by L A Cotton
“Try me, DiMarco. I think you’ll find I can be very—”
“Not tonight. But stop by again, and perhaps we can do business. Cait, go wait over by the bar.” Zander dismissed me as if I was nothing.
Nobody.
Humiliation stained my cheeks as I went to the small bar in the corner of the room. A minute later the door opened. I glanced over just in time to see Dominic disappear into the stream of light.
When the door closed again, Zander was looking right at me. “Come here,” he said, crooking a finger at me.
I went to him, hardly surprised when he curved his hand around the back of my neck and held me there. “You did well tonight, dolcezza. Maybe I should consider putting you on the roster again.”
“I… I’d prefer not to dance.”
“But you’re so good at it.” His eyes gave nothing away, which unnerved me. “He offered two thousand dollars to feel your tight little pussy wrapped around his cock, dolcezza.” Zander leaned in, his warm breath fanning my cheek. “Something tells me he’ll come back with a higher offer. Would you like that, Cait? Would you like him to pay all that money to fuck you?”
“You… you know I wouldn’t.”
“Right answer.” Zander’s fingers flexed around my neck, yanking my head back to leave me completely at his mercy. He ran his tongue along the seam of my lips before kissing me. Claiming me.
“You’re mine, dolcezza. But maybe I’d be a fool if I didn’t consider making a buck or two out of you. With Marchetti breathing down my neck, business is harder than ever.”
Oh God.
He meant it.
Zander meant every word.
And something told me, if he sold me to Dominic for sex, it would just be the start of a long line of negotiations.
Negotiations that wouldn’t end well for me.
Chapter 2
Matteo
“What’s up with you?” My sister nudged my sneaker with hers. “You’re moping.”
“Am not.” I folded my arms over my chest, in a totally non-mopey kind of way.
“You so are.” She rolled her eyes. “Is it because Enzo and Nora are in New York, and Nicco and Ari are… doing whatever newlyweds do?”
The humor in her voice made me lift my eyes and glower at her. “Go away, pulce.”
“Aww, don’t be like that, Matt. I’m only busting your balls.”
“Hey. Language.”
“Jeez, Dad.” She poked her tongue out at me. “You know your problem?”
“No,” I sighed, “but I’m sure you’re going to enlighten me.”
“You need to get laid.”
“Arabella!” I shot forward, glaring at her. “I swear to God, if you don’t—”
“Oh my God.” She fell about the chair, laughing. “You should see yourself.”
I loved my sister, something fierce, but she was a real pain in my ass sometimes. Even more so since our cousin Nicco got married. Part of me got it. We were young. Too fucking young to be wifed up. But what Nicco and Arianne had… it was something rare. It was that once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.
“Seriously though, Matt. There must be someone you like. Verona County is a big place, and it isn’t like you don’t get around.”
“I just haven’t met the right girl yet.” I gave her a dismissive shrug, pulling out my cell phone and absently scrolling through my messages.
It was true—I hadn’t found the right girl. There had only ever been one woman to catch my eye and she’d forgotten about me the second I walked out of her apartment after the best sex of my life.
Shit. It had been almost a year ago now, and I still couldn’t get that night out of my head.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I stood. “I’m going out.”
“Out? But I thought we were going to hang out.”
“Change of plans, pulce.” I rubbed her head, and she swatted me away like a fly. “I need a drink.”
Something strong.
L’Anello’s was busy for a Sunday night, but then it was Valentine’s Day. Guys were out to impress their girlfriends, and girls were out to try to score the man of their dreams.
Maybe this was a bad fucking idea.
“Matteo, what’s up?” Billy, the bartender, headed in my direction. “No hot date tonight?”
“You know how it goes, Bill. Too many fish in the sea.”
“A guy like you could have your pick of the bunch.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to hit on me,” I joked.
“In your dreams, my friend. I’m as straight as they come. Usual?”
“Yeah, make it a double.”
“Sure thing.”
I turned around and leaned back on the bar, scanning the room. A couple of familiar faces tipped their heads in greeting. Most of the clientele were couples, sitting close together, staring dreamily into their date’s eyes.
A pang of jealousy cut through me.
I’d never had that.
Never really considered I could have it. Sure, my name was Matteo Bellatoni, but I was still a Marchetti by blood. My life, my loyalty, and my future belonged to the Family.
Finding a good woman to accept that, to accept everything that came with being a mafioso was no easy feat.
Except, my cousins—my best friends in the entire world—had both managed just that, leaving me to play fifth wheel to their relationships.
It sucked.
Big time.
But it wasn’t like I could move on anyway. No, I was still hung up on the Irish beauty who had stolen my heart that night in Providence all those months ago.
“Get a fucking grip,” I muttered to myself. I was a twenty-year-old guy for fuck’s sake. I had the world at my feet. Good friends, good family, a job that would never see me go without.
“Double whisky on the rocks,” Billy said, and I turned around, accepting the glass from him.
“Thanks.” I knocked it back, downing it in one. “Hit me with another.”
“Shit, man. It must be bad.” He smirked and I flipped him off.
“Matteo, that you?” Jimmy, the owner of L’Anello’s, strolled over to me, holding his hand out. We shook hands and he flagged down Billy to bring us another round of drinks.
“Alone?”
“Yeah, Nic’s having dinner with Arianne, and Enzo is—”
“With his woman in New York. I remember now. Sucks to be us, right?” He clapped me on the back, and I faked a smile. Jimmy was a middle-aged, balding man with a missing tooth and crooked smile. My sex life wasn’t exactly happening, but it wasn’t that bad, not yet.
“Speak for yourself, Jimmy,” I said. “For all you know I could be meeting a hot date here tonight.”
“You can’t kid a kidder, Matt.” He took a sip of his drink, and tsked through the side of his mouth. “How about burning off some excess steam tonight?”
“Come on, man, you know I’m too pretty to get in the ring.”
L’Anello’s wasn’t only a bar in downtown La Riva, it was a front for Verona County’s underground fight ring. Before Nicco met Arianne, I’d watched him beat many opponents. They called him the Prince of Hearts, a play on his ruthlessness in the ring, but that all stopped when he fell in love. Enzo dabbled occasionally, but he didn’t have the natural talent Nic possessed.
And me?
Well, I was a lover not a fighter.
“Try it on for size. You never know, you might like it.”
“I doubt that, Jimmy. Maybe another time.”
“Sure thing, Matt. Sure thing.” He squeezed my shoulder before clapping me on the back again. “Enjoy your evening, kid.”
I snorted at that.
‘Kid’ was a word the older men liked to use to remind us of our place in the hierarchy of things. But it was steeped in irony considering that as one of Nicco’s most trusted men, I outranked nearly every man in here.
My father, Michele Bellatoni was Antonio Marchetti’s second. And Nicco his third.
It hadn’t always been that way. Enzo’s dad had been Antonio’s second, but he was gone now. And although the Family was still recovering from shock of Vincenzo Marchetti’s betrayal, we were stronger than ever.
“Hey, Matteo,” a sultry voice said, and I turned around to find Gina Fabiano smiling at me.
“Gina, you’re looking beautiful.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. Left and then right. She placed a perfectly manicured hand on my shoulder and gazed at me through thick lashes. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” I returned her smile.
Gina was the daughter of one of the Family’s associates. Mario Fabiano owned a string of tailors across Verona County. He was Uncle Toni’s first choice every time.
“I didn’t realize you were back,” I said.
Gina had been studying in Italy.
“Just for a few weeks. My Nona is sick.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” She tucked her silky dark locks behind one ear. “Are you here alone?”
“I… yeah. Pretty pathetic, right?”
“I’m here with my cousin, her fiancé, and his friend. But between you and me, he’s not my type.” Gina brazenly checked me out, letting her gaze linger on my mouth.
“You should give the guy a chance,” I said, not wanting to get involved.
“Or.” She moved closer. “You could pretend to be my ex and we could get out of here.”
“Listen, Gina, it’s good to see you, it is. But I’m not—”
“Seriously? You’re not interested?” She glanced down at herself as if the idea that I would turn her down was preposterous.
I knew most of the male population would agree. Enzo especially. He’d definitely have something to say about me turning down a girl like Gina Fabiano. But I wasn’t feeling it. And truth be told, she wasn’t my type.
Nowhere close.
“I came to have a quiet drink before I head home.”
“Alone…” Her brow lifted.
“You should get back to your date,” I said.
“Your loss.” She smiled but it had lost some of its sweetness. “Good to see you again, Matteo.”
Gina walked away from me, drawing the eye of almost every man in the room. Maybe I was a fool. Maybe I should have taken her up on her offer and tangled with her between the sheets. Sex didn’t have to mean anything more than a good time. I knew that.
I knew… and yet, I couldn’t do it.
I had no desire to do it.
Fuck. I needed another drink.
Or three.
The next morning, I found myself hungover and alone. After lying in bed for almost an hour, willing myself to get up, I finally dragged my sorry ass into the bathroom and freshened up. I needed extra strong coffee, and something to soak up the liquor.
I’d shared this apartment with Enzo before he’d decided to move out and get a love nest with Nora. It wasn’t the same without him, so I didn’t stay here a lot, preferring to stay at home with my family. But I couldn’t begrudge him. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was E. He had a shitty life at the hands of his old man. Nora was his redemption. His salvation. She was everything he never knew he needed, and I didn’t expect him to last long before he made it official and put a ring on her finger.
He was that damn serious about her.
I scrubbed a hand down my face as I padded into the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. A bang on the door drew my attention. It was barely nine, and I didn’t get a lot of visitors.
“Just a minute,” I yelled, crossing the room, and opening the door. “Nicco.”
“Hey.” He grimaced, and I frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Can I come in?”
“As if you have to ask.” I stepped aside and he slipped past me, making a beeline for the breakfast counter.
“I was just making coffee.”
“Black, one sugar,” he mumbled.
“I know how you take your coffee, Nic. What’s up?”
Because this wasn’t my best friend. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, and he looked like he’d hardly slept in days.
“Is it Ari? Is she—”
“She’s fine. She’s back at the apartment, sleeping. We had a late night.”
“I bet you did.” I smirked, but it melted away when his eyes shuttered with pain.
“Fuck, I don’t know what to do.”
“Nic, talk to me,” I said, feeling like I was missing something huge.
“It’s my dad.”
“Uncle T?”
He nodded. “He’s sick.”
“I know. We all do.” He had a heart attack earlier on in the year. But he was making a good recovery.
“No, you don’t…” He let out a heavy sigh, anguish bleeding from him. “He lied, Matt. He lied to everyone. He isn’t okay. He isn’t fucking okay at all.”
“He’s not?”
“It’s cancer.”
The words echoed in my skull like gunfire.
“C-cancer?”
“Yeah. I found some medical letters.”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“What do you think?” His expression darkened. Nicco was the levelheaded one out of the three of us. I was the joker, the light-hearted one looking to make people smile. Enzo was the storm. Cold and unforgiving. He didn’t trust easily, and his heart was buried under a thick layer of ice.
Then there was Niccolò. He was somewhere in the middle. As the boss’s eldest and only son, he knew the responsibility weighing on his shoulders, and he carried it with nothing but strength and honor. He was already a true leader. Men respected him, strangers revered him, and our enemies feared him.
“Shit, Nicco, I’m sorry.”
“He said he was fine. He said—” Nicco buried his face in his hands. I gave him a second, waiting. When he eventually lifted his face, what I saw there made my heart squeeze.
“I always knew that one day, I would take his place. But it’s too soon. I’m not… ready.”
“You’ve got this, man. Arianne will be right by your side; me and E too. You’re not alone in this, cous.”
“I thought I had more time.”
I got it. If Uncle Toni had to step down, or worse, Nicco would become boss. That kind of pressure, it left little room to play happy family with your wife. And they were so young.
An idea struck me. “My old man—”
Nicco gave me a weak smile. “We both know Michele isn’t cut out to be boss. Besides, I’m not even sure my father would allow it. No, this falls to me, and me alone.”
Silence echoed between us, and then I said, “Whatever you need, cous. I’m here.”
“Thank you, Matt. It helps knowing I have you and E in my corner.”
“Of course.” I nodded. I’d known Nicco since we were babies. He and Enzo were the closest thing to a brother I’d ever have.
“Have you heard from Enzo?” he asked me.
“A couple of texts. He’s too busy wooing his girl.” I smirked, and Nicco chuckled.
“Who’d have thought it. Lorenzo Marchetti tamed by a female.”
“Stranger things have happened.”
“You know, it’s your turn next. Arianne has some nice friends at—”
“Jesus, does everyone around here think I need help finding a decent girl?”
“Who—”
“Arabella,” I scoffed. “She was giving me shit last night.”
“She means well.” He pinned me with a hard look. “We all do.”
“I can handle my own affairs, Nic.”
He held up his hands. “I’m shutting up now.”
“Good,” I grumbled. “I have my whole life ahead of me to think about settling down.”
Yet, when I looked at what Nicco and Arianne had, what Enzo had found with Nora… I wanted that. Fuck, I wanted it. But I didn’t want it with just any girl. I wanted it with the girl.
The one.
All I had to d
o was find her.
“Listen. When Enzo gets back, I want the two of you to head to Providence. DiMarco is still making noise and we need to remind him that you don’t back out on a deal with the Family.”
“You want me to go?” I asked.
Zander DiMarco was one of the Family’s business associates in Providence. He owned a string of successful strip clubs that brought in a lot of money. The guy was a grade A asshole, but money talked, and DiMarco knew how to make it in spades.
“Yeah, I’d go myself, but I’m not sure that’s wise right now.”
Because his old man was sick and that kind of burden… it wreaked havoc with a man’s soul. Especially a guy like Nicco.
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.”
It was just a trip to Providence. What was the worst that could happen?
You could try and look up Caitlin again…
I immediately shut down that train of thought. It had been months, and she’d made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing more to do with me. I had to let that shit go—I had to let the idea, the fantasy of her go.
“Who knows, maybe you’ll meet the girl of your dreams there.” Nicco chuckled, and I flipped him off, adding, “At DiMarco’s club? I highly doubt it.”
His girls were all beautiful, but I wasn’t sure I could handle my woman dancing for other men’s enjoyment. And I never wanted to be the kind of man who asked a woman to change for him. I could enjoy the view like every other patron at a strip joint, but I wouldn’t find anything more in a place like that.
“How far do we go?” I asked, dreading his answer.
Enzo was our enforcer. He had no problem persuading people—associates, enemies, sometimes even allies—to do our bidding using whatever means necessary. I preferred a softer touch. Negotiation. Coercion. Blackmail if it came down to it. But Zander DiMarco had been pushing against our agreement for a while now. He had warning after warning. If he refused to play ball, then it was likely he’d feel the full wrath of the Family before long.
“Relax, Matt. I’m not asking you to go put a bullet in his head. But DiMarco is becoming a thorn in our side. A thorn my father wants blunting as soon as possible. I’m trusting you can find a way to remind him how things will go if he doesn’t play nice. If that fails, I’m sure Enzo can help demonstrate how difficult life will be should he decide to keep disrespecting our arrangement.”
