounds whiney.

Sofia picks up her water and snorts. Yeah, it's making sense now. Amber talks just like Luna, her cousin, and sounds like her, too, so that's basically two mistresses in one body. She's also clearly a bitch and has a problem with my wife, so yeah, I get it. After Sofia ran, Luna's mom, Emilia, who I thought loved Sofia, tried to convince me to annul the marriage and marry her daughter instead. After that, I told Stefano they were banned from all family events.

Sofia looks at me with one brow raised, waiting for me to answer, clearly challenging me. I deserve that, but game on, sweetheart.