Angel’s Trumpet by Sem Thornwood

By the beginning of May, there was still no marriage talk going around. I knew Salvatore was delaying it as much as he could. He was also staying away from me like he did before. After the night at the lake house, he returned to his old self. Only this time, I didn’t ask for space. This time it was irritating.

I didn’t even know how I gathered up the courage to kiss him. Maybe it was a stupid move, and it was the reason for his disinterest. Though I tried to not think that way because it made me even more irritated. How could my soon-to-be husband hate my touch that much?

Because of him, for the first time in my life, I was actually self-conscious about my looks. I spent long days in front of the mirror searching for my flaws. Yes, I was short, but my legs were long and lean. I was not very curvy, but I did have a grabbable ass, and for a fact that I knew random guys checked it out when I was out shopping. I knew some guys didn’t like girls as petite as me, but I was clearly not too ugly to make someone run away with a small kiss.

His call on my birthday didn’t stop my insecurities. He did sound very sad when he called me, which was okay because his sister was still engaged to Brando Panaro at that time.

When I saw his name on my phone, I felt butterflies in my belly. I hated that he had any impact on me, but it was impossible to get rid of. I tried humor to hide my excitement. “Are you calling to say you are taking me to Vegas for a shot-gun wedding?”

He chuckled at my joke. It was good that he didn’t get stressed over the idea of marriage, but I was still sure he would not marry me if his father didn’t push him. “We cannot have a party if we do that. You like parties.”

I did. “Good point.”

“Happy birthday Mia.”

“Thanks,” I said. Honestly, I was waiting for a marriage talk, but he didn’t give it to me. He asked about my party, and I told him I chose Bella over a party. He didn’t seem surprised.

After that, we had encounters, but we haven’t had a real talk until late April. Even then, it was not a deep conversation. We danced at Alessio and Bella’s wedding.

He did tell me I looked beautiful, and I believed him. He also said my bangs were looking cute. I got stupidly happy because he noticed I got bangs.

He didn’t tell me anything about our marriage, but still, it was a good dance. We exchanged our happiness for our siblings and had a laugh. After that, no words were needed. He let me put my head into his chest and held me close. He probably danced with me for far too many songs, but I didn’t realize how many. We got separated when we needed to send Alessio and Bella to their home. After that, he didn’t come close to me again.

I hoped maybe he was waiting for my graduation, which was only a month away now. Even a tiny part of me wished for Giovanni to push him on the matter.

I did encourage him to overthrow his father, but deep down, I knew if he would lose power over Salvatore, our engagement would be cancelled. I really did believe he would do that even though it would displease my father.

“Pup, what are you thinking?” my father asked, and I realized I was far gone on my thoughts. It was a rare occasion where Dad was able to have breakfast with us.

I shook the thoughts away and decided to focus on my family. “Nothing important, Papa. Just thinking about my graduation dress.”

He laughed, and I relaxed because he took my lie. When he opened his mouth to say something else, his phone ring filled the dining room. Like all the other men I knew, he never turned off his phone in case of an emergency.

He didn’t leave the room before answering, which meant it was probably either Antonio or Alessio. “Son,” he said simply, and I couldn’t understand which one.

It was probably about something I had no business knowing, so I just focused on my bell pepper omelet. I just wished papa wouldn’t have to leave immediately but didn’t have much hope. A phone call on Sunday morning usually meant trouble.

And a few seconds later, papa’s face turned into an expression that confirmed there was trouble. “Are you serious?”

Mom stopped eating her eggs and turned towards papa. She was better than me at reading his face. If she got tense, it really must have been something important. What if something happened to one of my brothers?

“Who found him?” Oh no, please don’t let it be that. “I am on my way.” Then he rose from his chair at the same time he hung up.

My mom was the first one to ask. “Rafael, is everything okay?”

Dad would typically just say yes, kiss her on the forehead and leave, but this time, he didn’t. He looked at her for a moment with a hesitant face and then spoke, “Antonio called. Giovanni Vasile is dead.”

“What?” we said in union with my mother. He was very depressed after his wife’s death, but he was not sick or anything. So, I added, “How?”

“Killed himself,” Papa said uncomfortably. Giovanni was losing his power, but he was not in a desperate position. It was not very common for a man in his position to kill himself. He would be remembered as a weak man.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. That prick deserved that.

Dad shook his head like all the information was too much. “I should go. It is going to be a hard couple of days. Pup, maybe you should visit Bella. Pippa, you come with me. It would be best if we took the twins with us.”

Mom rose from her chair, nodding, but I didn’t obey the order. I knew Bella was probably not even a little devastated over the news. “I’ll come with you too. Twins might need both of us. I’ll call Bells and say she is welcomed to come here.” I knew twins would prefer me to my mom.

“Those poor children,” my mother said from the passenger seat. In the middle of the chaos, I actually managed to escape from Mateo and drove my own car with my mom next to me. Mateo was still following with another car, but that was okay. “They lost their mother first and now not even a year later their father.”

“Well, you cannot say Giovanni is a big loss. He was a shit of a father anyway.” The only tragedy that the family had was the death of Aunt Claretta.

Mom slapped my thigh hard enough to make me yelp. “Don’t say those words in front of anyone.”

“Do you think I am stupid?” Of course, I was not going to say it in front of people who were not family.

She shook her head and looked straight ahead. We were about to arrive. “Soon, you are going to be the wife of a Capo Mia. You have to learn how to shut your mouth.”

Those words made me realize what really was happening. Sal was Capo now. He was yet to have a ceremony or something I was not familiar with, but still, he was the Capo of the Chicago Outfit.

He was also the most powerful man in our circle. He had the power to cancel our engagement.

 

“Everything is going smooth,” Antonio declared as soon as I left my father’s office. I had to see his dead body with my own eyes, and it was the loveliest sight I have ever seen.

People were not calling me Crazy Eyes for nothing, I suppose.

“Did you inform everybody?” I asked, making my way downstairs.

Antonio followed me. “I sent the word. Tonight, we will have a meeting. You have to declare yourself Capo. I don’t think there will be a problem. You also should choose a consigliere and…”

“I have already chosen my consigliere,” I interrupted. “You were my father’s temporary consigliere but will be my permanent one.”

Antonio Heartless Mazzoni looked stunned for a second. “I am an heir.”

“Then gave the good news to Alessio,” I patted his shoulder. “He is the heir now. When Rafael dies or wants to step down, Alessio is going to be the Underboss of Chicago.”

“People will think you are favoring us.”

I smiled to myself. “Well, I do favor you. Alessio is the husband of my sister. It is only natural for me to promote him.”

I kept walking towards the living room where my little siblings waited but stopped by Antonio’s hand on my shoulder. He looked simply wary of everything. “People support you, but you are a young Capo Sal. Our enemies are going to attack.”

A sinister smile pulled my lips. “Let them come.”

Then I kept walking and was greeted by Rafael and Alessio. I gave Alessio a curt nod that was a secret “thank you” between us. Then turned to Rafael. “You are fast.”

“The situation calls for fast.”

“Can someone take the twins to your mansion? I don’t think they will be comfortable here.”

He nodded and pointed to the living room. “Pippa and Mia are already here. They are going to take them.”

I looked inside, surprised. For some reason, I was not waiting for Mia to come, but she was there. In jeans and a t-shirt with her hair up in a ponytail. She was crouched down and was consoling my sister. She was always so damn good at taking care of people. But the sight of her made me realize something else. Something else that I had to take care of immediately.

I turned to Rafael slightly, but my eyes were still on Mia. “I want to have a private audience with Mia.”

Rafael invited me to dinner at the mansion for the next day since that day, we had too much to take care of. After dad’s body was taken, I called one of my aunts to take care of the funeral. Aunt Pippa suggested doing it herself, but she took over so much after my mother’s death, and I had different plans for her anyway.

At night we did have our meeting. Most were in favor of me already, but I could feel their hesitation as well. I was only twenty-three, and that was a very young age for a Capo. I would have to work hard to prove myself. Luckily, I was more than ready to show everyone Crazy Eyes.

Everyone except one person.

The dinner was charming. Maybe it was because I was finally where I wanted to be. But for some reason, I felt like Mia didn’t enjoy her night as much as I did. It was weird, considering she had told me to take down my father.

I felt how tense she was during the whole dinner but couldn’t think of why. Maybe she was just tired because she had to take care of Verona and Valerio the other night. They were staying on the Mazzoni Mansion until I moved back into our mansion.

I actually liked my penthouse in the city, but it was more fitting for Capo to live in the mansion. Also, I didn’t want to leave my siblings alone. They did have their nannies since dad didn’t create anytime to spend with them, but it would be horrible to leave them alone with them. I wanted them to feel safe and at home.

After everybody was done with their dessert, I thanked them for dinner and finally asked, “Can I speak with Mia privately now?” I didn’t know why but that made her even tenser.

Was she afraid of me or something? That would definitely ruin my good day.

Rafael nodded. “Of course. You can talk in the library.” I was glad that he didn’t feel the need to send Antonio as a chaperone. He was more trusting towards me than his sons.

Mia rose from her chair and joined me on our way to the library. I couldn’t help but check her out. This was the second time I did that to her. The first was at Bella and Alessio’s wedding. That time I blamed it on the beautiful flowery dress she was wearing and how it presented her ass. Now I wanted to do the same, but her black dress was not very bewitching. Yet, she looked beautiful anyway.

First, I thought her bangs looked childish, but when I got closer, I find them very pretty. Her whole face was framed by black, and that made her blue eyes pop even more. I even found myself liking her rather pale skin. She didn’t look like the girls I typically went for, but oh man, she was more than beautiful.

She was magnificent.

And to my horror, since the wedding, the sight of her stirred a hunger inside me. I was never able to look at her that way before, but something snapped at that wedding. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and then hold her while we danced. We fucking danced for almost two hours. She didn’t let me go, and I couldn’t let her go.

My best guess was that the wedding made something to my subconscious. I have at last realized she was mine, and my primal instinct took over. I couldn’t decide if it was good or bad.

After we were both inside, I closed the doors behind us. When I turned back, Mia was chewing her bottom lip nervously. I wanted to reach and pull it free from her teeth but still tried to keep my distance.

I opened my mouth, but Mia beat me to it. “Is this a kind way to warn me?” my brows came together, and she explained further. “Do you want to inform me before you cancel the engagement?”

That made my forehead wrinkle even more. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Your father’s dead,” she said like it was something I could forget. “No one is forcing you to marry me anymore.”

Well, that was true, but for a while, I didn’t need a push to marry her. Even before I realized she had a hot body and a magnificent face, she was my best option. “You think I will cancel the engagement.”

She only nodded and again started chewing her bottom lip.

This time I couldn’t help it. I reached and pulled it free. “And who should I marry if not you.” It was a rhetorical question, but a side of me was curious about the answer.

But the way she shrugged, I knew she didn’t have a better option on mind for me. “Someone you actually want.”

“I do want you.” Maybe I should have thought more before choosing my words.

Mia only laughed joylessly. “That is rich.”

“You are a Mazzoni, Mia. Your father is the Underboss of Chicago, and your brother is my Consigliere. You know how to act, and you are good at impressing people. You get along with my family well, and you know me better than any bride I could find out there. Not the mention canceling our engagement would create further problems. So yeah, Mia, I do want you.”

She seemed less hesitant. It was easy for her to believe anything non-romantic and logical. It worked for me well, so I was not complaining.

“Then why did you want to talk to me?”

Good, now we were talking. “I am Capo now, and it is not good for me to wait long to get married.”

“So, you want to start planning the wedding.”

“Actually, before that, I want to talk to you and see if you are okay with it too.”

Now her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I wanted to ask you if you want to marry me.”

It was not a question woman in Cosa Nostra heard often. And I could see the confusion it brought to Mia. “I am your fiancée,” she said more to herself than to me.

I shook my head. “That doesn’t mean anything. Mia, we were both forced into this. Over the years, I have come to peace with it and realized it was something I wanted, but if it is not the case for you, I don’t want to force you. Despite everything I have listed before, I am ready to let you go.”

“Free,” she let out a breath like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. “You act like if I don’t marry you, I can live my life any way I want.”

“Well, you can’t,” I said. There was no need to lie. “You will have to marry anyway, but I doubt your father will refuse you if you tell him you want to marry someone specific.” The thought of Mia having a secret lover actually boiled up anger inside me, but I managed to contain it.

She considered for a second and shook her head. “There is no one I want to marry.” But still, her eyes held something I couldn’t quite understand. Freedom meant something to her, but it had nothing to do with choosing her husband.

I decided to just ask. “But there is something else you want?” She didn’t answer, but I knew what it was. “You want to go to college. Bella told me that before.” She also made me promise that I grant Mia that wish. I answered that I would let her do it anyway.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why haven’t you told me?” It would be a lot easier if she told me herself instead of Bella.

“Because it doesn’t matter,” she pressed. “When we get married, you will expect children from me, not a degree.”

“When?” I asked, even though there was more I wanted to say about that sentence. “Does this mean you want to marry me?”

“You are my best option.” Oh, the feeling is mutual, Angel.

Angel?

I have definitely never called her that before. Weird.

I cleared my throat to get rid of the thought. I was not going to utter that word out loud. “Then let’s make some things clear. I am only twenty-three and not even close to wanting kids yet. I am also okay with you going to college. Did you apply anywhere?”

She looked almost shy. “I did, actually. I was not hoping anything but wanted to see if I could get in.”

“And did you?”

She nodded. “School of the Art Institute of Chicago.” Then she made a little calculation on her head, and the almost smile faded from her face. “But I didn’t answer, and the deadline was yesterday.”

It was cute that she thought she couldn’t get in because of a deadline. I would even handle it if she hadn’t applied anywhere. “Don’t worry, I will take care of it.”

“I have missed the deadline, Sal. I have to try again next year.”

“Mia, do you even know who I am?”

She giggled, “Okay.” But then again, her smiled faded. “Thank you for being so considerate and open. Since you gave me that, I want to share something with you too.”

She looked so fucking nervous saying it. My first guess was that she was going to tell me she was not a virgin. Honestly, I wouldn’t even care. I would want to kill whoever she slept with, but that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for the marriage.

But she said something different. “I have PCOS.”

“I have no idea what the fuck is that, Mia.”

She turned and twisted her finger nervously. Why did this girl have so many nervous tics? “Polycystic ovary syndrome. It means that it will most likely be hard for me to get pregnant. It doesn’t exactly mean I am infertile, but there is a risk.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t imagine how that made her feel when she was living in a community where women were seen as baby machines.

“Do you still want me?” she asked hesitantly.

Mia was clearly not a baby machine to me. No woman was. “Of course.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The only thing I care about is marrying you as soon as possible and not to wear a pink tie at my wedding.”

She giggled sweetly, and the nervousness left her eyes. “I better start planning then. How soon do you want to get married?”

I shrugged. “Well, I want you to have the big celebration you want. I am okay with how much do you need for that. Just not more than necessary.”

“It is still going to take a few months.”

I smiled. “Then take your time, Angel.”

Shit.