Dangerously In Love

Chapter Nine

Maria

I woke up to by a loud banging on my door. I got up, wrapped myself in a blanket, and opened my door. Paolo was standing there with a face as pale as if he'd seen a ghost. "Ria, something's happened to your mother." I fell to my knees and saw Anna in Belle's arms sobbing and screaming for mama.

"What..what happened?" I held back tears as Belle brought Anna to me. I held her close as she cried and stroked her hair.

"She was killed. Your father came back to the estate to find that the guards had been killed and so had your mother. He's positive it was the Russians because he had gotten intel that they were going to take one of his clubs on the upper east side by the river and they showed up ready for a fight but no one showed. He thinks it was a distraction to draw him away from your mother." Paolo sat on the floor next to me and held me in his arms. He was an amazing friend and an even better man. Belle would be happy with him one day.

"What's father planning as a retaliation?" I felt heartbroken and thought of Niko. Did he order the hit on my mother? Did he know that it was my mother? He had felt terrible about what he had done two years earlier and said he never knew that he was potentially hurting my mother and sister.

"He hasn't said. He's locked himself away and hasn't spoken to anyone or given any orders other than to leave him alone and for Xavier to plan your mother's funeral and to tell you to call your brother Pierre." He hugged me tight.

"I'll call him in a few minutes." I hugged Anna tight. She finally stopped crying and looked up at me with sad eyes.

"Mama gone?" I started to cry as soon she spoke. I didn't know what to tell her. 

"Your mama is in heaven, piccolo. She is with God and in a much better place. She doesn't feel sick and isn't hurting anymore, amore." Paolo spoke for me and I was so very grateful that he had the words to say what I couldn't. Anna put her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.

"Ria hurts." She said as she hugged me.

"Yes, piccolo. Ria hurts very much." Belle joined us on the floor and wiped my tears away as she responded to Anna. She looked at me, "I called Pierre for you. He'll be here in a few hours. He was already in route from Rome to Seattle. He said he's cancelled the rest of plans for the next month."

"Thank you, Belle." I moved to stand up and Paolo helped me as I held Anna close to me. Marco came in the door. He had healed and was about doing father's dirty work so he was probably in the neighborhood. He came up to me and kissed my forehead and took Anna from me, holding her tightly in one arm as he took me in the other arm.

"I came as soon as I heard. I'm so sorry, il mio amore. I wish I could take away your pain." He kissed my forehead again.

I nodded, "How is my father doing?"

"He's not doing very well. They took away his heart and soul by doing what they did." He was filtering for Anna's sake.

"I need to get dressed and call Xavier. We all need to be together when Pierre gets here." I took Anna from Marco and went to my room, locking the door behind us. I laid her in my bed. She didn't fight it. She curled up into my pillow as I laid the blanket I had wrapped around me on her. She closed her eyes and I kissed her forehead. I picked up my phone and texted Xavier to come here as soon as he could. I walked into my closet and grabbed a black lace long sleeve dress and a pair of black Louboutin's. I laid them on the bed and I went to shower. 

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I got dressed after putting on my makeup and straightening my hair. I woke Anna up and took her to her room to get dressed. Belle came in and curled Anna's hair. I picked out a long sleeve black sweater dress for her and some black sparkly flats. After Belle finished curling Anna's hair I got her dressed and put a black bow in the back of her hair, pulling the curls out of her face. She hated when her hair was in her face.