The minute the laundry truck pulls away from the Roselli estate something cold, like a warning from the past, comes over me, yet the need to get to Anna and see her perhaps for the last time comes before all sense of self preservation.Will I soon be raising Anna’s baby?The flood of emotions causes my chest to heave with the heaviness of my grief.Anna, I’m coming.Hang on.
And why the fuck didn’t my father call.Even with everything going on, even during wars, he knew he could have gotten a message to me through a variety of channels.Massimo has been more than willing to let me speak with him as long as he can hear the conversations.But it came from Anna herself, so sick that she’s not sure if she will make it another day.
And all of a sudden, every one of the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.Because the math doesn’t work.Just like my father starting this war without warning his daughters, this too, isn’t how things would be done.Unless my father is gone and no one has told me, but Massimo would have told me.His father would have fucking gloated over the kill no doubt.
The stark reality that I am being lured out hits me far too late.Because when the truck door opens and the men with tattoos all over their necks jump into the truck and grab me by the arm, I know that I’ve been lured right into their sordid little trap.
It’s time to use all the skills of a Cassone because whether I wanted this life or not, it is the one I was born into and the Amortes have a vendetta, against me.Two dead Amortes can easily be attributed to me.Not that they will ever be able to prove it after what Massimo did, especially with the yacht burnt to ashes floating on the bottom of the sea, but yet, they don’t need proof.
It’s not essential in the court of mafia justice.They are judge, jury, and executioner and if the deadly look in the Amorte cousins’ eyes is any indication of what they have in store for me, I will need every bit of Cassone willpower to survive.The larger man almost tosses me out of the back of the truck, but keeps hold of me by my upper arm, digging into the sensitive flesh with his big meaty paws.“Put her in the car, and let’s get out of here.”
I don’t fight—it wouldn’t help one little bit, not with four big men who all have guns and just me with only one knife and the gun taken from Massimo’s stash still tucked in the waist of my pants.Saved for a time when an opportunity presents, but that’s hopeful at best.The minute they get me to their warehouse or storage area, wherever they torture their enemies, they’ll strip me bare, and I know it.A little humiliation goes a long way and sending a little clip to Papa would certainly light his fire, a rightful privilege by the Amortes, who have lost their kin and been unable to retaliate in the way they wanted against the Cassones.At least until now.
If Massimo and I had not killed them on that yacht, he or his father could have come to an arrangement but that was dead in the water, literally, when they attacked and tried to kill Massimo.No putting the Roselli and Amorte deal back together again, but it sounds like that’s what Massimo’s own dad is pushing for, which makes no sense at all.
It’s the Amortes’ right, that they should want retribution, but old man Amorte is guilty of starting this war.He and only he sent his family on a killing spree to save face for a daughter scorned who was not scorned in the slightest.She wanted nothing to do with Massimo and told him that time and time again.But life isn’t fair, and they’ll undoubtedly make me pay, no questions asked and no jury around.Just pure mafia retribution of the most vengeful kind.And then they will send what’s left of me to my father, until his turn and Anna’s come to pass.That will be the end of the Cassones, unless the pawn they think I am can make them pay.
It seems like a distant hope as we reach the warehouse in the middle of nowhere.Old man Amorte smirks at me from the car in front of ours before it drives off.He’s clearly satisfied his retribution will be doled out without getting his hands dirty or bloody with a Cassone.He just wanted to come and gloat, to see me with his own eyes and make sure I saw who was responsible for my demise.
His nephews drag me from the car and pull me to the warehouse in the middle of fricking nowhere.So much for being found in the middle of an overgrown wooded area it looks like was deserted a long time ago.No one to hear my screams for miles around.
I inhale a deep breath as the metal doors of the warehouse screech on their hinges and slide open.Two of the soldiers head to the back where a light shines in one of the windows.The one who holds me with a firm grip digs into my arm still.His eyes meet mine and there’s a satisfied gleam that I’d like to wipe right the fuck off his face.And I will if I get one chance.
But yet, he’s big, real big and luck is going to have to be on my side that’s for damn sure, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to let go of me anytime soon.At least until he’s got me tied up and secured and once that happens, my chances of survival diminish significantly.I pretend to trip but it doesn’t slow the mammoth beast down at all, he just digs into my arm even harder, dragging me along with no intention of giving me an opportunity to slow him from his course.
All of a sudden, a loud noise overhead causes everyone to scramble.An aggressive sounding helicopter whirring overhead has everyone running from the back room, yelling orders to each other.The noise gets so loud.It’s so fucking low it sounds like it’s on the roof.Five men race from the back of the warehouse.Now there’s no way I’m getting away, but they weren’t planning for company, that’s for sure.They scatter, grab high-powered rifles from hooks on the wall, and head for the door, while the beast hangs onto me and turns toward the men.“See who it is.Probably some rangers flying over.Don’t fucking bring the cops down on our asses,” he growls as one of the men pulls the screechy metal door back.
They walk right into the faces of the Roselli brothers and their men.The minute the mammoth beast lets my arm loose to reach for his weapon, he’s done.Massimo shoots him point blank, right in the chest, watching him fall to the ground beside me.Massimo stalks forward as his brothers and the Roselli soldiers take each of my captives out in rapid succession.
Massimo’s eyes don’t leave mine but for a second, to put a bullet in my assailant’s head when he groans in pain.Massimo lifts me into his arms and holds me tight, then puts me on my feet, running his fingers down my face, trailing them along my neck and collarbone until he comes to my arms.His eyes grow dark and furious.“He put hands on you.If I had known that I wouldn’t have given him such a quick end, kitten.I would have made him suffer for touching what belongs to me,” he growls possessively.
I catch the smirk on Leandro’s face before he turns to his brothers.“Let’s get them out of here and light it up boys.It seems old man Amorte doesn’t learn so quickly.He keeps sending family to kill us and he’s going to keep burying his in the ground.Maybe one day he’ll learn.”
21
Massimo
My jaw locks tightly.In the world of crime and power, only one thing matters.Showing the world that you have the power.Then no one fucks with you or if they do, they learn their lesson just like they’re learning now.No one fucks with a Roselli brother and their loved ones and gets away with their life.Not as long as I’m in charge of our battles.No matter that my father is still at the helm organizationally in name or that I’ll now deal with more of his wrath.
Sophia meets my gaze.“I’m so sorry, Massimo.I thought Anna was sick.I got a note.I didn’t realize until it was too late.Stupid!How did you find me?”
I draw her to me, cradling her side to mine and guiding her away from the fucking warehouse that could have moments later been her place of torture and early grave if I hadn’t called in a favor I never wanted to.The minute Carlos Larussio answered his phone and agreed to help without pausing for a minute, our paths were sealed.No longer do the Larussios owe us, now we owe the retired don of the entire East Coast, and the man whose family took over the Vegas territory not too long ago, more than I’ll ever be able to repay.When he calls, I’m going to do whatever he or the Larussios ask me to do.A favor for a favor, that’s how it is in the world we live in.But we needed those fucking helicopters to find her fast, and to sweep that warehouse and send those fuckers into a panic.
There was no time to do anything else and he and his family and their bodyguards fucking came through.For that, when they call, I’ll gladly repay a favor no matter what I have to do.My kitten has far too much to worry about today though, and this is not something I want her worried about at all.“Elsie, and some high-powered friends with a helicopter and badass bodyguards.Your sister is not sick.It was a lure to get you out of the estate, and it worked because you care about her, you love her.The bastards know it.”
She gazes up at me with wonder.“You are my knight in shining armor.Every time I turn around, whether I think I need one or not.I owe you my life tonight.I was lured into their trap.It won’t happen again.But I was about two minutes from putting a round in the back of the neanderthal’s head.”She pulls one of my guns from the waist of her pants and holds it up.“He didn’t search me.You didn’t give him enough time.Thank you for coming so fast.”
I growl possessively at the thought of his or any man’s hands on Sophia.“He’s fucking lucky that he didn’t or I’d bring the asshole back to life and kill him again, this time nice and slow!”
I’m going to make old man Amorte pay for every single worry she’s had tonight, or every single mark that fucker left on her arm because even in the dim light of the car I can tell she’s going to be more than bruised with someone else’s mark tomorrow, and for that, Amorte will pay dearly, whether he knows it yet or not.He should head underground right now, before I get to him.
The man is no longer a rival to deal with and put in his place, he’s far past that fucking point.I want him dead, buried in the ground, or out to sea, but only the thought of his daughter’s tears causes me room for caution.We may not have wanted intimacy, but caught in the same nightmare with our parents, we developed a friendship whether she was a pain in my ass or not.
Desiree, whether she feels stifled in the home or not, loves her father.After so many dead, he’s one of the only Amortes left standing in this power game we play.And for Desiree, out of respect for our friendship and memories of our childhood, I will consider the options and not kill him with my bare hands tonight.But that is the only fucking reason I’m keeping him alive.
Jimmy pulls the car around the shore road, and it climbs to the estate.The minute we reach the front door, I lift Sophia from the car, cradle her against me, and walk with her bridal fashion through the door of my home, carefully taking her upstairs.I only place her on her feet once we’re in the bathroom.The light is on and my jaw tightens taking in every little reddened area of skin, the shadow of her grief, and the smudges of makeup left by her tears.I put every single one of them to memory, especially the ugly red fingerprint marks left by the asshole I shot.The one our cleaner is already dealing with, and preparing to burn his body and send him out to sea in a floating pile of ashes.
I start the water, test the temperature before removing Sophia’s clothes, and put some of the fragrance she likes into the tub.When it’s bubbly and warm, I help her step into the bath, and her eyes don’t leave mine the entire time.She slides to the back, making room for me, inviting.But I resist, staying dressed instead, leaning over the tub to wash every inch of her skin with a soft cloth.There are no words right now, not while my dark thoughts swirl around us like a shroud.I want to kill every fucking one of the men who took her from me, and there’s a part of me that thinks my feelings will scare her away.No matter she was going to defend herself, what I want it’s different.Revenge, plain and simple.The darkness, not like her light.I thirst for it in the ugliest of ways.No one lays hands on Sophia, and in time, they will all learn that in a very hard way.What would they have done to her if we hadn’t gotten to her?
