Needing Each Other

Heartbreak

AN: Again welcome to book 2 of my Mafia Series. I know I've been gone for a while and I'm sorry for that. This first chapter was hard to write and find the right place to cut it. I thought I'd post it to see what all of you think about it. I will try my hardest to post a new chapter weekly, if I get a sudden burst of writing I will post sooner. I definitely miss all of you, my verbal and silent readers. Our favorite power couple (Lorenzo and Elena) will make a couple of small cameos but this can be read as a standalone also.

"So how was your trip to the Caribbean?" I asked my dad as I smiled at the currently tanned man.

I had been gone for the last three months and just returned to finish getting my things together. My father Roberto Pallone has taken many trips for business since I have been old enough to care for myself. He had told me he was going there on business with his business partner but his tanned skin at the end of March while living in New York told a different story. I think my father spent more time on the beach than a boardroom to still have a tan after being home for a few weeks. Yes, our Italian blood had us tanned all year long but this tan my father had was more like a summer tan and not a winter one.

"It had a good start, but things went a bit south towards the end of my trip." He shook his head, and I raised my eyebrow at him in concern and he knew the look from me very well. "Don't go worrying your pretty little head. In my line of work things tend to happen like that but we always make things right."

"You do know I'm always going to worry about you no matter what?" I asked him and he nodded while smiling at me, my father never told me exactly what he did for work, but it did not bother me. "Dad, how much longer do we have to wait here?" I glanced down at my phone to see that if we didn't leave the restaurant soon, we were not going to make it to the theater before the curtain went up.

"Not long my love." He had a smile on his face as I took a small sip from my wine. "Mr. Marzano said his son would be here soon. I promised we will make it and you know I never break a promise to you." He reached over giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

I had lived a very sheltered life. My father was strict on what I could do and who I was around. I wasn't the popular girl in school; I was the quiet, shy one that kept her nose in the books. Public school was not an option, I had only gone to private all girl schools and completed high school away in boarding school. I came home every weekend, and dad came up when he could to visit during the week. Dad had never broken a promise to me and I think that was because he was all the I had for family.

"Of course." I said with a smile of my own because his words were true. "I'm going to go use the ladies' room." I stood up and grabbed my clutch while he nodded at me as he also stood up while glancing towards the door.

"Take your time sweetheart." He said glancing at me before looking back towards the entrance.

Just as I started to walk away I watched as three men walked in and walked straight towards my father. Something about them didn't sit well with me, the danger radiated off them and I felt it from where I was standing. I stopped for a moment to watch as my father shook hands with the men. One sat in my vacated seat as the other two grabbed chairs from other tables and sat with them. I had eavesdropped slightly on my dad's business call with his business partner. Apparently, my dad had something they needed, and it couldn't wait until Monday morning.

Mr. Marzano, who I had met just a few times before that I could remember, not being in town had sent his son to retrieve whatever it was from my dad. This was the first time I had ever been with my dad when he conducted any type of business. Normally he had preferred I was not around for any of it, I never understood why but I also never fought or questioned him on it either.