An Arranged Marriage To The Mafia...?

"Yet another gripping shooting confirms the states worst fears; gangland warfare is still continuing right here in the heart of the city. At about 10 o'clock tonight police confirmed the cold-blodded shooting death of known mafia figure David Carmicle..."

The news report rambled as if she knew the secrets behind our lives, she shunned my families and used her elloquent tongue to throw in the odd word that she prayed attracted the attentions of her producers that would dump her in an anchoring position. I shivered as the camera rolled across the front of my father's larger casino, goosebumps grew at the bright police tape tacked and sealed across the doorways, suits and uniforms casually walking and collecting criminating evidence.

I ran a stresed hand through the ends of my damp hair, Ethan's mother Maria had insisted I clean up and with a quick look down at my blood stained sight I didn't protest. I stood, still at first under the hot stream of water, every bead embedding in my tired skin, soap took away the visual reminders, the blood stains and smell of death, but my memory held firm to the look of David's puckered face, replaying in my mind everytime I closed my eyes. I'd stepped out with shaking legs and pulled myself into a set of Ethan's sweats and t-shirt, both miles too big for my much smaller stature. I'd fumbled with the door handle and collapsed over the sofa where I could now be found.

Curled up around a cushion, my head resting on the arm of the soda, I starred sidways at the tv screen, my attention roaming back a few hours, my heart racing with the memory. I watched the news reporter as she tried to hunt down a known face for an interview, the only thing to break my attention; the swift casually movements of Ethan Radev as he paused before the couch.

"You look exhausted." I scoffed lighty at his remark, he hadn't even met my eyes as he spoke. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

I had no time to react, he didn't allow any protests but merely pressumed I would follow like a lost puppy as he walked slowly away and down a small hallway and like a lost puppy I lived up to his expectations quickly. My index finger of my right hand twitched and reached out to the white paint of the walls as I shuffled across the carpet behind Ethan, my head down watching as my socked feet moved in a rythym of their own. We stopped at a white door with a simple silver handle and I was ushered in quickly. To most the bedroom I had stepped inside would have been an unimaginable luxury, the size of a possibly small apartment, it was more than enough to accomadate for life's adventures. To me, it was simply another room. I didn't intend to sound ignorant or spoilt, but to put it simply I had seen more hotel rooms than most people in Western society had seen McDonalds stores.

"Is- Is that my suitcase?" I frowned as the blue box on wheels fell to my vision straight away, it stood out immediately against the white and pale cream setting.

Ethan simply raised a single eyebrow and nodded slowly as if I were an idiot. He rolled is eyes after a second and siappeared into where I suppose the bathroom was hidden. My hand clamped acround the handle of the case and I pulled the small note from the top, my name scrawled acros the folded front. I threw the small scratchy note open and I read quickly, my eyes fluttering with haste over every poorly scribbled word my father had written.

I know you're upset, but trust me, it's for the best.
It's easier for the both of you this way
I know you'll understand.
D.

"He didn't tell you yet did he?" Ethan leaned casually against the frame of the bathroom door, his eyes watching my confused expression.

"Tell me what. What's for the best? What am I suppose to understand...?"

"It's not as dramatic as he made it out to sound." He rolled his eyes, "it's all part of their agreement, for the next year or so you live here. You live like a Radev, get used to this 'world' George liked to keep you from."

"What?" I heard my voice raise a little and glared at the smirk a the corner of Ethan's mouth.

"What? You think I favour the idea of sharing everything with you Amelia? My life, my home, my bed." I felt my eyes grow as he referred to the fact we now shared a bedroom, "Please, you're possibly the very last girl I wanted to 'settle down' with."

"And you think I want this?" I didn't look at him, instead I kept my eyes down at my cold hands. "I never wanted anything to do with this world. I hate everyting about my father's line of business. He doesn't want to make sure I'm not in over my head with all of this, he wants to make sure some one will at least take over his legacy."

I paused as I watched Ethan push himsel from the door and in four easy strides stop before a night stand, his hands qucikly pressing his phone inside him pocket and clasping a plain but expensive wrist watch around his left wrist.

"Ar- are you going some place?" My voice was soft and low, I mentally scolded myself for asking.

"Well." His mouth twisted in a cold smile, the type that sent chills down my spine. "Seeing as our wonderful announcement party didn't quite work out so well we now have business to attend to with the Moretti family."

My heart stopped, the Moretti family were the other side, they weren't allies, they were enemies. They were the gun holders who'd shot my mother's brain across the tiles, who left me screaming most nights from horrific nightmares. They were the ones who had destroyed my childhood and a good majority of my teenage years, I vowed they would not effect the rest of my life, but something like that was easier to say than see through.

I felt my breath catch and I swallowed a nervous lump as Ethan turned by the door, "Get some sleep. I'll be back later." I nodded absent mindedly as my eyes fell to the cold metallic shine of a gun's handle glistening from his inside pocket, he looked at me for a moment before the door clicked close behind him.

Anticipation peaked as relisation hit. Tonight was the night my engagement had been offically declared to the public, the union of two heavy weight families of the underworld and already it had seen the death of a friend, the end of sanctuary. As the Radevs' and Samuels' drove with speed from the driveway and out along the strip with incredible force toward their largest enemy; the Moretti family a silent declaration filled the air around Las Vegas; this was war.