Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Nico
I should be home right now.
I should be home with my girl, her warm, soft body pressed against mine, buried deep inside her while she moans my name like she did last night.
Instead, I’m here, sitting at this damn poker table, forcing myself to focus when all I can think about is her.
The game is at Velvet Eclipse, one of my highest-end clubs. The main floor is busy tonight, patrons moving between the dance floor, the bar, and the private lounges. But we’re in the VIP section, cordoned off on the upper mezzanine with its own bar and security.
The lighting is low, and around the table sit some of the most dangerous men in the city.
Nikolai Volkov, the Pahkan of the Russian Bratva, sits to my left, calm as ever, his face unreadable.
Across from me is Declan O’Shea, head of the Irish Mob, nursing a whiskey with that cocky grin he always wears when he thinks he’s winning.
Then there’s Viktor Kane from the Albanian syndicate, and a few others who run smaller but important crews.
These are men I’ve done business with for years. Weapons, product routes, territory agreements. Tonight isn’t just poker. It’s a statement. After the war with Massimo and Gallo broke out, I need them to see I’m not hiding. I’m not scared. I’m still in control.
Especially after the fight that broke out between Gallo's men and mine at the Masquerade. Sitting here with these men sends the message that I'm still in charge of my territory and I'm not scared of either Gallo or Caruso.
But I do need to get back to my woman though. I've been away from her for hours and my skin is beginning to itch. Yeah, I'm a fucking addict, and Eleonora is my hit.
That's why I need to beat these motherfuckers and head home to her. I know their tells.
Declan’s left eye twitches when he’s bluffing. Viktor taps his ring finger when he has a strong hand. Nikolai… he’s harder. But even he has his moments, a slight shift in his posture when he’s confident.
I lay down my cards. Full house.
Groans ripple around the table.
“Fucking hell,” Declan mutters, tossing his cards down. “You must be cheating, Lombardi.”
I give him a cold look. “Don’t insult me by suggesting I need to cheat to beat you.”
The table laughs, tension easing for a moment. I sip my drink, then push my chair back.
“That’s it for me tonight, gentlemen. I’m calling it.”
As I stand, Nikolai rises with me. We walk a few steps away from the table, out of earshot.
“It’s good to see you out here,” Nikolai says quietly. “Shows strength.”
I nod. “Have you heard anything?”
Looking ahead, he nods. “Yeah.”
We move to a private VIP booth. I signal the waiter for two fresh drinks as we sit down. Once we’re alone, I lean backwards.
“So… what do you know?” I ask.
“Gallo is getting impatient,” he says. “Since Sienna is nowhere to be found, he no longer wants her. Now he wants Eleonora. He’s pushing Massimo hard to get her back and hand her over as his bride instead.”
My grip tightens on the glass. The thought of Andrea Gallo even thinking about touching Eleonora makes something dark and violent uncoil in my chest.
I don’t give a fuck who it is, Gallo, her father, or any other man still breathing on this earth. She’s mine. No one else is going to have her.
Nikolai continues, unaware of the storm building inside me. “From what I’ve heard, after he saw her at the masquerade and with the way you fought him over her, he’s become obsessed. He’s spreading word that he’s going to get her back from you at all costs.”
I set the glass down before I crush it. My jaw is clenched so tight it aches.
“That’s not going to happen,” I say, voice flat and cold.
Nikolai studies me for a long moment, then asks carefully, “Do you like the Caruso girl?”
I don’t answer.
He leans back. “You don’t have to say it. But I’ve known you a long time, Nico. The way you look at her… it’s not just business anymore.”
I stay silent.
Nikolai sighs. “You need to be careful. There might be a war coming. Gallo is dangerous when he wants something. And right now, he wants her badly.”
I nod once, but my mind is already spinning. I don’t care about the original plan. I don’t care about the deal with her father. Eleonora is not going back. Not to Massimo. Not to Gallo. Not to anyone.
Nikolai watches me. “So what’s your plan? You kidnapped her as leverage… but now?”
I stand up abruptly, unable to sit still any longer.
“I have to get going,” I say.
I don’t answer his question. Because the truth is, I’ve been asking myself the same thing every single day.
I sit in the passenger seat as Marco drives us back to the estate, taking one of the Syndicate’s protected routes far from the main roads. Only a handful of my most trusted men know the way in and out.
The route cuts through isolated backroads, stretches of forest, abandoned service paths, and unmarked roads hidden from public maps.
We can’t risk using the normal highways. Not when both the Gallos and Massimo’s men would kill for the chance to trace the route back to the estate.
He’s talking about something, but I’m barely listening. My mind is stuck on what Nikolai told me.
Gallo wants her.
He’s not just asking for Sienna anymore. He wants Eleonora. He saw her at the masquerade and decided she’s the one he’s going to marry.
The confirmation sits like acid in my stomach. The thought of Matteo Gallo even looking at her, let alone touching her, makes me want to put a bullet in his skull right now.
I drag a hand down my face, staring out into the dark.
I need to make her mine. Forever. And the only way to do that is by marrying her.
Marriage.
The word keeps circling in my head. I’ve never considered it. Never wanted it. Marriage was always a tool for other men, a way to seal alliances, expand power, produce heirs.
I built my empire from nothing, with blood and sweat and bodies in the ground. I never needed a wife. Never wanted one.
Until her.
If I marry her, she becomes mine. Permanently. Legally. No one, not Gallo, not her father, not anyone, would have the audacity to try and take her from me. She would be untouchable. She would have my name and be my wife.
I can’t believe I’m even thinking this. Me. The man who swore he’d never tie himself to anyone. And yet here I am, obsessed with a woman I kidnapped.
I think about her constantly. When I’m with her, I want to be closer. When I’m not, I’m counting the minutes until I can be. I worry if she’s eaten, if she’s comfortable, if she’s safe. She was supposed to be my prisoner.
Now I feel like the one who’s been captured.
Marco’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You alright, Boss? You’ve been quiet the whole drive.”
I exhale slowly. “What do you think about an alliance with Eleonora’s family?”
Marco looks away from the road for a second, eyebrows raised. “I take it you're not talking about the one we are trying to forcefully build with her father.”
I keep my voice steady. “A marriage alliance.”
The car goes quiet for a beat. Marco stares straight ahead, processing.
“You’re serious,” he finally says, not a question.
I don’t answer. Because I am.
And then he proceeds to look shocked for a split second, his eyebrows shooting up as he glances at me.
“You’re thinking of marrying Eleonora?” he asks, voice laced with disbelief.
I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”
I tell him what Nikolai said, how Gallo is no longer interested in Sienna. How he wants Eleonora now. How he’s pushing Massimo hard to hand her over as his bride. I repeat what Eleonora told me at the ball, how Gallo admitted he might have chosen the wrong sister.
Marco leans back in his seat, letting out a low whistle. “Wow. I knew you were having something with her. I knew you felt something. But I didn’t think it went this deep.” He rubs his jaw. “This changes everything. This wasn’t the plan. This wasn’t the deal we had going in.”
“I know,” I cut him off. “I know all of that. But I’m not letting her go. You should have figured that out by now.”
The thought of handing her back, of Gallo getting his hands on her, makes my blood boil. I tighten my grip on the armrest.
“If I let her go, Gallo will take her. So instead of going back on the deal with Massimo, the best move is to renegotiate. Turn it into a marriage alliance.”
Marco exhales slowly, nodding. “Well, looking at it, a marriage alliance isn’t a bad idea. As a matter of fact, it could work better. It would solve the port access issue we’ve been fighting over, and a few other problems too. It locks everything in tighter.”
He pauses, then looks at me directly. “But are you sure about this, Nico?”
Am I sure? I’ve never wanted marriage. Never saw myself tied to one woman. But with Eleonora… the thought of her wearing my ring, carrying my last name, sleeping in my bed every night, it doesn’t feel like a cage. It feels right.
“I’m sure,” I say finally, voice steady. “She’s not going back. Not to her father. Not to Gallo. She’s staying with me.”
Marco lets out a slow breath, rubbing his jaw as he keeps his eyes on the road.
“The reason I’m saying this is because from what I’ve seen of Eleonora, she would do anything for her family.
She was willing to marry Gallo herself just so her sister Sienna could run off with her boyfriend.
If you marry Eleonora, that puts her sisters at risk.
Gallo will still want the alliance one way or another.
That means he’ll go after one of the younger sisters next.
And Eleonora won’t be able to protect them anymore. ”
He pauses, letting the weight of it settle.
“So if you go ahead with this marriage discussion with Massimo, Eleonora isn’t going to be happy that you took that choice away from her. She’s the protector. That’s who she is. I’d advise you to think this over carefully. Maybe even talk to her about it first.”
I look out the window, exhaling a harsh breath through my nose. Marco is right. Eleonora would give her life for her sisters without hesitation. She already tried once.
If I marry her, I’m removing her from the equation, and Gallo will simply move on to the next Caruso daughter.
I drag a hand down my face, jaw tight.
I have to find a way to convince her to marry me… and still keep her sisters safe.