The Mafia Next Door

Arvin’s POV

“Betrayed! By my own daughter!” My father's growl echoed through the hallway as he got dragged out. His wail froze me like a plague.

“Look at me…” he fought off the armed government agents. “…you will pay for this. I will make sure of it!”

His voice haunted me as I jolted up from my bed, drenched in sweat. It had been a month since I turned him in and three weeks since I was relocated to the government safehouse in Sacramento.

I was told to live a regular life; eat, work, go out, but keeping a low profile was required. Like it was that easy.

It was a nice neighborhood but that wasn't the pleasant part of it.

I leaned by my kitchen window to get my daily dose of the hottie next door, enjoying the view. He stood shirtless in his room, towering over six feet with tattoos that spiraled from his neck to his back and eyes that appeared void of emotion.

I knew it was wrong to watch but what else was there? It was kind of the only thing that distracted me from the despair I was in.

I hurried out when I caught a glimpse of the time.

I was late for work and my egomaniac boss wouldn't let it slide. I stepped out and my instincts alerted me to someone across the street, watching me.

Our eyes met and he didn't flinch. If there was anything I had learnt, it was to act normal even in delicate situations.

I waved at him but he turned away almost immediately. I was trying to memorize his face, his features, when a menacing growl stole my attention. I turned slowly and there was a hound in my parking space.

“Fuck!” I yelped. I held my ground, fighting the urge to run as it prowled closer.

“Please… get away.”

“Spartan!” A voice shot out and the dog’s angry countenance switched into submission. It hurried back into the house, walking past the man I glanced at slowly.

It was the neighbor next door. He stood with his shirt hung around his neck.

“I'm sorry about that. He escaped the house, looking to play.”

“Uhm… it's fine,” I stuttered. I had been so bored, thinking of ways to start a conversation, and now I had it but couldn't get the words out.

“Again, I apologize for—” The words held back on his tongue as his focus shifted to my necklace.

“Where did you get that?”

“Oh, it was my mother's,” I answered but he didn't appear to be paying attention to me. He was drawn to what I had around my neck. He walked up to me and admired it closely.

“Is… something wrong?”

“My sister had one like this,” he responded. “Sorry, didn't mean to be creepy.”

He took steps back when he realized his chest was all over my view.

“Apologies. I'm Asher West, pleased to be properly introduced.”

“Arvin,” we shook hands but his gaze kept lingering on the necklace.

“So Arvin, what did you do?”

“Excuse me?” I was startled.

“Most of the young folks moved here because their rich parents are trying to hide them from the rest of the world,” he said.

“So what did you do?”

“Huh,” I sighed. “I don't have parents, I just moved here because of my job as a Marketing Coordinator at Spenh.”

“You work at Spenh?”

“Yeah, shitty job but good pay,” I replied, tucking my hair back to control my nerves.

“What about you? What did you do?”

“My dad didn't like me very much.”

“Oh…” I inhaled sharply. “I don't know if I should say sorry or just react casual,”

“It's fine,” he snickered. “ Again, sorry about Spartan. He doesn't like people that well,”

“I understand. I'm late but we can catch up later,” I said as I hurried to my car.

“Of course,” he waved as he headed back to his place.

My eyes picked up a tattoo on his upper back, a familiar mark. I couldn't quite make it out because it was covered by others.

It made me wonder why a person would draw tattoos on another.

“I will request some U.S. Marshals to secure the premises,” Alicia said to calm me down after I narrated my experience with the suspicious man watching me.

“It's nothing. You are new and he might be one of those low-level drug dealers. They run their business underground since the Caster Mafia family moved here.”

“Wow, there's even a Mafia family in the city,” I heaved heavily.

“I just escaped one warzone. Alicia, I just want all of this to be over.”

“It is, it will. In twelve months, all this will be over,” she held my hand as I practiced my breathing exercises. Alicia is my undercover supervising agent and also an accountant at Spenh Company.

“Can't the court date be —”

“Am I interrupting?” My boss, Gideon, stepped in.

“Some girl bonding, I love that.”

“Not at all.”

“I want to introduce our new logistics partner,” he said with his gaze fixed on my cleavage. Men like him wouldn't last an hour with me before but this was what I had to endure in this new life.

“I was surprised when he reached out, offering to handle our shipment.”

I felt the presence before I turned to observe. My jaw dropped in surprise as he grinned flirtatiously.

“Hey neighbor,” Asher muttered.

“You know him?” Alicia asked.

“Yeah,” I breathed. “He lives next door.”

“He is the best in the business,” Gideon remarked.

“He can get anything anywhere at any time.”

“Really?”

His void gaze lingered, seizing my breath while Gideon kept on yapping.

I hurried after him when the introductions were done.

“You didn't tell me you were planning on partnering with my company,” I whispered urgently.

“Well, you didn't ask,” he halted abruptly, causing me to bump into him.

“Sorry.”

“You should have at least said something,” I reacted, feeling his grip on my waist. His hand didn't move after he caught me from falling.

“I will... next time,” he replied with a smile dancing on his lips.

“Has anyone ever told you how pretty you look when you are feisty?”

“I'm not feisty.”

“You are,” he said. “You appear restrained and conservative. You don't want someone to get too close and that's probably smart.”

“I love being a mystery. What fun is there if you know everything about a person from one conversation?” I retorted.

“None,” he answered. “I actually enjoy a good thrill.”

The gap between us diminished with every sentence uttered. For a moment, I felt normal, like my real self again. Not a girl running from the wrath of her kingpin father she sold out to the government.

“ Weren't you leaving?” I breathed but he didn't budge.

“Huh, Arvin?” Alicia called quietly, disrupting the heated moment.

“You are needed in the conference chambers.”

“I will see you at home… neighbor,” his voice left behind a chill that I could still feel even after he left.

I got back home late, exhausted and questioning my life choices but when I passed by my kitchen window, all those problems went out the door.

He had just showered. His rough damp hair obscured half his face. A strange tingle moved through me, pooling heat below my belly.

“Damn,” I bit down on my lip as I watched him move around the room. His gaze swept across and I immediately crashed to the kitchen floor before he could catch a glimpse of me.

“This is not normal.”

I stayed down with my heart thumping hard when I noticed a shadow cast into the house from my front porch.

I grabbed the pepper spray from my bag and hurried out.

I checked and there was no one. The road was quiet, not a single soul. At that moment, my phone pinged. I got it to check and it was a photo from an unknown number with only one word.

‘Sierrarvin?’

My breath hitched because that was my real name and no one with that contact knew it.