“I’m going to enjoy watching all of them die, one by one, never realizing that they themselves are the ones who opened their doors and invited in their killer.”
I’ve always seen Nonna as a devout Catholic I could look up to. Now she’s talking about how much she’s going to enjoy watching the Rossini men die.
“You’re going to have to do some unpleasant things to gain Luca’s trust.”
I’ve already done unpleasant things. “How do I go about doing that?”
“You must be a dutiful fiancée until you become his dutiful wife. Follow their rules and stop provoking him. Stroke his ego and make him believe that you are enjoying the sex. Be the one who sometimes initiates. You’d be shocked by what that does to a man. But at the same time, you can’t turn into a sex kitten overnight. It must be gradual, or he’ll suspect that you’re up to something. And most importantly, make the most out of his appetite for sex. Think of it as a means for getting the son you need so you can end the Rossinis.”
“What if I don’t get pregnant?”
“You will. You’re a Bellini. And the Rossini heir will be our boy. He will never belong to them. And we will raise him to be strong and powerful and brilliant. You will be mother of the boy who will inherit everything. It’s your destiny.”
My destiny. It’s a destiny that has cost me the people I love most. Cost me my freedom. Cost me control of my own body.
How will I be able to look at my own boy and not see him as a reminder of everything I’ve lost? How will I not see his father in him?
No. My true destiny was to be Nic’s wife. We were supposed to leave this life far, far behind and raise our babies together in a tiny little house filled with love.
“I know this must seem like an impossible task right now, but you can do this, Emilia. You’re stronger than you know.”
This is my burden to bear. My punishment for trying to change the rules of the game when I didn’t have the power to do so. But that won’t always be the case. I’m going to move myself into a position where I do get to call the shots.
“I can do this. With his child inside of me, I will hold all the cards, and Luca Rossini will rue the day he takes me as his wife.”
“That’s our Bellini girl.”
Killing Luca Rossini is the endgame, but it isn’t enough. I want him to know complete devastation before he dies.
I’m going to make him fall in love with me. And then I’m going to cut him the deepest, most painful way I know how. Right where it hurts most. His heart.
Mafia life is like a razor’s edge. It cuts and you bleed.
And I’m going to make him bleed.
I’m refreshed and energized after seeing my family. I desperately needed this visit with them after last night’s agonizing defeat.
“Stay strong, daughter.”
Luca one.
Emilia zero.
But that’s about to change.
I leave my family’s home and the cab drops me at the front door. I enter Luca’s house, and the same men who watched me walk out this morning now watch me return. Again, not one says a word to me.
“Is Luca home yet?”
“No, but his mother has come to see you. She’s waiting in the living room.”
I lift my brows and shrug, my hands turned palm-side up. “I don’t know where the living room is. I’ve not been given the official tour.”
The man points to the left. “That way.”
Viviana Rossini is standing at the window, and I take the stolen moment to study her. She’s an attractive woman. Much taller than me, but that’s not saying much. Her hair is dark brown, and I think with a closer look I’d find that some of the lighter strands around her face are gray. Her skin is firm and almost completely wrinkle-free. I bet she sleeps in some kind of cream every night as my mother and grandmother do.
She turns, looking at me when the floor beneath my foot creaks, and I find that her eyes are the same as Luca’s. Green with gold flecks. Both beautiful and haunting.
“Hello, Emilia.”
“Hello.”
“It’s lovely to see you again.”
I flash a faux smile because I’m supposed to be gaining the trust of every Rossini, but I can’t bring myself to say anything pleasant.
This is going to take work.
“Come sit with me. I’d like to talk to you.”
I sit on the edge of the sofa, my hands on my lap. “I’m sorry. I would offer you tea or coffee, but I don’t know where anything is.”
Her brows strain. “Luca didn’t show you around the house?”
“He said he would do so today, but I’ve not seen him since last night.” And I’m not sad about that.
Her wrinkled forehead tells me that she wasn’t expecting to hear that. “I saw him earlier today. I thought he would come home and make amends for last night.”
Now I’m the one hearing something I didn’t expect. “He told you about last night?”
“I’m sure not everything, but he did tell me that it didn’t go well.”
I have a feeling that he seriously downplayed the situation to his mother. “It didn’t go well at all.”
“Hmm. I thought Luca would have come home to talk to you. He must be more upset about last night than he let on.”
That’s not the impression I got from him last night. “He’s upset?”
“Yes. He doesn’t like the way things happened between the two of you.”
Is she telling me the truth, or is this some kind of tactic to convince me to not be mad at her son?
I don’t have a conscience. I’m perfectly comfortable with what’s about to happen here. Those were his words.
“I wasn’t under the impression that he was troubled by anything that happened.”
“He’s worried that he might have taken things too far with you. He fears that your relationship might never recover from it. Is that true?”
Wow. I can’t believe he admitted that to his mom.
“He was terrible to me.”
“Luca has Rossini blood running through his veins. Marco never allowed him to be anything other than hard as steel. He hasn’t yet learned how to be tender. He’ll need time to figure out how and where that fits into your relationship. I hope you’ll be patient with him.”
This woman is crazy if she thinks her son has the capability of showing anyone tenderness. He’s a monster.
I don’t understand how any of them could ever believe that Luca and I will have a normal marriage. We won’t. Not after the things he’s done.
Do they really believe they hold so much power that they can force compliancy upon me? Compel me to accept this fate?
They can’t.
I won’t forget.
I won’t forgive.
I’ll get even.
Viviana’s pleasant expression fades. “You have my condolences about your family. I liked Alessandro very much. I’m truly sorry for your loss. I hope you believe that.”
I don’t know why, but I do believe her.
“Thank you.”
“A tragedy very similar to yours happened to me when I was sixteen. Marco was my savior, although at the time I could only see him as the devil.
The devil. Interesting choice of words.
“How was your situation similar to mine?”
“My father was murdered by a rival, and I had no family to take care of me. Marco agreed to take me as his wife. I don’t know what would have happened to me if he hadn’t.”
“He married you when you were only sixteen?”
“A month before my seventeenth birthday.”
At sixteen, Viviana wasn’t yet a woman. She was still a child. I’m twenty-one. I can’t imagine what last night would have been like if I was still sixteen.
The men in this world have no cares for what they do to us.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“I’m not. I love Marco and I love our children. We have an incredible life. Although I d
idn’t think that was possible on my wedding day.”
“You didn’t want to marry him?”
“God no. I despised him, and I hated being married off to a man so much older than I was. I fancied myself in love with a silly boy from school.”
“How long did it take for you to fall in love with him?” Just out of curiosity.
“Marco was handsome. And he was very good in bed. He had that going for him early in our relationship.”
Luca didn’t inherit that talent from his father.
“It wasn’t until I was pregnant with Luca that I began to look at him in a different light. I saw how deeply he wanted to protect us. And then I saw the way he looked at me after I gave him a son. It was as if I was the only woman in the world who mattered.” She smiles. “And I fell in love with him.”
“You’re right. Our losses are similar.”
But Marco didn’t murder people you love. Luca did. And for that reason, I will never be able to feel anything but hatred for him.
“Your heartache is still fresh. You can’t see it right now, but you’ll discover that you’re able to move forward and forgive things you once believed unforgivable.”
Viviana is wrong. I will never forgive or forget what Luca has done to me and my family.
“When you come to know me, you’ll find that I am very loyal and when I love, it is with all of my heart,” she says.
I want to despise Viviana simply for being married to Marco. I want to hate her simply for being the woman who brought Luca into this world. But I’m having a difficult time bringing myself to do so.
“You are a lovely girl. You and Luca will give me beautiful grandchildren.”
This woman has no idea that I’ll be killing her husband and all of her sons. I actually feel sorry for her because I know that kind of pain.
“Hopefully Luca and I will soon be blessed with a healthy son.”
She places her hands palm to palm and rests them on her chin. “My first grandchild. I can’t wait.”
“Me either.” That’s not a lie. The sooner, the better.
“Things will change between you and Luca after you’re pregnant. You’ll come to know each other in a way you never thought possible. The perfect time for falling in love is while his child is growing inside of you. You’ll see that what I’m telling you is true.”
The perfect time for falling in love with Luca Rossini? Never.
The perfect time for planning his murder? Absolutely.
10
Luca Rossini
I’ve spent the entire day away from Emilia. Thinking. Wrapping my head around her motive for making me believe that Moretti had taken her. I can only come up with one rationale: she wanted to piss me off. And piss me off she did.
My brother Stephan punches my upper arm. “What’s the matter with you tonight, Casanova?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me.”
He laughs. “You’re a damn liar.”
My other brother Dante chuckles. “He’s not even married yet, and he’s already having woman problems.”
“I’m not having woman problems.”
“What’s the skinny on last night? How’d it go with Moretti’s sloppy seconds?”
I reach across the table and fist Stephan’s shirt, pulling him closer. “She’s no one’s sloppy seconds and especially not Moretti’s. She was untouched until last night.”
“You popped her cherry?”
Yeah, I popped her cherry. Big time.
The guys around the table howl and cheer, slapping high fives in the air. “Luca scored his first virgin.”
“This is my soon-to-be wife we’re talking about. Show some respect.”
“I figured Moretti had already beat you there.”
“I thought so, too.”
Stephan lifts his arm to gain the attention of our waitress. “We need a round of shots. This deserves a toast.”
“A toast? Hell no! I have something way better than a shot of whiskey.” Vinny takes out a bag of coke and shakes it. “This is how one celebrates Luca finally conquering the untouchable Emilia Bellini.”
“I really wish you wouldn’t do that shit. Especially in here,” Stephan says.
“No one is paying attention to us, bro.”
Vinny divvies out a portion of coke on the table and breaks apart the rocks with a razor blade.
I don’t usually do coke two days in a row, but I need a distraction after last night. And this morning.
I take the rolled bill from Vinny and quickly suck the coke up my nose.
“Damn, Luca. You can about snort the laminate off the table.”
I wait for the high to start. And then it hits. “Fuck, that’s tight.”
“I know. Ken got some damn good coke this time. I hope he’s able to keep buying from this new dealer.”
Not a trace of white powder remains on the table after Vinny and I finish.
“I see some men who look like they’re up to no good,” a familiar voice says.
I turn and Angelica wraps herself around me, briefly pressing her mouth against mine before I pull away and untangle her arms from my body.
She knows I hate it when she does that shit.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I hate when you do that, and you know it.” And I also hate when she calls me baby.
“I can’t help myself. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
The guys burst into laughter, and Stephan says, “I don’t think Angelica got the memo, Luca.”
“Nope. She definitely hasn’t heard the news traveling through the grapevine,” Vinny adds.
“What news is that?”
Stephan grins. “Luca has a fiancée.”
Angelica rolls her eyes and leans into me, looping her arm around mine. “Luca has had a fiancée since he was playing with toy soldiers.”
“Yeah, but he went after her last night and brought her back to his house. They’re getting married.”
Angelica steps away from me. “You went after her?”
I grip her elbow and tug. “Come with me so we can talk about this.”
I don’t love Angelica. I never have, but I’ve known her our whole lives. Her father is a loyal soldier. Out of respect for both of them, I would have preferred to end our relationship in a private setting.
“No need to go anywhere. We can talk just fine right here.”
“Hey, Angelica. Guess what else he did.” Stephan pauses briefly. “Luca popped Emilia’s cherry last night.”
I point in the general direction of everyone at the table. “Not another fucking word out of any of you.”
“I can’t believe you.” She looks at me, shaking her head. “I’m leaving.”
I tighten my grip on her elbow and pull her away from the table. “I’ve been betrothed to her since I was a boy. You knew that I would marry her one day.”
“I thought you’d find a way to get out of it.”
“Why would you presume that I’d ever do that?”
“Because I believed you loved me.”
“I’ve never given you any reason to believe that what we had was more than sex. But it doesn’t matter. I’m marrying Emilia and this is over.”
She jerks her arm away and stumbles backward, looking at me for a moment before turning and pushing her way through the crowd of people in the club until she disappears.
“I think she’s mad,” Stephan says.
“You think?”
He shrugs. “She would have found out eventually.”
“Yeah, but I could have handled it in a much better way.”
“Why? Were you wanting to keep her on the side?”
Vinny cuts me off before I can reply. “You have Emilia. You don’t need Angelica too, you greedy fuck.”
“I don’t want her.”
Vinny slaps my shoulder. “Ah, hell. No one here would blame you if you did. She’s a damn good lay. I probably would have tried to hold on to her as a side gig too.”
�
�The girl knows how to suck a cock. That’s for damn sure,” Dante says.
It’s in this moment that I realize Angelica has fucked every man around this table. I hadn’t given that any thought before now.
Vinny leans close to me. “What about Emilia? Was she a good fuck?”
“What do you think, dumbass? The girl was a virgin,” Stephan says.
“She’s going to be my wife. I’m not discussing what we do in the bedroom with any of you fucks.”
“Angelica looks good and she knows how to fuck, but that’s because she’s fucked half the men in New York. You have a beautiful fiancée at home who’s only been taken once, and it was by you. It’s like comparing cubed steak to filet mignon. So why the fuck are you here, bro?”
Vinny makes a good point. Why am I here?
“You should go home and school your girl. Show her how you like it done.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
Teach her. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
* * *
The bedroom is dark when I enter. From the doorway, I hear Emilia’s deep, steady breathing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she’s already gone to bed. It is after midnight.
With only my familiarity to guide me in the dark, I go to the stereo and decrease the volume before turning on the radio, so it won’t be loud like last night. I turn the dial, searching for something I think Emilia might like. I stop when I come across “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John. Every girl I know loves that stupid song.
Emilia turns over and looks at me. “What are you doing?”
“I thought you might like a pretty song to be playing this time.”
“This time?”
She sits up, turning on the lamp, and I see it again—that same flash of anger I caught a small glimpse of yesterday. Except this time, it’s not so small.
“You left. I haven’t seen you since last night when you treated me like some kind of whore, and now you show up after I’ve been asleep for hours and expect to do it again?”
“Yes, Emilia. I expect to do it again. We’re going to do it many, many times because you’re to be my wife.”
Waiting for my Queen: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 6