Fallen From Grace [Married to the Mafia Novel] novel Chapter 1

“No,” I watch helplessly as my parents’ bodies lay on the ground, blood pooling around their bodies from their wounds. “Mom? Dad?” I call out but there’s no answer. I crawl toward them, uncaring of the danger still looming. I hear gunshots being exchanged in the background. Screams fill my ears as I reach my parents both shot dead. It’s not until I feel my throat dry out and my vision blurry with tears that I realize the screams are mine, drowning the war raging outside this room.

How did it come to this? Cradling my mother’s head against my chest, I wrack my brain to figure out what’s going on.

“They’re dead, little Jean.”

I know that voice. Shivers run down my spine as Serafino Regis comes into view, two bodyguards flank him, loaded guns pointing at me. “What will it be, Jean?”

Still holding my mother in my arms I shuffle backward to get away from him. Serafino Regis, the head of the Regis family did this to us? The Regis family whom we’ve been tied to since I can remember. My sister and I used to run around with the Regis kids when we were little. What the hell happened between him and my father? Why would they betray us?

Serafino cocks his head to one side, a sly smile on his face. Clearly, he’s enjoying my pain and confusion. “Confused, little one? It’s not me who betrayed your family, it was your father who made a gamble and couldn’t deliver what he promised.”

“What are you talking about?” I could barely project my voice, hoarse from the exertion. “How could you do this?”

“How could I do this?” He bellows loudly, making me tremble in fear. If he could murder my parents with whom he shared close relations, he could do worse things to me. “Maybe your father should have thought things through before he gambled your lives away. And then tried to run away with my money. Now, can you see why I'm upset?”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Dad would never do such a thing. He loved our family, he loved me and Bianca. He’d never trade us for anything. I glance down toward my father’s lifeless body. He couldn’t have, could he?

“Don’t you see?” Serafino spreads his arms wide. “This is all mine now. Your father tried to run away and leave you both behind. He sold both of you to our family.”

“You’re lying,” I say, mustering enough courage to get the words out of my mouth. “You murdered my family in cold blood, and for that, you will pay.”

Serafino clicks his tongue and strides toward me. “And I thought you were the smarter of the two Atwood daughters. This little piece of paper proves that I now own you. You and your sister both. I own you and I’m to do with you whatever I wish. Your father signed this, I'll even show you more proof if you play nice,” He shoves the piece of paper in my face, but I still don’t believe what he’s saying.

“Where is my sister? What did you do to Bianca?”

“Oh, I would worry about myself if I were you,” he replies. “But to answer your question, she’s alright… for now.”

“You bastard!” I scream at him, torn between wanting to hit him but reluctant to let go of my mom. “If you hurt her, I swear to God I–”

“What?” he says in a challenge. “You’ll what, Jean?”

“I’ll kill you.”

Serafino erupts in bellowing laughter, the sound echoing in the walls, grating in my ears. It’s not a sound one might easily forget.

I fight the urge to gag at the way Serafino is looking at me-- like a wolf salivating at the sight of a poor helpless rabbit. "Now, I need to settle things with your father's lawyer, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. These people follow the money; now that your father is dead, they will all crawl to me."

He's right. If Serafino has managed to acquire my father's wealth, that includes my inheritance too. "My men will take you to the Regis estate. Don't even try anything funny, little Jean if you don't want to see your sister's pretty head roll.” He exits the room leaving me alone with my parents’ cooling bodies.

What the hell is going on? I scramble for anything that could help me process this, but I come up with nothing.

Why did Serfino do this? He has always been a close friend of my father’s. Hell, he was there for my 18th birthday celebration for fuck’s sake! And now he wants to keep me and my sister as what…pets?

The fuck he is. I won’t let him hurt me or my sister, but I need to get out of here first.

Eyeing the two men standing guard near the door, they’re both on high alert. It won’t be easy to escape but I would rather die than go with them without a fight.

“Excuse me,” I say just loud enough to get their attention. “May I please have a few minutes alone with them, please. I just want to say goodbye.”

They look at each other skeptically, but they back away from the door, enough to hide me from view for a while. And that’s all I need. At the other end of this room is another room that leads directly to the west wing. I can use that to escape.

I don’t make a show of it, but I make sure the guards hear me sobbing. With one last look at my mom and dad, I whisper a quiet “Goodbye.”