We are born into the mafia world and the harsh world has rules that each of us play by without compromise.Arranged marriages are very much a part of that world, and like it or not, Massimo’s father gave his word.No matter that Massimo did not agree.
I inhale a deep breath, letting my tears wash over me, letting them cleanse what’s left of my fraught emotions until the crying is done, and only rational thought remains.I turn to head upstairs, no longer wanting to listen to anything that comes from that room.Nothing good ever comes from hearing one of the Rosellis’ conversations, usually about me in some way.I highly doubt it’s anything new, but being around it, hearing the first-person conversations myself just confirms what I’ve thought all along.Massimo’s father is not ready to welcome me into this family, and maybe he won’t ever be.No matter that Massimo thinks one day it will change.
Massimo is wrong if he thinks his father is not on his side, though.Even in his state tonight, while not pleasant, he was able to see through some of the dust and not put all the blame for whatever is happening tonight on his eldest son.I’ve barely taken a few steps when Leandro’s voice calls my name.I stop walking mid step, inhale a deep breath, and swipe at my face to remove any errant tears lest he sees them falling down my face.He and his brother have more to deal with right now than my emotions.“Go to your brother, Leandro.I’m not sure what’s happening, and I don’t need to know.Go, make sure he’s okay.”
I turn away and climb a few more steps.“You know he fucking loves you, Sophia.In a way that transcends all the fucking barriers.Don’t bet against Massimo, because he will find a way to be with you, no matter what anyone else says or wants.Understand?”
A single tear spills down my face as I turn to face him.“Bring him home safely, Leandro, but only if this is where he wants to be.”I make my way up the rest of the stairs feeling his eyes track my retreat, unsure what he thinks or will say to Massimo at this point but no longer caring.Massimo has things in the world he needs to set straight, fix, sort, and Leandro is right, I have no doubt he will do whatever it is that he wants.And I won’t stand in his way, no matter what or who he wants.One night, that’s all I want, and then we say goodbye.
25
Massimo
The minute we roll up to the guarded estate Amorte’s soldiers are on high alert, but Jimmy has thought ahead no matter that I told him no.The numbers we bring to the uninvited meet with the Amorte boss far exceed that of his own.The soldier in the guard station picks up a handheld and speaks to someone and in less than a minute the iron gates are rolling open, while the soldiers stand with guns at their sides and on the ready but with no intention of starting a bloodbath they can’t possibly win tonight.
I don’t wait for anyone, but Jimmy is right on my heels, and Enrico and Mario jump out of the car behind us.I stop them at the porch.“Stay out.This I’m doing by myself.”
Their jaws lock tight but what I have to say isn’t for anyone’s ears but Amorte’s and he has the good grace and courage to answer the fucking door by himself.“We need to talk about Desiree,” I tell him.
His single nod acknowledges agreement.I put my hand down in a motion for everyone including Jimmy to stay outside.This may not be the way my father would handle it but I’m not him, and if he wanted to do it so bad he would have handled it in a way that didn’t keep me tied to Desiree.But he didn’t, because he fucking wants this merger too.More money and fucking power.
Old man Amorte wears long pajama bottoms and a silk robe of sorts.It would almost be regal if it weren’t for the gray foam slippers he wears on his feet.He doesn’t seem bothered in the least by his attire, or by the fact that he’s lost beloved sons, nephews, and cousins to me and my family in the heat of this war.At the end of the day, he just wants to win, to solidify this marriage he wants because it will give him money.All my sources say the same damn thing.And winning for him means paying off the massive debt still hanging over his head and having enough to live lavishly for the rest of his rotten life.That’s winning to him, no matter that it’s basically selling his daughter.
“I’ve come to put an end to this thing between Desiree and myself for good.She doesn’t want to be married to me any more than I wish to be married to her, yet somehow in your negotiations you and my father seem to forget that little detail.We are adults, and we’re saying no.”
His face, a few moments ago the picture of calm, turns red, mottled and inflamed with rage.He snarls at me as his hand shakes the alcohol in the crystal tumbler he holds.“You dare to barge into my home in the middle of the night, after what you and your family have done!”he screams.“You ruined my daughter.The only one who will want her now is some street family wanting to climb a ladder of power.She deserves to be a Roselli, you owe her that, Massimo!”
It takes effort to keep my hand by my side and not around the fucker’s neck, and I do it out of respect for Desiree, and her only.“She was never mine.Not once did I touch her or soil her innocence,” I grind out.“She wants a different life, and she should have it.Not one where you sell her to someone’s net worth that can get you out of debt the fastest and lend credibility to your name at the tables in Atlantic City or Vegas so you can gamble some more, no?”
Amorte’s eyes grow wide, and his temper ignites.I have no doubt that glass is going to go flying through the air at any minute.He and my father are not that dissimilar in some respects, but in this they are both wrong and it’s coming to an end right fucking now.
“Here’s the deal.This is the only one you’re getting so I suggest you listen well and take it because it’s the best deal you’re ever going to get.You will receive enough money to pay your debts, and to maintain your lifestyle for the rest of your miserable fucking life.”
The rotten fuck starts to snivel about something, but I shut him down.“Not because I owe you, but because after you take that deal, you will do all of these things before you receive a fucking dime.Remove the hit on me, my family, Sophia and her family, and you will stop interfering in your daughter’s life.She’ll move out of this house, and you will no longer have a say in where she goes, what she does, or who she sees.For that, you will be rewarded with a lifetime of luxury.One that I will pay for but Desiree and I, we were never getting married nor will we in the future.You will be comfortable but you will never have access to the power of the Rosellis.”
Amorte’s hand remains steady around the glass, his temper has curbed, and his poker face is in order but even before I say it, I already know he’s going to take the bait.He has to because I’m not marrying his daughter whether he or my father like it or not and he needs every penny he can get before another family comes in and starts breaking his legs.A family that owes me a huge fucking favor.
The greedy bastard fucking smiles at me.“Not what I expected tonight, but those terms are more than acceptable to me, provided the dollars being discussed actually align with my spending needs.”He gives me a half smile and I almost take it back and put a bullet in his head.
I clear my throat, just to give myself time to calm.“Greedy fucking prick.My attorney will meet with yours and hammer out the details.In the meantime, if one of your soldiers even looks at Sophia or any one in her family wrong, I will void the contract and make it a point to kill you with my bare fucking hands.You touch Sophia and your daughter will never see you again, because you’ll be at the bottom of the sea after I give you the worst death imaginable, far worse than what was intended for Sophia in your fucking shed.”
He has the good sense not to antagonize me further.“Thanks for stopping by Massimo.I’m glad we could come to an amicable arrangement.”I turn and walk out of his house, passing a worried Jimmy who is still standing by the door as I get outside.“Let’s go.”
He, Mario, and Enrico walk to the car with me, but I’m not fucking scared.Old man Amorte isn’t going to kill the man who has now become his fucking financial savior.Let him think that he’s come out on top, and that life is good for as long as he likes, but one misstep and he’ll see himself right back in financial ruin because all promises of future payments will stop as quickly as they are set to begin.Fuck with me or Sophia again and I’ll fuck with your entire life, prick.
I slide into the back seat and Jimmy gets in the front.“Home, Jimmy.”He glances at me from the rearview.“I called Leandro.He’s out of his fucking mind.You better call him.”
I have no intention of listening to Leandro chastise me for making this deal with Amorte right now.I am next in line as don of this family and it’s my job to protect it and all of them, because clearly my father isn’t standing up to old man Amorte.The don would expect that of his eldest son if he were thinking clearly, which he’s obviously not.The only question is why; there’s something I’m missing.Why is Dad so adamant about marrying me off to an Amorte?
When we arrive back at the estate, the house is oddly quiet.I walk slowly up the stairs, dragging my tie off, not knowing what to expect from Sophia.A tongue lashing over the Desiree thing, her bags packed because she thinks I was with another, or even already gone.I couldn’t blame her for any of these things but instead, I find her in my bed with red rimmed eyes and a red tip of her nose, but with not a stitch of clothes on except for my hat, which she has tilted at a sexy little angle that it’s never been in before.
Sophia watches me as I approach, slowly peeling off my clothes, because after this fucking night, all I want is to crawl into bed with my sexy little kitten and hold her tight, feel her breathing against me, drawing air into her lungs while cradled in my arms.I stand completely still, giving her time as her eyes rake over my naked frame.
Her dark eyes meet mine, holding me mesmerized.“I understand you’ve had quite a night Massimo Roselli.Running from me and our bed, to protect the virtue of a woman who puts you in harm’s way by her actions time and time again.”
I start to speak but her eyes flash a warning.My kitten’s claws are out and she’s far from done speaking.I stand still, allowing her this moment because right now, her strength is fucking mesmerizing and the woman who started out as simply a pawn to my father is now in complete control of this power game we play.
26
