I growl, which only causes his lips to turn up into a wider smile. I watch as he pulls my phone out of his pocket, finding Gavino’s number. Then without a word he holds the device to my ear.
“Talk to me,” Gavino demands.
“A Mister Moreno would like an official meet,” I state.
“Will you be there?” he asks.
“Make it happen.”
Moreno removes the phone from my ear and places it against his own. His eyes stay focused on mine. They’re cold, dead, utterly lifeless as he nods watching me.
“Casino in two hours. We will be there, oh and Gavino?” he calls. “I have a trained man on your wife. She’s a pretty little thing, I’d hate for anything to happen to her.”
He ends the call, powering my phone down before he shoves it in his pocket. “I’ll let them scramble for a couple of hours while we wait. It’s funny how you Italians think that you own the world, when in reality, you aren’t fucking shit,” he hisses. “You’re lower than the dog shit on my shoe.”
“Then why do you need us and why do you want in on our operation?” I ask.
He shakes his head with a smirk. “I want it because I want to own the world, Zanetti. I want every single person on this earth ready to do as I wish, at the drop of a hat. Do you know how hard that makes a man? Being that powerful?” he asks.
I could give a fuck.
I have no doubt that he has some kind of god complex, that it’s exhilarating to have that much power, men wouldn’t kill for it if it weren’t. However, I have zero desire to have that shit. I want to live a good life, with my woman and my baby as the Underboss that I am.
My quest in life is not to be the most powerful man in the graveyard.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
ELENORA
Gavino is on the phone in the corner of the room, his eyes focused on me, but I don’t think he’s seeing anything really. They practically glitter as red rage creeps up his neck and cheeks. I watch in horror as he roars and throws his phone across the room. It shatters into pieces, teeny tiny pieces.
Mia takes a step toward him, but he only holds his palm up to stop her as his chin drops and his eyes close. I watch as he attempts to compose himself. Right now, he is not a Boss, right now he is a cousin and a friend. He’s worried, just like the rest of us are.
His head jerks up and his eyes find mine. “Meeting in two hours. I want you by my side to ensure that you’re safe.”
I gulp, choosing to keep my lips pressed close together as I nod. Gavino turns his gaze toward Carlo. “I want you to go to my house. He has eyes on my Ciana. You know where the safe room is, yeah?”
“I do,” Carlo agrees.
I didn’t even know they had a safe room, holy shit, this is serious. I mean, I knew it was serious, but this is real—really real. My stomach clenches in fear. Carlo’s fingers wrap around my shoulder and he gives me a small shake. I break my gaze from Gavino and turn to look at him.
“You will be okay. Gavino won’t let anything happen to you. When this is done, it will be nothing but a bad dream.”
Without another word, his hand falls from my shoulder and he quietly disappears. I look down at my feet before inhaling a deep breath, then lift my eyes to Gavino’s.
“Tell me, what is really going on,” I demand.
“Not your concern,” he grinds out.
Mia clears her throat, thankfully Chloe is quiet in the background, but Gavino crosses his arms over his chest and braces wide as his eyes flick from Mia to me. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes focused on Mia when she clears her throat a second time.
“We have the right to know what’s going on, especially me,” she says.
Gavino looks as if he’s going to stand firm, but something changes. I watch as his face softens and his arms drop from his chest, dangling to his sides.
“It’s their terms. They’re dangerous for us, for the girls, for the famiglia.”
I don’t understand his words, but Mia must. She lifts her hand to her lips and lets out a small whimper. “You can’t let anything happen, Gavino.”
“I won’t. I need to speak to Kade, you stay here with Luca. All of you.”
Without another word I watch as he turns his back to us and marches out of the room. I don’t know what will happen next, but Mia seems to be worried, and that scares the absolute shit out of me.
“Mia?” I call out.
She turns to me, her eyes wide and full of fear. “He’ll protect us, Lenora. Don’t worry.” She looks scared fucking shitless. How can I not worry?
GAVINO
The second time I attempted to extract information out of Kade was fruitless. Now that I have his women loaded onto a plane and their arrival here will be soon, I am hoping he can give me some more information.
Plus, I have a name now.
“What do you know about a man named Moreno?” I shout as I walk into the room.
Kade is strapped to a St. Andrew’s cross. Usually I like seeing a naked woman strapped to the cross, however, seeing a naked Kade does nothing for me. He isn’t bleeding, yet, although he has been whipped a few times in an attempt to get information out of him. Torture gets turned the fuck up at this point.
As soon as I mention Moreno’s name, he lifts his head and his eyes widen as they focus on me. “No,” he breathes.
“I have your women on my private plane. They will be here shortly. Moreno is wishing to meet me in two hour’s time. He has my cugino, my Underboss, and he’s threatening my wife. I am sure that you can understand how that shit makes me feel?”
“Fuck,” he clips.
“No goddamn shit.”
He lets out a sigh, his head hanging for a moment before he lifts his eyes back up to me. “You weren’t supposed to get into the middle of it, Gavino. None of you.”
“Yet here we all are. So please, stop fucking around. I’m not going to attempt to extract information. I’m just going to fucking kill you.” I shrug.
“Probably be better if you did,” he mutters.
“Probably.”
“My women are safe?” he asks.
“For now.” I nod.
“Moreno came to me with the commissioner, Robinson. They had a plan, I didn’t agree. I tried to pacify them, but they wouldn’t stop.”
“Buying and using his supply?”
“Pacification,” he mutters. “They want women, sex slaves and trafficking shit along with gold. They also want the famiglia destroyed, along with the Russians and Irish. Moreno wants to rule the underground.”
I clear my throat. “Sounds about right for a man like him. I’ll end him in the meet.” I shrug.
“He’ll have a man on your wife.”
I grin. “She will be safe. Besides, I won’t end him by my own hand. I’m not that stupid.”
“Who?”
I arch a brow and his eyes widen. “You take him out, someone else will slip right into his spot.”
“As is the way of our world, Kade. Don’t you know that?”
“Fuck,” he hisses.
I smile, because I know that at least most of this shit will be done in the next two hours. Moreno will be dead before the end of today. There is no way that I can let a man kidnap my Underboss, threaten my wife and the entire famiglia and live, no matter who the fuck he is.
ARLO
My body is dragged from the hideaway place Robinson and Moreno had me stashed to a car, then from the car to the casino with zero fanfare. My shoes drag, scuffing the Italian leather to a point where they are now completely unwearable. It pisses me off, but I have no doubt that both men will answer for that sin and a handful of others before this day is through.
Moreno holds one of my arms, Robinson the other. As soon as we’re inside the casino and taken to our meeting point, which oddly enough is the middle of the gambling floor, I’m dropped. I land on my knees with a groan. My hands are tied at the wrist behind my back, my head slumps forward and I breathe.
“Releas
e my Underboss,” Gavino’s loud voice booms.
“In due time,” Moreno drawls.
Lifting my head, my gaze connects to Gavino’s hard one. His jaw clenches and I smirk when I see a muscle twitch in his cheek. He is fucking pissed.
“Benicio,” he calls out, lifting his hand as he motions for the man.
Benicio appears, his gait slow and easy, but his eyes are glittering with raw anger. “Boss,” he murmurs.
“This man, he’s the one you saw coming and going from Kade’s?” Gavino asks. Benicio nods, affirming Gavino’s question. “Good.”
Gavino lifts his hand again and I blink in surprise to see a bruised Kade being dragged into the room, much the way that I was. Kade’s gaze lifts to mine and his eyes look almost haunted as he stares back at me.
“What’s this?” Robinson asks.
“This is what I am offering you.”
“You think this man is useful?” Robinson snorts.
“I think that he’s more useful than you’re letting on, at least you believe that he is. Plus, I have it on good authority that the Beasts won’t deal with anyone else. So, even when this meeting is finished, how will you get your supply to me? Considering you want me to continue to sell your shit.”
Robinson curses behind me, but Moreno just hums. “I like you Gavino Santoro,” Moreno announces. “I think we will have a good partnership. Robinson, let Arlo go. Bring me Kade,” he demands.
Robinson tugs my arms back farther than he needs, causing me to wince as he cuts my binding off. Once I’m free, I stand to my feet at the same time Kade does. Walking past him, he gently shoulder checks me, whispering when he does.
“I got your back.”
I don’t know what’s about to happen, but if I know Gavino, I know that something is most definitely about to go down. Walking up to Vino, I turn around just in time to see two of our soldiers bringing in three naked women. They’re Kade’s women, the submissives that I personally delivered to El Paso, Texas for him.
“They are not part of this,” Kade grinds out.
Gavino makes a tsking sound. “They are here for protection, for themselves, and for the famiglia,” he warns.
My body aches with the gun butt I took to the head, combined with whatever the fuck is going on right now. The women look scared, terrified actually. All three of them are focused on Kade and nowhere else. Kade, however, is completely focused on Gavino. I watch as he lifts his chin, slightly, then turns to face Robinson and Moreno.
“Your plan was fucked from day one,” Kade announces. Moreno’s head jerks and he shifts his attention from Gavino to Kade.
“I don’t see how it was since I’m standing right here, about to get everything that I want. What are you so upset about, Kade? You’ll still get your cut of the women’s sales.”
Gavino growls, but Kade shakes his head slightly. Moreno is playing us, playing everyone or at least he thinks that he is.
Merda, this shit is ridiculous.
Kade and Moreno are facing off in a battle of speaking in riddles.
Holding out my hand toward Gavino, I wait for him to place his gun in my palm. He does so with a chuckle. Marching over to the two men. I raise the gun and quickly fire one bullet in Moreno’s head and the other in Robinson’s.
“We already have a dead senator and a dead socialite on our hands, what’s one Commissioner of Port Authority?” I snap.
Gavino barks out a laugh. Kade turns to me, his eyes wide and if I’m not mistaken, full of fear. “They have a hit on Luciana if Moreno doesn’t check in after a certain time.”
“You could have led with that goddamn shit,” Gavino roars.
Kade shakes his head. “I was planning on waiting until he made the call to cancel it before I killed him. I couldn’t tell you because I needed this to go off without Moreno being suspicious.”
Dropping the gun, I reach for Kade. Wrapping my hands around his neck, I start to squeeze the life from his body. I only stop when I’m forced, when six small hands tug at my arms and pull me off of him.
My chest is heaving as I stare down at Kade who is now on his knees, coughing and gasping for breath. Looking over, I see that the people who pulled me away are none other than Kade’s women. They shift their gazes to the ground, obviously scared that I’ll hurt them for protecting their master and lover.
“I’m not angry, not with you,” I speak softly.
“Arlo,” Lenora’s voice screams.
Slowly, I turn around and see her. She’s frozen, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide in surprise. I don’t know if she’s shocked that she screamed or by my appearance, or maybe it’s the naked women next to me? I don’t question it. My feet move before my brain can catch up with what’s happening.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her against me, crushing her body against my chest and burying my face in her neck. Inhaling her scent, I close my eyes and hold her. Thankfully, her arms wrap around my shoulders and she holds me right back.
“Merda,” I whisper. “I’m sorry, tesoro. I’m sorry for everything. I lied to you, I betrayed you. I hurt you. I’m so fucking sorry. I’ll spend my entire life making it up to you, just like I said I would, I vow it,” I ramble.
Her body shakes as she begins to sob. I don’t know what’s going on around me. I don’t know what the future will hold, and I don’t give a fuck either. Elenora is my world, she is everything to me and I will do whatever it takes to keep her and my baby safe, even kill for them.
“I love you,” I rasp.
“I love you so much, Arlo. I forgive you, for everything,” she cries.
We stay that way, for an embarrassingly long amount of time, but I don’t give a single goddamn fuck. Holding her in my arms is what my body was made for.
Elenora was never supposed to be mine, not this way, but she is and I plan on never allowing her to regret it another day for the rest of her life
Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
ELENORA
I hum as I use the box cutter to open the brand-new box that’s just been delivered to the shop. I never thought that I would do this again, be inside of my lingerie store. It’s not the same location, that place is still a blackened hole.
My new store is just minutes from our apartment in the East Village, it’s clean and nice, plus within walking distance from our place. I just couldn’t open up in Brooklyn, but Arlo has been trying to talk me into expanding to a second location.
The phone rings just as I finish opening the package. I smile at the light blue lace that is stacked high in the box. I can’t wait to pull each piece from the plastic packages and hang them up.
“Hello?”
“Tesoro,” Arlo’s voice murmurs on the other end of the line.
He sounds distracted, but still sinfully sexy. I inhale, setting the box cutter down and lean my hip against the counter, biting the corner of my lip as I picture him from this morning. I woke up as he was walking out of the shower, only one of our large fluffy towels wrapped around his waist.
“Are you there?” he asks. Clearing my throat, I apologize for not paying attention. “I wanted to know if you were almost finished wrapping up for the day. I want to take you to an early dinner,” he explains.
I frown, looking at the small clock at the bottom of my computer. It’s only three in the afternoon. My stomach growls at the exact moment and then suddenly, I have the urge for garlic bread, meatballs, and ricotta stuffed shells and milk. Don’t ask me why, I don’t question the cravings when they come, especially since I don’t have much of an appetite most of the time.
“Italian?” I ask.
“Meatballs, ricotta, pasta, and bread. Of course, Lenora,” he chuckles.
“I’ll be ready. Come by and get me?”
“You know that I will. Fifteen minutes?”
I agree and begin to quickly hang up the pretty blue lacy numbers. My grand opening is in two weeks and everything is almost in place and ready. Sugar Cookies is going to
come back bigger and better from its abuse.
Just like Arlo promised, he’s paid Luca back for the initial loan for the then new product that was destroyed. And, just as I promised, I wrote Arlo a check once my payout from my insurance policy came in.
This store is, and will always be, a labor of my love and dedication. I can’t let him fund it, or anyone else. I wouldn’t be the woman that I am without this as my own little slice of heaven.
Granted, he’s helped me tremendously by not allowing me to pay a penny for rent, or any household bills. But, the store is still all me, and hopefully soon, it will thrive again.
A knock on the glass door causes me to turn my head, looking over my shoulder to see the man of my thoughts and dreams standing just outside. He has his hands shoved in his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his lips and expensive sunglasses covering his eyes. I know that he’s watching me though, I can feel his gaze heat my entire body.
Sliding the hanger on the metal rack, I turn my body and head toward the door. I don’t have much in my closet that fits me anymore, so today I’m wearing a light pink shift dress that allows me to breathe, and a pair of gold strappy low-heeled sandals.
I watch as Arlo drops his cigarette to the ground before he grinds his heel down, ensuring that the flame is completely extinguished. Reaching for the door, I unlock it before I tug it open. He quietly slips inside, turning the key to lock us in.
“Everything okay? I just need to grab my purse,” I say with a small frown tugging on my lips.
His face is completely impassive. I gasp when he reaches down, wrapping his hands around my waist and gently picks me up off of the ground. With his expressionless features, I didn’t expect this. My legs dangle in the air as he marches toward the back of the shop.
There isn’t much of a back room, and the small broom closet is what I use as my office space. There’s a tiny desk and not much else in the room. Before I realize what’s happening, my ass is planted on my small desk and Arlo completely invades my space.
Becoming his Mistress: A Zanetti Famiglia Novel Page 29