Sonny had a fatherly side to him, which took me mostly by surprise. The man I knew was into freaky ass porn and liked to kill people for fun. He wasn’t the type to change diapers or make up songs for children. But he was becoming that man more each day. Even after all these years, I’d still never seen him with a serious girlfriend.
“You would be a good father, Sonny. When are you going to settle down?”
He laughed. “Never.”
I stuck the key into the door, turned the knob, and pushed it open. My father’s office had been closed up for a while. The cleaning crew vacuumed the floor once a week, but they were never allowed inside this room. Only on the outside. This office was closed off from the rest of the building for a reason.
All the shady deals my father had ever done with Angelo Sr. were locked away in one of his precious filing cabinets or on his computer, one that wasn’t connected to the rest of the network for a damn good reason.
“The right girl will come along some day and blow your world upside down.”
“Nah. Who could compete with Faith?” She giggled when he touched her nose with his thumb and made a fish face at her. “I already found my favorite girl.”
I laughed. “Don’t be stupid, Sonny. You could have a wife and child.”
“Not with everything we have going on right now. I’d be selfish to bring anyone into this mess. You were born into it. You’re different. An outsider would never understand all this. I couldn’t risk allowing someone to get too deep into our business.”
“There has to be a girl out there who understands how our world works.” I moved behind my father’s desk and checked his drawer for the key to the filing cabinet. “If you looked harder you might find her.”
Sonny sat in the chair across from me with Faith on his lap, bouncing her on his knee. “Maybe someday.” He offered me that much to get me off his ass.
I wanted to see Sonny happy, as much as I wanted the same for Angelo. But we lived in a cruel world, one where crime bosses and drug lords were lurking around every corner. The Morellis had a lot of enemies, some of which pretended to be their friends.
I was leery of inviting any of the men on the list to our wedding. Too bad Angelo and I had no choice in the matter. The wedding wasn’t about our marriage. It was a who’s who of the city, a way for the Don to show off how his wealth and power. I was marrying the family and not just the man. They were as much my burden to bear as Angelo’s.
After removing a stack of folders with a rubber band around them from the filing cabinet, I sat in my father’s chair and dropped them onto the desk. I looked across the desk at Faith and blew her a kiss. She was such a happy baby, always smiling and laughing.
My smile turned into an instant frown the second I flipped open the first manila folder. Years ago, my father had bought the plot for my mother. He promised to build her the house of her dreams, way out in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be the home we would build as a family, far away from the Morellis. I choked back the tears that fought to escape.
How could my dad sell one of the few things left of my mother?
He moved most of her clothes and personal belongings into storage after her death. It was as if he was erasing her from our lives. And now this? He expected me to sign off on the documents. No way in hell. Not without an explanation. I opened the next two folders and was met with equal disappointment.
My great-grandfather on my mother’s side of the family owned Pitt Steal, an old steel mill right outside of Pittsburgh. Before I was born, the company had fallen on hard times, and my father bought the company to ensure it remained in my mother’s family. Except, no one in the family ran Pitt Steel.
My father handed it off to a business associate who acted on his behalf. The mill was worth a fortune, or at least at one time it was. According to the paperwork in my hands, we were selling some of the land around the mill. But we needed the land to expand our production. If we couldn’t expand, the company would fold. So, why was he doing this?
I pushed myself up from the desk to grab all the folders in the top drawer of the cabinet, spreading them out on the desk.
Sonny leaned forward. “What’s going on? You look upset. What did Daddy do now?”
I shot a worried glance in his direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Your dad has been up to something for a while now. I hear the boss fighting with Angelo sometimes. But they never tell me a damn thing.”
“Same here. No one tells me anything. All I do is sign over property to Angelo’s dad or one of his associates. Pretty soon, I won’t have a company to run.” I pushed the top folder across the desk to Sonny. “He’s even selling the land my father bought for my mom. How can he do this to her? To me? She was my mother. We were supposed to live there together. As a family. And now he’s throwing all of it away. For what?”
“For your freedom.”
His words shook through me, sending a chill down my spine. “I’m not free. None of us are, Sonny. Angelo Sr. paid for me so he could hold it over my dad and Angelo’s heads for the rest of our lives. At some point, this has to stop. He doesn’t own me. He can’t control us.”
“He can and he will. You know that, G. You’re only free because he allowed it. He could have let you sweat it out with another buyer. But he knew he could use your freedom to his advantage. Now, look at all the favors your father owes him. Your family will never finish repaying him. Angelo will never be done. Mr. Morelli will always want more. He’s never satisfied.”
“I still don’t get it, Sonny. Why did Enzo take you and keep you captive for a week? The timing of your release lines up with when I was sent to Dante. They held you long enough to make Angelo believe you took me, and that you were working with them. Then they let you go as if nothing had happened.”
“Because they assumed Angelo would kill me. They underestimated our friendship. Angelo wanted to kill me, but he knew I could never hurt you. Dom used to make comments to Angelo about how one day I would steal his girl away from him. Maybe that got back to Enzo. He knew I was watching over you. If I were the one who kidnapped you, it would have been the ultimate betrayal. It would have been grounds for getting whacked. I would have deserved to die.”
“I guess I’m your biggest weakness, too.” I wiped the corner of my eye and sighed. “I never thought anyone would use me to get to you.”
“You’re not my favorite anymore.” Sonny kissed Faith on top of her head. “Another girl’s taken your place.”
I reached across the desk to gather the file folders and laughed.
He smirked. “I’m just messing with you. But I’m not joking about Faith being my favorite. It’s my job to protect both of you, and as her godfather, I take my responsibility seriously.”
Sonny assumed Pete would be Faith’s godfather since he’s Angelo’s oldest brother, but I insisted we choose Sonny. He was a perfect choice.
“I know.” I flashed a smile at him. “Thank you. I couldn’t keep up without you around.”
With the folders in my hand, I used the desk for support and pushed myself up to my feet. Sleep was impossible with Faith. The heels I attempted to wear to the office were hurting like a bitch, while the rest of my body screamed for a nap. Adding my father’s garbage on top of everything else I had going on, it made my head spin. Angelo Sr. was pulling too many strings, each of us going in different directions.
I couldn’t stomach signing my name to the papers in my hands. My family had already lost so much because of our involvement with the Morellis. Angelo was the love of my life, something I would never change. Even if loving him came with a world full of pain. But I hated how much of our lives were ruled by his father.
I stuck the key in the lock on the filing cabinet, about to close it when I noticed a picture frame on the shelf above the cabinet. My father had tons of pictures of him
with senators and local politicians on his walls and shelves. He even had a few with professional athletes and other wealthy benefactors in the community. But one picture, one I’d never noticed before, stuck out like a sore thumb. Or maybe it was the man in the photo that held my attention.
I leaned forward, standing on my tip-toes to grab the frame from the shelf. Sonny came up from behind me as I studied the faces of the men next to my father.
“Angelo and his brothers look just like him when he was their age,” Sonny said.
I nodded. “Look at their rings. Do you recognize them? I’ve never seen them before.”
He hovered over me to get a better look. “Yeah, Mr. Morelli had a ring like that when we were kids.”
“I don’t remember my dad having one.” I stare in awe of the thick, gold Sicilian bull ring on my father’s ring finger. “Why is he wearing the same ring as the man who kidnapped me?”
Angelo Sr., my father, and a man I didn’t recognize all wore the same ring, each of them making a fist for the camera to hold them out as if they were proud of them.
“Do you know what it means? Why do they all have one? And who is this man?” I pointed at the tall, dark, handsome man between my father and the Don.
“It means tyranny,” Sonny told me. “Your dad was part of a crew when he was younger. That was their symbol. It meant they were going to rule the city.” Sonny took the frame from my hand and looked at a man I’d never met. “That’s Joey Scaglione. They called him Junior. He was the son of Joe Scags, the man Angelo’s father killed to become boss.”
A chill ran through me. “How many people had those rings?”
“Mr. Morelli ran a small crew back then, no more than ten men under him. Most of those guys were killed in the war he had with Scags.”
I looked up at him, still in shock. “Is Joe Jr. alive?”
“Not sure. No one has seen or heard from him since his dad got popped. I would hide too if I had a target like that on my back.”
“I knew all about Angelo Sr. fighting Scags for territory, but I had no idea my dad and him were friends with his son.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, G. Some things are better off left in the past.”
“Whoever kidnapped me had one of these rings. Maybe it had nothing to do with Angelo killing Antonio Mancuso. What if all of this is over what Angelo Sr. did to Joe Jr.’s dad?”
Sonny took the frame from me and set it on the desk. He turned me away from the cabinet by my shoulder, so we were facing. “You’re reading too much into this. A handful of guys had the same rings. After Mr. Morelli won the war against Scags, a lot of his men fled to Jersey and New York. It’s possible one of them works for Big John or Dante.”
“Promise me you will find out. Please. Angelo won’t tell me anything about his father’s business anymore. He leaves early in the morning and comes home late at night. We hardly see each other, like two ships passing in the night.”
Sonny adjusted Faith in his arm and pulled me close to hug me against his muscular chest. “Don’t worry, G. Whatever Angelo is doing it’s for Faith and you. He would never do anything to hurt you.”
I laughed and smacked him on the arm. “I didn’t mean anything like that. I know Angelo would never cheat on me. He’s mine. Forever. I have no competition when it comes to his body or heart, but getting his time anymore is a different story. He works so much I can’t stand it. And now this…”
“Everything will work out.” Sonny cupped my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “How about we wrap this up, so I can take Faith and you home? It’s almost dinnertime, and I’m starving.”
“Swing by Vitale’s on the way home. I could go for some of their chicken cacciatore.”
Sonny flashed a real smile, one that lit up his entire face. “Deal.”
I attempted to steal a few more files from my dad’s cabinet before we left his office, but Sonny tugged on my shoulder. No matter how much I fought him, he did everything in his power to distract me. He even used Faith against me.
“I think someone’s hungry,” he said when Faith opened her eyes and whined.
She let out a few screams, her tiny fingers reaching out for me. Sonny placed her in my arms, my baby clinging to me for dear life. I ran my hand down her back. “It’s okay, Faith. Mommy’s here.” I kept my voice low to comfort her, glancing around the office once more.
I was on to something. The picture and the files were only the beginning. But no one and nothing could prepare me for what I was about to uncover.
Sonny was right. Some things were better off left in the past.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Angelo
Gia was sleeping when I crawled into bed behind her. I wrapped my arms around her, and she rolled her naked body into mine, rubbing her ass on my cock. After the night I had, I wasn’t ready to sleep. I wanted to fuck until I could forget every problem in my life. My girl was the only person who could take my mind off all the shit that haunted me.
She stirred when I cupped her breast in my hand. I rolled the pad of my thumb over her nipple, and the tiny bud hardened.
“Angelo,” she whispered. “What time is it?”
“After two in the morning.”
She groaned. “Again.”
I was not in the mood for a fight at this hour. Ignoring her comment, I pushed her hair away from her ear and took it into my mouth to suck on it. “We can talk later.”
In the darkness, I couldn’t see her face, but I didn’t need to see Gia to feel her. I knew every curve of her body, every imperfection, every scar. She lost most of the weight she’d gained from having Faith, but her hips were now wider and her breasts more full. I loved her new body. Sometimes, Gia was self-conscious about her new figure, but I couldn’t get enough of her. She was beautiful, perfect in every way.
I moved my hand down her stomach and between her legs. She was wet for me, rocking her hips into my hand. I slid two fingers inside her, long enough to feel how much I turned her on. Pulling down her bottom lip, I rubbed her juices along her skin and made her suck on my fingers.
I reached between us with my other hand and fisted my cock, teasing her for a second, slowly removing my fingers from her mouth as I inched myself inside her.
“Mmm…” she moaned, twisting her nipple between her fingers. “Harder, Angelo.”
No matter how much she hated my late nights and the dirty shit I did for my father, Gia forgave me for all of my sins in the bedroom. I needed her forgiveness, needed her to absolve me of my sins. She was my undoing and my salvation. When I was with Gia, I could remember what it was like to be normal. What it was like to be the boy she once knew.
I moved my hand up to her chin and forced her to look me in the eyes, and then fucked her even harder from behind. Her moans turned into screams that were dangerously close to waking up Faith. She grabbed my hand and moved it up to her mouth, using it to muffle the sounds as I ripped an orgasm from her body.
Removing my hand from Gia’s mouth, I dipped my head down to graze my teeth along her neck and bit her. I tugged at her flesh with each thrust, pulling out of her and then slamming back into her even harder. It was so easy to lose myself with Gia. She gave herself to me fully, and I wanted to take. All of it. Everything she had to offer.
I was drunk on power, high on Gia’s submission. In the bedroom, she was what I needed her to be, what she wanted to be for me. Outside of these walls, I lived my life one day at a time, hoping to make it to the next. But with Gia, I could wash away my guilt and forget about the past. We were lost in each other, too consumed to stop. Even after I came, I kept going, my cock still hard inside her and greedy for more.
I rolled onto my back, moving Gia on top of me without breaking stride. My fingers dug into her hips, and she cried out in pain. But it was the good kind of pain. With her back facing me, Gia held my thighs between hers and rode my cock. We moved in harmony, our bodies in sync, so perfectly timed with one another. She gave, and I took, burying myse
lf deeper inside her.
An hour later, after I’d fucked all the negativity from my body, I was exhausted. Gia laid her head on my chest and planted a few kisses on my skin. She fit perfectly in the crook of my arm. I needed sleep and only had a few hours until I had to get back to work. Ever since he helped me get Gia back, my father made full use of my law degree.
I’d turned into the street lawyer, the man everyone called when they needed a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Most days were spent offering legal advice to my father on his newly acquired properties or taking care of our guys’ legal troubles. Lately, we had the Feds breathing down our backs hard. The local and state police weren’t much better.
At the rate we were going, we’d end up like Al Capone and find ourselves locked up on something stupid like tax evasion. That’s why I spent hours on end tying up loose ends for the old man. We could never be too careful with so much heat on us.
Gia rested her hand over my heart and glanced up at me. “How was your day?”
“Too long.” I kissed her on the forehead and hugged her tighter. “I missed you and Faith. I hate spending this much time away from my girls.”
“Then don’t,” she hissed. “Make an effort to come home for dinner.”
“I tried.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “When you were having dinner with Sonny and Faith, I was sitting in a police station, waiting for one of our guys to get released on bail. I’m working my ass off. All I can tell you is I will try to make it home for dinner or bedtime. The only place I want to be is right here with Faith and you, but—”
“Your dad owns you,” she shot back, irritated.
“He doesn’t own me.”
“If that were true, you would tell him to fuck off and be here when you’re supposed to.”
“This isn’t a normal job, G. You know that. I’m not the kind of lawyer who goes into the office and works a set amount of hours.” I threaded my fingers between her curls to soothe her. She was all wound up when all I wanted to do was sleep. “Let’s get some rest. Close your eyes, beautiful.”
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