5. ALESSIO
5
ALESSIO
Her reaction is instant, though not one I anticipated. Of course, the woman can never do anything usual. I did not expect her to take an entire bowl of resting dough and toss it at me with the strength, speed, and precision of one of those American Football players. I barely manage to duck out of the way as it comes flying for my face, though Lazaro is not as lucky. It hits him right in the chest, sending him falling back with a groan before it clatters to the floor.
“You and I are going to have a discussion about your habit of throwing food at me, Sienna,” I tell her through gritted teeth as she tries to get past me to the door. I reach out to grab her, but she sidesteps me and does the same when Lazaro also tries to grab her, but she crashes into the wall before she can stop her momentum. “Don’t move!” I bark at her parents who both step forward, and something in my voice must make them stop, though I don’t miss the anger in their eyes. Perhaps it’s only the fact that they realize who I am that keeps them from doing something stupid, like trying to interfere.
“I’m not discussing anything with you,” she hisses, quickly getting to her feet and backing away. “How the fuck did you find me so fast?”
I give her a smug smile. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t know everything about you before coming to find you, cara mia ? That I wouldn’t discover all the cute little places and planes you have at your disposal all around the world through your work and family connections? It was clever of you to try and throw us off by buying a ticket to London. Your getting the bag from the car trick was a nice touch. However, you didn’t account for the simple fact that it’s my job to find people. There is nowhere on this planet that you can go that I won’t find you.”
She doesn’t look as near frightened as she should. Instead, she continues to back further into the room, where her parents are still standing in the kitchen, looking shocked and terrified. “Fuck you, Alessio,” Sienna hisses, her gaze never leaving mine.
“Mmm, promise?” I purr. I should probably curb my tongue with her parents around, but this woman makes all my common sense fly out the window. I’m still pissed at her for her stunt in LA, and I plan to make her see the error of her ways the moment I get her alone. Which will be soon, because, fuck, I need her. I need that fire, that stubbornness that she has burning inside of her. I want it all.
Her eyes flash in anger, but I know she’s not unaffected. She might hate me and want to run far away, but she also feels something else that she’s trying to fight—something dark, needy, maybe even forbidden—all things that are weaving their way through me, though I’m embracing them. And I can’t wait to let them come out to play.
“I’m not going with you,” she reiterates. “And I will never marry you. You need to move on.” She starts to ease her way into the living area, getting close to the couch. If she thinks she’s going to use it as a shield, she’s crazy. And unless she suddenly has gained the strength of three Lazaros, she won’t be throwing it at me either.
“Marry?” her mother gasps, shocked, though I detect a hint of fury in her tone. Clearly Sienna hadn’t gotten to that part yet.
“He was promised my sister,” Sienna clips as she works her way around the sofa and stops, though she never looks away from me. “But since she’s married, I’m the consolation prize.”
“And such a pretty, feisty one, too,” I taunt. I glance over at her parents and see both their fear and determination. The last thing I want is for them to do anything stupid. “I’m willing to be patient until you’re ready to accept it on your own.”
“Oh how generous of you,” she sneers. “What a load of shit.”
“Believe what you want,” I tell her casually with a shrug. “But either way, you’re going to come back with me, and you’re going to be put under the protection of me and my family. We can figure things out from there.”
“Fuck that.” She steps toward the fireplace.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn her darkly, knowing exactly what weapon she’s going to reach for next.
It’s her turn to give me a taunting look. “And what are you going to do, Mr. Underboss? We’ve heard all about how you don’t hurt women. You certainly won’t turn me over to your men because you can’t risk damaging the goods you were promised to replace the one who got away.” She takes one more step toward the fireplace.
“There are other ways to punish you, coniglietto ,” I remind her with a wicked smile. I lower my voice so her parents can’t hear the next part. No need to enrage them any further. “Ways that will have you screaming, but not in pain or fear. Well, maybe a little of both, but not for the reasons one would think. And I wager you’ll love them before I’m done, as much as you might want to hate them.” I follow her steps, bracing myself to rush her if she gets too close to the items by the fireplace. I don’t fancy a poker in the face. “But we can work our way up to that. For now, I’m more interested in getting you behind our gates, where I know you’re safe. But on the flight there, I’ll tie your ass to the seat so you can’t take over the plane.”
Her eyes flash at my words, but the tension between us rises. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to go with you so easily. I’m not marrying you, and I won’t allow myself to be used in whatever game you and my bio family are wrapped up in. They didn’t want me, and I’m staying the fuck out of it. I’ll keep on running until you all kill each other, or you forget about me.”
“You’re delusional if you think that will ever happen,” I tell her bluntly. I lunge at her, trying to take her by surprise, but the damn woman seems to anticipate every move. She jumps back and away, moving toward the middle of the room, a smug smirk on her face.
“First, it was your stalking skills, and now your grabbing skills. Seems you need to brush up on your kidnapping too, Caruso,” she taunts. “Don’t worry. Soon enough, another woman will catch your eye, and I’ll be nothing but a distant memory.”
“Another woman would be less work,” I agree, and her eyes narrow. “But far less fun, I’m sure. Now, how about we stop this nonsense and get down to business. What can I give you that will have you come with me quietly, without all this bullshit running?”
“He’s not too bright, is he?” her mother says in a stage whisper to her husband, who tries to shush her.
“No, he isn’t,” Sienna agrees with her, smirking. “The word ‘quiet’ isn’t in my vocabulary. Especially not when dealing with mobsters.”
I stop advancing on her and narrow my eyes. She stills too, but she’s ready to move at a single twitch from me. “Sienna,” I tell her sharply, done with this little game. Irritation fills my voice as I tell her harshly, “Do you know what will happen to you if you keep this up? You cannot keep running for the rest of your life. Because it would be the rest of your life. You will never get a moment’s peace. Your family will do anything, align themselves with people who will gladly sell you for the smallest hint of power or money, and they will not rest until they have you. Then, when they catch you, if they don’t kill you simply for wasting their time and resources, they’ll toss you to their men to rape and torture you until you’re nothing more than a broken shell. If you manage to live through that, they’ll arrange a marriage for you to a man who will make those horrors look like nothing. He will marry you to align with the De Lucas and their quests for power and territory. He will rape you every fucking day until you give him and his family the heirs they want. Then, if you’re lucky, he’ll kill you. If you’re not, he’ll throw you to his men and let them finish the job.
“In the meantime, they will go after your parents and anyone else that helped them take you away from them. Anyone who helped your biological mother smuggle you out. They will murder your father after they torture him, and they will record it so they can make you watch. Then they’ll rape your mother, torture her, and kill her. And they will make you watch that, because that is the kind of family they are.” A tendril of guilt grips my stomach at the sound of her mother crying, no doubt reliving the horror of her past, but I can’t sugarcoat this. I can’t let her believe she’ll have any kind of safety as long as she’s running.
Sienna’s face is pale, but her gaze is hard. My words have hit her, and she doesn’t want to believe them, but she knows I’m right. I can see it on her face. That doesn’t mean she’s not going to give in without a fight. “And you know this how?” she finally demands, her voice tight.
“Like I said, I know everything. Not only did I do my homework on you, but your family as well. I know things that they think are secret because people talk, and knowledge is power. Your family are scumbags, as you Americans say, and they don’t deserve to live, for the things they’ve done to innocent people and their own families. We’ll be handling that soon enough, but until then, running will not keep you safe.”
She stares at me for a moment and then looks over at her parents. Indecision crosses her face before she turns back to me, her expression calculating. “You need to protect them,” she tells me. “They are the only family I have, and the only ones who will ever matter to me.”
Easy enough. “Then we’ll make sure they’re safe,” I promise. “I’ll have my men with them, watching over them until this is cleared up.”
“Even if it takes years?”
“Even then.”
She relaxes and nods. “Good.”
“We can’t go to Italy,” her father says tightly. “We have a business to run.”
“Then I’ll assign men to watch over you in London,” I shrug. “Lazaro will arrange it.” I turn my head and see him nodding. He steps out the door, shutting it behind him, phone already rising to his ear. I turn back and let out a curse when I see her heading for the kitchen, hopping up on the counter near the large window over the sink. “Fucking hell,” I snarl as I rush forward. Her parents jump out of the way, clearly not going to stop me. I pay them no mind, but let out another loud curse when, quick as a flash, Sienna pushes the window open and jumps out before I can grab her, narrowly missing her foot.
Not wanting to waste time, I jump out after her, yelling for Lazaro. I run into the thick trees that surround the house, listening to her crash through them. “Sienna!” I roar. “Your ass is getting put in a straight jacket.”
“You’ll have to catch me first,” her voice yells, not too far ahead of me. Determination has me picking up the pace, and I’m weaving through the trees as fast as I can, trying to avoid taking branches and leaves to the face.
I burst into a small clearing and stop to listen. I can’t hear her anymore, but I know she’s close. I can sense her. Lazaro crashes in behind me. “Where’d she go?” he demands.
“She’s here.” I can feel her eyes on me. “And if she doesn’t come out now, I’m going to make good on my threat,” I say loudly. Nothing. Not even a whisper of sound. I lift my gaze up to the treetops. I wouldn’t put it past her to climb her ass up a tree to avoid me. “Sienna,” I warn dangerously, the monster inside me rearing his head.
Something I’ve never told anyone is how much I love the thrill of a good chase. It’s exciting and freeing, and when your prey is a feisty woman, it’s as addictive as a drug. All I want to do is chase her down and feel her fighting me before giving in and accepting her fate. I want it so badly that everything in me aches for it, and my cock twitches in my pants.
“You know,” her voice echoes through the trees, “I’m really starting to think you need a reality check. You’ve had far too many people give you whatever you want that you’re not used to a woman actually disagreeing.” I can’t pinpoint where she is, but I turn in the direction I think her voice is coming from and watch silently as some of the leaves shiver in a couple of higher-up branches. It seems my clever rabbit is moving through the trees to try and get away from us.
“I have had plenty of women disagree with me,” I say casually, turning to face the movement of the leaves, Lazaro doing the same. He gives a low signal to let me know he’s going to try and get closer. I give a subtle nod and then turn my full attention back to the woman who is driving me crazy. “However, having one run across the ocean is new. I’ll give you points for ingenuity.”
“Oh, well, now my life is complete,” she sing-songs, her voice sounding closer. I narrow my eyes. The movement in the trees is nowhere near that close. I whip my head up to look above me, but see nothing. Not even a leaf twitches. What is she up to? “I’ve been working on it so that when a sexy mobster came along, I could lead him on a merry chase.”
“Sexy, huh?” I reply. “ Cara mia , you flatter me. How about you come down and let me show you properly? I’ll hold off on spanking your pretty ass for all your little stunts.”
She gives a mocking laugh, and this time the sound comes from the other side of the clearing. I turn toward it, and every instinct inside me is telling me to stay put. Whatever the game she’s playing, she’s not going to win. “Of course that’s the only thing you heard. Men are all the same. Well, hopefully you hear my words this time. I’m not going with you, Alessio. I have no desire to marry you, and as sexy as you are, I’m not going anywhere near your bed. You can handle your little battle without me.”
“If you prefer somewhere other than a bed, coniglietto, you won’t hear any arguments from me . ” Again, there’s movement in the trees, and I look to see leaves moving in the same area Lazaro is closing in on. The bastard is so fucking big he should be able to see her without much issue.
“How disappointing you still only hear the part that pertains to your dick,” she sighs, once again sounding like she’s close to me. How the fuck is she doing that? I turn around and look, but continue to find nothing. “But no matter. I’m sure this will get your attention. I expect you to keep your promise and keep my parents safe. See you later, Alessio.”
A crash sounds behind me, and I whip around to see Sienna falling out of a tree to my left. She is far enough away that I can’t get to her easily as I take off after her, a snarl of outrage pulling from my throat. “Sienna!” I scream her name, no longer finding this funny or charming. No, now this is about showing her she’s not in charge, and she is not going to best me again. I move as fast as my feet can take me, but the woman is quick like my new favorite nickname for her, and she knows this place far too well. When I think she’s going to have to move out of the way of a large tree, she goes straight for it, using the low branches to swing herself forward and farther ahead.
I hear the car door shut before I hit the edge of the trees, and a roar of outrage pulls from my chest. I skid to a halt on the gravel driveway as I see her give me a little wave, and then peel out of the driveway. “Follow her!” I order Lazaro, who races for our SUV and takes off after her.
I stand there for another moment, trying to get my emotions under control. I can’t fucking believe she’s gotten away. Again. How can one little woman manage it when no one else has? Now I’m more determined than ever to get her back. This no longer has anything to do with her family coming after her. Now, this is personal. This is proving a point.
I turn and stalk back up to the house, striding inside and finding her parents still standing in the kitchen, talking in hushed voices that immediately cease as soon as the door slams open. “Where would she go?” I demand, trying to keep from screaming at them. Still, my voice is harsh, and her mother flinches.
“We honestly don’t know,” her father says softly, holding his wife tight. “Sienna has a lot of friends. She’s an adult and has her own life. The only friend we know personally is Rori.”
I stare at him, trying to gauge if he’s lying to me, but he holds my stare, refusing to look away. Finally, I thrust a hand through my hair and blow out a harsh breath. I need to be smart about this. Anger will cloud my judgment. “Fine. I’ll have men here to watch over you within a couple of hours,” I tell them. “If shit goes sideways, you will go with them, no matter what. Understood?” They both nod. “Good.” I take a deep breath and tell them, “Despite what your daughter thinks, I’m not going to force her to do anything other than accompany me to a location where she can be safe and out of harm’s way. You have my word.”
“She certainly doesn’t seem to think that,” Lou-Anne says softly.
“And I will clear that up once we get this whole thing done and over with,” I reply simply. “Believe it or not, Mrs. Harris, my plans for Sienna are solely regarding her safety. What happens after that will be something she and I work out together.”
“But you intend to marry her,” her mother persists. “You said as much. You don’t even know her.”
“I know enough. I know that your daughter is fierce, stubborn, and she isn’t going to let those bastards take her without a hell of a fight. As for marriage, I need a wife, and I don’t want one that’s going to cower or cry every time she sees me. But marriage isn’t just about what I need. It’s about protecting her. My name, my family name, carries far more weight than any other in the world. We are feared for a reason. If she’s married to me, her family will have no choice but to leave her the hell alone, just like her sister. She can live her life without fear. She will have me, she will have our allies, and she will have her sister and her husband too. And all of those connections will be extended to you, as well.”
Lou-Anne’s face is full of guilt. “We put her in this position,” she whispers. “If we had been more careful?—”
“No one knew about her for twenty-six years,” I interrupt. “I think that means you’ve done a damn good job. But everything comes to light eventually. The one thing your stubborn daughter isn’t taking into consideration is it’s for the best that we got to her first and not her family.”
Lou-Anne and Dennis share a look, but I can see that the truth is starting to sink in. Finally, Lou-Anne turns back to me, and her eyes are hard; an inner strength there showing the bravery her pale face is lacking. “I want your word, Mr. Caruso, that you will not force her,” she says firmly. “Because I’m sure you’ll eventually catch her, and no we won’t help you, but when you do, you will let her future with you be her choice. And if she decides you are not her future, then you’ll let her go and leave her alone. No fine print or false promises. Because having someone take away your choice is far worse than anything else. Trust me.”
Her husband’s arms squeeze her tighter, and I can see the pain on his face. And though I’m lying to the poor woman, and fully plan on keeping Sienna with me for the rest of her life, I nod. “I promise. Now, I’m going to find her. Both of you get your things packed and be ready to leave when my men get here.”
They nod their agreement and ease out around the island away from me, toward the bedrooms down the hall. I pull out my phone and call Lazaro. He answers on the first ring and says immediately, “She’s heading toward the city, but she’s gotten a good head start. She’s damn fast.” I can hear the admiration in Lazaro’s voice, along with annoyance. Lazaro will take her escape personally.
“Follow her, but don’t grab her,” I order him. “If she wants to play this game, then we’re going to let her think she has the upper hand. I’ll call and have some of our men pick me up. We’ll send some of them to London with her parents. In the meantime, I’m going to start figuring out where she went.”
“Alright,” Lazaro says calmly. “You sure you want this one, Alessio? She seems like a lot of trouble.”
“The best ones always are,” I smirk. “Call me back when she stops.” I hang up and start calling my men.
My sweet little rabbit is running, but I love a good chase. She has no idea what kind of beast she’s awoken.