Lovino really wanted some of the coffee that was brewing in the kitchen, but he couldn't get himself to move away from the bathroom mirror.
That woman certainly liked to play rough.
When the quartet moved into the apartments, Elizaveta got the last 1-bedroom apartment to herself while Lovino shared a 2-bedroom unit with his brother. Once all the beds and furniture had been put in, Lovino found himself a bit lonely without Elizaveta to cuddle up to, and had some sleepless nights. After a few nights in their new homes, he was in her apartment watching a movie, and they both fell asleep cuddling on her bed. When they both awoke fully relaxed in the morning, they realized how accustomed they both had become to each other's presence. For the next few weeks, Lovino would sneak to her room at night so that they could share her bed. The others laughed at the pair but let them be, allowing their relationship to grow. It was just in the last couple nights where sharing a bed took a more passionate turn, and their relationship became intimate.
Hence the hickeys now covering Lovino's neck.
"Would you stop hogging the mirror?" Elizaveta teased as she swooped in behind him to hang her towel back up, "You're almost as vain as a woman."
"Well, I can't really help myself," Lovino defended, pulling her in close to him, "A particularly vicious bella donna left her mark all over my neck."
With his one arm wrapped around her face, he used his spare hand to gently cup her face as he brought her lips to his own. The kiss was passionate and intense, just the way he liked it, but was unfortunately interrupted by a beeping sound in the kitchen.
"Coffee's ready," Elizaveta pointed out as she pulled away, "And I start work in 15 minutes, so stop hogging me."
"Vicious and cruel," Lovino added on, "Must you tease me so?"
"I'm your girlfriend now," Elizaveta justified, "Teasing you is part of the job description."
Lovino followed slowly out of the bathroom, approaching the counter as Elizaveta ran around the kitchen. She had already placed two coffee mugs by him on the counter, so Lovino started pouring in the nearby cream while she grabbed the pot of coffee. Once she had finished pouring the first cup, Lovino took it and started sipping as he wandered into the den, past the couch and to the balcony door. He pulled aside the curtain, revealing the April storm outside.
"That looks miserable out there," Lovino remarked, "Might as well stay inside and work."
"I'm only helping through the lunch and dinner crowds," Elizaveta explained as she buttered her toast, "I'll make us some dinner for after you finish closing up the cafe tonight."
Lovino let go of the curtain, and walked over to the small computer station he had set up in the corner. The laptop was connected to multiple monitors, and had surveillance cameras watching all the entrances of the building and the dining area of the cafe. Although Lovino reassured Katerina it was primarily for business security, he also felt the personal need to make sure nobody tried to catch the former mobsters.
Despite the new living arrangements, and the chance to start a clean legal lifestyle, Lovino knew his past in the mafia would always haunt him, and the bad habits would not die without a fight. He was tempted to have the Vargas mob reborn, with the cafe as a cover for their base. Katerina had already warned him to keep her out of it as much as possible, and that she would blame everything on him if their activities were traced back to her business.
Lovino looked at one of the screens, and saw Natalya and Katerina rushing around to serve guests. The front door opened and a new guest walked in, with the hood of their wet coat covering their head. Katerina went to greet them, only to suddenly pause, drop her coffee pot on the counter, and rush over to hug the guest enthusiastically.
"Must be an old friend of Katya's," Elizaveta suggested, watching from beside Lovino.
Katerina ended the hug and started chattering while the guest removed their hood, revealing curly blonde hair and a very familiar face.
"It's Madeline," Lovino realized, "She's finally shown her face again!"
Lovino gulped on his coffee quickly as he went towards the door, leaving his cup on the kitchen counter as he walked by. He turned down the hallway to the staircase at the side of the building, and hurried down the flight of stairs. He turned at the bottom to enter the cafe kitchen, where Feliciano was talking through the order window while Yao was yelling at him to get back to work. Lovino marched past on his way to the swinging door connecting the kitchen to the front of the cafe. As he finally entered the dining area, he immediately spotted Madeline sitting at the counter.
"Well, look who finally showed her face again," Lovino greeted as he approached her, "This reunion could've been a lot sooner if you hadn't dumped your phone."
"I'm sorry, Lovi, but I couldn't risk hanging onto my SIM card," Madeline explained, "When Mikkel was arrested, I feared the police would find my number on his cellphone."
"I suppose that's a reasonable excuse," Lovino accepted, "So, where have you been hiding these last 6 months?"
"I have an apartment where I was able to lie low, along with a secure bank account that helped me make ends meet," Madeline divulged, "Unlike the rest of you that like to spend your mob money as quickly as possible, I had a little rainy day fund organized."
"Aren't you just the smartest fucking cookie on the block," Lovino commented, "What brings you out of hiding now?"
"As well as I planned out my safety net, it's starting to run out on me," Madeline continued, "I've worked the occasional job here and there, but nobody is using the black market anymore. Everyone else got scared off when Mikkel and your grandfather got busted, nobody wants to risk getting tracked down by the police. I've still got enough savings to keep my apartment, but I could use a legal job to help make ends meet. I decided to try applying for a job here as a waitress, only to walk in and find all of you."
"Smart and lucky," Lovino commented, "You sure know where and how to strike it rich."
"So, what's the deal here, anyways?" Madeline asked, leaning forward and lowering her voice so that other diners couldn't hear her, "Is this a fully legitimate business, or a cover for a new mob?"
"Both, more one than the other at the moment," Lovino replied, "Katya and Yao used Triad money to buy this business, they also own the apartments upstairs. We all work here and have rent deducted from our pay to live upstairs."
"Isn't that a convenient operation," Madeline noted, "And the mob activity?"
"Nothing yet, still in development stages," Lovino elaborated, "I'm thinking just the occasional side job, just enough to get a little extra cash coming in. The cafe and apartments are a good plus, but it's hard to live on so little."
"Especially when you like your Armani so much," Madeline teased, "Who else is in on this?"
"Katya had refused to get involved, she wants to keep her business as clean as possible," Lovino said, "Everyone else is willing to pitch in, as long as we're careful and smart about it. I'm sure we have space for one more person, if you're interested."
"Katerina has already offered me a part-time gig as a waitress," Madeline revealed, "As for your arrangements, I suppose you could count me in on your devious ways."
"It will be wonderful to work with you again," Lovino said, "When will you start?"
"Probably tomorrow, Katya said," Madeline disclosed, "She wants to look at my schedule to fit in my training shift. By the way, Lovi, if you don't mind me asking, who is this personal vampire of yours?"
"Elizaveta," Lovino chuckled, rubbing at his neck where the hickeys must have been showing.
"That's an interesting combination," Madeline teased, "Make sure she doesn't draw blood now. Hungary is very close to Transylvania, after all."
"Maddie, did you just call me a vampire?" they suddenly heard a voice ask, and Lovino turned to see Elizaveta looking at them through the kitchen window.
"I'll leave you girls to catch up," Lovino dismissed as he backed away to the kitchen door, "We'll talk more soon, Madeline."
The door opened before he could get to it, and he slipped through back into the kitchen while Elizaveta went out to speak to Maddie. As he strolled back through the kitchen towards the stairs to his apartment, Lovino could hear the chattering between the girls, and felt a bit of relief flow through him.
Out of those who escaped the mob busts without having caused it, everyone had now been accounted for.