Wanted: A Dark Italian Mafia Romance (Men Of Mayhem Book 1)

by Kristen Luciani

  Boom!

  My character flies backward and lands on the ground next to an incinerated staircase. I blink fast as another group of characters, dressed differently than ours, takes over the screen.

  “Wait, what just happened?” I gasp as I try to maneuver my guy around.

  Nothing. He’s motionless.

  Diego lets out a groan. “You got sniped. And now it’s up to me to take out all of these assholes, including their ringleader, my dickhead brother.”

  I squint at the screen and shake my head. “I don’t understand. Where did they all come from?”

  “Ant logged in from another console. He’s the one who took you out.” Diego’s hands move incessantly, his fingers now working double-time as he plugs the newcomers one by one. “Fuck you, Ant,” he grumbles. “I’ve got you.”

  I watch, gripping the controller tight as Diego hunts Ant’s character. What an asshole! He totally preyed on me because I’m a novice. “Come on,” I cheer. “Take him out!”

  Diego’s character breaks into a run, backing Ant into a flaming corner of a dilapidated building.

  Pop! Crack! Bam!

  Ant’s character bucks forward in slow motion as the bullets pepper his body. He flies back into the stucco and then lands hard onto the ground.

  Diego tosses the controller to the floor and high-fives me. “Oh yeah! He’s always trying those sneak attacks, but he’ll never beat me. He still hasn’t learned.”

  “That was awesome!” I squeal, clapping my hands together. “You’re so good at that! You know, the hand thing.”

  He cocks an eyebrow. “You should see what else I can do with these hands.”

  My breath hitches, eyes wide. It’s like he read my damn mind.

  “Was that a good distraction?” he asks in a low murmur, tracing a finger over my hand. My fingers loosen around the controller and it drops to the floor as Diego slides closer to me. Our gazes are locked as if we’re too captivated by our own lust to even rationalize what’s happening between us.

  Right now, all sensibilities have evacuated my mind.

  I’m not thinking about anything but Diego.

  And his lips.

  And his fingers.

  And his—

  I inhale deeply, letting his scent infuse my entire being. When his lips caress mine, the butterflies in my belly awaken and flutter maniacally. Tingles launch a delicious assault on my body as his tongue dips between my lips and coils with my own. I let him lead since he clearly has more experience in this department. He reaches a hand around the back of my head and gently presses me toward him. Our tongues twist and tangle as we drink each other in, his hand stroking the prickled skin on the back of my neck. He pulls out the rubber band holding my hair together, letting the soft waves cascade down my back. His fingers gently fist the strands, eliciting a breathless gasp from my lips.

  I could do this forever.

  A crashing sound makes us jump apart as if we’re teenagers who’ve just gotten caught making out by our parents. Diego flips around and I look up to see Ant’s shit-eating grin.

  “Well, well,” he says with a mischievous smirk. “Sorry to interrupt. I saw you guys go offline from the game, and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t gloat for too long, Diego.” He raises an eyebrow. “But I guess other stuff got in your way of a rematch.”

  Diego laughs, jumping to his feet. “You and your rematches. You’ve never gotten me once, Ant. Get it through your head. I’m the master assassin of this family, okay?”

  Why does that cockiness make me so damn hot?

  Ant looks from me to Diego and then back again, a wicked grin on his face. “We still have a few hours before dinner. Should I assume you’ve got other plans to fill the time? Or am I gonna get another crack at you?”

  “Take a crack at someone else. I’m taking the rest of the day off.” Diego gives Ant a punch in the shoulder. “If you really wanna beat me, you need to come up with a better strategy. Attacking my girl to distract me isn’t gonna cut it next time.”

  His girl.

  A chill slithers down my spine and I hug my arms around myself, still tasting his lips on mine.

  Damn you for crashing our party, Ant!

  They give each other a quick fist bump and Ant backs out of the room. “I’ll just text you when dinner’s ready. I don’t wanna see something that’s gonna give me nightmares for the rest of my damn life.”

  Diego flips him off and Ant smirks, closing the door behind him.

  “I’m sorry about that. About him.” Diego nods his head toward the closed door.

  “It’s okay,” I say, trying to control my pulse from exploding right out of my throat. I sit on the couch, not really sure at this point what to do or say. Do we just pick up where we left off or…?

  He sinks down next to me with a sexy smile tugging his lips upward. “I might have to kick his ass later for ruining our moment…and for sniping my girl.”

  I force a giggle. “I might have to join in on that.”

  He leans closer, his dark eyes glowing with pent-up desire. “I really care about you, Serena. From the first time I met you, I felt a crazy connection between us. It told me I needed you in my life. When you went off the grid, I thought about you and that night every day, wondering where you were and what you were going through. Wishing I could be there for you. And this morning in the café…I didn’t even know it was you, but something drove me to protect you. Something I can’t explain. It’s like the universe put me there so I could find you again.”

  I swallow hard. “Diego, I—”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t have to say anything. I know I just laid a lot on you, and I didn’t say it so you could feed my ego and tell me you feel the same way.” He smiles. “I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t just trying to take advantage of the situation before Ant barged in.”

  My eyes widen and my mouth struggles to find the words I’m so desperate to utter. “I, um, I never thought, ah…” I let out an exasperated sigh. So confident when it comes to life and death, but trying to talk to this man has me severely tongue-tied.

  And I’d like to get tongue-tied up with him again immediately if not sooner.

  “I didn’t think you were taking advantage,” I say, clearing my throat. “And for what it’s worth, I’m not a fan of the ego stroke. I really care about you, too.”

  He smiles. “I’m not the kind of guy who believes in fate and all that crap, but I don’t know. I think I’m becoming a believer.”

  Warmth spreads through my insides as his fingers lace with mine. He leans toward me, closing the distance between us and then it happens.

  His soft lips brush against mine and I know I more than care about this guy.

  I’m falling in love with this guy.

  “Knock! Knock!” Gianna calls from the hallway. “Is it safe to enter?”

  Diego lets out a low moan and calls back to her. “Yeah, sure.”

  Gianna pushes open the door, a bright smile on her face. “I just wanted to ask Serena if she has any allergies I should know about.”

  “Really. That’s what you wanted to know?” Diego rolls his eyes.

  I grin at her. “No, no allergies to speak of. I’m good with anything and everything!”

  “Perfect!” Gianna winks at me. “I’ll, ah, leave you to your movie.” She waggles her eyebrows and pulls the door closed again.

  Diego slaps a hand to his forehead. “I’m sure they’re queuing up the next interruption as we speak.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” I run my hand down his muscular arm. “But it’s okay. I can wait.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” he mumbles, pulling me into his chest. “You okay with watching Avengers End Game?”

  I nod my head. “Definitely! I love super hero movies. But only Marvel.”

  “Same.”

  “Maybe it is fate.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Diego

  I’m not sure when we drifted off to
sleep, but I know exactly when I woke up. It was just about the time when the scent of Gianna’s sauce floated through the air and took command of my empty stomach. My eyes crack open and the heat of Serena’s body snuggled into mine is the only thing that can keep me here on this couch and away from my sister’s cooking.

  But the little moan tumbling from Serena’s lips tells me her stomach is chiding her for not making a mad dash for the dining room.

  “Hungry?” I murmur, dragging a hand through her sleep-tousled hair.

  “Mm-hm,” she says, her eyes fluttering open. The gold flecks sparkle as she licks her lips. “It smells so good!”

  “She’s an amazing cook.” I roll off of the couch, pulling her up with me. I wrap my arms around her, burying my head in her citrusy-smelling hair. “But don’t stuff yourself too much. I have plans for dessert.”

  “I like the sound of that,” she says, gazing up at me with those gorgeous green eyes.

  I press my lips against hers. “Later,” I whisper.

  She nods. “Definitely.”

  I open the door and we walk into the dining room. Gianna hands us glasses of chianti as Alek gulps a shot of vodka.

  I snicker. “Can take the guy out of Russia…”

  Alek holds up his glass before refilling it. “You know it.”

  Minutes later, we’re all seated at the table with full plates in front of us. But the room is silent except for the sound of forks clinking against china.

  Everyone else is clearly as ravenous as I am.

  Vince is the first one to speak, and I silently pray that he picks an innocent-enough topic.

  “So, Serena, you went to the University of Bologna, didn’t you?”

  College. Okay, that should be safe.

  Serena nods, swallowing the heaping forkful of pasta she just shoveled in. God, I love a woman who actually eats. “Yes, I studied business and fashion merchandising. I’d always wanted to go into fashion design and create my own clothing line.” She smiles. “I’ve always been a big dreamer.”

  “That’s great!” Gianna exclaims. “And you have such amazing fashion sense. You’re always dressed so beautifully.”

  “Thank you,” Serena says.

  “So what happened?” Gianna asks. “Did you ever move forward with it?”

  I study Serena’s face and the pained expression that now clouds it, a clear sign that Gianna just ventured into a dark place. She shakes her head. “No.”

  “Why not? I’ll bet your dad could have helped you with contacts in the industry.” Gianna presses.

  Jesus, my sister is relentless. And a little drunk, judging by the now-empty glass. The pink spots on her cheeks tell me it wasn’t her first glass, either.

  “I did want to go to Milan after graduation and make a name for myself. I never wanted to use my father’s connections,” she says with a wistful smile on her face. “But it didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. Life kind of got in the way.”

  “So you started the foundation instead?” Ant asks. “Kind of a different path, huh?”

  “A very different one,” Serena replies, taking a second to sip her wine.

  “What changed your mind?”

  “Jesus!” I exclaim, my fork clattering against the plate as I drop it. “Can you guys find another topic of conversation? Can’t you see she doesn’t want to talk about it?”

  “Diego, relax. We’re just trying to get to know her a little bit,” Gianna says with an eye roll.

  “Why don’t you have another glass of wine, Gi?” I snip.

  “Okay, everyone, calm the hell down,” Vince says. “No harm, no foul. We can find something else to talk about.”

  “No, really, it’s fine.” Serena turns to me and smiles, covering my hand with hers. “To be honest, people don’t really ask me about what I want, what my goals are, and what would make me happy. So, here goes.” She takes a deep breath and gives her head a quick nod. “After graduation, I didn’t go to Milan. I came home at the request of my parents. Things were rough on our businesses and Papa thought it was too dangerous for me to be on my own. I had security with me at school, but I hated it. It wasn’t the kind of university experience I’d wanted at all, and I couldn’t handle a team of security shadowing me twenty-four-seven. So I left Bologna and Papa promised me he’d help me launch my own line. I could work close by and be under his supervision.” She chuckles. “Not exactly the way I wanted my dream to come to fruition. And I did it his way for a while, just to appease him. But it wasn’t enough. I didn’t want his help. I wanted to leave, to prove to myself that I could make it on my own. On my own terms.”

  “That’s respectable,” Alek says, tipping back another shot of vodka. “A lot of people would have taken the easy way out and stayed put.”

  “Well, the night I confronted my father and told him my plans, something happened to change them.” She toys with her napkin. “I’ve never spoken about this to anyone, but you know, since we’re kind of family now…” She forces a smile and continues. “I realized why he was so intent on keeping me close, not that it mattered. We were at a charity event, and there was a sex-trafficking ring operating right at the venue. I found out later that the owner was in on it. Salvatore Chiaza.”

  A chill slips down my spine. Did she just say—?

  “Evidently, there was a sale to be made. Women were being held in the venue’s basement, ready to be turned over to a buyer.”

  “Oh my God,” Gianna mutters.

  Serena nods. “I’d gone to the ladies’ room and heard someone crying. I went to investigate and someone hit me over the head and stuck a needle in my arm. Everything went pretty much black after that, and the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital where I heard the whole sordid story.”

  Jesus Christ…

  She was there. She was one of the women.

  She was to be sold to Nic Fortunato.

  And I was the one…the one who…

  Gianna gasps and gets up to throw her arms around Serena. “You poor thing! Thank God you got away!”

  Vince leans forward, his dark eyes narrowing at me for a split second before focusing on her. “How did you get away, Serena?”

  She shrugs. “They told me that someone called the cops to report the sale. The rest of the girls and I were found in the basement, and whoever the buyer was disappeared.”

  “What about Salvatore Chiaza?” Vince asks, his voice more hissing than speaking at this point.

  “They told me he was killed. Nobody knows by who.” She shakes her head. “Whoever called the cops that night saved my life. Saved all of our lives. I wish I’d gotten the chance to thank whoever it was. And that’s the real reason why I started the foundation. I’d come so close to suffering the horrors that so many others did and still do. I knew that had to be my purpose.”

  “It never hit the news,” I choke out. “That you were involved. The media covered everything, but your name was never mentioned.”

  “Papa made sure my name never leaked to the press. He knew if it did, it would make us even more vulnerable. The fact that someone could kidnap Franco Vitale’s daughter when he was only fifty feet away was not something he wanted broadcast.”

  “I get it,” Alek muses, feeding Ava plain spaghetti.

  My temples throb as I process this new information, and judging by the looks my brothers are exchanging, I can tell dessert is going to have to wait.

  “Gi, great meal, as usual.” Vince slides his chair back and gets up from the table. He looks right at me. “I’m going into the office for a few minutes. I have to make a quick call. Diego, you might want to come and listen.”

  “I wasn’t invited, but I’m not interested anyway. I’d rather eat,” Ant grumbles through a mouthful of food.

  I drop a kiss onto Serena’s head. “I’ll be back,” I whisper, longing to tell her the truth.

  But Vince obviously has other plans.

  I follow Vince into the office, and when we’re all inside, Vince tu
rns to me. “Do you know what this fucking means, Diego?” he seethes. “It means Nic Fortunato is behind the hit on Vitale! He’s after Serena and the old man! And because of what you pulled that night, he’s after us, too!” He storms toward his desk and runs a hand through his hair. “You fucking did this. You put us on his radar. And now we’re gonna get it double because we’re helping Vitale!”

  “So what was I supposed to do, Vince?” I growl. “Was I supposed to tell Nic to cut me in? Tell him I wanted to be a partner in his fucking sex trade? Was that the move I should have made?”

  “No!” Vince yells. “You shouldn’t have gone after those bastards in the first place! I knew I couldn’t trust you. I knew when you got back from Monaco, you were still holding on to that damn rage. I told you to let it go. I told you it would destroy us! And now look what you’ve done!”

  “I did what I had to do!” I shout. “You’re always the one who’s too afraid to do anything. Someone fucks us and you’re the one to say, just let it go. We’ll take care of it later. Later when, Vince? When they’re fucking us up the ass because we’re big pussies and let everyone take, take, take? Fucking everything?”

  “You know, you’re just like Papa. You don’t ever think shit through! And if you’re not careful, it’ll get your ass killed, too! He never knew when to stand the fuck down. He was always looking for revenge, always punishing someone who went up against him.” Vince’s fists clench at his sides.

  “If he didn’t assert himself, we’d have nothing! And if you don’t start kicking some ass, our empire will be obsolete. Nobody will take you seriously, no matter how fucking brilliant you are. It won’t matter if there’s nothing to run!” I shout, slamming my fist on the corner of his desk.

  “You are an insolent little asshole!”

  “I did what I had to do!”

  “Just because you think you killed him.” Vince shakes his head. “You think it’s because you missed the red flags. But one of his enemies sold him out. Was it really that much of a shock? I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen sooner! Diego, you have to stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault. And even if you had stopped it that time, someone else would have been waiting in the shadows to pull the trigger.”