Dark Mafia Heir (Mafia Vows #3)

Chapter 8

8

Antonio

“ S he’ll wake up soon,” I say to Lorenzo, who’s been staring at me non-stop since I carried Vivienne’s unconscious body to the car an hour ago.

The fucker’s not even trying to hide his concern for her, and while I do not normally explain myself to anyone, Lorenzo and I are more like brothers than master and worker.

He’s one of those people I know who will gladly lay down his life for me if the need arises. I trust him with my damn life.

He sighs and shifts his gaze back to the road. “Peter must’ve found out she’s missing by now.”

Luca nods from the passenger seat. “I bet the old bastard is going crazy looking for his precious daughter. Too bad he won’t be seeing her for a while.”

I glance at Vivienne sleeping peacefully on my legs. Her long lashes flutter in her sleep, and her lips are pouty. She’s so beautiful that it’s a struggle for me not to trail a finger over her lips or her perfectly arched brows.

Luca is right. Peter will probably go insane looking for her, but not because she is his precious daughter. He’ll go insane because he just lost a valuable pawn on his chessboard.

Men like Peter are all the same. Their greed runs deeper than whatever love for anyone. He wouldn’t have put a price tag on her if he valued her. Scratch that. He wouldn’t have let that old asshole lay his disgusting fingers on her despite how visibly uncomfortable she was.

I’d been watching them from the moment they entered the restaurant, and it took all the restraint in me to not walk over to their table and knock Enzo’s teeth out of his fucking mouth.

My chest constricts with the need to protect this woman who I should hate. I should want to punish her and rip her apart layer by layer until there’s nothing left, but the thought of having her all to myself arouses me more.

Lorenzo reels the car through the intricate white gate of one of my mansions at the outskirts of the city. I bought the house under a fake name, so Peter will never be able to trace her here, no matter how hard he tries.

I had some staff clean the place up and assigned some of my men to watch the mansion. Not even a ghost can penetrate the area, given how secure it is.

Lorenzo pulls over in front of a white monstrosity and turns his head to face me. “We’re here, boss.”

“I have eyes,” I tell him, narrowing my eyes on Vivienne.

Her lashes flutter again, and for the first time, she stirs in her sleep. Looks like I’ll have to carry her to her prison in bridal style. My lips curl with a smile as I imagine how pissed she’d be at that.

Luca gets out of the car and opens the back door for me. I slide out and lean over to carry Vivienne. I manage to get her out of the car, but her eyes suddenly peel open as I’m about to lift her into my arms.

She squints from what I assume is the brightness from the sun and closes them back. When she opens her eyes again, she’s taking in her environment and the faces surrounding her.

“Where am I?” she asks almost inaudibly. Before I can reply, there’s a flash of fear in her eyes, and she pulls away from my reach. “Why am I here?”

I take one slow step after another toward her, my lips twitching. “What is it, gattina ? Don’t like your new home?”

“Home?” She looks around, still clearly confused. “This is not my home. You…kidnapped me from the restaurant.”

“ Si. I did take you from the restaurant,” I say with a nod. “Would you have preferred to marry that old bastard?”

Her eyes sparkle with tears. “Take me back, now!”

I stop walking towards her and lift my brow. “Or what, you’ll scream?”

Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Try me.”

A chuckle rips from my throat. I don’t blame her; her mind is fogged, so she’s a little confused. There is no way she’d think anyone in this world can save her from me, because no one can. Not Peter, not Enzo, and not even the police.

I take one last step towards her. We’re so close that our clothes are rubbing against each other. So close that her delicious flowery scent invades my nurse. “Scream, Vivienne. I dare you.”

She’s feral and fierce, so I expect her to scream, but she doesn’t. She just stands there, staring at me for a heartbeat.

I lower my head, bringing my face to hers. “Cat got your tongue, gattina ? Scream.”

Her chest heaves, and her face turns red.

I smile. “Are you giving up already? It won’t be fun playing with you if you give in so easily.”

“Go play with yourself, you son of a bitch!”

I barely have time to register her glare before Vivienne’s fingers jab into my eyes. Pain sears through me—white-hot and blinding. I curse, instinctively reaching for my face, but before I can react, her forehead slams into my nose with a sickening crunch.

Agony explodes through me. My vision blurs as a sharp, piercing pain shoots through my face.

Blood. I can taste it already, metallic and bitter, filling the back of my throat as it streams down from my nose.

For a second, I’m disoriented, stunned by the pain, and that’s all she needs. Through my hazy vision, I see her darting away, her red hair flashing as she bolts for the gate.

Rage ignites through the haze. She thinks she can just run? Not a chance.

I wipe the blood from my face, my breath ragged, the fire in my chest stronger than the pain in my nose. She’s fast, but she doesn’t know who she’s running from.

“Vivienne!” I growl, running after her like a predator after a prey. If she wants to play it this way, then I guess I’ll have to make it even more fun for her.

She looks back as she runs, and her green eyes widen at how close I am to catching up with her. She runs faster, but she’s no match for me as I grab her wrist from behind and pull her towards myself.

“Let go off me!” she screams, trying to fight me off.

I tighten my grip on her. “All that screaming and running won’t save you from me, gattina . Save your strength.”

She tries to jab her fingers into my eyes again, but I’m faster this time, evading her attack. But the sharp pain that jolts down my arm proves she’s smarter than I thought, because fucking bit me hard enough for me to bleed.

Anger flares through me. I’ve had enough of her drama. Holding her two hands together, I throw her over my shoulder and start for the mansion.

She screams, biting and scratching as she hits my back. All of that is for nothing. I’ve had bullets pierce through me. Her punches are barely enough to inflict any serious injuries on me.

I toss her on the floor in front of Luca and she scrambles up to her feet. She’s glaring at me with so much hate.

“Take her inside,” I order.

Luca nods. He reaches for her arm, but she shrugs away from his touch. “Why me? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” I reply, tilting my head. “You’re paying for your father’s crime.”

“What did he do so bad that I have to pay the price?” Her voice trembles. “You could have taken or killed him if you wanted. Why me?”

An image of Dante's lifeless body flashes before my eyes. The bullet wound to his chest and head, his lifeless eyes. A new wave of rage fills me.

I wrap my hand around Vivienne’s neck, pouring all the hatred I feel for Peter on her. “Someone very important to me died because of your father.” My voice is colder and harsher than I intend, but I don’t care. I want her to feel whatever rage and fear Dante felt in his final moments. “I lost money because of him, too. You’ll never be free from me until your papa pays for everything he’s done.”

Tears roll down her cheeks, but she laughs sardonically. “You’re a fool, Antonio. My papa will not risk his life to save me. You’ll never get what you’re looking for.”

I lean into her, bringing my lips to her ear. “You better pray he does, or you’ll never leave this place alive.”

She tenses. “Kill me now.”

I pull away and smile at her. “There’s no need to rush it; you’ll die if I don’t get what I need. For now, I’ll have to settle with marrying you.”

Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open. “Marry me? What does that mean?”

I snort in derision. The look she’s giving me makes it seem she would rather marry Enzo than me. It fuels my rage even more. “You’ll be my wife soon enough, gattina .” I push a lock of red hair from her face. “And don’t even try to run. You’ll be shot dead before you even make it to that gate.”

She spits at my foot, her eyes burning with hate and defiance. “I’ll never marry you. I’d rather hang from a tree than marry you.”

A lopsided grin forms on my face. “We’ll see about that.”

“Animal,” she barks. “You’re a fucking pig. I hope you die. I hate you.”

“You’ll soon have a valid reason for all of those negative emotions, darling.” I nod to Luca, and he starts to drag her away, towards the main building.

Vivienne doesn’t fight him, but she keeps raining curses at me.

She’s a fierce one. I’m amazed by how she managed to stand her ground despite the obvious fear in her eyes and despite knowing I could easily kill her if I wanted. She makes me want to taunt her more.

“We both know you won’t kill that girl,” Lorenzo says, stepping beside me.

I smirk. “I won’t kill her, but that doesn’t mean I won’t break her if I need to.”

“What if Peter retaliates before we have the chance to get what we need from him?” he asks. “She’s his daughter. He won’t just sit back.”

“I know.” I shove my hands inside the pocket of my slacks and lean against the car. “I have to marry her as soon as possible so we can focus on finding out who is behind Dante’s death.”

Lorenzo narrows his eyes on me. “Are you marrying her to get back at Peter, or just because you want to own her?” He gives me a more serious look. “You like that girl, don’t you?”

I frown, detesting the accusation in his tone. “Find me a priest, and stop talking shit. I’d rather chop off my cock than like one of Peter Cole’s spawns.”

I’m getting defensive. It’s never a good sign when I get defensive about anything. It’s a fact that I’m unusually drawn to the girl. But I can’t decide if that is because I see her as a challenge or if I am truly intrigued by her.

It doesn’t matter either way; she’ll be mine soon, and I’ll get to the bottom of Dante’s death. I can discard her after I am done with her.

Lorenzo stares at me intently for a moment, then he sighs. “Yes, boss. How soon do you want the wedding to be?”

I don’t give it much thought. The quicker I lay my claim over her, the better. It’ll send a message to the other mafia families to not get involved in my business. I will also be inviting a few of my trusted allies to the wedding. I need them to spread the word about my marriage to Peter Cole’s eldest daughter.

“Tomorrow night,” I say. “I’ll make her mine tomorrow night.”