King of Souls

by L A Cotton

  “Bambolina, how are you?” he asked.

  “I hate it here,” I confessed. “I hate him, Nicco. For everything he’s done, for everything he’s put me through...” A whimper escaped me, but I steeled myself. We were so close now. So close to putting all this behind us. Antonio and his men would make sure Mike Fascini was no longer a threat, and Nicco and I would be married.

  “Amore mio, what is it?”

  “I hate him, I do. Yet, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.”

  “He is your father; you can love him and hate him at the same time.”

  “I guess you’re right. Part of me knows that deep down he probably had my interests at heart, but then I think about everything Scott has put me through and I...” My body trembled with pain, with the sting of betrayal.

  Nicco hissed under his breath. “I should have killed him.”

  “No, Nicco,” I rushed out. “I don’t want you to carry that burden. Not for me.” They had the evidence of what he’d done to me. It would be enough to seal his fate. Scott would follow his father to rot inside a prison cell, and I would be safe.

  “When are you going to realize, Bambolina? I would do anything for you.” The intensity behind Nicco’s words made my breath catch. “I love you more than anything. The thought of him hurting you...”

  “He can’t hurt me anymore. He’ll get what’s coming to him, Nicco.” I had to believe that.

  “You are too good for this life, too pure.” His torment crackled over the line. “I fear I am a selfish bastard for tethering you to my side.”

  “It is not your choice to make.”

  “These violent delights have violent ends...” he whispered the words.

  “You’re quoting Shakespeare at me?” I chuckled, but it came out strained.

  Nicco was quiet, brooding. I knew he didn’t agree with the deal I’d made with his father, and part of me wondered if I was foolish to think it could all end peacefully. But I had to believe that after everything we’d been through, we deserved this. We deserved to walk into the future with our hands unbloodied and our consciences clean.

  I knew life with Nicco would mean skirting the line between light and dark, good and bad. But this was different. I didn’t want this—what Scott had done—to come between us anymore than it already had.

  When I didn’t reply, Nicco let out a heavy sigh. “I would die for you Arianne.” His voice was a low growl, “never forget that.”

  A shudder worked through me. “Then I would die with you.” Because I didn’t want to live in a world without him.

  “Bambolina...”

  “No, Nicco. You don’t get to say stuff like that to me without expecting a reply. If something happens to you...” I couldn’t say the words.

  “Nothing is going to happen to me. You made the deal with my father. He will keep his word.”

  “I just want to put all this behind us. I wish you were here.” With Nicco’s arms around me, I felt strong. I felt like we could weather any storm.

  “Soon, amore mio. Soon.”

  Chapter 29

  Nicco

  I snatched up my phone and rushed out, “Yes?”

  “Niccolò,” my father’s gruff voice replied. “Everything is in place. Our friend down at the local PD will hit the Fascini this evening, when they are least expecting it.”

  A potent mix of relief and anger flooded me.

  “Son?”

  “I...” I dragged a hand through my hair. “That’s good.”

  “I know it is not what you had hoped for.” There was a distinctive lilt in his voice. “But this is a good outcome, for Arianne. For the Family.”

  “I know, I just...” Fuck, I wanted Scott to pay for his sins. I wanted to watch him bleed, knowing that I would spend my life loving the girl he would never get to hurt again.

  “Be strong, figlio mio. Soon this will all be over, and you and Arianne will be able to get on with your lives.”

  “It doesn’t feel right,” I murmured. “Arianne is mine to protect, mine to...” The words died on my lips.

  “Don’t make the same mistakes I did, Niccolò. Don’t let your need for vengeance eat away at your soul, not when you have something to live for. Arianne is safe, she is strong, and she will make you a good wife.”

  His words were like a fist around my heart. I wanted the happy ending, I did. But letting Scott live, it felt like a giant fucking mistake.

  “What happened to taking him out and making it look like an accident?” I threw his words back at him, and he chuckled.

  “The offer still stands, but I know you won’t do it. Because that would be a heavier burden to carry. Arianne wants justice, Niccolò. She wants to believe that the authorities will do the right thing. She is not ready to accept that our world is—”

  “Don’t, just don’t.” Pain splintered me in two.

  “Let me handle it, Son. Trust me to do this for you. For you both.” I gave him a sharp nod even though he couldn’t see me. “I know you’re probably going out of your mind, so I’m sending you a distraction. Sit tight. It will soon all be over.”

  Just then, the familiar rumble of Enzo’s GTO caught my attention. “They’re here?” I asked him.

  “You shouldn’t be alone, Niccolò. They are your cousins, your brothers, be with them. I’ll talk to you when it is done.”

  We hung up and I went outside.

  “We brought supplies,” Matteo called, waving two bottles of scotch in his hands.

  Enzo tipped his chin at me as he approached carrying a pack of beer. “You good?”

  “What do you think?”

  He roped his arm around my neck and pulled me back toward the cabin. “I think we need to get lit and fuck some shit up.”

  Usually, I would have told him to rein it in.

  But not today.

  Today I needed my friends.

  I needed to forget.

  “IT’S THE RIGHT CALL,” Matteo said later, as we sat around the fire pit, drinking beer and shooting the shit.

  “Like fuck it is.” Enzo slammed his beer down on the arm of his chair. “That sick fucker deserves to bleed.”

  “Ari—”

  “She doesn’t get it, Matt. She doesn’t understand this life.”

  “E,” I warned. I had enough anger zipping through me without him making it worse.

  “He raped her, Nic. And as if that wasn’t enough, he took a gun and pushed it into her mouth and—”

  “Don’t,” it came out a low growl.

  I was losing myself, my thin rope of control fraying.

  “You should be angry,” he went on. “You should be fucking—”

  “Enzo,” Matteo glanced precariously between us, “this isn’t helping.”

  “No, let him talk,” I seethed, my eyes growing thin. “Let him tell us what he really thinks.”

  “You don’t have the balls,” he sneered. “You’re letting her call all the shots. You’re Niccolò fucking Marchetti and you’re out here, hiding like a little punk ass—”

  I shot up out of the chair, fists clenched at my sides. “Say that again.”

  Enzo stood up, his cool gaze trained right on me. “You heard me.” He stepped up to me, the air crackling with anticipation. “You don’t have the ball—”

  I wound my arm back and let my fist fly at his face. Enzo jerked back, my knuckles clipping his jaw.

  “Come on, guys.” Matteo was out of his chair too. “This isn’t what Uncle Toni had in mind.”

  But it was too late.

  Enzo had pushed me too far. He’d unleashed my inner beast and there was no going back until it had its pound of flesh.

  My cousin rubbed his jaw, smirking at me. “You really want to do this?”

  I shrugged. “Scared you can’t take me?”

  Matteo let out a mumble of disapproval, but Enzo and I only had eyes for each other. He watched me, his jaw set and eyes narrowed, as I shucked out of my jacket and threw it on the chair.

 
; It had been too long since I fought, really fought. I’d been too preoccupied with Arianne, and I couldn’t deny that she settled me. When we were together, it was easy to get lost in her, to bathe in her light. But sitting here, staring into the flames as they licked the night’s sky, I’d succumbed to the darkness again.

  And Enzo knew it.

  He fucking knew where my head was at and he pushed me anyway.

  He came at me like a bull out of the gates, wrapping his bulky arms around me and tackling me to the ground. We landed with a thud, the air sucking clean from my lungs. I slammed my shoulder into his, leveraging my weight and we rolled. Enzo glared up at me, and the fucker grinned. He actually grinned.

  “Something funny?” My brow raised.

  “You need this. I’m happy to oblige. Don’t punk out on me now.”

  “So this is for my benefit?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I have some stuff to work off too.”

  “You two are fucking crazy,” Matteo grumbled from over by the fire.

  “I don’t—

  Enzo thrashed beneath me, bucking me off, and I clambered to my feet, circling him as he stood. Adrenaline raced through my veins as I studied my cousin. Enzo was a decent fighter, quick on his feet and unpredictable, but he’d underestimated one thing.

  I was a man walking a razor’s edge; fueled by love and tormented by the need for vengeance.

  I rushed at him, sending a sharp uppercut to his jaw. His head snapped back, his grunts of pain filling the air. “I’ll give you that one.” He spat a mouthful of blood at my feet.

  Strangled laughter rumbled in my chest. I felt wild, consumed by anger, and shackled by love. I wanted to protect Arianne, to worship and cherish her. But part of me also wanted to deliver Scott’s head on a platter, to paint Verona red with his blood.

  “Imagine I’m him,” Enzo taunted. “Imagine it was me who hurt her. Me who—”

  I lunged again, but Enzo anticipated my move, ducking to the left and deflecting my fist with a right hook of his own. Pain exploded in my cheek, but I relished the burn. I soaked it up, letting it feed the fire raging inside me.

  “Seriously, guys, maybe we should just—”

  We ignored Matteo’s pleas. It was on, no holding back. Enzo wanted me to imagine he was Scott? Then he needed to be prepared to be torn limb from limb.

  A shiver rolled through me as I cracked my neck. Enzo’s eyes grew to thin slits, his lip twisting into a smirk. “There he is, the Prince of fucking Hearts. Time to show me what you got.”

  I stepped forward; fists ready... I wouldn’t just show him.

  I’d annihilate him.

  “PLEASED WITH YOURSELF?” Matteo handed me an ice-cold compress before throwing one at Enzo.

  “Watch it, fucker,” he grumbled. He was slouched on the couch, his lip swollen and eye split wide open.

  I had my fair share of injuries: split knuckles, a bruised rib or two, not to mention the ugly purple bruise around my left eye. But despite the persistent throb of pain radiating through me, I felt better. Lighter somehow.

  Enzo had taunted me because he knew I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.

  And it had worked.

  “I don’t know about E,” I said, glancing over at him. “But I feel great.”

  He smirked, flipping me off. “You swing like a girl.”

  “Tell that to the split in your lip.”

  “It worked though, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” my voice grew thick, “it did.” I held his glare, silently telling him how much I appreciated it.

  “I’ll always have your back.” He gave me a sharp nod.

  “You’ve lost your fucking mind.” Matteo blew out a long breath.

  “We can’t all be lovers like you, Matt.” Enzo nursed his jaw. “Some of us need to fight. We need it to hurt.”

  “You almost killed each other.”

  “Nah, I barely scratched the surface,” I chuckled.

  “Fuck you, Cous.” Enzo shoved his arms behind his head, wincing in pain. “I almost had you.”

  My shoulders relaxed, the tension ebbing away. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed this until Enzo’s fist collided with my face.

  Fighting had always been my outlet, the way I’d dealt with my demons. But Arianne was changing me, molding me into something new, something more.

  “Do you think it’s done?” Enzo asked.

  “He’ll call when it is.” It was almost nine, the sun long disappeared behind the tree line.

  “Shit, I would have paid to see that fucker dragged away in a cop car. Smug asshole won’t know what’s hit him.”

  I grabbed my cell phone and opened my messages. I hadn’t replied to Arianne’s earlier message, I’d been too busy breaking my cousin’s face.

  Are you okay?

  Her reply came straight through.

  I am. Are you? I was getting worried.

  Me and Enzo were working through some things...

  What things?

  I smiled at that. My sweet Bambolina always asking questions.

  Just working off some steam.

  You were fighting?

  It’s not what you think...

  So tell me, what is it?

  I know this is what you want, Bambolina, but I really wanted to make that piece of shit pay for ever laying a hand on you.

  I waited for her reply, my heart crashing against my chest.

  I know, and I’m sorry I took that from you, I am. But I couldn’t do it, Nicco. I couldn’t stand by and watch you lose yourself.

  Slipping off the stool, I turned to my cousins and said, “I’ll be back.”

  “Tell Ari we said hey.” I heard the amusement in Matteo’s voice, and I flipped him off over my shoulder.

  I knew they thought I was whipped. That Arianne held my balls—and heart—in the palm of her hand.

  But I didn’t care.

  All I cared about was her.

  Doing right by her.

  That’s why I was sitting here, following orders like the dutiful son—for her. Not for my father or the Family.

  Only her.

  Inside our bedroom, I closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed before dialing her number.

  “Nicco?”

  “I needed to hear your voice,” I confessed, running a hand over my head.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “You have such little faith in me, Bambolina?” My lips curved.

  “I don’t like the idea of you fighting with your cousin.” Her voice was small, uncertain, but there was also a trace of disapproval there.

  “It’s not how you think. He was... helping me.”

  “Because you need to fight.”

  “Sometimes, yes.”

  “Because of me?”

  I wanted to tell her no, that my demons were my own. But the truth was, I didn’t want to lie.

  “Nicco?”

  “I want to kill him, Arianne. I want to take my gun and blow his brains out. He deserves no less.”

  “But don’t you see, killing him won’t change anything, and if you do it, I might lose you.” A beat passed, the blood pounding between my ears. “I can’t ever lose you.”

  “You won’t. I’m right here.”

  “I know you don’t understand it, Nicco. But this is just something I needed to do. One day, I hope you’ll see that.”

  “Bambolina...” I breathed through the onslaught of emotion crashing over me. I was a mafia prince, torn between wanting to avenge the girl I loved, and honor her wishes.

  The decision had been taken out of my hands, but I knew if I asked my father, he could make it happen. But I also knew that it still wouldn’t be good enough. I wanted it to be my hands stealing the air from his lungs as I squeezed his throat. My pistol poised against the small circle of skin between his eyes.

  Just then another call came through and I checked the screen.

  “Nicco, what is it?”

  “My father is calling, I need to
go. But I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “Okay.” I heard her sigh deeply and the sound almost splintered me in two.

  “It won’t be long now, I promise. Hold on for me, okay? I need you to hold on just for a little bit more.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” More then you’ll ever know.

  I ended the call and hit answer, striding out of the bedroom toward my cousins. “Is it done?” I asked the second I heard my father’s breath.

  “It is.”

  Thank fuck. Relief spread through me. But I quickly realized he didn’t sound pleased.

  “What happened?”

  Enzo and Matteo shot upright, their eyes asking me a hundred questions I didn’t yet have the answers too.

  “Mike Fascini was taken into police custody. He’s down at the local station now.”

  “And Scott?” My skin vibrated.

  “He got away. I don’t have all the facts yet, but it looks like he managed to escape.”

  “You’re joking right? That’s a joke?”

  “I wish it were, Son.” Disappointment lingered in his voice.

  “You promised me... you fucking promised—”

  “I know, I know.” He let out a heavy sigh, and I could imagine his dark expression. “I don’t know what happened, Niccolò, but I will find out. And I won’t rest until we find him. Okay?”

  Fuck.

  He was still out there.

  Scott was out there, and Arianne was—

  “I have to go to her.”

  “I know, Son. Go be with your woman. I’ll call you when I have an update.”

  Enzo and Matteo were both standing now, concern glittering in their eyes.

  “We’re going to her?” Matteo asked, and I nodded.

  “Scott escaped. That fucker managed to get away.”

  “Fuck,” Enzo muttered. “What do you need?”

  “We need to go to Arianne, now.”

  She wasn’t safe.

  As long as Scott was out there somewhere, she wasn’t safe.

  LUIS MET US AT THE gatehouse. His expression said it all; he was as pissed about Scott evading arrest as the rest of us.

  “What the hell happened?” he ground out as I got out of the car to greet him.

  “We don’t know yet. Have you told Arianne?”