Him (A mafia story)

Chapter 15

The car slowed to a stop in front of the large estate. Admittedly, it felt weird being there. I had wanted nothing but to escape this place for weeks, but now that I was back, I felt almost... relieved? I stepped out of the car and followed Nikolai up the front steps.

"I have a few things to take care of. Go upstairs, I'll meet you there when I'm done." His hands lingered on my hips before he pulled away.

I made my way upstairs to my old room and threw my bag on the floor. I let myself collapse on the bed and let out a sigh. Maybe I could take a nap before Nikolai came upstairs. I let my eyes close.

It was strange knowing that I'd had the chance to run, to ask for help, and that I hadn't taken it. If someone had told me a month ago that I would've passed up an opportunity at escape, I would've laughed in their face. Maybe I did have Stockholm Syndrome.

There was no way it was that. I quickly ruled out the idea because whatever it was, it was something I was feeling on my own. Some part of me was convinced that if Nikolai and I had met under different circumstances, we would've ended up tangled in each other's lives anyway.

Sadly, thinking about how things could've been didn't change how things had turned out. My sister would've still been tangled up in his mess with Dante and I would've gotten dragged in some other way. Haley probably would've died at Dante's hands regardless.

My heart ached at the thought of my sister. She must've been so scared in his last few hours. Nikolai had told me that she'd been crucified. I hadn't even gotten to bury her or have a proper funeral. I turned onto my side and hugged a pillow to my chest.

I needed to stop thinking about it before I started crying. I needed to think about something good, something happy. My lips twitched into the ghost of a smile as I remembered my first friend I'd made in the city. I couldn't help but wonder how Julia was doing.

The last time I'd seen her I'd told her I was worried that my sister had messed with the wrong people. She was probably worried sick about me because I never showed up for another shift after that. Maybe I could ask Nikolai if there was a way I could contact her... Surely there wouldn't be any harm in that, right?

A loud noise interrupted my thoughts and my eyes snapped open.

"Where the hell have you been?"

That was the first thing Charity said to me when she burst into my room, the door slamming against the wall and making me jump.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Hey Charity, I've missed you."

She tackled me onto the bed, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. Well, there went my nap. "I thought you were dead! What happened? You and Nikolai went off to that event and didn't come back! I mean, he's shown up almost everyday but you were just gone! I thought you died!"

I let out another laugh and pulled out of heat choke hold of a hug. "Well, after I shot his car, he-"

"Hold up." She cut me off. "You shot his car? Why? Where did you get the gun?"

I sighed and started from the beginning, explaining everything that had gone down from Dante giving me a gun, to getting thrown into a trunk, to staying in his house for almost two weeks. I left out what happened the first night we got there, after the bathtub.

I sighed and started from the beginning, explaining everything that had gone down from Dante giving me a gun, to getting thrown into a trunk, to staying in his house for almost two weeks. I left out what happened the first night we got there, after the bathtub, and Central Park. For some reason, those moments felt too personal to share with her.