54. Beautiful and Violent
CHAPTER 54
BEAUTIFUL AND VIOLENT
I sabella
Alfredo Ferrara, Raf’s father, watches me, dark eyes raking over every inch with lethal intent. A smile twitches at his lips, and again, I’m both revolted and amazed by the resemblance between father and son. With midnight hair threaded in strands of gray, strong Roman nose, and that dark, scrutinizing gaze, he’s the spitting image of Raf in a few dozen years.
“You are certainly beautiful,” he whispers as he stalks closer.
Steeling my nerves, I stand tall, eyeing the courtyard and the villa behind it for any possible path of escape. Once he’s within a few feet, he pauses, that intimidating stare razing over me once more. I gather all the remaining saliva in my mouth and spit in his face. Then I offer a sweet smile as I jab my knee into his crotch while he’s distracted.
He doubles over, and his men move on me like a black wave. A beefy asshole wrenches my arm back, and I grit my teeth to muffle the shriek. Another guard grabs my free arm, so I’m sandwiched between the two big guys in black, their thick fingers curled around my upper arms.
“Beautiful and violent.” He smirks as he straightens and pulls a handkerchief from his jacket pocket to wipe the spit from his brow. “I see how you’ve won over my son.” He inches closer, wagging a finger at me. “I’m disappointed in him actually. I thought he would have learned his lesson after the first time.”
My stomach roils as Raf’s confession about his first love rises to the surface. This man murdered her right in front of him. I would not let that happen again.
“To be honest, when Antonio and Giuseppe brought back word of your arrival in Rome, I was thrilled. My plan couldn’t have worked better. To have you, the great heiress of the Kings’ dynasty right here in Rome was poetic. There was no need for me to go to such lengths to destroy your family all the way in Manhattan anymore.”
“Your plan?” I blurt.
“Yes, signorina , my plan to insert my son into your inner circle.”
My heart lurches, slamming into my ribs before dropping to the soles of my feet. “No…”
“Yes. I was the one behind the ‘Russian’ attack at The Velvet Vault. I was the one who orchestrated the removal of your bodyguard, and I was the one who ensured Raffaele would be there to take his place. Don’t you think it was convenient how he showed up at the club that night, then again that afternoon along Park Avenue when those thugs shot at your car?”
My stomach churns, nausea working its way up my throat. Raf betrayed me? After everything we’ve been through… Oh, Dio I’m going to be sick. The things I let him do to me?—
Curling my arms around my torso to keep from falling apart, I glare at the monster who took Frankie’s life. “You are a pezzo di merda ,” I spit. Piece of shit. “And you’ll never get away with any of this. Papà will come for me, and he’ll tear you apart limb from limb.”
“I’m afraid it will be too late by then.” He smiles wickedly. “Guards, take Signorina Valentino back inside.”
Men surround me on either side despite my kicking and squirming, and I’m escorted back toward the palatial estate perched atop the hill. They force me back through the cobblestone courtyard, around the beautiful marble fountain and up the white steps to the entrance of the Mediterranean home with terracotta roof tiles and tall stone pillars lining the entryway.
If I wasn’t being held prisoner, I would marvel at the beauty of the villa beneath the sinking rays of the setting sun. Focusing on that is easier than giving into the panic starting to set in. If Raf really had been planted as my bodyguard, who would come for me? A part of me refused to believe it… His father could be lying, right? There is no way the all-consuming emotions between us aren’t real.
I take a quick second to observe the three men escorting me through the home. One of them must be the weak link, and I’d have to find out which one ASAP. I’m led through the spacious entryway with dark wooden rafters soaring overhead, then forced down a corridor with walls covered in hand-painted frescoes. Did Raf grow up here? Despite the burn of betrayal, I can’t help but picture a tiny version of my bodyguard scampering down these very halls.
“ Cazzo , Papà , what did you do?” A male voice echoes down the passageway, and my head spins over my shoulder to find another Ferrara barging through the entryway. One of Raffaele’s brothers. From over the broad shoulders of the guard shoving me forward, it’s hard to tell which one. “Raffaele is going to lose his mind.”
The rest of the conversation is muffled as one of the lead security guys opens a door and pushes me down a dark staircase. The familiar earthy odor once again assaults my nostrils. Oh, hell no, not the wine cellar again. I squirm and kick, trying to get free but the threesome escorting me form an impenetrable wall of muscle.
“Please,” I whisper. “Do you know who I am? My father will pay you more money than you’ve ever seen if you just let me go.”
The big guy holding my arm snorts. “Your father is all the way in America,” he grumbles, his accent thick. “ Signor Ferrara is right here, and suffering his retribution would be a far worse fate.”
“ Zitto , Alfonso, shut your mouth,” one of the other guards hisses.
I’m shoved down the steps and hurried down the hall without another word. The big guy, Alfonso, heaves the cellar doors open, and my stomach revolts at the sight. Massimo is splayed out across the floor, vacant eyes staring up at the stone ceiling. Tiny fragments of crushed pink petals surround his mouth and nose.
I wish I had more of the toxic flower to use against these guys.
“ Merda ,” Alfonso grumbles as he eyes the body then makes the sign of the cross. “What the hell happened to him?”
Hypocrite . “Cardiac arrest would be my guess.” I offer the men a cheeky smile.
“You stay with her,” the other guy commands. “I’ll get the body out of here before the rats come.”
Rats? I smash my lips together to keep from squealing. Ugh, I hate rats. It reminds me of the subway in the city, and all those disgusting little rodents crawling across the tracks. Right now, I’d give anything to be back there, even put up with the nasty little creatures.
I watch as one of Ferrara’s men hauls my former professor off the floor and throws his motionless body over his shoulder. A wave of nausea threatens, but I swallow it down. I’ve seen worse, much worse. Now is not the time to be weak , principessa. I can practically hear Raf’s voice in my head. Clapping my hands over my ears, I push away that voice and the pain it brings. I don’t want to believe his father, but what if it’s true? What if he planted Raf all those months ago and capturing me was all part of his elaborate plan?
No, it can’t be… Then why would Raf’s brother have said my bodyguard would lose his mind when he found out?
Alfonso eyes me from his post at the door, as if he’s not quite sure about me. This could work in my favor. I saunter closer, batting dark lashes. “I killed him, you know.” Ticking my head toward the door, I pause only a few feet away from the big guy. “My professor, I mean.”
He blanches, mouth curving into a capital O.
“I’m not some defenseless little mafia princess, Alfo. And if you don’t watch out, you’ll be next.” I erase the remaining space between us, and he flinches as he hits the door. “I wasn’t exaggerating earlier. My father is one of the richest men in Manhattan, and you could be too. We’ve got a private jet and everything. Just help me get out of here, and I’ll make sure Ferrara never gets his hands on you.”
“My family…” he stutters. “He’ll kill them all.”
“Then we can bring them all to America. Wouldn’t you want that? A new chance at life? More opportunities? I’m sure Papà would even hire you himself for saving his daughter, his heir.”
The man’s brows furrow, and I can practically see the gears turning in his head. Come on, come on . It won’t be long until the other guy comes back.
“Please, Alfonso.” I reach for his arm and cling on tight. “Don’t do this. I can tell you’re not like them. You’re a good man.” I stare at the gold cross nestled between the thick curls of dark hair peeking through his unbuttoned shirt.
“I cannot risk it, signorina . I have my family to think about.” His lips press into a hard line, but I can tell he’s wavering. I’m right. He’s not happy here. And Raf says I’m not observant…
“I swear they’ll be protected,” I continue. “You have my word.”
The slap of quickly approaching footfalls puts an abrupt end to our conversation. The heavy door squeals open, and a familiar face peers through the crack. It’s Giuseppe, the younger of Raf’s two brothers. His bright green eyes linger in my memory from the night at the dance club. He shoves by Alfonso and growls a quick, “Get out.”
The man scrambles away, and my shoulders round, defeated. Still, I refuse to give up, not yet. Whirling around, I march to the row of empty shelves and nonchalantly run my finger through the layer of dust covering the wooden ledges. “My father is going to annihilate your entire family.” I speak softly, keeping my gaze trained on the dusty imprint of where a wine bottle once lay. Then on a shard of broken glass. It’s no longer than my finger, but it’s still sharp and could do some damage.
“Maybe…” he mutters. “I’m Giuseppe?—”
“I know who you are.”
“I’m surprised you remember me.” His footsteps draw closer.
“I only met you a few weeks ago,” I reply.
“I’m glad to hear I left a lasting impression.”
“Only because of the terrible story your brother told me after we ran into you.”
“Ah, so he told you?” He’s closer now, judging by the prickle at the back of my neck. “I suppose it’s true then, he truly is taken by you.”
I don’t reply because I only want to ask if what his father said about planting Raf is true. And I’m not sure I can bear the answer…
“What are you doing here?” I grit out as I gingerly reach for the glass and slide it into my pocket.
“I only came to check on you.”
“To make sure your father hadn’t slit my throat yet?” I whirl around, eyes shooting venom.
He staggers back a step. This time I hold off on using my new weapon. Massimo was a senseless kill, and this next one could be my last shot at escape. I must use it at the right time.
“I don’t condone what my father did.” His dark brows pucker, a frown twisting his lips.
“But you didn’t stop him.”
“I wasn’t there…” Giuseppe pauses and draws in a breath. “And I regret it every day. What it did to him, what it did to Raf, to all of us… I’ll never forget it.”
A twinge of hope flares in my chest. “So what are you saying?”
“I spoke to Raf long before you two arrived in Rome, and even then, I could tell how important you were to him.” The deep lines across his forehead pinch as he regards me, regret written across his face. “I might have failed my brother once, but I refuse to allow that to happen again.”
“So, you’ll help me?”
“I’ll do whatever I can to ensure you do not meet the same fate as Laura and their unborn child.”
My stomach plummets for what feels like the tenth time today. “What? Their child ?”
“ Merda ,” he rasps through clenched teeth. “You didn’t know…”
“No.” And now I wonder what else Raf is keeping from me.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure he would have told you when the time was right, if he told you everything else.”
I snort on a laugh, wrapping my arms around my chest like a shield. “Or maybe it was simply all a ploy to get me to trust him.”
Giuseppe shakes his head, that same regret darkening his features. “He would never use the memory of Laura like that.”
I twist my fingers into a knot, that question lingering on the tip of my tongue. “Your father said he planted Raffaele as my bodyguard… is that true?”
He nods slowly. “He’s been waiting to infiltrate the Kings ever since your uncle, Dante, started making moves in our territory.”
“So Raf?—”
He holds his hand up, shaking his head. “To my knowledge, my brother had no idea about any of it. He was as much a pawn in this as you are.”
Patting the shard of glass in my pocket to confirm it’s still there, I eye Giuseppe, torn between desperately wanting to believe him and not trusting my gut because love makes you stupid and blind. “I guess we’ll find out when he comes for me.”