Chapter 2
Christiano
Sitting at the head of the table where we have most of our meetings, my eyes move from one man to the next. The discussion about what our next move should be is filled with anger and tension.
“They fucking shot up the place with our women there,” Adriano growls. “We should’ve retaliated already and soaked the ground with Irish blood.”
“I don’t agree with acting in the heat of the moment,” Uncle Dario says, his tone too calm after what happened three days ago. “That’s when mistakes are made.”
I want the Irish to suffer. A quick attack and killing them in one fell swoop would be too merciful.
The fuckers killed eleven of our men.
I get random flashes of Sienna’s beautiful face. Her green eyes were filled with terror when I tackled her to the ground. At the hospital, she looked so fucking out of it, and only after she left did Augusto tell me the nurse had to give my woman something to help her calm down.
It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, and instead, the woman I’ve loved since I turned nineteen was almost killed.
If I weren’t there to take the bullet, it would’ve hit her in the chest.
No. There won’t be a quick attack.
My eyes lock with Dad’s where he’s sitting on the otherside of the long table, anger simmering in his dark gaze.
Every father and son of the Cosa Nostra is present for this meeting, but it’s up to me to decide how we’ll retaliate.
Clenching my jaw, I pick up the gavel and bring it down on the table.
Instantly, everyone goes silent, and they all look at me. Some of my uncles are still adjusting to me being the capo dei capi. It will take time before they’ll learn to trust that I can do as good a job as my father.
“We will hit the Irish where it hurts most. Piece by fucking piece, we’ll dismantle their businesses, and when they have no money left to wage a war, we’ll hunt them to the ends of the earth,” I order. “Every mobster will be ruined and tortured for what they’ve done.”
“That will take years,” Adriano states.
Locking eyes with the head of the Rizzo family, who is also my best friend’s older brother, my tone is deadly as I reply, “A quick attack is too merciful. I want their organization completely dismantled. The Mooney brothers will watch as everything they’ve built is taken away from them before we kill them. ”
Considering the topic closed, I push my chair back and climb to my feet. I do my best to ignore the pain in my back. I should still be in the hospital, but that’s not a good look for the head of the five families.
Buttoning my jacket, I say, “But first, we have funerals to attend.”
As everyone gets up, I glance at Georgi, who’s the head of the Torrisi family. He handles all the weapons for us.
“Get us as many explosives and guns as you can,” I order.
“On it.”
“I’ll track down every one of importance in the Irish mob and keep tabs on them,” Uncle Dario says.
“Thanks,” I reply while digging my phone out of my pocket. Not seeing any messages from Sienna, the worry that’s been growing the past few days flares hot through my chest.
As the three Vitale men walk toward the door, I ask, “Augusto, where is Sienna?”
“She should be at home,” he replies.
Nodding, I follow them out of the office that’s situated at the back of Gianna’s. Last year, I single-handedly opened the restaurant and named it after my youngest sister.
Enzo, my younger brother and underboss, is standing near the doorway that leads outside. He’s talking with Nico, our head of security, and when I reach them, my brother asks, “Are we splitting up for the funerals?”
I nod, my eyes scanning over the cars parked behind the restaurant.
“Nico will go with you,” Enzo says. Since Dad told him he’s my underboss, he’s become protective as fuck. Being the older brother, it’s not something I’ll ever get used to.
I nod again before meeting his eyes while patting his shoulder. “Be on guard at all times and check in with me every hour.”
I’m worried the Irish will try to take out my brother, or any other man in the family, for that matter.
“You too.”
Standing beside Nico, I watch Enzo walk toward his Mustang, and when I see Ciro and Nathan follow him, I feel a little better. The two men are highly trained, so I know my brother will be safe with them.
“Let’s get going,” Nico says.
We head to my armored Bentley Mulliner. I received the luxury SUV from my parents for my twenty-first birthday, and it’s fitted with a mini armory.
After I get into the back and Nico takes his position behind the steering wheel, he asks, “Where’s our first stop?”
“The Vitales.”
Nico’s been with me since I became the head of the five families. He was trained by Uncle Carlo, my godfather and Dad’s shadow.
We’ve only been working closely together for three months, but he’s quickly catching on to my moods. He’s learned when to talk and when to shut up.
Just like my father, I don’t get along with many people and hate loud noises, flashing lights, and anything repetitive. Something as simple as a dripping faucet will send me over the edge, and most music irritates me.
There are only a handful of things that can calm me down. My mother, the sound of white noise or rain, and Sienna.
Silence fills the cab as I stare at the stitching running along the seats.
For a minute or so, my thoughts jump between the Irish, work, and Sienna. The corner of my mouth lifts as I replay everything from the moment I told Sienna I was interested in her.
At first, she was shocked and hesitated. It took six days for her to decide whether to give me a chance or not. Luckily, she said yes.
Even though we grew up in the same world and our families are close, it felt like I had to get to know her all over again.
I’ve learned Sienna is even more introverted than I initially thought. Attending functions and being in social settings drains her to the point where she gets headaches.
After the first couple of dates, I caught on, and instead of taking her on extravagant dates, I scaled down. She loves the simple things like cooking a meal together or snuggling beneath the stars.
She’s also a people pleaser. Even though I’ve seen her drinking wine and champagne on many occasions, she doesn’t like alcohol at all. She also hates lamb, salami, and olives. Still, until I stopped her, she never declined any of the foods and drinks.
She never says no when someone asks her to do something, and at parties she spends most of her time in the kitchen, cleaning up after everyone. It’s going to take me more than three months to get her to stop thinking about other people all the time and to start putting herself first.
I have to be careful, though. I don’t want to change her.
Unlike her siblings, Sienna is very sensitive. It’s one of the things I love most about her. I just want her to live more for herself and less for others.
Sienna is one of the few people who bring out my softer side, which only makes an appearance with my mother and sisters. The moment I felt overprotective and possessive of her, I knew she was the one.
When Nico waits for the iron gates to open before steering the SUV up the driveway, my eyes sweep over the Vitales’ mansion. After he brings the vehicle to a stop, I shove the door open and climb out.
I glance at the guards standing near the cottage where the Vitales torture their enemies, and they all look at me with respect.
It’s difficult not let the power go to my head, and something I constantly have to work on.
As I step into the house via the sliding doors, I find Uncle Milo and Lorenzo in the living room.
Climbing to his feet, Lorenzo says, “Everyone’s changing for the funerals.”
Not replying, I head to Sienna’s bedroom. Just as I reach it, the door opens, and the next instant, Sienna plows into my chest.
I quickly grab her shoulders, and when she regains her balance, my hands move to frame her face. “Are you okay?”
Her big green eyes widen at the sight of me. When I don’t see the affection I’ve grown accustomed to, but instead fear, my worry increases tenfold. I haven’t seen her since she visited me in the hospital the day after the attack, and even then, it felt like she was trying to keep me at a distance.
What the fuck is going on?
“Yes,” she answers my question, her voice sounding fragile while she pulls out of my hold instead of giving me a hug like she always does.
I step forward, forcing Sienna backward with my body, and once we’re in her bedroom, I shut the door so we’ll have privacy.
My gaze touches on the two bags by the bed before locking on her face.
“You’ve avoided me for two days,” I state the obvious, my tone brimming with tension. When she doesn’t deny it, my heart clenches in my chest, and I ask, “What’s going on, Sienna?”
Her tongue darts out to swipe over her lips. “I’m…I’m going away for a little while.”
She begins to fidget, and turning her back to me, her fingers twist together. She always does that when she’s anxious.
I move around her and take hold of her hands, squeezing them in mine. I’ve learned it usually helps her feel better. When she steps closer and rests her forehead against my chest, I quickly wrap my arms around her.
My body shudders from getting to hold her, and I take a deep breath of her sweet scent. She smells like caramel.
I’m not a sugar person at all. She’s the only sweet thing I like.
Even though I’m filled with tension, I do my best to keep my voice gentle as I whisper, “Talk to me.”
Sienna pulls away from me again, and her features tighten as if she’s about to cry. She opens her mouth, but no words come out.
I brush my hand over the side of her head as I duck down in an attempt to catch her eyes. “Hey. You’re worrying me.”
A tear spills over her cheek, her voice hoarse and broken as she says, “I can’t marry you. I’m sorry.”
I swear my heart stops beating as I stare at her, and it takes a moment before a frown forms on my forehead.
What. The. Fuck?
Taking hold of her chin, I force it up. When she keeps her eyes downcast, I order, “At least show me the fucking respect I deserve by looking me in the eye.”
Sienna’s beautiful gaze snaps to mine, and more tears escape. “I’m so sorry, Christiano.”
Realizing she’s breaking up with me, panic hits me hard and fast. After the past few fucked-up days, I struggle to keep my shit together as I ask, “Why?”
Her voice is strained, each tear she cries a blow to my heart. “Out of respect for our families, I tried, but I can’t love you the way you need me to.”
I shouldn’t have pushed her so hard to get engaged. I should’ve been more patient.
Refusing to lose her, I say, “We can take things slower.”
Sienna shakes her head, and she begins to twist her fingers together again. “No.” She swallows hard and sucks in a quivering breath. “I don’t…”
“I won’t let you end things between us.” The words burst from me as desperation floods me.
Suddenly, the door opens behind me, and I hear Aunt Samantha say, “Oh, sorry, Christiano. I didn’t know you were here.”
As I nod at my future mother-in-law, I say, “I just stopped by to make sure Sienna’s okay.”
Which she clearly isn’t.
Sienna gives her mother a pleading look, and as Aunt Samantha comes to wrap her arm around her daughter, frustration joins the desperation that’s quickly growing out of control in my chest.
A sob escapes her, then as if a switch is flipped, her tears dry up and all the emotion drains from her face, which has my worry growing into a monstrous force.
My eyes snap to Aunt Samantha’s. “What the hell is going on here?”
“We’ve all taken a blow this week,” she answers. Keeping her arm wrapped around Sienna, she reaches for me and squeezes my hand. “Sienna realized how short life is, and she wants some time away from the Cosa Nostra. She’s going to visit her grandparents.”
It feels as if they’re hiding something very important from me.
Wanting some privacy, I ask, “Can you give me a moment alone with Sienna?”
Aunt Samanatha presses a kiss to her temple. “I’ll be right outside, sweetheart.”
When she steps into the hallway, she leaves the door open.
I close the distance between Sienna and me and engulf her in my arms. Locking her against my chest, I say, “I’ll give you time to visit your grandparents, but we’re not breaking up.”
When she hugs me back, hope trickles into my chest. She pushes up on her tiptoes, and the instant our eyes meet, my heart drops to my stomach.
No.
Seeing the sadness in her eyes makes me feel fucking powerless, and my mind races to process what’s happening so I can find a solution that will work in my favor.
Sienna presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, then whispers, “You will always be special to me, Christiano. You’re going to accomplish great things and find the right woman to rule by your side.”
“No!” I snap angrily while gripping hold of the sides of her neck. I lean down until our faces are only separated by an inch of air. My jaw clenches as I hiss, “You are the right woman.”
She grips hold of my wrists and gives me a pleading look as she pulls her neck away from my hands. “I’m not.”
“Why are you fucking doing this?” I demand, not understanding how we got here.
When she walks to her luggage and takes hold of the bags, I move fast, blocking her way while shaking my head.
Her expression is fucking heartbreaking as she begs, “Please, Christiano. I can’t do this. The shooting was a wake-up call. I need to be on my own.”
Don’t keep pushing her. Give her time. You can talk sense into her once she returns from her grandparents.
I stare at the only woman I’ll ever love and fight to control my emotions so I can think clearly.
Reluctantly, I give in for the moment and ask, “How long do you plan to visit?”
Once again, avoiding my eyes, she shrugs. “I’m not sure. A few months.”
Months. Fuck. I don’t think I can survive months without seeing her.
My first instinct is to grab Sienna and to haul her sexy ass over my shoulder so I can take her to my place.
You can’t kidnap her.
By some miracle, I don’t follow through, and instead, close the distance between us. When I wrap my arms around her again, she doesn’t hug me back. I tighten my hold on her and press kisses along her temple and cheek.
Christ.
“I’ll give you the time you need.” I intend for my voice to be gentle, but the words come out sounding like a threat. “We’re not breaking up.” Pulling slightly back, I brush my palms over her hair while my eyes drink in every inch of her beautiful face. “I love you, Sienna.”
Finally, her gaze lifts to mine, and as she places her hand against my chest, she whispers, “Please look after yourself. Okay?”
When she pulls away and rolls her luggage out of the bedroom, I stand frozen to the spot.
You can’t use force in the Vitales’ house.
Stay calm.
Just give her some space.