Bennett shook his head. “No. We’re not out of the mafia; just no longer apart of the Moreno Family.”
“About damn time,” Bruce mumbled.
“Are we branching out?” Nyxin asked.
I stood there in silence, unsure of what the hell was going on or why I was here. If they were talking about official mafia business, I had no reason to be a part of it. It wasn’t as if I was in the mafia. Unless…
“Yeah. I think that’s the best move right now, especially since I plan to kill him—”
I cleared my throat to interrupt him. Everyone’s eyes turned to me, Bennett frowning. “We agreed that it would be a group effort,” I reminded him.
He stared at me for a while longer and then grinned. “Yeah, we did. But I’ll come back to that in a second.” He turned back to his men. “We have to branch off before Wilson is killed, otherwise, it’ll only look like I killed him just to take his spot. That won’t go over too well with the other families.”
The men nodded in agreement. “That’s actually really smart. Knowing Wilson, who’s to say that he already hasn’t been planting that particular bug in other family’s ear since he knows you’re coming for him?” Nyxin added.
“Exactly. Even though I wanted him dead forever ago, I still have to go about it the right way. My family has strong alliances with a couple of powerful families and the last thing I want is to put a target on all of our backs by being sloppy and irresponsible.” He released a deep sigh and leaned back in his seat. “So first, we separate and send out a formal announcement. Then, we start working on the first order of business for La Fedeltà: killing Wilson Moreno.”
“La Fedeltà…I’m cool with that,” Saint said with a nod.
“Isn’t that loyalty in Italian?” Bruce asked, to which Bennett nodded. “My grandfather used to stress that a lot when growing up.”
“My father used to stress how important it was also, but his definition of loyalty is a lot different than what it actually is,” Bennett ground out. “I don’t have time for conditional loyalty. You either are or you aren’t, and he’s proven to be untrustworthy.”
“Well, I’m with you 100%,” Bruce said with a nod.
“Yeah, same. 100%,” Saint added.
“I don’t even have to say it, but you know I’m with you no matter what you choose; 100%,” Nyxin said with a grin.
Bennett looked to me and smiled. “And now that leaves you,” he said. I raised an eyebrow as I looked around at all of them.
“Me? What about me?” I asked cautiously.
“Unless you weren’t just paying attention, you’d know that I just said that killing Wilson is now official business of La Fedeltà,” he said. I continued staring at him. What the hell did that have to do with anything? It didn’t change the fact that he’d said that we could do it together.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, what, you’re taking back what you said?” I asked, my tone dry.
He shook his head. “No, but there are conditions,” he said and leaned forward on the desk.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course there were conditions; it always was with this asshole. “And what would that be, Mr. Moreno?” I asked.
“You’re going to have to pledge to La Fedeltà,” he said. I blinked, processing what he’d just said.
“You…you want me to join the…mafia?” I repeated. I didn’t know a damn thing about this life. All I wanted was to have a part of killing Wilson and then figuring out a way to get the hell out of here. To join the mafia meant there was no way out when all of this was over. Was that what I really wanted?
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” he drawled with a frown. “Join, and you can be involved. Don’t, and you won’t be.”
An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my gut. My father had tried to shield me my entire life from this, and now the opportunity had presented itself to me. The day he’d sent me away, he kept telling me how he’d made a terrible mistake and now had to pay for it. Was joining the mafia the terrible mistake? Or was the mistake him trying to leave? I knew if I joined, I couldn’t back out. But that wasn’t the scary part of this whole thing. The scary part was how I didn’t seem to truly care about that. I would sacrifice any and everything to be present when Wilson took his last breath. My hands twitched with want at the thought of my actions causing him pain and suffering. He’d taken so much from me and I wanted to be the cause of death.
I knew Bennett wouldn’t just let me tag along for the hell of it. It was too dangerous, and it was no place for anyone who wasn’t apart of mafia business. As he looked at me expectantly, I knew I had to hurry up and make up my mind.
“Focus on Wilson first and worry about the rest later. Bennett won’t let you kill him unless you join,” the voice in my head reminded me.
If I continued on with my plan to seduce Bennett and break his heart, I could possibly convince him to let me go. I wasn’t sure if I could enlist the help of my sister through my dreams again, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to try.
“I don’t have all day,” Bennett said, cutting into my thoughts. I swallowed the ball of fear in my throat.
“Okay,” I said, my voice trembling a bit. “If that’s the only option I have, then I guess I’ll join.”
“You have the option not to,” he reminded me. “But if you truly want to kill my father, that’s what you’ll have to do.”
“I know,” I said. “Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes,” he repeated. “You sure about that?”
The mischievous look in his eyes gave me pause. The devil was a good liar and deceiver; how did I even know whether or not I could trust this maniac? But on second thought, I thought of all the people I’d lost because of his father. My parents. My fiancé. My old life. My old self. This whole time I thought I needed to avenge them by getting out of here, but I needed to kill the puppet master himself. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to live my life peacefully or normally if Bennett decided to let me go. I’d be nothing but a loose end that Wilson would want to get rid of. If he did the same to my sister, what the hell would stop him from eventually coming after me?
I stood a little taller. “Yes. Whatever it takes,” I stated again, a bit more firmly this time.
He smiled and slid over a small stack of papers. They were all lined up to where the signature line showed on the bottom of each page. “If you’re serious, then sign.” He held my gaze. “Or you can walk back out the door and remain as you are.”
“Then give me a fucking pen,” I said.
Something flickered his gaze but disappeared just a quick. Without taking his eyes off of me, he reached into a cup on his desk, picked up a pen, and clicked it, holding it out to me.
“Do you always sign things without reading them?” he asked. “I’d be a bad businessman if I didn’t tell you to at least look at what you’re signing.”
“Does it truly matter though?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “You’ve made it clear; the only way I can kill Wilson is if I’m a part of your little gang.”
Saint snorted, covering his mouth when Bennett looked to him. Bennett turned his attention back to me and shrugged. “Those are the conditions, yes. You should use your head, not your emotions.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I mumbled, crossing the space between us and snatching the pen from him. “I want your father dead. I’m not budging on that.”
I scribbled my name on the documents. Whatever happened beyond this moment no longer mattered. As long as I got what I wanted, I didn’t care. Bennett chuckled, taking the papers back and looking over them.
“Then I guess that’s a done deal,” he said.
“So, what happens now? Is there like an initiation or something?” I asked, anxious nerves traveling throughout my body.
Bennett stood from his desk. “I’ll order your insignia and you’ll officially pledge to La Fedeltà. We’ll go from there when the time comes.” He nodded toward the door. “You’re excused.”
I looked back to Bennett’s smirking face as he finished the rest of his champagne.
“So, you tricked me into signing a marriage license. How pathetic,” I mumbled, downing my drink and immediately needing another.
He scoffed and then chuckled. “Tricked you? I told you to at least look at what you were signing, which reminds me that you never answered my questions. What did you say when I told you that?”
I ground my teeth, wanting to slap the smirk right off his face. “I asked you if it truly matter whether I did or not since the only way to kill Wilson was to join.”
“So, you can’t say I ‘tricked’ you. You can only say that you were an irresponsible businesswoman.” He chucked me under the chin. “You never sign paperwork without at least scanning it, especially when you’re making deals with a man you claim to be the devil.”
“But—”
“No more bitching right now. This is supposed to be a celebration—at least for everyone else—and you’re killing the mood. Complain about it later, but deal with it for now,” he said, cutting me off. “Now be a good wife and smile.”
I grabbed another champagne flute and guzzled down the crisp drink, wanting to get as drunk as possible to make this night go by faster. How could I have been so stupid? Bennett warned me to think with my head and not my emotions; now my emotions had me legally tied to this fucking asshole and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Being able to leave the mafia was now the least of my worries; now I had to figure out how to get my marriage annulled or divorce him.
People came over and shook Bennett’s hand to congratulate him. It was a bit shocking to see those same men kneel before me and kiss my ring. These were the same assholes who snickered and laughed when Bennett paraded me through the house naked to punish me and now they had to bow to me. Bennett only winked at me, as if taking pleasure in my discomfort. If he didn’t watch himself, I’d put him on my hit list right along with his dickhead father.
When I finally got a moment alone, I rushed over to where Brittany stood. She looked at me and gave me a small smile. “Hail the queen of La Fedeltà, huh?” she said.
“Did you know about the whole marriage thing?” I asked. “Is that why you kept telling me to reconsider?”
“Um, no. I told you to reconsider because it’s the fucking mafia. It’s nothing like in movies or T.V. shows. I didn’t know you were married until he announced it. Why the hell would you marry him? Joining the mafia was bad enough.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and released a long breath in an attempt to calm myself. “I didn’t realize I was marrying him. Trust me, I wouldn’t have signed shit had I known that’s what he meant when he said I had to give myself to him ‘wholly,’” I drawled, putting air quotations around “wholly.”
“How didn’t you know? I mean you read over everything before you signed it, didn’t you? Maybe he forged your signature or…” Her sentence trailed off, the look on my face probably answering her questions. “Shit, Aurora. What were you thinking?”
“That’s the thing; I wasn’t! I was just so hellbent on wanting to get to Wilson that I was willing to sacrifice everything. I didn’t know Bennett would make me marry him in the process. What the hell would he get out of a marriage anyway? It’s not like he’d gain anything by being married to me. My parents are dead. He has everything that belonged to me. What more did he fucking want?”
“You, you idiot. He wanted you.” She shook her head. “He didn’t tell me anything specifically, but I think he just wanted to secure your place here so that you wouldn’t try to leave after you got what you wanted. Not only are you trapped with a mafia contract, but now you’re legally bound to him.”
“But…” Frustration filled me as I shook my head. “He can’t do that, can he? I…”
I signed those papers days ago. That was plenty of time to submit them to the court for a marriage license. Hope bubbled up in my chest. If he sent them to the court, surely it would trigger something if Savannah was successful in reporting me missing. But just as fast as it was created, the bubble of hope burst. I’d signed my birth name on the documents. My friends only knew me as my newly assigned name that my father gave me when he sent me away.
“Wait!” I exclaimed, snapping my fingers. “A wedding has to be done with some kind of ordained person, right?”
“A marriage officiant, yeah,” she said. “But Bennett wouldn’t say you’re married if you aren’t. If you two weren’t in the room alone, I’m pretty sure there was someone in there who’s an officiant.”
I groaned. That could’ve been Bruce, Saint, or Nyxin. Hell, it could’ve been Bennett for all I knew. Tears of frustration burned my eyes.
I was so fucked.
BENNETT
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Aurora talk to Brittany across the living room. She couldn’t say I didn’t warn her to read what she was signing; had she done that, she would’ve seen the entirety of my conditions for her to have a part in killing my father.
She had to join La Fedeltà; that was a must.
And she also had to rule alongside me as the queen of the new family, as my wife.
From the looks of it, she wasn’t taking the “wife” role too well.
“She seems pissed,” Bruce said as he stood next to me. I shrugged, taking a glass of whiskey from one of the girls’ tray as they passed.
“I warned her,” I said. “That’s what happens when you think with emotions and not your head. It’s not like all of it wasn’t outlined in the shit she signed.”
Among the contract, the marriage license was in the midst of the documents. Nyxin conducted a lot of marriages that happened within the mafia, making my marriage to her convenient, as well as legal. Even though he didn’t read the pledge and it wasn’t as traditional as wedding ceremonies usually were, he signed off on it and now she was mine. I couldn’t wait to get my fucking hands on her tonight.
She looked downright sinful in her dress. Had the guys not been in my office when she walked in, her initiation would’ve taken a little longer than planned due to the desire of wanting to fuck her over my desk. I had to keep reminding myself that she wasn’t Stephanie, and that I couldn’t look at her as the “next best thing.” She was so different from Stephanie. Steph would’ve never agreed to do something like this, but she also wasn’t a killer. After Aurora spent seven days in Hell, she wasn’t the same woman she was when she went in. The woman that emerged was dark, dangerous, and out for blood. Had to admit it was pretty fucking sexy.
I knew she’d have questions. When we finally got a chance to be alone, I didn’t doubt it would turn into a fight of some sort. I’d let her blow off some steam without consequence, but despite all of that, two things would remain the same.
First, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was in the mafia and that we were married.
And second, it definitely wouldn’t change the fact that I was fucking her tonight.
“When do you plan to officially make the announcement to the other families?” Bruce asked, back to business.
Announcing my departure from the Moreno Family was a big deal. Our family was one of the biggest and most powerful among the mafia families of California. It was no secret that trouble was brewing within us, but my father and his quick, silver tongue made things seem like less of a problem than they were. By announcing our departure, it would solidify that the tension was as bad as it was rumored to be. While my father would probably be shocked that I decided to branch out on my own, he wouldn’t be surprised. At least now, any narrative that he’d probably tried to create against me would be null and void when I branched out. I couldn’t assassinate him for a spot in an organization I was no longer a part of.
“First thing in the morning,” I said, taking a long pull from my drink. “Tonight, we celebrate a new beginning. A new family.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a plan then,” he said, just as Savannah waltzed over to him with a tray of drinks.
>
“Brucey, I made your favorite,” she purred, taking a glass off her tray and passing it to him.
“Thanks, baby doll,” he said, taking a sip from it. “Perfect.”
She smiled at him and looked at me. “Do you need another drink, sir?” she asked. I shook my head.
“I’m good,” I said and took her tray from her. “Enjoy yourself.”
Her smile faltered as she hesitated. “Are…are you sure?” she asked, looking between Bruce and me.
I smiled and nodded. “‘Brucey’ here won’t relax unless you are. So, take tonight off and enjoy the celebration,” I said.
“Thanks, boss,” Bruce said with a nod.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “No problem, Brucey,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Fuck off,” he said and led Savannah away. Giving the tray to another girl, I headed over to Aurora and Brittany. Their conversation ceased when they noticed my presence, Aurora glaring at me.
“I’m glad to see my wife making acquaintance with my sister,” I mused, hiding my smile behind my glass as I took another swallow of whiskey.
“This isn’t fair, and you know it,” Aurora ground out.
“Yeah, Bennett, that was pretty low,” Brittany said with a frown.
“Low? I told her to read it. She was the one that wanted to dive in headfirst. While I commend her eagerness to destroy Wilson, it was still rather stupid on her part to not at least look over everything.” I pointed back toward the hall. “Do you want to look at it all now? I mean it won’t matter since everything is official, but maybe it’ll give you peace of mind to see that it’s all real.”
“Yes, actually,” she snapped, pushing past me and storming toward my office.
“Did you really do that, Bennett?” Brittany asked, grabbing onto my arm when I turned to walk away.
“Marry her? Yes,” I said.
“Marrying her won’t make her love you,” she said. The words were like a slap to the face. Though I knew what she said was true, it didn’t make them hurt any less. The only thing I could hope was that my overall plan worked and would eventually lead to a real relationship.
You Will Obey (Rules of Bennett Book 4) Page 2