Omerta

Chapter 8

         "Nico is here to protect you." I wanted to laugh at that statement. Nicolas, the guy who had just held a gun to an innocent man's head, was the man I was putting my faith in to protect me tonight? "Dom, what about you?" I asked, grabbing hold of his arm to keep him with me. "I have to go, but I promise it's nowhere near harm's way" he tried assuring me. I didn't believe him. Instead I looked to Mr. Luciano. 

"Sir, please let my cousin stay instead. Nico wants to be out there with you guys," I pleaded. Too many people were walking out of my life recently and the thought of Dom leaving and potentially never coming back had me terrified. 

"Frankly Gia, I don't trust many men to protect my wife. And given the choice it would be you he'd protect. Nicolas is more than capable of keeping both of you safe. I don't have any more time to argue this. Let's go boys," Mr. Luciano turned from the entrance of the safe room and began retreating back from where we came.

I gave Dominic a big hug and made him promise me he wouldn't do anything stupid tonight. "I'll see you later. Promise," he said, before following the boss outside. Nicolas walked with them and nodded along to whatever his father had been saying before looping back around and coming to his mother and I. 

        "Get in" he said, no compassion in his eyes at all. When I finally stepped inside the safe room I could see two large couches on either side of the room. There was a fridge and little door for storing food and supplies items, along with a small half bathroom. Was this meant to be something for a long haul hideout? I didn't want to stay here for more than an hour if I could. I also noticed the small chest looking box beside one of the couches that could've been mistaken for a side table if you didn't look closely at it.

        When Nicolas sealed the door I felt suddenly claustrophobic. There were no windows or other doors. It's one way in and one way out. The lights were the only thing keeping us from sitting in a dark black box where nobody would find us if they didn't already know about the place. When I heard the loading of a gun I swallowed hard and looked back at Nico who was tinkering with his gun in his hand. 

"Do you know how to shoot one of those, sweetheart?" Maria addressed me once she noticed my staring at the gun. I shook my head no. "I never needed to," I told her quietly. I was lost in my own thoughts. 

"It's always good to know. Especially because of who we're related to, or in my case, married to," she walked over to one of the sofas and sat with her ankles crossed and her hands flat on her thighs like she was posing. 

"So, you know how to use a gun?" I asked her to clarify.

        "I do. I've been married for 30+ years to Giuseppe" she told me. Nicolas was still standing off to the side doing whatever it was he was doing while I made my way to the second couch to sit across the room from Maria. "Have you ever had to use one?" I couldn't help but ask. "No, thankfully, we've never been at serious war all these years I've been around, but times seem to be changing and if war is coming then you'll want to protect yourself," she sighed afterward at the thought. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable. 

Why now?  What's escalating us into a full on mob war? I had to squeeze my fists closed to hide the tremble in my hands.

"Teach her Nico" I heard Maria address her youngest son. He looked up from his weapon but his expression was blank. His mother nodded to him in encouragement to follow her idea. He exhaled a frustrated breath and walked over to me. 

        "Up, come on" he ordered. I would've argued for him to just leave me alone if I wasn't stuck in this small space with him for X amount of hours...and if he didn't have a loaded weapon right in front of my face. I also took Maria's words to heart, that if I were to be a TerraNova then I needed to be prepared to react like one if needed. I don't want to be in this lifestyle, but that won't stop my family's enemies from treating me like I am. So, I stood up.