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

by Callie Vincent

  Then, I found them.

  Bursting through the dead end wall of the hallway on the second floor.

  “What kind of crazy maze is behind these walls?” I whispered.

  With every bullet Teo fired off, a body dropped. He worked with precision and ease, and I got a firsthand glimpse as to just how good he was at what he did. Him and his head of security walked face-to-face, Teo marching forward while his head of security marched backward. They kept their eyes trained behind one another, literally watching each other’s backs.

  Then, I saw Teo mouth something before he whipped around and his head of security fired off shots I heard above me.

  Before something dropped against the floor hard.

  Holy shit.

  I blinked a few times to keep my tears of fear at bay, but when my eyes steadied themselves against the televisions again, I saw something that rattled me to my core. My jaw dropped open as I slowly stood to my feet, moving closer to that television. I lifted my trembling fingertips and pressed them against that face. A face I knew I’d never forget so long as I lived.

  “That’s why you were silent,” I whispered.

  I searched for Teo, but he was nowhere to be found. I watched as Lorenzo started barking out orders and pointing his fingers, commanding those black-suited men with sunglasses to go before him like the coward he really was. He’d never be a leader with those tactics. So long as he was afraid of a damn bullet, nobody would ever be afraid of him.

  And after watching this man burst his way into the apartment I used to occupy, I watched him sit down on a couch.

  I know what I have to do.

  I started pulling out drawers in Teo’s desk until I found a pistol sitting way back in the back of his bottom drawer. I kept searching around until I found ammunition for the damned thing, then I filled the rotating barrel with the six bullets I needed. I stuffed my pockets full with the rest of the rounds before I walked over to the panic room console and I smiled softly to myself.

  I punched in my birthdate and the door hissed open, revealing a chorus of odors that made my nose wrinkle up.

  “You’re mine,” I hissed.

  With the pistol clutched tightly in my hand, I eased my way down the hallway. I made sure Teo’s office door closed itself tightly shut before I dipped into a room and I watched a couple of men jog by. They slipped into a room at the other end of the hallway and I darted out, making quick work of my feet as I raced up the stairs.

  And when I finally stood in front of the door that separated myself from Lorenzo, I raised my gun in front of me.

  Before I threw it open at my own behest.

  “I know you’re up here,” I said.

  Four men quickly trained their barrels on my body as Lorenzo stood to his feet and came around the corner. The door behind me slammed closed as I stared into the eyes of my torturer, my hand clutching the pistol tightly.

  “Teo has always had a soft spot for the guns of olden days,” Lorenzo said.

  I sucked air through my teeth. “What the hell are you doing?”

  He grinned. “Coming to get what’s mine, of course.”

  “I’ve never been yours. Not once, and not ever.”

  He cracked his neck. “That’s not what I think.”

  I cocked the gun. “Just because you think it or feel it doesn’t mean it’s true.”

  His men cocked their guns and I knew I should’ve been scared, but I wasn’t. I was more concerned with taking Lorenzo down with me than I was making it out alive. I knew Teo would be irate with me. I knew he’d curse me at my own funeral. But, if my life was the sacrifice for taking this worthless piece of shit out, I’d happily pay the price.

  “Any last words?” Lorenzo asked.

  I grinned. “Only that these won’t be my last words.”

  Then, I aimed my gun for his chest and promptly pulled the trigger.

  24

  Charlotte

  I rolled over in bed and let my arm sprawl across Teo’s waist. But, I didn’t feel him shift.

  “Up already?” I murmured.

  He snickered. “Funny that you thought I could go to sleep.”

  I rubbed his chest. “You didn’t get any sleep last night?”

  “I can hear the wind whistling through the holes in my house. No, I didn’t get any sleep.”

  I stretched my arms over my head. “Well, you called your contractor, and he’s coming over today, right?”

  “Mhm.”

  “And your staff cleaned up the inside of the house a lot before we finally crashed into bed.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, they did.”

  “So, now it’s just a game of waiting, I guess.”

  He shot up in bed. “It was a diversion.”

  I peeked an eye open. “What?”

  He turned to face me. “I’ve been thinking about why some of my local business storefronts were destroyed yesterday as well, and it just clicked. The attack on the house was a diversion.”

  I slowly sat myself upright. “You didn’t tell me some of your businesses had been attacked.”

  He rubbed his hands down his face. “You were already asleep when I got the call and I didn’t want to disturb you. But, that must be it. Lorenzo and his fucking family attacked us when we knew we’d be home in order to keep us from going out and defending the businesses.”

  I cleared my throat. “Did they deface property? Or blow it out of the water?”

  He swung his feet over the edge of his bed. “We need to get into town. We need to take stock of the--.”

  I leapt out of bed and caught his arm. “Oh, no no no no. No, you don’t. You’re staying right here.”

  He yanked away from me. “I can’t leave my businesses in disarray, Char.”

  “Just think about this for a second. If they want--.”

  He spun around, buckling his pants. “I don’t care what they want. What I care about is--.”

  “They’re expecting you to react this way!”

  I threw my hands into the air as Teo’s eyes met mine. And when he didn’t speak, I knew he was listening.

  “Teo, listen to me: they’re expecting you to act this way. They attack us, attack your businesses, and they know you’re going to coop me up here or at your other home to protect me while you go tend to those businesses. They’re trying to split us up. That should be painfully obvious, but you’re too emotionally wrapped up in your businesses to see that.”

  He blinked. “Holy shit, you’re right.”

  I puffed my cheeks out with a sigh. “Have you heard any word on Lorenzo? Last I heard, he was--.”

  He waved his hand in the air. “You didn’t kill the man. Missed his heart by about an inch.”

  “Sounds like I need to work on my aim, then.”

  Teo cocked his head. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were sounding a little more like me.”

  I scoffed. “Let’s just say I have reason to hate the man a little more than you do right now.”

  He nodded. “I’ll give you that one. He is in an actual hospital, though.”

  I sat on the edge of the bed. “Please tell me he’s handcuffed to the bed.”

  He held up his phone. “Even got a picture of it. Want to see?”

  The two of us scurried to the middle of the bed and he started flipping through pictures of Lorenzo lying helplessly in a hospital bed. I covered my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles as I zoomed in on the shining silver cuffs keeping him adhered to the bed. Oh, it felt so good to see that asshole locked up the way he deserved to be.

  “Guess the cuffs are better than nothing,” I said.

  Teo closed out the pictures on his phone. “I thought that might make you happy. Plus, I have a gag order hanging over his head right now, courtesy of rifling through your files on your computer.”

  I rolled over onto my back. “Found the ‘common items’ file, huh?”

  He laid down beside me, taking my hand in his. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a seven-
page long gag order before.”

  “Hey, I’m nothing, if not thorough.”

  He pulled me against his side to cuddle. “You’re so much more than that, beautiful.”

  I closed my eyes, cherishing the moment. “So are you, handsome.”

  He kissed the top of my head and I soaked in all of it because for all I knew, there was another attack about to be mounted. I knew the Lucchese Family was waiting for us to strike back, so the best tool we had in our arsenal was to wait.

  Which I knew Teo could do well.

  “I’m proud of you, you know,” Teo murmured.

  I sighed. “I wish I felt proud of myself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I peeked up at him. “Do you ever wonder if I’m… becoming more like my mother?”

  He furrowed his brow. “You could never turn into the devil your mother’s become.”

  I propped myself up on my elbow. “Are you sure about that, though? I mean, look at me. Not that I’m downing your lifestyle or anything, but it is pretty…”

  “Not good?”

  I giggled. “Yeah, not good. And while I’ll always back you up, I’m not stupid. I know you’ve killed people. I know you’ve harmed people. I know you have that capability, but yesterday I proved that I have that same capability. And what’s worse is that I liked it. I liked shooting that fucker in his chest and putting him exactly where he deserved to be.”

  “I mean, I think he deserves to be put in the ground, but…”

  I sighed. “See? This is what I’m talking about. This is the rabbit hole my mother spiraled down. At least, I’m assuming it is. What if I wake up one morning and I can’t tell her apart from myself in the mirror?”

  He sat up and kissed my cheek before pulling me into his lap. “The mere fact that you’re willing to ask that question tells me you’ll never turn out like her. Ever.”

  I sighed. “I really hope so.”

  I nuzzled beneath his chin and felt him cradle me close. I felt safe whenever Teo was around, especially when he had me wrapped up in his embrace. But, spending this much time with him also made me a little more familiar with the sounds of his phone. He didn’t keep his ringer on, but there were different vibrational noises, depending on the notification. Like, a text message was three short buzzing sounds, while an unheard voice message was two short buzzing sounds and a long one. But, the one that always worried me were the two long buzzing sounds. Just two long ones, followed by a bit of silence before it repeated itself.

  And that’s the buzzing sound I heard coming from his bedside table.

  “It can’t be,” I whispered.

  Teo released me. “Hold on. I need to see this with my own eyes.”

  I peered over his shoulder and saw the name scrolling across his screen. All it said was ‘Lucchese’, and that’s all that needed to be known. It didn’t matter what Lucchese was on the other end. The only thing necessary to know was that someone from that snake of a family was actually calling him.

  And when he answered, he put it on speakerphone. “I’d say ‘good morning’, but I’m pretty sure you aren’t having a good one.”

  Ronnie chuckled on the other end. “Not really a good morning, considering Lorenzo had to go back into surgery late last night for a blood clot that dislodged itself.”

  “Did it go straight to his heart the way that bullet should have?”

  “You haven’t been to check on your businesses. Don’t tell me you and Char are laid up as well.”

  Teo chuckled. “Just enjoying the raw, unfiltered sounds of the ocean breeze.”

  I had to stifle a giggle at that one as Teo turned quickly to place a kiss against my cheek.

  “Well, at any rate,” Ronnie said with a sigh, “I’m calling because I want to talk about a truce.”

  I furrowed my brow. Did he really just use that word?”

  “A truce,” Teo said.

  “Mhm. You know, that thing families come to when they want the fighting to end? I’d like to come to one of those with you.”

  He clicked his tongue. “Suppose I’m even inclined to believe what you have to say right now: why a truce? Why now?”

  “I’m old, Mateo. I’m tired, and I’ve got a selfish wife with selfish needs, and I’ve got three bratty little girls at home who are spoiled rotten thanks in no part to my selfish wife, and I can’t keep up this petty war anymore.”

  He shrugged. “I never thought it was petty in the first place.”

  He groaned. “Look, I didn’t know Lorenzo had your property at his place--.”

  “She’s not property. She’s my lawyer. An employee. Your brother abducted one of my employees. I won’t just sweep that under the rug.”

  “Well, from what he told me, Miss Pettigrew considered herself a prisoner in your house and that’s why she ran off with my half-brother.”

  Teo snickered. “You didn’t know she had been taken, but you know her name?”

  “Lorenzo talks a lot when he’s drugged. A fun little tidbit I’ve tucked away in the back of my mind for a rainy day.”

  The thought alone made me shiver as Teo stood to speak. “I’m willing to meet you and discuss a truce. But, I’m still not certain I’ll take you up on it.”

  Ronnie cleared his throat. “I’ll take whatever I can get at this point. And as a show of good faith, I’ll pay for the restoration of your businesses that were defaced and otherwise vandalized. Lorenzo acted without my consent or direction, and the reparations will be coming out of his already-docked pay.”

  Teo looked back at me and I shook my head. All of this sounded much too convenient and much too perfect. He nodded at me before he drew in a silent breath, then he started talking again.

  And after the two made plans on where to meet and when, Teo held out his hand for me.

  “Come, my love. We need to dress to impress for this meeting.”

  I took his hand. “You don’t really believe him, do you?”

  He shook his head. “Not one damn bit. But, he’s trying his best to position us in a carefree, unguarded position. So, why not be guarded as fuck and still play into his hand?”

  I grinned. “I like the way you think.”

  He pulled open his bedside table. “Here, I want you to hide this in whatever you decide to wear.”

  He held up a small pistol with extra ammunition and I shook my head. “I don’t feel comfortable carrying a gun on me like that. I want to dress to kill, and that means a tight little red number. Maybe while you’re wearing a matching tie?”

  He growled as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “I love the way you think. But, I want you carrying this gun. I can’t always be there to protect you, and the people we’re about to meet up with won’t hesitate to hurt you at Ronnie’s command. I want you to be able to defend yourself if we get there and are split up. So, take it.”

  I gazed into his eyes. “Is that really what you need of me?”

  He nodded. “It is.”

  I didn’t hesitate to take the gun. “Then, let’s get dressed to kill, handsome.”

  25

  Mateo

  I couldn’t take my eyes off Char as she came down the stairs. The knee-length, skin-tight, crimson red dress left almost nothing to the imagination. Especially in the pair of black-bottomed matching heels she picked out for the ensemble. Diamonds interspersed within rubies dangled from her delicate earlobes, accentuating a long neck I wanted to mark every inch of once we got home from this meeting.

  But, there was nothing more gorgeous than the confidence of Char’s gaze as she held mine. There was nothing sexier than the sway of her hips as she commanded my attention. That woman had never been more gorgeous to me than in that moment. And when she did a cheeky little twirl for me, I almost launched myself at her.

  “So, can you tell where I have my gun?” she asked.

  I blinked. “It’s not in your clutch?”

  She held up her hands. “No clutch today.”

  I cocked my head.
“Wait, where do you have your gun, then?”

  She came up to me and pressed her ruby red lips against the shell of my ear. “Spoilers, handsome.”

  A shiver slid down my spine as she winked at me, then slipped her hand into mine. Our fingers intertwined as she tugged me to the door, but I quickly took the reins back. I opened it for her as my hand slipped from her palm to the small of her back. And as I ushered her out the door, I walked her toward the Ferrari I had confiscated from Rosana.

  Might as well ride in style to this makeshift abomination of a meeting.

  I opened Char’s door. “Your chariot awaits.”

  She giggled as she sat. “Thank you.”

  I closed her door. “The pleasure is all mine.”

  She looked up at me. “But, it’ll be all mine tonight.”

  Her eyes flashed with a carnal desire that made my cock lurch against my suit pants. But, I stuffed down the need to rip her clothes off. We had to focus if we were going to get out of this alive, so I took great care in taking the long way to our meeting point. It gave Char and I the chance to ogle one another. To tease one another. To push each other’s buttons and whisper promises of all night fetish-indulging before we had to pull ourselves together.

  But, once we pulled through the massive wrought iron gates of the Lucchese Estate, I screwed my head on straight.

  “Jesus Christ,” Char whispered.

  I chuckled. “Yeah. Almost a hundred island acres, and because of how it’s laid out he also has two private beaches. One on the east coast, and one on the west coast.”

  “Now, that’s just a bit much.”

  I grinned. “I rather thought it was nice. Wake up and watch the sunrise, then migrate to the other side during the evening and watch the sunset.”

  Char shrugged. “I just think it’s a lot of lawn maintenance.”

  I chuckled as we pulled up to the front door of the sprawling mansion. A personal valet offered to take the keys to my car, but I refused to give them up. Instead, I tipped the man before ushering him away and parked that thing right in front of the fucking porch.