Big Bad Wolf: A Bad Boy Next Door Second Chance Romance

by Frankie Love

  "I-I was cold," I stutter.

  The lion laughs, a horrible, cold sound. "She was cold." He gets up, and before I even get the chance to release my pent up breath, he slaps me across the face. I fall on my back, whimpering out in pain.

  "Looks like this little bitch is trying to seduce one of our own," the rabbit says angrily. They all approach me and I cower on the floor, trying to scoot as far away from them as possible.

  "Leave me alone, please," I beg. My voice is soft and scared. They merely laugh.

  "Looks like he had some fun with you already," the hound realizes. "Look, she's ready for us. And what a pretty little thing she is."

  "Don't hurt me." I'm shivering.

  "Oh, pet." The rabbit grabs a handful of my hair and pulls it so I have to face him. "We're not going to hurt you. We're just going to have some fun. After all, you are a Da Costa, are you not?"

  I'm too stunned to answer. Too afraid to even open my mouth.

  "Strip her," the lion tells the rabbit. The man advances on me and I try hard to get away, but what kind of chance do I really have? There's three of them, and every single one could overpower me with a single movement. I whimper on the floor as the man's gloved hands rip off my bra. My hands shoot up, trying to protect my dignity.

  "Nice tits," the hound remarks, laughing coldly. "Why don't we put some pretty marks on them?"

  "Don't." I'm begging. I thought I was afraid before, with Matteo. I am only now realizing how kind he was to me, given the situation. I wish with all my heart, praying to my god, that he would come back and save me from these monsters.

  Yes, he is dangerous. Yes, he is a killer. But he didn't try to hurt me like them.

  "Don't fucking touch her."

  My eyes flutter open and the rabbit's hand falls away from my shoulders. I'm blinking fast, trying to figure out if my prayers have been answered.

  But it's not Matteo.

  And the person who is standing in the doorway scares me more than any of these three animals.

  The beasts scatter like ants being stomped on by a large leather boot. They leave the room faster than in the blink of an eye, and I'm left alone... alone with the man I fear the most out of them all.

  Angelo Abbate.

  He's an imposing figure. I feel the blood freezing in my veins. I've never felt this exposed.

  He walks closer, inspecting me from every angle. When he's finally had enough, he approaches me and gently lifts my chin with one finger, making me look at him.

  "You look just like her," he tells me in Italian.

  I'm too scared to reply. My eyes are glassy and enormous as I stare into his cold and lifeless ones.

  "W-who?" I finally manage to get out.

  He doesn't reply. Instead, he leaves the room. I start to breathe normally again, but before I can get used to the feeling, he's already back with a wooden chair. He sits down in front of me, his hands clasped in his lap.

  "You realize you're going to die," he says matter-of-factly. My breath catches in my throat. I shake my head no. "Oh, it's not up for debate. You will die. It'll just take a while for me to decide how."

  He cracks his knuckles, wearing a stoic expression on his face. My heart is about to burst right out of my chest. "Your father ruined my life. I've been making him pay for years now."

  I think of all the damage the Abbate family has done to the Da Costas. All the people they've killed over the years. So many sons, so many daughters. So many innocents.

  "Haven't you ever wondered why your father never retaliated?" Angelo Abbate wonders out lout. "Ever thought about the fact that while he tried to protect you all, he never came after me?"

  I think back. Despite the blood-curdling fear in my veins, I'm trying to follow along with the conversation.

  It's true.

  The Abbates have been ruining our lives for more than fifteen years. And while my father fought hard to protect us from harm, our family never retaliated against the Da Costas. I don't know why, and I doubt I will ever find out.

  "Ah, I see the light bulb shining above your head," Abbate mocks me. "Finally figured it out, did you sweetheart?"

  "W-why did he never strike back?" I stutter over my words.

  "Ah. Not as close as I thought." Abbate gives me a curious look. "Your father really kept you in the dark. What a strange thought. I would've thought you knew everything. My children do."

  I give him a blank look and he smiles slowly. "So clueless," he says gently, reaching out for me. I'm too stunned to move away, and he tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

  "Are you going t-to tell me what you're talking about?" I ask in a shaky voice. I'm feeling brave all of a sudden. I need to know what this is all about if I want to come to the bottom of it.

  "No," Abbate says simply. "You'll find out at some point, but not from me."

  With that, he gets up from his chair as abruptly as he sat down on it. He eyes me with interest, like he's wondering about something. It's making me uncomfortable as hell. At least his eyes aren't stripping me naked, like the men before. But it's more inquisitive, and for some reason, it makes me feel even more vulnerable.

  "Sweet dreams, Bianca," Abbate tells me. After a moment's thought, he leans down next to me and presses a kiss against my forehead. I thought I would've recoiled from his touch, but instead, I lean into it. It feels comforting, like the loving kiss of a father. I wonder why he just did that.

  He leaves me in the dark, shutting the door after him when he leaves. I shiver on my spot on the floor, feeling vulnerable and scared.

  After a minute or so, the lights flicker on in the cell. And then I hear him leaving, finally.

  Why did he just do that?

  6

  Matteo

  I haven't been able to get my mind off the imprisoned princess. It's like she's affected every working cell in my body, and every part of me throbs with need when I think of her. But I don't have time for such frivolous fantasies today. I have to meet my father. He has summoned me to his office, and a gut feeling tells me this isn't going to be good.

  I wake up bright and early and do my morning workout. I'm as brutal on my own body as I am on those of my enemies, pushing myself to the edge and then free-falling over it every fucking time. I need to be strong to live with the cards I've been dealt. There is no place for weaklings in the mafia.

  After a cold shower, filled with thoughts of our prisoner, I finally make my way to my father's office in his house. I leave my apartment, itching to get away from the chaotic state it's in. I hate that fucking place. Ever since I moved in years ago, I've felt like I don't belong there at all.

  I drive myself to my father's mansion and let the servants sit me down in the living room. I'm seething. I should be able to walk into my father's office any time I want to, not be made to wait around like I'm some kind of servant. Of course, that is exactly what my father sees my as, and it's not about to change if I throw a petulant fit.

  Twenty minutes later, a silent servant finally shows me into father's study. I walk in there with my shoulders held back and my head raised high. I've learned years ago never to show my father my weak points. It would be too easy for him to strike right where it hurts.

  He is sitting at his desk, a drink in his hand. I don't make a comment about it being too early, and he doesn't raise his eyes to me when I walk in. There is no warmth between us, no real father-and-son relationship. It's all business where my father is concerned.

  Of course, that is not the case with his legitimate sons. Those get all the fucking attention they want - a fact that drives me goddamn crazy. This man will never stop making me feel inferior, and I will never stop wanting his approval.

  "Why did you call me in?" I finally ask after several minutes of uncomfortable silence envelop the room in cloying tension. "Anything I can do for you?"

  My father swirls the drink in his glass, the ice cubes clicking against it. He still hasn't looked at me, not once since I walked through his fucking do
or. I hate him for it, and at the same time, I'm so desperate for his approval it's really quite sad.

  "You went to see her," he says matter-of-factly. I stare at him, knowing exactly what he's talking about, but unwilling to show him that I do.

  "She's going to die," he continues. "There is nothing you can do to stop it or change my mind."

  "Why?" A simple question. And I'm fucking desperate to hear the reason.

  We've been carrying out this revenge against the Da Costas for the better part of two decades, and I just don't understand it. Yes, there is the normal rivalry that happens between two mafia families, but I don't understand why my father doesn't try to make a deal. I know the Da Costas have been desperate to do just that for years now. It's not like they started it - my father is the one who keeps provoking their capo, the one who keeps poking the wasps' nest.

  "None of your goddamn business," my father hisses, setting his glass down with a heavy thud. I almost think it's going to shatter. "Why the fuck are you getting involved in this?" My father wants to know.

  I raise my eyebrows, feeling pissed as fuck. "You involved me," I tell him. "You told me to take her."

  "Yes," he says. "Take her. Hurt her. Kill her. Not touch her. Talk to her. Try to fuck her."

  "I..."

  "Shut the fuck up," he cuts me off angrily. "You're already breaking rules for her. It won't fucking do. She's gonna die one way or the other."

  My fingers are twitching with the need to hit my father. I restrain myself, but barely. I'm so fucking desperate to see a black eye bloom on his face, I can barely hold back. Fucking prick.

  "Why did you call me here?" I ask.

  He gets up from his chair and I'm already expecting another lesson, telling me I've overstepped and I need to watch myself. Instead, my father surprises me by changing the topic completely.

  "There's another hit I need you to make," he says simply.

  I nod. "Fine. Who is it?"

  Talking about human lives in such a manner doesn't even seem wrong. He wants me to kill, I will fucking kill. It's what I was trained to do. I don't even think twice about taking a life anymore. It's become second nature to me.

  My father opens the drawer in his desk and gives me a big envelope. "Open it."

  I take a letter knife from his desk and slice through the envelope. Several pictures fall out and I stare at them in dismay as my father continues to speak.

  "I've made a discovery recently, one that I think no one knows about just yet. You will not speak of this to anyone. You will make the kill, and you will keep it a secret," he tells me. There is no point arguing with him. I can already tell it would achieve nothing.

  "Da Costa has another heir," my father continues. "I have reason to believe even he doesn't know the boy exists."

  I'm staring at the pictures in my lap. A boy, probably nine or so years old. He has a mop of dark hair and dark eyes. He looks like Bianca. The resemblance is uncanny.

  "He lives with his mother on a farm. I don't think she over told Da Costa he gave her a son," my father continues.

  "Another illegitimate child?" I raise my eyes to my father, and he nods simply. It makes my blood boil in my veins. Why the fuck is he so nonchalant about this? Da Costa treats every child of his like his goddamn family, and here I am, trying to fight for the chance to call this man my father. Fuck this shit.

  "Why do you want him dead?" I ask.

  He shuffles with some papers on his desk, not bothering to look up at me. It's making me furious. I don't understand how he can treat me like this... like I mean absolutely nothing to him. Like I'm worth less than a piece of trash.

  "You will make sure he does not see another day," my father continues, as if I'd never spoken up. "I've already arranged for your travel and accommodations. You leave tonight. I expect you to be back first thing tomorrow morning."

  "With innocent blood on my hands?" I ask pointedly. He gives me a confused look, and I jump up from my seat. The pictures scatter on the floor around me. "Fuck this shit. I'm not doing it."

  "Matteo." My father's tone carries a warning. "Don't object. It's what has to be done."

  "I'm not killing a child." We stare at each other, having a proper stand-off. I've done a lot of nasty shit in my life, but I'm not going to let my father convince me a young child deserves to die. I don't care about the sins of his father. This child is innocent. And I'll take no part in this cold-blooded murder.

  "I'm leaving," I tell my father. I turn to walk away, changing my mind at the last second. I look at him over my shoulder, my eyes full of hate. "And if you think I'm staying away from Bianca, you're fucking wrong."

  "You dare defy me?" His voice is a powerful roar. A man with any sense would be quaking in his boots, but I merely stare my father down defiantly. "You will not see her. If you do, you will both be punished."

  Thoughts of Bianca being beaten consume me, making a fire rage in my insides. Before I can really understand what I'm doing, I've jumped at my father like a wild animal.

  I have him pinned against the wall, his face getting redder by the second. "Don't fucking mess with me," I growl at him. "And don't mess with her, either."

  Instead of being intimidated by me, my father merely laughs. He chokes on his words, trying to speak. "You don't establish the rules," he spits at me. "You merely follow them."

  I let him go and he topples to the ground, trying to catch his breath. I don't wait for his response, knowing he'll only follow up with more threats. Instead, I turn my back to him and walk out.

  I know exactly where I'm going. I need to see her again, after last night ended so abruptly. Need to feel her skin. Need to convince myself it's okay to touch her... fuck her. By now I know I won't be able to resist her.

  I walk to the wooded area behind my father's house, not stopping until I've reached the clearing. The bunker appears to be unguarded, so I climb down there. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I hear voices, realizing neither I nor Bianca are alone. Rage fuels me, anger boiling inside me and reaching a dangerous new high.

  I storm inside the cell.

  Three large bodies mask my view. I recognize them instantly - I've done enough shit with each of them to know those brutal expressions, the hardened fists, the scarred faces. They're Antonio, Pietro, and Francesco. Our killer team of three brothers, who've always got each others' backs. Except right now they don't see too interested in protecting themselves, but are instead blocking my view from our pretty little captive.

  "Move," I bark, and they startle at the sound of my voice. They're wearing masks, but I'm past the point of caring - Bianca's seen me already. I push Pietro to the side and walk up to her. She's curled up on the floor in a fetal position.

  "What the fuck did you do?" I growl at the brothers. Bianca's not moving. My heart is pounding. My fists are about to do the same. "Did you hurt her? Did you motherfuckers lay your hands on my goddamn girl?"

  I grab Antonio by the collar of his black shirt, since he's the one standing closest to me. I want to rip his throat out, and I'm about to do just that when his brothers pull me off.

  "Calm the fuck down, Matteo!" Antonio hisses at me, rubbing his throat. "She's goddamn sedated, not dead."

  Another glimpse at Bianca reveals she's breathing. Low, shallow breaths move her chest, but only slightly. Easy to miss. But she is breathing.

  "Why?" I growl at the three men.

  "Abbate's orders," Francesco explains. "We need to transport her."

  "Where?"

  Pietro looks nervous. "We're not supposed to tell you."

  "Oh, and you're going to start playing this by the book now?" I snarl at them. I could rip all their fucking tongues out if I had to. I can't believe they were alone with my girl. "Anyone touch here?"

  Silence.

  I stalk from one of them to the other, ripping off their masks one by one. They look scared as fuck, but it's obvious they haven't laid their filthy hands on my Bianca yet. Not that they didn't mean to - I probably ju
st caught them at the wrong time.

  "This one's mine," I tell the three of them. "Hands. Fucking. Off."

  "Whatever."

  "Fuck you, Matteo."

  "Eat a bag of dicks."

  "Get lost," I tell them. "I'm taking over."

  Pietro looks like he's about to object, but I glare at him until he shrugs. They're technically all supposed to follow my orders, unless they get some from a higher superior - meaning, my father. I assume seeing the blood red rage in my eyes made them change their minds.

  I usher them out of the room and wait until they climb the ladder to the outside. Then, I return back to the cell. Bianca's still unconscious. At least there's some food scattered around here, sandwiches and soda, crap like that. So that means they fed her before drugging her... Probably put the sedatives in her food, and she just ate it like a good little pet. So fucking naive.

  She looks vulnerable as fuck on the floor, and for some reason, it makes me feel like shit. I've never particularly cared about the prisoners we've had down here, but she's different. She makes me throb with the need to protect her.

  I try to talk myself out of it, but in the end, it's too late. I dress her in the dirty dress she was wearing last night, her limbs limp like a doll's. I throw her lifeless body over my shoulder. She weighs fucking nothing, so damn light she almost feels unreal in my arms.

  I don't hesitate, because I know it will only change my mind. It may be spurred by the fight with my father, or it might be the guys trying to take advantage of her. If I'm perfectly honest though, it's the sight of her tanned thighs... the soft skin of her throat moving with every breath. The way her hair brushes her tits, almost exposed in that thin scrap of fabric she calls a bra.

  I climb the ladder with Bianca in my hands. I make sure no one's fucking watching, and then I carry her the whole damn way to my car. At this point, I don't even give a crap if my father sees us. Let him. She's still a prisoner. But I'll be damned if I'll let her be treated like an animal.

  Laying Bianca down my backseat, I cover her up with a blanket I keep in my car. Simultaneously, I try to forget why the blanket's actually there.