The Mafia King's Nicotine

Chapter 65

Lynol J. Edmonton

Vivian dropped to her knees on the soft ground, covering her mouth with the palms of her hands, holding in the sob that clawed at the back of her throat.

He was here. In the ground beneath her. The lifeless body of the man whom she would have once called a second father. Her only father now. A best friend.

She knew he wasn't a good man. She knew he killed people. She had seen his several jars and glass cases of fingers, toes, and tongues. But he had been kind to her. Loved her. Protected her.

Gave up his life for her.

She would never regret her friendship with this man, only that she didn't have more time.

This was the life she was in now, there was no changing it. She was tied to a deadly man forever. She was bound to him and he would never let her go. She didn't want him to.

Life always had a way of working itself out and even among the heartache and pain; that void in the pit of her stomach, she still had hope.

Erik knelt down beside her, curling his arms around her petite frame and into his broad chest. He firmly, yet lovingly, pressed a deep kiss onto the side of her head, cradling her as the tears poured from her green eyes.

She reached forward, her right hand shaking as her fingers glided across the cold stone. She traced the outline of each engraved letter spelling out his name. Her left arm came up and clutched onto Erik tightly, begging him to never let go or else she might fall and not come back up.

She was drowning.

Her lungs collapsing in on themselves as the oxygen left her body. Waves crashed down on top of her, swallowing her into the abyss of unknown.

Where was she supposed to go from here?

Was there anything left?

It seemed as though everything she had ever tried to love got hurt or died. She killed everything she touched and she was terrified of what could happen to her two boys. The one holding her and the one growing inside of her. She would die if she ever lost them.

"Breathe, baby." Erik whispered into her ear, pressing his forehead against her temple, his lips grazing the shell of her ear with every word, "You have to breathe." He drew small circles with his thumb along her arm and closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet scent.

The world around them was silent. No birds, no wind, no cars, no owls, no people, nothing. It was just them and she couldn't hear the wonderful silence. Her ears were ringing violently along with her heart pulsing in and out, making her head throb.

She braced herself against the gravestone as she felt herself begin to fall and a large part of her wanted to. She wanted to lie down beside her friend and close her eyes, waiting for the sweet chariot of death to take her to him. She wanted to take Erik's hand and lead him home, to someplace where they could all be safe and unafraid, together.

"Amour-"

"I need a minute." She cut him off, heaving in a deep breathe, trying to stop the suffocating feeling in her lungs, "Please."

Erik was frozen in place, eyebrows knitted in worry. Collecting himself he nodded and gently left a lingering kiss on her cheek before slowly releasing his hold around her and standing up. He stood beside her for a moment, looking down at her shivering frame, though it wasn't from the cold, and how her hair covered most of her beautiful face.

He didn't want to leave her, especially not like this, but whatever she commanded of him, he would do. She was the only person who would ever hold such power over him. That was until they had a daughter, then he didn't know if he would ever be able to refuse either of them, "I'll be waiting." He told her and stepped off to the side, out of earshot, but still within a safe enough distance that he could watch her and make sure she was alright.