Marcellius Fierri [Book #1]

Chapter 10

Mia's POV
My body jolts awake as if I've just been electrocuted. I'm surrounded by bright green grass and trees the color of fall. Where am I? Is this Heaven? 

I've never seen this place before in my life. Heaven was the only explanation. I thought I was dead, so how could I end up here? And where is everyone?

I scan my surroundings. It looks like I'm at some sort of children's park. There's a playground only a few hundred yards from me. I'm sitting on a plaid red and white blanket. 

There are also two baskets filled with all kinds of foods and drinks beside me. A picnic? I look down, remembering that I was just shot. Lifting up my shirt, I see a scar placed where the bullet went through, but no blood. What the hell?

"Mama!" Looking up, I see not one but two children running towards me. Mama? Are they talking to me? I'm so confused. I don't even know what to say or do. They couldn't be talking to me right? The children look to be between the ages of four and six. 

They all have long beautiful black hair, beautiful brown eyes and skin. Someone much taller is behind them. It isn't until I see a glimpse of their attire that I realize who it is. Marcellius? He yells something out into the distance. "Daimon, Izzy stop running!" Their giggles fill the air. He's carrying a small child in his hands. A little boy maybe only two years old.

The children fall into my arms, a wide smile on their faces. "H-Hi." I'm still so confused. They look just like me and Marcellius. This couldn't be real. They couldn't possibly be mine. Marcellius sits down beside me, setting the little boy in his lap before leaning in to kiss me.

"You okay tesoro(darling)?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. I respond with a nod and an awkward smile. He stares at me with concern for a second longer before opening the first picnic basket. He pulls out a small platter of pressed Italian sandwiches shaped in squares. The oldest, Daimon, reaches out to grab one but Marcellius shakes his head. "Prima la grazia(grace first)."

He bows his head and closes his eyes. Izzy follows along with her brother. The youngest child, who's name I don't know, even participates. They all look so adorable as they say their grace. I close my eyes, joining them. When the prayer is over I open my eyes and we all say, "amen," in unison. I reach in the basket and pull out a bag of Lay's chips and children's juice boxes. "No wine?"

"You told me not to bring it."

"I did?"

"Mhm. You said you didn't want the kids accidently getting into it." That definitely sounds like me with children. Looking at my family, I find myself smiling in awe. This is exactly what I've been picturing my whole life. A family filled with love, laughter, and happiness.

"Mama, I'm finito(finished). Can we go play now?" Daimon swallows the last of his sandwich before standing up.

"Yeah me too," Izzy chimes in.

"Okay, but be careful," I say with a laugh. "And take your brother with you." Izzy picks up her little brother and scurries off, as she tries to catch up to Daimon.

"Alone at last tesoro(darling)."

Marcellius pulls me into his lap, planting soft kisses down my neck. It still feels like a dream. But a dream I never want to wake from.

****

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My eyes slowly open, hearing the sound of something beeping beside me. Glancing around the room, I realize I'm in a hospital. The brightness from the ceiling lights blind me, so I avert my gaze. When I look over at Marcellius, he's staring at me. His eyes are bloodshot and he looks like he's been..crying?

The bags under his eyes indicate he hasn't gotten any sleep. "Where's the kids?" I ask weakly. I wince at the sharp pain in my side as I try to sit up.

"What kids? You were in a Coma for four days."

A Coma?

Four days?

He's looking at me like the drugs the doctor gave me is making me crazy. That's when I know the dream has ended, and I am now back in reality. I'm slightly disappointed because I wasn't ready to go.

"N-Nevermind." I don't even know what we are. So I think it's best he doesn't know I was dreaming about our future kids. I didn't want to scare him off. He's still staring at me with a concerned look in his eyes. My eyes trail down to his bruised hand. "What happened?"

He looks down at his hand, caressing his knuckles lightly. "I'll be fine. It's nothing." I knew it wasn't nothing, but I decided not to press him about it any further. He's about to say something else when the doctor walks in.

The doctor removes his glasses, a clipboard in hand. "You're very lucky to be alive, Miss Davis. We were successfully able to remove the bullet lodged in your lower abdomen without any damage."

"But?" There was always a "but" with doctors. He's staring down at his clipboard intensely. It makes me super nervous and I begin to suspect the worst.

Instead he says, "there is no but Miss. Davis. You're free to go." Marcellius thanks him and shakes his hand. The doctor nods with a smile and exits the room.

I'm still in shock. I thought for sure that I had died. "Did they catch the guy who did this to me?" He shakes his head, looking down. I notice the way his hand balls into a fist until his knuckles turn white at the mention of him. My heart rate increases with fear. He was still out there. Which meant I was still in danger. "Well, are the police looking for him?"

"No."

"What do you mean "no?" I was fucking shot by a man who thinks he can treat women like shit." I was pissed. How could they let a man go free after attempting to murder me. He brought a firearm to my cafe where tons of other people could have been injured or even killed. This shit isn't fair.

"I told them not to look for him."

"What, why?"

"Because I'm going to find him and kill him." He looks away, seething with anger. He looks back at me, his eyes filled with a rage like no other. It scared even me to see him like this. I could tell he was trying his hardest to restrain himself from destroying everything in this room. "And the best way to do that was for him to believe that no one's looking for him."

How the hell did he get the police to agree to this?

And then I remember who he is. Marcellius Fierri, Mafia boss. He sits down on the edge of the bed, cupping my cheek gently. "Tesoro(darling)...you have to promise me you won't get upset or freak out." I don't know what he's about to say but whatever it is, I could feel it was going to be life changing.

He pulls my head towards him and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. Seeing him affectionate kind of scared me. It just wasn't like him at all. Which made me wonder what he could possibly tell me that would make me get upset or freak out. And then he says, "I had to fake your death."