by C. M. Steele
“That’s really good. I wish I had sons, but the girls are my angels.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky with tons of bambinos.”
“This one is already working on it,” he mutters, nudging Delaney while glaring at me.
“Lucky fucker,” I say under my breath.
“Damn right. Soon, I’m sure you two will fill this mansion with a horde of little ones.”
“Two more days.” I down my glass, barely swallowing before adding, “Do you think we should check on them?”
“No. They’re fine, just like you told your mother. Relax. In two days, she’ll be here forever.” My father-in-law laughs before taking a drink of his whiskey. Everyone finds my misery hilarious, but if he keeps fucking with me, I’ll have Aria locked up in our bedroom for months too busy taking my dick to visit her parents, and I’ll let him know it too.
My phone buzzes in my inside jacket pocket. “Excuse me.” I step away from them and pull it out, and it’s Nero, my second-in-command and cousin.
“Get everyone to safety. Someone’s lurking outside. I’m going to check it out.” Shots fire in the distance as he hangs up.
“Get Aria into the safe room,” I bark out to Luigi who’s standing guard at the entryway. He immediately takes off and runs to their location.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Yeah. Bianchi what’s happening?”
It’s a surprise to find someone lurking outside the exterior on the cameras. I get up and call the front security at the gate. It rings and rings. I pull up the surveillance cameras on my phone and see that several of my guys are running out of the gates. “Someone’s shooting at my men.” I glare at the two other men in the room who aren’t blood, feeling suddenly suspicious of them.
I pull out my gun and run straight down to the fucking front. My security gate team has been shot. One’s dead, and the other is bleeding out. I call the ambulance as Delaney and the Don come following. We secure the area with my other ten men that circle the perimeter. The intruder can’t get inside, but they shot through the gate.
I’m hot—ready to bust some heads and throw salt in the wounds.
“Shit, where is Niccolò?”
My father pulls out his cell and calls him. He’s talking to him, so thank fuck for that.
“I haven’t had a problem in years. Now that I bring my bride here, someone attacks?”
“I believe someone doesn’t want our families to be tied together.” Grasso is right, but none of the families have even hinted at the alignment between the Grasso and Bianchi Families.
“Who? This has been in motion for years,” I remind him.
“I don’t know, but until we do, it’s best to be on high alert.”
“Where’s Nico?” I ask. He’s supposed to be here any fucking minute. If that fucker finds him before he’s somewhere safe…I just can’t even think of that.
“He was just leaving his condo. He’d gotten carried away with work.”
A sense of relief fills me, but everything isn’t said and done for the night. “Sounds like him. Did you tell him to stay there as well?”
“Hell, yeah. The boy doesn’t need to get into this.” My father checks his gun as we stalk together to check on our women. I have to hold Aria and promise I’ll make it better.
“Fucking hell. Who would be that stupid?” I look at the footage as we head to the safe room, but all I can think about is getting to Aria. Maybe that’s my motherfucking problem; I’ve been too fucking stuck in the clouds to see the enemy creeping in.
I punch in the code, and the door slides open. Everyone enters before I do, but we find all our women comforting each other. Their eyes turn to us and they run to their men, and then it’s just Aria, who gasps.
“You’re okay,” Aria cries out, throwing her arms around me. Fuck, I feel like a king just to have an ounce of her concern.
I kiss her temple and hair before I answer her. “Yes, amore. I’m well, but two of my men have been injured.” I leave out that one is dead because I don’t want to upset her any more than necessary. “You’re staying here tonight where I know you’ll be secure until we have this under control.”
“I need to get to my boys, but I want Gloria here until I come back with them,” Cormack says, staring at me with the warning that he’s trusting me with her safety. I nod, answering his unspoken request.
“All of you will stay here tonight. This isn’t random,” I answer.
“Do you know who it is?” Aria looks up at me with a fear that pisses me off.
Cupping her face, I stare into her gorgeous eyes. “No, but I will. Nothing and no one will stop our wedding,” I tell her, but it’s for everyone just in case they get any crazy ideas of canceling it.
My phone rings, and it’s Nero. “What do you have?”
“He’s gone. It’s definitely a guy with brass balls. We’re waiting for a medic and the fucking fire department out in the woods.” He’s breathing heavily as he spits it out for me.
“What the hell happened?”
“We gave chase, and the asshole had a trip wire set up with rigged explosives. We’ve lost two more guys.” I could put a bullet in this bastard’s head, but we need to make him earn his death.
“When we find this asshole, his death will be slow and painful. Do what you need to do. Are you good, though?”
“Yeah, I’m a little slower than these guys,” he huffs. That’s when I realize he’s still catching his breath.
He’s fast, but not sprinter fast. “That’s because you’re built like a tank. Stay safe.”
“I told you,” Aria huffs, slapping my chest as tears stream down her gorgeous face.
“You did. Did you know something, Aria?” It’s a stupid question, but maybe she heard something without understanding what it meant.
“Of course not. I don’t leave my ivory tower, but we’ve all gotten together and someone who hates us knew it. It doesn’t take much intelligence,” she sasses, rolling her eyes at me.
“Handful,” Gloria mutters.
“She’s still worth it.” I place a soft kiss on her lips. “Stay in the house. I have to get to the bottom of this.”
“Please don’t get yourself killed,” Aria pleads, filling me with unexplainable vigor and determination. Nothing’s going to stop me from getting back to her.
“Not gonna happen. I have a bride waiting for me.”
My phone rings and it’s Luigi, on top of being my personal guard and driver, he’s one of my security experts. “We’ve got a hit on the vehicle he fled in, but it’s been reported stolen this morning.”
That’s not what I like to hear, but given the situation, it’s to be expected. “Shit. Okay. Well, get any city cameras of this fucker. I want this bastard taken care of before the wedding.”
“Already on it. Our connection in the city is scanning all the systems for it.”
“Call me when he has something.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Hey—next time, don’t go running into danger like that, Dom,” Don Grasso says. “You could have been shot if he’d gotten over the walls.”
“The sensors would have gone off. Fuck. I hate that fucking front gate. It’s a hazard, leaving us at risk.” It’s for aesthetics, but it’s useless when it comes to protection. In all my years this house has never come under attack because the families would be too fucking stupid.
“We could have been shot at before we arrived. This was intentional.”
“All of the vehicles are bulletproof,” I explain to Aria, but does the shooter know that? Probably. It’s only wise for us to own several armor-plated rides.
I look over her head and to her father whose tension is visibly high. “We need to go back to your home. I wonder if someone has been lurking around your house at a distance and followed us here. We weren’t home for more than thirty minutes before all hell broke out.”
“Do you believe this has to do with us?” he questions, teeth clenching, knuckl
es whitening. The old man better chill out or he’s going to have a heart attack.
“It might have to do with Aria. Her guard was missing this morning. Have you located him? I haven’t been able to get a hold of him. That’s why I added one of my mother’s guards to guard Aria’s room.”
“I was made aware of that, but he hadn’t called in sick. I thought you pulled him for your own reasons.” He’s referring to my jealousy when it comes to his daughter—my bride.
“No. I trusted him to keep his eyes to himself.” He’s been protecting her for years and has never given me a reason to believe he wanted her. Still, if this is his handiwork, I’ll kill that fucker without a second thought.
“Maybe,” her father scoffs.
My phone goes off as we get into my SUV. It’s her room sensor. I see the little fuck in there and his face is familiar, but it’s not John or even Cormack, who should almost be at the house. I don’t share that with her father because then he’ll know I had cameras in her room and that I’ve seen much more of his daughter than I should have. Technically, the legal age in this state is seventeen. Still, I don’t think he’d appreciate it. I said my obsession with her is sick. I’m a fucking mobster; it’s not like I live on the right side of the law anyway.
“The cameras are going off. Someone’s on my property,” her father says as we head down the road.
“Maybe it’s Delaney?”
“No. He has the passcode to go through the gate.” He makes a call as I drive like a madman. “Delaney, be careful. My silent sensors just went off. Okay.” They talk for a minute.
“What happened?”
“He’s almost there, and the boys are in the safe room there with their nanny.” I can see the panic in his eyes. They’re his little grandbabies, and it’s turning that fear into an animalistic rage. Grasso has been one hell of a Don, but with age and a happy family, he’s slowed his businesses.
“Good.”
My phone rings again as we get closer to the house. I put it on speaker. “What have you got, Luigi?”
“We’ve got him ID’d. It’s Franco Tortelli, the kid that tried to kiss her and you broke his arm.” He didn’t need to finish that last bit. I’d never forgotten his name. Anyone that dares to defile my queen is on my hit list. I should have finished him off back then, but he was just some punk kid who had a crush.
“What? Are you fucking serious?”
“Shit. He’s gone off the deep end. We’re on this way to his apartment, and we’re going to wait to see if he shows up."
"Good. Bring him to me if he does.”
“I’m going to take my time with him,” Grasso says, clenching his fists. We arrive at their gated residence and see Delaney. Rage is apparent as hell on his face as he holds both of his boys in his arms. Three of his men are surrounding him and the boys.
Through gritted teeth, he snarls, “He’s inside. My men have him tied down. Have your way.”
We enter the house and go straight to the sound of someone struggling. When we do, I see the little bitch on the ground, tied up and still struggling. I swiftly kick him in the balls, watching him crumble and squeal like a little bitch.
I grab his collar and drag him onto a chair. “You fucked up, Franco, buddy. You had the nerve to come to my home, kill my men, and scare my bride. You’re either nuts, or fucking stupid. Either way, you’ve sealed your fate.”
He spits at me through his busted lip. “She deserves someone better than you.”
I shrug and chuckle lightly. “She does, but that’s not your business.”
Grasso interrupts, itching with violence in his eyes. “It’s mine, and I’ve given this man my blessing. Who are you to deem otherwise?”
“She loved me, and we were supposed to be together.”
Wow. I laugh harder because he’s got a few screws loose. “This guy’s nuts. She didn’t love you, and I know that.”
“He’s fucking pathetic and a bit crazy. My daughter wouldn’t give you the time of day. She was freaked out and felt grossed out that you nearly put your mouth on her.”
“I should have killed you then,” I remind him that I’d granted him mercy.
“Maybe, but if I can’t have her, neither can you.” He swings his legs, trying to stab me with a hidden knife in his shoe, but he’s not quick enough and I break his ankle, causing him to scream like music to my ears.
“Nice try,” I add, dropping his leg.
A gun goes off, and I snap my head toward my father-in-law, who’s smirking. “Sorry. I was getting tired of the little prick.”
That’s when I notice his shirt. It reads Tick Tock, Motherfucker. I don’t know what it means, but it sends a chill up my spine. “No need to apologize. I’m ready to get back to my woman. Let’s get some things and head back.”
“They’re gonna freak when they see the blood on us. Let’s go wash up.”
“Good idea.” We barely make it into the hallway toward the stairs when the house goes off in an explosion, sending us falling backward, and the world goes black.
Chapter Five
Aria
“Where are they?” I sigh, freaking out more and more as time ticks by, wringing my fingers as I sit down and get up again to pace the room. It’s been two hours since they left the estate. They should have been back. I stare at Cormack, who looks calm.
“What the hell happened, honey?” Gloria asks her husband. I stop and wait for him to explain where my father and fiancé are.
He shrugs like it’s not a big deal when I’m ready to jump out of my skin. “I don’t know. They were going inside the house to get the guy that my team had bagged and gagged believing he’s the guy who was here. Maybe they went to work on him.” So what he’s saying is they probably took him somewhere to torture and kill him.
“Well, why don’t you call them and find out?” I snap, getting in his face. Gloria gently takes my hand and leads me to a chair.
I stare at my brother-in-law as he dials. It feels like forever as he goes through contact after contact, but Cormack doesn’t get an answer until he tries the last guy. It’s muffled and loud as he puts it on speakerphone because he can’t hear him.
“Boss, explosion,” a voice groans out. Did he say explosion? I swear the room tilts a bit, but I press my hand on the armrest.
“No talking. Get this man to the hospital. Who is this?” a male voice snarls on the phone.
“Who the hell is this?” Cormack barks out.
“This is Chief Miller from the CFD.” The fire department is at our house?
“What happened to Danny?”
“We had an explosion. Several men dead.” Oh my God. I did hear him correctly.
“No,” I cry out, standing because I need air.
Stumbling toward the front door, the following words cause me to freeze. “Are there any survivors?” Cormack asks.
“Not that we can tell.” The world goes black and I crumble, falling into someone’s arms as I lose consciousness.
****
“Wake up, amore mia.” I swear I hear Domani, but it must be a dream. The feel of his strong hand sliding over my cheek wakes me up. I press my face into his hold to remember his touch in my soul.
“Domani, you’re alive,” I call out as my eyes focus on his face. Tears flow freely down my face.
“Yes—no one can take me away from you. I told you that. Please, amore, don’t cry.” I do my best to rein in the tears, but it’s the opposite. He holds me to his chest, breathing in my scent as he steals kisses on the crown of my head.
Finally gaining control of my emotions, I pull back slightly to look up into his rugged mug. “Where am I?”
“In our bedroom,” he growls with a smirk.
Lust shoots through my veins, and I let him know it as I hum, “Got me right where you want me, don’t you?”
“Yes, but we still have a day before I make you my wife.” He releases his hold on me and backs off the bed. I take him in for the first time, and I’m shocked.
He’s covered in dried blood, his clothes filthy and his face caked with dirt.
“Oh my goodness, you look bad. What are you doing here? You should see a doctor.”
“I’m fine,” he says, brushing off my concern.
“My dad,” I screech, jumping up. I forgot he went with him. Domani grabs my arms, holding me firmly in place.
“Calm down. He’s good, showering and then resting. Your mother’s tending to him.” He lets go of me and then removes his suit jacket. “Dinner’s waiting for us, so as soon as I get out of the shower, we’ll eat. I could really use some food and need to make sure you’re well fed.” He strolls to the bathroom like it’s nothing, while I have a hundred and twenty questions.
“What happened?” I call out, walking toward the bathroom. My heels are gone but I’m still in my dress, which has shifted a bit. I adjust it and ask again, “What happened, Domani?”
He cups my face and kisses my forehead. “We managed to avoid the biggest part of the blast.” He shakes his head. “That guy was fucking nuts.”
“Who was he? Why was he after you?”
“It was the guy whose arm I broke for trying to kiss you.” I gasp. Did he? He blanches from the slip.
“You broke his arm?” I ask, because the incident happened two years ago, shortly before I was pulled from the school.
A knock at the door interrupts his response. “Yes?” he calls toward the door, getting out of my interrogation.
“Domani, I need to see you.”
“Okay, Mama.” He walks past me and goes to the door.
The second he opens the door, she throws her arms around him and cries. “I almost lost you.” Has he not seen her already? “Damn it, you need to be more careful.” She slaps his chest, making him groan. “Now get in the shower, eat, and then the doc will see you later.”
She walks past him, pulling me down to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. Brushing my hair away from my face, she asks so sweetly, “Are you well, dear? You gave Domani a good scare.”
“He gave me one, too,” I complain with a slight smile on my face. When I look, he’s heading into the shower, closing the door. Slick fucker. Still, my mind has a million questions that I will get answered in good time.
