Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
T he Last Fit
Leonardo
“I’m excited for you to come back to America with me,” Regina says from across the table from me.
I look into her blue eyes and smile. She smiles back at me as she runs her hand over all that thick, lush blonde hair I love running my fingers through. I plan to hold it in a tight grip while I fuck her later tonight.
“I told you if you stick with me, I’d give you the world. Look at you now. You get to travel from the States to Italy and all the other places I go,” I say with a smile on my lips.
“It’s all a dream come true.”
“How’s the apartment?”
“I love it. Although I thought I was going to stay with you,” she says with a pout.
“You will. I just wanted you to have a place here of your own. My gift to you.”
Her eyes light up at the mention of a gift. I have my reasons for not letting her move into my estate. None of which she needs to be worried about.
Regina has been my girl for three years now. I’m thinking about making her legit at the end of the year. She will make a good wife for a man like me.
Things are starting to look better with each day. The families I’ve aligned myself with have been talking about helping me move Alessio out of my way. My older brother has become set in his ways and it’s time for new blood.
He knows it, they know it, and I know it. The only problem is the Locatelli family. My brother happens to be good friends with Don Alfanzo Locatelli.
We are both at a stalemate for now. If either of us makes a move to kill the other, we will tip the scales unfavorably. However, I took the risk of going after Alessio’s little pet that he thinks he’s going to involve in our family business.
I want Uri Donati and the girl dead. The Donatis will take over my family over my dead body. I will have news by the day after tomorrow of how my plan went.
Elio’s crew was told not to contact him for two days after the hits. That way this can’t come back to me. I don’t need the families to know what I’ve done.
“I’m starving, babe. I hope the food comes out soon,” Regina says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I glance around. It does seem to be taking a long time for some pasta and gravy. I note that other tables that were seated after us have been served.
Just when I’m about to make a fuss about it, our waiter appears. He places two steaming plates before us. I sit back and take a sip of my wine.
I’m sure the chef took his time to make our food fresh. My name is getting out there. I’m earning my respect.
Once the waiter shaves some parmesan on top of both our plates, I place my wine glass down and pick up my fork and spoon to dig in. I’ll admit, I’m starving a bit too.
“You need to think about where we want to spend the holidays this year. I’m thinking about doing something special,” I say as I think of all my plans while absentmindedly spooling spaghetti and meatballs onto my fork.
Regina gasps, causing me to look at her. I grin, thinking she has figured out my plans. However, when I look at her stricken face, my smile falls, and I pause to look down at my plate, where her gaze is fixed. I drop the fork and spoon and push back in my seat.
I can’t be looking at what I think I’m looking at. I swallow hard a few times as I fully take the plate of pasta in. Anger fills me and I begin to grind my teeth.
“What the fuck?” I bellow.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Regina says and covers her mouth with her hand.
I don’t move an inch. Instead, I narrow my gaze as I stare at the two hazel eyes staring back at me. One on my fork and the other sitting on a heap of pasta while fingers peek out from the pasta and gravy.
“Let’s go. We’re leaving,” I growl as I stand.
***
I dropped Regina at her apartment when I couldn’t get her to calm down. I was hoping to get her to stay with me for the night so I could fuck this rage and frustration out. Who the fuck would dare to send me that shit?
Whoever it was had some balls. I think of Donati, but I don’t think that’s his style. Rumors circulate through our world, but they are never what they seem.
I have no fear of Uri Donati. All that bullshit is a myth. No one man can be that ruthless and have such a reach.
The plate from the restaurant flashes in my head. I can’t shake the image out of my mind. Those eyes seemed so familiar.
I’m sure they belonged to some animal. Someone is trying to rattle me. The fingers could have been fake.
I didn’t take the time to dig them out to inspect them closely. Regina was freaking out and I had been in a rage. I needed to get her the fuck out of there before she caused a scene.
I punch the shower wall as a million thoughts float through my mind. Elio hadn’t returned my call before I entered the shower. He has been taking care of some business for me today.
He’s probably balls deep in one of his whores. He better call me back before the night is over. I want to get to the bottom of this.
Once again, my mind goes to Donati. If my men failed, this could have been him. I shake the thought off. They all know better than to fail.
However, if this gets out, it could be taken as a weakness. I want to find the source and deal with it swiftly. I will not take this lying down.
I cut the shower off and step out to wrap a towel around my waist. Grabbing my phone from the counter, I check it for messages and missed calls. Still nothing from Elio.
Tossing the phone back down, I turn and head for my walk-in closet. I freeze as I step in and find a black suit hanging over a pair of black shoes. A suit and shoes I didn’t place there or have placed there.
My heart starts to pound. Rumors have said that when you are a hit Uri Donati feels is deserving, he will lay out the suit and shoes you are meant to be buried in. It is all the warning you get that the man who makes them hush has come for you.
Rumor has it that not all get this warning. You have to be a hit he takes personally. I snort. That bastard knows he can’t touch me.
I glance around quickly, just in case. Then I go to pull the note off the lapel of the suit jacket. The blood drains from my face as I read it.
There is more than one way to hush a problem. You can always be touched in some way. Never underestimate my reach again. You will never receive another warning.
H
I crumble the note in my palm and stomp out of the closet into my bedroom. Who the fuck does that motherfucker think he is? As I enter the room, a smile comes to my lips.
I could use a release. Fucking Regina into the mattress is just what I need. Seeing her blonde locks sprawled across the pillow makes me hard instantly.
“I’m glad you changed your mind, baby,” I croon as I drop my towel to the floor and move to climb into the bed with her.
I get under the sheets, not bothering to turn on the lights. Reaching to brush her hair away from her neck, I go to press my lips against her soft skin.
“I’m going to fuck you so good. I need to give it to you hard,” I growl and go to nuzzle her neck.
I pull my face away as something wet touches my skin. I swipe a hand across my face and rub my fingers together as something thick and sticky coats them.
“Gina?” I call as I go to brush my other hand over her hair.
I startle as her hair seems to shift on her head unnaturally. Quickly, I turn to switch on the bedside lamp. When I look toward Regina, I see it isn’t her at all.
“What the fuck?” I breathe as my mouth goes dry.
I grab the blonde wig and pull it off the man’s head. However, as I get it in my hand, I realize it’s no wig. I drop the scalp down on the bed and reach to turn the man beside me onto his back so I can get a look at him.
The body is stiff as a board. A sob tears through me as I realize it’s Elio’s lifeless body. His eyes have been plucked from his head, leaving hollow sockets.
I look from his body to the blonde hair now soaking the sheets. I knit my brows as what I’m looking at sinks in. There’s no fucking way.
“No, no, no,” I say as I pet the hair with a shaky hand.
He killed my best friend and scalped the woman I had planned to make my wife. I begin to sob silently, not able to make a sound. I have been robbed of all air.