Chapter 25 #2
“I was talking to Xavier about names the other day and suggested if it was a boy, we could call it Mario,” I say, and Gregor’s mouth drops open.
“You’re pregnant?” he chokes out.
“I mean, I’m not a hundred percent sure, since it’s too soon to tell,” I reply, and Xavier chuckles.
“But not from lack of trying, am I right?” He looks at the other two boys who puff out their chests.
“We try to fill her cunt with our seed at least once every couple of hours,” Tristan brags.
“Yeah, I even declined a perfectly good blow job yesterday from Vienna so I could save it to come in Tori’s pussy.
Boy, was she pissed. I had to eat her out just to stop her from nagging me.
” Colton’s crude words almost make me laugh at how Vienna would react if she heard what he said, but Mario looks pleased as punch by their behavior, and I count myself blessed that I was born into the family I was.
“Everything is working out perfectly. Soon, we will have a little Mario running around, learning everything he can from his nonno.”
Before anyone can respond to that, the door opens, and Lance and three other goons wheel in two big laundry carts.
They pull the pile of laundry out, dumping it on the floor before reaching in and dragging out my father from one and Carla from the other.
They are blindfolded, gagged, and cuffed, and both of them look like they were roughed up before they even arrived.
“Why are they bleeding all over my floor?” Mario asks mildly as the goons set them down before scooping up the laundry and wheeling the carts back outside the door to give us more space.
“We had a little trouble when we were loading them into the car,” Lance mumbles, glaring at one of the other guys who seems to be bleeding profusely on one side of his head.
Mario’s eyes narrow. “They better not be too hurt to do what needs to be done.”
My gaze roams over them. My father’s nose is bleeding, but he doesn’t look too damaged. Aunt Carla’s lip is split, her hair is all over the place, and she has a few tears in her clothes.
My father spits out his gag. “One of your assholes tried to cop a feel of Carla while he was loading us into the car. He won’t do that again.
” The sound of my father’s voice, a little husky but defiant, almost has me bursting into tears, and I dig my fingernails into my palms to help me stem any tears.
“That bitch bit my fucking ear off,” the goon who is bleeding complains.
A burst of laughter comes from Tristan’s chest. “Fuck, Dad, this is the caliber of people we’re inducting into the family now?” His tone is scathing.
“Fucking useless,” Xavier agrees. “Can’t even control an old man and a woman.”
My father lifts his top lip and sneers. “Who are you calling old, you gutless prick? Won’t even look into my eyes while you insult me.”
Xavier strides over to them and rips off both their blindfolds, removing the gag from Carla’s mouth as well. “How about I introduce myself, since you are my father-in-law. I’m Xavier Maricuso,” he says proudly, and if I didn’t know better, I would almost believe it.
“Father-in-law?” My father sounds confused until I step into his line of sight. “Tori?” he exclaims. “What is he talking about?”
I keep my face cold and ignore his question, and I avoid looking at Aunt Carla at all.
“Can we get this shit done? I have places to be,” I ask Mario flatly, and he all but jizzes himself with glee.
“Stefano, you should congratulate the happy couple. Tori and my son, Xavier, got married a couple of days ago, and she will soon be carrying the heir to the merged Maricuso-Russo empire.
“Pregnant?” My Aunt Carla sounds skeptical. After all, she was the one I talked with about not wanting to bring a child into this kind of life.
“Tristan,” Mario prompts, and my boyfriend pulls out a gun and points it at my father. My heart just about stops, and I almost scream, but I bite my tongue just in time.
“Mr. Russo, if you and Mrs. Capello could move calmly over to the computer, that would be great,” Tristan asks cheerfully, waving the gun at them as I walk over to Mario. He remains sitting in the chair, watching the undertakings like a pervy voyeur.
“Mario, could you move? I need to access the biometric reader for us to be able to change them. We all need to scan in first before we can add you.” He stands up as Carla and Dad step around the desk. They look confused.
“What the fuck is going on?” Dad demands.
“Mario wanted me to add his biometrics to the system so he can have access to all our properties,” I tell him flatly.
“But,” he starts, and I cut him off.
“I explained it needed three of us to do it, and since Gio and Sage are dead, I needed you and Carla to access the mainframe.”
“Dead?” Dad asks flatly, and Mario chuckles gleefully.
“Killed by Tori, no less.”
“Tori?” Dad asks as Carla shakes her head.
“What did you do?”
“What I had to do to save the Russo empire. Gio was dead weight, completely wrapped up in his girlfriend. He even got the stupid bitch pregnant. I’d been the shadow head for this family since we thought you died.
I deserved to run it, so I did what I had to do to get what I deserved.
Now Xavier and I are the most powerful people on the West Coast.”
“And Sage?” Carla asks coldly.
“He became clingy. I needed him out of the way so I could marry Xavier. It wasn’t a big deal.”
I enter the program needed to add to the biometrics system and pull out the master hand scanner.
“If you could both place your hands on the scanner please, and let me warn you first. Mario has instructed Tristan to put a bullet in Carla every time you refuse.” I finally look up and face my father.
I see confusion, fear, and worry in his eyes.
He knows I don’t need Carla to put her hand on it, but I pray he doesn’t argue.
“You’re going to have to uncuff us,” he says, and Colton takes the key from Lance and does so.
All of us are carrying tracking chips in the hopes that one of us will be able to slip it to them without anyone else seeing.
When he releases Carla, she whimpers, and her arm dangles uselessly by her side.
Colton frowns, glaring at the goon. “You fucking dislocated her shoulder. Now we’re going to have to call in the doctor.”
“Bitch had it coming,” the goon growls, and Tristan spins and points the gun at him before pulling the trigger. There’s a silencer on the end, but the quiet pop still makes me jump in surprise, and blood and brain matter splatter the wall behind him.
“What the fuck?” Gregor yells. Lance grimaces but pulls out his phone and calls someone.
“Yeah, we need a cleanup in the boss’s office,” he mutters as I watch Colton gently lift my aunt’s arm, cradling it against her chest.
“Is there a first aid kit in here somewhere?” he asks me, and I pull open Dad’s bottom drawer and toss him a bandage. We’ve often needed supplies in the past. He fastens a type of sling for her to keep it immobile for now.
“Can she use that hand for the readings?” Mario asks, nodding at her good one. I almost roll my eyes at his question. Of course he isn’t worried that he has a dead employee, just whether or not he can get his grubby hands on our empire.
I give him a short nod and wave for my dad to put his hand on the scanner.
He does, and it beeps, flashing green. I wince.
Shit! I hadn’t considered it would make a noise.
My eyes meet his, and he gives me a small, barely perceptible nod before stepping back as Colton ushers Carla forward.
He holds her steady as she reaches out to put her good hand onto the scanner.
It beeps, and I let out a small sigh of relief.
“Okay, I just need to add mine and then program a command, and then we will scan yours,” I tell Mario.
Colton moves Carla back, and Tristan waves his gun, encouraging them to move away from the desk. He places them against the wall then puts his body between them and the other goons. Xavier and Colton join him, creating a wall and blocking my family from the line of fire.
Mario isn’t even paying attention now. He’s practically frothing at the mouth and watches on eagerly as I place my hand on the screen. It beeps again, and the light flashes green. I enter a code into the computer program before waving my hand at the scanner.
“Anyone who places their hand on there now will be added to the system. Do you want to add Xavier and Gregor too?” I ask him, and Gregor steps forward to wait his turn, but Mario snarls at him.
“No, just me.”
“What the fuck?” Gregor shouts. “No, I’ve given up too much not to get what I deserve.
I want full access too. It was my daughter who set her up to be vulnerable in the first place.
Do you think she would have looked twice at your children if she hadn’t been desperate and weak from my daughter’s betrayal? ” he shouts.
I snarl, opening my mouth to deny his accusations. I was never desperate and weak, but before I can say anything else, Mario snaps.
“Your daughter almost fucked it all up. Tristan.” He waves his hand in his brother’s direction. Gregor pales and takes a step back.
“My fucking pleasure.” Tristan lifts his hand and puts a bullet in Gregor’s brain.
More blood and brain matter splatter over not only the wall, but the remaining goons.
They gag and grumble as Gregor’s body hits the floor with a thud.
“Best wedding present ever. Thanks, Dad.” Tristan almost sounds cheerful.
I catch sight of my dad and Carla through the wall of men, and they exchange a bemused and confused glance.
Mario places his hand on the scanner, and it makes a weird buzzing sound and flashes red.
“Tori,” he growls, and I feel a moment of panic before I realize I forgot to hit enter. I do that and ask him to try again. This time it beeps and lights up green.
“You are locked in,” I confirm, looking at the screen.