Page 89 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

“Don’t let them watch,” Da said to me, and I wriggled out from under the soldier and over to my siblings, breathing hard.

“Turn around,” I said softly, guiding the twins to face the forest. Connor sobbed and looked at me. I nodded for him to be brave. I forced myself to turn back and meet my Da’s dark eyes.

“You too, son. Turn around.”

I shook my head. My lips trembled. “Look them in the eye. Don’t let them die alone.”

The corners of his lips curved faintly.

“Forever proud.”

Sean shoved his chest, and Da fell backwards, disappearing into the darkness of the empty well. The rope tied to the arch of the well went taut, swinging slightly with his weight. The choking sounds made my stomach curl and bile rise into my throat. I swallowed it.

And then there was silence. Da was gone. Mam was gone.

My siblings hugged each other, and I wrapped my arms around them, not knowing it would be the last time.

An Unlikely Friend

Iclawed my way through the darkness, as if dragging my consciousness through deep water. Every thought felt sluggish. Childhood memories still lingered, but other sounds reached me from far away. Muffled and distorted, I could hear voices. Not Da’s. Not Mam’s. Real voices. Right next to me. I wanted to open my eyes, but they felt glued shut. When my body refused to obey the simplest commands, panic rose. Was I tied down? Was I in the hole with Da again?

“He’s waking up!”

A soft hand pressed against my cheek. I groaned.

“Maddox? Can you hear me?”

A woman. Wait. Maddox? No one called me that anymore.

My eyelids fluttered. Her face came into view. Short brown hair framed her dainty features. Dark brown eyes brimmed with unshed tears. She wore a nose piercing and tattoos of birds on her neck. Her fingers stroked my cheek as she smiled down at me.

“Hey,” she whispered, her voice catching with emotion. Despite having no idea who she was, she looked like someone I should know, but I couldn’t place her. I moved my gaze to the man standing behind her, watching me carefully. I’d seen him before too.

I tried to drag myself into a sitting position, but it felt as if I’d been buried in wet cement.

“It’s okay. Take it easy,” the woman said, carefully lifting the pillow behind me. Kindness. I wasn’t used to that. I glanced around the strange room, taking in the chipped and peeling paint on the stone walls, the open window letting in a breeze and the white sheer curtain dancing with it.

“W-where am I?” I choked out the words, then coughed. The woman grabbed a glass of water and lifted it to my lips. Though I hated the fuss, I drank, needing the cold liquid to soothe my throat.

“You’re still in France,” she said, setting the glass down. When was I in France? She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight, pressing her lips to my tattooed knuckles. Every instinct in me wanted to rip my hand away, but something stopped me. Her eyes. The same eyes that used to look up at me as I read bedtime stories as a boy.

I stared into them, watching the tears fall down her cheeks. Recognition hit like a dagger to the chest. Her face. I’d seen it on the news. Young woman murdered in a Dublin park. But that wasn’t her. It was Roisin. Her twin sister.

My heart seized. My eyes widened. “Riley?”

She nodded, smiling through her tears, then dived onto my chest. I froze, unable to grasp how this was possible. I hadn’t seen her in person since she was four. I rested my hand over her head on my chest, holding her to me, checking she was real. Or was this another memory? Was I dreaming?

“It’s Lauren now, but yeah. I’m Riley. I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into my skin. “I’m so sorry for what he’s done to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner. But you’re going to be okay now.”

“I should check his vitals.” A man stepped closer from my right. I turned to look at him as he shone a light into my eye, temporarily blinding me. When his face came back into view, I tensed. McKenna’s doctor. The one who’d been drugging me before every fight for years.

McKenna.

She shouldn’t be here. If she were here, that would mean…

“You have to get out,” I said, panic rising in my voice as I pushed her off me. She frowned, lifting her head. “Now. Go. You have to get away from him.”

“Maddox–”