The Accardi Twins: A Mafia Romance Duet

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Caleb

“ G ive the order, Massimo,” I hiss through gritted teeth, keeping my rifle trained on the old prick in the chair. Our sniper team is a mile away. We are on the top floor of an abandoned building with a perfect vantage point and an unobstructed view of the shit going down by the ocean. Gia glances at me briefly from her position at my left side. Sheer terror is written all over her face and I share her concern. Cruz holds a gun to my twin’s brow while Joshua presses the muzzle of his gun into that backstabbing bastardo’s chest. Primo Greco—Massimo’s brother recently resurrected from the grave—has just declared his intent, and our president needs to get his shit together and give the order, now.

I understand his shock, but delaying too long could cost us a lot of lives.

“Massimo.” Fiero lifts his head from my right, staring his best buddy down. “Do it now before it’s too late.”

There are twenty-one sharpshooters on this roof awaiting instruction, and this team was always the ace up our sleeves. That and the additional one thousand men led by the four newly appointed dons to The Commission dotted around the battle scene. They are still in hiding, awaiting the call. If Massimo doesn’t act in two fucking seconds, I’m intervening. I don’t give a fuck about reprimands. We need to end this before we lose our loved ones on the firing line.

Gia and I share a look, and I nod, understanding we’re on the same page without the need for spoken word. Girl has big lady balls, and I love the way she loves my brother. She is everything Joshua deserves and needs.

Don Greco snaps out of wherever he went to in his head, thank fuck. “The old man is mine. You take Primo.” He stares at his buddy before swinging his gaze to me and Gia. “Caleb, you take Calabro. Gia, you’ve got Cruz. Don’t kill him. He needs to be interrogated and punished accordingly.”

Sometimes, I really hate all the bullshit rules. Who cares if he’s a don and it’s the one hard and fast rule? He has betrayed us, and he should die on that field. I’m tempted to riddle him with bullets myself, but today isn’t the day to go rogue. There are too many lives at stake.

Massimo turns to face the rest of the men. “Marrone, watch McDermott. When he runs, stop him, but don’t shoot to kill. Cascio, protect Don Mazzone and Don DiPietro. The rest of you pick enemy targets and take as many of them down as you can.”

Gia briefly clenches her jaw, but it’s the only sign she’s affected. I’m guessing she wants to end Cruz as badly as me, and she wants Liam alive so she can exact revenge. I want that for her too. That fucker doesn’t deserve a quick death. Joshua already stabbed Liam in the thigh and got rid of his weapon, but McDermott is sly, and he’s going to make a run for it as soon as he gets the chance.

“We’ll get him,” I mouth, hoping to reassure her.

She offers me a terse nod.

“Everyone in position,” Massimo says in a calm tone and I’m glad he pulled his head from his ass. We need our level-headed leader now. I ready myself, pointing my weapon at the Barone’s new self-appointed don. That prick gave the order to come after J and me and Rowan and it’s only right I’m the one to end him. “On my order,” Massimo says, lifting his arm, as he waits for everyone to get into position. He quickly updates the key men on the field through our earpiece communicators, so they are forewarned, and issues instructions to the four dons leading our backup teams.

I inhale deeply, keeping my aim locked on my target and my finger curled around the trigger, pulling it when Massimo says, “Now!”

Multiple pops crack through the nighttime air as we fire en masse at the unsuspecting enemy. In the distance, targets drop like flies, and renewed gunfire breaks out on the ground as our backup soldati charge forward from four different directions, circling the enemy.

Checking for Joshua, I breathe a sigh of relief to see him unharmed. Cruz is lying on the ground in front of him, incapacitated but not dead. I’m tempted. So fucking tempted, but I shove my personal need for vengeance aside and concentrate on taking as many of the pricks down as I can.

I zone out, blocking out everything but the moving targets in the distance, popping off shots in quickfire succession. Drones drop grenades from above, managed remotely by Mazzone’s tech team. Every loyal man here received an updated tracking chip in the last week with an infrared marker which identifies them as an ally from the air. The team under Capo DiNardo who had switched loyalty to our now-deceased underboss Marino are fair game and I won’t lose any sleep if they get taken down.

They were never going to survive anyway.

You don’t betray our famiglia and live to tell the tale.

It’s a virtual bloodbath on the ground, and not for the first time I wish I was in the thick of the action.

Our team works well under Massimo’s supervision, and it’s obvious within minutes we have the upper hand. Our enemy is outnumbered, and the order is clearly given to retreat. I take potshots at the men as they flee toward the ocean and the waiting submarine. Others flee in all directions, chased by our men on the ground and our snipers.

Within twenty minutes, it’s all over.

“Gather your weapons and clean up your area. Don’t leave any empty shells or other evidence,” Massimo says, frowning as he taps on his earpiece and listens to whomever is on the other end. His eyes dart to Fiero.

I clean up fast, tucking everything into my rifle bag before slinging it over my shoulder. “Don’t leave without me,” I tell Gia. “I need a word with Massimo.” I stalk toward where Don Greco and Don Maltese have their heads bent, deep in conversation.

“What’s going on?” I ask, pushing myself in between them.

“Rinascita’s on fire,” Massimo says in a low tone so no one else hears. “They sent in drones with firebombs.” Rinascita is the legit company Massimo and Fiero co-own that operates out of Staten Island and is the front for bringing narcotics into the city.

“Shit.” We had suspected they may target other locations and had put extra men at the docks, but there isn’t much they could do against drones except shoot them from the sky. “How bad is the damage?”

“We don’t know until we get there, but fire crews are working to put it out.”

“Was anyone in the building?” Hundreds of employees work out of the place, and I hate to think any innocent got caught up in our mafioso shit.

“There were a few people working late, but our men got them out in time.”

“They hit the plant in Cali too,” Fiero confirms, scrubbing a hand along his prickly jawline. “But the extra reinforcements paid off, and we held them at bay. There is some damage, and we lost a lot of good men, but the plant is still under our control.” We had suspected they were planning a hit when Gia found blueprints of the Colombian drug production facility on McDermott’s desk. At least our planning paid off, but with the plant hit it’s likely to disrupt production which will cause more headaches.

“Thanks to Gia,” I say, not realizing she has just materialized at my side.

“What?” Her brow puckers as she looks up at me.

“They tried to take the Cali plant, but they didn’t succeed because your intel gave us the heads-up we needed,” Massimo replies.

“And your discovery of the chip led us to identifying the traitors. We owe you a lot, Gia,” Fiero adds.

“Um, I was just doing my job but thanks.”

I poke her rapidly reddening cheeks. “Are you blushing?”

“Shut up.” She glares at me, and I chuckle. “Can we go now, please?” She tugs on my arm. “I need to see Joshua and find my family.”

“Just give me a second.” I return my gaze to our president. “What do you need us to do?”

“Work with the others to clean up the scene. We’re heading to Staten Island. We’ll reconvene at HQ in a couple hours.” He clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t plan on getting any sleep tonight.”

Everyone is waiting downstairs when the four of us appear. Men are piling into the truck when a helicopter appears in my peripheral vision.

“That’s our ride.” Fiero squints as he looks up at the approaching chopper.

“Call if anything happens,” Massimo says, and I nod. He pokes his head in through the back of the truck. “Good work tonight. Keep your wits about you down there.” He slaps his hand against the side of the truck a few times as I climb up beside Gia in the front. The driver kicks the engine into gear, and we take off.

“Joshua!” Gia races off across the grass, heading for my twin the instant she spots him. Leo jerks his head in my direction, relief evident on his face. Alesso turns to look at me, nodding in acknowledgement even though I know he hates my guts. Beside him, Uncle Ben is barking orders as soldati work to clear the site before the authorities show up.

Gia jumps at my brother, wrapping her legs around his waist as he holds her up and kisses her. He’s covered in blood but seems unharmed. I give them some privacy to reunite as I hold back and make a call to the Greenwich estate. I’m assuming our stepdad has already checked in, but I want to talk to Mom myself.

“Caleb. Are you okay?” she answers in a panicked voice.

“I’m fine. Joshua is fine, and so are Leo, Alesso, and Ben.”

“What about Gia and Rico and the boys?”

“Gia was with me. She’s fine, but I haven’t seen Rico or his sons. I’m sure they’re here somewhere. I’ll get Gia to message you when she finds them.” As I’m talking, I watch Gia and Joshua walk off hand in hand, and I don’t need to know where they are going or who they are looking for.

“How are Leif and Rosa?” I ask.

“Your brother and sister are fine. We built a blanket fort, played games, and ate a ton of junk food. They had a blast and were none the wiser.”

“And Lili?”

“She’s fine. There were no issues here, and we’re all safe, so don’t worry about us.”

“Good.” I consider asking Mom to pass the phone to Elisa, but there’s no point. She’s still not talking to me, and I have no clue why.

It’s bugging me way more than I thought it would.

Truth is, I miss her. Until things turned to shit last year, she regularly sent me texts and messages, and we always talked for hours whenever we were in the same place at the same time.

Now, I’m persona non grata, and she won’t even look at me. For the first time in years, I got no special drawing on my birthday, and she refused the delivery of roses I sent to her apartment, just off campus, for Valentine’s Day. She really seems to hate me now, and it’s killing me inside. Especially when I don’t know what I’ve done to warrant her turning on me like this. I have tried talking to her on several occasions, to find out what I did to deserve the cold shoulder, but she refuses to entertain me at all.

It’s seriously pissing me off for a bunch of reasons I don’t want to explore. “I’ve got to go, and I’m sure you do too.”

“I’m just waiting for the chopper to arrive to take me to the city,” Mom replies. “Leo said there are plenty of injured men.”

“Unfortunately.” I scan the ground watching men cart dead bodies to one pickup point and helping to move the injured to a different collection point. All casualties will be moved to the new mafioso hospital. I knew it would be all-hands-on-deck and Mom would most likely be called in to help tonight.

“Be safe, my love, and message me when you’re both home. I don’t care what time it is.”

A chuckle escapes my lips. “Mom. We’re not kids anymore, and you need to stop worrying. You know the score.”

“That is an impossibility, Caleb. You’re my sons. I will always worry, especially on days like today. Just be a good boy and text your mother. Please?”

“Of course.” I struggle to deny Mom anything. I was a little rebellious shit during my teenage years, and I put her through hell on more than one occasion. These days, I go out of my way to make it up to her.

“Love you.”

“Love you too.” I hang up first because Mom will keep me on the line for ages if I don’t.

When I find Gia and Joshua, I’m relieved to hear her father and brothers made it out alive. Antonio took a bullet to his shoulder protecting his younger brother, but he’ll live. Rico picked up an injury to his leg, but it’s strapped up, and it’s not impeding him apparently. Both men are en route to the hospital under sufferance.

“Where is fuckface one and two?” My gaze roams the area, but I see no sign of Cruz or McDermott.

“McDermott is unconscious and on his way to the bunker,” Joshua confirms. “But that other prick got away.”

“How the fuck did that happen?”

“We don’t know, but Cristian took off with some men to see if he can locate him,” Joshua says.

I’m guessing that’s a futile exercise. The prick most likely escaped on the sub.

“I shot out his kneecaps,” Gia says, “so he obviously had help. I should have kept him in my sights.”

“It’s not your fault, honey.” My brother looks at his woman in a familiar adoring manner. It’s grossly endearing. “It was crazy and hard to keep tabs on everyone.”

“And they had a fucking submarine,” Cosimo says. Gia’s brother’s eyes are out on stalks. “Like that’s some insane shit.”

“We couldn’t stop them from escaping in time, and a lot of men still got away. I’m assuming Cruz was one of them,” Joshua says, articulating my previous thought.

“He must be important to their plans,” Gia adds.

“At least we took these motherfuckers out.” I glance to the side where Primo and Maximo Greco and Don Calabro are lined up on the muddy ground alongside the bodies of our dead soldati . “That’s got to be one of the shortest homecomings ever.” I kick the side of Maximo’s wizened head. “Arrogant fucks.”

“Can you actually believe that shit? How the hell did they stay hidden for over thirteen years?” Joshua shakes his head.

“I’d like the answer to that question too,” Ben says, walking over to us with Leo.

“Was Maximo the Italian big boss or do you think there is someone else pulling the strings?” Gia asks.

“If he’s been hiding in Italy all this time, it’s possible his ally is the one pulling the strings,” I say.

“Meaning it’s not over.” Gia sighs as she leans her head against Joshua’s shoulder.

“We rounded up a few Italians who are alive. We’ll interrogate them and hopefully get some answers this time.” Leo cracks his knuckles as a cell phone vibrates in Ben’s pocket.

A frown puckers Mazzone’s brow as he stares at the screen. “It’s the commissioner.” His gaze bounces between us. “I’ll handle him if you can wrap this up fast.” Pressing a button on his cell, he accepts the call and stalks off to smooth things over with his police commissioner buddy.

“Help me carry these to the car,” Leo says, jerking his head at the three men on the grass beside us.

“Why aren’t they shark fodder like the rest?” I ask, tipping my head to where our men are tossing dead bodies into the ocean. Enemies and traitors are taking a permanent swim while the bodies of loyal men are being transported to HQ so their families can bury them with dignity.

“Don Greco instructed us to retrieve the bodies,” my stepdad says, hefting old man Greco over his shoulder. “If it was up to me, I’d happily toss this prick over the edge.” He doesn’t need to elaborate on his hatred for the man or why.

“Just do it. Give Massimo some bullshit excuse. It’s not like he’s going to punish you for it.”

“That kind of attitude does you no favors, Caleb.” Alesso plants himself in front of me, pinning me with a sharp look.

He has never been my greatest fan. He hates his daughter has feelings for me and hates that his cousin cheats on her husband with me. Anais is the one who is married, and the main instigator, so I find his attitude more than a little hypocritical. Since Elisa cut me out of her life, her stepdad has barely tolerated me, which suits me just fine. I’m not his biggest fan either, even if Lili dotes on him and he’s been an amazing father to her.

“You can’t ignore a direct instruction from the president,” Alesso says.

“Don’t tell me you actually agree with this?”

“They are his family, and Calabro was a don.”

“They’re all treacherous scum, and they don’t deserve any respect.”

“That may well be the case, but it’s not our call to make. It’s our job to follow orders.” He drills me with another sharp look, irritating the fuck out of me. Who the hell is he to lecture me? I’m a fucking don, and he’s only a consigliere. He would do well to remember that.

“Let’s get this over with.” Joshua throws Primo Greco over his shoulder. “We need to get to the hospital, and we’re wasting time.”