24. SIENNA
24
SIENNA
New York
“Wow,” I gape as I take in Nico and Gia’s home. I mean, it’s pretty much another castle in the middle of New York, but instead of being light, this is dark and foreboding. I mean, it’s not my taste, but I can see how it suits Nico. “How the hell do you not get lost in here?” I ask, staring at the multitudes of doors and different hallways. I’ve only just walked inside and already my mind is spinning with how many rooms are possibly in this place.
“Well, to be honest, I haven’t explored it all,” Gia says with a wry smile. “I know our room, the pool, the kitchen, the libraries, and?—”
“Hold up,” I interrupt. “Did you say libraries? As in more than one?” I’m not a huge reader, but damn, the idea of more than one giant library is playing to my inner childhood princess dreams.
Gia’s mouth widens into a huge grin. “There’s one large one, but in the room I first was in, there was a personal library too.”
I blink at her and then gasp, “Wait, did he give you a library? Did he seriously Beauty and the Beast this for you?”
Sofia snorts out a laugh from the other side of Gia. “That about sums up Nico to a ‘T’.” She grins at Gia and winks. “Looks like we just found your Halloween costume, darling.”
Gia giggles before looking back at me. “He didn’t really give it to me, but I hung out in there and found some steamy romance books.” Her face flushes and she gets a shy, dreamy look in her eyes as she adds, “And Nico found me reading it. It was…it was an interesting moment.”
I grin wickedly, but I resist the urge to tease her. Instead, I say, “I’ll have to check it out. And did you say pool? As in an indoor pool?”
She grins and nods. “Yeah. It’s actually really neat. Nico and I…” she trails off and blushes again.
I can’t help myself this time. “So what you’re saying is, before entering the pool, check to make sure that Gia and Nico aren’t getting freaky? Got it.”
Sofia snickers and Gia just shrugs, clearly embarrassed, but trying hard not to be. “And that is why I’m putting you and Alessio in a room on the opposite side of the house,” Sofia tells me as she leads us up the twisting staircase, down a hallway and through a couple more side halls to a tall door at the end of one of them. “And,” she adds before I can question her, “I’ve also made up the room across the hall so you can have that all to yourself when you want to kill him or need some time alone.”
Mollified, I nod. “Alright. But despite everything, Alessio and I are not a couple.” At least, that’s what I keep telling myself, even though the more time I spend with him, the more I’m realizing that fighting with him over that is getting harder and harder.
Sofia and Gia share a look, but I ignore it. Instead, I open the door to the bedroom, walk inside and gape. Holy shit, this place is something else. It’s a thousand percent not my style, but if you want to talk expensive, this room feels it. The room is very large, with a king-sized bed against the far wall, complete with drapes falling from the ceiling and being pinned to the wall in some kind of intricate pattern that make it feel grand. The headboard and footboards of the bed are made of what looks like steel, with intricate designs carved throughout, and two matching nightstands that look much the same on either side. In the middle of the room is a chandelier dripping with crystals.
The walls are covered in a black wallpaper with silver designs, and they frame all three windows. I turn to look at the two doorways on the left wall, and from my angle can make out that one is the walk-in closet and the other the bathroom. I already know they’re going to be just as dark and opulent. I turn back and look at the other parts of the room, taking in the gothic furniture and dark rugs, until finally I see the office space at the back of the room.
It’s just as gothic looking as the rest of it, and considering how dark out it is right now, it’s still decently lit by another chandelier that sits directly over the large wooden desk. Behind the desk is a wall of tall bookshelves, mostly empty but for a couple of books that look old, and a few small knick-knacks. Chairs in each corner sit empty, and I get a bad feeling about them, though I’m not sure why. The office area is like a little nook on its own, but it’s a good space for me to set up and work.
“The room needs some life in it,” Sofia says briskly, looking around critically. “We’ll work on that after this whole mess has been taken care of. I think it was used by Nico’s father.” Gia gives a soft shiver, which is all I need to know that Nico’s father wasn’t a nice man. “But I think it will suit everything you need,” Sofia continues.
I smile at her. “Yeah, this will be fine. I might even take this one and kick Alessio out to the one across the hall.”
“The one over there is a bit smaller, but just as dark,” Sofia says as she leads us over to the opposite room. “And it doesn’t have the desk, so I don’t blame you.” She opens the door, and I look in and see a room much like the one we just left, just flipped, with a slightly smaller bed, and without the office area. Though there is a cute window seat in the window closest to the bed. “Lazaro is in the room next to this one,” Sofia continues, “and Alonzo will be in the room on the other side of him. It’s better to have them all together instead of spread out if things get crazy.”
“Or they get crazy,” Gia snickers. “Last time they were here, they were throwing knives.”
“Why?” I ask, blinking in surprise.
Sofia scowls. “Because my brothers can’t accept I’m a grown woman and can choose to sleep with whoever I want. And if they try to do that again, they’ll be going back home with a few more holes in them. Now, I have some things to see to and get back in shape, because while I was gone, people have clearly been slacking. It’s going to be a long night, so I suggest you both get some sleep while you can.” Then she hurries out of the room, her steps loud and determined on the marble floors.
I look back at Gia. “I don’t know if I feel bad for the people who work for her or not.”
Gia smiles. “I think they’re all a little afraid of her. Sometimes I am too,” she whispers conspiratorially. “Are you going to be alright to get yourself settled in? I know the guys are talking and checking on things, but if you want me to hang around I can.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m fine.” I nod toward the bag still slung over my shoulder. “I have all the protection I need in here. Are you okay?”
She nods. “I’m good. The flight back was good, but I’m still super tired. I imagine the jetlag is going to hit hard for a couple of days.”
“Yeah, I get that.” We step back out of the bedroom, and I arch a brow when I see a man standing there, looking tough as nails and a bit annoyed as he takes us in. I’m instantly on edge, but Gia just smiles at him.
“Sienna, this is one of Nico’s security, Tommaso, who has been given the unfortunate charge of being my new bodyguard,” Gia says.
“It is a privilege to guard the Don’s wife,” Tommaso says stiffly, but I don’t miss the way he doesn’t include me in that statement.
Gia rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure. You’d probably rather be doing anything else. Is anyone going to be watching Sienna?”
“Underboss Caruso will see to her security,” Tommaso replies simply. “Are you heading back to your room now, Signora Armani?”
Gia nods slowly, but bites her lip. “I don’t feel right about leaving Sienna here without anyone. Especially knowing what happened, and another attack could come at any time.” She looks at me. “Maybe I should stay here with you,” she hedges.
I’m not blind to the annoyance that flashes in Gia’s guard’s eyes. I don’t know what the problem is with this guy, but he clearly doesn’t like me, so I just shake my head and reply, “I’m fine. Seriously. Go and get some sleep and tomorrow we can find the gym in this place and work on your training again.”
Gia hesitates, but exhaustion clearly wins out when she slowly nods and says, “Alright. If you need anything, just call me or Sofia.” Then she surprises me by reaching out and giving me a tight hug, before she pulls away and then hurries off. Tommaso follows her without so much as a backward glance at me, and I roll my eyes. Either Nico’s men don’t trust me, or they’re assholes. I’m leaning toward the latter. It must be a requirement to become a mafia guy.
I walk back into the large bedroom, glancing around and then moving to put my bag near the desk and pull out my burner phone. No one has said I can’t call anyone, but I also feel like if Alessio finds out, he’s going to be pissed. But, if I don’t call Rori soon, she’s going to lose her mind. I was supposed to call her the morning after Alessio took me, but yeah, that definitely didn’t happen.
I put in the SIM card and dial her number. I wince when I hear her screaming at me on the other end.
“You fucking bitch, I’m going to kill you. Do you know how scared I have been that I haven’t heard from you? Especially knowing that Alessio fucking Caruso was after you? It’s been two days. Two fucking days and not one word. Not even to tell me you’re fine but will call me later. Nothing. I’m going to strangle you the next time I see you.” She’s gasping when she finishes, and I wait for a couple more seconds. With Rori, you never know if she’s going to keep going.
When I realize that she’s done, I say carefully, “If I promise to buy you something big, shiny, and pretty when this is all done, will that make you a little less pissed at me?”
“Bribing me with pretty things? That’s your solution? No, not this time, you evil witch. I will not allow you to distract me. You are forever on my shit list for scaring me so badly. Now, where are you?”
“Well, see, that’s the thing, and why I didn’t call you right away. Alessio did manage to find me in Greece. After I hung up with you, he broke in.” Then fucked my brains out, but I don’t bother with that detail. “He took me back to their home in Sicily. Side note, they call it a villa, but it is an actual freaking castle. I don’t know why I’m surprised at that, but you should see it, Rori. It’s stunning. If I had time I would have taken pictures. And it has secret doors and?—”
“Shut the hell up and tell me where you are,” Rori snaps, exasperated.
“Right, sorry. Anyway, I was only there for one night, and then we found out that my sister’s home was attacked here in New York, and?—”
“So you’re in fucking New York now? Wait just a fucking minute. You fled the US to get away from the mafia drama, and now, after all of that effort, you have landed your ass on the East Coast, in the middle of the whole fucking problem? Have you lost your fucking mind, Sienna?”
“Look, calm down, okay?” I snap back, irritated, but also knowing that she’s only acting this way because I’ve scared her. When it comes to Rori, she doesn’t play with the safety of those she loves. “I know it’s not ideal, but we couldn’t stay in Sicily because my bio family and whoever they aligned with have found out we were there, and there was a threat on Gia and I both there as well. So it was decided we would come here, where Nico’s house is a fucking fortress and we’ll be safer.”
“A fortress?” she repeats incredulously. “You’re gonna sit there and tell me that the home that just got attacked is now the safest place you could be? Are you even hearing yourself? Or are you telling me this because you want me to come and rescue you? Fuck, that’s it, isn’t it? Look, if you need help, I want you to tell me the name of my imaginary friend when I was six. Then I’ll know and get there to get your ass out.”
God, that is the last thing I need to happen right now. Alessio thinks I’m bad, but Rori is a whole other level. “No, no, I’m fine, I promise. Seriously, Rori, don’t come here and put yourself in danger. I promise I’m fine. And honestly, even if they got past the gate, the dogs, and the guards, this house is so huge it would take them months to find me. Gia said something about there being special hiding places, but we haven’t gotten to where those are yet. But we will. I promise I’m okay. And I’m really sorry I didn’t call. It’s been a whirlwind couple of days and I’ve just been trying to catch up. Please forgive me. I don’t want you mad at me on top of it all.”
She’s silent for a moment before she heaves out a heavy sigh. “Fuck,” she hisses. “Fuck it, fine, I’ll let it go, but if you do this shit again, I’m going to chop off all your hair, and burn your laptop. Got it?”
“Yes,” I assure her, knowing that she’s vindictive enough to actually follow through.
“Fine. Alright, you’re in New York at some fancy mansion in the middle of a war. And where is Alessio Caruso?”
“He’s here too.”
She says nothing for a moment. “Wait, what’s happening with him? If you tell me you married him without me there, I’m upgrading my threat to include kicking your ass.”
“No, no, I didn’t marry him. Nothing like that. In fact I keep telling him I’m not going to marry him. He’s…he’s stubborn and insisting I belong to him now and all that alpha male crap that normally we only like in books or on TV.”
“You said ‘normally’. Which means you do like him acting all alpha and shit, and he’s wearing you down.”
“Look, I don’t know what the hell is going to happen with Alessio and I, but I know that this stupid war is going to happen, and I need to make sure the wrong side doesn’t win. I refuse to marry anyone that I don’t want to, Alessio included. I just wanted to make sure you know where I am. I might not be able to talk to you all the time, but I promise I’ll call whenever I can. Okay?”
She doesn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t like you right in the middle of this, Sienna,” she finally says, her tone tight. “But fine, I don’t really have any other option but to wait and see how things go. But you better keep me in the loop, got it?”
“Got it,” I promise.
“Alright, well, before you hang up, tell me what you honestly think of Alessio. Are you seriously interested in him as more than someone to protect you until this shit gets handled?”
I groan. “I don’t know. I swear I don’t. One minute I want to stab him, or shoot him, depending on the closest weapon, while the other times I want to know more about him. Or I want to fuck his brains out. I haven’t had much time to decompress, with everything going on. Fuck, I don’t even know much about him, so how could I even consider being in any kind of relationship with him?”
“Who cares? I mean, really, Sienna, none of this shit is normal. Do you really think knowing his favorite color, or what kind of foods he likes, or if he wears women’s underwear matters right now? You can learn all that shit as you go. He’s clearly into you, and with everything going on, you need more than just me in your corner. You need as many as you can get, and clearly he’s also there. For now, I say you put any ideas of a relationship to the side and focus on staying alive. And if that means in the meantime you fuck his brains out to relieve some stress from the situation, I doubt he’s going to argue.”
“But what happens if he feels that’s me agreeing, and then he gets pissed because he thinks I’m leading him on?”
“You tell him up front you’re not agreeing to anything and this is purely physical. Then he can work on trying to convince you, but you can ignore it if you want.”
She has a point. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now, since I know you’re alive, I have shit I have to get back to. If you don’t call me again within the next couple of days, I’m going to come and find you, got it?”
I smile. “Yeah, I got it. I miss you, Rori. You have no idea how much I would rather be sitting with you at our favorite coffee shop right now.”
“I miss you too, even if I am still mad at you. But we’ll get there. Oh, and make sure that you’re having enough hot sex for the both of us, because right now, I’m living vicariously through you. Before you go, tell me, is he as hot as his pictures online?”
“Hotter. And he knows what he’s doing in bed. Actually, we haven’t done it in a bed, so we’ll say, floor, wall and shower for now.”
“Lucky bitch,” she huffs, and I laugh. “He has two brothers right? Wonder if either of them would be willing to give me a spin?”
“Probably. I’ll introduce you after all this is done.”
“Good. Alright, I’ll talk to you later. Stay safe, okay?”
“Okay. Miss you, Rori.”
“Miss you too, ‘enna.” Then she’s gone, and I take out the SIM card and put it and my phone away.
Talking to Rori has settled something inside me. She’s right. Worrying about a relationship, or whatever this is, with Alessio is stupid, and I need to focus on staying alive first. Which means I need to know what I’m up against.
Time for me to find wherever Alessio and them are hiding. I just have to hope I don’t get lost on the way. I open my bag and grab the gun I hid in there, tucking it into the waistband of my pants. I think about grabbing the knife, but I don’t have anywhere safe to put it that it won’t cut me.
I leave the bedroom, shutting the door behind me, and then head down the hallway, trying to recall the way that Sofia led us. It takes me a while, but I finally figure out how to get to the main staircase after getting lost a couple of times. I mean, I get the strategic value to all of this, but damn does it make it hard for someone to figure out their way around. When I descend the stairs, I head down the hallway I saw Alessio, Lazaro, and Alonzo go down.
Seriously, this place also needs a map.
I peek into a few rooms, but only find different rooms with different furniture, until finally I hear Alessio’s voice coming from a different room down the hall. The door is open, but two men stand outside, and when they see me, their eyes narrow in suspicion. Let’s just hope that this goes better than it did with that Tommaso asshole.
I approach both men and give them a polite smile. “I need to speak with Alessio and Nico,” I tell them calmly.
“And you are?” the larger of the two asks tightly, eyeing me critically.
“Sienna Harris, Nico’s sister-in-law and Alessio’s…well, I’m not sure what to call myself to him, but we’ll go with ‘general pain in the ass’ to cover all the bases.” I give him a joking smile, not that it seems to thaw him at all.
“Nico doesn’t have a sister-in-law, bitch,” the other man snaps, stepping forward menacingly, his face dark and foreboding. “So who the fuck are you?”
Great, just what I need . “Look, just ask them if you don’t believe me,” I offer as patiently as I can, even though I’m getting damn tired of being treated with suspicion. “Hell, ask Gia, or even Sofia. They’ll tell you who I am. Or better yet, just look at my face and you’ll see that I’m a dead ringer for my sister.”
Both men share a look and it’s clear they don’t believe me. The taller one turns, as if to go into the room to find out. The other one, though, decides that he’s not about to chance me leaving, and lashes out to grab my upper arm in an iron grip. “I think we have us a spy, Davide.”
“Let go of me right now,” I snarl, but refusing to give him the satisfaction of struggling. I’m almost tempted to pull the gun I have, but even I know that would be stupid. This idiot would take the opportunity to kill me and be done with it, and I don’t have dying on my bingo card today. Or any day soon.
But then I’m shoved up against the wall, face first, my arm now wrenched behind my back, his other hand frisking me. When he finds the gun, he makes a triumphant sound. “Look what we have here. Now why would a supposed sister-in-law of the boss need a gun, hmmm?” He wrenches my arm back harder, making me grunt in pain. “Answer me, whore.”
“Probably because none of you fuckers know enough that someone is supposed to be guarding me,” I grit out through the pain as he wrenches my arm again. I bite back a cry, and battle back every instinct inside me to take him down. This idiot would pull the fucking trigger without a moment’s hesitation and again, dying is not something I want to do today. Not to mention, I don’t need Nico even more pissed at me than he already is.
“Guarding you? A whore? I don’t think so. If you’re here to suck a man’s dick down, you can start with me. Then we’ll make sure you get a turn with the rest of us, huh? I mean, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve felt a cunt wrapped around my cock? Far too fucking long. The last bitch we snuck in here didn’t last long enough for me to have my turn. But you…” He trails off suddenly, and I can feel the change in the air. I carefully turn my head to see what’s going on, and that’s when I realize two things. The idiot holding me now looks terrified, and behind him is a very pissed off Alessio, with a gun to the back of his head. And behind him are equally pissed off Lazaro and Alonzo, with Dante and Nico off to the side, though I can’t quite make out their expressions from this angle.
“Release her,” Alessio says with such utter calm that even I feel a tremor in my gut. Oh shit, this is bad. The guard immediately lets go of me. I turn around, rubbing at my arm to ease some of the stinging pain from the asshole’s grip, and watch as Alessio presses the gun tighter to his head and asks in the same tone, “Would you care to explain to me why you have your hands on what belongs to me?”
The guard’s face pales. “I-I didn’t know she was with you, Signore Caruso,” the man gets out tightly, though I can hear the fearful tremor in his voice. “I thought she was a spy trying to get to you or Don Armani. She had a gun on her,” he adds quickly, holding it up to view.
Alessio looks at the gun, and then at me. His eyes are dark, angry, but I can sense the anger isn’t at me. Then he asks, “Nico, do you have any attachment to this guard?”
The guard isn’t shaking, but I can tell it’s close, as fear engulfs his face. “Not particularly. Obviously there are some things that need to be seen to among my men.” I don’t miss the cold intent that lies in that statement.
Alessio doesn’t move for another long, tense moment, until finally, he lowers the gun and orders, “Come here, coniglietto .” I don’t say anything as I move around the guard and over to Alessio. This doesn’t feel like a moment I should be arguing. He pulls me into him and lifts my arm gently to his gaze. His eyes swirl angrily as he stares at the marks on my bicep that are already starting to bruise. The violence that emanates from him is thick, and while I thought I met Alessio the Underboss before, I realize now that was a different version. This. This is the Alessio that everyone fears. And he only confirms it when he pulls me behind him, lifts his gun, and pulls the trigger, killing the guard instantly. I can’t stop the alarmed cry that jumps from me as I stare at the now dead man lying on the floor.
Oh God.
Fear holds me in its clutches as Alessio then turns to the other guard, gun raised.
“Did you touch her?” he asks calmly, as if he hasn’t just killed a man.
“No,” the man answers. “I was coming to ask if you knew who she is. We weren’t informed that there would be a third woman.”
“I gave that fucking order,” Dante butts in, his own face showing his temper. “It was sent to the communication team to inform you all.”
“We didn’t receive it,” the guard replies, his gaze never leaving Alessio.
“You mean to tell me a direct order from your Underboss wasn’t conveyed to the men, and she has been walking around alone since we got here with no protection?” Alessio hisses. “And not one of you realized that she is with us?”
“Dante,” Nico says darkly.
“I’m already on it,” Dante says, turning and stalking away, and I can tell he’s just as pissed.
“Sienna, did he touch you?” he asks, turning his head to look at me, the gun still completely steady.
“No. It’s like he said, he was turning away toward the door,” I answer instantly, because I am definitely not about to let another man die. God, this is a fucking mess. I should have stayed in my room.
Alessio stares at me, no doubt trying to guess if I’m telling the truth, but finally he lowers the gun, then turns to Alonzo and barks, “Guard. Now.” Alonzo just nods and pulls out his phone, stepping away.
Then, before I can say anything, or even try to back away, Alessio grips my hand tightly in his and pulls me into the office, even as I hear Nico and Dante barking orders behind me, and Lazaro following us.