Vincenzo's POV

(Five months ago....)

Darkness.

I can't feel my body.

I can't think.

I can't see.

I try to focus on something, anything. What was I doing before? Why can't I remember? Have I always felt like this?

"Vin...cen...zzz...o."

What the fuck was that!?

"Vin...cenzo." The call of a familiar word gets louder. Why does it sound so familiar?

"Damn, Marino really shot your scary ass didn't he?"

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

I start to discover my vision, the blurry view of a man standing over me.

"Vincenzo?" As soon as I can see the short man clearly, the pain in my stomach hits me like a freight train.

"Holy fuck!" I groan, my hand clutching my side.

"Ah, you're alive." He states, taking a step forward. I immediately reach my hands around the dirty hardwood floor, looking for some sort of weapon.

"Amigo, I ain't gonna hurt you." He holds his hands up. "At least no physically. I might break your heart like I do with all my ex-girlfriends." He winks at me, chuckling at his own joke.

"All jokes aside though." He squats down to my laying position and takes out a towel, pressing it against my abdomen. "I'm Tommi, an old friend of Francesca. Me and her go way back."

"Francesca?" I mumble, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Uh yeah?" He stutters. "She's your girlfriend right? Amigo, I'm only saving you because I don't want her to be depressed. If not, tell me so because I'm going to gut you like a fish."

Francesca.

What a beautiful name.

I don't know a Francesca though.

...but I don't want to die.

"Sure."

He blinks a few times before chuckling. "Ha, you have no clue what the hell I'm talking about. You lost your memory." He smiles darkly, rubbing his now bloody hands together.

"I could convince you to do...stuff."

I don't mess the mischievous look on his face, but I'm too tired to care.

Weirdo.

"Whatever, Tommi. Are you going to save me or not?"

"Oh yes." He nods, struggling to lift me up.

Tommi is around a short 5'5 height. His long dreadlocks framed his brown chiseled face. I don't miss the Dominican accent he has as he speaks from his snarky mouth.

"Amigo, stop feeling sorry for yourself and help me lift you. You act as if you're dying."

"The fucking nerve." I whisper, wanting nothing more than to shoot Tommi in the head.

With a pained groan, I lift myself up, Tommi taking most of the credit like the little shit he is.

"Ha, you're making the same noises my lovers make during sex."

"Fuck. Off." I growl, pushing him away. I put pressure on my wound and limp towards the wide open door.

"We better hurry. Boss installed a bomb in here. It's bound to blow any minute." Tommi yells, pushing me aside to run out the door.

He's not much fucking help.

{} {} {}

"Wake up, big boy." I'm nudged awake by Tommi. He's looming over me like when we first met.

I'm lying on a dirty mattress that is missing the sheets. My shirt is off and a white bandaged is tightly wrapped around my abdomen.

"I had a friend of mine stitch you up. You owe me $9,000 for the bill, Amigo. You can thank me later." He smiles, holding out a glass of water.

I don't even have time to respond to his dumbass before my hands snatch the glass. My parched mouth instantly cured after chugging the water.

"So...." Tommi pulls out a broken chair and sits on it. His brown eyes squint at me like he's deep in thought. "What all do you remember?"

I scratch the back of my head, slowing pulling myself into a sitting position. This mattress is highly uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" I grumble. "I got shot by...." I trail off, a headache starting to consume me. Fuck, why can't I remember.

"Marino." Tommi interrupts. "You got shot by your father, Marino."

"Oh." That's all I can bring myself to say. I don't remember anything.

"What-!" I swallow hard, realization of not knowing anything hits me. "What is my name, Tommi?"

He quirks an eyebrow, leaning forward in his chair. "Vincenzo Valentino. You're a Don of the Italian Valentino Crime Family."

"Huh? You can't-!"

"Your dad owned a rival mafia that has been targeting you for years. You have two younger siblings and a girlfriend, or so I assumed."

"How?" I pause, choosing my next words carefully. "If any of this is true. How do you know all this? Are we related?"

"God no, I told you earlier. I'm a friend of Francesca's, your sexual friend."

Tommi sighs, looking around his apartment. He grabs my empty glass and leaves. He returns with a new glass of room temperature water, setting it on the nightstand.

"I worked for a man named Gianni. He's dead now, but was an affiliated with Marino Valentino." Tommi leans back, almost falling out of his chair.

"Red was almost murdered by Gianni, but you saved her. You killed Gianni and that's when Marino merged his mafia with a dead man's."

"Red?" I knit me eyebrows together in confusion.

"My nickname for Francesca." He quickly replies before telling me more.

A fire in my chest builds up as Tommi talks. His graphic details of the pain and misery so many people went through because of "Marino" makes me furious for some reason.

I don't remember shit, but I guess my body does.

"Anyways, I made it my mission to take down Marino. I became an inside man." He scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. "I leaked his location to a man in your crew, Gio."

I shake my head at a hopeful Tommi. That name doesn't ring a bell.

"I got here to explain everything to Francesca, but unfortunately they were already gone and that's when I found you, big boy."

I roll my eyes at the dramatic man in front of me.

Why couldn't I be saved by a hot woman!?

Maybe one with pretty blue eyes and luscious blonde hair. Maybe a pretty woman with red hair would be even better.

"I know things are fuzzy for you, but I just wanted to catch you up." He turns to walk out but stops. "You did have a bloody head, the doctor said temporary memory loss is possible, so just hang in there Amigo."

{} {} {}

( 5 months later.....)

"God, you're so stupid." I yell at a blood-covered Tommi. He thought it was a clever idea to slice the neck of a rival mob member.

"Like your mom." He shoots back, sticking out his tongue. "Besides, a little blood never hurt anyone."

"Yes it fucking does, tu culo."

"I should have NEVER SAVED YOU." Tommi screams, pointing his knife at me.

"I didn't ask you to."

"Screw you."

I start to walk away with clenched fists. I'm grateful Tommi saved me, but he gets on my every last nerves.

"Clean this up. I don't have time to help." I shout at him behind me. "I'm going back to my fiancé in a couple hours "

I gained my memory back a few months ago. It was like a fucking miracle.

I wanted nothing more than to jump back into Francesca's life, but unfortunately nothing is that easy.

With Marino gone, his mafia has been sending people after Tommi and I with vengeful motives.

Knowing that my gorgeous woman is pregnant with my child, I don't want any risk of harm to her or the baby. If she's around me, she's bound to get hurt.

The man Tommi brutally killed was the last living associate of Marino. Either we killed the rest or we payed them off.

I drive home to Tommi's apartment that is in serious need of a deep cleaning.

I put my gun into my inside suit pocket and quickly wash my hands from blood.

I can't deny the apprehension I have for seeing Francesca. She is the only woman I want to ever be with, but what if she moved on?

God, I hope not.

I would kill whoever was dating my woman.

She would not like that though.

Fuck.

Maybe I shouldn't show up at her doorstep empty handed. I need to get her a gift.

I grab my keys and drive to the downtown mall. I go straight to Louis Vuitton and find the best present.

A brown leather dress with the designer logo displayed all over. It comes with a matching baby onesie

I pay in cash for the clothes and walk out with a pep in my step. My feet stop though once I catch sight of my sister walking into the food court with a tray of food.

Ria looks exactly the same but her personality seems off. She's not sulking around anymore, she wears a big smile.

She stops a table with Maple and...Francesca!?

Francesca looks absolutely stunning. Her belly is beautifully swollen with my child, her glowing skin looks radiant.

I notice her hair isn't the fiery red anymore. It's brown. It fits her complexion nicely.

And then there is Maple.

I have mixed feelings about that bitch.

She almost got my women killed. She isn't one I will ever trust again. The only reason she's not six-feet under is because of my sister's fondness of her.

Francesca immediately digs into what looks to be chicken wings.

I walk around the food court staying out of their line of sight, I'm not ready to be seen.

I watch my sad looking fiancée from a dark area of the mall.

Gross, I'm acting like a creep.

Maple and Ria leave the table, heading straight to the bathrooms. Francesca sits alone, a permanent frown never leaving her pretty face.

I want to hold her, kiss her, make love to her and so much more. It takes everything in me to not go to her.

As if she can feel my longing for her, she whips her head around, those icy blue eyes landing on me.

Shit.

"Please don't cry." I whisper, wishing she could hear me. She rubs her eyes giving me the opportunity to quickly leave.

I drive around for a couple hours trying to kill time.

I don't know what I will do if anything happens to Francesca or our kid. Maybe she's better off safely without me.

...but I could keep her safe.

I pull up to the Valentino estate with a pounding heart.

This is it. I got this.

The door is thankfully locked. I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to leave the door unlocked with France pregnant.

I knock on the door, not having a key. The door looks brand new and sturdy.

I knock a second time with a huff.

What is taking them so long-!

Francesca opens the door, her face in shock.

"Amore." I whisper softly, watching her eyes water.

She sobs, throwing herself into my arms. Her belly presses against me, making me emotional.

The short-lived reunion is suddenly stopped by her.

She suddenly rips herself away from me with an angry shout and punches me square in the jaw.

"Ouch, shit."