22. ALESSIO
22
ALESSIO
Waking up and realizing Sienna wasn’t in the bed with me sent me into a brief panic, but when I saw that her bag was still by the door, and the steam on the bathroom mirror, I knew she hadn’t run out, and calmed myself. I also manage to keep myself from storming around trying to find her. Mostly because I need a moment to get my head clear and figure out what the fuck I’m going to do, and I know no one is going to let anything happen to her.
So I climb into the shower and stand under the spray, and take a moment to let the hot water melt away some of the stress. But, of course, my mind immediately turns to the woman slowly driving me insane. Not only because of who she is, but also because she’s making me question far too many things about myself to feel comfortable. Last night, it was like a punch in the gut to see her suffer the way she did. Holding her in my arms while she sobbed for almost an hour was like taking a flaming knife to my heart. It cut deep and burned with each tear she shed, and each sob that tore from her throat. To see her in the middle of a panic attack nearly gutted me. I’m still shocked I was able to calm her down. Massimo tried, but she just kept curling away from him, and it made something in me snap.
I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as I was, seeing her in that moment, struggling to breathe. Guilt assaulted me, knowing I caused that. I was so focused on finding her, bringing her here to keep her safe, and making her mine, I forgot how that would look to her. And the fucked up part is I wouldn’t change a fucking thing. I would still have chased her all over this fucking planet to bring her back here, to have her with me. Maybe I would have been a bit more up front, but for the most part I would repeat the past week and a half.
Maybe I have fully become the monster I told her I was.
As I wash myself, I think about her reaction to my words about how I’m not as nice as everyone thinks. She wasn’t as shocked or horrified as I figured she would be. I was taking a chance by telling her, and I’m an asshole for using her emotional state against her to do it, but now that it’s out there, it’s like a weight off my shoulders. Now, there is nothing holding me back from being myself, especially with her, and moving this relationship of ours forward.
Because we are definitely having one, even if she thinks it’s easily ignored.
I finish my shower, dry off quickly, and head into my walk-in closet to get dressed for the day. Well, what’s left of it. I need to find my stubborn little rabbit and make sure she’s not getting herself into any more trouble.
When I leave my bedroom, I shoot a text to Massimo to ask him if he’s seen Sienna. He calls me. “I haven’t. Is she alright?” Concern etches his voice.
I don’t answer right away, not sure how much I want to reveal. Not only because I don’t want to embarrass Sienna any further, but also because that moment was for us, and I don’t want to share anything we talked about. “She was fine when she finally fell asleep,” I reply briskly. “You’re sure you haven’t seen her?”
“I just finished in the gym, so I haven’t been around to see her. I think Lazaro was up your way though, so check with him.” Then he hangs up and I dial Lazaro’s number.
The first thing I hear is Sofia snapping, “I will kill you where you stand, brother, if you even think about it. Fuck off.”
I arch a brow and ask, “What did you do now?”
“I merely said that I wanted to have a word with my sister’s man,” he says in a deceptively calm voice. “After all, the man should know better than to let me catch him with his hands on my sister or any parts of her body.”
“A simple request. Though you should wait until I can help.”
“I don’t need your help, Caruso. And since I’m sure you’re looking for Sienna, she’s not with me. I’ve been a bit preoccupied.”
“Preoccupied?” Sofia yells loudly enough for me to hear clearly. “You walked around the corner and saw me taking advantage of a quiet fucking moment with Dante and decided to be a giant dick about it. Alessio, if you don’t get him out of here right now, you’re not going to have a bodyguard or best friend left.”
“ Lupina ,” I hear a voice scold lightly.
I curl my lip at the cute little nickname. A man does not need to hear that about his sister. Ever. “Nevermind, you can kill him where he stands. And if he’s going to call her some stupid nickname, at least pick one that’s accurate. Diavola would be more appropriate. But first, ask Sofia if she knows where Sienna is.”
Lazaro poses the question and I roll my eyes when I hear a scuffle on the other end until I hear him groan, “Fuck, woman, what the fuck?”
“If you’d have handed me the phone we could have avoided that,” Sofia snips. “And lucky us, I saved you from the ability to procreate, so I think all is well. Now, Alessio, what do you want?”
“I want you to stop injuring my men. Really, Sofia, you couldn’t have just knocked him on his ass or something?”
“What do you think? Besides, it’s good practice. Sienna and I are going to work with Gia today on her self-defence. So once you find her, let me know so I can grab her. Nico is being an absolute bear today; I think Gia could use the break. And I really need to high-five Sienna for giving Nico that bruise.”
I don’t make a remark about that, though I don’t bother to hide my smirk or the pride that I feel for my woman and her obvious ability to handle herself. “I’ll let you know. Now stop beating up on my men, or I’m going to beat up on yours.”
“My man could wipe the floor with you, but whatever.” Then she’s gone and I can only shake my head. Time to find my woman and make sure she’s alright.
I walk around for another half hour trying to find her, and my frustration rises. No one seems to have seen her, and the cameras only seem to have picked up small glances of her. Finally, I see her heading down the hallway toward my father’s wing. I make my way there, figuring that he’s probably seen her. I walk into my father’s office and feel a quick sense of relief seeing her there with him, though her face looks confused and uncertain. Still, knowing that she’s clearly fine and hasn’t found herself in trouble eases something inside of me.
“Is everything alright?” I ask as I approach her, careful to keep my steps cautious, in case she’s upset. “I woke up and you were gone.”
“I wanted something to eat but ended up here when I got lost. Your father was kind enough to feed me and keep me company,” she says before she looks at Papa. “Thank you.” There’s a wealth of meaning in those two words, and I wonder what the hell they talked about. I’ll be pulling that from my father first chance I get.
I tug her into me and press a kiss to her forehead, wanting that connection. She stiffens but I ignore it. She better get used to it, because I’m not going to stop. So I tell her, “Sofia was looking for you. She was saying something about doing some training with Gia.” I give her a questioning look to make sure that’s going to be okay with her. I don’t want her to overexert herself.
“Gia wants to learn some self-defence so I agreed to help her,” she answers as she pulls away from me. I want to yank her back, but I let her go. Why is she pushing me away? Does she really think that after last night, we’re going to go back to her trying to stay away from me? Fuck that. “I guess I should go and find her,” she continues.
I pull out my phone. “I’ll text her so she can come and collect you. Better than you getting lost again and missing each other.”
“While they are busy with that, we need to discuss some things, Alessio,” Papa says briskly, moving behind his desk, and I can see in his eyes that whatever he wants to talk about is important.
I nod. “Yes, Papa. I’m going to walk Sienna to meet Sofia, then I’ll be back.”
“Good. And summon Aurelio and Nico. This will involve them.” With that, he dismisses me, and after he gives Sienna one more gentle look and an assurance to come and talk to him anytime, I usher her out of the office and into the hallway.
“Which way to…ummph,” she gasps when I spin her around, back her up to the wall, and slant my mouth over hers. I need to taste her, need to consume her, but this will have to be enough for now. At first she doesn’t respond, but then she grips the front of my shirt tightly in her hands and meets me head on. My cock hardens, and I groan into her mouth when she arches her hips into me, rubbing against me and prolonging my torture, considering I don’t have time to do what I want with her right now. Fuck.
I yank my mouth away and grip her hair, pulling on it to arch her neck, and I sink my teeth into her soft skin. “My naughty little rabbit,” I purr when I pull away, and her body shudders. “Teasing me when you know I can’t do anything about it. We’ll be seeing to that later, won’t we?” I nip her earlobe and she gives a short hiss, her fingers sinking into my chest. I’m sure she’s going to tear a hole in my shirt, but I don’t care. I release her hair and then slide both hands down to her ass, cupping the lush globes and lifting her up so she can wrap her legs around my waist. I’m only denying myself, but the feel of her is worth it. Especially when she grips my hair, yanking my mouth to hers, and grinds down on my dick. I’m about to say fuck it and take her right here.
“Save some of that drive for the gym, darling,” Sofia’s voice says loudly with amusement, making Sienna pull her mouth from mine. I turn my head to glare at the woman interrupting us, and see her brother limping along behind her, looking pained. He’s glaring angrily at the back of her head, though there’s no sight of Dante. The bastard probably doesn’t want to be in the line of fire. “Though, I certainly can see the appeal,” Sofia adds with a wink.
Sienna flushes, and then releases my shirt. “Put me down, Alessio,” she hisses.
I want to argue, but I also don’t want to push the tenuous almost-truce we seem to have, so I do as asked, though not before I claim her mouth in one more kiss. She sways slightly before she rights herself and glares at me. I wink at her while telling Lazaro, “To get your mind off your balls, let Aurelio and Nico know Papa wants to speak with them in his office.”
Lazaro nods and gives his sister another threatening look before he pulls out his phone. Sofia ignores him, loops her arm through Sienna’s and says, “Darling, you and I need to talk. First we’re going to discuss that bruise you gave Nico, and then you need to tell me if Alessio is as good as they say or if they were all exaggerating. Though I suppose from the look of you there is possibly some truth to it.”
Sienna blinks at her as they walk away, and then she shrugs and says, “He’s alright. I think he needs a little practice, but I’m sure he’ll get there one day.”
I know she’s baiting me, but it doesn’t stop me from stalking forward to grip her by the back of the neck, halting them both in their tracks, and leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Then be prepared to practice often tonight, coniglietto , because I won’t be letting you out of my bed until you take those words back.” Then I release her, turn around, and head back into my father’s office.
When I step back inside, Papa looks up at me and indicates for me to sit across from him. When I’m seated, I notice the displeasure on his face, and any smugness I was feeling instantly disappears. “Would you care to explain to me why you let that woman think you were going to force her to marry you, Alessio?” he asks me in a carefully measured tone. “And why you have not taken any time before now to explain to her what to expect?”
“That was kind of hard to do when she was constantly running from me and throwing things at me.” If he wasn’t Don, I would tell him to fuck off, but if I don’t want a beat down, I have no choice but to answer. “And I never told her I was forcing her. I told her about the contract, and let her infer from there. I plan on marrying her, Papa, so the point is moot.”
“Then you had best fix the damage you’ve done,” he snaps at me. “Sienna Harris knows nothing of our life but what she’s read or seen on the blasted internet. If you were thinking with your head and not your cock, you would realize that.”
I glare at him. “I don’t need you telling me how to handle my woman, Papa.”
“Clearly you do, considering she has one foot out the fucking door. Do you really expect someone who has spent her entire life as a civilian to just fall in place here? To simply accept this is going to be her life now? She has no clue what is about to happen, or the war that is coming. You will fix it, Alessio, or you will lose her.”
Before I can retort, in walks Aurelio, Nico, and Dante, and I swallow my angry words. My father knows nothing of what I want or what I’m going to do. Sienna and I will sort our own shit out, and I don’t need his interference.
Instead, I allow the easy, cocky smile to cover my face as I smirk at Nico, who stalks over to one of the sofas and takes a seat. He ignores me, and I see Dante trying to hide a smirk as he moves further into the room and places himself near the window. Considering Lazaro is still glaring at him from the other side of the room, that’s probably for the best. Though, I can get to him before Lazaro or Aurelio do, so I don’t think he should be feeling all that confident.
I take the time to move over toward the couch and croon, “Awww, my poor Boo Bear. You hurt your pretty face. Don’t worry, I still think you’re so handsome, but we both know it’s your co?—”
Nico’s up and moving before anyone else can react, the barrel of his gun pressed tight to the center of my forehead. “Finish that sentence, Alessio,” he hisses.
I keep my cocky smile in place, knowing full well that he won’t pull that trigger. Not if he doesn’t want a war. Not to mention, no one else has moved, so they aren’t taking it as a serious threat either. “Someone’s cranky today. What’s the matter, Armani? Did getting beat up by a woman bruise your ego as well as your face?”
I hear snickers behind me, and I can tell Nico badly wants to pull that trigger. It’s clear in his eyes, but before he can make any decisions, Dante’s phone rings, and the moment is gone. “When this is done and I don’t have to see your ugly fucking face anymore, I’m going to kick your ass,” Nico vows, lowering the gun.
“Oh, now, Boo Bear, we both know it’s not my face that you’re watching,” I taunt him, enjoying myself. “But your obsession with my ass certainly isn’t helping your case in trying to keep us a secret. Kind of gives it away, don’t you think?”
“Alessio,” Papa sighs, sounding haggard. Nico’s grip on his gun tightens, Lazaro and Aurelio snicker, but he decides to do the smart thing and puts it away. Though I have no doubt he’s going to eventually try and make me pay for the shit I’ve been giving him. He won’t succeed, but I’ll give him points for any attempts.
I’m about to turn back to Papa when Dante’s voice fills the room, and I freeze. “Just had a full on assault at the house,” he tells Nico briskly. Nico turns to him, his face blank, but his eyes harden.
“And?” Nico prompts.
“We lost a handful of men, but they were able to hold it down. Some damage to the front of the house, the gate is down, but we took out double the men. From what Davide said it was definitely De Luca, and from our intel, it looks like it’s Marco’s men. Davide had our guys follow, but they disappeared into Irish territory, and they didn’t want to bring more heat down until you gave the order.”
Nico gives a curt nod. “Ready the jet. We leave as soon as we can get in the air.” He turns to Papa. “Pietro?—”
“No need to ask,” Papa says, looking at me, then Aurelio. “Our men will accompany you.”
“We have a problem of our own,” Aurelio interjects grimly. “Got the news as I got Alessio’s text. Rafaele Parisi has ordered his men to attack here and take both Gia and Sienna. Our men have also found chats between him and a former Russian mercenary team, and it looks like he has a back-up in case his men fail. He has also instructed them that if it comes down to a choice, Sienna is to be taken and they can do what they like to Gia. Seems he’s done waiting, and he’s not afraid to mobilize for war.”
My blood goes cold, and then it burns with rage. I can feel the same rolling off of Nico.
“They’re trying to box us in,” Lazaro says grimly. “You think they’re working together? Seems like a fucking weird coincidence if not.”
“What intel do we have?” Papa demands from Aurelio.
“From all accounts it appears they are not working together,” Aurelio answers. “I have a mole in Parisi’s men, and according to them, Parisi is pissed Leonardo’s son was able to get to Sienna before his or Giovanni’s men, and now he’s done playing. Apparently, when he found out Alessio grabbed her, he lost his shit and vowed to end this.”
“You think he’s going to come after us because he knows we’re going to be split into two areas,” Dante summarizes. I glance at him and see the expression on his face is tight, but thoughtful. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Marco, Giovanni, and Leonardo all have moles in each other’s units, and they’re each using that to their advantage. Giovanni heard about Marco’s move, and he’s probably informed Parisi that this is the time to strike. He knows we’re going to ask for your help and send men to New York, which means this place is going to be left vulnerable in some way, even if you leave most of your men. And Parisi will know the women will be left here to keep them safe. Which is exactly what we were going to do. But that leaves Leonardo, and we have no idea where Dario and the men here are, or what Leonardo is planning, but I think it’s safe to say that he’s going to try and join in the fray.”
“He’s right,” Aurelio agrees. “I’ve got my men keeping tabs on Leonardo, and he’s been laying low, but I think that’s because he’s wanting to see what his son and brother do.”
“Which means he’s either planning to get his son onto our grounds to take the girls in the middle of the fray, or he’s seeing if you bring them to New York and will try to take them from there. He’ll most likely launch a full-scale attack once Giovanni and Marco have finished theirs, with the hope that we’ll be weakened enough to take out both families and claim new territory and alliances,” Lazaro finishes. “Clever fucking bastard.”
“Out of all four men, Leonardo is the one that needs to be watched most closely,” Nico says tightly. “He’s had years to watch my territory, and he knows I’ll fight back just as hard and smart as he would, so he wants me to exhaust myself, show some sign of weakness. Which won’t fucking happen. I have other allies I can call in if there’s even the slightest chance we might fail.”
“We need to focus on the here and now,” Papa says briskly, getting to his feet. “And right now, there is a war coming on two different fronts. Parisi knows going after us is an unmistakable declaration, and I’m not about to let that fucker take one inch of what I’ve worked to build. But Parisi is also split, since he took so many men with him to America, leaving fewer here. The Russians will be a problem, but not one we can’t handle. I have connections to Russia myself, and I have people we can call in to fight fire with fire, so to speak.” He looks at Nico and I. “The question now is what to do about the women.”
Everything in me is screaming to get to Sienna now, to keep her close and never let her out of my sight. I can protect her. But I also know my job is to do whatever needs to be done to protect our empire, our family, and everything we’ve built. Not to mention protecting Gia, and Nico’s territory as an ally. “Is there anyone we can send them to that we can trust?”
“Probably,” Papa answers. “But there’s no guarantee they will be able to protect them should any of these fuckers find out where they’re being stashed. But we have allies in London, Russia, South America, and even some in Australia that we can call on to house them.”
I reject that idea instantly. I’ve only just found her, and sending her away will only distract me. But at the same time, having her with me will be the same.
“This is a fucking mess,” I snarl, thrusting a hand through my hair. “I don’t want Sienna anywhere fucking near this, but I also don’t trust that if we send her off somewhere she won’t run.”
“And Gia isn’t going to be without her sister,” Nico grits out. “Fuck.” He turns away, pacing, and I see his fists clenching and unclenching as he tries to work out what to do.
“The other thing we’re not considering is Gia is a wealth of untapped information that could be helpful,” Dante adds carefully. When Nico rounds on him, teeth bared, Dante holds his stare. “Gia lived at home for years, and she said often times they didn’t pay attention to her. Getting to know her, I think it’s safe to say that she listened in on those conversations. Hell, they might have had them right in front of her, thinking they had her so under control that they didn’t have to watch what they said. If we fight a war, we fight to win, and Gia might be able to help. And if that’s the case, then we keep her and Sienna close, and we keep them protected.”
“You do have those fancy passageways you can hide them in,” Lazaro agrees. “How many people know where they are?”
“Myself, those in this room, Gia, and Sofia,” Nico grits out. “I don’t want my men knowing because that’s how they start hiding shit.”
“Then we make sure that the women are able to get in and out of them at any time. Do you have a bunker or a secret exit?” Aurelio asks. Nico and Dante share a look. Aurelio makes a sound of impatience. “I’m not fucking asking so we can infiltrate when this shit is done. I want to fucking know so I can plan an escape for the women and a few guards if shit goes south. After that, change the fucking thing for all I care, but this is fucking war, and we don’t have time for this shit.”
Nico nods stiffly. “Yes. There are two exits. One goes into a bunker that’s on the property behind the house. From there, the bunker has another exit that is in the thick trees behind. The house blocks it from view. The other exit is through the gardens, but the women will probably get trapped in the maze if they try to go that way.”
“Gia would probably know how to get out if she had to,” Dante says likely, a smirk pulling at his lips.
Nico glares at him. “She knows how to try and get out the front, but not the other side.”
“Then one of the first things when we get there is show us those exits, and we make sure that the women know just in case,” Aurelio interjects. “We leave nothing to chance.” He looks at Papa. “So now we decide who goes.”
“I’m going with Sienna,” I tell them firmly.
Papa nods. “She’s a flight risk, so I agree. I will stay here, as will Urso, Massimo, and Zeno. We cannot risk leaving ourselves unguarded. Alessio, you, Lazaro, and Alonzo will go to New York. Once we have handled things here, we will join you and leave the men we need to clean up.”
“What about Sofia?” Lazaro asks.
“What about her?” Dante asks, scowling. “She will be coming back with us.”
“You want to put my sister in danger?” Lazaro explodes, fury making his eyes darken to black. Aurelio’s eyes narrow but he says nothing.
“Sofia is no safer here than in New York,” Dante snaps. “None of you may fucking like it that she’s with me, and you need to get the fuck over it. She’s a grown ass woman and she can take care of herself. And if shit goes south and we have no men, I want her with the women. Sienna clearly has skills, but so does Sofia, which means Gia will be even safer. And if you think she’s going to stay here while Sienna and Gia go to New York, you’re delusional.”
Lazaro’s fists clench and he steps forward, and I step up between him and Dante. “You know he’s right. And if anything happens to her, I’ll help you dismember his body.” Lazaro’s jaw clenches, but he nods and turns away to stand back near the door, arms crossed over his chest, clearly unhappy with the entire situation.
“Alright, that settles it,” Papa says. “Everyone knows what’s happening, and I want constant reports. Aurelio, your men will be available to assist New York should they need it.” It’s an order, not a question. Aurelio nods, and Papa looks back at me. “Be careful,” he warns. “And try not to piss off Nico to the point he kills you, or piss off Sienna and deny me grandchildren.”
I glance at Nico who is already heading for the door, then back at my father. “I’ll try, but we both know that being with each other every day, he’s going to find it hard to resist me,” I joke. Nico stops and glares at me over his shoulder before leaving the room.
Papa sighs. “I’m never going to have bambinos at this rate. Be careful.” He sits down and I head for the door, Lazaro following behind me.
“I’ll find the girls and get them where they need to go,” Lazaro offers. “I’ll make sure the jet takes off around the same time as Nico’s. Probably going to be a couple of hours. And I’ll make sure Alonzo is ready too.”
“Good. And Lazaro, just so we’re clear, if anything happens to me, you will see to it that Sienna is protected and taken care of,” I add before we separate. He nods, understanding.
It’s a stupid statement considering I will allow nothing to happen to me or Sienna, but still, it needs to be said. Because in war, there can only be one winner, and I always come out on top.