The Mafia's Good Girl
The Mafia’s Good Girl – Chapter 56

~ Damon ~

When Damon saw all those bruises on Violet’s body and heard Dr. Lee talk about her trauma, his chest was aching and twisting in pain. He wished he could take all of them away, but he couldn’t. He never felt more weak and powerless.

But then he saw the look on her face, how she smiled at him and said that everything is okay. She was fearless and strong, maybe even stronger than him, and her strength gave him hope. She gave him a new purpose.

This girl deserves the world. And I’ll make sure she gets it.

Damon woke up this morning to Violet squirming in his arms. He cuddled her and they slept like that the entire night. When he woke up, he felt that she was crushing his wound with her body weight, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Despite her efforts to pull away, Damon kept his arms wrapped around her body.

The world outside is cold and hard, but I’ll keep you safe and warm.

“Damon…” she sighed in protest.

“Stay here,” he said. “With me,”

Violet stopped squirming instantly. She knew that was a loaded question. He wasn’t just telling her to stay in bed with him, but he was asking her to be with him for all the days to come.

“Okay,” Violet nodded her after a beat of silence. “I’ll stay,”

Damon’s lips curved up a smile and he put a hand on the side of her face. He stroked her chin gently and his eyes pierced into hers. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was that after everything that happened, he was still able to hold her like this.

“What?” Violet asked him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I…” Damon opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped himself from continuing.

I’ll never take this moment for granted.

“What?” she pressed again, looking up at him in confusion.

Damon stifled a laugh and leaned his face down to her. He captured her lips with his and kissed her slowly and tenderly. Violet let out a sigh and she started kissing him back. After not being able to k**s her for so long, Damon felt like he could finally breathe again. Her hands clung onto his chest and his hand pulled her face up so he could k**s her deeper.

“I love you, Violet Rose Carvey,” he said through the k**s, unable to stop the words from flowing out of his heart.

Violet gasped in shock and pulled away, but Damon wasn’t having it. Smirking victoriously, he pulled her back down and closed the distance between their lips, sealing her fate with another k**s.

“I love you so much, my sweet girl,”

After Isabella, Damon didn’t think he’d be able to say these words out loud. He didn’t think he could ever feel so much love for anyone ever again, but he did. And it was so much more than he could ever explain.

“I love you too, Damon,” she whispered back. “So, so much,”

Hearing her say those words in return, Damon’s heart never felt this full and warm. Despite the pain he was feeling in his body, he felt nothing but pure absolute bliss.

Damon let out a sigh and pulled away to get a better look at her face. Her violet eyes shone brightly and they were one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen. Closing his eyes, Damon planted a soft k**s on her forehead and held it for as long as he could. He inhaled her intoxicating scent and felt nothing but peace. If there was a moment that could last forever, this would be it.

If the world ends today, I wouldn’t even mind.

If the world ended right now, this would be the perfect ending for Damon and Violet. But alas, the world wasn’t going to end today. The world kept spinning and Damon knew this heavenly moment wouldn’t last as long as his enemies were still out there.

Which can only mean one thing.

Damon sighed and opened his eyes, then he rested his chin on the top of her head. He stroked her hair gently as she rested her head on his chest. She was smiling from ear to ear and she started drawing circles on his chest with her dainty fingers. Damon’s hand reached out and he laced those fingers with his.

“Hey, what’s your plan for today?” he asked.

“Um, I’ll probably go see Dr. Lee and Talia,” she replied. “I might stay here for a couple of days. I’m waiting until the bruises heal and then I’ll go home and see my mom,”

Damon nodded the idea in approval, he especially liked the part that she’d stay here for at least a few more days.

“That sounds like a plan,” he said.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “What about you?”

“I know Adrian’s probably going to call for an emergency meeting,” he said, pausing for a beat before adding, “But after I’m done with that, I’ll stay here and cuddle with you,”

Wait, did I just say that the word ‘cuddle’?

That was such a lame thing to say but it was too late to take it back. Violet was already giggling happily and showering his jaw and cheeks with k****s.

“Sounds like a plan,” she beamed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Just as he predicted, later that afternoon, Adrian called for an emergency meeting with Damon in his office. With a fresh bandage covering his wound, Damon put a white t-shirt on loosely and he didn’t close the buttons all the way. Grabbing a glass of whiskey in his hand, Damon sat down on his desk and waited for Adrian to come inside.

Damon knew that he had been out for a while, so Adrian was probably busy picking up the slack. He also knew that Adrian might be upset with him for not listening to the consigliere’s advice. Out of all the years that they’d been working together, this was the first time Damon didn’t listen to Adrian and acted on his own accord. He took a big risk and it could’ve lost them everything.

* KNOCK * KNOCK *

The knocking sound on the door pulled Damon out of his thoughts. He knew that it must be Adrian.

“Come in,” he said as he poured another glass of whiskey for his consigliere.

“Damon,” Adrian greeted as he stepped inside. His eyes looked tired and his face was stoic and unreadable.

“Adrian,” Damon handed him the glass of whiskey and Adrian took it. “Before you start, I know what you’re gonna say, but this isn’t business anymore. They came after her. It’s way personal,”

“I know,” Adrian scoffed and sipped his drink. “And I already know how stubborn you are when it comes to personal matters, but that’s not why I’m calling this meeting,”

Damon stifled a dry laugh and sat back on his chair. Adrian also sat down in front of Damon. The two men were quiet for a moment, they were trying to read each other’s expressions.

“How are you feeling?” Adrian asked, breaking the silence.

“Like I’ve been through hell and back,” Damon replied.

“Glad that you’re back though,”

Damon let out a smirk.

“Me too,”

There was another beat of silence in the air. As much as Adrian didn’t approve of Damon’s methods, he was grateful that his best friend was alive and well. And Damon too, he wasn’t acting cócky like he got everything under control because he didn’t. He almost didn’t make it out alive. It was only by pure luck that the bullet didn’t lodge into his kidney or heart.

“So, lay it on me,” Damon said finally, putting his drink down on the table. “You’re here to tell me something. What’d you got?”

Adrian also put down his drink and pulled out a file from his briefcase. Damon took the file from him and it showed a detailed report regarding Violet’s kídnapping and its aftermath.

“Liam went to the hospital but he’s recovering,” Adrian summarized the report verbally. “And I saw the CCTV footage from the Holland tunnel, that car crash was no accident. One of Maranzano’s guys was driving the cab Violet was in. That guy wasn’t in the warehouse when you came in, but we managed to track him down,”

“Where is he now?”

“Bottom of the Hudson River, page two,” Adrian answered. Damon flipped the page and saw that report as well. There was even a photograph of a body bag being thrown into the river.

“Liam did that in crutches,” Adrian continued, pointing to the photograph.

“Good,” Damon nodded his head approvingly.

“As for the warehouse shootout, the police and the media didn’t know it was us. We made them think that it was an internal conflict between the brothers,”

“Now that must be all you,” Damon closed the file and put them on the desk. “You did great,”

Ignoring the compliment, Adrian continued talking, “Thirty Maranzano guys were dead, including Leo and Luca. On our side, we got ten guys with bullet wounds, eleven including you,”

“We got zero casualties?” Damon laughed in amusement. “That must be a new record,”

“I still can’t believe you fúcking did that,” Adrian scolded. He sounded angry and irritated. “That was thoughtless and reckless, it could’ve gone so wrong so fast,”

“But it didn’t though,” Damon argued.

“Yeah. Aren’t you a lucky motherfúcker?” Adrian scoffed and pointed to his wound.

Touché.

“Taking out Leo and Luca is always our plan. It just happened earlier than expected,” Damon said, pausing for a beat before adding, “I guess you can say we’re ahead of schedule,”

“Right,” Adrian rolled his eyes.

“Have you told Hugo about any of this?”

“Of course,” Adrian answered. “You said he has to be kept in the loop,”

“And what’d he say?”

“He says, if you want the perfect moment to strike Maranzano, this is it,” Adrian said matter-of-factly. “Victor just lost all his sons. He’s never been more angry and vulnerable. He’s not going to be able to think straight,”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that,” Damon let out a deep breath. “I think anger is a powerful thing. He’s got nothing left to lose now. And there’s no man more dangerous than a guy that has nothing to lose,”

“So you think we should wait then?” Adrian asked.

Damon thought about it for a moment. Eluding Victor and delaying war might be a smart move. It would get Victor all riled up and he’d start acting sloppy. But on the other hand, waiting would mean that Victor could have a chance to strike back. If this was Damon from weeks ago, he wouldn’t wait for a beat to take on Victor Marazano. He didn’t have anything to lose before, he didn’t even care for his own life, so it didn’t matter to him who wins or who loses as long as he got his revenge. But right now, Damon wasn’t that guy anymore. He got something to lose, he got something he wanted to live for. So he couldn’t just be reckless because living or dying finally meant something.

“No,” Damon said finally. “We’re not waiting. He’s done enough damage in our lives. It’s time for him to pay”

Adrian narrowed his eyes at Damon. He knew Damon was serious. He’s made his choice. This was the path they were taking on now: a full-on war.

I won’t stop until I clean this world of scumbags like him.

“Victor’s going to be brave and reckless this time. So we have to be cunning and slow,” Damon continued as he got up to his feet. He grabbed his suit from the chair and put them on.

“It sounds like you already have a plan,” Adrian said.

That’s right. I’m making this world a better and safer place for her.

Smiling a victorious smile, Damon ordered, “Get Hugo on the phone,”

Adrian didn’t know what Damon’s plan was, but he knew better than to question his leadership. His job was to advise and not to doubt, so he nodded his head and got up to his feet.

“You got it, boss,” he said and he went for the phone.

Damon kept his smile as he threw his gaze to the window. He never felt more determined to get rid of his enemies, and the fire in his chest won’t stop burning until he gets what he wants.

Nothing in this world will hurt her ever again. I’ll make damn sure of it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Damon was done with his meeting for the day, it was already past dinnertime. He didn’t like being away from Violet for too long, but this meeting was essential. In just a few short months, the biggest mafia family in New York City would be eliminated from the world. Damon would take over that spot and become the most powerful family on the East Coast. With all that power in his hand, no one would dare to touch him and his family ever again.

Walking with a spring in his step, Damon made his way to Violet’s room and knocked on her door. He couldn’t even wait until she finished telling him to come in and he already pushed the door open.

“Hey,” he beamed, smiling brightly as he saw her on the bed.

“Hey,” she smiled back when she saw his face.

Damon stepped closer and kissed the top of her head. Violet sighed in response and held onto his hand.

“How was your meeting?” she asked him.

“It went well,” he replied.

“That’s good,” she giggled. “Does that mean we can cuddle now?”

I swear this girl has my heart in the palm of her hand.

“Of course,” he said, climbing on the bed and snuggling her. Violet’s body melted into his as he spooned her, and it was making his chest beat faster.

She makes my knees weak but my heart strong.

“I’ve missed you, Damon,” she said as she turned her face to him.

“I’ve missed you too, sweet girl,” he replied, closing his eyes and aiming for her lips.

For the first time in my life, I found someone who makes me wanna do something real.

Something more than just revenge.

Something good.