by K. L Hart
“I think we should hit the indoor track next; I want to see if she can beat us!” Lorenzo says as he leans into the buggy on Matteo’s side!
“Oh, I know I can!” I reply, I jump out of the buggy and we all walk to the big warehouse where the go kart track is.
I rev my Kart as I look over to Matteo, I smirk even though I know he can't see it under my helmet. I watch the Lights go from red to red and when it hits green my foot goes down, I shift into second then third then fourth in quick succession and I'm in front! It doesn’t take long for Matteo to pull alongside me we go around the track at high speeds basically neck and neck, I lap Casey at one point and laugh because I know she is pouting! Twenty-nine laps so go and we are on the final lap, I put my foot down and shift in to fifth gear, when I hit the last straight, my foot hits the floor and I shift into sixth shooting me forward and leaving Matteo in the dust! We all park the carts and Matteo stalks towards me as I get out and he stops dead in front of me!
“How?”
“Well, I'm a very talented driver, I used to go driving with Daddy!”
“Not that! How are you just so fucking perfect!”
“I'm not perfect!” I roll my eyes and he grins as he leans in, his mouth brushes my ear,
“Your perfect for me!” My breath hitches and I feel all hot and bothered, Matteo straightens and walks to the rest of the guys. I follow and they all cheer when I approach them which makes me smile.
“Come on let's get takeout and head home!” Sam suggests, I'm starving so that’s a great plan to me!
Chapter Twenty-Four
I stare sadly at myself in the mirror, I look amazing I'm not going to deny that but I wish I didn’t have to do this, with Lorenzo! My hair is flowing down in soft curls, I have light but perfect makeup thanks to Casey and my dress is something out of a fairytale! With the tight bodice, the off the shoulder straps and the huge skirt that flows down into a long train, the whole dress is pure white and is topped in patterned lace, it’s a beautiful subtle design.
“You look breathtaking, baby!” I look over my shoulder to see Matteo in the doorway, I give him a sad smile and he comes towards me and hugs me from behind his chin on my shoulder! “Don't be sad! This is only temporary!”
“I know but I shouldn’t have to do this and neither should Enzo it's all kinds of wrong!”
“I know, but smile, I want you to smile! Try and have some fun today and I will steal you away later!” I nod, he rubs his finger along the necklace he gave me that’s currently around my neck. “I Love you Sienna and I know you love me, not even a fake marriage can take that away from us!” I turn in his arms and he kisses me, I feel a single tear trail down my face, when we break apart, he backs away and I take a steadying breath. I can do this! I will do this! I watch as he leaves the room and Sam appears to replace him.
“Ready?” He asks and I nod.
I walk down the aisle to the beautiful music my arm in Sam’s, Lorenzo is standing at the alter in front of the priest waiting for me and he smiles giving me a bit more courage. I look around and see all the bosses dotted about the huge church which is pristinely decorated in white with colorful flower arrangements everywhere! It really is the perfect wedding. Sam takes my hand and places it in Lorenzo's when we get to the alter, Lorenzo takes my veil and lifts it off my face and smooths it down my back. He leans in to my ear
“You look beautiful!” I smile at him but its forced and he knows it. The sound of guns clicking out of safety has me spinning around in panic! I watch as at least twenty of my men stand in their tux’s and point guns at the other Boss’s. My eyebrows Crease in confusion.
“We found a loophole!” I spin again, to see Matteo looking fine in his tux and approaching the Alter from the side, he shakes hands with his brother before he turns to me. “How do you feel about marrying me instead?” He asks and I fling myself at him my arms going around his neck!
“Well, I'm already in the dress!” I smile and he laughs. We turn towards the priest who looks very uncomfortable but he starts the ceremony. The wedding is rushed and we are done within ten minutes. We have exchanged rings and said our vows to each other and we are now signing the certificate. We have just got legally married in front of two hundred witnesses and the bosses who are still held at gun point! Theres no undoing this! Matteo takes my hand and we walk back down the aisle followed by Sam, Casey, Lorenzo and the guys.
“What now?” I ask as we get outside,
“We have a reception to go to!” We all get into the limo but before we shut the door Uncle Rocco peeks his head in.
“Sienna, be careful, the Boss’s won't be happy about this!” he warns before shutting the door and tapping the roof of the car telling the driver to go. I turn to Matteo,
“What was the loophole?” I ask,
“The original signed contract said you must marry a Nicoletti Male, it didn’t specify which one! You have officially completed the contract!”
“But why not tell me before?”
“We didn’t get confirmation until early hours this morning! We thought it best to keep it between just me and Matteo so there was no way the bosses could find out or plan!” I nod,
“How did you get the paperwork for the marriage changed so fast?”
“We had both copies' drawn at the same time, so mine and Matteos were ready to go! We had been told of the original document weeks ago but we had to make sure before we went through with all for this!” My phone rings from Casey's purse and she hands me it, I see the caller id and put it on speaker.
“Sienna, you need to get to the Casino, the boss’s want to see you and the Nicoletti boys immediately!” Uncle Rocco’s voice sounds panicked.
“We are on our way!” I hang up the phone and Sam talks to the driver.
“I say we put these fucking Boss’s in their place!” I say with a smirk.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lorenzo and Matteo open the double doors to the meeting room, normally I can fit through just the one door but this dress really is big! I sit at the head of the table with a sweet smile gracing my face, the Bosses look either pissed or awkward and Nicoletti looks furious when both his Grandsons stand behind me.
“Sienna, you have not held up your end of the Contract and failed your test of Loyalty, we have no choice but to take action...” I cut De Pont off with a raised palm.
“I have completed my end of the Contract! I have met every term set out in the original document to which my father signed! Isn't that right, Nicoletti?” my voice is strong and confident and all the bosses look at Nicoletti in question, I can see his jaw tense from here and it brings me way too much joy!
“Yes, you have met the terms of the contract!” Nicoletti says through gritted teeth!
“But the document clearly said Lorenzo Nicoletti?” Marino asks confusion in his gaze.
“In the tampered document, the original states I must marry a Nicoletti Male, no specific person!” I clarify and he nods.
“That may be the case but we said your loyalty test would be going through with the marriage to Lorenzo!” De Ponte says.
“I agree, but Loyalty hasn’t been extended to me has it, I have been manipulated by Nicoletti and tricked out of my choice! Why would I prove myself when you bosses will screw me over every chance you get!”
“That is not an excuse!” De Ponte booms and his fist slams against the table.
“I would like to propose a vote! I would like to forgo my loyalty test due to the fact that I have been so poorly disrespected and I would like to propose that Nicoletti has to prove his loyalty to the boss’s including me and I choose his test!”
“I second your proposal!” Marino exclaims.
“Let's vote then, all for Miss Vellucci’s proposal?” De pont says. I raise my hand, so does Marino and Franzoni. I can't help but smile!
“That settles it, what do you want Nicoletti to do?” Marino asks and I smirk.
“I don’t want some silly loyalty test to us a
s bosses I want him to prove his loyalty to the Mafia as a whole! I want you to retire handing over everything to both your grandsons to fix the empire you destroyed! We may be bad guys but I am certain that no one here will agree with your tactics Nicoletti, do they know what you do to infants? Tearing them limb from limb to get what you want? Murdering countless innocents for your own gain! We protect the innocent we keep the evil contained in the underground not unleash it for personal vendettas!”
“You can't do that!” De pont exclaims at the same time Nicoletti growls
“I will do no such thing!”
“Oh, you will, I do not care if I have to shoot you down! You are old and outdated and so are your methods, you disgrace us all and I will remove anyone in the way of making the Mafia’s great again!” I shoot a pointed look to de pont and he backs down.
“I agree with Sienna, step down Nicoletti!” Franzoni warns.
“Oh, thank god! I have wanted your disturbed ass out of the Mafia for years and so did my father, your time is over!” Marino says and I'm shocked at their reactions, I did not expect this!
“Get Sam!” I whisper over my shoulder to Lorenzo. He pops his head out of the door and Sam comes in.
“I will not! You can't do anything to me I'm more powerful than all of you!
“Grandfather! It is time! We are taking over! your reign of terror is ending here and now!” Matteo seethes.
“Sam take Nicoletti and hold him in one of the offices while we finish our meeting and draw up the necessary paperwork!” Sam grabs Nicoletti’s arm and pulls him up.
“Security!” Nicoletti shouts, four men storm the room with their guns raised.
“Stand down!” Lorenzo orders and the Men look torn.
“He is no longer in charge! You answer to us now!” The men lower their guns and I see relief in their eyes.
“You see Nicoletti! Loyalty Is earned not forced through fear!” I say as Sam drags him out of the room.
“You will regret this! All of you!” Nicoletti Seethes just as the door is closed behind him.
“How did it go?” Casey asks as we enter our Wedding Reception, extremely late.
“We won!” I say and she fist pumps the air.
“Yes!” I laugh and pull her into a hug.
“We more than Won! You did the impossible and de throned the evil Grandfather while demanding the respect and loyalty of the other boss’s, you have saved Philadelphia single handedly!” Lorenzo states and I smile.
“So, we are celebrating hard tonight then!” Jay says and we all nod, Harry Zane, and the twins all come over to us.
“We will explain everything tomorrow, but right now I need to dance with my wife!” Matteo says and I squeal when he pulls me to the dance floor. The music changes to a slow song and he puts his hands on my hip and the small of my back. My arms go around his neck and he leads us around the dancefloor.
“I'm so fucking proud of you Sienna!”
“I couldn’t have done it without you! Any of you!” I look over to the others who are watching us with smiles on their faces.
“I Know this was never the plan! I know we should have had more time before marriage but I'm so happy that your mine!” I laugh.
“Well, I suppose you might want to move your stuff in now we are hitched, be a bit weird if you still lived in my hotel!” Matteo chuckles before kissing me sweetly.
“I guess you're stuck with me now!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I wondered when you too were going to come back to life!” Casey exclaims as me and Matteo walk into her office hand in hand,
“We had a staycation as a honeymoon, sue us!” I tease, it's only been three days.
“Is it safe for me to come home now, Sam’s place is way too small for the both of us!” She rolls her eyes and I laugh.
“Yes, you can come home!”
“I better go find Enzo; we have a lot to sort out!” Matteo says kissing me on the cheek. I watch him leave and when I turn back to Casey she is leaning on her desk with a gleam in her eyes.
“What?” I ask,
“So, how’s married Sex? I always imagined it to be slower going than normal!” She asks and I chuckle getting up from my chair and walking towards the door.
“It so gets better, much, much better!” I say and leave the room.
I get through the day and get tons of work done, it helps we can all relax and concentrate on our actual jobs! Everything just feels like it should, much calmer than I have felt since daddy died and I'm happy to say that this is looking like the new normal! Now it's been confirmed the guys are all staying, they have been given job roles, so a load of work has been lifted from my shoulders, we decided that Lorenzo will go back and forth to Philadelphia and deal with everything there while Matteo helps from this side of the country. Their relationship seems to be mending itself and I don’t think they want to break up their team again so soon.
“Hey! Where’s Matty and Enzo?” I say to the guys as they sit around a booth in The Diamond Lounge.
“They are just finishing up a Video call with some of Enzo’s guys in Phillie , they will be here soon, you want a drink?” Kegan asks as he gets up to go to the bar.
“Yeah, I'll have a beer please!” I shrug off my coat and sit next to Jay. “How's everyone's day been?”
“Strangely normal! Its unnerving really!” Zane answers and I laugh,
“Yeah, I know the feeling! It's nice to get some calm normal days in after the doomed Christmas we all just had!” I reply and everyone nods in agreement. Kegan comes back and hands everyone their drinks and we all just chat for a while.
I take the time while I'm here to go over some of the books in my office and I can't complain at the numbers so far. This place is pure profit and it’s making a lot of money, I have already made back everything I spent out on refurbing and staff costs! I expected that to take at least six months! The door opens and Sam walks in,
“We have a problem!” I sigh, normal day normal life is over already!
“What is it?” Sam gives me his phone and I press play on the video, I watch as the whore house is raided and the girls are dragged out one by one and made to kneel on the floor guns to the backs of their heads!
“We want what belongs to us! What was promised to us! Come now Sienna, save your whores!” a thick Russian accent flows through the speaker and then the sound of a gunshot I watch as Miss Cora falls to the floor blood pouring out of the back of her head, bits of her skull scattered around her limp body! “You have one hour!” The Russian adds and the screen goes black!
“Get your men Sam! This is war!”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I watch from a safe vantage point as my men take the Russians down one by one, it really was stupid to come at us with only ten guys, I have a literal Army! My guys leave one alive but take him for questioning and the girls are escorted to the Casino where they will be safe! I fucking hated that whore house anyway, I can offer those girls much better jobs if only they would be willing to get clean of the drugs, I sell them, it is a very difficult circle of shit that I run! But ultimately, it's their life choices! We do drugs to stop bad drugs hitting the street if they weren't getting it off me, they would be getting it off some scumbag who put poison in it, it happened in Montana, it would happen here! I fucking hate having to justify this to myself! But I won't stop the drug trade it is one of the main sources for all the Mafia bosses and can be very lucrative in business deals.
“Sienna, all safe!” Sam’s voice buzzes through the walkie talkie.
“Where’s Matteo and Lorenzo they should have been here by now!” I reply.
“No one can get hold of them!” I walk out of the room I'm currently in and down to the street. I spot Sam giving orders to some of the men and I interrupt.
“What do you mean? They were at the Casino earlier, where are they now?” Sam shrugs.
“Baxter saw them leave about an hour ago and they’re phones are switched off!”
“Maybe we missed them and they are at The Diamond lounge?”
“No, Casey is there, no sign of them!”
“Ok, I'll go home and check there!”
“I'm done here, Henderson is taking over now, ill drive you!” We walk to the car and I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach, something is very fucking wrong!
I run into the house and start shouting
“Matteo, Enzo you here?” I start to panic when the house stays silent, I race into the kitchen! Nothing! I skip steps to burst into Lorenzos room, no one's here! My heart sinks as I approach my bedroom, I open it to find it how I left it this morning. Theres no sign of them! Where the fuck are, they?
“Sienna? Anything?” Sam shouts from the foyer,
“They’re not here, Sam, you need to find them!”
“We will Sienna, they will be fine!” Sam assures me before getting his phone out and leaving through the front door.
I'm sat in the kitchen with Casey while the guys are out looking for my husband and his brother, I am shaking, it been hours and is now three in the morning, hope they will just turn up safe slips from me with every passing minute! Casey checks her phone when it vibrates and her face falls.
“What? What's happening?” I ask as the panic overtakes me.
“The guys are on their way back! They just put, on way to Sienna’s it's not good news!” I manage to hold myself together and I stare into my empty coffee mug for what seems like forever until the guys walk into the kitchen, I take one look at their face and my heart breaks.
“They have been taken! We think its Nicoletti but can't be sure, we have seen the CCTV and we can't get no leads from it, but we will find them Sienna, we promise we won't stop looking!” I get up and leave the kitchen without looking back, I walk like a zombie to my room and lock the door behind me before sliding to the floor, a cry of despair rips from my throat as the tears flow, Tears for me, for Matteo, Lorenzo, my Dad even Luca, everything I have pushed down comes out and I can't reign any of it back! The pain inside me makes me feel like I'm dying and I know I have finally broke, I have finally reached the point of misery and loss I just can't claw myself back from!