Ruthless Mafia 13

“And you’re saying there was a man in here while I was under the blanket watching a movie?” Sidonia was pacing
frantically in their living room.
Icaro dropped her off only moments ago, walking her straight into the apartment, giving Sidonia a single nod and a warning to behave, before he kissed Zorah’s forehead softly and left closing the door tight behind him.
Their dinner was served on the yacht, and the dish which Icaro called frutti di mare, was a delicious pasta served with
mussels, clams, squid and shrimp and even crab and it was spicy and warm. Dessert was a delicious chocolate cake and
dark coffee which she knew was going to keep her up far longer than she would like.
He’d been flirty throughout dinner but there was no more talk of violence, sex or their arranged marriage. He specifically
regaled her with stories of his childhood which were fun and lighthearted and asked multiple questions about her and
Sidonia’s upbringing and the things they enjoyed doing together.
They’d shared a bottle of wine, and she was far tipsier than she normally would be, but it didn’t quell her nerves on the
ride back to her apartment where he kept her tucked under his arm, his eyes closed as he rested his head against the
headrest while she nestled against his shoulder. He’d not even kissed her goodnight aside from the kiss to the forehead
and she was admittedly confused considering how passionately he’d kissed her on the ride to the marina.
Sidonia snapped her fingers in Zorah’s face, “hello! Earth to Zorah. You’re in dreamland.”
“Sorry. Yes. There was a man in here. I told Icaro I didn’t want to marry him, and I would accept the death penalty. He
seemed to know I wouldn’t care if anything happened to my mom or uncle, so he had someone come in here.”
“So now you’re getting married to him because of me. I’d rather die than let you do such a thing!”
“Well, you’re not going to die, and neither am I. I’m getting married on Saturday morning.” She gave a shy smile, “he wasn’t so bad.”
“What?” Sidonia’s eyes were bugging out of her head. “What the heck do you mean he wasn’t so bad? He’s a mobster! He engaged in sex in a room with other people present and it got filmed and is on a website for amateur pornography. He’s not so bad?”
“Okay, he’s bad,” she rubbed her hands together which were suddenly feeling very cold, “but once we got the fighting
out of the way, he was really charming. He got me laughing and forgetting the reasons behind all of this.”
“Charming?” Sidonia grumbled, “he probably charms all kinds of people right before he puts a bullet in their brains.”
“What were you watching you’re so violent?”
Sidonia looked away, “a movie called The Goodfellas. It’s about the mob.”
“Good grief. Don’t watch such things!”
“I’m scared for you. These are not nice people, Zorah.”
“What choice do I have, Sid?”
“You could run away.”
“Where? Where on earth could I go with my nine-hundred and eighteen dollars in my bank account, a credit card with a
spending cap of a thousand dollars and I don’t even have a passport? Do you really think there is anywhere I could go he wouldn’t find me?”
“He’s not a good man, Zorah.”
“Yeah, but I’m really starting to believe there aren’t many good ones out there and the ones who say they’re good, who
act like they’re good, are not good.” They shared a long glance.
“He was really angry yesterday, huh?” Sidonia asked about her uncle. “You didn’t want to talk about it last night.”
“I begged him to help me find a way out of this. He told me I was not honoring my mother because I know the risk to her
life. He made me offer penance.” She saw Sidonia’s lips press together fighting her anger and she shook her head, “it’s
fine. I’m fine. My mother also disciplined me for having pornography on my phone.”
Sidonia looked away angrily, “I bet Father Gianonne stuck around to watch to make sure she didn’t miss a strike. Pig.”
“Sidonia. You can’t speak ill like this. Do not lower yourself to their level. You are far more virtuous and godlier than
either of them. Do not let them steal your shine.”
“Their influence over my family has caused me to question my faith so many times, Zorah. To know they, these people
who preach constantly about living life purely and in strict obedience to the Lord and yet they judge and condemn us so
quickly. We try so hard to be good women in our faith and it’s never good enough. I want to be free of their hold over
us. God, I wish I could go with you wherever he is taking you.”
“Me too.”
Sidonia moved to look out the living room window and rested her head against the glass, “your fiancé has two cars out
there. I think they’re watching to make sure you don’t take off.”
“Likely,” she moved to join Sidonia at the window. “Or my uncle hired someone to watch to make sure I don’t run off.”
“Remember the time we ran away from home in twelfth grade?” Sidonia asked quietly.
“I remember.”
Her uncle, mother and Sidonia’s parents and aunt and uncle tracked the down and dragged them home. Sidonia was
grounded for six months, and her mother put an ankle monitor on her she’d gotten from a friend in the church who worked with the local police station. Zorah was subjected to daily penance under both her mother and uncle’s strict
supervision.
“Maybe it’s not so bad for you to be married off,” Sidonia whispered. “At least you’ll get away from them.”
“I used to find such safety in prayer. If I was praying, they left me alone. Never once did my mother pull me from the
church if I was on my knees in devotion. I could go to church and sing and worship and feel safest. Now it’s not the
same. Each and every time I step into the church, I no longer feel safe. I feel I’m trading one set of bad circumstances for
another.”
“I think the further you are away from your uncle and your mom, the better off you’ll be.”
“I don’t want to leave you behind,” she reached for her friend.
“No matter where you go in this world, Zorah, I’ll always be in your heart and your best friend forever.”
“It won’t be the same.”
“I don’t think your life is ever going to be the same again.”
The statement kept them awake all night.