Angelo: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance

by Bella Love-Wins

“Not bad.”

  Dominic stopped pacing and looked at me. His jaw twitched.

  I went over and gave our father a kiss. Settling onto the couch cushion closest to him, I waiting.

  He looked across the room, gazing thoughtfully at a spot on the wall.

  I couldn’t just sit there and wait. “Is Mom here?”

  “She’s around somewhere.”

  Dominic came to take the seat across from me.

  Our father looked from him to me. “So, sons… This is an interesting situation.”

  “Yes,” I agreed.

  “Not too surprising.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “The Bianchi girls. It makes sense that you’d fall for one of them.”

  “That’s not what this is about,” I argued.

  He lifted his hand in that slight dismissive gesture of his. I shut my mouth.

  “Dominic filled me in, but maybe you want to make your own case.”

  I eagerly leaned forward. “There’s more than one reason we need to stop this marriage. First of all, Paige doesn’t want it. She knew nothing about this arrangement until a few weeks ago, and it’s destroying her.”

  Dominic nodded. “And you’re in love with her.”

  I didn’t deny it. Arguing at a time like this was like shooting myself in the foot. Maybe it would help Pops do the right thing.

  “There’s more,” I said. “Something big.”

  I pointed at the offending photo. “Paige saw that picture. She recognized Moretti in the photo. But she recognized him because he was there the day her parents were killed. She says that Moretti came into the apartment with the guys who gunned down the Bianchi’s.”

  My father’s thick eyebrows knit together. “How did she get away? Those thugs don’t leave witnesses.”

  “She hid behind a false wall in the closet.”

  “I see.” His head tilted back and his eyes roved up to the ceiling. Pops made a habit of drifting off I thought for way too long, so I didn’t wait for him to continue.

  “Moretti played a part in the Bianchi’s murders. He was young back then, but who knows? Maybe it was his father who ordered the hit. Paige mentioned that before the shooting started, she heard a loud argument. Maybe Moretti went there thinking he could get something out of Mr. Bianchi, and when he didn’t get what he wanted, they just finished the job to get him out of the way.”

  Pops slowly nodded. “It’s possible.”

  “They went against code, Dad.”

  His head inclined. “They took one of mine…two. I won’t disagree.”

  I couldn’t stand his coolness.

  “Bianchi worked for you, Pops. He was supposed to have our protection. Moretti had no business touching him, no matter what dealings they had.”

  “Yes.”

  His dark eyes flicked over to Dominic, who had settled down, but still pensively leaned forward in his chair. “I still can’t figure out how you got your brother convinced to bring this to me. I’m impressed. But son, I can’t help.”

  “What?”

  “I understand that you care for Paige. I also don’t like that Moretti wants to go through with something this old school. This isn’t Sicily or any part of Italy. This is America. But a deal is a deal. And her life won’t be so bad. She’ll be well taken care of, and won’t have to work another day in her life.”

  “That’s not the point! Paige isn’t like that. She’s not looking for anything from anyone.”

  “Watch your tone, son,” Pops warned.

  “Sorry, Pops, but this should be clear-cut. Moretti wronged us. He needs to pay, not get rewarded by honoring a ridiculous agreement.”

  “You’re emotional. You’re invested. I get it.”

  “Are you listening to what I’m saying?”

  “You’re biased, son.”

  Was my father trying to be stubborn?

  I got to my feet and I stomped towards the window.

  “You’re really going to let Moretti go through with this? Especially after what he did to the Bianchi’s? He deserves to be put down!”

  Pops didn’t move an inch. Dominic rubbed his temples, but said nothing.

  “You’re not thinking straight, boy.”

  My shoulders squared in retaliation. “I’m the only one willing to face that bastard and make him accountable for what he did.”

  “Confronting Moretti will put Paige in danger.”

  The tired look on Dominic’s face told me he and Pops pretty much had this exact same conversation before I arrived.

  I folded my arms. “And what’s Moretti going to do? What can he do to her or any of us?”

  “You know exactly what he could do. You like Paige? Try to help her keep her pulse. He’d go as far as he needs to, just to send a message, to put everyone around on notice that no one gets to interfere in his affairs.”

  “Why would he kill Paige is he wants her so much?”

  “He may want that woman, but he wants power more, and has no problem with making sacrifices to get it. He can bring serious pain on this family, destroy our connections, and at a time like this, we need all our life lines.”

  “You could do the same to him.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I won’t. I have no interest in starting a war. Do you really intend on putting your entire family in danger over one woman?”

  Something in me wavered, but only for a split second. I would protect them all. Including Paige.

  “Think about it, Angelo.”

  “If I knew all of this about the Bianchi’s when it happened, I could have done something. Too many years have gone by. Moretti has become too powerful in Europe.”

  There might be some other way. Some kind of trade.”

  Pops shook his head. “Angelo.”

  “He loves money more than anything. Why not try to bargain with him?”

  “Just suggesting that to him is playing with fire, don’t you see?” His voice rose. He was losing his patience. “Moretti thinks we’re allies, Angelo. To even ask for something like this is showing our hand too soon.”

  “He has to understand.”

  “No! He does not!” He slapped his palm against the chair’s arm.

  The room grew dead quiet. I knew it then. The discussion was over.

  Alone. I was all alone in this. My plan to make an exchange wouldn’t pan out without Pops. I could go to Moretti on my own and make the offer, but if that would put my family at risk. I couldn’t be in six places at once.

  “I’m sorry,” Pops concluded. “Let it go. There’s nothing to be done.”

  Chapter Fifteen - Angelo

  “No. It’s not.”

  I was startled at the sound of my brother’s voice.

  “It’s not too late,” he said. “Time doesn’t matter, Pops. Moretti will eventually find out we know about the crime he committed. And what then? We’ll look weak for not responding. For all we know, he wants Paige Bianchi because he realizes she saw too much. I say, we send him a message. Now. Don’t wait, because, as you said, he’s gaining power here in the States. Who knows what he will do next?”

  Wow. Good old Dominic stepped up for a cause.

  “I don’t know,” Pops grumbled.

  That was something he rarely said. Our father had it all together. He had an answer for every situation.

  “What on earth is going on? I can hear your conversation on the other side of the house!”

  My mother glided into the room, her long and flowing floral dress wafting about her like a cloud. Her dark hair was twisted up on the top of her head, not a strand out of place. Always beautiful. Always put together. I’d never known another version of her.

  “Sorry Mom,” Dominic said. “We were just…”

  “I know what you were doing. Like I said, I heard everything… And I agree with Dominic.”

  My heart did a little hopeful flip. Mom never got involved in these matters. Her move to take a vocal stand with Dominic and me gave us a better
chance.

  “Dominic put it perfectly,” she said directly to Pops. “Moretti is clever. I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s a cruel bastard, just like his father.”

  “Don’t say that,” my father gruffly replied.

  She turned her face and peered sideways at him, silently questioning. “Have you forgotten about everything the Moretti’s did in Sicily?”

  He shifted in his seat. “No.”

  I exchanged a quick glance with Dominic, but he betrayed nothing.

  I knew a bit about the Moretti family past. They were a bad-to-the-bone organized crime family, virtually the top of the food chain in Italy and, had been making moves to have a stronger presence in America. My mother’s family operated on par, and sometimes in league, with them.

  But the two families had their difficulties. No one in our family talked about it, but I had heard whisperings that one or more of Mom’s relatives had been victims of the Moretti’s greed and desperation to rise through the power ranks.

  “Don’t even say that I’m biased because of my uncles,” she added. “I’m not. ‘The Pistol’ is dangerous. He needs to be taken care of.”

  Pops lifted his palms up. “I understand, but we need to think of our own first.”

  “I am,” she persisted. “The first thing I always think about is my children.”

  “Digging around in the past like this is only going to open up other wounds. It won’t be the only issue to manage.”

  “Fine. I’ll speak with Mario. He will have something to say about this, I’m sure.”

  This was a step in the right direction. Mario was Pops’ consiglieri, his advisor. Pops only went to him when he was serious about making a decision.

  This time, when I caught Dominic’s eye he winked at me.

  “I need to think carefully about this,” Pops said pensively, almost as if to himself. He rubbed his chin and stared at the coffee table.

  “How soon, do you think?”

  “Give me a few days. Be patient. We cannot afford to be hasty about this. Just ask your mother.”

  Her lips pursed. “Yes. We need to be smart about how we approach the Moretti’s.”

  Mom clasped her hands together. “Who’s staying for lunch?”

  “Sorry Mom,” Dominic answered. “I have to get back.”

  “Me too,” I apologized. “Sorry.”

  “Okay,” she said, coming over to kiss each of us. “You’re both busy, I know.”

  “Lunch next week?” I asked.

  She took my chin in her hand and shook it a little bit, like she did when I was twelve.

  “Be good,” she said, and breezed out of the room.

  Dominic and I stayed where we were. Our father hadn’t moved from his seat, which meant he wasn’t yet done with us.

  Pops tapped one finger against the armrest. “Angelo,” he said. “I can’t help shake the feeling that we’re about to put everything you’ve been working so hard to build for our family on the line for a woman.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Yes… Me too, son.”

  “Hold on a second,” Dominic said, and let out a long breath.

  “What?” I asked.

  He stood staring down at his phone for a long few seconds. Panic gripped me.

  “What?” I demanded again.

  The slowest smile ever rose up on Dom’s chest. “I don’t believe it.”

  Pops got to his feet. “Dominic, what the hell is going on?”

  He finally tore his gaze from his phone. “Talk about bad luck and timing. There’s been a hit on Moretti… in Sicily…Palermo, to be exact.”

  “What? He’s dead?”

  Dominic shook his head in disbelief. “That’s usually what happens after a hit.”

  “By who?” Pops demanded.

  Dominic shrugged. “As of right now, no one knows. He was shot in broad daylight leaving his condo there.”

  “Where are you getting this information?”

  He shook his phone in our direction. “From an associate.”

  ‘Associate’ didn’t explain much. But then again, neither did Dom.

  I couldn’t unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. The news was too good to be true. Premature and anti-climactic. I wanted to have a chance at him. To put up a real fight and come out the other end on top. I should be thanking my blessings that someone took the problem away for us.

  Dominic started typing away on his phone.

  I looked over at Pops. “Is this...”

  “Do you want to know if it’s good news for Paige?” He slowly nodded. “I suppose so. I didn’t hear of any other agreement in place if Moretti died.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “Probably, but tread carefully until we find out. Don’t go passing on any news until I talk to some people.”

  “I won’t.”

  Free. Paige was free. Hopefully.

  “I’ll go tell your mother,” Pops said, and he left the room.

  Dominic slipped his phone into his pants pocket. “What do you think?”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised. Some of the other families probably had a few contracts out on him.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “How would you know?”

  He shrugged. “It’s my business to know.”

  Whatever. Moretti was dead. Paige was likely a free woman. Anything else was just unimportant details.

  “You two lovebirds can go back to your little mafia princess romance,” Dominic joked as his phone buzzed again.

  “Don’t even go there. I’m going to say goodbye to Mom,” I told him, leaving him standing there texting.

  ***

  I couldn’t resist Mom’s offer of a plate of cannoli. Half an hour later, Dominic was still around waiting at the front door for me.

  “What? You need a ride?” I asked.

  He smirked. “I can’t believe the timing. It’s just too perfect.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  “Way too perfect.”

  Something about his voice told me he knew more. “What?”

  Dominic ran his thumb across his lip and grinned. “Oh, nothing. I’m not suggesting this was anything but dumb luck… But guess where Sophie B did a DJ gig last night?”

  “Where?”

  “Palermo.”

  I let that sink in.

  Western Europe Burn Unit. Dominic had told me Sophia was a part of it. I nearly forgot about that little tidbit he had dropped.

  I knew very little about the Western Europe Burn Unit, but they weren’t a medical organization. They weren’t a non-profit. Specifically, they took care of difficult problems, which was Dominic’s department.

  “Damn,” I hissed. “Wow. Are you suggesting...”

  He cut me off. “I’m not suggesting anything.”

  “Right.”

  “All I’m saying is you might want to be careful how you treat Paige. Her sister is not someone to mess with. Or is she your future sister-in-law?” Dominic asked.

  “Uh...”

  He winked and jingled the keys in his pocket. “After everything you’ve done to protect Paige, she better be the one. Especially now that Pops knows.”

  Dominic turned and left through the front door.

  I looked out at his car as he left, scratching my head.

  Chapter Sixteen – Paige

  I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the ceiling.

  What was the point, anyway?

  The world held nothing good for me anymore.

  As of six hours ago, I was officially twenty-five. I could rent a car. I could say I was one quarter of the way to a century.

  I could marry that Italian mafia boss.

  All day long I’d been on edge, unable to get anything done at work. Despite that, I hadn’t wanted to leave the office.

  Now twenty-five, the New York streets were scarier than they’d ever been. How exactly would this deal go down? Would I be walking to the subway when a black car would pull up and
snatch me, then take me to a basement where I would be married off and kept in captivity, not able to see anyone or go to work ever again?

  Despite those fears, I made it home in one piece. No one waited for me on the streets, or at the apartment.

  Which meant it could happen any time. Moretti’s goons could be walking up the apartment steps right now.

  Would I fight? Would I just give in?

  I hadn’t decided yet.

  Once I saw the face of the man who had a part in killing my parents, I would likely lose my shit and try to destroy him. Maybe I’d be punished. Or killed.

  Maybe that would be fine.

  I hadn’t heard from Angelo. Which made sense. What I’d perceived as growing love had been nothing but an illusion. It was best if we never saw each other again.

  And Sophia had been MIA as well. Again. I hadn’t gotten her on the phone since she flew out of the apartment with that claim to ‘take care’ of things.

  The game was over. I’d lost.

  A noise came from the front of the apartment, sending me bolting up to sitting.

  Here he came. Moretti.

  “Paige?”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Sophia!”

  She pushed my cracked bedroom door open. “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for my life to be over.” I pursed my lips in an attempt to not cry, but the bottom one trembled horribly.

  Bags sat under Sophia’s eyes, but her irises sparkled. “Nu-uh. Not today, sister.”

  “Huh?”

  “There is no more Moretti.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He died. Someone killed him in Italy.”

  My jaw came unhinged. “What?”

  She came and sat next to me on the bed and took my hand. “And there’s more. It turns out he already took care of the paperwork for your marriage. He signed his Sicily house and property over to you and me.”

  “Both of us?”

  Her head bobbed eagerly.

  “But who… How...”

  Sophia’s hand tightened on mine. “It doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t do any good to ask questions. That can get you into trouble. Let’s just celebrate what we have.”

  She hugged me tight. I buried my face in her shoulder, relieved beyond belief. “This is crazy!”

  “I know!” She let me go. “Get up. I’m taking you out to dinner. We have to celebrate the best birthday we’ve ever had.”