Savage Ruler: A Dark Italian - Irish Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance (Sinfully Savage)

by Kristen Luciani

  “So, are we getting a divorce?” I croak. “Or are you just gonna save yourself the effort and kill me, too?”

  She cocks her head to the side. “You make me sound so vicious.”

  “You are the most nefarious woman I know,” I mumble, expelling a deep sigh as my body settles against the mattress. “And I can’t live without you.”

  Heaven nods, grazing my lips with hers. “Well, you know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

  “Trust me, I’m gonna keep myself buried inside of you.” My voice fades, my eyelids heavy.

  “I love you, Matteo.” Her soft words caress my troubled soul, the last sounds I hear before I tumble into the blissful darkness that beckons me.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Heaven

  Two Days Later

  I pull open the door to Molly’s after pausing for a split second outside. My eyes fall to the same spot where I’d cradled Matteo, waiting for the EMTs to hustle him into the back of that ambulance.

  It feels like a lifetime ago.

  Aunt Maura rushes up to me, enveloping me in a tight hug. “Heaven, a leanbh, how is Matteo?”

  I smile. “He’s doing great. The doctors think he’ll be released in the next couple of days. They’re just keeping an eye on him to make sure that he heals up enough to make the trip home.”

  Home.

  Our home, the one we’ve only just started to build.

  She smooths my hair away from my face. “You look happy. So very happy.”

  I can’t help the smile that spreads across my lips. “I am. Who’d have guessed that, huh?”

  Aunt Maura shrugs. “When it’s right, it’s right.”

  “Yeah, but how often do you hear when it’s arranged and right?” I giggle.

  “You got lucky, I suppose.”

  I did. Damn lucky.

  We all did, in so many ways.

  And in large part, because of me.

  Matteo unleashed the threat, and I crushed it.

  Talk about girl power. It’s practically oozing from my pores, something I don’t plan to let anyone forget for a very long time.

  Case in point, the meeting I was summoned to at my father’s office.

  He asked me and Conor to join him here for lunch, and as soon as I stepped into the pub, I immediately flew into defensive mode.

  I really have to stop that.

  There’s no reason for it, especially since I pretty much single-handedly saved our family.

  But since I’m still sans dick, I guess old habits die hard.

  “Dad in the back?” I ask.

  Aunt Maura nods with a smile. “He’s waiting for ya. And I’ll pack up some lunch for you to take to the hospital when you’re finished here.”

  “Thanks,” I whisper with a wink that tells her I appear to be a lot more confident than I feel right now.

  But like Sergio said, I’m a badass bitch. I shouldn’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone.

  So I square my shoulders, straighten my spine, and push open the door that leads to my father’s office. I take a deep breath as I knock, swallowing hard when I hear my father’s voice asking me to enter.

  I twist the knob and walk into the room, settling into a chair opposite my brother. Conor’s hand rests against his side, the area where he got shot, and my father’s arm is in a sling.

  I’m the only one unwounded.

  I enjoy that little victory as I wait for my father to speak.

  “Heaven, Conor,” he says, looking between us. “I think you both know why you’re here.”

  Conor lets out a huff, turning his head away.

  I clasp my hands together, sitting up straighter.

  “Heaven, I made you a target for Dominguez. I made all of us targets.” He sighs, settling back against his chair. “I betrayed your confidence and your trust, and for that I apologize.”

  I give a quick nod.

  “Conor,” Dad says, turning his attention to my brother. “You helped make the situation right with Dominguez. You accompanied Heaven and you—”

  “Wait!” I say in an irritated voice, standing up from my chair. “Are you seriously telling me that this meeting is about lauding Conor? Conor, who caused this whole mess in the first place? Conor, who couldn’t even stay standing long enough to have my back when I killed Dominguez and one of his guards?” I rake a hand through my hair. “This is such bullshit! What the hell do I have to do to get your respect, Dad? To show you that a woman can rule just as well as, and in my case, a whole hell of a lot better, than a man?”

  Conor twists to glare at me, cringing at the sudden shift. “I made a fucking mistake, Heaven. Get over it. Think bigger picture. Who the hell will take you more seriously than me? I’m the oldest son. It’s expected that I take over!”

  “That’s just it, Conor,” Dad says with a shake of his head. “Getting over it is the big obstacle here. Your indiscretion with Dominguez isn’t your first, not by a longshot, and while we don’t need to rehash the very colorful past you’ve painted, you need to acknowledge that your sister turned a very deadly situation around for all of us.”

  “I took a bullet so she could do her little dance with Dominguez! I let her take the revenge shot, for Christ’s sake!”

  “You created the situation and a lot of other ones for the family!” I bellow. “But you know what? I’m tired of battling with you both over this. I didn’t come here to hear about how solid of a boss Conor will be, okay? Take a good look at me,” I seethe. “You can’t see one single scratch on me because they’re all on the inside! Years of battle scars, and I’m tired of fighting the war.” I look at my father. “You want Conor to take over as boss? Fine! But you will lose me. I did everything you asked of me. I have for years! And because I have a vagina—”

  “Stop! Right now!” Dad thunders, pressing his good hand to his forehead. “And don’t pull out that word, for fuck’s sake.” He points his finger at me. “Conor backed you up the other day. He helped find Dominguez, and for that, I thank him. He tried to correct the wrongs, which is important for a leader. And although he made mistakes, he is still the oldest male in the family. That said, my decision has been made. Conor, you will succeed me. Heaven, you will support him the way he sees fit.”

  Oh my God…he didn’t just speak those words!

  Conor turns his gaze up toward me. It’s one of triumph, and if I had a gun in my hand, I really think I’d shoot that smirk off of his cocky bastard face.

  I press my fingertips to my temples. “How could you promote him? After everything? After acknowledging the damage he did? After seeing how his choices ravaged us?”

  Dad presses his lips together. “It’s the right move for us. People will take us seriously with a man holding the reins.”

  “He’s a fucking sick and twisted bastard who tried to kill me!” I shriek.

  “Don’t be so dramatic,” Conor says with a yawn. “We had a fight. It got a little heated, but whatever.”

  My jaw drops, and at this point, I really don’t think my eyes can widen a single bit more. “A little heated?” I scream. I grab the sleeve of my shirt, ready to pull it up, to show my father how very heated things got, but I stop when I see my father’s face.

  He shows absolutely no remorse for what he just did to me by making that announcement.

  His expression is stoic, uncaring, and hardened to the point where I seriously doubt I could ever penetrate it, no matter what I say.

  “The decision has been made,” Dad says in a cold voice. “Heaven, you did your part for this family. You saved our future by marrying Villani, and for that we are grateful. I have a lot of ideas about how we will work to expand your position within the organization. You will be well compensated and will remain in control of the finances for all of our businesses…”

  He keeps talking about this new fabulous role he’s created for me and how important my job will become in support of Conor, but the blood rushing between my ears
prevents me from hearing anything except my own toxic thoughts.

  My gut twists, my knuckles white as I grip the chair. “Stop talking,” I rasp.

  Dad hesitates, his eyebrows knitting. “Heaven?”

  I hold up a hand. “I don’t want to hear any more. Not another single word from either of you.”

  “Do not disrespect me by interrupting, iníon,” Dad says, a warning tone in his voice.

  “Don’t call me that,” I hiss. “Because it indicates a relationship between us that no longer exists. I am not your daughter anymore. I am finished with this. With both of you. With the family.” My pulse spikes, my heart thumping like a jackhammer against my ribs. “If you ask me, this is the biggest sham of all. I have given you everything, done your will even when I haven’t agreed with the direction, and risked my life and my happiness for the good of the family.” I step toward my father. “And don’t ever talk to me about respect. For years, you’ve given me orders that I have followed without ever once challenging you, and in return, you shovel bullshit false hope, telling me that one day, you’ll actually repay me with the respect I deserve. But you never have. You’ve just taken from me, never once given anything in return. And today, you’ve cut me down for the last time. You want to promote this fucking moron over me and expect that I’m going to support him and watch him lead this family so far down a rabbit hole that it will never see the light of day again? Because he’s a man?” I shake my head, my fists clenched tight against my sides. “You’re wrong, Dad. So very wrong. It’s all so very fucking wrong!”

  The stoic façade on my father’s face slips a tiny bit as I stalk toward the office door. “Heaven, don’t you dare touch that door knob. You will not walk away from this conversation!”

  “As far as I’m concerned, the conversation is over,” I seethe. “Because I am finished with it, with you, and with this life. Done.” My jaw twitches, my teeth gritted. “Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Matteo

  “I’m so nervous and excited,” Heaven murmurs, placing her hand over mine on the stick shift of our rental car. I’m glad we chose a convertible. There’s nothing like driving along the coast and being consumed by the elements.

  The balmy sea breeze whips through my hair as I follow the resort transport around a bend. Dusk has fallen and it’s almost time for the underwater mating show to begin.

  And no, I’m not talking about me and Heaven.

  This show is different and one which my wife has been researching endlessly since we made plans to vacation in Bonaire.

  Just like she always wanted.

  “The pictures and videos are incredible,” she breathes. “I just wish…” A sigh escapes her lips. “Well, you know.”

  “I do,” I say, downshifting as the car in front of us takes a left turn. There’s a lot that she wishes. She wishes Molly was here to experience the very thing they’d sworn to do together. She wishes things with her family could have worked out differently. She wishes she could share this experience with all of them.

  And unfortunately, I’m not a genie.

  I can only make so much happen.

  I surprised her with this trip because I know how rough the past couple of months have been for her and I wanted to give her something special, a new set of memories. She’s spent a little bit of time with her Aunt Maura and with Patrick since the fallout but hasn’t contacted any of her other brothers and certainly not her father.

  They haven’t reached out either, the fucking pricks.

  Anger clutches my gut, the same way it does anytime I think of her family and how horribly they treated her. Conor, as far as I’m concerned, should be dead with that asshole Declan lying in a shallow grave next to his.

  I’ve been tempted to turn that into a reality more times than once.

  But as devastated as Heaven is about excommunicating herself from her family, I know she’d never want them to meet the end I’d very much like to deliver.

  Although, if given the chance, she might just slit Conor’s throat.

  It’s be therapeutic, if nothing else.

  “We have a lot to look forward to, babe,” I remind her. “Once we get back, we’ll be headed out to Las Vegas to work with the other families of the syndicate and put plans in place to grow our influence. The Excelsior is thriving so it means a lot more opportunity for expansion in the gambling industry.” The Excelsior is the new hotel and casino we’ve built with our Sicilian business partners, the Marcone family. Sergio has been running the operations since it opened. But Vegas represents more than just new business ventures for our family. Partnering with the Marcones also introduced us to the Severinov bratva, a Russian family who already owns a lot of the area we’re looking to rule. Building this syndicate gives us endless possibilities for expansion. It also gives us muscle times three, which never hurts in our line of work. I know being in Manhattan is hard on Heaven right now, so while Roman handles our business in the city, Heaven and I will take a much-deserved break in Sin City.

  I maneuver the Mercedes off of the pavement and onto the rockier terrain where our dive guide, Sem, has already parked. He took one look at the car and smirked when I said I wanted to drive it to the dive site.

  Now I can see why.

  I pull up next to him and press my foot on the brake. Heaven jumps out of the car and rushes over to the edge of the rocky cliff that overlooks the Caribbean Sea. There’s a metal ladder that leads into the water here at Oil Slick Leap, and even though it’s not quite pitch black, the semi-darkness is disconcerting enough.

  Guys with guns and knives don’t scare me, but novice scuba diving in the dark gives me pause.

  Hence, the reason why I hired Sem.

  I haven’t survived this long because I’ve made dumbass decisions.

  Sem gives us an overview of what’ll happen once we get into the water. I got certified and Heaven got a refresher course after I surprised her with the trip, but this will be our first ever night dive. She strips out of her t-shirt and shorts, and my dick jumps when I see her in that skimpy metallic bikini I love so much. It barely covers her, and when I turn to glance at Sem, I can see he appreciates the view as much as I do.

  I walk toward her, stripping down to my board shorts and effectively blocking the scuba striptease my wife is unknowingly performing for our dive guide. She pulls on her wetsuit quickly, clapping her hands as I slide my arms and legs into the snug material.

  After a few more minutes of getting our equipment on and secured, we’re ready for the underwater adventure that awaits us.

  By the time we’re ready to step into the sea, thousands of stars glitter in the otherwise black sky. We walk toward the end of the rocks overlooking the water, our flippers flapping against the dirt and gravel. Heaven looks at me as we stand at the edge. I can see the bright smile plastered across her face. “I love you so much,” she murmurs. “Thank you for this.”

  I give her a quick kiss. “I love you, too. Enjoy it, babe.”

  I clamp my hand over my mask and regulator and all at once, we take a giant leap into the sea. I have an overwhelming urge to pee, which is normal. But then the feeling of weightlessness takes over and I take my first few breaths tentatively since breathing underwater doesn’t exactly come naturally to me.

  I can feel Heaven’s hand on my arm.

  At least, I think it’s her—

  “Fuck,” I mutter, kicking my legs to stay afloat.

  The depths of the sea light up all around us like someone flipped a switch and turned on a bioluminescent lamp. The ostracods glow all around us, tiny circles of blueish white lights in linear form.

  It’s mesmerizing, unlike anything I’ve ever seen or imagined in my life.

  I drag one of my hands through the water, the sea illuminating in its wake. This dive requires total darkness because you can’t see the bioluminescence with a flashlight. I know from Heaven’s hours of research that I’ve just agitated the minute plankton under the waves.

 
; A most brilliant mating display.

  I catch Heaven’s eye since the light given off by the ostracods gives me the slightest ability to see, and her gaze tells me everything I need to know right now.

  Her eyes glow as brightly as the crustaceans surrounding us.

  It’s a vision I will never, ever forget.

  Once we drag ourselves out of the water, we pull off our masks and regulators, then strip out of our wetsuits. This time, I position myself in front of Heaven before she has a chance to push down the fabric, just in case any bits of her bikini shifted away from parts they’re supposed to cover.

  I like Sem. I really don’t want to hurt him.

  I pop open the trunk of the convertible and toss Heaven a towel.

  “Oh my God!” she sings out loud. “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”

  Sem smiles, tossing his wetsuit into the back of the truck and turning on the ignition so we have some light. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a very special experience for newlyweds.”

  Heaven grins at me. “Very special.”

  I shake Sem’s hand, sliding two hundred-dollar bills into his hand, and thank him profusely. His eyes widen when he sees the money. I clap him on the back. “Thanks for taking care of us tonight.”

  He grins and salutes me. “Anytime, Mr. Villani! Are you sure you don’t need me to come back and guide you back to the resort? It wouldn’t be a problem at all!”

  I shake my head. “We’ll be fine, but thanks.”

  Sem jumps into the truck and pulls out of the parking lot, kicking up gravel as he veers back onto the main road.

  I turn toward Heaven, pulling her close and nuzzling her ear as she breathes into my neck. “Mm, you taste salty.”

  “Be careful. If you lick me too much, you might bloat.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  She puts her arms around my neck. “So, this whole light show is kinda fitting, you know? Since it’s our honeymoon and it’s a mating display…it gives me some ideas,” Heaven tilts her head back, her blue eyes glittering.