Traitor: An Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance (Sold to The Don Book 3)

by Callie Vincent

  I shot to my feet. “Lorenzo, that’s enough.”

  He shot me a glare. “You sit down and shut up and let me tend to my people the way I tend to them. Got it?”

  I looked over at Char and saw the fear in her eyes.

  “Please,” she choked out.

  His hand squeezed harder. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you in front of him for ruining his suit.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not ruined, it’s only a damn dribble. Will you tuck that dick of yours back in and quit measuring? I didn’t come for a fucking pissing contest. I came here on business.”

  I kept my breathing level, even as I heard Char wheezing for the very air I freely breathed. I heard the drawing of weapons as his bodyguards pointed them at me and I braced myself for the end. Even if Char only got to take one last deep breath before both of us were killed, at least she wouldn’t die with his hands on her.

  She’d die with my body shrouding hers from the bullets.

  “Lorenzo, I didn’t come to help you dispose of a body. I will walk right out of here and take my deal with me if you needlessly kill someone over something that doesn’t even upset me. Got it?”

  His wild eyes peeked over at me. “Fine.”

  He threw her to the ground and I heard something crunch. I had no idea what the fuck just dislocated, but I could tell by Char’s groan that she was in an immense amount of pain. Lorenzo snapped his fingers before one of the bodyguard scooped her off the floor.

  And when he tossed her over his shoulder like a ragdoll, all bets were off.

  “She needs a doctor,” I said.

  Lorenzo sat back down. “Good thing I have one in-house then, yes? Robert, take her to see the doctor, then put her in her room. And strap her to the bed for good measure once you’ve got her in some decent clothing.”

  And as I watched that massive lumberjack of a man carry her away, I promised myself one very important thing.

  I promised myself that, when this was all said and done, I’d treat Char exactly how I knew she deserved to be treated.

  A life she could be proud of.

  15

  Charlotte

  The visit to the doctor was a blur, and just as quickly as I found myself ripped away, I was back in the kitchen. I felt more confused than ever before, mostly because I didn’t know what kind of game Lorenzo was playing. But, I went along with it anyway. I knew just how drastically his moods could rubber-band, and I didn’t want him doing anything to me that made Teo lash out. I was painfully aware of just how much Teo was staring at me. I was acutely aware of how many times his jaw clenched whenever Lorenzo touched me and how many times he white-knuckled the chair he sat in whenever Lorenzo commanded me to do something.

  This was killing him.

  And I needed to make sure it didn’t get us both killed tonight.

  “Feeling better, butterfly?” Lorenzo asked.

  He slid my hair off my hurt shoulder and softly kissed it. Which made me wince, since my fucking arm was in a sling thanks to this asshole.

  “Of course, it’s feeling better. Thank you,” I said softly.

  His nose traveled up my neck. “Such good manners. Seems like you learned your lesson well enough.”

  My eyes met Teo’s. “I always do what I need to in order to survive.”

  Lorenzo stopped moving. “What the hell did you just say to me?”

  Teo jumped in. “She was simply stating the premise you’re attempting to teach her.”

  Lorenzo gripped my hair, forcing my eyes to his. “And what premise is that?”

  Teo shrugged out of the corner of my eye. “That she needs to listen, or you’ll kill her.”

  He sniffed my scent deeply, causing me to shiver with fear. “Fear doesn’t smell very good on you, butterfly.”

  I blinked. “I like the new nickname.”

  He ripped my head back. “Of course, you like it. I gave it to you.”

  I whimpered out in pain, afraid he was going to break my fucking neck. But then, I heard Teo’s voice again, as strong as it was calm.

  “Or, you could stop with the power plays and understand we’re both equals so we can get these plans in the works,” he said.

  Lorenzo shoved me out of his lap. “Very well. Let us continue. And butterfly?”

  I sat on my ass and looked up into his face. “Yes, Sir?”

  He grinned. “Be a good girl and sit there at my feet, would you? I might need a massage here in a bit.”

  I forced a smile. “Of course.”

  As I sat beneath the table like some feral animal, I tried to come up with a way to get a message to Teo. I knew he got my first one, which was to trust me and understand that I was doing everything in my power to stay alive here. Hopefully, he caught the undercurrent of that message, which was ‘get me the hell out of here as quickly as you can and I’ll suck your dick every night for the rest of my life.’ But, I needed to communicate more.

  There was so much I knew that he also needed to know in order to stay alive.

  Every time I tried to interject with something, though, Lorenzo kicked me underneath the table. So, I used the tablecloth to my advantage. While the men were talking, I reached over and placed my hand on top of Teo’s leather shoes.

  And when he wiggled his toes, I knew he felt me.

  God, I hope I remember this right.

  I counted out the soft taps, trying not to make any noise at all. With one of my hands on Lorenzo’s calf, massaging the hell out of it, I tapped out a message in morse code against the top of Teo’s foot. Except, halfway through the damn message I saw a shadow move beneath the break of the tablecloth.

  So, I quickly moved back into place and slipped Lorenzo’s shoe off.

  “Ah, that’s the spot, butterfly. And you can suck on some toes down there, if you’d like.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “If it’s all the same to you, maybe I can wash your feet first.”

  I heard him snap. “Hey! Someone get me a bowl of warm water, some soap, and a washcloth! Now!”

  People started scurrying and I used it as a cover to slide back over to Teo. I finished typing out my message and did it one last time for good measure, hoping and praying that I got the tapping right. But, once everything was slid under the table to me, I had to sink myself into the hole I dug.

  But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t be painstakingly slow at washing his feet and massaging his legs.

  Lorenzo was so completely different from Teo in every regard. While Teo treated me like a semi-decent human being, Lorenzo simply saw me as a play toy. Which is why he never reacted to things the way I thought he might. It required me to re-learn a way of life I never wanted to learn in the process. It forced me to become in-tune with the Devil himself just to make sure I could weasel my way out of this problem in the first place.

  My God, I hope Teo knows morse code.

  “Make sure to get between the toes, butterfly. My feet really do get sweaty around those areas,” Lorenzo said pompously.

  I swallowed down vomit as I placed his foot gingerly back into the soapy water of the bowl.

  The more I washed his feet, the more pissed off with myself I became. I can’t believe I’d been stupid enough to believe this torturous oaf over a man that showed me his kindness and respect. Maybe not all of the time, but he gave me a chance to earn it. And so what if he didn’t let me go home? It wasn’t as if I had a home to go back to anymore.

  Not now that I knew what I did.

  I’m going to put that woman in prison myself.

  Rage toward my mother built inside. The idea that she thought so little of me as to leave me in the clutches of men like Lorenzo and these traffickers boiled my blood. My vision dripped red as I finally abandoned Lorenzo’s right foot for his left, preparing myself for yet another disgusting, degrading action like cleaning someone’s fucking feet. The more they talked, the more intimate I became with their plan.

  And it made me sick to hear the sneakiness of Lor
enzo’s voice.

  I paid so much attention to what they were saying that I wasn’t paying attention to his foot. And when it slipped out of my hand, it crashed into the bowl. Soapy water went spraying everywhere and I yelped as I stood up. But, my head knocked against the underside of the table and I heard the crashing of glasses before wine and whiskey and crystal scattered everywhere.

  “What. The fuuuuuck!?”

  Lorenzo shot up from his chair and flipped the fucking table over. I shot up to my feet, gazing into his angry eyes as my shoulders hunched. His hand cocked back and cracked against my cheek before I got a chance to move out of the way.

  But, when I heard a whoosh from behind me, I held my breath.

  “That’s enough, Lorenzo. I didn’t come to bury a body today,” Teo said.

  I heard Lorenzo breathing, he was so angry. “You’re lucky he’s here right now, you pathetic little wench. Because all of my other girls I have bought in the past have met their demise early and on less than what you just did.”

  I rose my eyes to his face. “I’m so sorry. Your skin is so soft and I--.”

  “Silence!” he bellowed.

  I felt Teo’s stare on me as I lowered my gaze to the ground. I closed my eyes and envisioned putting Lorenzo behind bars. Watching as they shackled him and locked him down behind a solitary jail cell where he’d go mad talking to his own shadow. I had to work at not smiling. The idea was so enchanting and so luscious that it made me salivate.

  But, I knew the justice system wouldn’t be enough to stop him.

  Not with my mother at his side.

  I’d seen that woman fight in court for years for her clients. I’d seen her turn over every stone, take every business trip she needed to, and get down in the trenches with people I didn’t like at face value just to figure out the truth. And stupid, naïve little me always thought she was doing what she could to help innocent people.

  Instead, she was keeping guilty people out of where they needed to be.

  I’ll put you all away.

  “Miss Pettigrew!” Lorenzo bellowed.

  I snapped back up, my eyes wide. “Yes, Sir?”

  He wrapped his hand around my throat, choking off my air supply. “See to it that you clean those ears of yours out by tomorrow morning. I’ll be along shortly to delve out your punishment.”

  He tossed me to the ground and I landed on my one good shoulder, thank fuck. But, someone quickly grasped my hair and started tugging me across the kitchen floor. The last vision I saw was of Teo, his eyes raking along my body as if he were trying to memorize me.

  And as the bodyguard dragging me by my hair tossed me into the small room I had been afforded, I forced myself to take a look at the person I’d become. A woman, trapped in a never-ending Hell, who was willing to shoot her way out if she had to.

  “I’ve gone from putting murderers away to becoming one,” I whispered to myself.

  I pulled myself up from the floor and stumbled into the bathroom. I took stock of the bruise against the left side of my face and heaved a heavy sigh. I had no idea what Lorenzo had in store for me later, but as I reached underneath the bathroom sink, I laid my hands on the shiv I had been preparing. At night, every night I’d been in this room, I had been filing a piece of plastic I found beneath the bed. I used the one blunt nail-filer afforded to me and slowly fashioned it into one of the sharpest objects I’d ever had in my hands.

  I took it and slipped it underneath my pillow, readying myself for his intrusion.

  Then, as I let the rest of my old self die, I perched on the edge of the bed and waited for my prey to wander into the trap I had so cleanly set for him.

  All the while, praying Teo got my message.

  16

  Mateo

  Lorenzo opened the door for me. “Thank you for your commitment to today. I have to say, I enjoyed our conversation.”

  I walked out onto the porch. “As did I. Though, might I make a suggestion, since I know Miss Pettigrew so well?”

  I turned around at the sound of his growl and didn’t give him a chance to respond. “She responds to brutality with brutality. She’s more like her mother than we believe. Her weakness lies in people treating her with kindness because she’s never experienced it.”

  He snickered. “This some kind of ploy to get me to back off of what you believe is still yours?”

  She will always be mine. “Nope. Just giving you a fair shot at making some of the wonderful, heated, more incredible moments I have had with her. Because trust me, there’s nothing like pinning a woman down after tying her up and still hearing her beg for more.”

  His eyebrows rose. “What kind of kindness? Hypothetically speaking.”

  I smirked. “Hypothetically? I’d try tending to her shoulder yourself. Maybe put some ice on it? She’ll be putty in your hands in less than two days if you turn the tables on her and catch her off-balance.”

  He nodded slowly. “Your notes have been logged. My men will see to it that you get home safely.”

  I walked my happy ass off the porch. “No need, my men are waiting for me at the end of the drive. Take care, Lorenzo!”

  The second we were out of sight of his house, I started punching the seat. I let out the loudest roar I’d ever bellowed in my life, and I held it until my voice was nothing but a croak. Tears of anger rushed my eyes. I slammed my feet into the floorboard of my town car as my driver took me home with my men in tow behind us.

  And I didn’t waste any time once I got inside.

  “Everyone! Gather around!” I called out hoarsely.

  Lyle came out of nowhere and whistled through his teeth, commanding everyone’s attention.

  I patted his shoulder. “Thank you, Lyle. And I’ll need a word with you after I’m done with this meeting.”

  He nodded. “Of course, Mr. Emiliano.”

  All eyes were on me as I drew in a deep breath. “My apologies for my voice, I have a bit of a cold coming on. Security Team A?”

  They all raised their hands. “Present.”

  I pointed at the four of them. “You guys are coming with me in an hour. We’ll talk in the car. Security Team B?”

  The three of them raised their hands. “Here.”

  I pointed at them. “I want you guys patrolling the outside of the house. Just the outside, nothing else. And pay special attention to the water’s edge. We don’t need any threats coming from the ocean.”

  Lyle cleared his throat. “My apologies, Mr. Emiliano, but--.”

  I pulled my gun out and leveled it with his head. “Time for us to talk.”

  Lyle froze. “I’m not following.”

  I cleared my throat. “I want everyone to bear witness to what happens when someone in my ranks decides they can pick my wife’s side.”

  His eyes widened. “Mr. Emiliano, I can assure you--.”

  I cocked my gun. “Don’t talk. I know you’ve been working with her for a while now. I simply needed to create a diversion urgent enough for you to place a call to her. And when I caught wind about one of my men sneaking into that basement to get to Char, well I just couldn’t have that.”

  He swallowed hard. “I swear, Mr. Emiliano, there’s an explanation.”

  I pointed my gun at his knee and popped off a shot. “Make it quick.”

  He doubled over in pain. “Holy shit! You shot me!”

  I pressed the gun to the back of his head. “Enlighten me with whatever argument you have that will convince me that you aren’t the rat. Convince me you aren’t the snake that passed Char that burner phone. That kept putting her and Lorenzo together, alone, in my own fucking house. Convince me, Lyle! Convince me that you weren’t the one who tried to STRANGLE HER IN THE BASEMENT OF THAT MAN’S HOUSE!”

  He sniffled. “Please, Mr. Emiliano. I’m so sorry. She threatened my family. Said she’d--.”

  I tisked. “Well, that really isn’t my problem. Your family has been under my protection for years. And it will stay that way, per your death benefit
s.”

  He sniveled and cried at my feet. “Please, Mr. Emiliano, I do--.”

  I shot him in the back of the head and heard a few people jump back. I passed my gun off to the man beside me and he took it with a cloth covering his own hand.

  “Someone clean up his mess and feed my pets out there in the ocean. I’m sure they’re getting hungry,” I said. “And as for Security Team A? Where are you guys again?”

  Their hands went up one by one, and I finally had them at my fearful command once more.

  “The four of you are coming with me. When the sun begins to set, we are heading to Lorenzo’s. Which is why I need Security Team B to keep the house locked down and shoot anyone on sight who isn’t myself or Miss Pettigrew.”

  A brave voice rose above the small crowd. “What about Mrs. Emiliano?”

  The room sent silent as my back straightened. “If she comes anywhere near this property, for any reason, at any point in time? The first to gun her down gets a permanent raise of twenty grand a year.”

  I stormed to my office and pulled out paperwork before finalizing my last will and testament. It was a project I’d been working on with my old lawyer before I figured out my wife was manipulating him in order to get information out of me. So, of course, he had to be relieved of his duties. But, I still had the documents and I still had some time to fill them out, so I filled in the blanks and signed off on things.

  Before I had the head of my security witness and sign as well.

  “We’re ready when you are, Mr. Emiliano,” he said.

  I nodded. “Then, let’s get everyone loaded up. Char doesn’t have much more time.”

  I ran down the plan quickly with my men in the van. It was simple, really: they were to act as a well-coordinated diversion, pulling Lorenzo’s men away from the house. And once I could sneak in, I had twenty minutes tops to find Char and get her the hell out of there. I had no idea what kind of condition she’d be in. I didn’t know if Lorenzo would take my advice and she’d be healthy enough to run, or if she’d be a dead body I’d have to carry out.