Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43: We Can Play Scrabble

"Nothing beats the feel of paper," Marco replied. He reached for a pan.

"Come on!" Valentina groaned, spinning on her heel. "We can play Scrabble. Monopoly. Something. I’m bored!"

"Not my problem."

She gasped, offended. "Wow. You’re cold."

She circled him. "You know," she said casually, "I can put in a good word for you with my sister. She already kinda likes you. You might win points." Her brows wiggled with wicked enthusiasm.

"Trust me," he said slowly, forcing his hands to keep moving, cracking eggs with unnecessary care, "I am not interested in your sister."

He absolutely could not be interested in her sister. Thinking about Veronica Scalese was a shortcut to a shallow grave. Marco liked his head attached where it was.

"You’re terrible company."

"Good."

"Why do you hate fun?" she demanded.

Marco grunted. "If I say yes, will you leave me alone?"

"That doesn’t make any sense. The point is spending time with me."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, already regretting every life decision that had brought him into a house owned by Luca Genovese and occupied by a bored Scalese teenager. "Fine! You win! I’ll play fucking Monopoly with you!"

Her reaction was immediate and explosive.

"Ah!" Valentina screamed, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his middle with the strength of a girl who had too much sugar and nowhere to spend it. "Thank you! Thank you! You’re the best!"

"I am absolutely not," Marco muttered, stiff as a lamppost while she hugged him. Physical affection was not his language.

She pulled back, eyes sparkling with triumph. "You have to run to the store and get some board games!"

He stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" She was already halfway out of the kitchen, voice trailing behind her. "We can’t play Monopoly if we don’t have Monopoly!"

"Great! Just great!" Marco groaned to the empty room. "Fucking Scalese girls!"

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

For a split second, his heart lifted.

Lord please, let it be another fucking mission.

Anything. A pickup. A warning. A mess to clean.

He pulled the phone out and checked the message.

Bastardi: Coming tonight. Need to check the merchandise.

Marco stared at the screen longer than necessary.

His jaw tightened. His shoulders followed.

"Fuck," he breathed. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He glanced in the direction Valentina had disappeared, her laughter still faintly echoing down the corridor. A kid. Loud. Curious. Annoying as hell.

He turned back to the stove and flipped the eggs in the pan.

Merchandise.

The word tasted like bile now. It hadn’t before. He’d used it a thousand times. Packages. Cargo. Goods. Clean words for dirty realities.

Marco shut the stove off.

"Fuck this," he muttered

*****.

Vito Scalese locked his door behind him and adjusted his jacket. It was late morning, the good hour before lunch rush.

That was when a voice came from behind him.

"Mr Scalese!"

Vito stopped.

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