His Tesoro: An Arranged Marriage Age Gap Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 1)

“How does it feel?” Angelo asked, crouching down so we were eye-level.

I bounced happily in my seat. The wheelchair people had just left after walking me through all the features of my new chair. “So good. It’s so much better than my old one.”

The front door opened and Romeo popped in. “I heard you had a special delivery today.”

I grinned. “Yeah! Isn’t it fancy? And I have the motorized assist, so I should be able to go really fast.”

A mischievous look crossed his face. “How fast? We should test it out in the hallway.”

“We don’t have a hallway,” I said, head cocked. Our elevator opened straight to the foyer with our front door.

“Mine and Sienna’s floor does,” Romeo said. “Let’s go.”

We headed to the elevator, pushing the button to take us two floors down.

“Where’s Matteo?” I asked, trying to sound casual. He’d been gone when I woke this morning, which was probably a good thing since I’d lain in bed, hoping to be swallowed by a black hole after my behavior the night before. My memories of the evening were covered in a strange haze that made them feel unreal, but I was pretty sure they were, unfortunately, very real. I had run my fingers through his hair.

Romeo and Angelo exchanged a look. “He and Domenico had some work to do.”

Well, that was mysterious. I was tempted to push for more information, but I’d long gotten used to being shut out of my father’s business. Matteo had already let me in more than the Pakhan ever did, even if it was just because of my translation ability.

The elevator doors opened on a long hallway with three evenly spaced apartment doors.

“Who else lives on this floor?” I asked.

“The third unit is for Sienna’s bodyguard. She keeps firing them, though, and it’s driving Matteo crazy.” Romeo looked very amused at the thought of Matteo’s irritation.

Angelo grunted. “He should have known better than to assign Domenico to be her guard.”

“Domenico?” I asked, eyebrows raised. “But he’s an enforcer.”

“Don’t you mean Il Diavolo?” Romeo said with a sour expression. “Fucking ridiculous.”

“Matteo thought Domenico could handle Sienna, but he underestimated his sister,” Angelo said.

I grinned. I could totally picture Sienna running circles around all the Mafia men. “I don’t blame her,” I said. Something about Matteo’s enforcer made me uncomfortable, even though he had been perfectly polite. I couldn’t imagine having to spend my days with him, and was filled with relief that friendly Angelo was my guard. “Why does Matteo like him?”

Romeo rolled his eyes. “Domenico was one of the first to declare loyalty to the Don after his uncle’s betrayal. He helped weed out traitors in the Family and supported Matteo in winning back his empire.”

“Yeah, like a decade ago,” Angelo muttered. “He’s still an asshole.”

I grinned at how grumpy he sounded.

“No argument there,” Romeo said.

Romeo and Angelo kept bantering with each other as we made our way to one end of the hallway, and I felt like I had friends for the first time. They probably didn’t consider me a real friend since it was their job to watch me, but I didn’t mind pretending.

“Alright,” Romeo said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s see how fast this racecar can go.”

I turned on the device and made some adjustments in the app. “Okay, now I should be able to go full speed.” I took off down the hallway, keeping my right hand light on my wheel to steer. Being in a comfortable chair fitted just for me, and riding in it without straining my arms and shoulders, was pure freedom.

I laughed as I flew down the hall, reluctantly slowing down as I neared the end. I turned around to face the guys, throwing up my arms in victory. “That was so fast!”

Romeo snorted. “What was that, like four miles an hour? I could push a wheelchair faster than that. I think a turtle could outpace you.”

I crossed my arms. “Only a really fast turtle.”

Romeo rubbed his hands together. “I wonder if we could hack the unit so it can go faster.”

Before I could get too excited about the process of racing in my wheelchair, Angelo shut us down. “The Boss will kill you.”

“Worth it,” Romeo said.

I returned to the other end of the hallway. “If you think you could beat me in a race, go get my old chair from upstairs.”

“Oh, you’re on,” he said, laughing as he pressed his thumb against the elevator sensor to open the doors.

Sienna’s apartment door opened and she poked her head out. Her hair was damp like she’d just gotten out of the shower and she was wearing sweatpants and a tank top, but somehow she still looked put together.

“I thought I heard something out here. What are you doing?”

“Romeo and I are going to have a wheelchair race.”

Sienna grinned. “Oh, is that your new chair? So exciting! I definitely have to see this. Also, good timing because I was going to see if you wanted to order food. We could all eat together?”

“Sounds great.”

While we waited for Romeo, Sienna took a turn in my chair, spinning in circles and going up and down the hall. “This is fun,” she said, smiling widely as she returned it to me. Having her respond to my chair with such playfulness and excitement eased the heavy weight of the shame I’d carried around since I started using mobility aids.

Romeo returned with my old chair, and we raced up and down the hall, his shouted curses following me as I pulled ahead.

“What the fuck? This thing is terrible,” he said, scowling. “I think I pulled something in my shoulder.”

“Aww, big, strong Mafia man hurt himself,” Sienna said. And then we both burst out laughing.

Eventually, we ordered food—sushi, which I’d never tried—and made our way into Sienna’s apartment. Her home was similar to Matteo’s, just smaller, and it felt cozier and more lived-in. There were collections of art on most of the walls, and all the furniture had bright pillows and blankets. I was sure Matteo didn’t want me changing anything in his apartment, but maybe I could eventually ask Sienna to help me pick a few things to personalize my bedroom.

Angelo went down to the lobby to get the sushi delivery, and Romeo poured us glasses of sake. Angelo returned with an armload of bags, and I raised an eyebrow at the copious amount of trays they arranged on the dining room table.

“How are we going to eat this much?” I asked.

“You think it’s enough? I feel like I should have ordered more,” Sienna said.

I laughed, but then realized she was serious. The sushi did look good. Mila had always wanted to try some. I took a picture of the table to send to her later.

We sat down at the table and Romeo moved my wheelchair off to the side.

“To Sofiya’s new wheelchair,” Sienna said, holding up her glass of sake. We all toasted, and I took a sip. The drink was cool and crisp with an edge of sweetness, and I decided I liked it. I rarely drank, never having much access or interest in alcohol.

“Okay, start with this,” Sienna said, using her chopsticks to put a colorful piece of sushi on my plate. “Put the ginger on top with some wasabi and then dip it in soy sauce.”

“And then I just eat it in one bite?”

“Yep,” Romeo said, popping his fourth piece into his mouth.

“Alright.” I clumsily picked it up with my chopsticks and popped it in my mouth, chewing slowly.

“Well?” Sienna stared at me expectantly.

“That was good.” My voice came out suspiciously high-pitched.

Angelo laughed. “You really are the worst liar.”

“That’s okay,” Sienna said, putting two new pieces on my plate. “That’s why we got a selection. This is spicy tuna and then this is a California roll. They’re better for beginners.”

I took several sips of sake to get rid of the taste of the first roll and braced myself before picking up the spicy tuna roll. The first one had truly been disgusting, and the second was just as bad. I wasn’t a huge fan of seafood in general, and something about the texture of the sushi was really not for me.

I smiled at Sienna once I’d swallowed the two new pieces she’d given me, but based on her expression, it must have come out as a grimace.

“I’m sorry,” I said, taking another long drink of sake. “It might not be for me.”

“We’re going to find one that you like,” Sienna said, full of determination as she put another selection on my plate. Angelo and Romeo gave me sympathetic looks.

After consuming more sushi than I’d ever dreamed of or wanted, Sienna put one last piece on my plate, looking absolutely defeated.

“Okay, this is a vegetarian roll. It has cucumber and avocado. You have to like this one.”

I dipped it in soy sauce and put the whole thing in my mouth, chewing slowly.

“Well?” Romeo asked.

I swallowed. “I don’t think I like seaweed.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re hopeless,” Sienna said.

I grinned. “Completely.”

“Do you want me to order something else?” Angelo asked.

“Absolutely not,” I said. “Sienna’s practically force-fed me my bodyweight in sushi.”

She sniffed. “I’m not sure how I can be friends with someone who has such an unrefined palate.”

I stuck my lip out in a pout, and she rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. We can be friends, but only if you make my favorite dessert.”

“Hey, she has to make my tiramisu first,” Angelo said.

“You’ll get your tiramisu once you teach me how to play poker,” I said.

“Poker?” Romeo asked.

“Angelo’s invited me to his weekly poker night, and I’m determined to beat them all.”

Romeo leaned back in his chair with a hearty laugh. “You invited her?”

“I’ve always said we need more women at poker night.” Angelo winked at me as Romeo snorted. “But you’re probably the worst liar I’ve ever met, so I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“Have some faith, Angelo,” I said, elbowing him in the arm.

My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I couldn’t remember having a better day than this one. The only thing missing was having Mila and Matteo here.

As if my thoughts had conjured him, the door opened and I broke out in a huge smile. “Matteo!” It was only when everyone turned to stare at me that I realized how exuberant I’d been. I cleared my throat and took another sip of sake. I could blame my outburst on the alcohol—I was deliciously warm and tipsy—but Angelo had been right that I was terrible at hiding my emotions. My parents had done their best to make me a good, obedient, robotic Bratva wife who expressed nothing. Sometimes I wished I would have at least internalized some of their lessons—it would leave me less exposed in the brutal world.

“Come sit down, fratello,” Romeo said. “You might be able to find a couple pieces of sushi left that Sienna hasn’t force-fed your wife yet.”

“Move the fuck over,” Matteo said to his second-in-command, who got out of the chair next to me with a good-natured huff.

I tried to keep my cool that Matteo wanted to sit next to me.

He nodded his head at my new wheelchair. “How do you like it?”

“I love it,” I said, turning towards him. “Thank you so much for organizing it and getting it so quickly.”

Matteo busied himself with getting some sushi, but I thought I saw the slightest hint of red in his cheeks, and I wondered if my husband felt more than he let on.