The Mafia and Her ✔

Chapter 7

Make sure to read Chapter 6 first!

My eyes widened at his dad's offer. It was way too generous of them to let me stay with them. I could survive on my own. I had been doing that for quite a while now. "No, thank you. I don't want to be a burden," I replied with a smile. 

I needed to be independent, even if I had to sleep on the streets for a while. 

I glanced at Izan and saw him glaring at me. He had done that quite a lot since I saw him. I guessed he didn't like me that much. However, I liked him because he saved us, so whatever grudge he had against me, I would take it silently. Endure it.

"Nonsense! We owe you, so let us help," his dad insisted, leaving no room for argument. "I am Marco Guerrero, by the way. This is my wife, Vivian. My daughter, Camila, and you already know these two rascals."

"Sir, it is so nice to meet you. All of you. However, I cannot intrude on your life like that. I will find a place and a job. I can help myself," I explained, not wanting to be in anyone's way.

"With what money?" Izan asked, scowling at me.

He caught me there. "You can let me shower and borrow a set of clothes for the day, and your 'debt' will be repaid." I tried to bargain, but Vivian laughed.

"Sweetie, you can take a shower now, and then you go with Izan. We will not leave you alone. We are stubborn." She crossed her arms and had a terrifying expression that scared me. 

Are all moms like this? 

I don't remember mine. She died when I was one.

Marco patted my shoulder, making me sit beside Alvaro on the couch. "You are family now. Pero, you need to know something about us first," he said, and I sat silently, waiting for him to continue. His grave expression made me sweat, but not in a good way. [Pero = But]

Are there good ways to sweat, Verena?

You know what I mean.

No, you don't. 

"We are the Spanish Mafia." His statement broke my chain of thought. I blinked a few times to clear our my ears. I was weird like that. "Izan is the Don or Boss. It's only fair you know what we do before anything else."

I chuckled when I recalled our first encounter. "This does not surprise me. I saw how Izan shot all those men." I was not afraid of them. They seemed like nice enough people to want to shelter a stranger with them.

"I had to do it," Izan grumbled, adding to his list of assumptions about me. I knew he had already filled it, but only time would show him who I was.

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm not judging you. I can't judge you when my dad is probably worse than you." It was not a secret that Dexter Amaryllis was no angel. From their reactions to his name, they knew. He was so deep into the underworld that he talked with me like I was one of his underdogs.

"Can I sleep in your house today, Izan?" Alvaro asked, grabbing my hand tightly. Izan didn't like how Alvaro was so attached to me, but I didn't care. I liked this little man.

"You never sleep in my house," Izan remarked with knowing eyes. I guessed it was already decided that I would stay with him until further notice. 

I didn't want to be on the Mafia's bad side, so I just gave up resisting. 

I am grateful.

"He wants to be with me, isn't that right?" I teased Izan, and Alvaro nodded so shamelessly. I laughed as his parents smiled at their baby son. Camila brought cookies and offered me some. I gladly took one and munched on it as I stared at Izan, who was glaring at his phone.

He was extremely attractive with his short dark brown hair, tan skin, and green eyes. He looked like an exotic prince waiting to claim his throne, but the tattoos on his arms made him look extra scrumptious and less royal. 

I loved tattoos on men. They were my guilty pleasure.

I noticed that Camila, Izan, and Alvaro had their dad's eyes and tan skin, but Alvaro had his mom's blonde hair. They were a very beautiful family, and I envied them. Not for their looks, though I might, but for their bond. I never had that.

~~~

"Here, you can wear my clothes since we have similar body shapes and sizes." Vivian handed me a bag filled with everything I might need for a day, and I felt emotional all of a sudden.

Come on, Verena. Don't you dare cry!

I cleared my throat and smiled at her. "Thank you for everything. This is honestly too much..." 

"Verena," Marco called, and I looked at him. "Since you're clearly uncomfortable with your situation, do you want to work with us? It's Mafia-related, of course... so I understand if you refuse."

They're angels.

I beamed at his offer. It was time to make myself useful. "Anything! Well, not anything... If it doesn't include holding a gun or stripping, I am down," I explained, feeling awkward at my insinuation that I didn't want to be a prostitute or a killer.

Not that I judge. Everyone has their reasons.

Marco's eyes winded, and Izan sighed. "Of course not! I thought maybe we could find a job for you that suits your skills. What did you do before escaping?" Marco asked, and I let out a long deep breath.

"I used to be a translator. I am fluent in five languages, including English," I replied, and Camila clapped.

"That's very impressive! What are they?" she asked.

"Spanish, Italian, Swedish, French, and Arabic." Marco whistled, and Izan looked at me weirdly, but I shrugged him off. "It's not much, but it is something."

"This is amazing, linda!" Vivian commented with a dazzling smile, and I blushed at all the attention.

"Then you'd fit perfectly with us. We often do business deals worldwide, and receive contracts in the languages you know, so it would speed up our business if you could translate them. We usually find a new person for each translating contract to do the job so nothing gets leaked, but it slows us down by a day every time. Your timing is impeccable. You get to do the job, get paid for it, and stay in Izan's house. I don't see why you shouldn't take the deal."

Is this really happening?

Am I that lucky?

What are the odds?

I mean, I never hurt anyone and always pray, so I guess my prayers did not go to waste.

Why question the good things in life when I can just enjoy them?

"Verena," Marco called, cutting my thoughts. "So, what do you say? ¿Tenemos un trato?" he asked. [Do we have a deal?]

"Please say yes. Alvaro got attached to you, and I don't want his heart to break at such a young age," Vivian pleaded as she gazed at her son playing with his toys in the corner of the room.

"I tend to talk a lot, and I am clumsy, and I might be annoying at times," I warned, but they smiled like I was their jackpot, except Izan. He just stared at me. "If you ever get sick of me, just throw me out," I directed my words to him, and he rolled his eyes.

He's such a peach.

A very handsome peach.

Marco ruffled my hair. "We love a little action in our lives. Welcome to the family, Verena!"

~~~ 

8.12.2023 

Now we're going somewhere hehehe. 

See you next week :)