Then he slides from the bed and goes into the bathroom.
I have no idea what he’s sorry for.Maybe for taking me from my family.Maybe for locking me in this dusty room.Maybe for making me love him even though he’s a monster.
But I won’t ask.
And I won’t ever accept his apology.
That’s the least I can do to never forget my family and what he did to us.
Chapter31
MATTEO
We gotlucky at the house in New Jersey.The way only evil gets lucky.I don’t know if I can call what Ferro’s doing evil… but Gianna would.
Because we found her old man there.And his wife.And their remaining daughter.Along with twenty other men that Ferro has been unable to get his hands on so far in his efforts to take over the running of the New York mob.
Despite the darkness, I could see Ferro’s face light up like the sky on Fourth of July when the men he’d sent in to do recon came back with the news.
“We’re leaving none alive this time,” he announced, and it took my breath away the way nothing ever has.Until he turned to me and added, “Except the women, of course.”
That earned some laughs from the other men near us, an eerie, unpleasant sound, especially coming from the darkness as it did.
The last thing I wanted was to be labelled as soft by these men.I’m gonna need to trust them when I take some of them back to LA with me.And they’re gonna need to trust me.Not think I’m just some sucker for a pretty face.
“When do we go in?”I asked, loud enough to be heard all around.
The house that looked formidable enough on the map the Russian showed us, seemed like Fort Knox up close.A steep seaside cliff on one side, an empty field in front and a wall made of brick and mortar surrounding it.We’d been surveying it from a nearby hill for close to two hours at that point and I still didn’t see an easy way in.
“As soon as possible would be best,” Caputo said from somewhere in the darkness behind me, and a number of the others agreed.
“Yeah, let’s get this over with,” Giacomo Conti said.
He’s one of those most vocal about Gianna’s curse and how we should get all the women, especially the Codelli women, away from us as soon as possible.
According to my cousin he hates them so much because his father was accused of stealing from Codelli once upon a time and was dealt with accordingly.He grew up fatherless because of that and I’ve been keeping a close eye on him because I know how deep a wrong like that can cut.And what men are willing to do to avenge it.
“No, we’re not going to rush this,” Ferro said, loud enough to be heard by everyone.Then he clapped me on the back from the darkness, and I very nearly laid him flat for startling me.“I’m not going to make us break our teeth on that fortress down there.We’re going to do as Rovina here suggested.Use the women as bait to draw them out.”
And I suddenly couldn’t breathe again.
Make Gianna watch as Ferro kill her father?To call that my worst nightmare would be an understatement.
“How’s that gonna work?”Caputo asked, sounding very skeptical that it could.
“Codelli’s going to come out for his women, I’m sure of that,” Ferro says.“As for a detailed plan, I’ll need to carefully consider that.Back at the house.”
And that was that.He led the way back to the cars and an hour later I’m in bed, kissing every inch of Gianna’s sweet body I can reach.Saying a silent, “I’m sorry,” with each kiss, each caress, each thrust of my cock.And riding the melody on her moans, I try to hear her answer: “It’s all right.You did the best you could.”
But that’s not something she’ll ever say.Not after I make her witness whatever plan Ferro comes up with.No matter how many times I apologize, she won’t forgive me.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to get her forgiveness.
Because if I can’t have her, I don’t want anything else either.
A scary thought.Scary enough to propel me from her warm bed, away from her sweet body, and back into the cold darkness of the night.Which is where I actually belong.Along with all the other creatures that inhabit it.
She’s too good and too pure to drag with me into ruin.
