EL DIABLO II

by M. Robinson

  To the average person, everything and everyone blended in. But to my trained eyes, they stood out like a motherfucker.

  The Tuscan style home was as impressive as it sounded. They spared no expense on the gold furnishings, the gaudy furniture, and high-end accents. Both the interior and exterior of the estate screamed of nothing but money and wealth.

  Old money to be exact.

  This family was loaded, and they had been for generations. Only making me more curious to who they were and why we were here in the first place.

  For some reason, my father’s voice popped in my head. “I have business to attend to.”

  I disregarded his looming presence that shadowed my thoughts as we strode into the ballroom. The music stopped, and the DJ announced, “Can I get everyone’s attention, please? It’s now time for the woman of the hour to make her long awaited appearance.”

  One thing was for sure, they went all out for this event. It wasn’t a party, it was a production. A statement.

  Of what?

  For who?

  Within seconds, a choreographed performance took front and center stage.

  “Talk about an entrance,” Ari stated, reading my mind. “And here I thought my graduation party was impressive.”

  An older man grabbed the microphone, declaring, “Everyone, please stand and give your undivided attention to my principessa, Sienna Luciano.”

  The crowd quickly parted like the red sea, creating a large space for the spectacle that was this daughter. My eyes drifted back to the scene unfolding in front of me. As if on cue, soft light illuminated around the open room. Candles suddenly lit, spreading throughout the entire area like they magically appeared out of thin air. I didn’t even see anyone light them. It gave the ballroom a translucent aura.

  “Ari, do you know who she—” I couldn’t finish what I was going to say.

  One look.

  One moment.

  One girl.

  Rendered me completely speechless. She was all it took for me to lose my…

  Focus.

  Chapter 4

  —Cruz—

  Through a fascinated stare, I watched her every move. She was fucking stunning in her soft pink, lace gown that hugged every curve on her luscious body. Her shoulders and cleavage were bare in a sexy, modest kind of way. There was something about the lace extending down her arms that made her dress that much more enticing.

  She screamed royalty.

  The cascading diamond earrings she wore only accentuated her long, inviting neck that I suddenly wanted to glide my nose down, to smell then suck on until she was panting with need. Almost immediately, I wondered if she tasted as good as she looked. I was a starving man dying to take a bite. Her hair was pinned up with curls framing her delicate yet defined face with a crown displayed high on her head.

  I got lost in her big, dark brown eyes, petite nose, and pouty lips. She was a fucking breathtaking vision, triggering me to lose my shit. There was no taking my eyes off of her as she twirled around the room in some sort of ceremonial celebration or tradition.

  It was her time to shine and she brightened up the room, blinding me in the process without even trying. She entranced everyone with her charm as she bathed in the attention. Clearly loving being the sole focus in the room. This girl was meant to be the centerpiece of anyone’s world. She was a thing of beauty.

  My captivated stare turned to the same man who announced her arrival, grabbing her hands and pulling her into a tight embrace.

  “Sienna, la mia principessa,” he acknowledged, “my princess” in Italian into the microphone, smiling at her with the pride and adoration of a loving father. “I can’t believe you’re officially a high school graduate. I remember carrying you into this home as a baby like it were yesterday. How has it been almost eighteen years, since I first held you in my arms?”

  Dotingly, she beamed at her old man, holding his hands out in front of her.

  “Principessa, all my life I waited for you to be born. You’re the angel, God sent me from heaven above. I remember every detail of your birth, and often find myself replaying it in my mind. I wish you were still my piccola ragazza, my little girl. Now here you are, standing right in front of me as a young woman ready to take on the world. Sienna, you created love in my heart and filled the void your mother left behind.”

  She bowed her head, and it felt like she was recalling a memory.

  “When your mother passed away, you gave me the strength I needed to keep going. You remind me so much of her. Your strong will, your fierce loyalty, and your unconditional love are only a few qualities you inherited from her. She was the love of my life and I miss her every single day. I am honored to be your father and for you to carry on the Luciano name.”

  Why do I know that name?

  “I want you to know how proud I am of you. I know there are times you’ve wished I wouldn’t protect you like I do, but la mia principessa, you are my whole world. I have high expectations for you, and I know there will come a day where I won’t be the only man in your life.”

  “Oh Papà…”

  Her voice sounded like music to my ears. Soft, delicate, stirring my cock to twitch.

  “No, no, no,” he adamantly responded. “I want all of your greatest dreams to come true. You deserve the love of a man like I loved your mother. Someone who will protect you, respect you, and put you above all else. I never remarried because you became my whole world. There is no one else who can fill your shoes. Not in my heart or my soul, no one else.”

  “Ti amo, Papà.”

  “Ti amo anch'io,” he repeated in Italian, “I love you too.”

  “Prego in nome di Dio. I pray in the name of God you’re always safe and protected per mano di Dio,” he professed, “By the hand of God. Congratulations, Sienna.” Tenderly, he leaned in and grabbed her face to kiss her forehead. Reminding me of all the times our father did the same with Adriana.

  “I never thought I’d see the day,” my sister called me out, pulling my attention over to her. “Crucifixio Martinez, you like her. Wow.” Her mouth dropped open.

  “I can’t admire beautiful things?”

  “The fact that you just called her beautiful, only further proves my point, dear brother.”

  I didn’t pay Ari any mind, too consumed by my desire to continue my visual assault on this girl. Her father let her go and she started greeting her guests around the room. I studied her mannerisms, from the way she flipped her hair when she spoke, getting her guests to hang onto every word that left her mouth.

  To her subtle movements, to the way she stood and casually swayed her body to the beat of the music. She charmed everyone in sight, never once breaking eye contact with who she was speaking to. From the way she would casually touch their arms, to making sure to laugh or smile when she was supposed to. It was blatantly obvious she knew how to govern a room. Using her attentiveness to get what she wanted.

  She could handle her own being thrown to the wolves. My will to just stand there and study her shattered when I recognized some of the men she was talking to.

  It all hit me right then and there.

  “Oh, but look,” Adriana guided. “She’s on her way over to us. Here’s your big chance to make an impression. Don’t fuck it up.”

  My gaze locked with the princess who was now suddenly standing in front of me.

  I didn’t falter, extending my hand. “Congratulations, princesa.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  I arched an eyebrow, caught off guard by her sharp tongue. “Then, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Cru—”

  “I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are.”

  “Well.” I cocked my head to the side. “It’s a damn shame I don’t know who you are.”

  “That’s how the infamous Cruz Martinez hits on a girl?” she snidely scoffed out. “By telling her you don’t even know who she is? If charming a woman with insulting remarks is your best attempt at getting laid, then the girls yo
u take to bed must be dumber than they seem.”

  “Are you looking for an invitation to my bed?”

  “A notch on your bedpost is not a position I ever wish to hold.”

  “We can try any position, Sienna. My bed is just an option.”

  I swear she fucking growled at me, turning me on even more.

  “I think it’s time for me to leave this conversation,” Ari chimed in.

  “Don’t bother,” Sienna snapped. “We’re done here.”

  “Sweetheart.” I grinned. “We’re only getting started.”

  Eyeing me up and down in a scathing glare, she stepped back. “I stay away from mafiosos. I have enough of La Famiglia in my life.”

  “I was wrong.” The hair on my arms stood up and a familiar sensation radiated throughout my entire body. “I do know who you are. That crown on your head is fitting, considering your Sienna Luciano. Principessa mafiosa. Mafia princess, right?”

  She cunningly smirked. “If I believed everything I heard on the news then El Diablo would be dead, right?”

  I jerked back, not expecting her to say that. Before I could reply, she spun and left, making me question what the fuck just happened.

  “Huh, who would have thought…”

  “Ari,” I warned, fully conscious of where she was going with this. “Don’t fuck with me.”

  My sister stepped out in front. “Holy shit, Hell has officially frozen over. How’s it feel to get rejected for the first time ever? Like a swift kick in the balls? She definitely provoked you.”

  “And you’re provoking me.”

  “So go chase after her,” she laughed. “Girls like that. You know, actually showing you care.”

  “I’m not a pussy, Ari.”

  “You mean a puppy?”

  “Same difference.”

  “That’s because you’ve never been in love.”

  “And now you’re suddenly an expert on the subject?”

  “I’m a woman, Cruz. It’s instinctual for us. Besides, look at mom and dad. After all the years they’ve been together, they’re still madly in love with each other. We’ve always had a good example of what a marriage should be.”

  “What point are you trying to make?”

  “The same one you’re ignoring. You know you want to go to her.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone.”

  “Ummm…” She peered around. “I won’t exactly be by myself with all these people here.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “So you’re just going to let her have the last word? That’s not the brother I know and love.”

  “Who said that was the last word? She may have walked away, but I’m the one who decides when we’re done.”

  “Then prove it.”

  “Ari—”

  “Come on, Cruz. Just go! I’ll stay right here. I won’t move, I promise.”

  “No.”

  “Fine.” She shrugged, nodding behind me. “Your loss.”

  I turned to see what she was gesturing at, taken off guard she was dancing a little too close for my comfort with someone I immediately recognized. His touch carnal and claiming.

  Within seconds, jealousy was washing over me at an unstoppable pace. My possessiveness over her spread rapidly from across the room.

  He tugged her closer to his torso, wrapping his arm around her lower back, and placing her left arm on his shoulder. Entwining their other hands at his sides. Her pouty lips parted when he unexpectedly brought her right leg in between his, so she was pretty much straddling his thigh. Hugging her to his body, he allowed no space between her tits and his chest.

  This motherfucker.

  I locked eyes with Ari, who could see right through me. We always had a tight and special bond. She wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend. She knew me like the back of her hand and vice versa.

  “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, brother. It looks like you might have some competition. They do make a cute couple though.”

  “Do you even remember the last time you shut the fuck up? Yeah, neither do I.”

  “Did I hit a nerve?”

  “Yeah, right in my ass.”

  “Oh! Look at her now. She’s leaving and he’s actually following behind her. I wonder where they’re going? Maybe up to her room? Is that Giovanni she’s with? That’s him, right? It has to be him. He’s a notorious womanizer. You need to warn her.”

  “Ari—”

  “This is what you do, Cruz. It’s in your nature. You may sleep around, but you don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Your conquests know what they’re getting into. You know there are rumors that he doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”

  Gazing back and forth between Adriana and Sienna, I deeply sighed, realizing it was Giovanni and obviously the piece of shit was up to no good.

  What other choice did I have?

  “You don’t move from this spot. Do you understand me?”

  She smiled, content I gave in to her demands. “Loud and clear.”

  “I’m serious, Adriana. You don’t move.”

  “As a heart attack.”

  “Ari, I mean it. I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your time, I promise I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

  My eyes did another quick scan around the room, looking for our guards.

  “Relax, Cruz. They’re over there by the bar. Can’t you see them? They’re the ones acting like they’re not watching my every move. Oh and, Cruz, what did you do with Papás gun?”

  Slowly, I backed away, ignoring her question. I was surprised she asked, she knew I had it on me. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  Knowing the guards were there, protecting her made it a little easier for me to leave. I’d never done this before, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t conflicted about what I was about to do.

  Leave Adriana alone to go chase after…

  Sienna.

  My eighth deadly sin.

  Chapter 5

  —Sienna—

  Giovanni caged me in with his strong, muscular arms, slowly backing me up against the railing of the balcony, overlooking our property.

  We were alone, no one was around us. Which normally wouldn’t be the case, not if my father could help it. I usually had an arsenal of bodyguards surrounding me everywhere I went. Although, since it was my graduation party, I made sure to request I get the day to myself. Yes, there were hundreds of people in our home, except they weren’t there for me.

  It was all for show. Solely to prove their loyalty and pledge their alliance to La Famiglia. The thought alone made me roll my eyes.

  I loved my father, but hated what he stood for.

  Vita di mafia.

  Mafia life.

  Organized crime to be exact. My only peace of mind came from knowing he always sat at the head of any table. For most people that would make them fear for their life, for us…

  It was the only way of life.

  “You look stunning in that dress,” Giovanni rasped against my ear, delicately brushing his lips back and forth. Dragging my thoughts back to the present, even though it always felt like I lived in the moment. I had to. I never knew when my time was going to be up, like it had been for my mother.

  “Does that mean I don’t look stunning all the time?”

  “Sienna Luciano, you’re a fucking goddess and you know it.”

  Giovanni was here to kiss my father’s ass.

  “But do you know it?”

  He scoffed out a chuckle. “This dress would look even better on the floor of my apartment.”

  “Subtle.”

  “You’re not a little girl anymore.”

  “I’m not eighteen yet.”

  “Trust me, I’m counting down the days.”

  So am I.

  “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to my cock right now?”

  “I know—” a familiar voice answered for me, “—what I’m going to do to your dick if you don’t get off of her.” />
  Our eyes connected and I glared at him.

  Crucifixio Martinez.

  I wasn’t lying, I knew who he was. He looked exactly like his father. El Diablo visited our home more times than I cared to count. The first time I met him, I was a little girl mesmerized by his bright green eyes. He was nice to me. Most men were nice to me.

  I was the only child, the daughter of Lorenzo Luciano.

  Mafia Princess to Lucifer.

  Notorious gangster and ringleader of La Famiglia.

  My name hit the news the day I was born. The press nicknamed me Mafia Princess, and it’d been haunting me ever since. My father had his dirty hands in everything like the men before him.

  Drugs.

  Guns.

  Clubs.

  Diamonds.

  You name it, he was involved in some way, shape, or form. The only reason he wasn’t serving a life sentence in prison was because he was untouchable.

  Politicians.

  Cops.

  Detectives.

  Officers.

  Judges.

  The list goes on and on…

  They were all corrupt and all in his pocket. He was the definition of organized crime, and there was very little he didn’t own and operate. Not a damn thing could be traced back to him. He’d built an empire on nothing but shady-ass shit.

  The darkness that surrounded our family only dragged me further and further into the abyss of our name. I was born into this world of sinners who went to church every Sunday. As long as you confessed your sins to God, all was forgiven.

  Even murder.

  “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.”

  It was much easier to ask for forgiveness than it was for permission.

  I couldn’t help myself, I put him in his place. “Just because you act like a dick, Cruz, doesn’t mean it’s going to make yours any bigger.”

  He grinned.

  He had the audacity to fucking grin at me.

  This was what I despised about mafiosos.

  The cockiness.