Page 4 of Snake's Head

Mia rolled her eyes. “It is movie night. I want to be able to watch something not child friendly.”

“Ugh, you and Verona planned to watch some sick horror movie, right?”

“It is very gore, so be prepared,” she said with a smile and turned back to look at my brother. “Can you make some popcorn? I am craving.”

“Craving, huh?” he said with a smile. “Do the twins want popcorn, or do you?”

She shrugged. “Why does it matter you are going to make it anyway.” Next, Sal bit down Mia’s neck, and she shrieked.

I didn’t mind their PDA as much as Verona did, but I was not a fan. “Keep your kinky punishments in the bedroom,” I said.

Mia’s cheeks flushed red, but Sal didn’t mind at all. “She is thirty-seven weeks pregnant with twins. Nothing kinky is happening in the bedroom.”

“Sal!” Mia almost jumped. “He doesn’t need to know that.” I really didn’t.

“I am preparing him for the future for when his wife is pregnant.”

I chuckled. “Thank you, but I can manage my bedroom activities without your help.” I did well until now, at least.

Still, his words made me feel weird. Marriage was a natural part of life, especially in our circles. It was a routine, but I had grown up surrounded by married couples who were in love. My parents were not one of them, and the Outfit had many unhappy couples, but my immediate family all found love.

I grew up wanting to have what they had, even though it was stupid. There was a list of reasons a mob man would want a wife, and love was not included. It would only make you weak.

I had more modern opinions about a lot of things but still tried to be a man others could appreciate. Up until Mia had a baby boy in her belly, I was my brother’s heir. I wanted to be worthy of that title. I was not allowed to want many things and managed to push them back.

Falling in love and marrying were not dreams of a powerful man in our circle.

But marriage was an obligation we needed to fulfill, and I wondered how it would work out without love in the equation. I was almost twenty, which meant I would soon find out.

Chapter 2

Luciana

A loud bang woke me from my sleep, and I wanted to cry. My head was throbbing even though I was lying down. I needed peace.

But I was never granted that in this house.

“You are still asleep?” my mother asked like it was the most unbelievable thing.

I graduated high school last semester and was not allowed to go to college or work. I had all the time to sleep. I should have been at least given that. “Why should I be up?”

My mom opened the curtains, and horrible sunshine filled the room. Light only made my headache worse. She also didn’t answer my question but instead gave me a disgusted look. “You still stink of alcohol. How much did you drink last night?”

That made me smile. “Dad has a big cellar. We should use it, right?”

She put her hand on her waist as my eyes fully opened and looked down at me disapprovingly. “Do you want me to believe you drank at home?”

At this point, they were okay with that. Actually, they were okay with whatever I did until my father could find a way to punish me without tarnishing his own reputation. I was sure he regretted the day he met my mother.

She was his third wife. She was means to a truce as the daughter of a Colombian Drug Lord, but that was not the only reason at all. An Italian Don marrying a non-Italian was scandalous, but he fell for the twenty-one-year-old beauty when he was well over forty. My mother’s fiancé even died mysteriously.

I was his punishment for the crimes he committed for a beautiful young wife.

“How can I drink outside of the house?” I asked my mother, fluttering my lashes. “It is not allowed.”

She just looked even more furious. She actually had some hope for me, unlike my father.

“If you really don’t want me to leave, you can put a guard on my door.”

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