Ruthless Prince : A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance (Dark Syndicate Book 1)

by Faith Summers

  We keep finding out more shit. I can’t help but feel there’s still more. There always is.

  Not today though.

  I walk over to her, pull the chair from the dresser and sit on it backwards.

  “You alright?” I ask.

  “No… but I’m trying to be.”

  “I will protect you.”

  “Thank you. I feel like I need more than just protection though. My world fell apart in one breath when I saw that contract. What’s happening now? I know you say you can’t tell me certain things, but I need to know.”

  We always keep women out of business, but as I look at her, I feel I can’t honor that. She does need to know.

  “Vlad is working with your father to bring down the syndicate. That was what Jacob was trying to warn us about. He didn’t know about your father though. He didn’t know the two were working together. I don’t know what happened after I let Jacob go at the church, but the other night, when I went out, I got the confirmation they were working together.”

  Her face goes ghostly pale. God, this is what I mean about finding out more shit.

  She gasps. “Oh my God. Massimo, do you think he had anything to do with Jacob’s death?”

  I release a sharp sigh. “Emelia, I don’t know. I have no idea.” I won’t tell her I suspect it. I won’t tell her that I suspect big time now that maybe Jacob heard and saw too much again, and it got him killed. “What I do know is that I have to take precautions and protect what’s mine.”

  That means her as a priority, and anybody else who relies on me.

  “What about the syndicate? You told them about my father’s plan.”

  I nod. She knows that means death.

  She’s an angel. A being of purity. So, I expect the look of remorse that flickers in her eyes. I can’t even be angry at her for it because that’s who she is.

  I reach out for her hands, and she gives them to me.

  “Things are going to be hard. I think we have some difficult times to face, some tough things to come our way, but… we have each other. I want to take you away today.”

  A slight twinkle returns to her eyes. “Away?”

  “Yes, you know, like a normal couple. We’re gonna go out, and we’ll be gone for the night. Just you and me.”

  “Really, Massimo?” She smiles.

  “Yes, Princesca.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Stormy Creek…” I say the words. She smiles, but I get that wave of apprehension that always fills me when I think of the place I grew up.

  After Ma’s death, I never wanted to go back there. I wanted to leave the first chance we got, and when Pa was able to, we did. It was a long time after though. I was a year away from college.

  I hated the place because of what it represented, and I only visit to tend to my mother’s grave, yet it was home because she made it home.

  If there’s anywhere I’m going to find strength today, it’s there.

  “I’ve never been there.”

  “You’ll like it. It feels like home. Pack a bag. Let’s leave as soon as possible.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Emelia

  Massimo drove the convertible with the top down.

  As we sped along the freeway, I allowed myself to get sucked into the scenery and the time spent with him. Both helped with pushing yesterday from my mind.

  Though I can’t quite forget, and when I think of what is to come and what other truths I might learn, my heart hurts. My soul quivers and my being quakes when I consider Dad having anything to do with Jacob’s death.

  I know Massimo was holding back. When we spoke earlier, it felt like that day when he got angry after I told him he and my father were the same. Now I know why he was so furious.

  That day, though, he made me none the wiser about the truth of who Dad really is. What he would have known back then was enough to turn my stomach. The way Dad treated his family was unbelievable. All because he was in love with his mother.

  There’s something I haven’t mentioned, but I thought about it. About my mother. She would have been with my father during the time Massimo and his family lost everything, and when Massimo’s mother died.

  My parents would have been married for five years at that point. To hear that Dad was in love with another woman and behaved that way because she wouldn’t choose him shocked me. I must have been a toddler during that time. Or certainly during the earlier years, my mother would have been pregnant with me.

  I always thought my parents were in love with each other. That was a lie too. This man I’ve come to know as my father isn’t the man I grew up with. He’s not. He’s evil. My world is different for knowing that.

  It took us a little under two hours to get to Stormy Creek. It’s just past midday.

  Massimo verged onto a country road an hour ago, and we followed it all the way to the end. What we’re approaching now is a cottage surrounded by a little bit of land, and a woodland area that seems to lead to the creek. A river flows along our route that looks amazing.

  When we pull up in front of the cottage, I’m surprised by the way it looks. It’s so quaint and cozy. It looks like a home in a fairytale book. Like somewhere Snow White would live.

  “This is it,” Massimo says. He draws in a breath and seems to savor the air.

  The air is different here. Pure and refreshing.

  “This is beautiful.” I smile at him.

  “I’m glad you like it.” He gets out of the car and opens the door for me.

  I watch him. He’s different. He’s not the ruthless mafia boss I’ve come to know. I get the feeling that this is the real him.

  He looks around the place with a reminiscent expression. His lips press together, and a line etches in his jaw. Not one of tension, like I’ve seen. It’s looser, just an expression.

  When he looks at me, the strangest thing happens. I notice that he looks different too. It’s his eyes. They twinkle like they do in his mother’s painting. I recognize the boy she was trying to depict. The light showing appreciation shines in his eyes. It’s more than happiness.

  It brightens when he reaches out and touches my cheek. He kisses me briefly, and when we part, I suddenly understand it all.

  That painting was a memory. A moment of happiness when they probably had nothing, but they had each other. I’ve seen him with his brothers and his father, with Priscilla and with Candace. If it’s one thing I know, it’s that this man takes care of the people in his life who are close to him. He values them.

  He’s looking at me like that now. With that same twinkle in his eyes. It’s a look that makes me feel foolish for thinking he would have done anything with Gabriella. A look like that can only speak of love.

  “I see you,” he says, brushing his nose along mine.

  I smile. “I see you too.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’ll let you see me here. All of me.”

  “You’re happy here,” I state. He nods.

  “This was our home. Some other little houses used to be around, but they were damaged in a fire. It never spread to our house, but we had a shed, and that went. I bought the land and the cottage a few years back. I wanted to preserve the memory of the home my mother created.”

  “That’s beautiful. All of this? You bought the whole place?”

  “Yeah. Back then we used to pretend it belonged to us. Like one big playground full of adventure. The cottage was our base, the meadows, the river and caves by the creek a different adventure for different days.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  “It was. Ma was amazing. She never once allowed us to slip into sorrow over what we lost. The house we lost should feel like home, but maybe it’s because I felt like I grew up and became who I was here. Even when she wasn’t around. She left the magic behind.”

  “Magic,” I breathe.

  “Magic. Emelia, today I want you to forget everything. All the bad parts. When we take the next step, I want you to leave everything tha
t happened back in LA. It’s not going anywhere, but we can leave it all behind for a day and enjoy being a couple. I can be your husband, and you can be my wife.” He lifts my hands and kisses my knuckles. “Can you do that?”

  “I can. I can do it.”

  “Great. So, wife… I’m gonna cook you lunch.”

  I giggle. I can’t imagine him making a sandwich, let along cook. “You’re gonna cook? You? Boss?” I laugh. I can’t believe I’m laughing.

  “Yeah me, Mrs. Boss.”

  “And we have food here?”

  “We do. I have a custodian. I let him know we were coming by, and he got everything we need for today.”

  It’s sounds great. I haven’t seen much yet, but I wish we could stay longer.

  “Okay, I’m looking forward to seeing you cook.”

  “I promise you the best meal you’ve ever had.” He intertwines our fingers and leads me toward the house.

  Massimo was right. He made me the best meal I’ve ever had.

  Steak. I’ve had some amazing steak in my life, but his was definitely the best, and the best meal too. He made me eat my words and impressed me further with an afternoon filled with talking and laughing. With us.

  I couldn’t believe that we spent the afternoon in such a way.

  To think that I might not have been here at all if he hadn’t saved me yesterday hurts. But I’m pretending that this is our life. In this version of us, we escape here for a break. We live in the gorgeous mansion on the beach and come here when we need a breather. In this version of us, he’s been listening to me talk about art and Florence and what I would be learning at the Accademia.

  In this version of us, I look at him and get lost in the beauty of him inside and out. I like it. It feels like this could be our future. Today it is.

  It’s starts to get dark, which saddens me because I know tomorrow, we’ll have to leave and return to the real world.

  We clear the table and unpack our stuff to get comfortable for the night. We didn’t bring a lot. Just enough to change our clothes. It all fit in a carry-on.

  “One more thing to do before the sun goes down,” he says, tugging on my hand.

  “What? What are we doing?”

  “You’ll see. This is the highlight of this trip.”

  I’m intrigued to find out what it is because everything about this trip so far has been striking.

  Taking my hand again, he leads me away. We walk across the meadow and down to the river. I tense when I see a little rowboat as memories of yesterday come rushing back to me. I don’t know how I managed to stay alive when the boat capsized. It was the most horrible feeling. A moment of doom and helplessness in which I knew I wouldn’t be able to save myself.

  “Are we going inside the boat?” I ask because it sure looks like we’re heading that way.

  He smiles and slips his arm around me. “We are, but don’t worry. You’ll be in this boat with me, and we’re going on the river. It’s a lot calmer than the sea. Trust me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I believe him, so I nod. As we step into the boat, I hold on to his hand for dear life.

  “Sit, you’ll be okay,” he promises.

  I carefully lower to sit. The boat feels sturdy. He sits too and releases the boat from the dock. He rolls his sleeves up his thick forearms, and we set off down the river. As he rows with the oars, I see exactly how it’s supposed to be done.

  It’s vastly different from what I did yesterday.

  He rows with strength and surety. He makes it look easy. He chuckles when he sees me watching.

  “You make it look like it’s nothing.”

  “Trust me, it’s not nothing. Years of practice. My father taught me to fish when I was a boy. He liked going out in the rowboat. He hates speedboats or sailboats. You wouldn’t catch him in anything like that. Says it disrupts the water. If you want to catch fish, you do the least thing possible. You blend in. That way, you catch the best fish.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I can’t refute his claim, since he’s always been right. That’s why I had the rowboat. The sailboat I only take out when I want to go diving or just be out on the sea.”

  “I’m sorry I lost your boat,” I say, raising my shoulders.

  “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t even a thought. I’m just glad you’re okay and here. Not anywhere else.”

  Dead or alive. Although I think if Vlad had gotten me, my life would be worse than death.

  “Here… this is where it happens.” He looks around as we drift deeper into the woods. It gets darker suddenly because the trees enclose the area.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You’ll see, but I suspect you’ll see more than I do. My mom used to bring me and my brothers out here. Every time we came, she saw something different. I guess that’s the way artists think.”

  I smile at that. I’m about to say something when I see it. A flow of pink light ahead of us.

  It gets brighter and brighter as we approach, and I wonder what it could be.

  Moments later, I get my answer when I see a flock of flamingos resting on either side of the riverbank. There are so many that the color they create together against the setting sunlight looks like a bask of pink light.

  It’s not long before I’m transported into a dark fantasy.

  “Oh my God… this is beautiful,” I breathe. I can’t resist the smile that fills my face and the warmth that covers my heart.

  “Yeah. It is.” Massimo nods. “What do you see?”

  “All kinds of things.”

  “Tell me.”

  I’m touched that he wants to hear about the creativity that sparks my mind. I’m intrigued that he wants to hear so much about me.

  As I talk, it feels like sharing pieces of my soul.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Massimo

  I listened to her talk.

  All day, I’ve found the sound of her voice soothing. Hearing her talk about art and what she sees when she looks at the beautiful surroundings I shared with my mother calmed my soul.

  I’m grateful we took this trip. I needed it.

  Night falls, and the pink light fades. The moonlight and stars take over the night, and we head back.

  I wouldn’t normally be out so late on the river because the woods can attract all kinds of people. Today was an exception. There’s only one person who knows we’re here today, and that’s Darius, my custodian.

  I didn’t even tell Pa.

  I wanted today to be about Emelia and me, and I want tonight to be about us too.

  We get back to the riverbank, and I help her get out of the boat. I never expected it to start raining. It does when we’re halfway back to the cottage, and by the time we reach the door, it’s pouring. We run back inside, soaked. I’m so wet my clothes cling to me and my hair slicks down my face.

  Emelia, on the other hand, looks like an erotic mermaid with her slick, wet hair and her white tank top clinging to her breasts. Completely see-through. Her rose-tipped nipples press against the fabric of her clothes, begging to be sucked, and the flowery scent of her arousal hardens my cock.

  She sees me looking at her, and I’m pleased when she doesn’t try to hide from me.

  Instead, she steps forward with a seductive look in her eyes that’s sexy as fuck.

  She tugs on the edge of my shirt, pulling it from the waistband of my pants.

  “Be careful, Princesca. You keep looking at me like that, and there’s only one thing we’ll be doing tonight.”

  “As long as we don’t just do it once.” She smiles. I cup her beautiful, beautiful face.

  “When have I ever fucked you just once?”

  She shakes her head. “Never, I just don’t want us to start tonight.”

  “We won’t,” I promise before I steal her next words with a kiss. I taste her sweetness. I want it all. I want her and everything that makes her, her.

  I run my fingers down her neck and over her elegant sho
ulders, trying to commit the feel of her to memory. When she tugs on my shirt again, the buttons pop and clatter on the floorboards.

  When her fingers touch the bare skin on my abs, I know we won’t make it upstairs to the bedroom.

  I move us into the kitchen and practically tear off her top and bra, leaving her in the little skirt that looks sexy as hell right now with her breasts on show and her hair wet.

  Shoving everything off the breakfast table, I pick her up and set her down like the rare, exotic meal I’m getting ready to feast on.

  She is.

  She absolutely fucking is to me.

  “Spread your legs wide for me, Mrs. D’Agostino. Let me see your pretty pussy.”

  This woman has changed into one sexy goddess who’ll have me eating out of the palms of her hands if I’m not careful. When she gives me that lascivious smile again and spreads her legs, I nearly embarrass myself and blow my load .

  “With pleasure, Mr. D’Agostino,” the goddess says, then goes one step further by holding open her pussy lips for me.

  Holy fuck.

  Lust wipes my brain clean of everything. Need makes me greedy, selfish, so I dive in and feast on my girl, my wife.

  I lick over the sweet bud of her clit, listening to her moans and groans of wild pleasure. All from what I’m doing to her. Me. I have her coming undone in my arms, and she knows I want her. I see it as she comes and her sweet nectar flows into my mouth. The knowledge that I want her shines in her eyes. The look intensifies as I drink and take everything until there’s nothing left.

  With her juice on my lips, I kiss her so she can taste herself. She moans into my mouth.

  I’ll have to play with her breasts later. I need to be inside her. I’ve been eager to get back in there. I need her now.

  Quickly, I strip out of my clothes, take my cock, and slide into her slick, wet opening.

  She gasps, setting her hands behind her on the table to take me. I hold her still to make sure she does because I’m owning this pussy again tonight. Fuck damn, she feels so good. The sensation of being inside her heightens with this new sense of understanding that’s between us.