Mafia Puppet
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Jessica M
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The Rules: Mafia is family. One shall see the doors of hell before betraying our secrets.
Francesca Lasta knows a thing or two about keeping secrets. As the eldest daughter of a prominent mafia family, Francesca is promised to the Don from a young age. Rumored to be vicious, unpredictable and downright gorgeous, Antonio Giordano is looking for the perfect submissive wife to be the Donna the family needs. Despite her initial fears, Francesca will discover thereâs more to the mafia boss then she first assumed ⊠and that some secrets are best left untold.
Age Rating: 18+
The Codes of Ours
THE RULES
âMafia is family.â â Antonio Giordano, Mafia Puppet
OUR LIFE
one | if youâre deaf, blind, and mute, youâll live a hundred years in peace. Stick to omertĂ , the code of silence, if you want to see tomorrow.
two | donât meddle in another brotherâs business. Mind your own.
three | donât start a fight you canât win. Stand with the Family or face hell.
four | be a man of honorâdonât touch, see, or feel another brotherâs woman. Respect your elders.
five | keep your ears and eyes open, but your mouth shut. Donât betray your brothers or enemies. Take your punishment like a man of honor.
six | have class and independence; donât beg.
seven | youâll see hell before you betray our secrets.
eight | never get involved with drugs.
THE PENALTY
death.
THE RITUALS
You become one of us with a prick of a needle at the base of your thumb, joining your blood on a burning card passed around to all.
You are a man of honor and you are our brother.
Amen.
***
FRANCESCA
âYou belong to him, and you better remember that. Donât lose your virtue unless you want to lose your life.â Those are the exact words my father told me years ago. It felt unnecessary when he and his bodyguards were always on my tail.
âHeâs a good man, daughter, and heâs the Don now. Heâll be gentler if you do as he says,â my mother said when my father broke the news to her. She didnât waste a second advising me, and I didnât expect anything different.
I finished my education even though I knew Iâd never need it. Usually, a woman is valued more with a higher degree.
In the Family, thatâs far from the truth. Itâs seen as demeaning in front of potential suitors, lowering her worth because she wants to do more than just coddle her husband. Iâm one of those demeaning women. My father didnât care. Not because he loved me, but because I didnât need a suitor anymore. I already had one, and I wore his ring like a collar around my neck.
âI canât believe weâve already graduated from university.â My best friend, Sophia Magritte, is buzzing with excitement, pulling me out of my gloomy thoughts.
Iâm grateful for it. Anxiety wonât help me avoid something thatâs written in my fate. I accepted it years ago. Still, a somber expression clouds my face. I know whatâs coming nextâsomething thatâs been delayed for so long is finally about to happen. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. Heâs close.
âWe should party! Iâll introduce you to a bunch of handsome men who would die for you,â she says dramatically, grinning widely.
Quite literally, I think to myself.
âNo, I canât. You know that,â I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
She rolls her eyes. âYouâre a beautiful twenty-four-year-old woman who hasnât even been to a club yet, let alone had a girl's night out. I always have to go alone or with other people, many of whom I donât even like. But not this time, Missy. Iâll drag you there myself if I have to.â
Sophia is one stubborn woman. Sheâs fiery, just like her red hair, and has the most beautiful eyesâone blue and one green. Sheâs loyal, someone who wouldnât hesitate to burn the world down for the people she loves.
Sometimes it overwhelms me; her stubborn nature always pushes me into doing things that get me into trouble.
She doesnât know that, of course, and I would never tell her, so I just try to avoid such situations.
Usually, it works.
But, this could be my last day with her, and I want nothing more than to step out of my role as an honorable mafiosa.
However, I also know that Iâm easily replaceable, and while part of me would be glad for it, I know my life is only easier because of the ring hidden under my shirt. If I lose him, I lose the safety I feel whenever I step outside. Heâs my only future, and itâs simply my good luck that my betrothed himself wanted to tie the knot lateâprobably to enjoy his bachelorhood until he eventually has to conceive an heir. Either way, Iâve had time to mature and understand the severity of my position. Iâm no longer prone to making stupid mistakes. Itâs not worth it. Iâve given up trying.
âWhy are you zoning out again? I swear to God, youâre always so sketchy. You never stay after school. You have weirdass bodyguards following you. Itâs like someoneâs going to jump you out of nowhere, and then not to mention youâre always so stiff. I admit, youâre filthy rich, but donât you think this is a little extra? A businessman shouldnât be this protective, or should I say possessive, about his daughter. Your dad needs to chill the fuck out.â
Well, thatâs an understatement. I sigh. âItâs not like that, Sofie. My father is just strict. Itâs normal,â I try to explain, but itâs in vain. Sophia has long caught onto my lies.
âWhich is exactly why you should move out. You can afford to live on your own, right? I donât even mind if you come to live with my family and me,â she offers before her nose scrunches up in disgust. âIâm just sick of your parents. They didnât even come to your graduation.â
I ignore the small stab in my heart and look around to see if anyone heard. My father already told me to cut her off once my studies were over. He doesnât need outsiders investigating us. He only allowed me a friend because he thought it would be even weirder if I was friendless.
If my bodyguards heard her comments, they would report it back to my father, whoâs only looking for another reason to go on a rampage. With the FBI on the rise again, heâs being extra cautious, leaving us more under his watch.
I lift my chin, a hint of defiance in my posture. âI just canât, okay? Donât be so hardheaded.â
Sophiaâs eyes soften with a sadness I wish I could erase. âFranci, youâre letting your life slip away by bowing to unfair demands and control. I donât understand why you wonât stand up to your toxic family, but I wish youâd tell me. Iâd understand, and Iâd do everything in my power to help you. You know I can.â
She holds my hand, as if her touch could somehow break through my walls. I wish it could. I really do. She doesnât know how much I want to let someone in, but I also know she wouldnât understand. Sheâd run, just like everyone else. She wouldnât get it. Iâm not just obeying my father. Iâm obeying the one Iâm promised to, as always.
âThereâs nothing to tell. Iâve got to go. Iâll call you later.â I donât wait for her to respond. I walk out of the grand university building, my high heels barely supporting my shaking body as I try to avoid another confrontation.
My ride is easy to spot. Itâs a white speck in a sea of black. The sleek white limousine draws the attention of everyone nearby.
People are always puzzled by my lifestyle. After all, who in their right mind gets chauffeured around in a car that costs a small fortune? No one, except me, the rich girl. They must think Iâm a snob.
My bodyguard, Silvio, leans against the car, his face expressionless, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He straightens as I approach. His gray eyes lock onto mine, as if Iâm the most precious thing in the world that he must protect at all costs. A scratch on me would indeed cost him his life. Silvio opens the door for me and waits until Iâm settled. He can be kind sometimes, especially since he always makes sure the limo smells like mangoes and peaches. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I finally escape the prying eyes of strangers. I donât even mind the two guards sitting across from me today. Iâm used to them. Theyâre almost invisible. Almost.
âWhere to?â Silvio asks in his rough voice, looking down at me from the open door.
âHome,â I reply, crossing my legs.
Silvio nods as if Iâve told him something he didnât already know. We both know itâs a rhetorical question. Home is the only place Iâm allowed to go, but Silvio has always been kind enough to let me feel like I have a choice. Even if itâs a false choice, itâs a choice nonetheless. It makes me feel respected, which is strange because my mother never receives any respect. My fatherâs men always touch her inappropriately, and no one cares. With me, however, theyâre much more restrained.
I feel the car start to move as I turn my head to the side. I catch sight of my best friend watching the tinted car, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. I have to keep her safe and away from my world. She canât know. Pretending to be the conservative rich daughter of a millionaire helps, but I know she has her suspicions. Sheâs not stupid, and Iâm not very good at being discreet. Itâs only a matter of time before she finds out.
Not if you stop seeing her.
Itâs the right thing to do, I decide. Sophia needs to be kept out of this for her own safety and mine.
***
Home is anything but sweet, and my father never lets us forget it.
âFrancesca, your father has some guests. Stay in your room,â my motherâs timid voice greets me.
Sheâs scared; I canât blame her. Itâs not the first time my father has had his allies over, and my motherâs small body is too weak to fight anymore.
Without a word, I head for my room upstairs. I donât want to hear the noises. I donât want to hear the screams. Even though I should be used to it by now, Iâm not. Itâs just as hard as the first time.
I grab my phone and AirPods, then start playing some slow, calming music. It drowns out my motherâs cries of shame. It drowns out my fatherâs satisfied laughter and the menâs disgusting grunts. It drowns out the reality Iâm desperate to escape.
As night falls, I know my mother will be lying in the guest room, her body covered in bruises and her spirit nearly broken. I donât go to comfort her. I donât want to be seen by those vile men, let alone be touched by them.
My mother wouldnât want me to come down, and thatâs what I tell myself every time.
