by Sam Crescent
Her brother was hidden in the basement, and even though she couldn’t hear his earlier screams, he was there.
“You okay?” Renzo asked.
She jerked her head up to look at her brother-in-law. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Either way, your father is going to die tonight. You do understand that, right?”
She looked out the window. “And if that doesn’t happen?”
“Your father has spread some pretty shitty rumors. To him, you’re dead, and now he believes his son is dead. Tonight, the truth comes out. Klaus and my father have everything that’s needed. If Lastra survives tonight, then the entire outfit will fall. There will be bloodshed. There’s no other way. The Boss will be there tonight.”
The Boss, Aldo Vitcorio. She’d never met him, and the truth was, she never wanted to meet him. He was considered to be one of the worst men alive. He controlled all elements of the outfit, every capo and soldier. His word was law. The rumors about him were rife.
Fear ran up her spine.
“Do you think this is really necessary?” she asked. The last thing she wanted was for anything to happen to Klaus. Her father had never been close to the Boss, but she didn’t know all the inner workings of the life she’d been born into.
“You’re afraid.”
“Aren’t you?”
Renzo shook his head. “Tonight, we deal in justice.” The sound of a car pulling in close filled the air. Rather than arrive together, Klaus had arranged for her to come before him, sitting in a blacked-out car.
Klaus climbed out of the car and looked every part the capo he’d become. The leader. From the passenger side, his father exited, as did his other brother, Carlo.
He came toward the car and she waited as he opened the door and held out his hand for her to take.
She shook a little as she stepped out. Klaus pressed her against the car after he closed the door.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s not possible. Once this is all over, I’m taking you away from the city. We’re going wherever you want to go.”
At that moment, she wanted to run far away and force Klaus to follow her. He took her hand, and still, she was scared. Not for herself, but for her husband.
“Are you ready for this?”
“No,” she said.
Renzo chuckled. “Your wife thinks this will be a lot easier if we just carry on living with the threat of retaliation and death.”
She frowned. “Not like that. It’s worse when you say it like that.”
He held his hands up. She turned back to Klaus. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or your family because of me.”
Klaus cupped her face, tilting her head back so he was the only person she saw. “You’re worth everything to me. Your father needs to be punished. I will always protect you. You have to know that.”
“I do.” She covered his hands with hers. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Klaus looked to Renzo holding up his cell phone. “You know the drill. Text me and I’ll bring in a very alive Mario.”
“My brother is here?” she asked. She hadn’t seen or heard of him in the past two days. She believed Klaus had secretly killed him.
She looked from Renzo to Klaus.
“He’s been traveling with you. We gave him a sedative to help keep him quiet. I didn’t want you upset during the car ride, but you shared the car.” Renzo winked at her.
“This is not ever going to feel normal.” She felt sick, and Klaus’s hold tightened on her.
“Let’s go,” he said.
With his father taking the lead, she and Klaus followed, and his younger brother stayed behind them.
Staring up at the large, imposing house, knowing Aldo Vitcorio was there, scared the crap out of her. None of this was good. They were going in with accusations hanging over her head.
The moment they passed through the doors, the scent of cigar smoke and alcohol assailed her, sickening her. Once they were inside enemy territory, Klaus moved her so she stood behind him. With his brother close, no one would see her unless they had x-ray vision or thought to look at the ground.
Klaus had encouraged her to dress up tonight. To wear something striking. The dress was the color of blood. There were no straps, so her chest, neck, and upper body were clear to see. Nothing to obscure the view. She’d pinned her hair up so all would see there was not a single mark on her. There was even a slit in the dress, and each time she walked, it swayed open, revealing her legs. Again, no marks.
She’d gone against a wrap, and her arms were also free. No marks.
With her husband, she was perfectly safe. He’d saved her.
“You’re doing good,” Carlo said from behind her.
“I’m walking. It’s not like I can get that wrong.” As if her feet wanted to work against her, she stumbled in the heels Klaus had asked her to wear. Within seconds, he spun around and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright. She held on to his strong arms, releasing a little pant. She couldn’t believe she had almost tripped and fallen. “Okay, clearly I can do something wrong with walking.”
“You good?”
“I’m good. Embarrassed.”
Carlo laughed, and she shot him a glare. “You’re supposed to be like a brother to me.”
“And I am. I think you’re so fucking cute and hilarious.”
“Enough,” Klaus said. “Find your own woman to consider cute. This one’s mine.”
She loved how possessive he was. The little hint of jealousy made her smile.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
“Barely,” Carlo said.
“Do you want me to exchange you for Renzo?”
“Please, you think he would be any different?”
“Boys, we don’t have time for all of this chitchat. Our lives are all at stake. Isabella, can you walk?” her father-in-law asked, his tone clearly agitated.
“Yes.” She wanted to point out to him that it was Klaus who’d wanted her to wear the ridiculous heels in the first place. She kept her thoughts to herself.
All three men shared a look.
There was a real threat of danger here. She took a deep breath. Klaus let her go and the moment he did, she missed his touch. Why did he have to let her go?
They walked past several servants and staff. They came to a set of double doors and she heard the noise. It was loud, coming from the inside.
“Do not show weakness,” Klaus’s father said.
No words were spoken. She needed a little more to the speech than that. She was going to be sick. If she didn’t contain her emotions, she’d make them all look like fools.
It was like Klaus could read her mind because he grabbed her hand. She took it. His strength gave her strength. There was no other place she wanted to be.
In and out, she took deep breaths.
Marcel reached for the doors and opened them, spreading them wide. The noise that had been echoing out into the hall went completely silent.
Carlo moved closer to her.
They all stepped into the room. She was still hidden between Klaus and Carlo. The moment they entered the room, she snuck a peek over Klaus’s shoulder. No one spotted her, at least not yet, but she saw her father.
“Here he is,” he said. “The murderer. He disrespects our rules. Kills my daughter and doesn’t even give her a proper burial, and now he has my son. I demand the Accardi name be completely stripped. We’ll kill every single one of their members, and we’ll make them suffer. Their wealth belongs to me. Their power returns to mine.”
Silence fell in the room.
Could they hear her heartbeat?
“You’re accusing me of killing my wife?” Klaus asked.
“Yes. You couldn’t keep her protected and I know
. I was the one who sent them, to test you, and they were able to kill her.”
The words spilled from her father’s mouth, shocking even her.
Carlo tapped her shoulder. “This is your time to step forward.”
“Oh,” Isabella said. No one had actually told her when the right time to step forward was. “Actually, Father, I’m very much alive,” she said, stepping by Klaus’s side, holding her husband’s hand, and showing unity with her true family.
Chapter Twelve
All that could be heard were the shocked gasps around the room. It couldn’t have gone better. They’d planned for this day, but he never expected it to go so smoothly.
Although the night was still young.
“Isabella?” The shock in her father’s voice pissed him off.
“Your plan to kill me didn’t work,” she said. “If Klaus hadn’t saved me, the men you sent would have murdered me.”
Klaus texted Renzo while Isabella was talking.
He noticed Aldo Vitcorio leaning over his chair to whisper to one of his men.
“You would kill your own blood to slander the Accardi name?” Marcel pretended to spit on the ground. “I demand vengeance for Carmello Lastra’s sins.”
His father showed honor and strength. It had been a long time since Klaus felt pride for his old man.
“He killed my son, my heir,” shouted Lastra. “All in retaliation for a girl who isn’t even dead.”
“Your daughter,” Klaus corrected. The doors opened behind them, and Renzo led in a wobbly Mario Lastra, still noticeably drowsy from the sedative. “And your heir is alive and well.”
“Carmello Lastra’s accusations and lack of family honor should be punished,” said his father. “He shames the church. Shames the outfit. The Accardi family demands justice.”
More whispers mixed with silence. He hated these games in the hierarchy, but it was the life he’d been born into.
He held Isabella’s hand. Her palm was clammy, and he knew she had to be terrified just being there. When she pulled away and stepped forward, he stayed put and didn’t try to stop her.
She addressed the Boss. “My father forced me to marry Klaus. It wasn’t something I ever wanted, but I understand my role in the family. Making my parents proud has always important to me. I kept my mouth shut and married my enemy. But he loved me and took care of me. It was my own father, the man who’d always terrorized me, who signed my death warrant. My husband saved me that day,” she said. “I was safer with the Accardis than my own family. That isn’t right. Even I understand that blood should always be thicker than water.”
Isabella spoke with strength and purity. She was his queen.
“He dishonored me!” Lastra was desperate, and it was showing. He pointed directly at Klaus. “I offered my daughter for peace and he refused to respect me.”
“Says the bastard who sleeps like a baby believing he’d killed his only daughter,” said Renzo.
Klaus turned and glared at his brother. This wasn’t his fight. Renzo shoved Mario forward. He looked pathetic, the spoiled son of his enemy. The only reason he still breathed was because Isabella cared about him.
“He said I killed my wife and his eldest son. As you see, they’re both breathing. But not because of him,” said Klaus. “Lastra was determined to kill Isabella in an effort to make me look weak. He only dug his own grave. The man doesn’t deserve to live.”
“Look what got delivered to me. What say you?” Lastra held up Mario’s severed finger in a baggie. He hoped to appeal to the Boss, but it only made him look pathetic.
“If Mario is the future of the Lastra family, I feel their shame. That boy would have sold his own mother to save himself a little pain.” Renzo held up his hand. His pinky was missing. “They took this from me when I was only eighteen.”
“And he was quiet as a mouse,” said Marcel.
They all remembered that day long ago. The Accardi men could take a lot of punishment. Klaus had thought about Renzo’s ordeal when he’d taken Mario’s finger.
The Boss’s men ordered everyone out while they deliberated. He held Isabella’s hand as they stepped out into the massive foyer.
“What do you think will happen?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. What I want is your father’s head. It’s owed to me.” He knew these deliberations could take days, weeks, or longer. They’d have to carry on as normal until they got word. Acting against the orders of Aldo Vitcorio would be a sure death sentence. At least Isabella would be safe. Even her own father wouldn’t dare take action during this fragile time.
“What now?” asked Renzo once they were back at the parked cars.
“He has his kid back. Everything’s in the open about Bella. Now we just wait.”
His father adjusted his jacket. “They’ll vote in your favor. If they don’t, they’ll set a dangerous precedent.”
Regardless, he was going to move on and live his life with his wife. The outfit would see through Lastra, no doubt about it. As soon as he got word, he’d enjoy ending that son of a bitch.
He drove home alone with Bella. Renzo left with their father.
The interior of the car felt tense, like the calm before a storm. What could he even say to comfort Bella? She was in the middle of all this.
“You okay?” he finally asked.
When she didn’t answer, he looked to the side. She nodded, but her eyes looked so damn sad.
“Talk to me, baby.”
“I know they’ll vote in your favor. I’m not worried about that,” she said. “I guess I feel guilty for caring about a man who thinks nothing of me.”
“He’s still your father. I understand what you’re going through, or at least I’m trying to.”
Isabella put her hand over his as he drove. “But I’m not a fool. I understand how all this works. I know what has to be done.”
Yes, he’d have to kill her father. It was either him or her. If Klaus didn’t take advantage of his window once the okay was given, her father would turn on them. No Accardi would be safe.
“Let’s not think about it. It’s only a matter of time until this is over. We know you’re safe while they’re officially deliberating, so don’t make yourself sick, baby.”
“You’re right. I need to put it out of my mind. All of it.” When they came to a red light, he turned and saw the intention in her eyes. She wanted him to help her forget it all.
“We don’t have to go home tonight,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll never be as safe as we are right now. No one would dare touch a hair on our heads. We can do anything we want.” Klaus beckoned her closer and he kissed her lips. “Let’s get a room. Just the two of us.”
She smiled, a mix of happiness and sadness. Tonight, he only wanted his wife happy. He wanted to fuck her so deep and hard that she forgot her own name.
He planned to take her to one of the most luxurious hotels in the city tonight. First, he needed to clear the slate. Klaus drove off the main road, turning left and right in the maze of city streets. He finally slowed the car down in an abandoned alleyway.
“Where are we?”
“Don’t worry, Bella, this isn’t the hotel. But I do need you to get out of the car.”
She raised a questioning eyebrow.
He got out of the driver’s seat and headed to the front of the car, waiting for Bella to join him. She looked cautious, looking over at the dumpsters not far off. His girl wasn’t used to slumming it.
“Take off your panties.” She was wearing a sexy-as-fuck dress, her shoulders bare. Her hair was loose now, falling down her back. Bella was absolutely stunning.
“Klaus, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
He heard footsteps in the distance behind him. Two punks had rounded the corner. Klaus pulled his 9mm from his waistband and aimed it at the men. They put their hands up and backed off with haste.
“Nothing to be scared about, baby. I’m going to fuck
you right here on the hood of my car. All you get to do is feel.”
“Here?”
“You’re my dirty girl. Don’t pretend you’re too good to be fucked right here, right now.”
He unbuttoned his maroon shirt, leaving his jacket on. She loved to touch him while he fucked her, so he’d oblige her.
Bella bit her lower lip as she stepped out of her panties, setting them on the hood beside her. He grabbed her waist and sat her up higher, forcing her legs apart. Her bare pussy glistened. “You’re already wet. You like being naughty, don’t you?”
He didn’t expect an answer.
“How about I suck your cunt first? Or are you scared someone will walk by again?”
She leaned back on her elbows, her chest heaving.
“You’re not saying no.”
Klaus spread her thighs wider, bending over to lap at her folds in the open air. She squealed and jolted. It usually took him a while to get her this worked up. He suckled her clit, fucking her with this tongue as she lay on the hood of his car.
When she was completely wanton, no longer stiff or anxious about being caught, he stood up tall. Klaus unbuckled his belt, then set his gun, metal to metal, on the hood of the car beside her. She watched his every move, not attempting to close her legs. Her pussy was pink and swollen from arousal.
She glanced over at the gun.
“Nothing to be afraid of, Bella.” He took the gun and placed it in her palm. Klaus showed her how to turn off the safety, to line up the sights, and how to pull the trigger. “I’m surprised you were never taught how to defend yourself.”
“I’m a girl. It wasn’t proper. Only my brothers were trained.”
He shrugged, setting the gun back down. “Now you know.”
His cock was rock hard. He grabbed Bella’s hips, tugging her to the edge of the hood. He ran the thick head of his cock up and down her slit until he had her begging for him to fuck her. That was when he thrust in, filling her to overflowing. She was so damn tight around his cock.
She gasped, moaning loud enough to rouse the neighbors. The car rocked, even though he’d pulled the emergency brake. He fucked her pussy hard and fast, building her need higher and higher. She was hot and slick, arching her hips to meet him stroke for stroke.
