Empire

by Rachel Van Dyken

  Warmth rushed my face again, and I knew I was turning red, but I wasn’t sure why. “Okay, fine, so tell me what the real meaning is, and just for your information, I’m right too!”

  “You are… kind of.” He licked his full lips, and smiled brightly, like it was the best day of his life. His eyes roamed around the room, until he must have located what he needed. He reached for a piece of rope that I’d turned into a fun, wrap bracelet, and then quickly grabbed my hands. Before I was aware of what he was doing, he’d tied the rope around my wrists.

  “Um, what are you doing?”

  “Pay attention,” he whispered, his lips pressed together as he tightened the rope and then tugged me toward his body. I swayed a bit as he gently pushed me back onto the bed.

  Confused I looked around. “I’m tied up.”

  “Right.” He nodded, crossing his arms. “Remember your word?”

  I looked down. “Oklahoma?”

  A feral smile twisted his lips. “Good. Now only say it if you mean it.”

  “Okay?” My voice warbled.

  You’d think I had just told him the funniest joke known to mankind. He burst out laughing then turned around with a flourish, tugged his T-shirt over his head.

  I let out a gasp.

  So many muscles greeted me that my vision went blurry.

  My palms were pressed together, creating a clammy sweat that ran between my wrists. The sight of the bonds had me nearly panting on my own bed.

  He stalked toward me, his muscular body moving with precision that I’d only ever read about.

  When he was in front of me, he kneeled, then tugged me up and with a grunt flipped me onto my stomach, pressing his body against my back, his lips tickled the edge of my ear. “Safe word… Get it? You’re tied up. Safe word is your word for when you get scared during… BDSM.”

  “BDSM?” I repeated, my brain not exactly firing on all cylinders since I had almost two hundred pounds of muscle pressed against my backside.

  “Bondage…” he whispered, his breath fanning across my skin. “Discipline…” He brushed his nose against my neck and inhaled deeply. “Submission…”

  My breath caught. “Oh. OH!” I was so stupid. “Safe word.”

  “You can say it now.” He chuckled darkly.

  My heart raced. “What if I’m not scared?”

  He sighed, his weight pressing harder into me. “You should be.”

  “Why?”

  “I wouldn’t be good for you…”

  “And yet, we’re stuck together.”

  “We are.”

  He didn’t move.

  I was afraid to breathe.

  “Open your gift, Val, and if you scream Oklahoma, know that I’ll come running, but be prepared to answer for yourself if you’re still alive; I take safe words very, very seriously, and you wouldn’t want to give me the impression that you’re willing to be at my mercy.”

  He pulled back, his hands quickly untying my wrists. Wordlessly, he put on his shirt and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

  Meanwhile, I couldn’t even remember my own birthday.

  Because he might talk a big game.

  But he’d just revealed a chink in his armor, in his tough exterior.

  He was still a man.

  That much had been evident when he pressed against me — all man. He was all man.

  When in that moment, so it came to pass, Titania waked, and straightaway loved an ass. –A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  Sergio

  I WASN’T EVEN sure how I made it down to the kitchen walking in a straight line.

  What the hell had I been thinking?

  I’d tied an innocent girl up!

  And nearly… kissed her. Again. Only this time it wasn’t to prove anything but that she felt good, and I wanted good so damn bad.

  I was so tired of feeling sad and angry.

  But she’d made me laugh.

  Actually laugh so hard I’d had tears in my eyes.

  And like a long lost memory, that small feeling of rightness surfaced, showing me that, yes, it was possible to be happy, and that maybe, just maybe, it was okay.

  But my happiness didn’t last for long as arguing erupted in the kitchen the minute I was within earshot.

  “What’s going on?” I asked in a calm voice.

  Gio looked worried while Papi and Frank continued to argue. Sal shoved a note into my hand.

  Frowning, I looked down at it.

  “The dynasty dies with the twins,” I read aloud. “Or we kill them ourselves. Your choice.”

  Just when things were calming down.

  I slapped the note onto the table. “Where did you get this?”

  Sal shook his head. “It was in a box.”

  Huh, didn’t see that coming.

  “With the signet ring of the Alferos burned against a charcoaled hand.” Frank added, twisting his own metal ring around the finger of his left hand. Every boss had a crest that signified what family they were from; the rings held power because they held the blessing of the boss.

  “Dramatic.” I sighed, taking a seat. “Frank, any of your men losing their shit lately?”

  He took a long sip of wine. “Years ago, the Family split, I am still in control, but there were a few that I… may have upset.”

  Sal coughed and Gio made the sign of the cross with his hand across his chest.

  “How upset are we talking?” I asked the table.

  “There are a few in New York who feel slighted, as if they were kicked out of the Family the minute Frank went into hiding… but if I were to guess…” Sal looked at each of the men. “…I would say it is Xavier who would feel… slighted. After all, he ran most things while Frank was in hiding.”

  “Xavier can rot in hell.” Frank slammed his fist onto the table.

  Dante and I shared a look before I yelled, “Well, who the hell is he?”

  “Not Italian.” Sal spat onto the floor then slammed his foot onto the ground. “Damn man.”

  “You didn’t use your own family?” I frowned. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking I had nobody I could trust at the time, so I trusted Xavier, I refused to trust blood. Blood had betrayed me. This — this decision was strictly business.”

  “Frank…”

  “Russian.” Frank looked away. “He is Russian.”

  “God save me from more Russians.” I wiped my face with my hands. “Does Nikolai know?”

  Papi slammed his hands onto the table. “You have been doing business with The Doctor?”

  “Saved his life a few times too,” I added. “So I’d stop throwing stones. He’s a good man.”

  “He’s a dangerous man.” Papi made another cross motion.

  “Nikolai knows what he needs to know. The point is, if Xavier was given a copy of the Alfero crest, the ring, my ring, to make decisions. If he is still using it…”

  I held up my hand. “Yeah, got it, if he’s still using any of your power as you, we could be shit out of luck. Great. Just. Great. And you were going to tell me this when?”

  “I had my suspicions, but…” He spread his hands and shrugged.

  “If he means to kill Dante and Val, that means he’s coming for you, too.” I glared at Frank. “And me.”

  He said nothing.

  “Just another day in the life.” I shook my head. “Well, first things first, we keep the twins safe, and then we deal with the threat like always.” I reached for my phone.

  “What are you doing?” Sal asked.

  “What Frank should have done the minute he found out.” I eyed Frank with a bit of irritation. “Calling the Cappo.”

  “Sweet Mother.” Papi started muttering prayers, “Campisi?”

  “Tex?” I barked into the phone. “I need the five together. Now.”

  “United. In one place?”

  “New York. I need you all here. Now. We need to scare the shit out of some people.”

  He chuckl
ed darkly. “Serg, you just made my day twice. How can I ever repay you?”

  “Just don’t get in a plane crash.”

  “Hah.”

  “And don’t shoot me.”

  He said nothing.

  “Tex.”

  “Fine.” He let out a heavy sigh. “We’ll arrange for a red-eye just in time for Mass.”

  “Bless us Father…” I whispered under my breath. “All of us at mass has to be a sin.”

  Papi was still praying, Sal had joined in, and Frank looked more amused than pissed that I’d gone over his head.

  …And think no more of this night’s accidents, but as a fierce vexation of a dream. –A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  Valentina

  I OPENED IT.

  There wasn’t a bomb.

  But there was a card. It was typed out, making it impossible to decipher if the handwriting would have been more feminine or masculine.

  The instructions were simple. Weird, but simple.

  It was almost like I had a fairy godmother — you know if that sort of thing existed. Then again a few days ago I wasn’t even aware the mafia was alive and well.

  I re-read the instructions again.

  Read the next letter, before opening the rest of the box.

  The only letters I had were the ones from the safety deposit box, so whoever had arranged all this had gone to a heck of a lot of work.

  With a sigh, I pulled the letters out from underneath my mattress and grabbed the one for that next day.

  Princes, like beasts, are meant to be in the wild. Allow them to unleash their fury, for their fury is what keeps the princess safe along with the rest of the land. But there is always time for tenderness. For the prince’s fierceness must be matched by his tenderness and his love for the woman he desires. But, how can one tempt a cold-hearted prince? One so broken. One so confused he isn’t even sure he wants to be fixed? Easy. She puts on a dress. And twirls.

  Your wedding dress.

  Something old.

  Something new.

  Something borrowed — he’s more than on loan.

  Something blue.

  Blessings on your special day, Val.

  Who was this person? It had to be someone I knew. Nothing else made sense. I was too curious not to open the rest of the box. I tore through the tissue paper and gasped.

  The simple white dress was absolutely gorgeous. The tags were still on it. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the name brand and dollar signs behind it. Who paid over six thousand dollars for a dress that would only be worn once? And who would buy one for me?

  Something about holding the white satin in my hands felt wrong.

  Like it was someone else’s dress entirely.

  And I was a sad imposter for who should have been wearing it.

  I peeled back another layer of tissue paper.

  The shoes looked worn, but only slightly; they were a silvery white, with a spiked heel. Grass stains and dirt were noticeable on the heel, but only barely. Frowning, I picked up a sliver of grass and examined it.

  The shoes still had grass on them? Like they’d been in a field or something. A piece of blue satin material was stitched across the toe.

  Maybe that was my something old and blue?

  The last object was even stranger.

  A baseball bat.

  Seriously?

  A note was taped to it. “Trust me, you’ll need this.”

  I was even more confused than when I started.

  My head hurt from the long day I’d had.

  And my clock seemed to be screaming out every second that ticked by as if to remind me that I only had two days until Sergio and I said I do.

  Shivering, I tucked all the gifts back into the box and crawled into bed. Maybe one day the clues would make sense, but tonight? They just made me wish that I really did have a fairy godmother who would take me away and tell me everything was going to be okay.

  With a sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to get into a comfortable position. About twenty minutes later my body finally relaxed into the mattress.

  I inhaled deeply and then froze as the sound of something scratching the outside of my window paralyzed me with fear.

  It was my imagination.

  It had to be.

  But the scratching continued.

  Slowly, I reached down the side of my bed where the box was. My fingers searched for the bat, but kept coming up short every time.

  Terror gripped me as the scratching stopped only to be replaced by something opening my window.

  A gust of wind hit me full force.

  I was going to die if I didn’t find that bat and make a run for it.

  Finally, my fingers grabbed onto it, with a yell, I waved it in the air and ran for the door.

  A figure dressed in all black chased after me.

  A leather-gloved hand pressed over my mouth covering my scream.

  I smacked the bat behind me, coming into contact with the intruder’s body, and kept hitting until the door burst open.

  The intruder stumbled backward and dodged for the window.

  “I don’t think so.” Sergio grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt and tossed him against the door. He stumbled backward.

  A black mask covered his face and mouth, even his eyes were blacked out.

  Sergio stretched his neck, and it cracked before he exhaled then took his time to approach the guy before kicking him in the side.

  I could have sworn I heard the sound of bone cracking.

  Terrified, I stumbled back to my bed, trying to get as far away from them as possible, but my legs tangled in the sheets, trapping me in place.

  Crack.

  Another sound came from the man’s body as Sergio kept kicking him.

  And then he leaned down and pulled the mask off the guy’s face.

  The man spat at Sergio.

  Sergio uttered, “Bad choice,” before punching the guy across the jaw, blood spewed everywhere. It was nothing like I’d seen on TV.

  It was messier.

  And loud.

  So loud.

  I could hear the guy bruising, breaking, the metallic smell of blood filled the room as Frank burst through the door followed by my uncles and finally Dante.

  “Recognize him?” Sergio asked in a detached voice.

  “No,” Frank said. “You?”

  Sergio shook his head.

  Sal, Papi, and Gio exchanged concerned looks before the man grabbed a knife and surged toward Frank.

  Sergio was on him in seconds, using the guy’s own knife against him and stabbing him in the throat, then with a quick movement of his hands, snapping his neck in half.

  He fell to the floor in a bloody heap.

  And that’s when I started screaming.

  With a curse, Dante was at my side, pulling me into his arms, but I didn’t want Dante. He wasn’t my comforter anymore. I might as well have been hugging a wall instead of my twin.

  I didn’t know who I wanted.

  No one?

  Maybe I just needed to be alone.

  I was able to suck in a deep breath and stop screaming, which was good, because the only thing scarier than someone else’s scream — is hearing your own but not registering that it’s your voice until a few minutes later.

  “Shh, Val it’s okay, you’re safe.” Dante whispered reaching for my body again.

  “Clearly!” Who was that yelling? Not me. I never yelled. I wasn’t the type. But there I was, losing my mind! “Was I safe ten minutes ago?”

  Nobody would look at me in the eyes.

  “How did you guys even hear him come in?”

  Again no eye contact.

  “I was worried,” Sergio whispered. “There have been a few veiled threats so I was coming by to double check your window when—”

  “—you saved my life,” I finished for him, unwilling to break the stare down we both had going on.

  He didn’t nod or even acknowledge the fact that he’d ju
st done something so heroic.

  Not that snapping a man’s neck won him a medal or anything.

  Which brought on a whole different issue.

  I started to hyperventilate. “What about the police? We need to call the cops and—”

  Frank laughed. My uncle actually laughed at me and then sobered. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve been around someone outside of the Family. We do not need cops.”

  “But.” I frowned. “You have to report a crime.”

  “There was no crime,” Frank said in a smooth voice. “Tomorrow they will find his burned body in a car along with several murder weapons that tie him into a drug dealer of our choice and, to add to the effect, I’ll toss in a few bags of cocaine.”

  “C-cocaine,” I whispered. “You have drugs?”

  Again silence.

  “Right.” I nodded. “I um…” I was mumbling again, I moved past every man in the room on lead filled legs and kept on walking. I remember touching the stairs because my naked feet were cold against the hardwood.

  I went to the kitchen but everything was… foreign.

  So I walked from the kitchen into the living room and sat Indian style in front of the fire, pulling my knees up to my chest, as if that was going to make the fact that Sergio had just snapped someone’s neck in half okay.

  As if it would make the whole idea that there were drugs and no cops and happy accidents where murder was blamed on others… okay.

  I had no idea how long I stared into the flames of the fire. It was long enough for the log to turn to char, long enough to feel the first bit of a chill inching into my bones.

  “Get up.”

  “What?” I shook my head then turned around. Sergio was towering over me, his face indifferent. “Are you serious right now?”

  “Get. Off. Your. Ass.”

  Terrified, I scrambled to my feet then was so overrun with anger at the situation, I slapped him across the face.

  Which of course meant he was going to kill me, right?

  Gasping, I stumbled backward.

  Only, Sergio burst out laughing.

  Hard.

  Irritated, I lunged for him again, but this time he caught my wrists with his hands and set me aside. “Good to know that you won’t back down in a fight.”