“That would work, except for the fact that I don’t know, unfortunately,” Lucretia called after him. “I’m afraid it looks like we’re going to have to work together to find it, or he may very well decide to kill the both of us.”
“Great,” Gabriel grumbled as he looked back over his shoulder to see that the she-wolf was following behind him. “Just what I need right now.”
“Don’t think I like it any better,” Lucretia said. “I have no use for you anymore.”
“Good. Then let’s find the boat and get it over with,” Gabriel snapped.
“Well, it’s not as if we can just have the Coast Guard locate the thing,” Lucretia pointed out.
“I know that,” he said smartly. “We’ll have to get a boat and go look for it ourselves. How can you be the boss around here if you can’t even think for yourself? Now I know why he sent me.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Gabriel Russo,” Lucretia told him. “I’ve got Lupo in my back pocket. He trusts me completely.”
“And did he entrust you with some sort of a boat we can take out to sea?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact he did,” she said. “This way. And I’ll call my brothers in to steer it.”
“I am not going out to sea under the full moon with both you and your four blood-thirsty brothers,” he insisted. “Suicide isn’t in my job description. I’ll steer the boat myself. Gentlemen?”
“We’re with you, Gabriel,” said his three men.
“It would be a lot easier to do this in human form, Gabriel,” Rico pointed out. “We don’t want the Coast Guard to stop us because the boat is full of werewolves.”
“He does have a point there, boss,” Vito agreed.
And so, about half an hour later, the five werewolves were in human form as Gabriel drove the boat out. Lucretia paced back and forth, irritated that Gabriel had taken charge, while Vito and Rico read a map and Desmond kept watch at the back of the boat in case anyone followed them or anything else untoward might be happening.
“Somebody’s back there,” Desmond said worriedly.
“Where are they headed?” Gabriel wanted to know.
“Right for us, unfortunately, and they’re coming fast.”
“That looks like my brothers’ boat,” said Lucretia worriedly. “I wonder why they’re trying to catch us?”
“Did you tell them where we’re going?” Gabriel asked her. “You didn’t tell them to come after us, did you?”
“No, Gabriel, I want that shipment found as much as you do,” she said. “Maybe there’s something wrong.”
A sickening fear gripped at Gabriel’s stomach when he heard these words. Would Lupo send the Alphas to tell him if Betsy had been harmed? Would he find some sick sort of humor in it, or maybe even decide that since Betsy was dead he might as well finish him next. The straight answer was a resounding “Yes,” that was just the sort of thing he was known to do.
But the very thought that Betsy could be dead was something his brain rejected completely. Would he not feel it somehow? He was the wolf who had made her, so would he not somehow sense her pain? No, it had to be something else.
“They’ve found the boat, Lucretia,” announced her brother Antonio, as he caught alongside of their boat and lined the two vessels side by side. “It’s been sunk. We sent down a diving crew to retrieve the cargo. Why are you out here with these losers?”
“I resent that remark,” said Rico, his face transforming slightly to wolf form before he regained control over his anger.
“Andare, show us the site of the accident,” said Gabriel with authority. “Lupo’s orders.”
“Lupo did not need to send you,” snarled Benito.
“You have no business here, Russo,” added Antonio with a disgusted scowl.
“Like it or not, I’ve been ordered to report back to Lupo what happened to this shipment, and I mean to do my job,” Gabriel insisted. “Now let’s go.”
“Very well,” he agreed, and turned his boat back toward the shoreline, leading the way to the ship they sought.
CHAPTER TEN
Betsy knew that she should remain calm, but the flight was much too late and she was deathly afraid she was going to wolf out right there in the middle of the customs office or something. Wouldn't that be a great way to draw unwanted attention?
Sweat broke out on her brow, which made her even more nervous since she knew that was a dead giveaway to these people. Trying to calm herself, she focused on Gabriel’s kisses and how much she loved him.
She was only here to begin with because she loved him enough to marry him and become involved in his world. Now she was a part of the mafia, and she needed to remain strong. She knew she could handle this.
“Do you have anything to declare, ma’am?” asked the customs agent, clearly an American woman.
“No, ma’am,” she said. “Just here for a few days to visit a friend, as usual.”
“May I see your visa?” she asked with a tight smile.
“Of course,” said Betsy as she pulled it out of her purse and handed it to the woman. “This has been a really long flight. I don’t remember feeling this tired from it before.”
The clock’s ticking was growing louder in her ears. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster. Couldn’t this woman hurry up? She’d been practicing the art of not transforming with the full moon, but she knew that some werewolves took years to master that ability, and she’d only been a werewolf for less than one year.
“Everything checks out here,” said the woman. “You look like you could use something to eat. I bet that will make you feel better.”
Betsy stifled a laugh as she visualized turning into a wolf and eating the woman right then and there. She admonished herself for it, of course. The last thing she needed was to give any thought to that sort of thing while she was trying so desperately not to do it.
“Mrs. Russo?” said a man who stepped up to her. “Your car is waiting for you if you’ll step this way.”
“Thank you,” said Betsy gratefully as she turned and followed him to the exit. She was grateful too for the dark windows so she could let herself go just as soon as she’d closed the back door. Her sigh of relief came out as a growl instead.
“I thought for sure there was going to be a problem,” said the chauffeur as he drove away from the terminal and headed for the hotel. “What took you so long this time, if I may ask?”
“Turbulence, I suppose,” she said. “I don’t know much about it, I just spent most of the time getting sick. We’ve just discovered I’m going to have a baby.”
“Well, congratulations,” he said. “I just hope the little tike doesn’t want out while the moon is full, or you may have quite the time explaining that to the doctor.”
“Ugh! Not funny.”
“We’re here, Mrs. Russo,” he announced. “Do you think you can manage to pull yourself together long enough to get indoors? Clever dress design, by the way. I think my wife would love to have one.”
“Yeah, I’m tired of ripping all my clothes whenever I change,” she agreed. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Sure thing, miss,” he agreed, and Betsy transformed to human long enough to get to her room before letting herself go again for the rest of the night. Now, if only she could manage to quell the unusually strong hunger for flesh, she’d be doing well.
#
“Why did you push him overboard?” Rico demanded hotly as he glared at Antonio.
“Because it was amusing,” said the bigger man with a smirk. “And don’t forget that just because Lupo forbids me to kill your boss does not mean the order includes you, little man.”
“Oh, really?” Vito growled as he stepped between the two of them. “You won't lay one finger on Rico. Not unless you come through me first.”
Vito towered over Rico, even though he was himself almost six feet tall and by no means ‘little’. However, the two knew full well they lacked one significant advantage compared to the other man, and that was th
e fact that he was immortal, and they were not. That meant they could be killed—and Antonio and the other Alphas made sure they remembered that fact whenever they could.
“Yes, really,” he said with a snarl. “Besides, Gabriel remains unhurt, as you can see. Why don’t you go in after him if you are so concerned for his well-being?”
“So you can leave us all of us out in the middle of the ocean?” Rico scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
“He can’t leave you here,” Lucretia pointed out. “Lupo ordered Gabriel out here, so if my brother leaves him behind, he’ll be defying Lupo’s direct orders. He knows he can’t do that. Now fish him out of the water and stop this nonsense. It’s not getting anything accomplished."
Gabriel pulled himself up the rope ladder he’d finally latched onto, and climbed over the railing, casting the Alpha a venomous glare as he pulled the hair tie out of his hair and began to wring out the length of his black locks. “This will be remembered,” he let him know.
“Yes, it will,” said Antonio with a smirk. “Maybe even shared.”
“Boys, please,” Lucretia shouted to get their attention. “Can we just get to the sunken treasure already? I swear, if I wasn’t a werewolf under the full moon I’m certain I’d have a full-blown migraine right now.”
Off in the distance, as if her words had called the vessel into existence, a small fishing boat floated above the site they sought. They pulled up alongside the third boat and each tied a line to it so all three boats would stay together, and then Lucretia and Gabriel went aboard.
“Get on the radio and tell the divers we’re here, will you, Antonio?” said Lucretia as they headed for the front of the ship. “We’ll go see if we can find out how much cargo has already been recovered.”
“Yes, Lucretia,” he said, then glowered at Gabriel as he watched them go.
“I don’t know why Lupo had to send you up here to deal with this, when I can easily handle the situation all by myself,” Lucretia complained to Gabriel as she opened the door to the control room. The operator turned to see who had come in, and quickly stood up when he spotted the woman.
“Lady Lucretia!” he gasped in surprise and alarm. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Do not concern yourself with my presence, Franco, there is no trouble coming your way,” she said. “As long as you are recovering the goods as ordered, that is.”
“Of course we are, lady. Almost everything you asked about has been found,” he said. “We’re still looking for the—uh—special item right now.”
“And you understand its importance, I trust?” she wanted to know. She glanced pointedly toward Gabriel as she said it, indicating to Franco that she did not wish to discuss the item openly.
“Yes, Lucretia, its significance has been explained to us,” he said. “We won’t let you down.”
“Very well, then, I believe we’re done here,” she said. “I expect all the cargo to be delivered by tomorrow morning. All of it. Come on, Gabriel, we may as well go home. We can take this up again in the morning.”
“Very well,” he agreed, and they returned to the ship. Lucretia showed him where the shipment would be dropped off later, and he and Rico returned to their car and drove away. They had agreed to meet up again the following day. Gabriel called Lupo and told him this news, and the old crime boss seemed pleased to hear the news.
“If you get this job done right, I may actually call you in for a few more,” he said. Gabriel was greatly tempted to mess up the task just so Lupo wouldn’t call again, but he was certain that was a bad idea—one that could very likely even get him killed.
*
By the time her plane landed on American soil again, Betsy was completely exhausted from her trip. She had received a call from Gabriel earlier in the day saying he wouldn’t be able to meet the plane thanks to some assignment Lupo had sent him on, and she was feeling decidedly disappointed as a result.
Even worse, she had to take a cab when she discovered that no car had been sent for her either. She had to use a check-card which was attached to the account she’d just lined with more illegal funds in order to pay for it. The cab driver seemed hell bent on taking her on the bumpiest roads in the city the whole way home, but finally she was able to step in her door.
After a nice, hot, bubble bath she slipped into some lingerie and curled up in their bed, ready for a snooze while she waited for her husband to return. The last thing she expected to hear when he finally arrived was the voice of a woman outside along with Gabriel’s.
“Well, hopefully that will be the last we see of each other,” said the woman. “I really don’t enjoy your company at all.”
“Nor I yours,” said Gabriel adamantly. “Thanks for the ride, Lucretia. It’s the least you can do after wrecking my car.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Lucretia with a smirk as Betsy looked out the window at the two of them. “I’m sure your car will be as good as new in a few days. Enjoy your night with your little wife. I see by the glare I’m receiving from the window that she got home safely—unfortunately.”
Gabriel didn’t bother to answer the sarcastic jibe. Instead, he turned and rushed up the steps to the building where he and Betsy had been living for the last few months, and quickly went up to where Betsy waited for him. He burst through the door and his wife flew into his arms.
“What was Lucretia doing here?” she asked between his kisses.
“Long story,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “Lupo’s idea of a joke, no doubt. But talking about Lucretia is the last thing I want to do right now after I had to tolerate her all day. How did everything go?”
Betsy paused, not sure she wanted to tell Gabriel about her experience as she went through customs. She didn’t want him to worry over it, since it was highly unlikely that Lupo would stop sending her and she didn’t want to start an argument between her husband and the crime lord. In the end, she opted not to bring it up.
“About the same as usual,” she answered with a sigh. “I made it through the checkpoint in one piece, went to my room, wolfed out, ate a couple of bloody steaks, and watched a vampire movie just to amuse myself.”
“Oh, really? And what did the vampire do that amused you so, ma bella?” asked Gabriel with a smirk.
“Oh, you know, the usual,” she said with a grin. “Bit the cute chick on the neck and then proceeded to ravish her quite thoroughly.”
“My Betsy, why do you watch such rubbish?” he asked as he stepped behind her. “You know full well that vampires do not exist.”
“Of course they don’t,” she chuckled. “And even if they did, what would I want with one of them when I have a perfectly good werewolf to warm my bed?”
“But if you want me to bite your neck, now that is something I could do well enough,” he teased, nipping her below the ear, but above the shoulder, and making her squeal.
“Hmm, this is getting interesting. Should I invite you to enter my domicile?” she wanted to know.
“A whole lot of good that would do, since I’m already in it, and it’s also my domicile,” Gabriel pointed out.
“Spoilsport,” she chastised him, making him laugh again.
“I’m about to make it up to you, mi amore,” he said as he lifted her into his arms and swiftly carried her into the bedroom and over to their bed. Betsy laid back into the pillows and Gabriel rained kisses all over her body as he crept up to find her lips with his. “Shall I bite your neck again?”
“I’m sure you could think of something better to nibble,” Betsy said huskily.
“Plenty,” he agreed. “Shall I demonstrate a few of them?”
“Please,” she said.
Gabriel’s tongue darted out to taste her lips as his hands came up to massage her sensitive breasts. She moaned softly at the touch, and squirmed beneath him, wrapping her legs around his knees to bring his pelvis more fully into contact with her own. Gabriel groaned at the contact, and thrust against her in response.
�
��Betsy!’ he hissed against her lips, setting up a steady rhythm.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to grow impatient with the clothing that impeded their progress, and mutually they began removing them.
First the shirts, then his pants, and her skirt and undergarments, followed by his. When they were satisfied that not one stitch of clothing remained to bother them, they settled back into their former position with satisfied smiles.
“I want to be inside you, woman,” Gabriel told her.
“Yes!” she insisted hotly.
He was inside her within seconds, and the two moved together with passionate abandon. At first they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. They gripped and pulled and tugged at each other in a frenzy of lust.
But then somehow the exchange became much more tender. They slowed their movements and their lovemaking became more of an embrace and less of a desperation.
“I love you so much, my wife,” Gabriel told her, and tears of happiness pricked at the corners of Betsy’s eyes.
“I love you, too,” she answered softly.
They moved together for what seemed like hours, just savoring the moments they were sharing together. And when they finally decided it was time to get back to business, it was with a much greater passion than it had been before. Their voices mingled together, growing louder as they continued to move. By the time they were done, they probably could have been accused of shaking the rafters of the old building in which they lived, and one of the neighbors was pounding on the wall.
“Would you shut up in there? Some of us actually have to get up in the morning!”
They smirked at each other as they stared at the wall, and then they got comfortable in the bed and pulled the covers over them, ready for some sleep.
“Don’t you ever miss your home, Gabriel?” Betsy wanted to know.
“I miss my hot tub,” he admitted.
“Don’t you mean your hot pool?” she teased him.
The Real Italian Alphas Page 8