Corrupt Vows (Vicious Mafia Kings #1)

Chapter 18

Nico Russo

I pull into the closest parking spot , which my soldiers cleared for me before we arrived, and pull Serenity to me by her hair for a searing kiss.

My mind screams for me to hightail it out of here, throw her over my shoulder, and tie her to our bed, but she’s been so patient, and as much as I want to protect her, I can’t betray her trust, not when I know her campus is the safest place outside of my building.

Fourteen days should have been plenty of time to root out the little piggy from his hiding spot, but he remains hidden, and that pisses me off beyond belief. Add in the bolder, more obvious attempts to encroach on the Russo territory—with no culprit in sight—and the only thing stopping me from going on a rage-fueled killing spree is Serenity.

She kisses me as though she’ll die if she doesn’t get a deeper taste of me. I revel in her hunger and tease her with shallow flicks of my tongue until she groans in frustration. She pouts when I pull back and nip her bottom lip.

I run my thumb over her swollen lips before releasing her. She sits back, runs her fingers through her hair, and sweeps her gaze over the area before turning to face me.

“I know your minions have scoped the place, but I need to get something from the supply closet before I can start working again. Will you come with me?”

“Yes,” I say.

She flashes me a brilliant smile before opening her door. I wrap my fingers around her wrist and hold her gaze until she concedes. Understanding how close I am to losing my shit, she stays in her seat until I walk around the front of the car and reach into the passenger seat for her. She takes my hand and tugs me slower when my pace proves too fast for her short legs.

Without a word, she follows me through the hall and into the studio. Although I paid the repairmen by donating to the school and adding more under the table for the school’s cooperation and silence, I check the window and supply closet door for damage. The brand new items match the existing décor, so I focus my attention on mia principessa .

She greets a few people before standing in front of the closed supply closet. After a deep breath, she pushes the door open, flicks the light on, and retrieves what she needs without an ounce of fear in her countenance, but as she walks back toward me, the fluorescent lights reveal the lines of stress bracketing her eyes.

She smiles and rises onto tiptoe to give me a quick peck on the lips.

“Got it,” she says as she waves a block of saran wrapped clay. “You can go now.”

I huff, wrap my arm around her waist, and pull her flush against me.

“You think you can dismiss me just like that?” I mumble against her lips.

She smiles and tilts her chin to give me a chaste kiss.

“Yes, just this once.”

With a sassy twirl out of my arms, she smiles over her shoulder and walks down the center of the room. The joy shining from her eyes before she twirls off steals my breath.

Fucking hell, I’m whipped.

I consider chasing after her but can’t stomach the idea of her staring at me with pain in her big, expressive eyes. If I snuck any closer and glimpsed her sculpture, despite her obvious reluctance to show me, I’d break her heart, so I turn on my heel and stalk to my car alone.

Despite diving into work and settling several disputes and taking care of unsavory business, half my mind remains on Serenity.

She’s too brave, sweet, and sassy to lose. In six weeks, she’ll take my last name and become my wife. I’ll do anything to protect her. Anything.

“Hey, boss,” Ermanno says when I close my laptop and stand to end my workday.

“What?” I snarl.

“Your sister went to your lady’s studio already, so you don’t need to pick her up on the way.”

His lack of ribbing at my terseness shows he’s as agitated about our situation as I am. As we rule out potential masterminds behind the recent attacks, the more uncomfortable the list becomes. We’re down to the founding families in NYC and a few big fish in Chicago.

The situation becomes more dire as the list shrinks. We must calculate every move before we make it. A war with anyone on the current line up would cause catastrophe. Above all, protecting my family is most important.

I leave my office with the normal fanfare, but my mind remains with Serenity.

I want to watch her in her element. She must look stunning with her eyes sparkling and her dainty hands molding clay to her will. I know absolutely nothing about art, but she must be the most beautiful masterpiece in all of God’s creation, because just imagining her leaning over her work hardens my cock.

Traffic slows me, but I pull up to the curb outside her studio before my sister and Serenity leave the building, so I stalk inside and find them whispering back and forth at a table near the cafeteria. Three of Natalie’s guards and four of Serenity’s loiter nearby. I nod, giving them the signal to spread further out.

Natalie stops whispering and nudges Serenity into silence the moment she sees me. They rise with flustered expressions, and I decide not to embarrass us all by asking about their discussion.

I wrap my arms around Serenity and demand a kiss before I release her. Natalie smiles like the cat who ate the canary.

“My, my, what a difference a few weeks makes, yeah?” she mocks before fake gagging toward the floor.

“Aren’t you too old for the cooties thing?” I ask to hide my amusement.

“I’ll never be too old to razz my big brother. Onward! I can’t wait to make fun of your face when you see Serenity in her dress for the first time,” she says with an evil glint in her eyes.

I tuck Serenity against my side and rest my arm over her shoulders before heading to the car. Natalie complains about sitting in the back all alone, but I settle my fiancée in the passenger seat and firmly shut the door before helping Natalie into her spot in the back.

When I check the rearview mirror, her gaze meets mine. Her eyes widen when Serenity leans forward and changes the station.

“You listen to music in the car now?” Natalie asks.

Serenity pauses before twisting around to address my sister.

“He didn’t use to?”

“Nope. It was always tense silence. He’d even smack my hand if I reached for the AC controls.”

Serenity squints at me in disapproval. I shake my head and keep my eyes on the road as I quip, “I’d still smack your hand if you reached for the dash.”

“Is this a married couple thing? Preferential treatment?” Natalie asks with so much attitude I expect to see her preteen self when I glance in the rearview mirror.

“Yes. Only my wife can touch my radio.”

After a moment of flicking her gaze between Serenity and me, Natalie nods and sits back.

“I approve. Keep chipping away, Serenity. You’ll tame him in no time, like I knew you would.”

Serenity coughs into her hand to hide her surprised snort, but eventually gives in and openly laughs so hard she cries.

“The makeup artist is going to be mad. I’m all blotchy,” she says once she calms herself.

I quirk a brow as she obviously avoids explaining what she found so funny, but she opens her visor and wipes her tears with her eyes trained on her reflection.

“Eh, that’s what trial runs are for, right? Preparing for the worst-case scenario?” Natalie responds.

I park at the wedding gown shop and escort Serenity on my right arm and Natalie on my left. The attendants insist Serenity go back alone, but I check the dressing area despite knowing Ermanno just cleared the place and left through the back door as we entered. I give Serenity a heated kiss before releasing her into the care of the intense-looking woman in charge of the entire operation.

Natalie plops onto the far side of the couch and accepts a cup of tea as I sit back.

“How long does this usually take?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes and sets her teacup down with a clink.

“Are you bored already?”

I shrug. She sighs.

“You can’t rush perfection. Besides, this is the first fitting. Just be patient, would you?”

I prop my phone on my thigh and lift it between pinched fingers before rotating and letting it slip back down. Natalie eyes my fidgeting and shakes her head.

“Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”

Her scathing tone pulls a smile from me.

“Not at all. I’m almost right where I want to be,” I say with my eyes trained on the dressing room door.

“Wow, you got it real bad, don’t you, big bro?” she says in her most obnoxious macho man impression. I quirk a brow and meet her gaze. She looks me up and down as though she’s never seen me before.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She scoffs.

“You’re head over heels in love with Serenity, aren’t you?”

The revelation shouldn’t shock me, but hearing the words out loud resonates so profoundly within me I can’t believe I never thought them to myself before.

“I am.”

The confession slips from my lips with ease. Natalie smiles and wriggles back onto the couch.

“She could do so much better than you, but she seems to love you anyway, so I’m happy for you both.”

I stop fiddling with my phone and work through her words before leaning over and mussing her hair.

“Thanks, Natalie.”

She squeals and pushes me away before rushing to the mirror to fix her curls.

I lean forward, brace my elbows on my knees, and catch her attention. She goes still and meets my gaze in the mirror.

“I need you to help me keep her safe.”

I keep my voice low and serious.

She responds in an equally quiet voice.

“I noticed you increased the security for the family. Did something happen?”

When I answer by holding her stare, she nods and asks, “Camilla’s accident wasn’t really an accident, was it?”

“Whether it was or not doesn’t matter. Serenity can’t get hurt,” I say.

“How can I help?”

“Stay close to her. I don’t want her to go anywhere alone, not even from school to home,” I admit.

Her nod of understanding eases the knot in my chest and opens me to my excitement.

My anticipation builds as I wait for my first glimpse of my future bride in the gown she’ll wear as we legally bind ourselves together for the rest of our lives.

She doesn’t disappoint. When the attendants pull back the black curtain and reveal her standing on a tiny platform, my heart stops. Her sinful silhouette alone may kill me, but the elegant cut of the dress and delicate lace fabric emphasize her feminine perfection. If I weren’t already sitting, I’d be on my knees praying to God for more of her.

She’s gorgeous, but even if she were wearing a shapeless sack, the joy and excitement glinting in her eyes would satisfy me.

Dirty thoughts take over. I doubt she’s wearing a bra underneath her strapless dress, and the layers upon layers of fabric over her legs would be fun to bunch up around her waist. She’d look stunning splayed out on the floor with her loose curls haloing her head and my cock tunneling in and out of her pussy.

I clear my throat and shift on the couch to hide my predicament.

Amidst Natalie’s excited chatter, I meet Serenity’s eyes, prop my elbow on the armrest, and bite my knuckles as I sweep my gaze over her. She flushes. I can’t stop staring at her perfection and imagining her in the throes of passion as the white fabric pools around her.

When Natalie prompts me to respond, I only need three words.

“You’re perfect, principessa .”

Serenity’s eyes soften. My cock hardens to steel.

I struggle with the seams of my trousers long after they close the curtains and need an extra minute after Serenity emerges in her regular clothes to wrangle my body’s response to her ethereal beauty.

The rest of the evening passes in a blur. Nothing exists beyond the woman I love.

I repeat the revelation to myself over and over again.

I love Serenity Vivaldi.

She’s mine. My bride. My one and only. Mia principessa .

Serenity Vivaldi is the love of my life.

I desperately want to protect her from the brutal world we live in, but the dread building in my gut as time rolls on and my enemies remain out of my grasp becomes unbearable.

My nightmares worsen.

I love Serenity. I need her. I can’t lose her.

But my intuition is never wrong.

She’s in danger.