The Mafia's Good Girl
The Mafia’s Good Girl – Chapter 78

~ Damon ~

– – – – – One Week Later – – – – –

“Here you go, boss,”

Liam pushed a brown envelope to Damon’s desk and Damon took it. Inside the office, the atmosphere was dark and gloomy. It was late at night and Damon, Adrian, Liam, and Beau were doing their usual internal meeting.

“Nice work, Liam,” Damon nodded approvingly at the contents of the envelope. They were polaroid pictures of men in their bloody shirts, most likely after being shot at.

“Thank you. The boys did great,” Liam smiled victoriously. He always took great pride in his handiwork.

“And this one’s from our team,” Beau said, pushing another brown envelope to Damn’s desk.

Damon inspected the contents of the envelope and smirked. Inside the envelope were documents about a cruise ship and its passenger list.

“Everything is in motion, boss,” Beau said. “Now we’re just waiting for the signal and it’s good to go,”

“Good work,” Damon nodded in approval and sat back in his chair. “You two may be dismissed, but keep me updated,”

“Sure thing, boss,” Liam did a little bow before turning to his heels. Beau also nodded his head to Damon and Adrian before following Liam out.

Once the door was closed, only Adrian and Damon were left in the room. Adrian took the envelopes from Damon’s desk and studied the contents. He cringed at the photos and stared in confusion at the other document.

“What do you think? The boys did pretty good, huh?” Damon asked as he poured himself some more whiskey.

Adrian didn’t answer right away. Unlike Liam or Beau who was smiling triumphantly, Adrian had a worried expression on his face.

“You’re opening a damn can of worms, Damon,” he said with a long sigh. “When you take down Hugo, you’re opening the world up for chaos. Mafia lords everywhere, big and small, they’re all gonna fight over new territories and not to mention, his loyalists will want revenge. Are you sure we’re ready for that?”

“What are you saying?” Damon asked the consigliere. The smile on his face turned flat.

“I’m saying after you do this, our lives will never be the same again. They won’t stay quiet and we’ll have a target on our backs,” Adrian stated matter-of-factly as he laid the envelopes back on the table.

“Or they’ll be so scared of us and what we’re capable of that they’ll leave us alone,” Damon remarked, sounding somewhat playful and challenging.

“Are you really that naïve?” Adrian scoffed.

“You know something, consigliere, you have a very bleak outlook on life,” Damon laughed as he got up to his feet. He grabbed an empty glass from the counter and poured some whiskey for Adrian. Damon gave the glass to Adrian but the consigliere didn’t take it.

“Damon, I’m not in the mood for your jokes,” Adrian warned.

“I don’t joke about these things,” Damon said flatly. He persistently put the glass of whiskey to Adrian’s face and he finally took it. “And did you forget what Joe told us?”

“What?” Adrian asked as he stared at the glass of whiskey in his hand.

“Chaos is another word for opportunity,” Damon said with a toast.

“Joe said that?” Adrian narrowed his eyes. “I never heard that,”

“Look, I have no interest in claiming territories in Europe. Those people can take what they want. Let them do all the warring and we’re just gonna sit back and watch,” Damon paused for a beat, taking a sip of his whiskey before continuing. “And as for the loyalists, we’ve been dealing with them, haven’t we? Either we turn them or we kill them. Every last one of them,”

Damon glanced at one of the envelopes, the one containing the photos. Those people who died were Hugo DeSantis loyalists. Those who refused to turn on him would get shot at and burned alive.

“Sure, we’ve got about a dozen families, but there are still dozens more,” Adrian argued. “And if we keep going, Hugo’s gonna suspect something,”

“Not unless they all die in a freak accident,” Damon smirked.

“What are you talking about?” Adrian narrowed his eyes again, suspicious of the smile on Damon’s face.

Damon didn’t have to answer in words. He simply nodded at the other envelope, the one containing information regarding a cruise ship.

“The cruise ship?” Adrian asked.

“At exactly… 2 AM tonight, the ship will malfunction and explode in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,” Damon said as he looked up at the clock on the wall, it was about 1 AM. “All the staff, women, and children will be saved, but I can’t say the same for the guys. Especially the ones in that list,”

Adrian took the envelope again and checked the passenger list. Out of the fifty names on that list, twenty-two were Hugo DeSantis loyalists. Somehow they got into the same cruise ship heading for Martinique. And within hours, all twenty-two of them will be dead.

Adrian put down the document and got up to his feet. He let out a long sigh and turned his back on Damon. Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned around again and said, “I never thought I’d say this out loud, but you’re starting to scare me. The lengths that you’re willing to go to for this… mission of yours,” he paused for a moment before saying, “How very riveting,”

Hm. Is that code for me being a simp?

Damon gave him half a smirk and stood up too. This meeting was pretty much adjourned, so he grabbed his coat and adjusted his shirt.

“To Damon Van Zandt, the mafia lord that will put an end to the mafia world,” Adrian said, toasting his whiskey. “And all because of a girl,”

“I’ve got dreams now, Adrian,” Damon said, finishing the rest of his whiskey. “The world better watch out,”

“Dreams, huh?” Adrian stifled a laugh. “You remind me of myself five years ago. I also had a lot of dreams back then,”

Adrian threw his gaze to the window and his eyes turned somber. Five years ago, he was going to quit the mafia and start a new life with Talia. But after Joe’s death, Adrian put those plans on hold to become Damon’s consigliere.

“We’ve been fighting enough, consigliere,” Damon said as he put a hand on Adrian’s shoulder. Adrian looked at his hand and at Damon. “I think it’s time we let it rest,”

For a split second, there was a glint in Adrian’s eyes. He never thought this day would come. Inside the mafia world, there was no such thing as quitting or ending things. The only ending waiting for them was death. But now, Damon had other plans.

Letting out a low chuckle, Adrian shook his head and said, “You know, I’ve wanted this for a long time but now that it’s actually here, I don’t know what to do with myself,”

“Get a house somewhere far and nice. You and Talia can have a little family. It’ll be great raising children away from this place,” Damon replied.

The thought of living peacefully with Talia and their future children brought a smile to Adrian’s face.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “And how about you?”

“Me?” Damon asked. “Well, that’s easy,”

I’m gonna live my life the way it’s supposed to be. Just me and my sweet girl. Forever until forever ends.

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

For the past five years, Damon never once thought about life outside the mafia. After killing Victor Maranzano, his plan was to continue Joe’s legacy and make the Van Zandt family the most powerful mafia family in the nation. He had the east coast under his belt and he was well on his way to achieve those dreams, until suddenly… something changed the direction of his life.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,”

Violet’s soft and gentle voice cut through the air. Damon’s eyes were closed, but he recognized her voice like the back of his hand. Letting out a lazy smile, he stirred in bed and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the morning light streaming through the window, hitting Violet’s face with a warm orange glow. It was an unbeatable sight, the best way to start his day.

“Mmm, good morning, sweet girl,” he murmured and propped himself up on his elbows.

“How was your sleep?” she said, sitting down on the bed next to him. In her hand was a cup of coffee, still warm.

“It was great,” he smiled, remembering how well he slept last night. Lately, Damon had no more nightmares. In fact, he started dreaming good dreams. He didn’t know how that could be, but he wasn’t complaining.

Leaning up, he kissed her cheek and inhaled her wonderful scent. And just like that, when he thought that the day couldn’t get any better, it just did.

Revenge and glory could only come so far. Nothing beats a good night’s sleep and waking up to my girl next to me.

Damon was planting k****s all over her neck and jaw, causing Violet to giggle. Then she remembered the cup of coffee in her hand, and she pulled away for a moment.

“Coffee?” she asked him.

“Thank you,” he replied, taking the cup from her.

Damon took a sip of Violet’s special brew and his entire body came alive. He beamed and looked up at her, and she watched his expression carefully.

“How is it?” she asked.

“It’s amazing, what is this?”

“That is my latest concoction. I mixed in some elderflower extract in there,”

“Well, it’s great,” he said, taking more sips of the coffee.

“Yay, I’m glad you like it,” she beamed.

“I love it,” he corrected her. Then he leaned closer and closed the distance between their lips. Violet could taste the coffee on his lips as Damon deepened the k**s. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and tasted her. The coffee was bitter, but she was sweet. It was the perfect combination.

The taste of coffee and her. Hands down, the best taste in the world.

“Hmm, this is the best coffee ever,” he said as he pulled away.

Meanwhile, Violet was blushing bright pink because she wasn’t expecting such a powerful k**s so early in the morning.

“So um, tomorrow I’m trying out this chocolate infusion,” she stammered to distract Damon from her reddening cheeks. “It’s gonna be great,”

“Mm, I can’t wait to taste it,” he smirked and finished the rest of his coffee.

And no, I’m just talking about the coffee.

“So hey, what are you planning to do with all these concoctions anyway?” he said as he put the empty cup away.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I was thinking maybe someday I’ll open my own coffee shop,”

Damon narrowed his eyes and studied her expression.

“Okay, you don’t wanna be a bored housewife, I get it,” he deduced.

“Or I can go back to school and study something,” she giggled. “I don’t know, I’ll figure something out. But the possibilities are endless,”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded eagerly. “I mean, since I met you, I feel like I can do anything. You make me… see a future I never thought could exist,”

That’s funny. Because you’re doing exactly that for me.

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

“Nothing,” he replied. “I just like watching you,”

“Okay, creep,” she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

“What did you call me?”

“Nothing,” she said playfully.

“Oh, you’re such a bad girl,” he shook his head and pulled her down on the bed.

Violet faked a gasp and said, “Then are you gonna punish me?”

“Like you even have to ask,”

Violet was pushing her luck and Damon wasn’t one to be messed with. Within seconds, he lifted her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. Much to her protests, he carried her out of the room and into the study, where the playroom was waiting.

“Damon!” she squirmed in protest. “Let me go!”

“Never!”

Damon carried her into the playroom and let her down on the bed in the middle. With that signature smirk playing on his face, he secured her wrists and ankles with cuffs, so she couldn’t move or go anywhere. Hovering right on top of her, he smiled victoriously because he knew: he got her exactly where he wanted her.

You.

You are the reason I get up in the morning

The reason I go to bed at night.

You are why I dream.