Chapter 5
Chapter Five
NICO
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Ciro complains, watching as I button up my white linen dress shirt. I’m going for southern casual, which feels outside of my comfort zone, but I’ll suck it up for my date with Rosalia.
“I am doing a proof of life check,” I growl. “If she dies, we are fucked, Ciro. You didn’t see how her face looked that day, or hear the haunted tone of her voice. This girl is getting under my fucking skin.”
“Yes, we’ve all noticed. Pablo is concerned you’re going to forget about him.”
“That’s impossible. I was balls deep in his tight ass yesterday, and I told Rosa about him already. She knows I will not give Pablo up,” I retort.
Yet, I told her she’d have to give up her stepsister. I’m a bastard, aren’t I?
“Yeah? She’ll just heel like a dog and fall in line?” Ciro snorts. “We are not Dad, Nico. We don’t treat people the way he did.”
“No, but sometimes I need to pretend that I do.”
Picking up the tan suit jacket, I ask myself why everything in the South is worn in light colors. I understand it’s warm outside, but does this really help?
I’m going to end up looking like a fish out of water here if I dress in my dark suit…
Ah, fuck me. I continue to grumble in my mind as I pull on the coat and begin to roll up the sleeves of both the shirt and coat until I’m happy with it.
Between the olive pants, white linen shirt, brown belt and brown loafers, I almost don’t recognize myself.
The last things I add are a gun strapped halfway up my calf so it’s not exposed if I cross my legs and one at the small of my back. Frowning, I weave a thin piece of wire for strangling people around my belt near the belt loop to camouflage it.
I am typically surrounded by my brothers or guards, but instead, I’m going out alone today.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” Ciro laughs, interrupting his own tirade.
“Clothes,” I sigh. Fixing my curls, I roll my eyes as I grab my wallet, phone and keys to stuff into my pockets.
I rented a car for while we’re here, though I cannot wait to get back to Michigan.
True, the weather is insane there as well, but we at least get breaks from the relentless humidity that always seems to exist here.
Storming out of the bedroom I share with my stepbrother, I begin walking through the house to find Pablo.
It will not work for him to wonder if I’m going to stray or not.
We’ve talked at length about how Dad’s will states I need to get married, and have an heir and a spare from the same woman.
Pablo is aware I’ll eventually need to fuck my wife once we’re married.
The lawyers are chomping at the bit to see if I can make this happen or not.
Pablo has said he understands I need to do this to protect us as a pack, but maybe I haven’t made myself clear. My stepbrother and I clicked almost immediately when my father had a very brief marriage to his mother six years ago. I insisted we keep my stepbrother, and my father had Carla deported.
I know I’m not a good alpha. However I am someone who protects the people he loves. My brothers Ciro and Dario barely bat an eye in regards to my relationship with Pablo, however, we made sure to move out of our father’s home as soon as possible.
Roberto Domino’s love had limits, and this would have been one of them. Instead, I told him we wanted to spread our wings as a pack and my father agreed. It’s a bit ironic that even with his proclivities and child sex trafficking, he still had some semblance of morals.
“You rang,” Pablo drawls from the living room when I call out his name. “Wow. You look delicious.”
“You’re blinded by the power of his cock,” Ciro teases, entering the room behind me. “Nico looks like a rich douchebag, guys."
“Only one of those things is true,” I snort, stalking toward Pablo.
“Should we give you a minute?” Dario asks. “Your energy feels very intense.”
“Out.” My growl gets Dario off the couch as he fixes his wire rimmed glasses with a groan.
“You don’t have time to fuck,” he reminds me, leaving with Ciro. I come to blows the most with Ciro as we’re both alphas. Dario is a little more even keeled as a beta, and I think whoever hands out designations was well aware we’d need that energy in our pack.
“Pablo,” I croon, pushing him onto his back as I straddle his body.
“Nico,” he says teasingly, his lips twitching in amusement as he watches me. I don’t typically have silliness inside my body, but I always have for him.
Pablo can become much too serious, and I like to remind him to smile. I understand it’s because of how we live our lives, the work we do, and all of that, but life is too short not to love fiercely. He’s the one who taught me that.
So I’ll remind him when he forgets. “I love you, you’re mine, and I’m keeping you forever. No bullshit, tesoro. Before I leave the house I want to bite you, despite the fact that you are an alpha. It may be more symbolic than—”
“Yes,” Pablo pants, swallowing hard. “Are you serious right now? Maldita sea, of course you are.”
“I think a bite on your neck will tell everyone you’re mine,” I growl. “Be a good boy and let me in before I have to leave.”
He could be a brat about this. Pablo would be within his rights to tell me I’m not being romantic and I’m rushing this, but we’ve been together since the second our eyes met when my father invited Carla and Pablo to dinner.
While the marriage was short, I was fucking my alpha in the bathroom by dessert.
I have always known Pablo was mine, and my idea of romance is not what people might expect. Safety, honesty, and love is what I offer to Pablo, along with lots of orgasms.
He drops his head back, hissing as I lick up the column of his throat. His scent of cinnamon and fresh sugared rolls makes my mouth water. Fuck, even his cum is decadent and delicious.
“I want you ass up, head down in our bed, your hole dripping with lube when I get home. Is that understood?”
I typically top Pablo when we fuck. He’s a weaker alpha, and his bark doesn’t pack much of a punch. It’s yet another reason my brothers and I fiercely protect him. If anyone wanted to hurt us, it would be through our stepbrother.
Not to mention, he loves it when I knot him.
“Yes, Alpha,” he moans.
My teeth sink into the muscled sinew of his throat, and Pablo shudders as his fingers tangle in my curls. I don’t care if it ends up looking like I’m freshly fucked after this, I need to claim him.
The bond slowly begins to grow as I lift my mouth with a grin, and Pablo’s lashes flutter before he opens his brown eyes to meet my gaze.
“I have to change my boxers,” he breathes, making me chuckle.
“The best compliment is making you come hands free.”
I kiss him until we’re both panting heavily, and he drags his thumb over my swollen lips to clean off any blood left behind from my bite.
“I’ll see you when you get back,” Pablo says, sitting up as I stand. I can smell the load of cum in his boxers, and he rolls his eyes at my smugness.
“I expect your bite then.” Not only would a speck of blood fuck up my shirt, but I’ll never leave the house if we do it now. “I love you.”
“Por siempre,” he promises, watching as I stride away quickly.
Pablo and I are magnetically charged, and it’s difficult to stay away from each other for any length of time.
“Bye!” I yell to my brothers, banging out the door as I race to the car.
The clock on my rental car shows I’m running behind by fifteen minutes, and I curse myself as I drive faster than I should to the Accetta’s property.
The house sits behind a large gate, and the driveway is about a mile away from it.
Breathing gets harder the closer I get to Rosa, and again, I wonder if I’m meant to have met her for some reason.
Glancing in the mirror quickly, I decide I look presentable, and I climb out of the car to collect my bride to be. I will not accept whatever bullshit Don Accetta has to say, I’m getting Rosa out of this house, even if it’s simply for a few hours.
A dour faced guard opens the door, allowing my entrance as I walk in.
“Where is my betrothed?” I ask impatiently, as if I’m not the one who's late.
“I’m here.” Walking down the stairs, Rosa could be seen from space if she wanted to be.
Her red dress swirls around her calves like her previous one, but this one clings to every curve of her body. Holy shit.
“I’d have waited,” I reply. I meant what I said to her father, I really wouldn’t mind waiting for Rosa.
“Ah, the two love birds are together at last,” Don Accetta says acerbically. I’m sure he’s tired of my regular calls and check ins, but I couldn’t care less.
I know he or someone in this house is fucking hurting her. While she’s moving better than the night we met, I swear there’s something still off about the mechanical way she says goodbye to her father.
“I’ll have her back at a decent hour,” I promise. I make no promises as to what that will actually end up being. It’s barely four in the afternoon, and I plan to get lost in a day of doing things she enjoys.
I don’t fucking care what we do. If how I’ve been feeling recently has anything to do with Rosa, then I know she hasn’t been having an easy time of things. A few hours of peace and getting to know my future wife away from prying eyes is all I want.
Laying my hand near the small of her back without actually touching her, I begin to escort her out of the house while saying my goodbyes. I am getting bad vibes from the men who coldly watch us, and I’m incredibly happy I’m wearing my weapons.
It won’t help if they all decide to open fire as I’m only one person, but I’d do my damnedest to kill as many as possible.
He needs you. Now act like it.
My chin juts up arrogantly as I confidently leave the Don’s home with Rosa beside me. Her sandals crunch across the gravel of the driveway, her toes painted a light pink today. I don’t remember them previously being this color, and it manages to soften her slightly.
I’m well aware she’s deadly, but the small detail manages to remind me she’s just a girl trying to survive in this world.
I watch as she lowers herself into the car, my eyes taking in every wince and slight hint of pain on her face.
“Hurry,” she says, barely moving her lips.
Closing the car door, I just manage not to run in front of the hood to get into my seat. Turning on the vehicle, I smoothly back up and turn around the long driveway toward the gate. It almost appears as if they’re not going to open it, but since I refuse to slow, they’re forced to.
“Thank fuck.” The whisper isn’t meant for me, so I refuse to comment on it.
“How much warrior paint are you wearing?” I ask.
I once caught a video of a makeup tutorial, and was shocked at how much it took to transform someone.
Rosa is beautiful as is, but since I saw a glimpse of the bruising on her face, I know there has to be a fuck ton of shit on her skin to make it possible for her to walk out into civilization without giving people nightmares.
“Are you asking about my makeup?” she asks, shaking her head as she checks to make sure her seatbelt is on properly.
Rosa doesn’t have a clutch or bag with her, which feels odd to me. Don’t women always carry things with them? I thought it was like their emotional support items.
“Yes.” My tone is clipped as I begin driving toward downtown Savannah. I figure we can get lost on River Street. Don Accetta once mentioned to me that his daughter enjoyed attending plays and concerts during the summer, especially if they were outside.
“I have makeup everywhere there’s a bruise you could see. The neckline on this dress shows more than I hoped for, but it was too late to change. Instead, I used as much color correcting makeup as necessary on the finger shaped bruises.”
“Fingers… What motherfucker is touching your breasts?” I ask, my tone so loud Rosa flinches. “My apologies. I wasn’t expecting you to say that, piccola.”
“Hmm.” I get the feeling she’s imitating me, and I chuckle under my breath, despite how dire things are.
“Tell me something real, Rosa. Then we can have several hours of freedom together. No one watching, no agenda.”
“I’m not sure why you’d want that,” she says, her head rolling toward the window to stare out the window.
“Maybe I think you’ve had a pretty shitty week and need a well deserved break. A real gift to my future wife,” I say honestly. “I don’t know the area, but thought the River Walk might be nice?”
“It’s one of my favorite places in Savannah,” she admits.
Without looking at me, she continues to gaze at the scenery as it goes by.
I knew she’d been beaten, but this is getting worse by the second.
“I’ve thought about killing myself several times this week.
I was cutting my wrists when I was told I had to answer your call.
Congratulations, you may have saved my useless life. ”
Reaching out without thought, I swallow convulsively. I felt as if there was something wrong the day I forced her father to get his daughter on the phone. I don’t know how, but it felt like life or death.
I’ve been told that scent matching is like this, yet I haven’t felt the connection yet that everyone says occurs when two people are fated for each other. The closest I’ve come is Pablo, and he’s an alpha.
My hand covers hers carefully, and her fingers naturally move to link with mine.
“I think you’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, Rosa. I’m glad you’re still here. Now, please show me all of the hidden gems on the River Walk? Maybe we can get food while we’re out.”
“Or,” she says absently, “we can skip the food and find a really good band to listen to. My stomach hasn’t been interested in eating lately.”
Pressing my lips together, I nod, continuing to drive toward our destination.