2. I like them feisty
It’s early morning when I get the notification that Pierce is on his way. And he’s not alone. My cousin brings me exactly what I need, or rather who I need, without me having to ask for it.
Brilliant!
Another person I wasn’t expecting joined Pierce and Giulia on their rescue mission.
Igor Petrov. Dark short cropped hair, and a build that could be scary to anyone, he and his brother Misha look so alike, it’s striking.
I take a moment to observe their behaviours through the cameras located throughout my house as they come in. They all look tired and I don’t only imagine the lack of sleep and the pain they feel at having someone so close to them missing. I know it in my bones. I’ve been there.
I zoom in on Pierce who has a single-minded focus and follows Marco, one of my men, into the living room. Nothing matters but the information he came here for. He looks like he hasn’t changed clothes since his girlfriend got abducted.
When I focus on Giulia, I unconsciously get closer to the screen, already gravitating around her orbit like a moon to its sun.
She’s a stunning woman. Dressed in what looks like a man’s shirt over a thin cami paired with tight jeans that hug her ample hips and thighs, her red hair billows around an expressive face dusted with freckles.
She’s my ticket to the Council. A born and bred mafia princess used to the dangers of this life, so I won’t have to mask who I am and what I do. I’d say today is my lucky day.
I log off and walk to greet them, my boots echoing on the mahogany hardwood floor. When I enter the living room where the morning sun seeps through in tentative beams, my eyes zero in on her.
Lush curves for days, a pouty mouth turned downward in displeasure, and long fiery hair reflecting sunlight. The cameras weren’t precise enough. The freckles on her face make out constellations across her cheeks, neck and chest. How long would it take me to map them out?
And those eyes. They’re the brightest green and remind me of the peaceful forest surrounding my property. If it weren’t for the dark circles under them and the glint of pain, I could easily forget why she’s here. Forget she has a purpose other than just existing to be admired.
I imperceptibly shake myself out of the trance I’m in. She’s not the first beautiful woman I see, and she’s just an accessory to my ambitions. There’s no need to feel star-struck.
Determination and a fucking temper shine through her narrowed eyes. I suppose she has every right to be mad, since I’m kind of withholding information about her cousin. Am I the asshole for wanting her to fight me for it?
I bet she fights dirty.
And I’d like it.
I muster the ability to turn away from the vibrant woman who’s captured my attention and address my cousin. I barely disguise the disdain in my voice.
“Pierce, I didn’t know you were coming with back-up. I would have made an effort.”
I absolutely would have not.
I don’t spare him another glance and prowl to Giulia. The sweet scent of vanilla enters my nostrils and transmutes into decadent sensuality when I smell the undertone of sandalwood. It suits her, all sweet and spicy.
I take her hand in mine and brush my lips to her fingertips in the barest caress. I look deeper into her eyes, searching for anything more than the pain written across her face. The urge to take all her worries away is almost overwhelming, but that’s ridiculous. I’ve only just met her.
“Andrea, this is…” Pierce starts, but Giulia cuts him off.
“Giulia Moretti, Lana’s cousin and Intelligence Advisor.”
She doesn’t wait for my answer, just rips her hand off of mine and turns her back on me to sit on my well-worn cognac leather couch.
Rule number one in our world: do not turn your back on your enemy. The little She Devil knows exactly what she’s doing. She looks smug and exactly where she needs to be.
Decent opponents are hard to come by. Her defiance brings out the hunter in me, ready to play with my prey before eating it out alive.
“And this is Igor, Lana’s bodyguard and friend,” Pierce says.
Igor gives me a curt nod and I really am the asshole because I can’t resist goading him. “You really suck at your job, Mr. Petrov.”
Igor’s nostrils flare with rage, but he remains seated. At least, he’s trained not to be ruled by his emotions. Giulia, on the other hand, looks at me like she wants to crush my balls.
I take a seat in front of her without breaking eye contact, and she doesn’t back down, glowing warmth spreading to my limbs. It’s such a curious sensation, but I don’t have time to analyse it.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Pierce cuts off. “You saw Barychev in the videos I sent. You obviously know who Igor is, so you know Misha Petrov is behind my wife’s kidnapping. The problem is that his business partner on British soil is our uncle Luc. Petrov specialises in the skin trade, so time is of the essence.”
“Mr. Capaldi…” Giulia continues, ready to negotiate like a general.
“Please call me Andrea.”
She continues as if I hadn’t spoken. Her defiance is such a fucking turn-on. No one ever defied me like she does. The novelty is thrilling. “Mr. Capaldi, Petrov has taken my cousin, the Heir to the Moretti Empire, and we’ll stop at nothing to get her back. We’re here because you said you’d help. Now, please do.” Her voice holds a tinge of aggravation and my lips tip up.
“What am I getting out of it, cousin?” The last word comes out as a sneer. This isn’t some friendly gathering between people who love each other. We might be family, but in name only. Even as a beggar, he thinks he’s better than me, than our world and our names.
He’ll give me whatever I want, I know it. Even if he doesn’t, I’ll rescue Alana Moretti. I might just hide her away to get what I want, but he doesn’t need to know that yet.
Desperation will make a man crawl on cut glass for what he craves, and Pierce craves seeing his fiancée safe and sound.
“How much do you want, Capaldi?” Giulia asks agitatedly. She’s getting angry and I revel in it.
“I don’t need money, sweetheart.”
Giulia looks at me like she’s about to pounce and kill me with her bare hands. Her nostrils flare with righteous anger and I want to coax all reactions from her. Another set of memorabilia I can hoard that has her name stamped on it.
“Stop playing around and tell us what you want, dammit! If Luc is coming after me and mine, there’s nothing that will stop him from coming for you next, and you know it! I’m his fucking heir and he doesn’t care. I already gave you my company, what more do you want?”
Pierce explodes out of his seat, his hands pulling at his roots. He paces back and forth, and I know he’s about to lose his shit. I can’t have that. If he becomes irrational, I won’t get what I want. And he’s not wrong. My uncle, Luc Pierce, is a threat to my ambitions; his name is a stain on my recovering image and I can’t have him rogue. He made his fucking bed.
I sober but focus on my prey. “I’ve heard about your skills, Miss Moretti.”
“I would hope so. I’m very good at what I do.” She shrugs.
I love confident women but assertiveness has never looked better. She doesn’t try to deny what she does. After all, she did introduce herself as Alana’s Intelligence Advisor. Collecting secrets and favours to be repaid when the Moretti need them, all without an ounce of bloodshed is ingenious and I’d bet the red-head in front of me was the instigator, strategist and executor. I need those skills for my campaign.
“I know. I’m impressed.”
I let silence stretch between us while looking intently into her eyes. Our gazes collide, none of us wanting to be the one to bow down.
Finally, she sighs and rises from her place on the sofa with the elegance of a queen doing a favour to one of her subjects. “Fine. I’ll be your collateral.”
I, too, get up and approach her slowly.
“I’m in no need of a prisoner, Miss Moretti.”
My gaze travels leisurely from her eyes to her luscious mouth. Her tongue peeks out to lick her lower lip, a nervous tell. I glance back up to meet her stare.
“A wife, on the other hand…”
“I’d rather cut my left tit than fuck you,” she retorts.
“Who said anything about fucking?”
I’m surprised, and pissed she’d think so low of me. I can’t deny how attractive she is, but I wouldn’t ask for her body in exchange for her cousin. I’m a monster but not that kind.
“A girl has needs, asshole.”
“I assure you, I’d be able to satisfy every single one of them,” I whisper just for her.
“You’re disgusting.”
“Your body doesn’t seem to have got the memo, guerrieritta,” I say as I take a strand of her hair in between two fingers and graze her peaked nipple before letting go.
I have laid down the terms of my cooperation, so I go back to sit and let them ponder on my offer, though we all know they don’t have time to reflect too closely on our potential agreement. That will work to my advantage.
Giulia and Pierce exchange a look full of anguish and something more. Like a kinship, the type that only exists between family members that love and respect each other deeply. Their pain brought them closer together.
They seem to have a secret and silent conversation in the matter of seconds and I have to admire their bond. It’s the same I have with my own brother. No one else comes close. How would it feel to have that sort of connection with someone you don’t share blood with, but with someone you chose? I guess I’ll never know.
Giulia finally turns to me. I should feel triumphant, but her resigned demeanour and Pierce’s obvious misery don’t give me the satisfaction I expected.
“Fine. I’ll marry you. Under conditions,” she says.
“You’re not exactly in a position to negotiate.” My comeback is more aggressive than I intend, but I can’t contemplate the emotion churning in my gut right now.
“I can be extremely difficult to deal with when I don’t get what I want, Mr. Capaldi.”
“So can I.”
This doesn’t feel like a game anymore. It’s a battle. I don’t want to lose it but I’m a reasonable man.
“We don’t have time for a pissing contest,” Pierce yells next to us.
Giulia stays silent and Pierce looks at me expectantly after his outburst, like being family will be enough to sway me. And in the end, it fucking is. His pain is too real, too raw and the mirror he presents is too sharp.
I relent. We need to get going to rescue Alana and I have a fucking fundraiser I need to go to—with my wife—in two weeks. This contract needs to be signed as soon as possible.
“My solicitor will draw the contract with your conditions right away. Pierce, you’re not gonna like what I’m about to say.”
I tell them about the dark web ad of sale for Alana, and let them process the information while I call my friend and solicitor, Luca DeRossi, so he can come to my house and marry me.