Mafia Queen

Prologue

I grew up with Josh and my mom in a beautiful house, right on the coast of Maine. It sat high up on a cliff overlooking the vastness of the Atlantic ocean. For as long as I can remember, the ocean intrigued me. I knew it was powerful and dangerous, but I couldn't get over how gentle and beautiful it was. What I really loved was watching storms rolling in from off in the distance. The dark, swirling clouds would move ominously towards shore, building this intense anticipation. Sometimes they would be small, just a few days of rain and the sun would come back. Other times, though, I thought the world was ending. Horrific wind would rip off shutters and shatter windows. Floodwaters would overtake everything and people would retreat to their roofs, in hopes someone would come rescue them. There were only a few of those in all the time we lived there, but they were sure memorable.

There was always a moment, though, no matter how big or small the storm was, right before it hit the shore. The sky would quiet, and the wind would stop and everything was so peaceful and serene. It truly was the calm before the storm.

That's how I would describe the months leading up to that night. Everything in our world was calm and blissful, not a thing out of place. I didn't know I could be as happy as I was with Luca and our family. We had moved into our house, and four months ago had had another little boy, Landon. Luca and I were in heaven. It was exactly like a dream. Except then I woke up, and the storm hit.

There was no way we could've known what was to come, there was no way we could've prepared. Even now, I try to think back and see if there was some kind of sign. Maybe Luca and I had missed something, and if we would've been paying better attention, this wouldn't have happened. In seconds, my dream world was ripped out from under me and I was left spiraling into darkness. Sometimes, I lie in bed at night alone and wonder if I actually dreamt that part of my life. Or if everyone was in on this big elaborate hoax and things would go back to normal in the morning. It never did, though. I woke up every day sleepwalking through the same nightmare, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't change it. I couldn't save him.

One night.

That was all it took for my life to change forever. For Luca's life to change forever. For the lives of our children, and our friends, to be changed beyond repair.

He had no idea what he had taken from me.

He had no idea who he was messing with.

And he'd have no idea what was coming.