Madelynn and The Mafia

All Cards On The Table (10)

I huff as I heave the emergency bag out of the spare room to move to my new room. Austin hasn't talked to me in almost two days now, and I just need to make sure that I can go back to the mansion in a few days. Word got out that Adelynn's second has taken over and now runs everything. Everyone outside of Austin's original mafia thinks I am dead. I sigh and go into my room, Austin's sister is waiting for me in my room. 

   "Looking for something?" I ask her with an edge in my tone. She looks over at me patiently and nods. 

   "You. I need to talk with you about my brother," she says and leans against the wall. I watch her closely and chuckle at her request. 

   "Your brother hasn't even looked at me, let alone spoke with me in almost 48 hours. What makes you think I have any idea what is going on with him?" I chuckle dryly and throw the bag onto the bed. I will not say it is 'my' anything. None of it is 'mine'. She watches my every move like a hawk before sucking on her teeth and nodding with a sniff. 

   "Maybe that's because you haven't tried talking to him... Forget that. I came to talk about something else entirely. I want my brother to take over this mafia and we- together- can take over Adel- yours." she cringes and I feel my jaw set. I sniffle and look over at her in a glare. 

   "I think you should get out. I am not talking about mafia business today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. I need time to grieve. You're going to leave this alone and I will come to you when I am ready." I look at my wall and sigh. "Now please get out of this room so I can unpack and get some rest somehow." She nods and leaves the room. I bite my bottom lip and feels a single tear roll down my face. 

I sit on my heels in a squat as I silently sob. Everything in my life was going so good until this had to happen. I need my best friend and he won't even look at me. I take a deep breath and let out a silent cry as the tears roll down my face. I feel someone come up behind me but I don't even care. I feel so weak and tired. I sob as a stronger and taller frame crouches behind me and pulls me into a hug. I sit on their lap and bury my head in their shirt. I take in a deep breath and realize that it's Austin and sigh in relief. My best friend is here, exactly when I need him. 

   "It's gonna be okay Maddie. We'll get through this, together. Everything that comes your way from now on will have to go through my first," Austin's voice cracks as I feel something wet hit the top of my head. "Adelynn was a good woman, and she decided to put you and her mafia's future over herself in the end. I'm going to miss her so much," I hug Austin as he lets out a deep sob of pain with me. 

   "I miss my old life," I tell him quietly. Austin goes stiff underneath me and I look up at him as I wipe my face dry. 

   "You don't mean that, Maddie. That wasn't living. That was... surviving. You weren't living for anything but unfulfilled promises. You were breaking yourself down to the bone for the chance to get out of there." I look at Austin as he gives me a hard look. 

   "I don't think any of this would have happened to any of you if I would have just made one friend that was okay with me staying with them for the rest of high-school. Just one friend from my old school. Then none of you would have ever had to have met me and Adelynn would still be alive. You would be the next mafia leader," I break and let out a deep sob of pain. Austin pulls me into his chest again. 

   "I'm sorry for ignoring you the past day or so. I know how much that must have hurt especially during these times. But I'm telling you right now that if you wouldn't have ever came my life would still be miserable and I would be next in line for a life that I ran away from in the first place. It's comical actually, I ran from a man that ran one of the largest mafias in the world and one of the top three in the United States, but the man that run the largest mafia in the United States took me in and showed me human kindness and love for the first time in my life." Austin leans his head back into the wall and shifts his hold on me. 

   "I love you, Austin," I tell him as I breath in his calming scent and start to calm myself down. 

   "I love you too, Maddie. I just have a feeling my love is different and goes deeper than your love. At the end of the day I respect you for you, but if my sister is serious about giving me back my mafia then you and I could be like Grayson and Adelynn, you know?" I sit up and get away from Austin before looking him in the eyes. 

   "Austin, I don't want that life. I am gay. I love women. I'm sorry, but no matter how much you feel for me or think you feel, I will never feel it back. I am just not wired that way. Adelynn said she married her best friend, but she was miserable for years with having to hide who she was for the sake of her mafia. I refuse to do that. I have a choice and I am not going to throw it all away because my best friend, body guard, and second to my mafia has feelings for me. I do love you Austin, but it will never be as anything more than platonic," I stand up and look at him one last time before I leave the room.