The Mafia and Her ✔

Chapter 16 - Izan

Izan

"Guys, calm down! I will sit on the floor next to Alvaro," Verena yelled to stop the fight over the seats on the couch. My parents didn't have enough space for my men and us, so Verena slid to the floor and hugged Alvaro. "Now, sit your butts down, and enjoy the movie."

She was unintentionally fierce, and my men seemed to like her. Well, except Carlos. He needed to get over his hatred for her.

If he fucking says anything rude to her tonight, I will beat the shit out of him.

"Veve, do you need anything?" Alvaro asked her, feeling the need to be of service. She smiled at him and thought. I knew she didn't need anything, but she didn't want to upset him.

"A cup of water would be great!" 

Like a squirrel, Alvaro ran to the kitchen, and my men, my brothers, laughed at him.

"I see you have been eating well, Verena. You aren't as skinny as when I first met you," Juan exclaimed, feeling genuinely happy since he felt that her body shape before was not her choice. He was right.

Those mother fucking abusers.

She smiled as always and said, "Yeah, Izan makes sure I eat three meals a day!" I closed my eyes, waiting for the teasing remarks, but they never came. I opened my eyes again and saw my men staring at me with perplexed expressions.

"What?" I snapped.

Mama Vivian laughed. "They aren't used to seeing you caring for someone other than family," she explained, and Camila smirked.

"Verena is family," Camila began, and Verena blew her a kiss from across the room. "And he definitely sees her as family or hopes to have a f-" Before she could finish her disgraceful sentence, Alvaro came back running with a cup of water but tripped over a pillow and spilled it on Verena's back.

Taking her by surprise, she screamed. "Oh, sweet fudge! Shoot! This is so dang cold!" She jumped from her place, and everyone laughed except me because she was wearing white.

Her scars were visible.

Before I could do anything, Carlos grabbed her shoulders, seeming to notice, and stared at her back. "What's this?" he asked, almost whispering, but we all heard it.

"What?" she asked, oblivious that her shirt was transparent now. "Oh... that, um..."

Carlos turned her so she faced him, and he was glaring like he was planning a murder. I stood up and dragged her to me, covering her back with my chest. "As I told Alvaro here, I'm clumsy, so I fell and hurt my back," she lied for Alvaro's sake, and I was getting pissed off.

"Bullshit!" Jose's usual smile was replaced with a scowl, and I didn't blame him.

"Jose!" Juan yelled, realizing why she was lying. "She just fell. Now sit your ass down." Zulimar rose from his seat and held her hand. I wanted to push him aside, but I knew it wouldn't be rational, and I would look like a possessive freak.

"We're here for you," he whispered, shocking us once again. She really brought the best out of these men. Of me as well.

"I know. Thank you, guys!" she replied with a smile. Verena looked at me and nodded. She was giving me permission to tell them, and I was proud of her. For the short while she had been here, she had grown stronger. She became more resilient.

"I will go get you a new shirt. Why don't you come with me, Verena? You too, Alvaro," Mama Vivian said, feeling the tense atmosphere. Papa nodded at his wife in appreciation.

The second they were out of sight, Juan, the eldest and supposedly the calmest, punched a hole in the wall or tried. "Fuck, that hurt," he whimpered, and I shook my head. He was angry, and I understood that, but breaking his hand in the process was unacceptable. Camila looked at his hand, and she smiled.

"Not broken," she reassured him, and Juan nodded.

"But who did that to her, boss? Are they still alive?"

"Tell us, boss," Carlos agreed, surprising us since he made it clear from the start that he hated her. We looked at him in confusion, but he just shrugged it off. "I thought she was a spy or a gold-digger at first, but she's not that bad, just overly talkative."

"You should tell her that you don't hate her," Jose suggested, and we agreed. She felt bad enough the first time they met and was still wary of him. She deserved to know that everyone welcomed her. 

"Anyway, boss, who did that to her?"

I sighed, looking at Papa. He just nodded and said, "Heath Hemlock."

All hell broke loose. 

"The fucking kidnapper?" Juan almost yelled, and Jose let out a collection of curse words, making me frown at some of them since I wouldn't even say them... and I curse a lot.

"He's also her ex-boyfriend, almost fiancé," Papa added fuel to the fire. Zulimar broke the glass cup in his hand, and he didn't even notice his bleeding hand as he focused on the stairs, where Verena left with Mama Vivian and Alvaro.

Camila brought the first aid kit, not fazed by this accident at all. We got used to seeing blood everywhere, but I wasn't proud of it. We just had to survive. 

She cleaned and treated his hand without a word.

"What do you mean by almost fiancé?" Jose asked, and I felt tired from this conversation. From talking.

How does she do it all the time?

"Her dad introduced him to her. Heath was her boyfriend for five years and used to whip her with his belt because she didn't let him touch her sexually. He vented his sexual frustration on her back... and when he proposed to her in front of her dad and stepmom, she escaped from the house in New York and ended up in Boston. Then she got kidnapped by the same son of a bitch, and you know the rest," I explained, feeling like I was violating her privacy, but she did give me permission.

Silence dominated the room for more than ten minutes until Verena walked through the door with Mama Vivian. Alvaro must have fallen asleep since it was past nine. "I'm guessing you know the story now, so I just have one thing to ask of you," she said with a forced smile. I wanted to do something about it but didn't know what. 

My men nodded.

"Don't pity me."

~~~ 

11.01.2024 

They're so protective of her, even Carlos hehehe 

I will update another chapter tomorrow. Stay tuned!