Mafiosa Bonus POVs

The Fight (Nic POV)

In Sicily, the Mafia was borne out of a need to protect. I try to remember that in my darkest moments, with blood underneath my fingernails, adrenaline flooding my veins, my gun still hot inside my grip. I tell myself that as the Falcone purpose gets murkier, as we veer further from the course set by our ancestors, turn our sights towards new vendettas.

When Sophie came to me for Sanctuary, stood inside the foyer at Evelina with her arms wrapped around herself, I felt the duty so keenly then. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time, the sense that something forgotten was flaring inside me once again – a call to action. A call to protect.

'I'm glad you came to us, Sophie.' I took a step, closing out my brothers, until it was just us – the way it was supposed to be. 'It's not right what she's doing. But she won't be alive for much longer. We'll make sure you're kept out of all this, I promise.'

Dom stuck his face between us. 'Don't make promises you can't keep, Nic.' He rolled back on his heels, his voice vibrating with a level of amusement that, for him, always accompanied the most serious matters in this house. 'The Council will decide.'

'I know that,' Sophie snapped, fire in her eyes, on her tongue. I felt it warm the air between us, charge me as it always did. 'I know this is kind of a long shot. I didn't think there would be so much ceremony involved . . . I just . . .' She turned around, her wide eyes passing over me and resting on Luca.

What the hell?

He was looking at her the same way, like whatever she was about to say was the most important thing in his universe. 'When you told me yesterday that I could come to your family if I was ever in trouble, I didn't think I'd ever have to take you up on it. But Donata terrifies me, and I'm sick of taking chances with my safety. I'm taking your advice. I'm being smart. I recognize I can't get out of this on my own.'

'Yesterday?' I said, cutting my eyes at him. 'What was yesterday?'

'We ran into each other at Stateville,' Sophie said quickly. 'He gave me a ride home.'

I ground my fingers into fists, tried to get a handle on the sudden stab of jealousy in my gut. 'You didn't think to mention that to me at any point, Luca?'

'Uh oh,' interrupted Dom, his grin elastic. 'Looks like Sophie and Luca had a prison date without Nic . . .'

'Shut up,' she hissed.

Why was she getting so defensive?

'Calmati.' Luca clapped me on the back, and still, that small, wayward part of me wanted to swing at him, tell him to get his hands off me if he was going to keep secrets like that, that if anyone talks to my girl, it should be my business, too. 'Don't read into it, brother. It was nothing.'

'Yeah. It was nothing,' Sophie added, hardening the words.

I glared at Luca, trying to work out the look in his eyes, the way he was holding himself so tight, like he had coiled everything up. Dom was laughing. Dom always laughs at the worst times, like deep inside someone else's pain, there's a joke that only he can see.

When Sophie went to the bathroom, I rounded on Luca. 'What the hell are you playing at?'

He raised an eyebrow. 'Excuse me?'

'Are you into her?'

He blinked once, twice, and then the noise came, halfway between a splutter and a curse. 'Are you kidding me?'

I glowered at him.

'Of course I'm not into her. Dio. Relax.'

Dom slid in between us. 'Yeah, Nic, relax. They probably only made out once. Just so he could see what she tastes like.'