“Three?” she gasps.
“Three,” I nod. “Don’t worry, Fragolina. I got enough goin’ on with just you, I’m not into having a full-on fuckin’ harem.”
Her eyes narrow, then the look is wiped off of her face instantly. I knew what it was the second I caught it though, jealousy. It’s hot as fuck too, seeing her jealous. Knowing that I affect her as much as she does me is hot as fuck.
“Can I join? Maybe if I talked to Gavino he would be more willing to settle this without any issues,” she practically begs.
“Nope,” I state, popping the P. “You’ll be locked in the basement or home with Kora. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Just don’t leave me alone with Margot,” she mumbles.
Frowning, I move my hand from her cheek to the front of her throat. My other hand I keep tightly wrapped around her waist. “Why?” I demand.
“She wants you and she’s made it clear she doesn’t think that I will last at your side,” she whispers.
I snort. “Margot doesn’t want me. You’re fuckin’ crazy. Your jealousy is cute as shit, but Fagolina, you cannot think that every woman in my life wants me. I’ve never even looked at Margot twice. She babysits, nothing else.”
Bellarosa purses her lips together but doesn’t say anything, though I can tell that she wants to say a hell of a lot. I don’t allow it. Gently, I roll her onto her back, careful not to hurt her bandaged leg. Unfortunately, the move causes me to slip from her sweet center.
“She does, she made it clear. I’m not being jealous, not of her. I’m making you completely aware of her intentions and that I don’t want to be alone with her,” she states.
I almost snort in her face, but I don’t. Instead, I search her eyes with mine, not seeing anything close to maliciousness in her gaze. She truly thinks that Margot has a thing for me. I guess it’s not unfathomable, we are the same age, but I’ve never seen her as anything other than the woman who cares for Kora. A woman that has been there and helped me from the beginning when I had no fucking clue what I was doing.
“You don’t have a thing to worry about,” I say, meaning every word.
She shakes her head. “That’s not it. I just don’t want to be around her. I know what women are capable of if they think you’re going to take something away from them that they want or that they deem is theirs.”
Lowering my head, I run my nose alongside hers before I press my lips against her swollen ones. “She won’t do shit to you, baby. Not a fuckin’ thing,” I swear. “Nobody will. Man or woman.”
Her eyes soften and I see something work behind them that I’ve never seen before, something downright gorgeous. I try not to think about what that look means, for her or myself. I have a feeling that I’m totally fucked up over Bellarosa, there is no other way around it, I’m fucked for her.
“Okay,” she breathes.
“Now, get up, let’s go home to our girl.”
Her breath hitches. “Okay,” she repeats.
She slowly slides off of my body and I watch as she attempts to stand, holding her body stiff with each step that she takes. Once the door is closed, I reach for my phone and send a text to Margot.
How’s my girl?
MARGOT: She is eating breakfast, watching cartoons. Everything is great!
She immediately responds. I frown, wondering if Bellarosa could be right. Could this woman really have a thing for me? Could she want more than the working relationship that we have?
I shake my head with a chuckle. That can’t be it, she’s fucking crazy. She’s just young and insecure, I decide. We’re going to have a long goddamn road if she’s going to get jealous over every woman in my life. What’s she gonna do when I fuck a clubwhore?
There’s a knock on my door that interrupts me from my thoughts. Reaching for my pants, I quickly tug them up my legs, zipping them as I make my way barefooted toward the door. Wrenching it open, I’m surprised to see Mountain on the other side.
“We got a problem, Pres,” he murmurs.
“What?” I bark.
He looks to the side, then back to me, his eyes almost fucking glittering with what I can only describe as anger. “Coyote caught them crossing the border in the middle of the night. Three big black SUVs, New York plates with one SUV behind them, Texas plates.”
“Thought I had a few more days,” I mutter.
Mountain shakes his head. “They’re headed here, not even to a hotel. They know she’s here. They want this done, I assume.”
“Fuck,” I hiss.
“Can’t hide her forever, brand or not, this needs to be dealt with before it turns into a war.”
Lifting my chin, I agree with his sentiments. I hear the door to my bathroom open and look at Bellarosa over my shoulder. She stops in her tracks, her eyes wide and focused on me.
“Put the dress back on. Seems we’re about to have visitors.” She nods, then I turn back to Mountain. “I want Margot and Kora brought here, immediately.”
He lifts his chin, but otherwise doesn’t say anything, then turns and jogs away. I watch him go, my body quickly filling with adrenaline as I turn around to face Bellarosa. She hasn’t moved, the towel still wrapped around her body.
I look at her, debating on fucking her again so that if Gavino gets a whiff, he can smell me on her. In the end, I don’t. I don’t have fucking time. Although he’ll be able to smell her on me, because I’m for sure not taking a fucking shower.
Chapter Seventeen
BELLAROSA
Drago doesn’t speak to me. In fact, he seems angry as he quietly dresses in a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt. I watch as he sits on the edge of the messy bed, pulling socks on his feet, then his boots. Lastly, he tugs his arms through his vest and settles it on his shoulders.
“What do all of the patches mean?” I chance asking into the quiet space of the room.
“This is my cut. It’s what we wear that identifies who we are, what club we belong to, and what our stations are in our world. I hear the Russians do the same with tattoos, what do the Italians do?” he asks.
I think about his question. Tilting my head to the side, I wonder what they do. Everyone seems to know who is who in the famiglia. Biting the corner of my lip, I shrug.
“I guess they just make it abundantly clear, and if they have to, they just kill anyone who questions them.”
Drago chuckles, then extends his hand to me, palm up. “Wish you were more covered, but I guess that’s a moot fuckin’ point,” he says.
“Probably,” I whisper. “They’ve all seen me,” I admit, hating the shame that I feel by my own admission.
He shakes his head, tugging me against his chest. Lifting my eyes to meet his, I am taken aback by the fire burning in his gaze. I love it, and I hope he has this passion for all things from now on, because he looks absolutely breathtaking.
“Never again. Not unless you want to be seen. And nobody will ever touch you again, that’s for damn sure. Nobody but me.”
Lifting my hand, I cup his bearded cheek, my fingers sliding through the soft hair and gripping it lightly. “Please don’t make promises like that, Drago. I’ll want to believe them,” I whisper.
He grunts, his fingers wrapping around my waist and squeezing me before one of them travels down my ass to loosely wrap around the bandage at the back of my leg.
“This right here.” He squeezes, causing me to hiss. “This right here means that no man touches you without my permission,” he growls.
“Drago,” I breathe.
He shakes his head. “Serious as fuck, Fragolina. My baby is likely growing inside of you. My brand is on your body. You are mine. They touch you or attempt to take you from me, I’ll fucking kill them. All of them.”
My lips part in surprise, he doesn’t allow it for long. After only a beat, he slants his head and his mouth is on mine, his tongue filling me and tasting me like only he can. Slowly, he breaks the kiss, his forehead resting against mine.
He lets out a shaky brea
th and I hold my own, waiting for what he has to say. “Remember, Bellarosa,” he murmurs. “Remember, you walk in there with your head held high. You are a fucking queen now.”
“Yes, Drago,” I exhale.
He grunts, taking a step back, my hand falling from his cheek, his hands falling from my body, only to grab ahold of my wrist and gently tug me toward him. “You also walk one step in front of me. They need to know that you are important. They need to see that you are mine,” he states.
Together we walk toward the bar area, then turn to the right and make our way to what looks like a makeshift conference room. I am one step in front of Drago, his warm palm on my lower back and my chin slightly lifted into the air.
I am a queen.
No.
I am Drago’s queen.
GAVINO
Cazzo.
The clubhouse comes into view and my anger stays very present and very much at the fucking surface, ready to explode at any moment. That fucking woman, she just decided to run away, like a child. Balling my fists, I hear my knuckles pop from the tight hold.
“You should just let her be, Vino,” Arlo, my Underboss, says next to me.
Arching a brow, I turn to him. “And what, let the other girls involved in binding contracts think that they can just do as they damn well please?”
He shakes his head once. “Bellarosa isn’t just some girl in a contract, you know it. And,” he drawls. “Drago isn’t just some MC scum, either, and you know that.”
I grunt, not speaking to him. He’s fucking right. Drago Ricci isn’t just some MC president, he’s part of the Ricci famiglia. He should be the one taking over for them instead of Benicio.
The gate to the clubhouse slowly opens and we’re let in without being questioned, which means that they know we’re coming. What they don’t know is that I have a couple surprises up my sleeves for not only Drago, but more importantly, Bellarosa.
A couple little surprises that will ensure her ass comes with me and is delivered directly to the Russians upon our return to New York.
DRAGO
I watch on my phone security app as the cars approach the entrance and cross through the gate and then park in our gravel lot. They’re all accounted for, each one that Coyote watched cross over the border, including Kade’s car.
“What happens now?” Mountain asks.
My eyes shift to his, then back to focusing on the door. “Now, we wait for them to come inside. They are in my house. They are at the disadvantage, not me,” I state.
“What about her?” he asks, lifting his chin toward Bellarosa who is standing next to me.
Lifting my arm, I slide it around her waist, wrapping my fingers low around her hip. “She stays at my side, quietly,” I explain more for her than for him.
Originally, I wanted her hidden away for this meeting, but something is niggling at the back of my mind to keep her right next to me.
Sliding my eyes over and tilting my head up, I watch as she dips her chin, her scared gaze meeting my own. Her body is trembling next to me, but I don’t comment on that.
She’s scared shitless, and I don’t blame her. If Gavino gets his way, she’ll probably be dead before tomorrow. I won’t have that.
“Pres, Kora and Margot are in the basement, brought them in through the back,” Taz announces.
“Thanks,” I grunt.
The rest of my men slowly file into the room. Normally, Bellarosa would not be in attendance. This is the room where we hold church and women aren’t allowed. Today, this circumstance, shit is changed. Though, I doubt she’ll be here the entire time. Mountain has strict orders to drag her sexy ass out if bullets start to fly.
Eagle walks into the room, a whole fucking gaggle of suited men behind him. I only have eyes for Santoro though, and that smug fucker only has eyes for me. I hear Bella’s breath hitch, but I ignore her, unable to take my eyes from Santoro.
“Please, have a seat,” I offer, keeping my voice calm and even.
Santoro dips his chin as he sits at the end of the table, his right-hand man next to him, Kade across from him and the other men around them, just as mine are around me. It looks almost comical. His men all dressed in fancy as fuck suits surrounding him while mine are dressed in jeans, tees and cuts surrounding me.
We’re one in the same, Gavino and me, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to just hand over Bellarosa. I won’t.
Gavino’s eyes shift from me to Bella, then down to where my hand rests on her hip. I watch as they turn hard at the sight. I continue to watch him, his anger isn’t jealousy, it’s fury. I have something that he considers is his property, that is why he’s pissed.
“I like the deal that we have, don’t you?” he asks, speaking first.
I nod once. “I do,” I agree.
He tilts his head to the side. “Yet, you have taken something that belongs to me across the country and are using her for your own pleasure, without compensation.”
Bellarosa’s body stiffens next to me, but I ignore her. This is about her, but not really. She’s just a small cog in the wheel of this organization and my deal with them. This. This is about power and control, nothing else.
“I’ve decided to keep her. She didn’t much like her alternative.” I shrug.
Gavino narrows his eyes into small slits as he stares at me in silence. The man next to him clears his throat but wisely doesn’t speak. I hear Bella inhale deeply, but I squeeze her hip in a silent demand for her to be quiet. Thankfully, she complies.
“I see that you don’t quite understand what Bellarosa is to my organization. She is a contracted whore, Drago. She is not there of her free will, she does not earn compensation for her performed duties. Instead, her family receives a small stipend, and the famiglia keeps the rest.”
I wait a beat, appearing to be thinking about his words, but honestly not giving a fuck. “Don’t give much of a shit, Santoro. I’ve branded her and my baby could be in her belly. I’m keeping her. You’d do well to forget all about her at this venture, if you want to keep our organizations as allies.”
“You really are a Ricci,” he mumbles.
“Excuse me?” I ask.
“Mauro Ricci, your cousin, thought that he could take what was mine too. Didn’t end too well for him, or his father, your uncle.”
I take his words for what they’re meant to be—a threat. I’m positive my uncle and cousin fucked with him on more than one occasion, and even as far west as I am, I heard through the grapevine about Mauro, the fuck.
“Didn’t realize Bellarosa was your personal whore.” I shrug. “You hold affection for her, then?” I ask, arching a brow to match his own.
He snorts, leaning back in his chair. He looks cool, calm, and too goddamn collected. I want him to squirm, but obviously he thinks that he has the upper hand. Not in my house, he doesn’t. His eyes shift to Bella, then back to me.
“Bellarosa’s contract was drawn up by Antonio Rossi and honestly has nothing to do with me. However, since I am now the Boss, she is still bound to me. The Russians are expecting her, this business has nothing to do with you, Drago.”
“If she’s pregnant?” I ask.
His eyes flick to Bella, then back to me. “It will be taken care of. You have to understand that this has nothing to do with you. Business is just that. Now, hand her over.”
His voice is hard, he means what he says and I can see how he became a Boss. However, I am not one of his soldiers. I am not his minion. I am his equal. I hold his gaze, not breaking it.
“Turn around, Bella,” I order, keeping my eyes on his.
She does as she’s told, like the good girl that she is. When she has her back toward Gavino, I lower my hand that is still wrapped around her waist and quickly jerk the bandage off of the back of her thigh, exposing her raw fresh brand.
“Fuck,” Gavino hisses, unable to hide his initial reaction.
“She isn’t going anywhere,” I announce.
His right-hand man makes a
noise and I look over to him. “Did you brand her with a branding iron?” he asks, looking fucking sick.
Lifting my chin is my only response. He makes a hissing noise, then leans over to whisper to Gavino who only grunts. I watch as he lifts a hand, bringing two fingers up and making a motion to come forward. All of my men move behind me to ready position, their hands on their guns and preparing for war.
“Stand down, boys,” Gavino sighs and my brows snap together when I see two girls walk into the room behind two men in suits.
They’re beautiful girls, but just that—girls. One looks to be possibly sixteen, the other probably around twelve or so. They both have long dark gleaming black hair and blue eyes that match Bella’s. Fuck. Her sisters. I can feel Bellarosa slowly turn around and when she gasps, it’s confirmed.
“What is the meaning of this?” I demand.
Gavino’s lips twitch, he shakes his head once. “Obviously, I cannot use her now that she’s been scarred that way. All that training down the goddamn drain. Good news is that I have it on good authority both of these girls are virgins, which would make up the cost for training them if they went up for auction.”
“No,” Bellarosa cries, her first words spoken this entire meeting.
Quickly, I wrap my hand around her thigh to keep her next to me. I can feel her body tense and ready for flight. Ready to run to her sisters. The two girls look scared fucking shitless, and I don’t blame them. They’re about to get sold into sexual slavery.
Fuck.
Chapter Eighteen
BELLAROSA
I stare at Pippa and Rosana across the room from me. They look so much older, so much bigger than they did three years ago.
My eyes well with tears at the thought of what is about to happen to them, and why, because of me. I don’t even think to ask any questions about my mother. Hopefully she’s dead, somewhere in a ditch, her penance for selling off her oldest daughter.
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