2. Vincenzo
Vincenzo
Anna looks at me with those wide, beautiful brown eyes.
as we drive her back to the DeLuca towers in Atlantic City, far away from where the Gallini fucks almost captured her and took her away.
She knows at this point I am a man of my word.
Anna Cassone will wear my wedding ring tomorrow no matter what she or anyone else has to say.
My gaze settles on her lovely features, and she turns away. Anna keeps her eyes focused on the leather seat in front of us. Her voice cracks when she finally speaks. “I ran to protect Massimo, Sophia, you and your family. Why couldn’t you just let me go?”
To protect us? Never have I wanted a woman for more than a day, one night, a roll in the hay, but this woman, from the moment I lifted her in my arms a stronger connection was there.
Even thinking she was dead for six long months, there wasn’t a day that went by she wasn’t on my mind or tormenting my dreams in the middle of the night.
But now, she’s embedded deep within my blackened heart.
The eldest Cassone daughter has been trained well.
I have to give her father credit, having Delz train her and her sister from an early age has managed to keep them both alive.
But I could cut off his nuts for teaching her the escape tactics that allowed her to sneak out of that tower, out of the protection of our fold.
My princessa has managed to get away from me more than once and each time seems to land herself right back into trouble again.
Clearly, there’s no way to keep Anna Cassone safe unless I keep her completely under wraps and the only way to do that is to put the full weight of the Atlantic City DeLuca family behind Anna with a wedding ring.
And after what she did, saving my mother’s life, breathing life into her until the doc arrived, not one person, soldier, made man, brothers, sister or father will not embrace her into the family.
Still, a Cassone with a DeLuca was never meant to be but like it or not, she’s mine.
I’ve taken her, rescued her three times from those determined fucks and I’m not giving her back.
I’ll see hell freeze right the hell over before I allow Bastian Gallini and his fucking family to see their sordid vendetta against Anna Cassone through.
No, if those bastards want her, they’re going to have to come through me, and the weight of my family.
Especially if we’re married. Bastian Gallini can’t fucking prove there was a contract in place by Anna’s father.
The fucks couldn’t even beat it out of him, brutally torturing him before he took his very last breath.
But with no signed contract to speak of at least in death, he was finally an admirable man.
Only Bastion’s word that Anna belongs to the Gallinis exists.
It won’t fucking hold water if we’re married.
The families, my family and our allies in the old country, all will demand proof.
Far different if we’re not married, the families usually staying clear of fights over girlfriends and passing fancies.
They know the men will fight for those things at times, but the weight of the family involvement in such issues is kept far removed unless there is another reason to intervene.
Whether Anna likes it, trusts me or not, she’s mine to keep safe now and after tomorrow she’s going to have far more fucking protection then she ever did before.
My beautiful little escape artist will have no chance to do it again.
If I have to keep Anna locked up in a gilded cage until she comes to her senses and realizes that I’m not letting her deal with this alone, I will.
Nicolo sits quietly in the front seat as we drive back from the edge of the shore where we found Anna just before the Gallinis took her far, far away, where we may not have ever been able to find her again.
He’s right to be upset with her and the situation but as underboss of the DeLuca organization he holds his tongue while we’re not alone.
I look out in the darkening night as we head toward the bright neon lights of Atlantic City and the DeLuca Casino and Resort. I have no doubt I’ll be given an earful once we’re back in the privacy of the DeLuca tower.
It’s been a hell of a night for all of us.
Anna’s escape and rescue, on top of our mother having a heart attack that’s left all of us in a state of shock.
Always the strong one, the glue that held the family together when Papa left, leaving me in charge.
Never did I think when my soldier called me earlier tonight that Ma would be fighting for her life.
The fact that Anna was instrumental in saving her life, but then decides to leave while Nicolo, Gianni, Agosto and Lanah and I are at our mom’s bedside just doesn’t make a bit of sense unless she really was trying to protect us. This woman…
My dark-haired beauty pulling my own gun on my trusted soldier, not to get away from my penthouse on the top of the DeLuca tower but to force him to let her help my mom, only hours later to deceive him with one of her parlor tricks and run.
I inhale a deep breath to calm my ire. Anna must have had a reason for her rashness and poor judgment but I’m having a hard time understanding what that may be and instead contemplate giving the impulsive wildcat a good paddling to her sexy little ass.
My chest tightens just thinking about what would have happened if we had gotten to that shoreline ten minutes later. The men working for the Gallinis would have had her tied up and in the back of their car just moments later if we hadn’t arrived and taken them out.
Terry pulls up in front of the DeLuca Casino and Resort, and a team of soldiers swarm around the car, using their black-suited bodies as human shields as I assist Anna from the car and my brother and I walk her into the safety of our casino while Terry parks the car.
I keep a hand on Anna’s lower back, guiding her as our soldiers escort us to the private set of elevators.
“We were all sorry to hear about Mrs. DeLuca. Will she be okay?” one of our most trusted capos asks.
I’m thankful that Nicolo brought Saint in from the streets after Anna escaped tonight.
One of our best, he’s always got our backs.
“It was touch and go there for a while, but she’s going to be fine after some rest,” I tell him while catching up to the messages on my phone from Doc and our younger brothers and sister as we ride the elevator to the top floor.
I turn to Nicolo. “Lanah said she’s staying there tonight. Can you take some of her things when you go back?”
“No problem.”
He’s too quiet, far too fucking quiet for my liking. “I’m going to settle Anna in for the night and then I’ll meet you in your office before you leave.”
His eyes meet mine.
It’s not a fucking request, it’s an order from the boss of the family, not usually how the two of us roll, but I’m sure it has something to do with me marrying Anna and he may as well just get it off his chest because come tomorrow, she’s going to be mine and his new sister-in-law.
Whether Anna or Nicolo think it’s a good fucking idea or not.
Anna meets my gaze, her lips pursed as we reach the top floor of the tower.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I tell Nicolo, guiding Anna with a hand on her lower back to my penthouse door.
I close the door behind us, and she turns, her eyes filled with concern.
“This wedding, it’s a bad idea, Vincenzo.
” She paces the floor. “One bad idea after another to protect me when you know Bastian Gallini is never going to stop coming.”
“Once you’re mine, it’s no longer your problem to deal with. It will be up to me and the bosses and elders to deal with, and you will be protected.”
“Don’t you see…” She stops midsentence and shakes her head. “No, I won’t do it. We’re not putting others at risk because of something my father did.”
I snake a hand around her nape, draw her close, and place a finger to her lips.
“Enough. I’ve made up my mind. You’ll be my wife after tomorrow.
You will be a DeLuca. After what we did to the fucking Sarones and Gallinis tonight, all their dead left to rot, the Sarones who are left and the Gallinis will be coming.
Make no mistake about that. Maybe even with allies we don’t know about.
We have a small window of time to make you mine. It happens tomorrow.”
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears and it’s like a stab to my heart. Anna should be happy the night before her wedding, especially after what she did for my family, but I’m not changing my mind about tomorrow. There’s really no other way. “Draw a bath and try to relax. I’ll be back soon.”
Anna swipes away a tear. “Now that I’m back in your prison, go and enjoy the many amenities of the DeLuca top tier prison.”
I turn away. First her, then Nicolo, then the arrangements, and then to deal with my parents.
This fucking night. Definitely not your last night of being a bachelor night, that’s for damn sure.
I slam the door on the way out which does absolutely nothing to stop this pounding headache that’s been building for hours.
Nicolo looks up from behind his desk and inhales the scent of his coffee. His vice of choice. I can smell the strong aroma of Fazenda Santa Ines, a premium bean grown in the Mantiqueira Mountains of Brazil.
“Coffee, so late in the night?” I ask, pouring myself a glass of Dalmar to take the edge off before folding myself into the chair across from his desk.
He nods as his dark eyes meet mine. The best friend, brother, and underboss a man could hope for but something in that gaze tells me I’m not going to like what he’s about to say.