Born in Blood Collection Volume 1: Collection of books 1-4

by Cora Reilly

  Dutiful and good-hearted? That didn’t sound like Matteo.

  Deep breaths, Gianna. Don’t cause a scene.

  Again I tried to leave, but her fingers dug into my skin. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You’ve dishonored your family, and now you are bringing shame to the name Vitiello. Your mere presence is an insult to every honorable woman in this house. Your existence is sin.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sin? You want to talk to me about sin?” I pointed toward the windows, behind which New York’s worst criminals were gathered. “That room breathes sin.”

  Nina Vitiello lifted her chin. “Do us all a favor and kill yourself.”

  I wrenched my arm away, shocked. “I won’t ever do any of you a favor.” I turned and headed back inside. Matteo spotted me from across the room where he was talking with a younger version of Mr. Bardoni, Luca, and a couple of other men. I quickly looked away, hoping he wouldn’t approach me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him now. Aria was still where I’d left her, completely entrenched in conversation.

  I crossed the room as quickly as possible, pretending I didn’t hear the whispered “whore” a couple of people called me. Despite my best attempts not to let those insults get to me, I felt relief when I finally left the living room and found myself alone in the front hall. I needed to find the bathroom to freshen up and clear my head before I entered that room again. I was seriously worried that I’d attack someone if I didn’t get a grip on myself. Taking a deep breath, I went in search for the restroom. I hoped I’d come across someone leaving the bathroom so I didn’t have to open every single door. I definitely wouldn’t ask Mrs. Bardoni to point it out to me. Unfortunately the only thing I found was Mr. Bardoni who must have been following me. The leer the bald idiot sent my way made me want to puke.

  Matteo

  If Bardoni thought I hadn’t noticed the way he’d eye-fucked Gianna when we’d arrived, he was even more stupid than I thought. If it weren’t for Luca, I would have plunged my knife into the fucker’s face right away. But Luca was a new Capo and couldn’t use any more trouble, so I had promised him to stay on my best behavior. As the party progressed I slowly came to the realization that I might have to break my promise.

  Gianna was trying to put on a brave face but I could see how upset she was after a talk to my bitch of a stepmother. I didn’t want to know what the old goat had said to Gianna. She would never dare say something to my face. She was scared of Luca and me, had been for as long as I could remember.

  Unfortunately, it took me a few more minutes before I could finally follow Gianna after she’d fled the living room. Luca’s warning glance almost made me want to laugh. I had no intention of doing something stupid, except for having a quickie with my wife to lift her spirits. What was wrong with that?

  When I stepped out into the lobby, I didn’t see Gianna anywhere. I paused, listening closely, but the sounds of the party behind me were drowning out everything else. What if she’d run? I should have told Romero or Sandro to keep an eye on her at all times, but I hadn’t wanted to embarrass her further. People had enough to gossip about as it was.

  I headed in the direction of where I remembered the bathroom to be, hoping I’d find her there. A deep voice made me quicken my steps and when I came around the next corner I found Gianna alone with old Bardoni. One look at her face and I knew she was on the verge of a freak-out. She didn’t see me as I approached, her narrowed eyes directed at Bardoni.

  “Why don’t you show me what you learned in Europe. I bet you’re very talented with your lips. That’s why Matteo was so eager to marry you, hm?” Bardoni said and reached for Gianna’s arm. Before she or I could react, he pulled her against him and fucking kissed her while groping her breast. My blood boiling, I stormed toward them, pulled my knife, shoved Bardoni away from Gianna and slammed my blade into the soft spot below his chin, piercing his fucking brain. Gianna gasped and stumbled back against the wall, her eyes darting from my knife to my face.

  “Fuck,” I muttered. I chanced a quick glance around, then dragged Bardoni’s body toward his office, leaving my knife in his chin so blood didn’t shoot out.

  “You killed him,” Gianna whispered harshly.

  “He shouldn’t have touched you.” I nodded toward the door. “Open that for me.” After a moment of hesitation, she stumbled forward and pushed the door open for me. I dragged Bardoni inside and Gianna quickly followed me inside before closing the door.

  I put Bardoni down in his desk chair, then took a step back. This was bad. Luca would kick my ass when he found out.

  “What are we going to do?” Gianna asked in a toneless voice from her spot near the door.

  “We are going to make it look like I didn’t kill him.”

  “Your knife is in his head.”

  I grinned but sobered when I saw Gianna’s expression. It reminded me of the look she’d had after Sid had been shot. Sometimes I forgot that not everyone was as used to blood and death as me.

  Slowly she came closer, gaze frozen on the body. “Why did you kill him?”

  “Because he was an asshole.”

  Gianna stopped beside me and dead Bardoni. She looked like she couldn’t quite believe what she saw. She raised her arm as if she was going to touch the corpse to convince herself of its existence.

  “Don’t touch anything,” I ordered a bit too harshly, gripping her wrist to stop her.

  She stared up at me with huge eyes. After another moment, she nodded almost robotically. She looked like she was going into shock. That was the last thing we needed.

  Ideally I would have gone in search of Luca but I couldn’t leave Gianna alone with the body. If someone came in, she’d have more trouble dealing with that person than I did.

  I touched her cheek to bring her attention back to my face. “Go and get Luca,” I told her.

  She hesitated.

  “Go.”

  “Okay.” She whirled around, crossed the room in a rush and slipped out. She closed the door silently. I really hoped she wouldn’t give everything away because she was so freaked out.

  I lowered my eyes to Bardoni. I really loved the sight of my knife in his skull.

  “Matteo?” I heard Luca’s quiet voice a couple of minutes later. I jogged toward the door and opened it a crack. When I saw Luca standing in the corridor, I ushered him in.

  “What do you want? Gianna didn’t say anything,” he said, but shut up when his gaze settled on Bardoni behind the desk. “Oh fuck.”

  “Bardoni had an accident,” I said with a shrug.

  Luca gave me a look. “Fuck, Matteo, what did you do?”

  “If you ask me, I think good old Mr. Bardoni killed himself,” I said.

  Luca circled the body, then he glared at me. “It’s because of Gianna, isn’t it? Bardoni did or said something that annoyed you and you lost your shit. I knew the girl would bring nothing but trouble.”

  “The asshole has been on your death list for a while. He’s been stirring up shit. You are glad he’s gone, admit it. We’ve discussed having him killed countless times. I decided to finally act.”

  “Of course I wanted him dead, but not in his own fucking home at his Christmas party. Damn it, Matteo. Can’t you think first and shoot second for once?”

  Luca was right. I should have chosen a better time to kill Bardoni, but he shouldn’t have talked shit to Gianna, and he most certainly shouldn’t have touched her. He’d dug his own fucking grave.

  “I’ll call Romero. He’s keeping an eye on Aria and Gianna but we’ll need him here to deal with this fucking mess.” Luca ran a hand through his hair, sent me another glower, then picked up his phone and called Romero.

  A couple of minutes later, someone knocked. Luca held up his hand to stop me from opening it. Instead he went and let Romero in. Romero’s eyes scanned the scene before him before focusing on me. “You killed him?”

  I raised my arms. “Why did it have to be me?” It was a rhetorical question. It was almost al
ways me doing the killing at improper times.

  “Because you’re the crazy one,” Luca muttered, then said to Romero, “Can you make this look as if Bardoni killed himself?”

  We all looked toward the dead asshole, hanging limply in his chair, lifeless eyes still expressing surprise at his early demise.

  Romero grimaced. “Few people stab themselves in the brain.”

  “There’s always a first time for everything.” I chuckled but fell silent at a look from Luca. “Oh, come on,” I said. “It was funny.”

  Luca’s lips twitched but he was too stubborn to admit I was right. I knew he was more than a little glad that I’d gotten rid of Bardoni for him. “Search the room for a gun that could have blown his fucking head off. I don’t need the Bandonis on my back right now. I want this matter dealt with quietly.”

  “No matter how we make it look, the Bardonis will suspect something. They won’t believe it was suicide. Bardoni was far too narcissistic to end his own life,” I said.

  “Maybe I should put a fucking ankle monitor on you, too,” Luca growled. “You are a ticking time bomb.”

  Romero stopped searching the drawers of the desk. “Even if the Bardonis suspect something, they won’t say it aloud. If they don’t have proof, they won’t seek retribution.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” I said. “But we’ll make sure they won’t get a chance for revenge.”

  “Maybe you should pull your knife out of Bardoni’s head. Nobody will believe it was suicide with your blade stuck in his chin,” Luca said.

  I walked toward the body and slowly pulled my knife out, then quickly took a step back before blood could get on my clothes. I checked my white shirt for any specks. My black trousers and jacket would hide blood better, but luckily I was clean. The same couldn’t be said for Bardoni’s clothes. Blood was quickly soaking his shirt and trousers.

  Romero pulled a high-caliber Smith & Wesson from a drawer in the cupboard behind the desk. “This could do.”

  “Good,” Luca said with a nod. “Matteo and I will return to the party. Wait about five minutes before you blow his head off, then get the fuck out of here. Matteo and I will hopefully be here first and in the commotion nobody will notice you are gone.”

  Romero was already busy figuring out the best angle to shoot Bardoni and barely reacted when Luca and I slipped out of the room quietly and closed the door. The corridor was deserted except for Gianna who was lingering at the end, looking anxious.

  “Make sure she doesn’t let something slip,” Luca ordered. “And we’ll have a talk about this fucking matter later.”

  “Don’t worry. Gianna can lie if she has to.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt she can lie very well if she wants to. But she’s not exactly the most trustworthy person.”

  “She’s my wife,” I reminded my brother with a bit too much force.

  “That’s the problem.” He walked off back to the party before I could reply, and I headed toward Gianna.

  Gianna

  I couldn’t believe Matteo had rammed his knife into that man’s chin. It had been a horrible sight, seeing Bardoni with dead, shock-widened eyes. He had been an asshole, and I certainly wasn’t sad to see him gone, but seeing my own husband kill him without a second thought had been horrible. Matteo had acted so quickly, no hesitation, no preparation. Every move had spoken of experience. I’d known he was good with the knife of course. Even in Chicago people had talked about his skills but it hadn’t prepared me for watching him actually use a knife on someone like that.

  After I’d told Luca to find Matteo, I waited in the corridor. Aria had gone back into the living room; it would have looked suspicious if all of us had suddenly disappeared. And people were very eager to talk to Aria so her missing would definitely have drawn attention. Nobody would mind my absence however.

  I’d barely waited for a minute, when Romero hurried past me toward the office. People always said I was unpredictable. I had nothing on Matteo.

  I wrapped my arms around myself. My heart was still pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t stop checking my surroundings nervously.

  I was still trying to come to terms with my feelings for what happened when the door to the office opened and Luca and Matteo stepped out without Romero. Luca passed me without a glance. He probably blamed me for the mess his brother had caused. I didn’t think Matteo needed much of an incentive to kill, but naturally I realized that I had been the reason for Bardoni’s death.

  Matteo had acted out of jealousy and possessiveness. Seeing another man touching me had made him snap. Matteo scanned my face as he approached me. I probably looked pretty upset. The problem was I didn’t feel nearly as upset as I knew I should. I couldn’t bring myself to be sad about Bardoni’s death, no matter how much I tried.

  Matteo’s movements were so lithe, so self-assured. And somehow, despite everything, I felt myself drawn to him, even to that dangerous side he’d showed me today. Matteo wrapped an arm around my waist and led me toward the front hall. Instead of returning to the living room, he steered me into a small guest bathroom near the front door.

  “What the hell are you doing?” it burst out of me. “I won’t make out with you after you killed someone.”

  Matteo gripped the back of my neck and pulled our bodies flush against each other before pressing his mouth to mine, kissing me hard. I panted for air when he drew back. His lips brushed my ear. “You look so fucking sexy. I could fuck you in a room with a dead body and wouldn’t care.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” I muttered, but I didn’t try to pull back. His warmth and strong body steadied my trembling limbs. Maybe the events were affecting me more than I thought.

  “But that’s not why we are here,” he murmured.

  A loud shot carried through the house. I jumped. “What—”

  “That’s why,” Matteo said calmly. “We’re going to pretend we had a quickie. We don’t want people to think we had something to do with Bardoni’s unfortunate end, right?”

  He ruffled my hair, then his own before unbuttoning his top two buttons. He raised his dark brows. “Ready?”

  I nodded.

  “Remember we don’t know anything. We are shocked, and surprised.”

  Matteo ripped open the door, and headed out, pulling his gun. The lobby was filled with other guests, most men with their weapons drawn. Confused looks were exchanged. Luca and Bardoni’s son ran toward where the gunshot had come from. Several people gave me and Matteo disgusted looks. They seemed to believe the lie Matteo wanted them to. It probably helped that they all thought I was a whore.

  “Stay here,” Matteo said. “I’ll have to see what’s going on.” He looked so honestly worried and alert as if he really didn’t know why a shot had sounded. Nobody would doubt him. If I didn’t know better, even I would have believed in his innocence after that show.

  He hurried toward the crime scene. I could only watch in stunned silence. Matteo was a master manipulator.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Gianna

  It was way past midnight when we finally got home. Most of the other guests had left long before us, but Luca and Matteo had to stay as heads of the Famiglia and pretend they were trying to figure out what had happened. Nobody had suspected them, at least not openly. To be honest, neither Bardoni Jr. nor Mrs. Bardoni had looked too distraught. Their tears had been crocodile tears if I’d ever seen any. Maybe he’d been as unpleasant to them as he’d been to me in the short time I’d spent with him.

  I couldn’t believe my life had changed from waitressing in Munich to covering up my husband’s crimes. After a quick shower, I slipped into bed. Matteo was still arguing with Luca in our living room. This was one of the few instances where I understood Luca’s anger completely.

  I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling as I listened to their voices. The ankle monitor lay on my nightstand, mocking me. Maybe I should have used tonight’s confusion to escape. Luca, Matteo, and Romero had been busy cleaning up their mes
s, and I had been without my stupid ankle bracelet. It had been the perfect opportunity. Then why hadn’t I run? I doubted anyone would have stopped me.

  Because of Aria? I wished that was the only reason, but as I’d stood in the lobby waiting for Matteo to return, I hadn’t even considered escape. Why wasn’t it at the forefront of my brain anymore? Six months ago it had been all I could think about, had been an obsession that had consumed me, and now it sometimes felt that I only thought about running because I felt that I was supposed to do it.

  It was confusing. I wasn’t as miserable as I’d worried I’d be living with Matteo. Of course, he was a crazy-ass killer, but it wasn’t as if I wasn’t used to that kind, and it actually made life exciting even if I hated admitting it. Living life as a normal person, doing normal things, earning money with normal jobs, had been an incredible experience, but for some reason it had never felt like more than a distraction.

  The door opened and Matteo strode into the bedroom. He wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore and half of his shirt buttons were already unbuttoned. He flashed me his usual grin before he disappeared in the bathroom.

  I could have pretended to be asleep to avoid talking to him but for some inexplicable reason I wanted to talk to him. When he emerged from the bathroom in his boxer shorts, flashing his lean muscled torso, I almost cancelled my plans. But that would really have felt too wrong. A man had died, albeit a horrible man, and having sex so shortly after his death would have felt utterly wrong.

  Matteo slid under the covers and reached for my waist, pulling me toward him. His eyes were hungry. There was no sign that he even still remembered what he’d done not too long ago. His lips claimed mine and I let his tongue in, let the kiss consume me until my body was humming with pleasure and I forced myself to push him away before I did something for which I’d despise myself tomorrow morning.