15. Finding the Truth
FIFTEEN
Finding the Truth
ALLEGRA
T he faint sound of a phone ringing moves me from hazy sleepiness to fully awake. I glance over at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. It’s past ten in the morning! I sit up quickly and look around the room. Zano is in his boxers, standing by the window, peering out with his phone in one hand to his ear and his other on his hip.
I shuffle to the edge of the bed, highly aware of my nakedness, taking the sheet with me. Zano hears me and turns. He gives me a seductive smile as I tug the sheet tighter to my chest.
“Yes, Ally’s awake. We’ll need at least an hour to get there,” he says into the phone as he comes to me. By this time, I’m standing with the sheet wrapped around me, and he bends to kiss me quickly, then whispers, “Go take a shower and get ready, babe. We have to get a move on.” Zano urges me with a pat to my behind toward the bathroom.
I grab my overnight bag as I sneak past him. My reflection in the mirror is that of a disheveled, wild-haired redhead who has been well and thoroughly fucked. My lips are still swollen from his kisses, and the pink of my skin is vivid from his whiskers as I drop the sheet. All a reminder of the night of passion we shared.
The hot water rains down over my body, reducing the slight ache of my muscles. I lather my hair with an apricot-scented shampoo and follow it up with a conditioner, leaving it in while I rub the loofa over my body. After rinsing myself off, I grab a towel and secure it between my breasts. I wipe the fogged-up mirror and go into my face-cleansing ritual. If there’s one thing my mother taught me, it’s that a good moisturizer does wonders for the skin.
Unfortunately, in my haste, I forgot that my clothes are in the other room. I finish my hair and makeup, keeping it light and fresh. I gather my hair and place a few pretty bobby pins in place, letting the curls fall where they may.
Zano is sitting on the edge of the bed, swiping through the messages on his phone, when he sees me enter the room.
He stares.
I stare back, biting my lip as I do.
He stares better. His eyes tell a story. A story that says he really wants me to drop the towel and go to him. I’m not sure where I find my boldness, but I let the towel slip to the floor and take the few steps over to where he sits. Zano splays out his legs, grabs my hips, and guides me between his thighs.
“I want that pretty pussy, but I don’t have time. I’m going have to make this quick,” he says, then moves me back to stand. “Get on your hands and knees on the bed.” He guides me where he wants me. My knees on the edge of the mattress, my hand braced forward. He pushes down on my back. “Elbows to the bed, baby,” he says, then pushes my thighs apart.
I can just imagine what I look like. Like this, he can see everything, my ass, my pussy, everything. He palms my ass, playing with my cheeks, spreading them open, then slides his finger down the crack. I tremble, then feel his breath on my cheek. “One day, I want to take this ass,” he says. “Not today, but soon.”
There’s a shuffle behind me, followed by the heat of his mouth lapping at my pussy, while his fingers spread open my lips.
“Oh, Zano,” I moan. He eats and eats. I grow closer and closer to my orgasm.
Two fingers slide inside me while his mouth continues to suck and lap at my clit. I fist the sheet, grappling for anything to keep me grounded when everything is spiraling around me. I feel a solid slap to my ass, not hurting, but spurring me on.
“Let me hear you, cuoricina. I want to hear that sound you make when you come,” he says in his deep sexy voice. His tongue delves into my pussy before he replaces it with his fingers, pumping them in and out, harder and faster.
My thigh muscles clench, my legs tremble, and I finally latch on to the euphoric orgasm that leaves me as weak as a newborn kitten. My arms give out, and I fall flat to the bed. Zano chuckles and gathers me up to sit on his lap.
“That was an appetizer to breakfast,” he teases. “I love watching you come. The way your eyes glisten, and that mewling noise you make.” He guides my hand to his package in his boxers. “You do this to me, just by watching you come.”
“It doesn’t seem fair that I, uh, got to…you know, and you, ah…didn’t…” My voice trails off.
“We’ll rectify that tonight. For now, duty calls, and Reno wants a meeting about the situation that occurred yesterday. I’m afraid we have to go. We’re expected at Reno’s in half an hour, and as it is, we’re going to be late,” Zano says, looking at his watch, then back to me. “It was worth it, though.”
I shimmy off his lap, and he heads into the bathroom, coming out not ten minutes later freshly showered. I put on a long blue-and-gold summer dress with cap sleeves. It’s simple and perfect for the warm weather. Zano puts on his dark khakis and shirt and gathers our things.
“Ready?” he asks.
I take a deep breath, looking around the room once more. “Yes,” I reply with a smile. And we’re off again. I knew that Reno would want to get a handle on who attacked us in the car yesterday. It’s to be expected, especially since Elena was with me, and she’s Dante’s wife and Reno’s sister-in-law. No one attacks a consigliere’s wife without consequences.
* * *
Zano
I was hoping for a slow start to the day, but the call from Sebastian telling me that a meeting has been called at Reno’s home threw that idea right out the window. Mom and Dad were expecting us to come by their place later this afternoon for an early dinner with the family. Yet, another tradition that Mom was looking forward to. While Ally was in the shower, I called Elio to let him know I’d been summoned, only to find out that he is also going to be there.
Anna and Olivia, being the wonderful women they are, have opened their home to my parents and Victorio to keep up tradition and make my mother happy. From what I hear from Elio, Mom is already making her way there with all she needs to make the elaborate meal she was planning. I think my mother just wants to feed us and to shop.
I glance at Ally sitting beside me and wonder how she can be more beautiful today than she was yesterday. She must feel me looking at her because she turns to me. She brushes her hand across her cheek. “Do I have something on my face?” she asks, tilting her head to one side, then pulling down the mirror attached to the car visor.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I tell her, clasping my hand around hers, lifting it to my lips, and kissing her fingers. “You look perfect.”
Her face lights up, and her smile beams like a bright, shining light. “Thank you.”
“That’s better,” I say. “You were looking pretty serious there.”
“Reno is very… Well, intimidating. And I’m sure he’s not too pleased with yesterday’s problematic start.”
“He’s more than intimidating. He’s a lethal motherfucker and is pissed as hell. But he’s not upset with you. You were a victim, just like Elena.”
“But I’m not family. Like Elena.”
“The minute I claimed you, you became part of Nostra Casa. That makes you ours, and in Reno’s eyes, he is responsible for all of us. What happened is an unacceptable attack, and Reno will ensure that the people behind it will be held responsible.” Reno will track these people down, and then he will destroy them, but I don’t tell Ally that. She’s already nervous around Reno. Although, she was part of this life for quite a while, and I doubt she’s oblivious to what happens when our enemies come calling.
Dad was always very quiet about Mafia business, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t aware of the dangers. Subtle changes in Dad’s behavior would alert us that problems were happening. He would make sure that Mom and Elena were never out and about without him present. Elio and I weren’t allowed out at night to party, which pissed me off, but as I grew older, I got it. Even with all our warnings, I still got a knife to the gut when the Red Dragons found out that Elena was Dante’s intended bride, the one night she went to the club with some girlfriends.
As we pull up to the gate, the guard recognizes me and opens the gate. As I’m pulling through, he says, “The others have already arrived. They’re waiting for you. I’ll let them know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Tio,” I respond. He gives me a nod, and I hurry up to the main house. Reno doesn’t like being kept waiting.
The front door is already open, and Victorio is waiting for us. I don’t get a word in before he says, “Reno and the other men are in his office. He says for you to go right in. I’ll take Ally to the ladies on the patio, out back.”
I give her hand a squeeze before letting go. “It’s fine,” I reassure her. “We’ll be out soon.” I watch as Victorio leads her away; she looks over her shoulder, but follows her brother out. I can hear voices as I approach the office.
Reno is sitting behind his desk, with Sebastian, Dante, Leo, and Elio all standing around the room. I find it surprising that Raffaele, Alessio, and Marco are all here as well.
“Good morning, Capo,” I say, then scan the room and greet the others. “It’s good to see you all again.”
“How are the honeymooners?” Sebastian asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Can’t complain,” I respond. Dante jabs him in the stomach.
“Can we get down to business?” Reno asks, his patience running thin.
“Yes, sir,” I say, but Reno is already looking at his best friend, Leo.
Leo steps forward. He drops his arms that were crossed over his chest. “After speaking with Victorio and getting a good description of the red vehicle, we traced it back to a rental company. It was never returned, and the police found it later, abandoned in a mall parking lot. The paperwork is a dead end. They used a false name and driver’s license. The rental company has a security camera. They’ve already handed it over to the police for insurance purposes. We’ve got a couple of calls in to our inside men at the station to get us a copy,” Leo explains.
“There’s more.” Dante speaks up. “Our men exchanged fire, and we hit one of them. He bled in the car. We need to get the results of the DNA sample. This will give us a name.” He pauses, looking at the capos. “Here’s the thing: our soldiers are telling me that these guys didn’t look like our typical Russians. These guys either disguised themselves, or they weren’t responsible.”
“We all have many enemies,” Raffaele states. “It makes me wonder why they went after Nostra Casa.”
“Random?” Alessio says, raising his hand. “Or is this a ploy to place the blame on one of us?”
Marco rubs a hand over his chin in deep thought. “Perhaps the question to ask is what were they after?” All eyes are on the eldest capo. There’s no doubt that he’s seen more than any of us and has the most experience of anyone in this room. We all wait for Marco to continue. “Was the target Elena? It may be so, but all our enemies are aware that this is a death sentence. The Russians are still weak from our last encounter, and sources say that they are regrouping and not yet ready for a fight of this magnitude. This leaves us open to local gangs and MCs.” He pauses and looks to Reno. “I’m sure if this were an MC, your contact would give you a heads-up, no?”
“Most definitely. If Risk even caught wind of an impending attack, he’d call,” Reno responds, but he turns to Sebastian. “Call Risk. See if he can get a read on whether we have an enemy that we’re not aware of yet.” Sebastian is already out the door before Reno is done.
“That leaves open the local gangs, or Alessio’s thoughts on whether a rival family wants to disrupt our peaceful alliance,” Raffaele jumps in.
All are very viable options and all reasonable assumptions. However, Marco’s not quite done. “There’s one other possibility.” Marco looks me square in the eyes. “The target could have been Allegra, not Elena.”
“What?” I exclaim. “Why? She doesn’t know anyone in Nostra Casa. She hasn’t even been visible. The most anyone has seen of her has been yesterday at the church.”
“You forget, Zano, the situation that brought Allegra to Nostra Casa ,” Raffaele says.
“We left Philadelphia within hours of when all that went down. There’s no trace of Allegra leaving. No passport. No flight plan. No one has been back to their apartment, for just that reason. They left everything behind. Even the call she made to Melissa was through an untraceable phone, rerouted by Dante, bouncing off twenty different cities and towers. It’s just not possible.” I shake my head, turning to Dante. “Is it?”
“Allegra and Victorio may have been untraceable, but we are not,” Reno states. “The gang members saw Raffaele and all of us. It wouldn’t take a genius to come to the conclusion that we smuggled Allegra and her brother out of their grasp.”
“We’re guessing,” Dante chimes in. “It could be any of these scenarios.”
“Not an MC,” Sebastion confirms as he comes back into the room. “Risk and Satan’s Pride has our backs and has made it clear that any word on the street even mentioning Nostra Casa needs to be brought to their attention. Guard, their president, made some calls and came up with nothing. To be on the safe side, Demon and Orion are hitting the streets to make sure, but they’re confident that it’s not an MC.”
“That leaves three options. One, someone in your own family is creating chaos by attacking Elena and making a power play. Two, a rival family is stirring up shit to create problems. Three, the gang from Philly is looking to get Allegra and her brother back. But for what reason? What do either of them know or have that would be of value to their crew?” Alessio says, asking very important questions, with many unknowns.
“Drake is the leader of the Skulls. He was putting the pressure on Allegra to accommodate his needs and using her brother to manipulate her. This I know to be true. Even Spike, his head idiot, said so,” I tell them.
“Lots of women out there to fuck. Why settle on Allegra?” Leo asks.
“Because her family once belonged to Ultimo Morte,” Raffaele says. “I think we have a bigger issue here.” He sighs, tapping his fingers on the arm of the leather chair.
“Christ! This can’t be happening!” I swear, pacing the room. The last thing I wanted was to bring drama to Reno’s doorstep. “All I wanted to do was give Allegra a chance at a real family.”
“Calm down,” Reno commands. “Allegra is ours. Victorio is ours. We are only surmising at this point. We’ll find out the truth and deal with what comes.”
“I’m in. This may involve Ultimo Morte,” Raffaele says.
“This involves all of us if this is a rival family,” Alessio adds.
“Then it is settled; we work together on this. Regardless of the findings, presenting a united front will deter others from trying to divide and conquer,” Marco finishes.
Each capo has a task. Our families will put out feelers and gather intel and regroup with our findings. As the others head out to join the women, Reno calls my name.
“A moment, Zano,” he says. He waits for the room to clear, then comes around his desk to meet me in the center of the room. “Our weakness is our women. Our enemies will use them against us. Allegra needs a bodyguard. I’ll choose one for her. In the meantime, she goes nowhere alone. Victorio is with Leo and is well protected for the moment. It’s your decision, of course, but I believe telling Allegra what we suspect will make her more alert and prepared if this has to do with the Skulls.”
I nod in agreement. “I’ll tell her tonight, after we get home. I don’t want to ruin the day.”
Reno clasps his hand on my shoulder and guides me out of the office to join the others.