Brave In Violence ( A Mafia Romance Book Three)

Chapter Twenty-six

Your hands are scarred from murder, and yet I trust them.
                              ~Pintrest~

                               Romano

The cheap motel Dino was staying at looked like it would collapse any moment; the stairs were narrow, the stairway dark; Mia kept stopping, and then she would stretch out her hand from the back to touch me without turning to feel if I was still walking behind her even though I held a torch to light up the stairs, so she didn't stumble and fall in her high heels.

"Are you afraid I might leave you?"

She turned abruptly, colliding with my body we almost fell over, her eyes wide open.

"Why do you keep touching me?"

"What if your mouth is gagged, and they pulled you away?"

I laughed out loud; I couldn't help it. "How can that happen?"

She shrugged, her finger touching her lips to silence me.

"It can happen, " she whispered, moving her head around as if she was checking whether someone had spotted us.

"You would definitely hear the scuffle, " I mumbled, gazing at her face; she nodded, looking almost embarrassed. "in my defense, I have never done this before, " she said, resuming her walk. " For starters, wearing high heels to a battle is not advisable, "

"I'm sorry next time I will wear flats."

"They'll never be a next time, "  I said authoritatively, giving her a little push to the front. There is no way in hell I would have her near-death again; this was killing me, knowing anything could go wrong, that she might end up hurt or dead.

Jesus! How would I live without her?

"Remember to follow my instructions, Mia. Do you understand?"

She frowned when I called her by her first name, but she nodded.

We reached the third floor; Mia stepped aside to let me pass, craning her neck over my shoulders to see the number of the next house. She couldn't see, but I had already seen it, number twenty-five, Dino's house. I motioned with my head for Mia to follow me; she did, on tiptoe to avoid her heels from making any click-clack noises.

If the situation were different, I would have laughed at how funny she appeared, like a playing mantis. She placed her finger on her lips again even though I had said nothing. I knew she was nervous and afraid; I threw a smile at her, taking a pin from my pocket to open the door.

Right before I could open it, I turned back, leaned over Mia, and kissed her on the forehead, her hands automatically holding onto my arms, but we didn't have time for anything else.

Dino was alone, and in the house, my people had confirmed it. I slid in the pin, turning the lock slowly, listening for any voices from the house before pushing it, I couldn't hear a human voice, but the radio must have been on because I heard music playing softly. The lock came off easier than I expected; it must have been because it was old and rusted.

I stood there for almost a minute and then pushed the door opened, my gun in hand, Mia behind me. Dino was seated on a plastic chair beside the bed, eating macaroni and the radio on top of the bed.

He dropped the plate when he saw me, or maybe it was because of the gun pointed at his face. He looked shocked, like he'd seen a ghost, his beard longer than his shaggy hair, the clothes he wore looked like beachwear.

He looked poor and dirty—a medical doctor living in squalor.

"Was it worth it?" I asked, without expecting an answer, looking at the small window, the only one in the house, the net's color acting like a curtain unrecognizable.