His Mafia Prince
Chapter 45: Anxiety At It’s Best

Chapter 45: Anxiety At It’s Best

(TYLER)

"We won’t stay here long," Sasha scowls. "we’ll all go back to the meeting in the house soon."

What does he mean by all? Is Angelo coming back too?

In my head, I know that is a dumb question. Of course, he is coming back. He is a family member too. I’m having trouble breathing at the thought of having him around back at the house. What will it be like? I can’t stand him. I can’t be around him. How am I supposed to do that when all I can think of right now is how to kill him?

I grip Sasha’s arm. "Can Miles drive me back? I can’t wait, Sasha. I don’t think I can." My voice is shaky and Sasha stares down at me.

"What’s the rush?" he asks.

"I feel terrible." It’s not a total lie. My head feels light and I’m struggling to pull air into my lungs. I don’t think I can stay here any longer because I feel more suffocated by the minute. "I...I just need to go back." I tighten my grip. "Please, Sasha."

His brows knit. He hesitates for a bit. "I’ll drive you back."

My shoulders slump with relief. "Thank you."

His gaze is stuck on me, still eyeing me suspiciously.

"I’m sorry you’re not feeling great, Tyler," Lucia says, eyeing me with concern overwriting her features.

I nod. "I’ll be alright once I... once I leave this place and get some rest."

Angelo’s gaze is pinned on me too, except, he looks anything but worried. His eyes are cold and assessing. He might have been worried about me outing him to his family the first time he saw me, that I’d blurt out the truth and tell everyone he slept with me. But now that I didn’t, he mute think he has some sort of power over me. Perhaps he does. I need to figure out my next step, but that’s almost impossible standing a foot away from a man who tried to off me.

"Come here." Sasha puts his arm around me and speaks to me coaxingly. "I’ll borrow Miles’ car and take you home."

We take our leave, but even then, I can feel Angelo’s piercing stare at the back of my skull. I want to flee, but that’s impossible, especially with my state and also considering that I’m married to Sasha. He will eventually find me if I try to escape.

I wonder if Angelo will try to kill me again now that he knows I’m alive. I can’t help the dread creeping up my gut because I know, I’m now sure that he is affiliated with the mafia. Killing people has never been a problem for them. Or will he try to blackmail me? Well, I could try to blackmail him instead. But then that will force me to admit that I’ve had a relationship with him before.

How can I be honest about that? In truth, I’m afraid of Sasha more than I am of Angelo. If I come clean to him, he might want to take revenge against me and Angelo. I don’t know Sasha well enough to know whether or not he will blame me for the situation. I could try and explain to him, but his buying my explanation is a long shot.

I only just began to build this tenuous connection between us. He already trusts me, but then he loathes Angelo. I don’t know and can’t tell what he might do when he learns that the child I’m with is Angelo’s.

Miles hands his car keys to Sasha at his request. I notice however that he watches me with a funny expression. I notice a little naughty smirk tug at the corner of his lips. Does he know about me and Angelo? I hope to heavens he doesn’t. How could he know about us? Angelo was so guarded with me that I doubt if anyone knew of our relationship. That’s how he preferred it. After all, the secrecy suited me just fine. All I wanted then were drugs. It was always the drugs. Jake was never the draw.

Sasha opens the door and slides into the driver’s seat. He glances over at me. He looks wary. "Did Angelo do anything to upset you?"

I shake my head. "No."

"You’re sure?" he asks. "You looked annoyed."

My hand rubs the back of my neck. "No. I...I was just petrified. I thought he’d want to see the bite." I lie, trying to get his focus away from the subject. "He didn’t ask to see it though. You said he would. You said he’d ask to see it in front of the crowd." I sound accusing.

"I know he will. Trust me, Angelo is more cunning than he looks. He will ask." He grips the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turn pale.

"Or maybe you convinced me to let you give me your mark for no reason," I mutter. "Maybe you just wanted to take advantage of me."

"Nonsense." He blurts out. "Trust me he will ask to see it at some point. You don’t know him. There’s just no way he won’t."

"What if your sources were wrong? What if they lied to you?"

He laughs. "I doubt they would."

I cup the tender spot at my neck and swallow. "I’ll just hide in our room then."

"What?" Sasha scowls at me, looking annoyed. "Why would you want to hide?"

"I’ve had a long day, Sasha. I’m pregnant and tired. I’d very much appreciate a little rest." I rub my eyes, wishing this was just a bad dream and it wasn’t really happening.

"I know you’re tired. But you can’t skip out on everything, Tyler. Come on. The guests have been invited back to the house. It’s your time to shine. Don’t you want to?"

I scowl at him. "That’s easy for you to say. You like the attention. I don’t"

"Whether you like the attention or not isn’t my concern, Tyler. You will stay and meet the guests. You’ll be alright." He implores. "Just put on the act like you did when you wanted a big tip. Pretend you’re tending bar."

I grit my teeth. "Fine."

I’m surprised when he reaches over and takes my hand. His are warm and the feel of his skin comforts me. "You’ll be alright." He swipes his thumb over my skin. "I’ll be there with you the entire time, then we’ll have conversations with some prominent people, then... Angelo will ask to see the mark, okay?" he laughs. "The joke will be on him when he finds out you have my mark. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he does."

A sudden anxiety spikes through me and I yank my hand away from his. "I...I don’t feel... feel good. I...I’m going to be sick."

"What?" his eyes go wide and he sharply pulls the car to the side of the lane.

I fumble with the handle for a bit then stumble out of the car. I fall to my knees near a clump of dry heave, gagging. Nothing comes out though. It is then that I remember I hadn’t eaten anything today. I am sweating, and my whole body is shaking. I’m lightheaded and I feel like I could pass out any minute now. I struggle to pull air into my lungs. I’m horribly lethargic.