Eleni
I glance at Dante out of the corner of my eye. After he dropped the bomb about the situation changing, I expected him to explain or something, but he only took my half-packed bag and loaded it into his car. He drove me away from his house in Staten Island a few minutes later, and we haven’t exchanged a word since then.
“Fuck, Philadelphia?” Dante says. “I was really hoping…no, no we can handle it.”
That’s not to say Dante hasn’t been talking. He’s spent the whole drive with his phone cradled between his shoulder and his ear, taking increasingly intense phone calls. This is the first mention of Philadelphia, and I have no idea what to make of that. The Lombardis only operate in New York, or so I thought. It’s hard to think of anything beyond how absolutely furious I still am.
He spins the wheel and pulls into a long, horseshoe-shaped drive. A house emerges out of the trees. Li
*Tatiana*The next morning, I wake up and Angelo is no longer in bed. I get up, take a shower, put on my most business appropriate suit, beige and tailored, and head downstairs, not sure what I’m going to find.For the past few days, things have been a bit uneventful for the Saints, who are still at the mansion.Angelo told me they were waiting for everything to be handled after Oleg’s death before they can return to wherever it is they live, but I know he’s been keeping everyone here just in case Yakov pulls something and tries to get at me.I appreciate the gesture, but now that I have accepted my role as head of the Romina Empire, I need to start moving and getting the hang of it all. I can’t be babysat forever. What kind of leader would I be if I were? As soon as I get to the kitchen, I find Angelo leaning against the island, sipping a cup of coffee while talking to Dice, Sal, and Max who are seated at the table. “Morning, guys,” I greet, walking inside and heading for the count
*Tatiana*I rest my head on Angelo’s chest as I try to steady my breath—and myself—after he just sent me to the moon with the most amazing sex. It’s the first time we’ve been together without me having Oleg consuming my thoughts. It’s also the first time I’m feeling the weight of being responsible for a mafia empire on my shoulders.I’m trying very hard not to think about everything that it entails, so I don’t freak out.I know I can do it. I know I can find the courage to follow in my father’s footsteps. I just need to get into the right mindset first.I appreciate Angelo wanting to distract me, getting me to relax and feel good for a change, but I can tell this is also eating away at him. He doesn’t agree with me taking over the Romina Empire. But he is too respectful and understanding to say that to me.He said he’ll support me, and I believe he will. But I can’t blame him for having the concerns he’s having. I also don’t know how to handle them yet.I only had that one single ide
*Angelo*Tatiana looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something about her new role as the boss of the Romina Empire.I didn’t want to influence her decision while she was talking to Guskov, since this is, after all, her life. But the truth is that I am not sure how I feel. No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t see an outcome that would make us both happy and together.“Angelo, can you please say something?” she whispers, her pleading, beautiful eyes on me. “I didn’t lie when I said I’d support you," I repeat, hoping she at least understood that part. I’d hate myself if I made her feel anything but supported. “No matter what you want to do with your life, you’ll have my support.”“But I don’t want only your support. I want you,” she states firmly.I run my fingers through my hair once again, holding her gaze. “I’m a Saint, Tatiana,” I remind her simply, doing my best to sound calm and understanding. She nods, but remains silent, waiting for me to continue. “We belong
*Tatiana*“I don’t want to rush you into making a decision,” Guskov breaks the silence. “But we can’t run without a leader for too long. It’s been a couple of days already, and we have urgent business to attend to.” I look at him, doing my best not to look overwhelmed.“I understand,” I mutter. “Do you have any news on Yakov?” I change the topic slightly, needing more information before I make a life-changing decision.He shakes his head at me, his lips a thin line. I can tell Yakov’s disappearance bothers him as much as it bothers me. Where the hell is he, and what is he planning? Did he simply escape so he wasn’t killed, or is he waiting for a chance to catch us off guard?If I don’t accept the position, it will be open for Yakov to claim, which is something we definitely don’t need. He might not be fit to rule, but I would bet my life he is certainly capable of causing permanent damage.“What about the ones who are faithful to Oleg?” I ask.“We’re getting rid of them,” Guskov tell
*Tatiana*I needed a couple of days to get my mind out of a fog after I killed Oleg.Angelo and the others don’t think it’s safe for me to leave yet while Yakov is still out there, so we stay at the Saints’ safehouse. I was hoping to reclaim my life, but maybe taking these days to rest first is what I actually need.I don’t think I’m in the right frame of mind to make important decisions; especially important decisions that can affect the rest of my life.I feel so indecisive. Moving back to Russia would mean leaving Angelo behind, and that is out of the question for me.But up until a couple of months ago, Russia was the only place I ever called home. If I stay in the United States, what will I do here? Do I really want to be part of the mafia world? I don’t think Angelo will ever give up on that part of himself, and I wouldn’t dare ask him to for me. But do I want to be involved? Would I be ready to let go of him to leave it all behind? Or am I willing to accept the mafia life as p
*Angelo*Watching Tatiana kill Oleg had me paralyzed for a moment, but when she stumbled backward, her legs wobbling, I noticed she was just about to faint. I rushed to grab her, pulling her into my arms and taking her away from his body.Feeling her tremble, sobbing uncontrollably, made me aware of how hard tonight had been on her. She put on a brave face, and managed everything so well, that I could feel nothing more than pride. But once I got her away from the mansion, and realized she had endured much more than I realized at first, I felt powerless. I didn’t manage to protect her like I wanted. And no matter how often I remind myself that she doesn’t need my protection, that she can handle herself well enough, I still hate myself for allowing her to be put through all of this.Getting beaten by Oleg, having to kill people to get justice for her family, and staining her soul makes me feel like shit.The entire drive back to Staten Island, I debated with myself. I wanted to get hom