Reaper of the Wicked | A Mafia Romance

XII|| Walk of Shame

"Come on, Tori, at least admit you had fun," Connor says with a smirk.

I look at him deadpan. His face falls. I roll off the bed and begin the tedious task of collecting my clothes from the floor.

"Should we talk about it?" He rubs the back of his neck looking extremely uncomfortable. 

,I scoff.

"Absolutely not."

I put on my underwear, my jeans, my bra, my t-shirt, and what's left of my dignity and leave Connor's hotel room without saying another word to him.

The Walk of Shame is a journey I am very familiar with. But this time the walk is so heavy with shame I refuse to even acknowledge what I've done. But then I think of how Paola would react if she ever found out I slept with Connor and a small smile pulls at my lips. I think her head would actually combust. 

My phone vibrates. Why would RDV be calling at this time? I dig my phone out of my pocket only to find the screen illuminated by a much different contact. My stomach knots and then drops. He never calls my cellphone. I answer and press my ear to my phone.

"Ciao figlia."

"Ciao." I say. Internally cursing the vulnerability I let slip through in my voice.

"Where is the body?" He asks getting straight to the point.

"I don't know," I respond, "John takes care of the bodies."

He's quiet on the other end. My palms sweat. It takes all my mental strength to keep from clearing my throat to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"Where are you?" he finally asks.

"At Roza's, at the bar." I lie. I continue my way to the ground floor opting to take the stairs.

"First Lucy's and now Roza's?" He asks "I've indulged your partying for too long," he says "It's time for you to end it."

I hadn't known that he'd known about Lucy's.

"Yes, Father."

"Tonight we are having a family dinner."

He hangs up without saying goodbye. My throat squeezes. Family dinners were a staple throughout my childhood. They are not a gathering of a functional family around food. They are how my father punishes his children. If one of us makes a mistake, all of us suffer the consequences.

...

The drive home was a blur. I ended up calling an uber. Throughout the whole ride all I could think of was my sisters. How are my sisters doing? Do they know about the dinner? 

I rush through the double doors of the dining room and all my questions are answered. My 6 sister sit around the dining table. Enzo was never apart of our family dinners. Maybe it was because he was a boy or maybe because he was the future Capo Famiglia but I'd never had the courage to ask Leopoldo. Bella nods when she sees me. I take my unofficial designated spot. The closest spot on the left side to the head of the table. Where my father will sit when he makes his entrance. Paola grimaces across from me. Bella keeps her composure. Milana looks bored as always. Teresa sits unusually still. Stella looks as if she's on the verge of tears. I wish I could comfort her but that would only make things worse.  The silence stretches. The air is so thick with trepidation it clogs my lungs. I grip my pants tight in my fists underneath the table while keeping my stoic mask in place. The door to the dining room is pushed open. I sit up straight as a tombstone and lay my hands flat and stiff on the table. My father stands by the door. "Ciao mie preziose figlie, so glad you could all make it to this dinner, let's eat." He says. Borja, the only person who runs our kitchen, my father is far too paranoid to hire a full kitchen staff, rolls in food on a silver tray.