Reaper of the Wicked | A Mafia Romance

XXIX|| Teresa's Turn

The walk to Leopoldo's office is less daunting than usual. My head pounds with every step I take. This fucking headache is all I can think about.

The door to his office is opened. I decide to compose myself before I enter. My breath smells like vomit and I look like shit but I can at least pretend I'm not aware of it. 

Leopoldo sits behind his desk, his face distorted with anger. I tense. The fear of him is engrained in my very being.  He gestures for me to sit down. I oblige though my body wants to run or fight. 

"They got away," he says simply. 

I don't respond. I couldn't say anything that would help my case. 

His teeth clench together so tight a vein squeezes at his temple. 

"You're lucky this time wasn't your fault." 

My body deflates with the words. 

He picks up a glass that sits on the edge of his desk. The contents of which I assume is whiskey. He taps his finger against the glass. I tuck my hands between my legs to keep from fidgeting. His anger is usual buried deeper. There's something off. 

"It was the mole's fault." 

The mole. I am the mole. So who the fuck does Leopoldo think is the mole? I wait for him to keep speaking. He stares outside his office window his mind deep in thought. I realise that I'm not the only one with a disheveled appearance. Leopoldo, who is usual so perfectly done up is wearing a wrinkled suit. I sniff the air. The whole office smells like whiskey and body oder.

He sets down his glass finally. 

"It's decided."

"What?" 

"Kill Antonio." he says finally.

I blink. 

He must be joking. But even I think this I can see the serious furrow of his brow. His eyes glaze over as he's pulled back into his mind. 

"You're dismissed." he says with a flick of his hand.

I don't wait. I get up and leave the office. I nearly run straight into Teresa. 

Her clothes hang off of her. She's losing too much weight. 

I grab her arm gently and guide her to the kitchen. Her eyes bounce from one corner to another. She holds her hand close to her chest. "He's gonna kill Antonio?" she whispers. I bite my lip. Technically I'm supposed to kill Antonio. 

"You don't have to worry about that." I say. I grab a can of soup and pour it into a pot. 

I hear Teresa sniffle. "What am I for, then?" she whispers.

"What?" I say.

Teresa's voice shakes as she speaks "I was supposed to marry him. If he's going to be murdered then what are Leopoldo's plans for me? He's going to kill me too isn't he?" Her hand flies to her chest as she tries to swallow air. She crumples to the floor. I kneel next to her.

I pet her hair. Whispering soothing tones. "You're not going to die, Tesoro." 

"You don't know that." she says between sobs. 

I grab her face in my hands. "We don't have to play by Leopoldo's rules." I say.

Her sobs slowly turn to hiccups. "What do you mean?" she says finally.

"I'm working on something. We can be free." I whisper.

She shakes her head vehemently. "You want to betray the family?" venom drips from her words. Her angelic face scrunches in anger. 

"No." I say "Only Leopoldo. The rest of us are going to be fine."

She shakes her head again. "He'll catch us. He'll kill all of us." 

I brush a hair from her face. "I'll protect you. When have I not protected you." 

Teresa grows quiet. Then she nods. "Okay. Okay. Yeah." she says. 

I smile. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah."