Mob Ties: Sleeping with the Enemy (intersex x woman)

34

Flashback Continued:

The cold air beat against Genevieve's skin like the bass of a drum. Goosebumps pimpled her arms as the woman leaned against the balcony rails.

"You alright?" Cassandra's voice traveled beside her.

"No," she answered honestly. "But I will be." Genevieve let out a shaky sigh.

Cassandra wrapped her arms around her cousin, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm here, and I'll be here for as long as you need me to be."

The holidays had long gone, and Cassandra still hadn't returned home. After the events that transpired less than a month ago, there was no way she could leave the woman on her own. The security that Max and her family could have provided was gone, bitterly snatched away by Vinnie's actions.

Genevieve returned home that day a broken woman. She'd fallen into Cassandra's arms, barely able to catch her breath between sobs as she rambled on about what her husband had done to Max. At that point, both women were convinced that Max didn't make it out of Gio's alive.

But as days went on and the story was picked up by various media houses, they'd learned that there were no bodies recovered in the wreckage. Personally, Cassandra thought maybe it would have been better if they did find Max—at least Genevieve could mourn, and eventually move on.

Finding out that the woman made it out alive and hadn't been in contact destroyed Genevieve even further. She figured Max said the things she did to get her out of Gio's, to save her life. They didn't have much time to go into detail about her pregnancy, or the state of their relationship.

Max's last words resonated with Genevieve, replaying in her mind on an endless loop. And despite knowing she may not have meant them; they didn't hurt any less.

Where was she? Is she okay? Why hasn't she tried to reach out? Did the pregnancy scare her off?

Vincenzo had long discarded Genevieve's cellphone, replacing it with a brand-new device and number. She didn't have any of her old contacts, and even if she did, Genevieve wasn't entirely sure Max would answer her calls anyway.

The woman turned on her heels, Cassandra's arms slowly dropping to her sides as she re-entered the room. The large master bedroom was now half empty compared to its previous state. Her husband moved his things to a location so secure, not even Genevieve knew where the man laid his head.

Word spread through the streets of Westwood like wildfire about Vinnie's attempts on the Bussola family's lives. He obviously made his moves out of anger and hadn't thought it through. Apparently, Max's two older brothers caught wind of Vinnie's plans before the man could get to them.

They'd locked themselves and their mother in the Bussola Manor's built-in panic room until Vinnie's men had no choice but to retreat. He did some damage control, deciding that he would move himself and the boys into another home, God knows where, and keep Genevieve hostage in their small mansion.

Vinnie was an angry little shit when he found out that Don Giovanni and Armani had survived. If it hadn't been for Leonardo's intervention, the injuries probably would have been much more severe, according to her husband's heated rants. Although the other families folded, quickly accepting the Menzas as the new Mafia head, the man still barely had a leg to stand on.

They were all still alive and that was enough to threaten what seemed to be his 'temporary' position as the current Don. That explained why Vincenzo was in hiding, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the Bussolas would strike back. Not knowing what became of Max only added to the man's paranoia—she was the real problem.