The Mafia King's Nicotine

Chapter 54

"You never did tell me why they were coming down to visit," Vivian said, fixing Erik's tie which she had insisted she tied for him. They may have had to redo it about 6 times but now she was a tie expert and he looked damn fine if she said so herself.

Erik hummed, chin tilted up slightly to allow her better access to his collar, "I didn't?" She patted his chest and shook her head, lips pursed, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Erik raised a brow in thought and scratched his beard, "How sure?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Well if you're pretty sure-" He took her hands from his collar, "Then I must not have told you."

They stood there looking at each other, Erik admiring his gorgeous wife in that rust-colored blouse she loved so much and a loose pair of ripped jeans. Vivian, however, was not thinking about how handsome her husband looked, though he was looking rather attractive. Instead, she was waiting for him to answer her.

"So are you gonna tell me or not?"

He thought about it for a moment then shook his head, "Nah."

Her mouth dropped open in shock and she hit his shoulder, "Does Dannye know?"

"Well of course." He turned his back to her and shuffled around some paperwork that had been scattered across his makeshift office desk in her room.

"Why does he get to know and not me?" She huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Dannye works for me, baby, you don't." He pointed out, taking the last cigarette from his pack and popping it between his teeth, "Would you?" He asked, handing her the gold lighter.

She took it and flipped the cap but didn't spark it, "Tell me."

He sighed and pressed her thumb against the small wheel and brought the flame to the end of the stick. He puffed a few breaths of smoke, walking over to the window, "I don't want you involved."

She followed him and opened the curtains, before cranking open the glass, to let the smoke escape, "But I have the right to know, don't I? Lynol would want me to know."

"Lynol's dead!" Erik growled darkly, glaring down at his hands.

"You think I don't know that?" She screamed back at him, "He would agree though, that I'm as much a part of this as Rick or Dannye."

"No, you're not."

"What do you mean?" Her face fell, "Nothing can hurt me more than what has already happened. Shouldn't I be... informed of anything that might happen to me and that includes knowing what business deals your conducting! I'm you're wife! We're in this together!"

"No, we aren't!" He growled, spinning to face her. He took a long drag and held it in his lungs for a while before releasing it out the window screen, "You can't be a part of this." He calmed his voice down, dramatically, not wanting to frighten her again.

"If you think I'm just going to sit home and be your maid and watch the kids, you're wrong!"

"That's not what I said!" Erik defended himself, "I can't lose you!"

"So keeping me safe means, excluding me from decisions?" She was breathing deeply, jaw clenched to the point of breaking.

Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yes and you know damn well why. Until I get us out of this shit, until we can have a normal life, I want to keep you safe."

She shook her head, taking in a shaky breath, "Can our life ever be normal?"

He didn't respond for a while, "I don't know what to tell you, Vivian."