The Mafia Dons Pet (Masha and Luciano) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Mafia in Shining Armor

*Luciano*

I swallowed down my anger as I settled myself into the back seat of the SUV. I hadn’t meant to break hér camera, especially after I noticed the quality of the lens.

But she’d been reckless, and it’s not my fault if her clumsiness turned a simple correctional moment into something tragic. She drove me fucking crazy with her rebellious streak and that stubborn mouth of hers.

“Let’s head to the office,” I instructed Frank, the driver, forcing my thoughts toward the unread emails that were piling up. But I couldn’t help it. My mind circled back to the argument, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I tapped my fingers on the seat, trying my hardest to drive the image of her away from my head.

As we stopped at a red light, my gaze drifted absently out the window, and as if she’d materialized from my thoughts, I caught sight of Masha moving across the crosswalk. But something about her posture caught my attention.

She didn’t look like how I remembered her, furious and relentless. Instead, an obvious sadness softened her features, as she stared firmly at the ground, changing practically everything about her.

I noticed a man coming from the opposite direction. He was staring at his phone, completely unaware of his surroundings. My hand instinctively shot out, but there was nothing I could do from the safety of my SUV but watch as the man bumped into her, sending her off balance.

Thankfully, before she could stumble, Matt stepped in, grabbing her shoulders. Tyler pushed the man back, who had now finally looked up from his phone, sending him stumbling into the street, inches from a honking taxi.

I was grateful that Matt and Tyler were there to protect her, and hopeful that Masha would now see the need for these bodyguards.

As I watched Masha struggle in the street, a strong sense of protectiveness surged through me. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed.

“Matt,” I began, waiting for his eyes to zone in on the SUV. “Bring her to the car,” I continued, when he focused on us. I hung up, knowing I’d given Matt a task that would soon prove difficult.

And just as I’d expected, Masha wasn’t having it. She pulled

Chapter 9: Mafia in Shining Armor

back as Matt reached for her arm, shouting in a way that drew the eyes of nearly everyone around.

They saw a girl surrounded by two men on a busy street, digging her heels into the pavement. The way she acted was absolutely absurd. One would think she was being kidnapped for goodness sake.

The light finally turned green.

“Stop here,” I ordered, and the SUV pulled up behind them. Matt and Tyler managed to maneuver her into the backseat, kicking and screaming, before they both turned and left.

She stopped moving long enough to glare at me, a mixture of anger and disbelief on her face, as if I were the enemy.

I ignored her, leaned over and fastned her seatbelt. After that, I leaned back into my seat, pulled out my phone and began replying to important emails.

“What’s going on?” she demanded. I lifted a hand, signaling her silence, but she wouldn’t listen. She clutched her bag like a lifeline as she glared at me some more. “You broke the only thing I cared about.”

I turned to look at her, and the broken look in her eyes tugged at something in my heart. I felt guilty, an emotion I wasn’t used to, and for an incident I didn’t think was my fault.

Still, I wanted to fix it. “Frank,” I called to the driver, “take us to the nearest camera shop.”

I purposefully avoided her gaze for the rest of the ride, not ready to see whatever look she had reserved for me.

When we pulled up to the camera shop, I stepped out, crossed around the car, and opened Masha’s door. She stared at me with a fixed, defiant look, making no move to get out.

Typical.

A simple show of decency, and she responds by being as rude as ever.. I suppressed an exasperated sigh, grabbed her arm, and dragged her into the shop.

As soon as we walked into the store, Masha stopped struggling. Her eyes swept over the shelves, her eyes lighting up in awe at the sight of so many high–tech models.

We didn’t have time to waste, so I briefly eyed the walls lined with glass cases housing the latest model, but I couldn’t make a choice. I approached the nearest sales rep, a young man. “I need the best câmera you have.

Before the sales rep could help us, Masha left my side, practically floating over to a specific camera, her fingers brushing over its edges like she’d found something precious. She carefully placed her bag by her feet, grabbed the camera and held it up to me, her chin raised in that infuriatingly stubborn way.

Chapter 9: Mafia in Shining Armor

“Great choice. The Canon EOS R6 is versatile for both

photography and videography,” the sales rep offered, smiling at Masha in an over the top manner. “Which would you be using it for?”

I glared at him, making it obvious that Masha would not be answering his question. “Is this what you want?” I asked stubbornly.

To my surprise, her eyes were flashing with defiance. “Yes. You owe me one apologize for breaking my old one,” she said, her gaze daring me to disagree.

I narrowed my eyes. “This isn’t an apology, Masha. Just a replacement.

She cocked her head to the side, glaring up at me. “If this isn’t an apology, then I don’t want it.

The nerve. Did she really expect an apology? She called me a bastard for crying out loud. I haven’t heard her apologize for that. I turned sharply to the sales rep.

“Wrap it up,” I ordered, voice hard as steel. The sales rep hesitated, his eyes darting between us, his gaze lingering on Masha a bit too long.

“You can keep staring at her if you want to lose your job.“I stared him down, speaking those words, and that made him spring into action, packaging the camera with quick, nervous hands.

I didn’t waste a single second once he handed over the box. I paid, gripped masha by the arm, and steered her out of the store. And just like before, I noticed the sales rep’s eyes following her as we made our way out of the store, pure interest in his gaze.

A strange feeling of unease coiled in my chest, causing me to tighten my grip on Masha’s arm. Without a word, I opened the door and pushed her inside, gesturing for Frank to drive to her apartment.

I glanced back at the store impatiently, still thinking about how the sales rep had stared at her. Masha, on the other hand, was practically glowing.

She clutched the box close to her chest, a bright smile replacing the usual frown that graced her features whenever she saw

1. me.

“Thank you,” she murmured genuinely.

I was caught off guard by her words. I hadn’t expected them, and for a moment, I didn’t respond. I didn’t know how to. “Fine,” I finally said, my voice edged.” Make sure you do well in school.” She nodded, her smile widening, her eyes brighter than I’d ever seen, And as I glanced away, a strange feeling settled in, one I didn’t care to name. “Is that thing important?” I asked, trying to distract myself from the sensation in my chest.

Chapter 9: Mafia in Shining Armor

Her smile disappeared in an instant. “If I say it’s important, will you take it away again?” She asked nervously, looking at me as if I was about to take away her favorite toy.

The look in her eyes amused me and I raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. “If you keep causing trouble, I just might.”

Masha’s face fell into a frown, and though a part of me didn’t like seeing her disappointed, I kept my expression unreadable. When the car stopped, she quickly gathered her things, like she feared I’d change my mind and take the new camera from her. “Goodbye,” she said, sliding out hurriedly before I could respond.

But I wasn’t finished. I followed her, watching her skip the elevator, choosing the stairs instead. I followed her info her apartment, stepping inside before she could protest. “What are you…” I pushed past her, observing the tiny space.

It was exactly what I expected, exactly like her. Warm light filled the room, showcasing mismatched furniture, books scattered on the only table, a throw blanket tossed carelessly across a chair. The complete chaos that was her apartment, felt almost… peaceful, just like it felt in the park.

She turned, placing her hands on her hips impatiently. “Are you going to hand over the document?” She demanded. “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”

I nodded toward her bag, where I’d pushed it in when she wasn‘ t looking. With a sigh, she reached in, fishing out the crumpled document.

“Read.” I commanded.

She read the document carefully until every trace of happiness before vanished from her face.

Masha was frowning again.