Mafia Prince (Mafia Royalty Book 3)

by Cala Riley

  “How about we start small? Do you know what happened when I got home? Did I leave again?” I ask gently.

  “No, you had Dante search the house because the foyer light had been on.”

  She pauses and I think back to last night. I remember arriving home to find the light inside on. I remember feeling as if something was off. I swallowed my pride and asked Dante to search the house.

  “He didn’t find anyone in the house, so I thought you had stopped by earlier and forgot to turn the light off. You didn’t, did you?”

  She solemnly shakes her head.

  “So, someone was in the house.” I fight to regain my memories. Then all at once, they come flooding back. “Fillipo,” I gasp. “He was in my room. He stuck me with something. I couldn’t move, let alone talk.”

  She nods her confirmation. “It was a paralytic agent meant to disable but allow the victim to remain painfully aware of everything going on.”

  “He tried to rape me. He climbed on top of me. I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”

  Mia’s eyes fill up with tears as she listens. “I didn’t find any evidence that he did, but it doesn’t mean he didn’t.”

  I shake my head furiously. “He didn’t. Giovanni saved me. He came just in time.”

  The man in question walks into the room carrying a tray with a packet of crackers, a bottle of ginger ale, peppermint candies, and a glass of water. “I remember that you used to eat these candies when you felt ill. I hope they still work.”

  A huge smile slips easily onto my face. He saved me. He carried me back here. He slept on the couch to watch over me.

  “I need you,” I admit aloud.

  He sets the items on the table next to the bed before coming to sit on the edge of the bed as he takes my hand. “What happened? Is she okay, Mia?”

  “She’s perfectly fine, and she’s sitting right here,” I interject.

  “You feel better? You said you needed me. What happened?”

  “Everything checks out for me. Her system is clean. I will let you guys rest while I update everyone else.” Mia gives me a knowing look as she leaves.

  “Don’t scare me again, Izzy. The last forty-eight hours have been hell.”

  “Forty-eight hours? What day is it?”

  “It’s Wednesday. About nine at night.”

  “I cannot believe I lost two days. I guess that's what happens when a psycho drugs you.”

  His eyes widen slightly. “Mia told you?”

  “She provided some helpful hints, but the rest came to me on my own.”

  He looks down at his lap as he tries to pull his hand away. My heart breaks as the familiar feeling of rejection settles in.

  “I know I’m damaged, Giovanni. I understand if you can’t look at me the same. He didn’t rape me though. I know you were worried. I could hear you talking to Mia.”

  It’s as if my words physically hit him.

  “Mia told me she didn’t find any evidence. I’m beyond happy to know he didn’t violate you in that way. He still hurt you though. That’s my fault, but I will do anything to make it up to you.” He looks up with unshed tears in his eyes.

  “You didn’t fail me, Gio. You saved me. Without you, I would likely be dead right now. Possibly worse. You came because your gut was telling you something wasn’t right. Do you know what that means to me? So, you see, you didn’t fail me.” I reach out to rub the back of his hand. The rough, dried blood causes me to frown. “Is this from fighting with him? I could hear it, but I couldn’t see what was going on.”

  “Partially.” He looks down at his hands. “Some is from the conference room when I decided to do some redecorating.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but I notice the truth behind his words. He lost control. He let his emotions get the best of him. He’s disappointed in himself.

  “Well, that room needed updating. You think Bash will let us change the color scheme?” I attempt to lighten the mood. Causing Gio to smirk.

  Mission accomplished.

  “He would probably let you girls do it. I doubt he will be doing me any favors anytime soon.” At my questioning look, he lets out a breath. “I might have punched Bash in the jaw.”

  My heart stops. You can’t hit a don without consequences.

  Then all at once the words fly out of my mouth. “YOU DID WHAT? What the fuck am I going to do when he kills you, Giovanni? Did you think about that? Shit, we need to leave. I’m sure he was being nice by letting you live this long, but surely he’s going to murder you soon. We can go—”

  Gio presses a hard but chaste kiss on my lips, stalling my next words.

  “I’m not leaving you ever again, cuore mio. Even if you want me to, I won’t. I need to protect you. As for Bash, he has forgiven me, but some groveling will be necessary before he lets it go 100 percent.”

  “How?” I whisper.

  “Matt and Lo were the only ones there. I had a brief moment of insanity. He understands.”

  I pull him closer and press my lips to his. “As soon as I feel better, you will tell me everything, but right now, I don’t have the energy to handle it. Lie down with me?” I ask shyly.

  “I will always lie with you. I’m yours forever, Isabella. Never question it. Anything you want, it’s yours. I would betray Bash a million times over if you asked. My love for you outweighs my life and loyalty to others. You will always come first. Fuck the family.”

  “We can’t leave, Gio. I know I said a couple of minutes ago we could, but Mia and Sofia are my family. Matt’s the brother I always wanted. Hell, Lo and Bash have even started to feel more like siblings than the nuisance they once were. I appreciate you putting me first, but I understand it now. The family back then isn’t the family now. I love you, Giovanni Catalini. I will never leave you again.”

  “I love you so much that when you’re not with me, each breath in my chest is painful. When you’re with me, my heart beats contentedly, happy for the chance to share the space with you. It has always been you, Isabella Dellaco. Always will be. You have owned my heart since the first moment I laid eyes on you. Even then, I knew you would irrevocably change my life.”

  “Yeah, right. I was awkward and shy.”

  He brushes his hand across my face. “You were just as beautiful then as you are now. The awkwardness you hint at came across as being down-to-earth. You didn’t give a rat’s ass who I was or which designer released the next best bag. That’s what drew me to you. It’s why I still love you. You are your own person. There is no one else out there like you.”

  “Stop being charming and lie down. You promised you were mine, which means you must obey me.”

  He chuckles. “Obey? You’re pushing it, but for now, I will let it slide.”

  As he slides in next to me and settles on his back, I move over and lay my head on his chest.

  “I owe you an apology, Gio.”

  “For what?”

  “The fight we had before Fillipo’s attack. I was scared.”

  “I know, sweetheart, and you don’t owe me an apology. It’s just something we will have to figure out to navigate with time.”

  “I love you, Gio.”

  “I love you forever and always, cuore mio.”

  Giovanni

  The next morning Izzy and I head down to the kitchen for breakfast after a good night’s sleep with zero interruptions. We find Nonna Rosa bustling around.

  “Oh, Isabella! You’re awake!” Nonna Rosa proclaims, tossing her rag on the counter and scurrying around the counter to give Iz a big hug. “I was so worried about you, bella,” she murmurs while holding Isabella’s face and looking her in the eye. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m good, I promise. But I could use some of your famous cinnamon rolls if you have any,” Iz teases.

  I watch Nonna visibly soften. “Of course I do, bella. Go sit in the dining room, and I will bring them in in a minute.” Nonna Rosa ushers us out of the kitchen.

  “Good morning to you too, Nonna,” I
tell her, trying to sound put out over being ignored.

  “Yes, yes, good morning to you as well, Giovanni. Don’t think I don’t know about you not sleeping in your room last night. We will be having a discussion later.” She raises a brow.

  “Come on, amore, let’s go sit,” I tell Iz, ignoring Nonna’s pointed look.

  Once in the dining room, we find everyone already seated, leaving two chairs between Bash and Matt open for Isabella and myself. Everyone stands when we enter, coming over to give Isabella hugs. Once everyone makes their way back to their seats, I pull out Isabella’s chair then seat myself. Nonna comes in right then.

  We all enjoy a comfortable breakfast with random catch up. As soon as Bash sets his napkin on the table, we all know idle chitchat is over.

  “Let’s move to the meeting room.” We all file out and into the large room. Usually I do the sweep, but my unwillingness to leave Isabella’s side is noticed by Lorenzo. He picks up the equipment and does the sweep instead. Once we are all settled, Bash begins.

  “Between Dante and Giovanni, I believe we have the whole picture of what went down. Is that correct, Isabella?” Bash asks her.

  “I’m sure whatever they told you is correct,” she tells him with conviction.

  “Giovanni killed Fillipo in self-defense, if I’m not mistaken,” he asks her pointedly.

  “Correct.” She nods.

  “Good,” he tells her with a nod of his own.

  “What now?” Mia asks, looking at all of us.

  “I already told Bash we can postpone our honeymoon until he deals with the commission. We can just send Greer back on her own,” Sofia offers up.

  “No, you cannot postpone your honeymoon. If you do, you’ll end up never going,” Isabella says heatedly.

  “If I may suggest. It’s only us in this room who know Fillipo is dead, correct?” I ask Bash.

  “Yes.”

  “Then how about we go about business as normal? We pretend as if nothing happened, and you go on your honeymoon. In the meantime, give Lo, Matt, and me some time to do some digging. Investigate each of the families. I’m assuming we retrieved Fillipo’s phone, hopefully it can give us some sort of insight into who he had been working with,” I tell him.

  “He did say that you had pretty much flushed out all the men who had been on his side within the family,” Iz offers up.

  Bash contemplates my idea for a beat.

  “It’s actually kind of genius,” Matt muses.

  “I agree. And, honestly, it shouldn’t be hard to pull off,” Lo offers.

  “I’m for it if you are, love,” Sofia tells Bash.

  Bash sighs. “Okay, we will continue as usual. But if any of you have an inkling that anyone knows something is up, if you pick up a rumor about Fillipo being missing or anyone starts asking questions, we are coming right home,” he tells us all while only looking at Sofia.

  I settle back in my chair and look over at Isabella.

  “You did good recommending that. They would have never gone otherwise,” she murmurs to me.

  “I know. Now it’s time to work.”

  “Whatever you need, Giovanni, I’m here. This is my family too. I’m in until the end,” she whispers to me.

  “Me too, cuore mio. I’m not foolish enough to think that this road we are on will not be hard, but nothing worth having is ever easy. We will each fall victim to our insecurities, but I know that we have what it takes to weather the storm. I love you, Isabella.”

  “I love you too.”

  Epilogue

  6 months later

  Giovanni

  “Thank you for gathering here tonight. You are some of our closest family, and we appreciate you being here to support us without question.”

  Bash stands at the front of the room, delivering his speech. The impromptu gathering had been Sofia’s idea. Reason one million on why I will never cross her. Bash continues, discussing the success of the family and where we will be going in the future.

  I slowly make my way around the room, positioning myself behind Bash’s oldest sister, Karrisa, and her husband, Kevin—Kevin, who unbeknownst to us, had been putting himself in Isabella’s path in hopes of getting intel on Sofia to get to Bash. I look over and see Lo positioned in a similar fashion off to the left. Glancing to the right, I see Matt is also in place. I turn my attention back to Bash.

  “Some whispers have made their way to my ear. Whispers about how I am weak and don’t have the guts to do what needs to be done. Some say I let Fillipo go free and that he’s living a comfortable life elsewhere. Whispers that my darling wife has made me soft, unable to do what needs to be done to protect this family. I’m here to clear these rumors up.”

  Bash turns and finds my eyes. I give him a short nod. “Fillipo’s living comfortably with the fish at the bottom of the Hudson. Hell, by now, he may have been swept away with the current. He was not acting alone though. He had help from someone right here in this room.”

  Glancing around, I note anyone who looks uncomfortable. Anyone showing any sign of guilt. A list of names form within my head.

  “It would be weak of me to let them carry on. For that, let’s celebrate. Let’s celebrate the end to an internal war and the start of a new one.”

  Sofia walks up and hands him a bat, her own comfortably within her hand.

  “This is la costa nostra. Family comes first. You live and you die by the family. You bleed for the family. You protect the family at all costs. As your don, I live by these words with every breath I take. As your queen, she is here to prove to you that she does not make me weak. In fact, she’s my strength. She cares for this family as much as, if not more than, myself.”

  Bash and Sofia walk my way. I watch as Karrisa’s back straightens. Kevin stays relaxed. He’s a Rossi. He believes he’s untouchable by Bash.

  Bash does not hesitate. As soon as he is within range, he swings the bat, hitting Kevin in the head.

  Karrisa screams. Before she can move, Sofia’s bat slams into Karrisa’s spine, causing her to fall to the ground. She continues to swing her bat until Karrisa is unrecognizable.

  I glance to Bash. He’s covered in blood and looks slightly insane. He lets his gaze rake over the room. Not one person speaks.

  “Let this be a lesson. Anyone loyal to the family will remain family. Anyone who dares go against la costa nostra will meet a similar end. Let it be known. The moves I make may be silent at times, but nevertheless, they are always deadly.” He pauses for dramatic effect.

  Sofia speaks up next. “Now that business is taken care of, please eat and drink. Have a good time. Rejoice in being a part of the Catalini family.”

  Lo

  My hand itches to hit something. It caused me physical pain to not be able to take care of the traitors myself. Tonight has proved to me even more that the blood running through your veins holds no weight when it comes to loyalty. Loyalty must be earned.

  I guide Sofia and Bash from the main dining area as Matt and Giovanni stay behind to clean up the mess they made. Public killings are not common anymore because they are risky. A public killing by a well-known don’s own hand? Unheard of. This was a huge risk, but one Bash did not take lightly. Now, we will do everything we can to make sure he’s still here when the dust settles.

  “Baby, let’s go clean up before your meeting.” Sofia has a pleading tone in her voice that I’ve rarely heard.

  I glance to Bash and see the cold, calculated killer I grew up with. Taking a life is never something you want to do. As much as we get a bad rap for being murderers, the act of killing someone takes a part of you that you can never get back. I should know. My hit count is high. So high that I almost lost myself to the darkness. Until Mia.

  My beautiful angel sitting at home with our wonderful miracle—of course, surrounded by ten of my most trusted men. I can’t help but selfishly wish she were here with me tonight. She is where we need her to be though. I’m lucky that she had a logical reason to miss being here tonig
ht.

  Sofia was a requirement. Isabella could have stayed home, but her loyalty to Sofia, Matt, and Giovanni prevented her from staying away. I asked her to stay with Mia and Elena, but she was adamant about being here. She felt they would need her more.

  Bringing myself back to the present, I give Bash my full attention. “Sofia’s right. You should clean up before going in there. The commission are all gathered at the end of the hall. They’re getting antsy.”

  “No, I’m going in there just like this. I made a statement tonight. A statement that went against them. This will go one of two ways. Either they disagree with my move and we prepare for war, or they provide permission after the fact. Either way, I’m done being their docile, diplomatic don. I never wanted to be like my father, but I can see why he turned out the way he did. While I still want to remain fair, I also need to show them that I am not weak. My actions tonight should prove that.”

  I step back as Sofia steps into his arms and kisses him hard. I turn my head, allowing them a private moment as much as my duty allows.

  “Lo, I need you to stay by Sofia’s side. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “Bash,” she breathes out.

  “I cannot let you go in there alone, Don. Someone needs to have your back.” I step forward, willing to follow him by force if needed.

  “This is having my back. I’m going to go in there and shake our whole world up. I need to know that Sofia and the family are protected. Giovanni’s set to take over if anything happens to me. You will be his underboss as you are mine. I need you to make sure Sofia gets out of here safely if something goes down. That’s an order.”

  As much as I want to fight, I take a step back and nod.

  “Stay with him, tesoro. I will be back. I won’t let them take you from me.”

  Sofia’s silently crying as she kisses him three times before he hands her off to me. I hold her in my arms as we both watch Bash walk toward his fate.

  Bash

  “Finally. When you call a meeting, you are not supposed to make us wait,” Leone Bellini says in aggravation.