Marzia's father shakes his head before spitting at my father's feet. "You're an idiot, Bruno Bernardi. You will pay for this crime in blood. Do you really want your family erased from the planet? Every last shred of Bernardi pride wiped away like you're worth fucking nothing?"
"You make big threats for a man who's got a gun pointed to his head," father smirks.
"You're a dead man," Marzia's father hisses. "Once the Donatis find out about this, you're a dead man fucking walking!"
"I already am," father laughs, emptying the gun into De Luca's patriarch's forehead.
Marzia screams and so does her mother, but I pay it no mind. My bambina's body collapses to the ground and she hammers her little fists against the blood-stained marble floor as her father's lifeless body hits the ground. I pull my gun out too, approaching father.
"Did you really have to kill him in front of her?" I hiss at him. "She's going to hate me for that."
"This doesn't concern you," father grunts in response. "It goes beyond your childish obsession with that girl. This means war."
Without looking away from me, he fires another bullet into Marzia's mama's brain. Another lifeless body hits the floor with a thud. The sound of Marzia's horrified screams rings out through the great hall. I rub my temples, spitting on the body of someone I don't recognize on the ground. I'll need to work on Marzia forgiving me.
I turn around just in time to see her get up, rushing to get her bearings. She takes off down the hallway and father points the gun at her.
"Are you fucking insane?" I demand, slapping his hand away. "Don't you fucking dare."
"She's a liability," he growls. "She's better off dead and we both know it."
"She's the reason we're here," I get out through gritted teeth.
"That's what you think." Father laughs before pointing his men up the stairs. "We lost Donati. Find him. Now."
"No," I reply firmly. "I'm going after Marzia."
"You will do as you are told, Adrian."
"I told you," I grind out. "My priority is the girl. If you want to enact your childish fucking vendetta, go ahead. You already killed everyone she holds dear to her heart. She'll never love me after what you've done."
"Love?" Father laughs out loud. "You're too fucking naive for you own good, Adrian. But go after her, if you must. Just trust me on one thing - that girl will never love you. For her, you are now the enemy. And that will never, ever change."
His words ring out in my ears as I set down the hallway, eager to catch Marzia before she makes it too far. I see the hint of her pink glittery dress as she runs, kicking off her heels, bare feet hitting marble as she does her best to put some distance between herself and me. But she'll never be fast enough. I've waited my whole life to capture her, and I'm not giving up now.
I finger the chain with her nonna's wedding ring in my pocket as I come up behind her. I snatch her arms and force her to stop. She's sobbing, tears running down her face along with her perfectly painted on mascara. She whips around to face me and roars like a lioness.
"You killed them! You killed my parents!"
"Well, technically, my father did-" Her slap hits me out of nowhere. But before she can retreat her hand, I've grabbed her by the wrist and I'm staring down at her with a cold expression. "You just made a grave mistake, bambina. Never hurt the hand that fucking feeds you."
"I'm not letting you come near me ever again," she spits out in disgust. "You ruined my life! You took everything away from me! I will never not hate you."
So, my father's words come true. But her vehemence as she says them only makes me more determined to make Marzia submit. One day, she will kneel for me. Until then, I will enjoy breaking her mind thought by fucking thought until she's eager to get on her knees for me.
"You ever hit me again like that," I tell Marzia. "I will punish you."
"What are you going to do?" she snarls. "Cut off my fingers?"
"Maybe I'll cut your pretty hair instead." I grab her mane of dark hair, twirling my fingers in it. "Maybe I'll cut it all off. Maybe I'll take away your food. You don't know what real pain feels like until you haven't eaten for days, bambina. Maybe I'll take all the pretty things you love, too. The dresses, the shoes. I'll take everything and watch you go mad in a locked cell."
"You're a monster."
"I'm the monster you're going to fucking marry," I hiss at her. "And don't you ever fucking forget that."
She resists me then, fighting wildly to break free of my touch, but there's no fucking way I'm letting her. Instead of allowing her to break free, I simply throw her over my shoulder and carry her kicking and screaming body back to the main hall where I run into father again.
"Did you find that Donati bastard?" I bark at him, and he shakes his head. "Damn it. How could you let him escape?"
"Calm down," father grunts. "Everyone's fucking dead. His father, his brothers. He's on his own now."
Marzia fights me so much I'm forced to put her down, holding her arms behind her body. When she comes face to face with my father she snarls an insult at him, then spits at his face. But father merely laughs. I know he's going to have his own ideas about punishing her later though, and he's nowhere near as lenient as I am.
"Poor little rich girl," he mocks her. "Lost everything, did you? Where's your fucking cazzo fiancé hiding, huh, Marzia?"
"I don't know," she hisses. "And even if I did, I would never tell you. Murderer!"
"I saved you," father tells her pointedly. "Did you really want to marry Donati?"
Marzia's silence speaks for itself and father and I exchange knowing looks.
"She'll calm down," I say.
"I can speak for myself," Marzia spits out.
"Well, maybe you fucking shouldn't." I put my palm over her mouth. "Be quiet before you get her in more trouble. Any other complications?"
I address my last question at father, and he grunts in response. "The girl's brother was out of the country."
"Fuck," I mutter. I feel Marzia's shoulders sag with relief as she realizes she isn't quite as alone as she thought all this time. "If he partners with Donati, we have a rebellion on our hands."
Father shrugs. "It's nothing we can't handle. We took down families, dynasties tonight. We can handle two boys with guns."
I remember Vitto in the docks then. How eager he was to prove himself in front of Marzia. How determined he seemed to humiliate me, put me in my place in front of the girl we both liked. He won't take this easily, he'll be thirsty for revenge, and I'm assuming the same thing with Marzia's brother. I know I would be if some reietto dared hurt any member of my family.
But I knew that before I arranged for him to be out of the country tonight.
Father stalks off to deal with one of his men as I twirl Marzia around until she's facing me.
"Your brother is alive," I tell her.
"Small miracle that is," she snarls. "At least you couldn't touch him, you bloodthirsty piece of-"
"Marzia," I interrupt her. "He's alive because of me."
Her eyes narrow. She's unsure, but I can tell she wants to believe me. There's a part of the little girl I met that day on the docks still in her, and she's eager to trust me, to do as she's told. "What are you talking about?"
"I made up some problem he'd have to deal with on the mainland," I shrug. "He's in Rome, right?"
She nods tentatively. "Why did you do that?"
There are so many answers I want to give her, so many words I could say - all of them revolving around my obsession for her, my need to own her. I settle for shrugging and muttering, "I didn't want you to be alone. I've been alone before and I know how terrible it feels."
"You knew your father would kill my parents," she breathes. "Why didn't you warn me?"
"It needed to happen this way." I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear but she avoids my touch like the plague. I've hurt her so deeply, I don't know if there's any coming back from the mess I've created. "Otherwise we'd never be able to be to
gether. Your parents would never allow it."
"That's not reason enough to kill them." Her voice is nothing but a hiss. My confession hasn't done anything except piss her off more.
"Don't make me regret doing something nice for you," I hiss.
"You're an idiot, Adrian Bernardi," she says in response. "Don't you think my brother will want revenge? Don't you think he'll do everything in his power to avenge our family?"
"Of course I do." I fight the urge to touch her again, forcing myself to keep my hands off her. "But it was worth it. It is worth it. Because it means I get you."
"I'm not some trinket you get to keep," she goes on. "I'm not a prize or an object, I'm a fucking person. And today you destroyed my life. I'll never forgive you for it. Never."
"Then I'll spend a lifetime trying to make it up to you."
"I don't want that."
"Really?" I smirk, fully back in my dominant role. I'm the boss now. I'm Marzia's owner, her captor. She dances to the melody of my song and nobody else's. "Who says I give a shit about what you want, Marzia? All I care about is getting control over you. And something tells me I have that already."
She remains quiet, glaring at me and refusing to speak. I guess we've made it to the silent treatment portion of the evening. It's really fucking amusing how hard she tries to fight the obvious attraction between us. I want to say so many things to her. Prove to her she never cared about her parents at all, and that I'm all she needs. Instead, I settle for tugging on her arm and dragging her outside where a limousine awaits to take us to her new gilded cage.
"You will love me, Marzia De Luca," I tell her sternly. "I'll make you if I have to, but some day, someday soon, I will hear you tell me you love me despite everything that just happened."
"I'd rather die," she hisses, breaking the silent pact she's made with herself. "You will never own me."
I pull her against me, flattening her body against the door of the limousine as I reach between her legs again.
"Stupid bambina," I mutter with a smirk. "You're forgetting I already do..."
8
Marzia
I will never stop hating Adrian Bernardi.
The man ruined my life and he seems intent on continuing to do that for the rest of it. My parents are dead, God only knows what he did to my brother, and my fiancé-to-be has barely escaped with his life.
Once upon a time, I thought I could love Adrian Bernardi. Now I know it was the foolish thinking of a little girl who wanted to see the best in people. But there's nothing good about Adrian—he's a monster.
I am shown from one gilded cage to another, led from the massacre at my parents’ house to the luxurious quarters of the Bernardi family. My head hangs low as I'm led from the shiny black limousine to the Bernardi Estate. I am a prisoner here, and if they expect me to act happy about this, they're in for a big disappointment.
Still, I can't help sneaking a glance at my surroundings. The Bernardi Estate is enormous. There is a huge main building with a few smaller ones surrounding it for the caretaker, the gardener, and the help. There's also a guest house. Plenty of security guards are scattered around the house, glaring at the car as we enter. This place is like a prison—impossible to escape. They needn't put bars on my windows, because there's no way I'll ever get out of here.
Adrian walks next to me silently, his head held high and his lips pursed as he leads me into the house. There are several maids in the lobby chattering to one another, but everyone goes deathly still and quiet as Adrian and I enter the room. I feel their heavy gazes following me, judging my actions with every step I take. I will be scrutinized here—everything from my appearance, to the way I act and the way I hold myself looked at, examined, and looked at under a microscope.
Still, the house is impressive. It doesn't scream of new money like I'd anticipated. My family home is old, has been in the family for generations, and is starting to slowly fall apart. But not the Bernardi Estate. This place has been groomed, polished and perfected within an inch of its life. It's like being in a museum, the impression made even stronger by the expensive art that decorates every wall in the building. A grand marble staircase leads to the upper floor of the building, and a heavy crystal chandelier hangs over the grand hall, imposing with its thousands of crystals.
Anyone else would be delighted to be in the presence of such stunning beauty. But not me. I can't wait to leave this place and have my revenge on the Bernardis for what they did to me.
"I will show you to your new room," Adrian informs me.
I purse my lips, refusing to give him an answer.
Instead of pissing him off, it only seems to amuse him, and he smirks as he leads me up the stairs.
I'm not wearing handcuffs but I might as well be. I feel the invisible pull of the chain tying my ankles and wrists together tugging on my limbs as I walk. My heart pounds, wondering whether I'll ever be able to break free of this place. I want to keep my hopes up, but I'm starting to doubt my own ability to escape Adrian's prison. I'm his property now—he already told me as much.
He leads me down several long hallways until he finally comes to a stop in front of a double white door.
It doesn't escape me that there's a lock on the outside of the door, making me scoff.
If he notices my anger, Adrian doesn't acknowledge it, instead calmly opening the double doors and inviting me to follow him inside.
On the inside, there's not just a room there's a small apartment. We enter a beautiful salon with powder pink velvet furniture. Every surface here is covered in rich, light oak wood, beautiful grey marble and gold accents. It's stunning. But I've already resigned to hate every inch of this place, and I refuse to acknowledge the luxurious surroundings Adrian's going to keep me captive in. Instead, I walk through the arch into the bedroom which has a stunning, huge bed with a beautiful velvet headboard. A chandelier hangs above the bed. The furniture is beautiful, feminine, and expensive. There's a pink marble bathroom to the right, and the views of the sea are stunning from up here. I don't acknowledge any of those things, instead quietly sitting down on the bed and glaring at Adrian as he approaches me.
I half-anticipated rose-colored bars on the windows, but there are none. Probably because both Adrian and I know, jumping from a window would result in one thing only—my untimely death.
"I hope you like your new home," Adrian tells me with a smirk. "You will be staying here indefinitely."
"Not if I have anything to do with it, stronzo," I mutter under my breath.
This earns me a strict look from the man who now owns me. "Excuse me?"
"You think you can keep me locked up like an animal?" I hiss at him. "I'll never be happy here. You'll never have me. I'll fight you with everything I have in me before you get to so much as lay a finger on me."
"We'll see." He grins at me as if I've just told a joke.
"You're a murderer," I mutter.
"Actually, I didn't kill anyone." His eyes glitter with mischief as he stands before me. "My father and guards did. Of course, that doesn't change the facts. You're alone, Marzia. You don't have anyone anymore."
"I have my brother," I argue. "And Vitto—"
He doesn't let me finish. He approaches me in two quick steps, making a move to grab me but changing his mind at the last minute. My heart pounds with fear as he pulls his hand back, groaning as he runs it through his dark hair. "Don't say his name in this house," he tells me sternly. "I won't stand for it. I don't want to hear a single word about that piece of merda."
"You're talking about my fiancé," I hiss.
"Oh, I forgot." He laughs in my face. "And you were so very eager to marry him, weren't you Marzia? It would be easier to believe you if you hadn't just leaked your virginity all over my fucking fingers a few hours ago."
"Fuck you," I spit out.
"Oh, you will. Soon enough. Be patient, bambina. Everything, including fucking your pretty little pussy, comes at a price."
"Haven't you already ta
ken enough from me?" I spit out. "You took me away from my family. You killed them in cold blood like they were animals. You took everything from me."
"Only because I want to see you happy." He shrugs carelessly, as if taking my mother and father's lives means nothing to him. "I know you weren't happy in that house, Marzia. The faster you admit it to yourself, the fucking better. Anyway, enough of this fucking chatter. I have a surprise for you." He rings a bell on the wall.
Moments later, the double doors fly open and a young woman is ushered in the room. Actually, she's just a girl. She can't be older than sixteen, with pretty, wide blue eyes and dark brown hair that's neatly tied into a bun. Her skin is olive-toned and her gorgeous eyes flit from me to Adrian with fear. She offers a small bow in our direction.
"Marzia, this is Eleanora," Adrian explains. "She will be your maid."
"Another person you're keeping here against your will?" I argue back, examining the girl. She looks innocent enough, although there's a glint in her eyes I can't quite explain yet. "How old are you, Eleanora?"
She doesn't answer, instead glancing at Adrian.
He merely laughs, walking over to her. "Open your mouth, Eleanora."
Once she does, my stomach falls and my heart skips a beat in fear. Eleanora doesn't have a tongue. She can't speak. "You're a monster," I hiss at Adrian.
"She did it to herself." He shrugs in the way of an answer. "She didn't want to speak after her parents died."
"You probably killed them," I hiss.
"My father."
"You always let your papa do the dirty work for you?"
"Are you going to keep running that tongue until I cut it out for you?" He growls. "You and Eleanora can be just alike, then."
I'm about to snap back, but his eyes fill me with fear, so I swallow my complaint. Instead, I inspect Eleanora who stands awkwardly in the corner of the room. "What am I going to do with a maid, anyway?"
"She'll help you look presentable every day," Adrian explains. "She'll do your hair, help with getting dressed, and help you get ready in the mornings. You'll be having your meals here in your room. Eleanora will bring them to you. She also reports to me, Marzia. So I'll know your every step."
Adrian's Vengeance: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 5