The Vendetti Coward: Salvatore Vendetti (The Vendetti Famiglia Book 4)

by Sapphire Knight

  I swallow tightly, not having anything else to say. I’ve been attempting to protect Annabella in my own messed-up way, but in the end, it’s had the opposite effect. “Are we finished here?”

  “Not quite. Follow me..” he orders, and I fall into step behind him. Cristiano is hot on our heels. Not like he couldn’t hear every word that was said; his office is a mere doorway from Matteo’s. We head down the hallway, making a swift left into the next hall. This is where Romano’s office is. Even though he doesn’t live here, his space remains.

  “What are we doing?”

  “I told you, I’ll check her purity.”

  “Cazzo, Matteo! Now?”

  “Si.” He levels me with a stern look that has me shutting up.

  We enter the room next to Romano’s office. My eyes fly to the middle of the room as soon as I cross the threshold. I expect to find her confused and a bit distraught like Violet and Sofia were when this took place. She meets my stare straight on, not a flicker of doubt present. It has me straightening to my full height, my shoulders taught with tension. I frown deeply, not wanting to take part in this at all, yet in the same respect not being able to hold myself back from watching. It’s like a car crash. I can’t seem to look away, no matter how much my mind chides for me to do so.

  Cris hands our Capo a pair of blue plastic gloves, which Matteo promptly puts on. “Are you comfortable with Cristiano and Salvatore here to bear witness to your exam? Normally, this is done in the presence of a guardian, but per your request, I didn’t inform your papa of this requirement.”

  Annabella swallows, peering up at the three of us. This is the first sign she’s shown of any sort of fear or anxiety over the situation since we entered the room. I want to go to her side and comfort her, but I remain against the far wall wearing a cold expression. She blows out a breath, lying back on the exam table with resignation. Her heels are already resting in the table’s attached stirrups.

  She shakes her head, relenting, “No, this is fine. I would prefer a woman in here with me, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “Mm,” Matteo hums. “I’m afraid that’s not how this is done. Your contract is between myself and my famiglia. Your father as well, if he were the one to offer your hand.”

  “You guys are living in the dark ages of old school Sicily.”

  Cristiano chuckles but says nothing, his gaze trained between her thighs as she parts them for Matteo. I draw in a quick breath as a stab of jealousy hits me deep. Not that I have to worry about either of my brothers. They’re both very much in love with their women…It still makes my teeth grind, however, with the way they gaze at Annabella’s pussy hungrily.

  Matteo’s jaw clenches as he reaches forward, his hand disappearing underneath her dress. My fist clenches, but that’s the extent I take it, and when Annabella’s head turns to gaze at me longingly, I look away. We haven’t said our vows yet. She could still figure a way out of this. At least she would if she had any idea what will happen to her once I place that ring on her finger.

  “Do you want to check her over, Sal?” Matteo asks, and I shake my head, my hard stare pinned to the floor. Control comes easy for him, not so much for me. I’ve always thrown caution to the wind and done whatever I wanted. I’m attempting to take his advice and be a better man, one worthy of Annabella and Rosa. Right now, weakness still plagues me, and I have to overcome it if I have any hope of caring for her in the future. It’s no longer just Rosa and me. Now I have two females in my life I must learn to protect.

  A feminine grunt of discomfort has me turning to her. A silent tear tracks down her face and I storm to Matteo’s side. He casts me a concerned glance, like I’m losing it, but he has no idea. I really am losing it inside. If anyone hurts her, I won’t be able to hold back. My earlier arguments with my brothers should be proof of that much at least.

  Banging on the locked door has all of our heads jerking towards the interruption. Matteo’s glare meets mine, his nostrils flaring. No one ever pulls this sort of commotion. There better be someone dying or they’ll meet Capo’s heavy hand when he doles out punishment.

  “Cristo!” He scowls, barking towards Cristiano. “Deal with it, Seven.” He nods at the offending noise. “Someone wants a bullet today, I swear.”

  In the next blink I’m holding Annabella, pushing her dress down and helping her to my side. A sense of protectiveness washes over me where her safety’s concerned. She’s going to be my wife; it’s already been decided. It’s my duty to protect her. I was reckless before with her in that club, but I was also high out of my mind. Being sober, I’m damn near the opposite—pensive and cautious. I guess Matteo and I have more in common than I ever realized, but how could I when I was always on something in the past.

  Grabbing Annabella’s wrist, I tug her behind me. It’ll take something serious to get to her through me right now. I nod to the door. “Hurry, Cris. Annabella doesn’t need this.” I feel her fingers at my back, digging into the material of my shirt. She’s shaken up, understandably so. He shoots me a puzzled glance, not used to me giving anyone any sort of orders. I may’ve been checked out before, but I’m not any longer.

  Matteo agrees, “Si, go, Cristiano.” He sends me his own variation of a strange look but doesn’t mention it, instead concentrating on our youngest brother poking his head out the door. He closes it behind him while we wait inside.

  “You need to get behind me as well, Capo,” I murmur, my gaze pinned on the door.

  “Scusa?” He gawks at me.

  “I go before you.”

  “We’re in no danger.” He waves me off and I shake my head. He never listens to any of us, especially me. “Besides, I’m more than capable of handling myself.”

  “We are all well aware of that fact. Doesn’t mean we’ll allow anyone near you.”

  He strides to me, placing his hand on my shoulder as he stares at me intently. “Salvatore, you aren’t my soldato.”

  I shrug. That title means nothing to me. Matteo is my brother, and I would offer my own life before I allow anyone else to claim his. It may’ve taken me many years to figure that fact out, but nonetheless, it’s true. I know it in my soul now. The protective streak seems to have blossomed once I went into rehab…or maybe it’s Annabella’s doing, I’m not completely sure.

  “I’m still your brother and I’m mafioso, whether we acknowledge it or not. I was a made man right after you. The choice was never mine to make, and you’ve given me more leniency because of it. That doesn’t change my loyalties. I may’ve not understood them or my duty before, but I do now. I will do my best to protect Rosa, Annabella, and the rest of our famiglia, including you.”

  With an affectionate squeeze to my shoulder, he nods and remains beside me. We’re interrupted again when Cristiano comes back into the room. I was just about to lose my shit and drag them up to Rosa to make sure she was safe as well.

  “A few of our men came at Severo in a rush. He was getting all the information while the other guy started banging on the door. Sev was reprimanding him when I got out there.”

  Matteo’s hands clench into fists, no doubt enraged at the other man taking liberties given to Severo. Matteo’s personal guard knows better than to bang erratically. In the mafia, that sort of behavior gets you gunned down in a heartbeat. “What’s the issue?”

  Cris swallows, running his hands over the front of his slacks. His nerves must have him twisted up inside over something. He glances to Annabella, not wanting to discuss Empire business in front of her, but Matteo waves him on, impatient. “A call came in that was intercepted with the security detail. It was a threat claiming the estate would be blown up. While that was happening, three of our clubs were hit.”

  Annabella’s near-silent gasp rings deep inside me. I don’t like her fear in anything other than me occasionally. Reaching behind me, I take her hand that’s been twisted in my shirt and squeeze it, reassuring her that I’m right here with her.

  “Cazzo,” Matteo swears. “
This will be a nightmare to deal with. The media will be all over this like their next big scandal. Bloodthirsty bastardos.”

  “The estate wasn’t actually hit anywhere?” I ask, my concern on Rosa not being in the safe room. She’s with one of Matteo’s daughter’s nannies right now. I imagine she will be a bit more in the future, with us preparing for our upcoming wedding. I didn’t hear an explosion or gunfire, but that doesn’t mean anything. We could’ve been breached by men on foot, or our computers hacked, etc.. There’s no limit to how someone can attack when they get creative enough.

  Cris shakes his head. “No. I have Severo giving the orders, amping up our personal security, as well as adding men to everywhere else. It was a distraction, an attempt to get us scrambling while our attention should’ve been elsewhere.”

  “Good call. Security needs to be extra vigil on the estate grounds.” Matteo nods approvingly, casting a glance at us. He orders, “Take Annabella to her suite. She must want to get cleaned up.” He then says to her, “Take a bath. It’ll help calm your nerves. If there’s any prolonged discomfort, Sal can call for the doctor.”

  “I’ll check in on Rosa and get Anabella settled, then meet you downstairs,” I reply, my mind already going over anything I can do to help ease my brothers’ loads they’ll be dealing with tonight.

  “No, you comfort your fiancée and your daughter. Spend time with them. We’ll take care of this.”

  “Matty—” I begin to argue but he shakes his head, abruptly cutting me off.

  “We’ll handle all of this, and I’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop if anything else comes from it.”

  I swallow my pride, conceding with a nod. He’s the Capo and I lost any privilege I may’ve had with my past choices. With an irritated jerk, I tug Annabella from the dreaded room and head for our wing. I’m angry with how this day turned out, but I have no right being upset with my fiancée. Although, she did agree to this marriage, so I have some room to sulk where she’s concerned, I suppose.

  “You see?” I ask. “This is the life you’ve signed up for. Only it’s barely the tip of the iceberg. It’s far worse than you can ever imagine in that pretty head of yours. People want us dead. You’ll never have a normal life ever again.”

  She frowns, casting her irises over me quickly, before they meet the floor in front of her again. She says nothing, and it only provokes me further. She had a choice in this, but I know she wasn’t truly aware of what she was signing herself up for. People look at our famiglia from the outside and think it’s glamorous, like a movie where nothing bad happens to any of them.

  “You’ll never leave either. It’s too late. You’ve signed your life away to the Vendetti Capo dei capi. Ruthless with that blood oath. The only way out of this famiglia is death, and if you attempt to run, it’ll be by his hand. I can’t believe you’ve done this, signed your life away so fucking carelessly.”

  A fresh tear tracks down her cheek and the sight of it makes me want to slam my head into the wall. I don’t know why I insist on pushing her away as I do… Oh wait, it’s because I’m an addict in the most dangerous mafia famiglia alive. The Empire is powerful and has unlimited reach at times, but that doesn’t mean it can protect her. Quite the opposite actually. She’s in jeopardy because of my last name, and soon it’ll be hers as well. It’s part of the reason why we have the Vendetti consummation tradition, so we will all protect the women in the famiglia. It’s quite simple really: you fuck them, then they mean more to you. It’s true in a fucked-up, distorted way, yet any thoughts of Annabella taking my brothers’ cocks in her virgin pussy has me ready to roar with rage.

  She has no idea of the tradition either, and of course I can’t tell her. As much as I want to prepare her in some way, I know it’s not the smart thing to do. She could run, then she’d die. I wasn’t lying when I told her Matteo would kill her; he’d pull the trigger without a second thought.

  I don’t know what’s worse: keeping her for my own and having to share her, to worry about her safety for the rest of my life, and the possibility of her never loving me, or to scare her off so she leaves, then I’d never have her at all, in any way. The thought of her absence makes my stomach lurch with sickness, emotion clogging my throat. No matter how much I fight our impending union, of the unintentional pull between us…I know one thing’s for certain: it’s too late for me to give her up. I’ll never let her leave, no matter how much I pretend otherwise. Annabella is mine; there’s no doubt about that in my mind.

  Without another thought, I push her up against the wall in the wide hallway. My mouth slams against hers in a punishing kiss. I may not know how to tell her with words, but my mouth will damn sure show her exactly how I’m feeling inside over everything. Passionate and twisted up over her. Wanting her and holding back…it’s even tougher than attempting to hate her. Hating her only drives me to rip her clothes off and fuck her even harder.

  Annabella will be a Vendetti all right, and she’ll be pregnant with my bambino the moment I get her alone, that I can assure myself.

  If she were smart, she’d already be running, but I’d still find her.

  Impossible is just an opinion.

  - www.positivitysparkles.com

  Novocain. It’s what comes to mind as I take in everything, feeling overwhelmed. I can’t help but wonder if I’m ever going to change. I am what I am: Salvatore Vendetti. I’ve got so much shame, I shouldn’t be thinking of the numbing feeling a substance could bring me right now, but I am. In a situation like this, surrounded by so many people who make me uncomfortable, escaping is all I can contemplate. Before, I’d be high already and mentally checked out, but that’s no longer an option. However, leaving is, and I need to get the fuck out of this room full of our silent enemies. I can stare an angry bear in the face; it’s the slithering snakes that make me lose my shit inside.

  I consider Annabella and how perfectly imperfect she has been today with everything. She was a mess of nerves earlier, and yet, I couldn’t imagine anyone I’d rather be binding my life to. There’s a strong possibility that she’ll die because of being tied to me, and that knowledge has me not wanting to waste my time with her. I want all of her, everything, right now. I’ll take it all, inhale it and make her mine while I can have her. She’ll be my new drug of choice. Something tells me that she’s just as deadly to me if I’m not careful.

  “Would you do anything for me?” I ask her after we’ve exchanged our vows and have sat at our table amongst the other famiglias for our wedding reception for long enough. It’s not my duty to entertain these imbeciles; it’s an honor for them to sit at the Vendettis’ feet. This room, this spot, brings back so many memories of when we stole Violet’s innocence. Annabella thought she was going to wait an entire year to marry me; she was wrong. Once I made up my mind that I was keeping her, I demanded she plan the wedding as soon as possible. Needless to say, she caved.

  “Yes,” she replies quietly. I can’t help but wonder why. What have I done to be rewarded with such loyalty? Would she die for me? I don’t know where that thought comes from, but it’s front and center. I don’t ask. I’ll save it for another time. I stand, holding her hand in mine, tugging her to her feet. “We’re leaving already?”

  I offer her a twisted smirk and yank her into my chest. I nod to Matteo and he leads us away with Violet at his heels. Our brothers fall into step, surrounding us. We always protect the Capo and the Queen above all, even on our wedding days. I’m practically desperate to get tonight over with. Of course, I’ll enjoy finally having my wife completely, but I’d rather be selfish and keep her to myself. That can’t happen. I don’t know why I ever entertained the thought in the first place. I know the rules, and like every other mafioso, I must follow them or feel the repercussions.

  “I need to say good night to my parents.”

  “They’ll be shown to their suite. You’ll see them for brunch tomorrow.”

  “What? No, I can’t just leave like that. We haven’t said our than
ks to the guests or anything. They’re still eating, and won’t there be dancing?” She attempts to glance around my brothers’ imposing forms to see the guests.

  “Their comfort or opinions mean nothing. They’re fortunate we allowed them to partake, and everyone here knows as much. We greeted them and collected our gifts. That’s enough of a curtesy extended their way. Matteo has spoken to them all night, as has Violet. We’ve done our part. Now it’s time we have our wedding night.” I expect her to argue further but she’s distracted by our group all leaving the small banquet room together. The estate has been built for nearly every occasion. Our ancestors did well when they thought it out. Romano made some changes and added onto the property when we were children as well.

  “Uh, everyone’s coming too?” she asks, and I don’t reply, tugging her along. I have to close myself off or else I’ll never be able to go through with today, and that’s not an option. This is Vendetti tradition, passed down through our generations, all because two brothers fell in love with the same woman. After all the shit I’ve pulled throughout the years, my famiglia never abandoned me, and it’s far past time I adopt their sense of commitment towards each other. We may argue and fight at times, but in the end, they’re famiglia.

  Famiglia is everything.

  Her steps falter and she almost falls behind. I hold her tighter, beginning to partially carry her, and her lavish diamond ring gouges into my palm. My brothers move in closer, locking her into the middle of the group with me. “No.” She begins to shake her head, peering up at me as her irises fill with fear. Even she’s smart enough to gauge something is about to happen. The air is electrified, or maybe it’s my desire for her…who knows.

  “Yes, Annabella. You agreed to this, to belong to me. You no longer have a choice. This is Vendetti tradition, and you will submit.” At my rebuke, she begins to fight against me, claiming she always has a choice. I warned her she’d be giving everything up, but she didn’t listen. She’s so short compared to us, and the fact is very apparent at her futile attempt to get out of my grasp. I don’t think she ever realized as much until right now.