Mafia Prince (Mafia Royalty Book 3)

by Cala Riley

  She doesn’t say a word, but she also doesn’t move. I quickly call one of the soldiers who I know lives close. He pulls up minutes later.

  I open the car door and let her get inside. I lean in and kiss her cheek lightly. “I love you. I will see you tomorrow.” I don’t leave room for argument. I shut the door behind her and watch as they drive away. I look back at the house, but can’t bring myself to go back inside. Instead, I hop in my car. I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.

  Chapter Eight

  Isabella

  After my fight with Gio the other night I’ve just been going through the motions. Sleep, work, eat and repeat.

  Mia: Staying at Lo’s tonight. Love you.

  Of course she is. I slip my phone back into my pocket as I head up the stairs to our place. I glance back and watch as Dante parks across the street. I give him a small smile and wave. He nods in response.

  I unlock the door and notice the hall light is on. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. I back out of the door and turn to head across the street. Dante is out of his car before I reach him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The hall light is on. I didn’t leave it on. Mia might have been by today, but it doesn’t feel right.”

  He nods and leads me to his car before opening the passenger door. “Stay here.”

  He makes a call then heads into the house. I watch intently from the street. After a couple minutes, he comes back out. I jump out and meet him.

  “It’s clear.”

  I shake my head for being so silly. “Of course it is. Mia probably came by and left it on. Sorry for making you look.” I go to walk by him, but he stops me.

  “Never apologize for something like that. I would rather you say something and it be nothing than you keep it to yourself and you end up hurt. This is my job. Let me do it.”

  I nod and head back inside. I shut the door and make sure both the deadbolt and handle are locked. I lean back against it. Pull yourself together, Iz.

  I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I lean against the counter as I look around. Nothing seems out of place, but something still doesn’t feel right. I take a long swig of water before I push off the counter and head to my room. I set my water down before I strip naked. I throw my work uniform in the hamper before grabbing my towel and heading to the bathroom.

  I sigh when I make it to the bathroom. It used to be a mess. I always yell at Mia for having her makeup thrown all over the place and her clothes all over the floor. Looking around now, it’s obvious she hasn’t spent much time in the bathroom since I cleaned last week. Her makeup is gone and not a single piece of clothing litters the floor.

  I turn on the water to the shower as I lean against the sink, looking around.

  I feel the loneliness settle in. I’m happy she has Lo, but I’m sad that it means I lost her. Well, maybe I didn’t lose her, but she isn’t here as much as she used to be. Sofia’s busy with Bash, which leaves me sitting at home alone on a Friday night instead of having plans like we used to.

  Hell, I don’t even see them at work anymore. Mia is doing medical stuff with the family, while Sofia has taken over most of the business side of all of Bash’s legitimate businesses. Sure, she still stops by once a month, but we don’t talk as much anymore.

  I shake those thoughts from my head as I move into the shower. I could call Matt and ask if he’s available to hang out, but he’s a busy man now. With both of his jobs, he doesn’t have much free time, and I would feel bad taking it away from his mom and sisters.

  There is always another option.

  The deep recesses of my consciousness are always calling to me. Craving Gio. I need a break though before I fall for him.

  Who are you kidding, Iz? You never fell out of love with him.

  As I shut off the water, I catch something from the other room. My heart starts to pound in my chest as I stand still, listening. I curse myself for leaving my phone on my nightstand.

  After a couple of minutes of silence, I get out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. I think about my next moves. A memory hits me out of nowhere.

  “What do you do if someone ever breaks into your home, cuore mio?” His hands stroke my hair as we lie in the grass looking at the sky.

  “Call you, duh.”

  He chuckles. The sound washes over my body, lighting me up.

  “Yes. You always call me, but what if you’re in danger? What do you do?”

  “Fight.”

  He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Do you know how to fight?”

  I shrug. Truth is, I don’t.

  He jumps up and pulls me up.

  “Gio, what are you doing? I was comfortable.”

  “You should know how to protect yourself, love. Let me teach you some things.”

  “Right now?” I whine.

  “Only a few things right now. Then I will train you more later.”

  Later never came.

  I take a deep breath and listen again. I still don’t hear anything, so I shake it off. I’m probably imagining things. I have been getting so lost in the past recently that I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m going crazy.

  I tiptoe down the hall and look each way. Nothing seems out of place, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. I go into my room and head toward my phone, but someone grabs me from behind, covering my mouth.

  I try to scream, but it can’t be heard over the man's hand. I do the only thing I know how. I bite down on his hand, and as he screams out in pain, I jump away from him and reach for my phone. He has me back in his grip as I scream, but he doesn’t put his hand back. I can taste his metallic blood as I struggle.

  “Stop moving, you little bitch.”

  I recognize the voice.

  Fillipo.

  I do as he asks as my memories kick in again.

  If they ever have you from behind and you can’t kick out, go limp. Your body weight will throw them off.

  As Gio predicted six years ago, Fillipo falls forward with me, and we wind up on my bed. I turn in his arms and try to kick him off me.

  If you can, gouge his eyes out. Like this.

  I remember him showing me how, and I try to execute the move. Fillipo’s smarter than that though and jumps back. I jump up as I plan my next attack.

  Heel of the hand to the nose. As hard as you can. It will hurt like a bitch. Always aim for the balls with your kicks.

  I rush toward him and kick out, but I only hit his thigh. I attempt to slam the heel of my hand into his nose, but I end up hitting his cheek instead. He grabs my hands and holds them over my head as he backs me up to the bed. I struggle as he falls over me.

  “What a pretty little thing. You have a lot of fight in you, don’t you?”

  He looks down at my body, and I shiver in disgust. I lost my towel during the fight, and I’m completely aware that I am lying under this repulsive man completely naked.

  “What do you want from me?” I hiss out.

  “From you? Nothing, child.” The smile he gives me is disturbing.

  I don’t know what he has planned, but it can’t be good. My thoughts are confirmed moments later when he switches my hands to one of his as he reaches in his pocket. He pulls out a zip tie and secures my wrists together while I struggle to use my body to hit his anyway I can. In the end, I am no match for a man of his size. His weight on top of mine renders my body useless.

  “You know, I planned on killing you to leave a message, but seeing your delicious body gives me a better idea. Perhaps I do want something from you after all.” The manic smile on his face tells me what he has planned. He trails his hand down my body and grabs my breast roughly. “Oh yeah, you’re a fine piece of meat.”

  I start screaming and thrashing. This fucker is going to rape me. I scream until my throat goes raw.

  Why isn’t anyone coming? Where’s Dante?

  “Scream as loud as you want. Your guard can’t hear you. No one can.”
r />   He continues to grope my breast as I continue to scream for help.

  My phone starts to ring, and he pauses, but it only makes me scream louder.

  Please. Whoever you are. Please check on me.

  “I wonder who this is.” He leans up and grabs the phone. “I wonder who it could be. Well, let’s just send them a text letting them know you’re busy.” I watch as he types out a message on my phone then slams it down onto my nightstand. “There, now, where were we?”

  My voice is hoarse now, but I still attempt to scream. For once, I wish my neighbors would be nosy. Hell, I wish they would call the cops, even though I know they won’t. No one in this neighborhood calls the police. Tears fill my eyes as I realize that no one is coming. Why would they? I live in a neighborhood of

  “mind your own business.” Fillipo abandons my breasts as he slides his hands lower. I swing my hands toward his head, but he easily grabs them again.

  “Tsk, tsk, Isabella. If you’re good, I might even try to make this enjoyable for you.”

  I gag at his words. There is no way this would ever be enjoyable for me. “Fuck you, you fat fuck,” I say before I spit at him.

  He backhands me across my face, and I cry out in pain. I try to refocus, but my vision is blurry.

  “You dirty whore. You will probably enjoy it anyway.”

  I hear a noise and realize it’s a zipper. The fucker has probably pulled his tiny dick out. I gag again and just barely manage to turn my head as I throw up on the bed.

  “Go ahead, let it all out.” He slides his hand lower, to the apex of my legs. I clench my thighs so tight it hurts. There is no way I’m giving up without a fight. “Come on, let me in.”

  “In your fucking dreams, grandpa.” I continue to struggle with him, and he cusses when I manage to land a kick to his shin.

  “Fucking bitch! I was hoping you would do this the easy way, but it looks like we need to do this the hard way.”

  He moves off me, and I can see his pants around his ankles while his little prick sticks out, staring at me. I attempt to crawl back on the bed, and he just laughs. He pulls something out of his jacket pocket and a syringe comes into view. He uncaps it as he stalks toward me. I fall over the other side of my bed and struggle to stand up. Before I’m on my feet, he lashes out and punches me in the face. I fall to the floor as my vision goes black hitting my head on the bedframe on my way down.

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head. You will still feel everything, but you won’t be able to fight it anymore.”

  I feel a sting in my neck, and then my body begins to relax. I try to fight it. I try to move. I try to scream. Nothing comes out. I’m paralyzed. I can’t do a thing.

  He picks me up and throws me back on the bed. I can feel my puke on my back, and I want to gag, but I can’t. I can’t do anything.

  I realize now that this should have been my worst fear. I’m going to be raped, and there is nothing I can do about it.

  Giovanni

  Izzy: I’m busy fucking. Talk to you later.

  I know right then something is wrong. Izzy would never text me that. Even when she hated me, she would have told me to fuck off, but in the last month, we’ve made way too much progress for her to respond that way.

  I try to call Dante and it goes straight to voice mail.

  “Fuck!”

  I speed up. When Dante called me earlier, I knew something wasn’t right. Then he called me back and said the house had been clear. I still abandoned my meeting and headed toward her house. I had to see she was okay with my own eyes. I slam my fist on the steering wheel and curse.

  Why did my meeting have to be so far away?

  I finally pull up to her house and spot Dante still stationed in his car. I park and jog over to him, finding him sitting there, eyes open and staring straight ahead.

  “Dante, what’s going on?”

  He doesn’t move. I feel for a pulse and find that it’s strong. I shake him, and he doesn’t respond. I dial my phone.

  “Lo, I need you to come to Izzy’s right away. Something's gone down. I’m breaching now, have Mia on standby.”

  I don’t wait for his response. I hang up and rush up to the house. I pull out my gun as I try the door, but find it locked. I pull out my key and open it as silently as I can. I slip in and begin to clear the house. Hearing a commotion from the bedroom, I see red. I start to rush forward but pause, taking a calming breath.

  Leading with emotions gets you killed.

  I remember my father’s advice as I plan my next move. I start by clearing the living room and kitchen before I head down the hall. His voice stops me in my tracks.

  “You’re going to like this, Isabella.”

  I clench my fists tighter as I realize it’s Fillipo in the room with her. I stand still as I listen for other voices or movement. Satisfied that he’s alone and unable to wait any longer, I round the corner and find him on top of her. Isabella’s stark naked, and he has his pants around his ankles. She isn’t moving and his hands are in between her legs. I don’t hesitate. I burst into the room with my gun pointed at his head.

  “Back away from her.”

  I glance over and see the tears falling from her eyes, but she doesn’t move or speak. My heart breaks at the sight of her so broken and unwilling to fight.

  “Giovanni, how great of you to join us. You’re just in time for the show. Isabella here was about to give me a taste of her sweet little snatch. Oh, but you know all about that, don’t you?”

  I clench the gun tighter, moving my finger to the trigger. Fillipo doesn’t move away but instead moves closer. I don’t have a clear shot. If I shoot him now, the bullet would likely go through him and into her, a risk I can’t take.

  “I’m going to give Isabella here a taste of a real man. Do you want to stay and watch?”

  He’s gone crazy. He must know he won’t be making it out of here alive.

  “Move away from her, you sick son of a bitch.”

  I surge forward, but he holds up a knife and places it to her throat. He positions his body over her in a way that even if I could manage a clean shot, the knife would likely slit her throat as his body weight fell on top of her. My mind races as I go over all the possible scenarios.

  Fillipo tsks as he says, “Come any closer and I will slit her throat. It would be such a shame for such a beauty to be maimed in such a way.” He leans down and sniffs her hair before his tongue slides out and leaves a trail from her ear to her chin. “She tastes nice. What do you think, Giovanni?”

  I watch as the knife presses into her neck with every movement, leaving behind a trail of blood. I pause. My heart is racing as I watch him hold my life in his hands—the woman I love and always have. My blood roars through my body as I feel every muscle tense up with the thought of what might happen next.

  “Fine. What do you want, Fillipo?” I ask through gritted teeth.

  “I want you to hurt like I hurt.” He pauses. “Really, I want Bastiano to hurt, but he’s damn near impossible to get to. You know I’ve been trying to lure him out for weeks. My men have tried every possible way to get to him. Still nothing.”

  A sliver of pride sneaks through me as I realize what he’s saying. Our protection is working. His connections are dwindling.

  “So, since he’s unattainable at the moment, I went for the next best thing. The prince of the family. Golden boy. Next in line for the throne.” His voice says the words with reverence, but it lacks sincerity. He continues his rant as I watch him loosen his hold a little bit. He’s so focused on his speech, he doesn’t even realize he’s getting sloppy.

  “I know I’m a dead man. I’ve been around for a while now. The best I can do is take one of you down with me. I wasn’t going to rape her. Not at first, but look at her body. Who could say no?”

  My skin crawls as I watch him look over Izzy’s naked form.

  “I will let you walk out of here alive if you leave her alone.”

  We both know I’m lying
.

  “I have nothing left to live for, Giovanni. Bastiano took my family from me. I was supposed to take over after his father died. It was promised to me. He took away my territory. Then he took away my men, the ones loyal to only me. He systematically found them and murdered them all. I have nothing left, so why would I allow her to live? This is my final act. Bastiano will remember the destruction I left in my wake.”

  He moves then, and I watch as he attempts to line his dick up with Izzy. I don’t think. I let the blind rage take over as I charge him. The look of surprise briefly passes over him before his eyes harden. He goes to press the knife into Isabella, but before he can, I tackle him off the bed. The knife falls away from him while my gun slides away from me as well.

  Fillipo attempts to roll me off him, but I don’t move. I punch him in the head twice before wrapping my hands around his throat. I watch as he struggles for air. His hands frantically search for anything that might help him.

  My vision is only focused on him through the red haze of anger. I don’t know what he finds, but I feel it as it hits me upside my head. I briefly fall to the side, but it’s enough to give him the opening he needs. He pushes at me until I’m off him before scrambling up to his feet.

  I slowly get to my feet and turn to face him. “You want to fight? I’m all for some hand-to-hand combat. Do you think you can keep up, old man?”

  He grits his teeth before he responds. “I’ve been fighting long before you were alive, boy. You think you can fight me? Bring it on.”

  False bravado. I see right through his words, but he said it himself, he has nothing left to live for. Which makes him more dangerous. Add in Izzy lying just feet from us, and I hesitate, giving him the opportunity to make his move.

  He steps forward and swings his hand out, barely missing my head. I back up toward the door to put more space between us. He lashes out again. This time his fist connects with my shoulder.

  I jump forward as he retreats and land a punch to his face. His head turns with the punch, but he doesn’t register the pain. Instead he kicks out and hits my shin. I hiss as I step back. Fillipo’s eyes widen as they flick to Izzy. My heart drops as I turn my head to see what he is looking at.