Beyond What Meets The Eye

Chapter Eleven

"His name is Joseph Bonnano. He's the head of the Bonnano family, one of the five highest ranking men in the mafia."

Mira sat frozen in place as she processed what Adrian was saying. Her dad was a mafia boss? Yeah, he was a total asshole, but this was on a whole different level. She wondered what he really did on his constant business trips, how dirty he'd gotten his hands. Had her mother known? Did it play a part in her taking her own life? Her thoughts continued, mind racing a mile a minute.

"Mira?" Adrian was standing in front of her, looking down with a worried expression.

"I'm just... processing. I mean are you a hundred percent sure it's him?" She asked, hoping he had some sort of doubt, but the expression on his face gave her his answer.

"No one forgets Joseph Bonnano, Mira."

She chewed the inside of her cheek, rubbing her clammy hands against each other.

"So what does this mean?" She asked. He shook his head, letting out a long breath.

"It means Bonnano somehow managed to piss off Lucchese, and we need to figure out why before those two families turn this city into a bloodbath." He looked back over to Matteo.

"For now we have to treat them both as enemies of the Genovese family."

Matteo nodded in agreement.

"I'll get a team to investigate and get some more information. I'm assuming you'll talk to your father?"

Adrian bit back a frown.

"Yes, I'll make a call later tonight."

"Alright, I'll take these documents to review with my men, and we'll be sure to keep you updated." Matteo stood up, his eyes drifting towards Mira. Adrian seemed to notice the uncertainty in his expression.

"Mira will stay with me for the time being. She's not a threat." He assured, earning a reluctant nod from his subordinate.

"Okay, I'll head out then." Matteo made his way out of the apartment, file in hand.

Mira looked back over at Adrian who was staring thoughtfully into the space before him.

"Does this happen often?" She asked him. "Between the families, I mean." He shook his head, looking back over at her.

"No, that's the worst part. Although the five families run and manage their own operations, ultimately, they've always worked together to achieve common goals, and if there is a disagreement, the bosses meet and work out a compromise. Seeing that things have already escalated this much, I'd say a compromise is already out of the question." He sighed. "Your father managed to keep you hidden away from the mafia up until this point, but now that people know you exist, I doubt you can go back to your normal life anytime soon."

Mira's heart sank at his words. After everything she'd learned about her father, the only thing she wanted was for things to go back to normal, to get through this last semester and escape away to college like she'd planned. She hadn't seen him in months, yet he still managed to keep her at arms reach, stuck in his shadow.

Adrian walked over to her, placing a light hand on her head. She lifted her eyes to meet his. He smiled softly.

"We'll figure it out, don't over think it too much. Come on, I'll make us something to eat."

Mira followed him into the kitchen, sliding onto one of the barstools while he maneuvered the kitchen, gathering some ingredients from the fridge and pulling a pan from the cabinet.

"Do you like chicken alfredo?" He asked, flipping on the stove burner.

"It's one of my favorites," She smiled, although at the moment she didn't have much of an appetite. She watched as Adrian cooked, the smell that filled the room heavenly. She wondered who taught him how to cook, he hadn't mentioned his mother, and his father didn't sound like the type to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. A bookworm, skilled chef, and in the mafia, what a combo.

Pickles wandered into the kitchen and plopped down at Adrian's feet, clearly attempting at catching any scraps. Seeing the dog at his feet, Adrian filled his hand with a few pieces of shredded cheese, kneeling down and letting Pickles greedily lick it from his palm.

"I see you're warming up to him," Mira laughed softly at their innocent interaction.

"Yeah, well I think I've looked at him too long because I'm beginning to think his smushed face is actually cute," Adrian replied, walking over to the sink and washing his hands.

He finished making the pasta, and despite her previous lack of appetite, she cleaned her plate with ease. The dish was simple, yet it was better than any other chicken alfredo she'd ever had. God, what couldn't this man do?

Once they finished, Mira scooped up her and Adrian's plates and took them to the sink where she grabbed the sponge and began to wash them.

"Ah, you don't have to do that," Adrian objected, walking over to relieve her of her duties, but she shook her head.

"No, its the least I can do, you are housing me and my smush-faced dog."

He opened his mouth to say something, but clamped it shut, shifting over to the living room instead. Once she'd finished, she went and joined him on the opposite end of the couch. He was on his computer again, his fingers moving quickly over the keyboard.

Mira grabbed the remote and began browsing through Netflix.

"Any requests?" She asked.

"I don't really watch a lot of tv," He replied, eyes still on his computer. Figures.

"What about the ones based on books? Have you read the Hunger Games?" She continued.

"Never read it."

She should've known better after seeing his book collection. She would have offered to watch something older like The Wizard of Oz or something, but she'd rather stick knives in her eyes than watch a movie like that, so he'd have to put up with Gossip Girl.

She pulled her legs up onto the couch and patted the spot next to her for Pickles, but instead, he hopped onto the couch and made his way over to Adrian, nestling himself next to him despite the computer on his lap. Adrian looked down at the dog who'd gone ahead and made himself comfortable, a small smile tugging at his lips. She expected him to push Pickles away or ask her to get him, but instead, he went back to his work, allowing Pickle's to cuddle next to him.

It'd always just been Pickles and her so she'd never really seen him with anyone else, but she had to admit, it was cute, seeing how fond the dog had become to Adrian in such a short amount of time. Apparently she wasn't the only one warming up to this mysterious boy.