Epilogue
Davide
This morning I laid in bed with a slight headache.
It was probably from the champagne, but after the kickass night we had, it was worth it.
India was already up and dressed. She invited the ladies over for lunch since their men would be here later.
She wanted to see if Ventura and the staff needed any help getting things set up.
She looked ravishing in her yellow tunic dress and sandals. I loved it when she wore colors that complimented her skin tone. They seemed to make her glow more. She brought me a glass of water and two aspirin to chase the headache away.
She gave me a long kiss goodbye before leaving the room.
I fell back to sleep with a smile on my face.
The alarm clock went off two hours later, waking me up.
It was ten-thirty, and my meeting with Vasily was at noon.
I did something last night that I don’t usually do.
With the okay of Vasily, I invited Luca, Matteo, and Axl to join us.
The meeting was to discuss building casinos in California, Texas, and Florida.
I think if everyone were to come on board with this deal, we all stand to make a lot of money, not to mention expanding on it later.
I found India in the kitchen with Ventura sampling the dishes chef had made for lunch. They had the patio set up for her guests, and it looked like an outside bistro. I praised them on a job well done before leaving them to their tasks.
I was in the dining room, going over the proposals when Piero was the first to arrive. Ventura made extra copies for so the men would have one of their own to look over.
“What’s up, boss? It’s a good day to strike a deal, don’t you think?” He jokes as he pulls up a chair next to me.
“It surely is, but let’s just hope everyone will agree to it once they hear the specifics,” I reply before drinking some water.
“I’m sure they will. You and Vasily have a good track record on successful businesses so I’m sure the others will want in on this one too. Who would have thought a Don of the Mafia would be close friends with the head of the Bratva?” He teases as the others start arriving.
Once everyone was served a drink, they sat at the large table.
I passed out the proposals as Vasily began to go over the details with them.
As he continued, I observed the room. There was a lot of head-nodding, and some asked questions, which Vasily was happy to answer.
Everything was going smoothly. Then Andres phone began to ring then Papà’s.
Vasily paused his statement to let them answer.
Immediately I knew by their expressions that something was wrong.
Andres jumps out his seat, racing out the room with his son following behind him.
“What is it, papà?” I question standing to my feet.
He holds his hand up. “We’ll be right there.”
“Papà, what the hell is going on?” I demand.
He slowly turns his head towards me. “It’s your mother and quello piccolo. We have to go!”
We dash from the room. By the time we get to the foyer Andres, Axl and the others, including the ladies, have made it there. India runs to me.
“What’s going on?” She asks with worry.
“I don’t know, angel, but it’s something to do with mother and Dominique. Papà, where are they?”
“Outside of Calabresi’s,” He replies, heading out the door. Everyone, including Vasily and Artur, follows and jumps in their vehicles.
We made it to the restaurant in record time.
My heart dropped when we pulled up and saw the ambulance and police cars parked in front of it.
The first person I saw was Maxillo, with a blood-stained white gauze wrapped around his head leaning on the hood of one of the police cars. I made a beeline straight to him.
“Where’s my mother and sister?” I bark.
He looks sorrowful as he points to the ambulance. “Your mother is in there. She was shot in the abdomen, and I don’t know where they took Dominique.”
“What the hell happened?” I hoarsely ask.
“We were coming out of the restaurant when we were attacked.
Dominique pushed your mother behind us as we started fighting them off, but there were too many of them.
I was struck in the back of the head with something that made me collapse.
They started kicking me while I was down.
Dominique went wild and started fighting them harder, and when she got the best of one, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at her.
Your mother jumped in front of her just as he pulled the trigger.
Dominique was so distraught when she saw her fall to the ground, they were able to overpower her, and the guy with the gun knocked her out with the butt of it.
They picked her up and threw her in the back of a van then sped off.
Before I could ask another question, Vasily grabs him by his shirt. “You’re supposed to be her man, and you couldn’t even protect her! The only reason she was with you is because I was giving her time to come to her senses!” What the fuck!
“Get your fucking hands off him before I kill you where you stand!” Axl threatens with his brothers, Andres, The Corners, and his other men standing behind him.
Vasily aggressively lets Maxillo go then approaches Axl.
“Oh, I’ve heard about you, little Snatcher of Souls but I am death.
I have no soul for you to snatch. You think I give a shit about you and your men?
! This mother fucker let my woman get taken away, and he’s standing here still breathing to talk about it.
If he really cared about her, he would have fought until his last breath. ”
Papà steps in between the two giants. “Have some fucking respect! My wife has been shot and my daughter taken! If you’re going to sit up and argue like adolescent boys, you can fucking leave!”
He glares at both of them before Vasily takes a step back. “My apologies Don Russo.” Vasily offers, still eyeing Axl.
“I apologize, Don Russo.” Axl echoes doing the same.
Papà ignores them as he faces Maxillo. “Max, did these men say anything as to why they attacked you?”
Maxillo closes his eyes, letting out a deep breath. “The only thing the guy with the gun said before he got in the van was ‘tell him either he hands over the Princess, or he’ll never see his sister again’.
I whip my head at India, who was standing by my side. She covered her mouth with her trembling hand. Fucking Okoye! He has finally resurfaced but not in the way I expected him to do.
Like a devil hawk, papà slowly rotates his head in my direction.
“My wife has been shot. My quello piccolo has been kidnapped.” His eyes move to India then back to me.
“Nothing, I mean nothing comes before your sister! You better get her back now and I mean right now, Davide because if I have to come out of retirement, I’m going to wipe the whole family off the face of the earth!
” Papà walks away and gets into the ambulance with mother.
The sirens come on before they pull away.
I watch trying to hold in my emotions as India wraps her arms around me.
I knew my papà, so I know he meant every word he said.
Vasily and Artur start to walk away too. I call out to them. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get my woman!” Vasily yells, never looking back. “And if that mother fucker ever gets in my face again, you’re going to have a war on your hands!”
Fuck! I needed to find Brat ASAP! I know once Momma Calista finds out what happened, nothing was going to keep her from coming over here.
I couldn’t let papà take matters into his hand.
I was Don Russo! I also didn’t need Vasily and Axl going to war over Maxillo.
That would put me in a dangerous position of choosing between my friendship or my syndicate.
Plus, I needed to have a talk with Vasily regarding the nature of his and Brat’s relationship. Fuck my life!
“Davide, do you think your father will truly harm my mother?” India asks, with tears in her eyes as she places her hand on my forearm.
I gaze into my angel’s beautiful brown eyes as I caress her cheek with the back of my hand. “Without a second thought.” I reply as I walk away from her.
The End...