Chapter 24 Luciano
Luciano
The door slams shut, and I don’t waste time.
A quick motion, and I’m grabbing the whiskey bottle, taking a hard swig straight from it.
What the fuck was she thinking? I drop heavily into my chair behind the desk, fingers pressing into my temples.
How the hell do I fix this? Think, Luciano.
It won’t be long before the other families catch wind of Charlie’s little stunt.
Vince has a mouth that can’t be shut. What’s the play?
I reach for my phone, thumb fumbling slightly before dialing Isabella’s number. “I need a favor,” I grunt through the phone.
“Any time for you, Luciano,” she purrs. “When?”
“Tonight. Mattia will pick you up. Pack a bag.” I hang up before she can say more and shoot a quick text off to Mattia.
Pick up Isabella. Bring her to the house tonight.
Si.
I storm to the kitchen, finding Rosa bent over the bench, chatting softly with Pietro. “Rosa, set up the guest room. Isabella’s coming tonight.”
She looks up at me, her eyes wide. “Is that wise?”
“No. But Charlie needs to learn a lesson.”
“Be gentle, Luciano. She wasn’t raised in this world like we were.” Rosa’s hand lands on my chest, tender but firm.
“She needs to get used to it quickly.” I turn and walk back to my office, where Rocco is already waiting at the door for me.
“I’m sorry, Don. She tricked me. I thought she was in the bathroom,” he apologizes.
I pour myself a whiskey and gulp it down. “Who was stationed at the gate?”
“Bosco and Enzo.”
“Take them to the bunker. Punish them how you see fit,” I say. I know it wasn’t his fault.
Pour after pour, whiskey slides down my throat as I sit heavy in my chair, waiting for Mattia’s arrival with Isabella.
There’s a knock on the door, followed by Stefano walking in. I don’t bother hiding my intoxication from him. “Come to tell me ‘I told you so’?”
He sits opposite me, a bit too calm, but says in a serious tone, “What did you expect, Luciano? Of course she was going to be curious.”
“There’s curious, and then there’s royally fucking up.”
“You have no one to blame but yourself.” Stefano stands.
“She’s only been here a couple of months and you’ve already gotten her to kill someone, torture another and told her way too much about the inner workings of Cosa Nostra.
Not to mention, she was kidnapped and tortured onsite by our men by accident. ”
“Choose your next words carefully, Stefano,” I warn him. “I am still your Don. Sounds like you are questioning my ruling.”
“What’s this about Isabella coming?” he says, changing the subject.
I shrug. “I asked her for a favor.”
“You’re playing with fire, inviting her here to be under the same roof as Charlie. We all know what Isabella is like.”
“That’s the plan.” I take another swig.
He nods, turning to walk out the door just as Isabella enters, causing him to halt.
“Stefano,” Isabella says coldly to him. I watch as my brother looks her up and down, grunts his disapproval, and then walks away.
Isabella lets out a victorious laugh and strides over. She may be small, but she’s fierce as hell. She plants a quick kiss on my lips and perches herself on the edge of my desk. “Hey, Luciano.”
“Hey,” I slur back.
“What’s this favor?” I normally try to avoid asking other families for favors, but she’s the only other person outside my brothers who I can trust.
“Charlie.” Saying her name feels heavier than normal.
“Oh. I heard about her. Caterina’s daughter.”
“Italians love to fucking gossip,” I spit, pouring her a glass of whiskey.
“Messy day, huh?” She takes her glass first and skulls it, followed by mine.
“Hey, that’s mine,” I growl, reaching out for it.
She catches my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes. “How deep are you in with her?”
“Too deep.” I pull away from her grip as she lets out a chuckle.
“So, what do you want me to do?” She uncrosses her legs, showing me a glimpse of her lacy panties. A grunt escapes me momentarily before I remember who we’re talking about.
“Teach her how to be the Queen of the Cosa Nostra.” I gesture at her. “Get her to be more like you.”
She pours another drink. “And what makes you think she’ll listen to me? Most girls see me as a threat.”
“Take her to one of your businesses. Lock her up. Make her jealous. Be her friend. I don’t care how you do it, just help her.
She accidentally got kidnapped by our own men, I have the Andrettis wanting to take over our turf, and the stunt she pulled today won’t help this war the Andrettis want with us.
” I lean forward, touching her leg, pleading for some help.
“Since you said please…” She stands, slapping my cheek lightly, and sashays out. “Usual room or yours?” she calls back, a devilish grin on her face.
The mafia used to be a male’s world—the females were only ever eye candy on their arms—but since Caterina became a Donna for the Cosa Nostra, more and more females have been wanting to step up and run their families’ legacies.
But Isabella isn’t like any of the others. She’s outspoken, wild and sexy as hell. Good luck to the man who tries to tame her, and I have just invited her to step into the lion’s dens. Charlie won’t know what to do, but hopefully she’ll learn one way or another.