Hitman (King of the Mafia #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Gianna

I’m expected to marry.

It’s the reason why a man named Nico Esposito – a member of the Italian mafia – is seated across from me at my dinner table.

My aunt, Francesca, is on one side of me while my brother, Enzo, sits at the head of the table even though this isn’t his house.

It’s my aunt’s. But since he’s the highest ranking mafia man in this room, he gets to sit at the head of the table.

“So, Nico, do you plan to treat my niece with respect?” Francesca asks.

Nico chews loudly on a piece of steak. I pick at my own food with my head ducked into my chin. The last thing I want is more food in my stomach. More food means more I’ll need to throw up later. I have to be skinny enough for Francesca to approve of.

“I do,” he finally answers after swallowing but he doesn’t wipe the steak sauce off his chin.

Nico is a handsome man with classic features.

Strong jaw. Nice black hair. A typical good looking Italian man.

But even his looks can’t distract me from the sauce on his chin.

I wish he’d wipe it off. “If you’ll honor me with Gianna’s hand in marriage, I’ll always treat her like a queen.

I know you’re looking for more allies.” This he says to my brother.

“I’ll be a good one to you. I know a lot of mafia men are not happy you’re working with the Bratva but I’m not one of them.

I’ll be on your side, Enzo. I promise you that. ”

Enzo smiles tightly. “That’s good to hear but I’m not sure I’m ready for my baby sister to be married off just yet.”

“Oh, hush,” Francesca says, gently swatting Enzo’s arm. “Gianna is twenty-one now. Ready to be married. Ready to make this family proud.”

“Of course. But I have worked hard to keep my sister safe. Would she be safe with you, Nico?”

Nico clears his throat loudly and I can’t help but cringe a little. Since my face is still lowered, no one seems to notice. Most people don’t notice me to begin with. I’ve always been painfully shy. My aunts little critiques all my life haven’t helped matters.

In that very moment, she pinches my arm, forcing me to look at her. She tilts her chin up, signaling I should do the same.

With a deep breath, I force my face to rise to meet Nico’s eyes.

“Gianna, I can promise that you would be safe with me,” Nico tells me. It takes everything inside of me to not look away. “I would be a good husband to you. And to you, Enzo, I would be a good ally.”

The fate of mafia daughters everywhere. Forced to get married to strangers.

I know Enzo’s wife, Kira, was forced to marry him to keep peace between our families.

That was just a year ago. Now, it’s my turn apparently.

There’s been a war brewing for the past twelve months.

A man named Marco Amato is not happy that my brother is working with the Russian mafia and that his bride is a Russian herself.

So far, the war my brother is facing in New York has not reached me here in Connecticut.

But I feel it in my gut that something is going to go wrong soon.

This potential marriage alliance to Nico is just the start.

Enzo subtly nods. “That is good to hear. My aunt is the one who truly knows you. We’ve never worked together before. How do I know I can trust you?”

“Because of my word,” Francesca says. “Isn’t my word good enough?”

Enzo doesn’t respond to that because we both know that our aunt’s word is not ‘good enough.’ “Nico?”

“I come from a good family. I have a lot of wealth and connections to my name. I can help you in this war with Marco Amato. I’ll be a good husband to your sister. That I will promise you.”

“You can’t ask for anything more, can you?” Francesca says, making Enzo sigh.

“I do need allies,” Enzo admits. “Italian Mafia ones. If you’re saying you can help me in this war, Nico, then I’ll believe you. But I don’t want to sell my sister off like she’s cattle.”

“She is just doing her duty,” Francesca says.

“I was in an arranged marriage with your uncle. You have an arranged marriage yourself.” She sneers at the mention of Kira.

My sister-in-law and aunt have never been on good terms. It’s not surprising that Kira didn’t come today, even though it would have been nice to see her.

She’s the only one I have in my life who seems to understand me.

Not even my own brother gets me the way Kira does.

“So it wouldn’t be unusual for Gianna to marry me,” Nico says, finally wiping the sauce off his chin. My sigh of relief is subtle so no one notices.

“Perhaps not.” Enzo looks into my eyes. “Gianna, what do you think?”

“Why does it matter what Gianna thinks?” Francesca cuts in before I can say a word. “She will do her duty like I did. She will make our family stronger by marrying a nice Italian man. Unlike your Russian wife.”

Enzo’s lips tighten. “Don’t speak badly of my wife, Francesca. We’ve spoken about this before.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “Your wife isn’t even here. She thinks herself too good to come here.”

“It’s because you always speak badly of Kira to her face that she didn’t want to come today. So stop.” Enzo’s voice speaks to no disagreements.

“Fine,” Francesca says with her own lips pursed.

“Now, Gianna,” Enzo says. “What do you think?”

All eyes turn on me and it takes everything inside of myself to not sink into my seat. “I think…” My voice is so quiet that Nico leans forward to hear me.

“What was that?” he asks.

“I think that I’ll do my duty.” I have no other choice. Francesca will never give me the freedom I want. Enzo definitely won’t. He wants to keep me locked up here for my own safety. In this pretty house in Connecticut where things are supposed to be safe but I haven’t felt safe in a long time.

Enzo frowns while Francesca nods. “She will do her duty, Enzo. Make the marriage alliance. It’s for the best. For all of us.”

“I’ll think on it,” Enzo says. “Nico, I’ll be in touch.” He shakes hands with the man then ushers Nico out of the house.

“You should have given him an answer now,” Francesca admonishes.

“Gianna, I want to speak to you. Alone.” Enzo motions for me to follow him. It’s only when I’m in the kitchen, away from my aunt, that I feel like I can breathe again. “Do you really want this?”

“It’s my duty. It’s expected of me.”

“I know. But I won’t force you to marry anyone that you don’t want to be with.”

“But what about making an alliance with Nico?”

“I already made my alliance with the Bratva when I married Kira. They’re the ones who can give me strength. And yes, I’ll admit, it would be nice to have more strength with the mafia itself. But not at your expense.”

“If Nico is nice then…”

“True.” He narrows his eyes. “Do you want to marry him?”

“I…” What I really want is to no longer live in the same house as my aunt but do I want to marry a stranger to achieve that? “I’m not sure.”

He sighs. “Well… I’ll think on it. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“I’ll always do my duty, Enzo. You know that.”

“I know,” he says with a softness in his eyes that he only reserves for me or Kira. “I have to get back to New York now. But I’ll let you know what I decide soon.”

We share a hug before he leaves. The moment he’s gone, I feel an icy chill go over my body when Francesca approaches me.

“You would be an idiot if you didn’t marry Nico. He is handsome, has money, and good connections. You can’t make a better match than him.”

“Of course,” I murmur. I learned a long time ago to never disagree with my aunt.

“Your dress is wrinkled. I expect better from you, Gianna. Next time Nico comes over, you need to look your best.”

“Yes. Of course. Now, excuse me.” I make it into my bedroom and rush into my ensuite bathroom where I promptly throw up into the toilet.

My body shudders from the familiar release.

I can’t remember when I started throwing up but it’s been a long time.

Ever since my parents died when I was a kid and I moved in with my aunt.

It’s become a sort of comfort to me now. The one thing in life I can control.

I flush the toilet and with it, all my dreams of freedom.

Will

The job is an easy one.

I easily break into the large mansion on the quiet New York suburban street. It’s a place where no one expects anything bad to happen.

The couple I was hired to kill are asleep in their bed. My footsteps are light on the hardwood floor. Years of practice have made me a ghost.

The man in question raped his daughter repeatedly for years. And his wife stood back and let it happen. This is an easy kill for me.

I take out my gun with its silencer attached and shoot them both in the head. Their deaths happen within seconds. I call my clean-up guy to come deal with the bodies. Part of my job isn’t just killing people. It’s also cleaning up the messes so the person who hired me doesn’t get caught.

In this case, the couple’s daughter hired me. Given how tragic her story was, I gave her a discount. She didn’t want her parents dead out of greed or pettiness or anger. She wanted them to be gone from this world given the horrific things they did to her.

It’s always a little harder killing innocent people. My one hang up as a hitman. But if the money is good enough, I’m willing to do whatever job you want me to.

I leave the house through the back door. No one will even know I was here. A ghost.

I make it back home to my sturdy, dependable house. It’s not a mansion or anything, even though I could afford more, but it’s home. I don’t want to draw too much attention to myself.

So it’s a surprise when I step foot inside my house and see a man seated at my kitchen table. I have my gun drawn and ready to go within seconds.

The man lifts his hands in surrender. “I’m not here to kill you, Will. I’m here to offer you a job.”

“Who are you?”

He smirks. “Marco Amato. I work for the Mafia.”

Of fucking course. This man screams mafia from his fine suit to his slicked back hair.

“What kind of job?” I ask.

“The kind where you don’t kill for once. I need you to kidnap someone for me.”

“For what purpose?”

“Does it matter?”

“I don’t kidnap kids,” I say. “Or kill them. That’s where I draw my line.”

“Then good thing it’s not a kid I want you to kidnap. It’s a woman. Twenty-one years old. I need you to kidnap her for me and bring her somewhere safe.”

“For…?”

“So I can marry her.”

I blink. “I’ll be honest. It’s a weird fucking plan. But if the pay is good enough.”

He takes an envelope of cash out of his pocket. “A hundred thousand dollars to start should be enough.”

“Who’s the girl?” I ask without hesitation. For that kind of money, I’ll kidnap a hundred women.

“Her name is Gianna Bianchi.”