Mafia's Final Play (Mafia's Obsession #3) - Summer Cooper Page 0,20
falls, the tremors, all of it was put down to alcoholism. Until she fell that day Marie had tried to escape for the very first, and only, time. As the daughter that was left to be the caretaker, Marie had made it her business to know the signs and symptoms. She’d made it her business to know what might happen to her mother as time progressed.
She’d learned it was an odd illness that might pop up with one symptom but not another. Some people developed symptoms when they were young, while others would develop it later in life. Much later, like in their 60s later. But here she was, with a tremor, with insomnia, and now, an inability to smell or taste anything.
Matteo hadn’t asked her if she was able to smell anything today, and she hadn’t volunteered anything. She’d wait until this was over, and she’d go back to see Dr. Murphy. He’d take care of her. There was no need to worry Matteo with this, he had enough on his plate right now.
He hadn’t come right out and said it in a while, but they both knew someone had put a contract out on her. Someone wanted her dead. Well, if they waited long enough, the disease would kill her for free, no contract necessary. She’d be the one to pay the price, not whoever wanted her dead.
A tiny little voice, deep down inside, told her it was Celeste. She remembered the way the woman had looked at her the last time they were together. She’d seen the threat in the other woman’s eyes, but she didn’t want to say anything about that either. She couldn’t remember now if she’d told Matteo his aunt had come to visit her. It was before the accident, and some things slipped her mind now. That was one of them.
She rolled into his arms and put her arm over his waist.
“Are you awake?” she whispered softly. She didn’t want to wake him up if he was asleep.
“No, my brain just isn’t aware of that yet. My body is most definitely asleep.” He chuckled as he answered and slid his own arm over to her. He grasped her chin and pulled her face up for a kiss in the shadows cast by the fire. “What’s up?”
“Just can’t sleep.” A groan of frustration accompanied her answer. “I don’t want to take any more of those sleeping pills, and I shouldn’t need to after today’s workout, but I’ve been here for ages now and my brain won’t shut up.”
“What’s on your mind?” His eyes remained closed, even though he spoke as if he was wide awake too.
“I don’t know. A lot of things. I want to go back and have a look at that town where we got groceries if the snow has cleared off the driveway tomorrow. And I’d like to visit some of the sights here. I never thought about coming out here, but I was reading this book today, all about the state and its tourist attractions, and there’s quite a bit I’d like to see. How long are we staying?”
“Until the owner tells us to leave, as far as I’m concerned. I’m still connected to New York through email and instant messages, phone calls too, of course. But it’s nice out here, not having to drive to ten different places in one day, spending all this time with you. I don’t have time for that back home, but out here, I can spend every moment of the day with you.”
“It has been nice,” she agreed with a grin. “Even if we aren’t exactly alone.”
“Anton’s only watching the perimeter, babe, not us.” He rolled over onto his stomach, the way he usually slept, and blew air out softly. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“Sure, honey,” she responded with sympathy. “You get to sleep. You’ve had a lot of sleepless nights in the last few months.”
She wouldn’t point out that most of those were over her, or that she hadn’t slept well recently either. He didn’t need her pointing out the obvious. When his breathing changed and he started to snore softly, she got out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. She wasn’t going to sleep, so she might as well read.
She went into the kitchen, poured a cup of juice, took that into the living room, and put the glass down to poke at the fireplace. She added a new log to the embers and waited for the wood to catch before she added another