11. Dario #3
“You and I both know you’re not going to be fucking your way around town.”
“I’m not,” he agrees, “but it doesn’t hurt to get them all excited about the possibility, does it?” Looking back at the store while I pull out of the parking space, he says, “ Signora Ricci is the one who checked me out. She perked right up when she saw what I was buying.”
“She’s what? Sixty-five? Sixty-six?”
“She’s not dead, Dario. Don’t be such a fucking prude. She has needs, and she really wanted me to take care of them for her.”
“Too bad that enormous stash of condoms is just for me,” I say with a grin.
“Live it up while you can. Once we get back to America, she’ll be going back to Mommy and Daddy’s house. You know, because she’s only eighteen and still lives at home.”
“I haven’t forgotten how old she is, and her home is with me from now on.”
I can feel him staring at me, but I keep my eyes focused on the road ahead.
“You sure about this, Dario?”
My eyes quickly dart to his. “I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He reaches out to smack my arm. “All right then. I’ve got your back when you need me.”
“Thanks, brother,” I tell him.
“At least Sasha is okay with it. There’s a chance we can reason with Lev, but if his son was against it,” he says, letting his voice trail off. After a few seconds, he laughs and says, “Well, I guess it wouldn’t matter because you’d be dead.”
“There’s a chance I could win against him,” I say in my own defense, remembering how Sasha had been damn sure I’d lose the fight too.
“There’s no winning against whatever the fuck Sasha is.”
“That’s true enough,” I say, knowing they’re both right. Even if I managed to escape him, he’s not the kind of guy who would ever let up. He’d follow me like a goddamn bloodhound until he got the job done.
“Here’s hoping he doesn’t change his mind,” Sandro says.
“Well, that’s comforting,” I tell him.
“I’ll try to save you if he does, but I’m guessing we’ll both just end up dead.”
“Stop talking, Sandro.”
He laughs but manages to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the drive.
When we get back onto Alessi property, I bypass the house and instead drive down the path that leads to the guesthouses where our lower-level men live.
A few of our unmarried capos also choose to live here, and the others have houses in the village.
Parking in front of the first house, Sandro and I get out and make our way inside. These guesthouses are more like barracks than mini vacation homes, but even with the bunk-style rooms and metal gun lockers, it’s still a beautiful home, complete with a veranda and an amazing view of the sea.
As soon as we step inside, we see a large map of the estate pinned to the wall, a rotation schedule with everyone’s names on it, and a line of radios that are fully charged and ready to go.
There are four men waiting at a table, and when they see us, they all stand and give a nod of respect. We invited the capos here for a meeting, knowing they’ll pass whatever information we give them down to the men they’re in charge of.
Gio and Bruno have held their positions the longest, but Uberto and Alfonso are quickly making a name for themselves within the family. I trust these men, so when I sit down and ask them to tell me everything they know, I’m confident I’ll be getting the most up-to-date information.
Gio takes the lead, filling Sandro and me in on the attacks we suffered and the deaths of our men. We sit back and listen and by the time he’s done, I’m more convinced than ever that Leonardo is behind this. No one else would be this brazen or stupid.
“No one saw anything? No witnesses?” Sandro asks.
“No,” Gio says while shaking his head. “The hits took place late at night, and they made sure no one else was around to see.”
“Who do you think is behind all this?” I ask, watching the four men as they look to one another, no one wanting to be the first to speak.
It’s Uberto who surprises me by lifting his head and saying, “I think it’s the Fontana family.”
“Why?” I ask, keeping my focus on him. He may have been bold enough to speak up, but I can tell having my attention is making him nervous. He keeps his dark eyes slightly lowered while he fidgets with the Zippo lighter in his hand.
“The new don is the only one stupid enough to go against this family. Even with Don Alessi in America most of the time, his name still demands respect and fear.” Uberto glances over at Gio before adding, “There have been a few rumors.”
“Such as?” I ask.
Uberto scrubs a hand over his lower jaw, scratching at the light beard while he taps out a fast rhythm with his foot.
I want to tell him to stop fidgeting, that he’s driving me fucking crazy with his inability to sit still, but I keep my mouth shut, wanting the information more than I want to berate him.
“It’s just talk. It may not be anything,” he warns. “I’ve got a girl who works at one of the restaurants Leonardo’s men like to go to. She keeps an ear out for me.” He shrugs and flicks his lighter open again. “When we hook up, she lets me know if she’s heard anything.”
“What did she say?” Sandro asks, knowing me well enough to know I don’t have the patience right now to talk. He’s well aware of my hatred of fidgeting, and he often does it around me just to piss me off.
Uberto finally gets to the fucking point and says, “She said some of his men were in there last night, bragging about how they were going to overthrow your family, said they’d already taken out a few of your men.”
“Anything else?” I ask while trying to keep my tone even.
Uberto meets my eyes briefly before quickly looking away. When he starts to fidget even more, I say, “Spit it out,” and this time my tone makes his body tense and the mindless movement stop.
“They mentioned your wife,” he says, and even though this is what we wanted and that it’s the entire fucking reason for our visit to Italy, my body still grows cold at the mention of Mia.
“And you’re just now telling me this?” I growl at him.
He’s quiet for a second, and then Uberto finds his balls and shows me the part of himself that earned him his current position. “With all due respect, sir, you just flew in this morning. I was going to approach you at the house,” he stops and clears his throat. “But you were busy.”
Sandro chimes in with a “Yeah, busy making his wife come in broad daylight like a fucking animal.”
Everyone shares a small laugh at my expense, but the comment doesn’t faze me.
I’m a grown man. If I want to make Mia come, then I’m going to make her come.
I don’t give a fuck where I’m at or what time of day it is when I do it.
I’d done it there on purpose, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’d do it again in a heartbeat just for the simple pleasure of watching her fall apart in my arms.
“We’re going to try and lure the Fontana family out. We want them to act, and when they do, we’re taking those fuckers down,” I say. “Is Franco a part of this?”
Gio takes the lead again and says, “He’s not even here right now. He’s been in Milan for months. I don’t think he has any idea what’s going on.”
“No one goes after him until we know if he’s involved,” I say, “but anyone who’s working with Leonardo is dead. How Franco reacts to that will decide his fate.”
“Everybody clear on that?” Sandro asks. “We want extra patrols around the house, and the men we brought with us will be acting as our bodyguards. ”
Sandro and I don’t mention that Mia will be used as bait. No one needs to know the truth about her. I trust my men, but there are very few people I would trust with Mia’s life. I won’t risk her safety, and the less people who know, the better.
We go over a few more details with the men, and by the time we get up to leave, I’m confident the house and surrounding property will be secure. On the drive back to the house, Sandro tells me that he’s going to take Sasha out and show him around, let him see how we run things.
“Don’t let him kill any of our men,” I tell my brother.
Sandro laughs, but we both know I’m not kidding.
“I think he’ll be okay. He told me on the flight here that he knows he’s not allowed to hurt anyone unless they come after his sister.
” My brother looks over at me when I park the Ferrari in front of our family home.
“I kind of feel like you shouldn’t have to tell someone that, but I’m not going to argue with it.
He’s not allowed to kill unless Mia’s in danger, so that’s good enough for me. ”
I start to get out when he says, “Don’t forget your stash of condoms. I’m curious to see how many you can get through in a night.
Be sure and let me know if you can keep up with her.
” He laughs at the look I give him. “You’re not getting any younger, and you’re going to be trying to keep up with an eighteen-year-old.
I’ve seen Mia train. She has incredible stamina. ”
“As do I, brother,” I practically growl at him.
He gives me a sure ya do look, making me wish he was close enough to punch. The truth is I’m not so sure we’re going to be doing anything tonight. I want to, I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but if she’s not healed enough, then I’ll be forced to stop. I won’t risk hurting her.
Ignoring my brother, I walk inside and go in search of my wife. I find her in our room, sitting on the balcony in a hammock chair, barefoot with her feet propped on the railing. She’s looking out at the sea, and when she hears me and turns her head, I’m stunned yet again by the very sight of her.
I hadn’t planned on it, and it sure as hell isn’t anything that’s going to make either of our lives easier, but I’ve completely fallen in love with Mia Melnikov, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to let her go once we return to America.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her hazel eyes run over me, suspicious and wary and so very her .
Mia’s never going to give me a bubbly laugh and run across the room like she’s been holding her breath until I could come back to her, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t constantly giving me clues about how she feels.
I just needed to learn the signs. I needed to learn to understand her language.
She may be suspicious, but she’s relaxed in her chair, both hands visible, neither one within easy reach of a weapon, meaning she’s comfortable around me and she trusts me completely.
When I have her in my arms, kissing and teasing her, and I feel her soften at my touch as her small body clings to mine, begging me for more, I know she’s showing me how deeply she cares for me.
Mia’s never going to be cutesy or over the top about things, but I know she loves me just as much as I love her. I don’t need her drawing hearts around our names. I’ve never cared for that shit, and I love that she’s independent. I wouldn’t change a single thing about her.
Her eyes run down me, stopping at the bag I’m holding. The contents are easy enough to see through the transparent bag. You don’t need to understand Italian to know I’m holding several boxes of condoms. The corner of her mouth lifts up in the tiniest of grins.
“Someone’s an optimist.”
I toss the bag inside and walk over to her.
“I am.” Reaching out, I cup her face, and the slight tilt of her head that causes her to press into my skin just enough for me to feel it is Mia’s equivalent of an exuberant hug.
I savor that small touch, seeing it for the gift it is when I say, “Tony gave me some very depressing news.”
Her eyes lift back up to mine. “Did something happen?”
“No, streghetta mia , everything is fine.”
“Then what’s the bad news?”
I run my thumb over her cheek, tilting her head back so I can see her better.
“He said I have to wear condoms and that I’m not allowed to eat your sweet pussy for at least another two weeks.
” I give her a wink. “I’m paraphrasing. If he had called your pussy sweet, I would’ve had to fly back and kill him. ”
That earns me a small smile.
“That is sad about the oral sex,” she agrees, “but you’re out of your goddamn mind if you thought for one second I was going to let you inside me without a condom.”
It’s my turn to grin, and when I add in a laugh, Mia’s spine straightens and she looks like she’s two seconds away from trying to rip my dick off.
God, I fucking love this woman.
Ignoring how angry she is, I scoop her up into my arms and bring my lips to hers. She resists at first, wanting to stay angry and not give in, but when I growl my displeasure and deepen the kiss, she opens for me, running her tongue along mine as my dick grows even harder.
When she moans, I pull back just enough so I can say, “V ipera mia , I’m fucking this pussy raw as soon as you’re healed.”
“I’m not getting pregnant, Dario.”
I grin and nip at her swollen lip. “Who said anything about getting pregnant? I just want to feel you around me. I want to know what it’s like to have your tight little cunt squeezing me skin to skin. I’ve never been inside a woman without a condom,” I admit to her.
Her hazel eyes study mine. “How is that possible?”
I shrug and run my fingers through her hair. “It’s an intimacy I’ve never wanted to share with anyone until now.”
Before she can get all weird about me being too sentimental, I cup the back of her head and kiss the worry from her.