A Debt To Pay

59

"I want a team of my men inside and around that house, now!" I ordered, rising to my feet. As soon as my mind processed what had been said, all I could think about was Mia. Her family was well known through the Mafia. Her father was a good Capo and had the respect of a lot of the Made men. But more than that, they were known for being a happy family. He was one of the few men that had fallen in love, married and had children. He'd been successful in protecting his family from the Mafia lifestyle and his daughters had even been given the freedom to work and further their education – an opportunity not many women in this life are offered.

Everything about their family seemed perfect until the unfortunate day when his enemies finally came after him. I'd always known it to be a rival Familia from the American mafia. That was what Archor had always told everyone.

But it was all a lie; the perfect family, the heart-breaking loss, the widowed man who'd never quite recovered from the loss of his wife. It was all just a lie.

"Sir?" Sergio frowned in confusion and I shot him a glare. "Should we arrest him?"

Killing any member of the Mafia was considered the worst of all crimes. It was betrayal and punishable by death. But this was Mia's father. "Not yet," I snapped back, "send some men to the house, tell Archor I'm increasing security while the threat of war is still an issue. I want to make sure nothing happens to his other daughter."

He nodded. "You really think he'd hurt her?"

After what he did to Mia, I couldn't be sure. "I'm not willing to risk it. Find out what you can from his men and report back to me immediately. This stays between us, nobody is to hear about this until I've figured out what to do."

I left him with my instructions and made my way upstairs. Seeing Mia resting peacefully in my bed brought every emotion I could think of to the surface. I loved seeing her in my bed. It was comforting to have someone to sleep beside. And I was relieved to see her asleep. After the stress she'd been through with her father, she needed the rest. But I couldn't ignore the dread creeping up the back of my throat. I was about to completely break her heart. What I had to tell her would change everything and she'd already been through enough.

I sat beside her, running a hand through her hair. I didn't want to wake her but this couldn't wait. She needed to know before word spread through the Mafia and I was expected to do something about it.

"Hey," I called when she stirred. She looked so beautiful; her long hair splayed around her face; her lips upturned in a small smile. "How're you feeling?" I asked her, leaning down to press a kiss to her head.

"Better," she mumbled, blinking a few times before her eyes settled on me. "What time is it?"

"Almost six."

Her eyes widened. "I slept all day?" she gasped, stretching her arms out above her head.

I nodded with a grin. "You did."

She hummed. "Your bed is just so comfy." I grinned down at her, glad she liked sleeping in my bed because I had no intention of letting her leave it. "What have you been doing today?"

And just like that, my smile fell away. "Actually, there's something I need to speak to you about. Sergio came to see me," I started and she frowned.

"Did something happen with Jonesy's father?" she asked in a panic.

I shook my head. "No, he's still a spineless coward," I assured her, "this is to do with your father," I explained and she raised her eyebrows, "and your mother."

"My mother?" she questioned, her face falling instantly.

I nodded. "I asked Sergio to look into what happened to her, like we talked about," I said and she nodded for me to continue. "Well, he tracked down the men responsible and has been questioning them."

"That can't be right," she said, her brows furrowed, "my father killed all the men that were responsible."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took her hand, watching as her eyes filled with concern. "Mia, the men that killed your mother work for your father."

She stared at me for a moment, digesting what I said before jumping up from the bed in a panic. "Oh my god. Logan, we have to tell him! Those men are in my house and my sister-."

"Darling," I called, standing to take her hands again. She faced me with fear in her eyes. "Ashley is safe, I promise. The men have all been captured. But, when Sergio questioned them, they uh...," I trailed off, not knowing how I could possibly tell her this.

"What?"

I squeezed her hand. "They said your dad gave the order."

MIA'S POV:

I blinked, my throat feeling like it was closing up. Logan stared at me; his eyes filled with sympathy.

My dad gave the order?

My dad sent his men to kill my mother.

The words swirled around in my mind and I couldn't process them. I opened and closed my mouth but no sound came out.

"Mia?" Logan called softly.

I shook my head, a small, broken sob leaving my lips. "That can't be right," I told him, continuing to shake my head. Something had to be wrong. There was no way my father would do that. No way. He loved my mother. He tried to save her. He tried to protect our family. "They're lying. He wouldn't."

"I've told my men to question them again but, darling, he wiped the CCTV footage from the restaurant and lied about killing the men."

My tears started to fall. I couldn't help but think back to that day. My mother offered to take us to lunch. I wasn't sure why my dad didn't join us but he waved goodbye to us from the front door. My sister and I got into the car while the two of them spoke. My mom had looked upset and my dad kissed her before she joined us in the car. She drove us to the restaurant and it had been eerily quiet as we ate. I don't remember what we talked about, I don't remember anything significant at all until the door broke down and men swarmed the place. They threw my mother to the ground and she screamed for us to run. I grabbed Ashley's hand and ran faster than I thought possible, my legs burning as we ran all the way home, screaming for our dad to save her.

"He was devastated," I mumbled, my grip tight on Logans hand. "He was sad for so long after she died. How could he have – why would he... he wouldn't. They must be lying," I told him.

He nodded slowly and brushed my cheek. "Did you know that she requested a divorce before she died?" he asked softly, knocking the breath out of me all over again.

I flinched at the thought. They were happy. I only ever knew them to be happy. He loved her and us. He'd taken care of us all, allowed us our freedom, he read me bedtime stories and made my breakfast in the morning. He held me while I cried. He kissed my mother when he came home from work. They were in love and we were a happy family. At least, that's what I always thought. "She did?"

He nodded. "I looked at her file. She filed for a divorce and wanted full custody of you and your sister."

"She wanted to leave?"

He nodded and I broke into sobs, not knowing what was real and what wasn't. Logan pulled me into his arms immediately and I broke. Everything was a mess. I didn't want to believe that my only living parent could do something like that but there was a sinking feeling in my stomach I couldn't ignore.

"I'm so sorry Mia," Logan whispered, holding me against his broad chest. "Is there anything I can do?"

I grabbed his upper arm, clinging to him as I soaked his shirt with my tears. "Just don't leave me."