Hiding With Her Twin Babies
Chapter 41

As soon as Bernardo and Mabel stop at the mansion in San Diego, Bernardo’s men first make sure everything is clear. After that, they all stay a mile away from Mabel as they all still have scars healing from her attack the last time they kidnapped her. Mabel laughs as she sees the men standing a mile away from her. Some are watching her with hawk’s eye. She knows they do not trust her as she can kick their asses. Bernardo smiles as he hears Mabel laugh. Damn, he has missed that laugh and her voice in the house. He takes her to her room and unlocks it with the key he held in his pocket when she was gone.

“You kept my room as it was?” Mabel asks in surprise.

“Yeah, I wanted you to come back. There was no dull moment with you in the house,” Bernardo has to admit.

“Ha, you missed me! Admit it, Bernardo Garza!” Mabel says.

“He missed you, okay! But, he made out lives a living hell when you left,” Stefano says. Bernardo glares at Stefano.

“Don’t listen to him. He is an i***t,” Bernardo says, smiling. It feels great to have Mabel back in the house.

“Says the one, who was walking around like a bear with a sore tooth,” Stefano says.

“Did he make your lives hell?” Mabel asks.

“Yes, at one stage, I was thinking or risking my life to go and kidnap you again,” Stefano says with a grin.

“Sorry, I kicked your butts and scratched up you guys so badly, but I was scared and fighting for my life,” Mabel says.

“Well, it is understandable,” Stefano says.

“Okay, enough! Stefano asks Enrico to make us something to eat. I bet the lioness has not eaten yet,” Bernardo says. He is getting jealous of Mabel and Stefano talking too much. Bernardo knows he is not letting Mabel go home this time as he likes her. No, not like the other L word he does not want to use yet.

“Yes, boss!” Stefano says and walks away toward the kitchen.

“Is it true?” Mabel asks.

“Is what true?” Bernardo asks, not knowing what Mabel is talking about.

“Is it true that you missed me?” Mabel asks. Bernardo walks over to Mabel and closes the door behind them. He takes her into his arms and starts kissing her. Bernardo has never kissed a woman with so much passion.

“You be the judge of the, my little lioness,” Bernardo says as he brings his lips down on her again.

“I think you missed me as much as I missed you,” Mabel whispers against Bernardo’s lips.

“You missed me?” Bernardo asked, surprised. He has been an a*****e to her when she was here the first time. So how could she miss him?

“Well, I did! You are the first man that can tame my wild side and did not take s**t from me,” Mabel says.

“You liked that? What is wrong with you, woman? You are supposed to like men that will do as you say and k**s your feet. Not assholes like me,” Bernardo says.

“Well, maybe I prefer Alpha males as Beta males are boring and can not handle a strong woman,” Mabel says. Bernardo pulls her closer again and k****s her again.

“How much of an Alpha male can you stand?” Bernardo asks.

“All of him,” Mabel says. She is not afraid of Bernardo, and she loves this little game they are playing.

“We will have to see about that,” Bernardo says and pulls her closer to him. He k****s Mabel with all the love in his heart. He knows she has stolen his heart the first time he saw her. But then, there is a knock on the door, and Bernardo let go of Mabel with a few swear words.

“What?” Bernardo barks.

“Hmm, your food is ready, Don,” A female voice comes from the other side of the door. It is one of the servants.

“Thanks, we will be right down,” Mabel says.

“You are playing with fire, Miss Casella,” Bernardo says, and Mabel laughs at him softly. She is happy to be back, and she can not wait until the two of them get some alone time together. It takes Bernardo a while to be ready to walk down the stairs, and Mabel smiles as she sees that he is uncomfortable.

“Little stiff, Don Graza?” Mabel asks, and Bernardo glares at her.

“Tease,” He whispers as he takes her hand and leads her to the dining hall. They sit down, and the chef and servants bring the food in. Mabel frowns. Why would the chef join the staff to serve? Something does not feel right to her. She looks at her food then at the face of the anxious chef. Bernardo sits down and is about to eat when Mabel grabs him and k****s him. Bernardo looks at Mabel funny it is not something that she will do in public. She pretends to bite Bernardo’s ear.

“Let the chef takes the first bite,” She whispers to Bernardo. He immediately knows what she means and looks up at Enrico, standing beside the table waiting for them to dig in. Why is Enrico serving tonight? Enrico has been working for him for a while now, but come to think of it. He does not know much about Enrico.

“Enrico, since you are the chef, please join us,” Bernardo says. Enrico goes pale and wants to refuse, but Stefano and his men make Enrico sits down at the table.

“I already ate, Don. So please, go ahead without me,” Enrico says.

“I insist, you always cook for me and never had a meal with me. So what kind of Don am I to not let my chef eat with me once in a lifetime?” Bernardo says.

“I can not eat with a Don. I am a mere chef,” Enrico tries one more time. By now, the men have picked up on what is happening.

“If the Don says you eat, you better eat,” Stefano says. Enrico has no choice but to eat everything on his plate.

“Please, Don, I will die if you do not take me to the hospital,” Enrico says.

“So you poisoned the food? I guess you are working for Benito?” Bernardo asks.

“I am. He paid me to kill you if you turned against him,” Enrico says he is starting to sweat.

“So I am supposed to have mercy on you? Why?” Bernardo asks.

“Because I did it for the Italian Mafia! The Casellas is selling us out and making us live by their rules. You should have been the Godfather! But you fell in love with this Jezebel, and she made you like the Casellas,” Enrico says, pointing at Mabel.

“Even if I have not fallen in love with her, I would have never betrayed the Casellas. I believe in what they are doing for the Italian Mafia in America, and I believe in their dreams. I will always follow them as they are my friends,” Bernardo says. He is shocked to find out that one of Benito’s spies worked in his house. If it were not for Mabel, he and she would be dying right now.

“Wait, did you just say you fell in love with me?” Mabel asks.

“My little lioness will have to wait for later,” Bernardo says. Mabel grabs a steak knife and throws it into the dying chef’s head.

“You know what you have to now he is dead. Let’s go to my room and talk,” Mabel says. Stefano looks at Mabel and smiles. That is the way a Donna handles a situation. She takes control and helps her man out.

“Send him to Benito as a warning,” Bernardo says as he gets up with Mabel and goes to her room. He knows he betrayed his own heart in front of all his men, but he does not care. They are all human, and love is part of human nature. As they reach Mabel’s room, she looks at Bernardo.

“Say it!” Mabel demands.

“Say what?” Bernardo teases her.

“Don’t tease me, Bernardo. I have another knife in my sleeve,” Mabel warns him.

“I will stop teasing you, my little one. I love you. I loved you from the first moment I laid my eyes on you, and I will love you forever,” Bernardo says.

“Do you know how long I have been waiting to hear those words?” Mabel asks.

“Let’s see can not be longer than two weeks as we only know each other about two or three weeks,” Bernardo teases Mabel.

“No, I have been waiting for those words from the man I love with my whole heart, my whole life. I love you, Bernardo Garza,” Mabel says. She is so happy they found each other, and she throws herself into Bernardo’s arms. He can not hold back, and he k****s her ripping her clothes from her body. He wants her tonight, and he will make her his for the rest of his life. Mabel helps Bernardo get rid of his clothing. They lie in each other’s arms, and Mabel snuggles closer to Bernardo.

“You really respect my family, don’t you, Bernardo?” Mabel aks.

“I have big respect for you grandfather and grandmother, and your brother is like my own,” Bernardo says.

“Why?” Mabel asks.

“When I came to America, they were idols in the Mafia, and your brother became my best friend when I was still climbing the ranks. We fought many battles side by side against the other factions that tried to get out other the rule of the Casellas. Dante never backed down from a fight, and he saved my life one night. I swore my loyalty to him and your family that night. He helped me when I needed him, so why will I not help him when he needs me?” Bernardo asks.

“You love me for me, right? Not my family?” Mabel asks. She is afraid Bernardo’s loyalty to her family is the reason why he is in her bed in his house.

“I fell in love with you when I saw you the first time, little one. I was at one of your shows, and you were dancing like an angel. But then, I was younger than now, and I could not get you out of my head. So I kidnapped you because I hoped I would not like you and could get you out of my head and heart,” Bernardo admits.

“I thought you used me to get my dad and Dante to talk to you,” Mabel says.

“Well, that was just a bonus, but I knew when I saw you again I would never be able to forget about you,” Bernardo says.

“You were so rude to me,” Mabel says.

“No, little one, I was just a man fighting against a love he hoped to kill,” Bernado says.

“Well, I fell in love with you when you kidnapped me and did not back down. You are so different from other men. You don’t let me do as I like, and you are a little bossy,” Mabel laughs. They make love again, and when they finally fall asleep, they feel complete, as if they have found the last piece of their souls. Bernardo smiles in his sleep. He never felt so at home since the last time he slept alone in the house with his mother, who abandoned him for a man.

Benito is staying in the penthouse of a famous hotel in LA. There is only one elevator that goes up to the last floor of the hotel, and that is the penthouse. He hears the bell of the elevator stop, and the elevator opens. He is excited as he thinks it is his men with some good news. Either they got Mabel or Bernardo is dead. As he gets up and walks to the elevator, he is shocked to see the body of Enrico. There is a knife in his head, and his men are standing there looking discouraged.

“She was gone by the time we got to her apartment,” One of his men says.

“We left someone to stand guard there if she comes back,” Another one says.

“You imbeciles! What happened to Enrico? How did Garza find out about him?” Benito shouts.

“We do not know we got him in the elevator when we came up. There is no note, and we think this is a warning. The other Dons do not want to go against Garza and the Casellas. So they all abandoned us and went home,” Victor, his son, says. Benito is angry. He can not believe Garza turned against him! He walks into the penthouse and pours himself a drink. He knows he is in trouble, and his life is not worth a dime.