The Bad Ones

T R E N T A

The plane nosedives, lifting us briefly in the air. Cain pushes me into a seat, the look in his eyes warning me not to argue. I wisely keep my mouth shut as he straps me in. He says nothing and let him fuss over me. He looks into my eyes for a single second and pulls away... his jaw locked with -if I'm not mistaken- brittle impatience. 

I remain tense as he walks into the cockpit. I relax only when the jet stabilizes and Rafe and Mase rushes into the section. They don't see me. But they spot Israh lying brokenly in the middle of the isle. Rafe swears. "Who do you think killed her?" "Raina." Mase replies and I speak. "No. Romero killed her." Mason's eyes widen and I shrug. "Raina, your head's bleeding..." Mase whispers.

"SANTIAGO!" 

Cain yells and Rafe runs to the front. The plane descends sharply and I hold on to the armrest, bracing myself for the worst. Mason doesn't hesitate, sliding in the seat beside me and clipping himself in.

I clutch my abdomen, squeezing my eyes closed for what feels like forever.

"Raina... we've landed." Mason shakes me, glancing at where my hand rests and I pull it away.  I can't fuck up like that in front of the family. I loosen my seatbelt and before I can ask where we are, Cain returns - pulling me back to the room at the end of the jet.

"Sign. Now."

"I haven't even looked through it." I argue just to be contrary. Hoping he'd catch on but he doesn't. His eyes flash like a lion's. "I'm not asking right now." His voice deathly quiet and emotions flicker across my face, finally resting on silent defiance. He says nothing, shoving a sheaf of papers under my nose. "Why can't you just stop for once in your life." Cain exhales and I look away from his piercing gaze. I take the papers and the proffered pen and sign the papers without further argument. 

"Before we get there... there are some rules." I look up dully, suddenly just tired with everything. "You keep the ring on always." I glance at the ring disdainfully - the same one I took off and left in the bathroom earlier. With it's diamond centerpiece and rubies encrusted around it... it looks like a mobster's ring, it's definitely not me. "Only if you give me a different one. I don't like this one." "Tough, we're keeping the ring." "Can we have it redesigned at least?" He shrugs, "Fine. Secondly, when we walk into the house we're a team. None of that lovey dovey bullshit of you listening to me always," A smile touches the corners of my lips, "But at least take my opinion seriously."

"Thirdly?" I ask and he sits beside me sighing. He seems to do that a lot lately. "The baby stays a secret - this stupid gathering won't be going on for longer than two weeks." He runs his hand through his wild curls and I fight the urge to touch him. "Okay."

"For the Rafe thing... I'm not sorry for not telling you." He says impassively and I frown at him as he says nothing else. I knew he wasn't on my side, not really. Family first... got it. "We need to clean up before we get to the house." Cain eyes my head that's probably crusted with blood. "We have to pitstop on the way at Leonie's." Who the hell was Leonie?

***

"Leetyl Cain!" A woman laughs, her very Italian accent thick with emotion. She steps out from a small shop, the style reminiscent of a quaint countryside. "Hi Leonie." Cain smiles, the smile actually reaching his eyes. If anything, I'm most jealous of that fact alone. This woman makes him smile... oh fuck my life. Can I get any more irrational? 

A week ago I wouldn't have cared about who made Cain smile.

The woman, Leonie, spots me standing slightly behind Cain - an inequality caused by my own stupid jealousy - and frowns. Wait, frowns? "Do not be shy dear one." She mistakes my surprise for hesitance and I smile at her, moving out from Cain's shadow. Leonie seems like a nice woman, I mean... Cain smiled. He never smiles. "Mio dio, this is a beautiful child Cain. How did you find her?" Leonie compliments me, eyes sparkling with happiness. "I didn't." Cain jokingly replies and I open my mouth to scold him but Leonie mulls it over, "You have reason." Just as Kas moves to correct her translation, she speaks again - not even noticing that she ignored Kassimir entirely.

"What is your name?" She asks me, suddenly gripping my hand before I could properly blink. "Raina Chase." I reply softly, unlike my usual hard toned self- it suprises everyone except Cain and Leonie, who looks at my ring before looking back at Cain. "Is this..." She looks up at mine and Cain's faces. Whatever she sees must make her very happy. "Oh little one, Arabella would be so proud of you," Leonie squeezes Cain in a tight hug. "I am the happiest for you Cain Romero!" 

"Signora Knox," Kas interrupts gently before rattling off a something in Italian - I don't pay much attention to him to be honest, my gaze stuck on Cain's face - the peaceful expression of his eyes. He looked truly at ease and I still my rising malcontent. It's no one's fault that I don't know where I belong.

Leonie gasps, pulling me from my thoughts and she grabs my hand - tugging me behind her as we go into the small shop, and all the way upstairs into a boudoir of sorts. "I am truly happy that Cain found someone he wholly loves." Leonie shoots a smile in my direction. For a second, a bit of brokenness peeks through my eyes but Leonie doesn't see. And I breathe... "Where are we going?" Leonie frowns, "To clean you up - this is your first time meeting la Familia, Cain insists you clean up." I snort, "You mean presentable." "No Signora Romero, to make sure you have no regrets." Leonie fusses me into a chair and cleans my bloody face. "What?" I laugh semi-hysterically, people romanticizing Cain is probably going to make me feel significantly worse about our marriage situation.

"Trust me, he is being kind - his mother would tear you apart Raina." This... this is how I know that Leonie has misgivings about me - but I don't correct her. I like this, to see people think I'm better than I actually am. She cleans me up and gets me a clean-cut black suit. "And the men?" I ask and Leonie looks at me, "They were changing downstairs."

There was a time Cain also saw me like Leonie did. Despite me trying to show him who I was. Now I don't know who Cain sees.

"Signora Romero, we're done." Leonie smiles at me like a proud mama hen. It feels weird to be called Signora Romero - hard to think of myself as a Mrs. I went from being Raina Chase, the nightmare assassin to Raina Chase, the hired gun to Raina Romero nee Chase, the mercenary wife of Cain Romero (and also laughably enough, a part-time weapons-teacher).

I look in the reflection of the mirror. My face didn't look like the same woman that stepped out of the plane less than an ago. My skin seemed pore less, bloody red lipstick matching the constructed mask of make-up. I looked like me but more... enhanced. My dark eyes matched the mocha brown curls hanging down my back, and my lashes were longer, sharpened by cat's eye liner.

I looked ready for war.