“Fuck no.” I glare at Jackie.
Nic nods. “I didn’t get to this level by trusting that people will do what they say they’ll do, Johnny. You know what happens when you trust people?” Nic smiles at Jackie and then reaches behind his head and grabs a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back. “You get sold out by little pricks just like yourself. Greedy, selfish, self-absorbed, see how much they can get for as little work as possible little dipshits like you.”
A whimper slips from Jackie’s lips. Pathetic piece of shit. At least own up to what you did.
Or didn’t do.
Nic pulls his hair harder, his lips practically against Jackie’s face. “If you were smart enough, you would have figured out a way of your own to get ahead instead of waiting for the opportunity to be handed to you.”
Tears stream down Jackie’s face now and his whole body shakes. I lean down closer to Papa. It’s the closest I can get to him without use of my hands, and I need to be near him right now.
Because once he’s finished with Johnny, he’ll be back to me and Papa.
Nic throws Jackie against a wall, and I flinch as a nearby painting falls off the wall from the force, shattering on the floor. “You’re a sellout, Jackie. You have no loyalty to anyone but yourself. You’ve proven that again and again. How can I possibly welcome you into my organization when I know I can’t trust you?”
He shakes his head as Johnny bawls, covering his head with his hands and begging for another shot.
Apropos words.
“Please, Nic! I’ll do whatever you want, whatever you need! I gave you the Vitales! I gave you your business back!”
Nic takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, staring at Johnny as if he’s trying to make a difficult decision.
It’s not that hard.
And I’m sure it’s already been made.
My pulse throbs hard against my neck.
“You gave me my business back.” Nic repeats the words and leans his head back so he can stare at the ceiling mural while the fate of Jackie Anzelone appears to hang in the balance. “That’s what you think you did. But what you actually gave me was much more than that. You handed over the Vitale legacy.” Nic looks back at Johnny and shrugs. “I don’t see how you could ever top that. So, let this be your legacy, Jackie. Goodbye.” He points his gun at Jackie’s wide eyes and shoots him three times in the head before he crumbles to the floor in a heap of Giorgio Armani.
Nic turns to me, the gun still in his outstretched hand. My fingers clench behind my back. Holy fuck, is he—?
“So, Serena, as I was saying before, you really need to watch the way you talk to your boss.” He nods his head at the pieces of Jackie’s. “You see what happens when you fuck with me, right? Do you want to join your friend in redecorating this place?” His face darkens. “I should think not.”
My mouth hangs open. I really don’t think I can formulate a single thought right now.
This guy is as fucking twisted as a lanyard, for Christ’s sake!
“I’m your boss. You work for me now, Serena. And your first order of business will be to destroy the Marcone family. Your allies. I could come in and crush them like the cockroaches they are, but what fun would that be? I think it would be so much more fun to have you do it when your friend Diego Marcone shows up here in a little while.”
My spine stiffens. “Why would you want to—?”
“Do I really need to spell it out for you, principessa? When you cross me, you lose. Always. It may not happen right away, but it always happens. Make no mistake. And Diego, when he refused to help me grow my business, when he used my family for his own purposes and then denied us his influence and his connections…that put him on my list. The To Be Terminated list where he’s sitting at the top right now. Enemy number fucking one. And if you’re against me, you’re fucked. It means everything you have will become mine.” Nic rubs his hands together, looking like a mad scientist. “This was so fucking worth the wait. We’re going to be partners, Serena, and in a few minutes you’re going to announce it to all of my guests. All I needed was leverage.” He points to Papa. “And now I have it. So the question is, are you going to choose your foundation’s crusade to save the world over the life of your father?”
Chapter Seventeen
Diego
“How the hell are we gonna find Tommy and Alek in the middle of this fucking sausage fest?” Ant grunts, pulling around the side of a swarm of cars.
I clutch my injured shoulder as my eyes search the sea of faces. I recognize a lot of the heads of the families from Italy and Sicily. And they came equipped with plenty of their own backup. That’s the way these things work. They’re big dick-swinging events, and everyone who shows up to flex his cock needs to have a cast of thousands helping him wield the sword, if you get what I mean.
“Lemme call. Give me your phone.” I grab Ant’s phone and dial Tommy’s number, putting him on speaker.
“Tommy,” I say when he answers. “We just pulled in. It’s a fucking madhouse. You’d think Fortunato was giving away his territories as party favors.”
“I know,” he replies. “And we need to fly under the radar. If Fortunato figures out we’re here, it’s over. For more than just us.”
“It’s gonna be hard to lay low when we have Alek with us,” Ant quips. “Because he doesn’t stand out at seven-feet tall.”
We all snicker, and for a split second, I feel better about this siege we’re about to launch. My family is the most important thing in the world to me, and we’ve got a lot to protect from that psychopath Fortunato.
At least we only have one sicko to deal with right now since we left Via literally hanging onto the edge of her seat. And knowing her as I do, it’s pretty damn clear that her family’s brand of insanity is the genetically inherited kind.
“Okay,” I say. “Here’s the plan. We have to get inside using a different entrance. There will be security everywhere, but they’ll be focused on the people coming in the main door. Remember, they’re expecting me to show up with Via. They won’t expect us all together.”
“I’ve been here before,” Tommy says. “There’s a basement entrance with a shitty lock. Easy to pick. Alek and I will go in that way. You guys can use the service entrance around the left side of the main doors. Both of them are hidden enough, but use your silencers otherwise the place will be in mass fucking panic. We don’t want to risk Fortunato getting away if he finds out he has a few unexpected guests.”
Or are we the guests of honor?
The question chills me to my core.
There’s a reason why he’s hosting this event, and something tells me it’s not to raise money for the Sons and Daughters of Italy.
“Be careful,” I say. “We’ll meet you guys inside.”
I click off the phone and look at Ant. “Hang a left.”
“You gonna be okay with that dead arm?” He swivels the steering wheel around and slides the car into a clearing on the side of the villa. Lucky for us, there are trees lining every inch of the perimeter.
Makes it easy to hide the car.
But hiding ourselves?
That’s gonna be an entirely different challenge.
Thank fuck my shoulder stopped bleeding.
Talk about leaving a trail of breadcrumbs.
“Ant,” I say in a low voice as he breaks out the guns from their place under his seat.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen in there. I fucked up and put us on Fortunato’s radar. This is my fault. I know you don’t have the full story, but that’s the bottom line. And now there’s a lot more at stake than just me. You guys, Gi, Ava…I know what I did, and I’m prepared to deal with it. But if it comes down to me or him, you’d better take that shot. Destroy that motherfucker so he can’t ever come after you guys.”
Ant tugs at his longish dark hair. “Bro, I’m not gonna let anything happen to anyone. And trust me, I’ll take the fucking shot and there won�
��t be a choice to make. We’re all walking outta here, you got that?”
I nod, eyeing the side entrance. Food prep. I look down at my torn and bloody clothes.
Oh yeah, we blend.
“Besides, if I let that asshole take you out, I might have to keep Serena for myself. You know, to comfort her and shit. And I don’t think you’d like the kinds of things I’d do to her to take her mind off of you.” Ant waggles his eyebrows and hands me a gun with a couple of extra clips.
I scrub a hand down the front of my face, letting out a long breath. “Good point. Not that she’d go near your ass with a ten-foot pole.”
We snicker and it lets out some of the tension.
Some, not much.
A few seconds later, we’re walking into the food prep area, surrounded by an Italian feast. If my stomach wasn’t clenched tight, I might feel a hunger pang, or a thousand, since I haven’t eaten anything today.
Pure adrenaline. That’s what is powering me, and I just need it to carry me a little farther until I can find that cocksucker Fortunato and put a bullet in his brain.
Oddly enough, nobody looks twice at us as we slither around aisles and past food assembly trays. I cover my bullet wound as best as I can, but a long hard look will give it away. Luckily, they’re too busy to notice.
Either that or they’re panicked about what might become of them if Nic Fortunato isn’t a hundred-and-fifty-percent satisfied about the success of his event.
I’ve seen how he expresses disapproval, and if I were one of the chefs, no fucking way would I want to be on the receiving end.
We exit the kitchen area and slide out into a hallway when my phone vibrates against my leg. I pull out my phone and peer at the screen.
Dining room is full. Fortunato and Vitale are MIA.
“Fuck,” I mutter to Ant. “The host isn’t even here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something is going on in the dining room, but Fortunato isn’t in there.”
“Maybe he’s taking a leak.”
I grit my teeth. “What if it means something else, Ant? What if this was all some bullshit cover for something—?"
My words are drowned out by thundering applause drifting out of a nearby room.
“Maybe it isn’t,” Ant says, nodding toward the door. “Maybe it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.”
We creep over toward the door where the waiters are running in with trays of salad, bread, and pasta bowls.
“Who the fuck are you guys?” One of the waiters…maybe the head guy, I don’t know, snips. They’re all in penguin suits, so I can’t tell the difference. “You’d better be the bartenders because I’m fucking sick of running back and forth for these guys and their booze.”
“Bartenders,” I repeat. “Yeah, we’re a little late. Sorry.”
He rolls his eyes. “Well, get dressed and fucking take over! And don’t even think about putting out your hand for any of the tips because you snooze, you fucking lose.”
I hear Ant stifle a snicker and I elbow him in the ribs. “Keep ’em. We’ve got it from here.”
The waiter grunts a reply and stomps back into the kitchen.
“How the fuck are there no bartenders here?” Ant asks as we creep closer to the dining room. I can see about fifteen tables, maybe a hundred guys decked out like they’re going to a wedding.
They don’t know it’s actually a funeral.
And I’m still not clear on exactly whose.
“We need to make a move,” Ant hisses. “Before that jackass waiter comes back and sees us dicking around out here.”
“Okay,” I say in a low voice. I nod my head toward the hallway. “Let’s follow it around, see if we can get any closer. I need to see who’s inside that room.”
We hurry down the hallway where another door is cracked open. I peek around the door to see if the view is any bit better than where it was outside of the kitchen. The room is large, bright, and airy. Chandeliers cast a soft glow over the guests.
Fortunato’s adoring fans.
Or you could just call them what they really are.
Scared shitless of how quickly he can strip away their livelihoods.
And their skin. And their limbs. And their—
My eyes screech to a halt in their search.
Serena.
My stomach knots when I see her red eyes. Her cheeks are pale, her shoulders slumped. She looks completely defeated, more so than I’ve seen today and she’s already been shot at twice.
What the hell is happening?
Nic Fortunato’s booming voice is amplified by the spaciousness of the room as he welcomes everyone. “I know you’ve all traveled a distance to be here today, but I promise it comes with great rewards for all of you.”
A smattering of applause makes my skin crawl.
They don’t love him or respect him.
They fear him and that’s only because there’s nobody else to challenge him.
Not anymore.
There used to be, once upon a time.
And then he was killed.
A lump forms in my throat, and I force it down. I can’t think about my father right now. I can’t lose sight of what I came here to do.
“Today, I am here to assure you that the organization you work for and with will take on some new partners, partners who have access to resources that will make us all even more rich than we already are!”
That gets a lot of claps.
“What the fuck is he promising?” Ant asks, trying to get a glimpse inside. But I don’t move. I need to keep an eye on Serena. I need to make sure she’s okay.
“As you are all aware, the Vitale family has a proven record for supporting a lot of causes near and dear to the hearts of many.” He takes a step back and gestures toward Serena. “As of now, Serena Vitale will be taking over a brand-new foundation that I’ve just recently founded. All of her family’s work will now be part of our joint organization, funded and directed by me. She will chair the board and be the face of this new venture. She will report directly to me as the founder and CEO of the foundation.”
Ant furrows his brow. “Did he just say what I think he just said?”
“From now on, the Vitale family will operate as part of the Fortunato organization. And what does this mean to all of you?” Nic asks with a cocky smile. “Well, it means that we will no longer be at war. War is wasteful. Peace is plentiful. Joining forces will allow the Fortunato empire to grow by leaps and bounds.” Nic winks at Serena and her fists are clenched tight. It looks like she wants nothing more than to leap up and slash the shit out of him with the steak knife sitting next to her plate.
“What about Franco?” someone near Nic asks.
Nic plasters a smile on his face. “After some very extensive discussions, Franco has decided to retire. Serena will take over his responsibilities under me.” He flashes a wicked grin at Serena and bright pinks spots color her cheeks after he whispers something to her.
An icy sensation snakes through my insides. This was his plan all along.
Eliminate the Vitales.
Take back control of the sex trade.
Make billions stealing the lives of innocent women and children.
Franco is still alive, but he may as well be dead.
How the fuck did Nic get away with it?
My phone vibrates again, and I stare at the message from Tommy.
Where the fuck are you? I found Franco beaten to shit.
I shoot off a quick text.
Nic is a sick fuck. He’s got Serena with him in the dining room.
“Tommy found Franco,” I whisper to Ant. “You need to go and find him. Get him out of here. But I can’t leave without—"
Gunshots erupt close by, interrupting my next words. I can’t tell exactly how close the shots were fired, but it’s near enough where I dive to the floor and cover my own head. The men in the room all jump to the carpet, taking cover under tables, scrambling to get out their own guns.
The waiters scatter like roaches, forgetting the ten-course meal they’re supposed to serve, and run for the exit.
“You motherfucker!”
A loud female voice pierces the air, and my lips press into a tight line.
Via.
How in the fuck?
Ant and I pull out our own guns as Via’s voice gets louder and more shrill. Men practically trip over each other to escape the room, but Ant and I stay low, watching and waiting.
She limps into the dining room, her hand outstretched and pointed at Nic. Her blonde hair hangs around her face in wet strands, her dress torn in several places. Her legs are scraped, but she still staggers toward him in her heels.
Always with those damn heels. She’d wear them on her deathbed.
“Do you realize what you just did? How important today is?” Nic glowers at her. “Do you know how hard I worked to get all of these people here, to announce to them that the Fortunato empire is about to take over all of Europe?”
“You left me for dead!” Via picks up a glass and hurls it at Nic’s head. “Lazo called you! He told you what happened, where we were! And you fucking hung up on him! Now I see why!”
“I gave you one simple task, Via. One fucking task! But could you get it done? No! Where the hell is Marcone? That’s all you needed to do! Get him here! Period!” Nic shouts, grabbing her wrist just as she grabs another crystal goblet. “And what happened? He got away!”
“He almost killed me! And you didn’t do a goddamn thing to help us! The only reason I’m here right now is because of Laz! Not you!” Via whirls around and points to Serena. “You gave me a bullshit task to do because you wanted to keep me away from here! From her!” she shrieks, her hand shaking. “How fucking dare you humiliate me this way?”
Nic grabs Via around the neck. “Don’t you talk to me like that,” he seethes. “I gave you every chance to be my second in command, and you ruined every shot!”
“Is that why you put that little whore in charge?” Via sneers, now pointing the gun at Serena. “That foundation was supposed to be mine! You said we were going to get rid of the Vitales, not take them to fucking bed with us! You promised me! You are a lying sack of shit! And now what? Am I supposed to work for her? My own goddamn family, and I’m supposed to report to an outsider?” She claws Nic’s hand away from her throat and shoves her palms against his chest, pushing him backward. “I hate you! I hate everything about you, you selfish bastard!”
Wanted: A Dark Italian Mafia Romance (Men Of Mayhem Book 1) Page 19
