Chapter 24
Lucrezia braced both hands on the couch cushion beneath her, slowly rocking herself back and forth as she absorbed what Romero was explaining to her.
Every few seconds, the hammering and drilling of the front door behind them would make her jump, infuriating her to the point of getting up and slamming the antique French doors shut, then returning to the couch.
She heard her mother-in-law curse her parents in Italian, calling them miserable old fucks who should rot in hell.
The old Lucrezia would clutch her pearls at such a remark. Now, she felt that it was more than they deserved.
They had endangered her life. Regardless of if they knew or not, her safety was now compromised.
Lucrezia knew fully that they were as dead to her as she was to them.
What made her feel even sicker was the cemented fact that Carlo Russo cared so little for her that he willingly promised her to someone else. She was nothing but a means to an end to him. Somehow, she felt that being left on the streets would have been better.
Lucrezia blocked any what ifs out of her mind, refusing to think of what this man would have done with her once Carlo was gone. What he still wanted to do now that the truth was out.
It made her want to vomit even more than she already wanted to lately.
She felt tears well up, ruining her eye makeup with a burning sting.
This was supposed to be the day she told him the good news.
”What exactly did he say?” Lucrezia”s question made her husband”s pacing cease. She looked to his underboss and consigliere, who avoided her glare.
”Sal Jr. What exactly are his demands? Word for word?”
”Ma’am, I don”t think-” Johnny began to say.
”I need to know! What exactly is he planning?”
When neither one of them would answer fast enough, she stood and approached Romero, much like the first day they met.
”I have every right to know. Tell me. Now!”
Romero”s eyes flashed at her, but she was determined to know.
”Jr. seems to think that because Carlo promised you to him long before you met me, he has a rightful claim to you.”
”What the hell year is this?” Giulia scoffed. ”She isn”t a fucking animal.”
Romero continued.
”He refused at first, but now that you”re my wife, you stand to gain everything I have upon...”
Romero trailed off, leaning one arm against the fireplace mantle.
”Upon what?”
Lucrezia swallowed the bile that refused to stay down.
”Upon my death.”
She felt her body go cold.
No. No one would take Romero from her.
”He wants you...dead?”
”Not if I give you up willingly. Two months is what he”s giving me to make a decision.”
Romero scowled as he stared into the fire, doing little to chase away the coldness of death in the air.
Lucrezia tried to avert her eyes from the windows as the bodies of the guards were carried away.
”We do not negotiate with little monsters like Salvatore Esposito Jr. The man is insane if he actually thinks we”ll go along with this foolishness.” Charlie glowered, puffing his cigar.
”We can”t ignore it and bury our heads in the sand, either. If he”s anything like his father, he will stop at nothing until he has what he wants. He won”t care who he hurts.” Giulia swallowed, bringing her hand to her temple.
Lucrezia hated that this would have brought up memories for her.
At the sight of his mother in distress, Romero approached her and cupped her cheeks.
”Mother, you”ll be staying here with us.”
Giulia began to protest, but he cut her off.
”No. No buts. I can”t trust what that maniac will do. He could be watching your house. He could still be watching us now.”
Romero outstretched one arm, and Lucrezia took the invitation and hurried to her place at his side. Giulia reached around and placed an arm protectively around her back.
He immediately drew both of them close.
Lucrezia buried herself in his chest, willing this nightmare away.
”Sir, Mrs. Mancini. What do we do to keep her safe? Where do we send her?” She heard Charlie ask.
Romero tightened his hand over her upper arm.
Lucrezia raised her head in panic.
”I”m not leaving here! This is my home! I”m staying with my husband!”
She felt his chest rumble against her in approval.
”I”m not squirreling my wife or any member of my family away somewhere for safekeeping. Jr. will expect me to do that. He thinks I”m panicking right now and that I”ll be desperate. He”ll be waiting for me to put her on a boat somewhere or set her up in a hotel miles away. The second she”s out of my sight, he”ll pounce. And then what?”
Lucrezia felt a cold shiver spread over her body. Romero must have felt it because he ran his hand up and down her shoulder to create warm friction.
”No. That”s why we all stay right where we are. We continue life as normal. Assume he has his people watching us. We bide our time. He”ll get sick of waiting eventually. Whenever he comes, we”ll be ready.”
Lucrezia shut her eyes tight, not wanting to think about a bloodbath in her name.
Part of her yearned for life to return to normal, but she now knew that there would be no sense of the normal she once had before.
This was the new normal.
But how much of it could she take?
◆◆◆
By that night, Romero had them securely locked in their bedroom. He probably checked the windows half a dozen times before he was satisfied. Even then, he still didn”t seem at ease. But why would he?
Any slight shift of movement Lucrezia made or any tiny noise raised her Daddy’s alarm bells.
As she sat at her vanity in just her long robe, she brushed her hair until it shone. Perhaps lingering too long on certain strands as she zoned out.
Every time she looked up in the mirror, his eyes were hyper-fixated on her, the windows, or the patio doors.
Romero unloaded, then reloaded his gun, meticulously counting the bullets as he lined them up in a neat row.
Lucrezia hated seeing him this way, wishing the night could be spent jovially and carefree.
As she always did, she set down her brush and got up from her vanity. She sauntered to her husband.
Romero”s dark eyes fell on her, and his body seemed to soften under her gaze.
”La mia piccola perla,” he whispered, finally letting go of his gun.
Lucrezia stopped right at his knees, not lowering herself on his lap just yet.
”I need you,” Lucrezia murmured.
Her Daddy”s veiny hand twitched as he cracked his knuckles.
”You need me?”
”Yes.”
”In what way, sweet girl.”
Lucrezia allowed herself to smirk.
”Do you remember the last time you spanked me? What it was for?”
”Because you needed reminding of who you belong to, that”s why.” He stroked his stubble, seeming intrigued by where this was going.
”Well, I think you may need reminding, too.”
She watched his shoulders shake with his chuckle.
”Are you planning on bending me over that bed and spanking me into submission because that”s an awfully bold move for a little girl of mine to think I would allow such a thing.”
”No. Not at all. I think after what happened today, you need reminding of who I really belong to.”
Lucrezia heard the deep growl in his throat that she was aching to kiss now.
”Oh, I know exactly who you belong to, perla. I think that is a well-cemented fact.”
”But still, I think having a...visualization if you will, would help you.”
Her Daddy cocked his head.
”I”m not following.”
”What happened today was an attack on you and everything you”ve built but also a threat against us. You”ve been agitated all night. Nervous. I know you”re scared.”
”I”m not scared of Sal Esposito Jr., perla.”
”Maybe not him, but everyone is scared of something, Daddy. It”s okay. You don”t have to say if you don”t want to. If you”re scared of losing me; if you”re scared of me being hurt or taken away from you, I want you to know that”ll never happen. No one in this house will allow it, including myself. I belong to you and you alone. Sal Jr. will have to pry me away from you by my cold, dead hands before I”m separated from my Daddy.”
Romero slowly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked up at her.
”I don”t think you know how much I needed to hear that, baby girl. Thank you. And I love hearing you say that. I knew I had to make you mine the second I laid eyes on you.”
Lucrezia smiled. ”I know.”
They were both silent for a moment before she took a deep breath.
”There”s something I have to tell you.”
He reached out and took her hand, rubbing his thumb over her palm in little circles.
”What is it?”
Lucrezia took her hand back and slowly untied her robe, the slight opening revealing her nudity underneath.
The corner of his mouth ticked as he adjusted himself.
”Well, this is a surprise.”
”Just wait.” She bit her lip and let the material slide off her shoulders and bustle on the floor at her feet.
Romero”s tongue darted between his lips.
”God, where did you come from?”
She grinned, placing her hands above her tailbone and jutting out her hips.
”You don”t notice anything...different about me?”
Her Daddy squinted as he inspected her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
”Well, your hair is even longer. Fuller. Looks silky smooth. I want to wind it in my fist and do unspeakable fucking things to you.”
Romero’s husky promise made her squeeze her thighs together. She could already feel dampness between her legs.
”Notice anything else?”
Lucrezia posed this way and that, spinning in a full circle. Her Daddy inhaled deeply through his nose.
”Mmm. You”re wearing that new perfume I got you. I knew it would smell amazing on you.”
She wanted to roll her eyes at his obliviousness, even though it was a delectable fragrance.
”No. Not even close.”
She walked closer, forcing his legs to spread as she stepped right between them, making him eye level with her abdomen.
”How about now, Daddy?”
His hands circled her wider waist, his fingertips pressing into her skin hard.
”Fuck, you”re killing me, perla.
Romero ran his hands up and down her torso, catching her nipple and trailing his fingers down to splay at the center of her belly.
”You should really keep your hand right there. That”s going to be your biggest hint.”
She grinned, hoping beyond hope that he would finally understand.
How did he not see the tiny swell?
Lucrezia placed her smaller hand above his.
”I”m connected to you in more ways than one now. You’ve made me yours in a whole other way.”
She watched him piece it together in his mind. His mouth gaped, and his eyes widened like saucers.
Romero stood to his full height, keeping his hand over her abdomen.
”Perla? You”re...we”re going to-”
Lucrezia grinned, slowly nodding.
”You”re going to be a father.”
A choking gasp came from his throat as he seemed to teeter between unbelievable laughter and sheer panic.
Romero”s other hand shakily came to her belly, forming a protective shield as he gazed down at it.
He knelt before her again and pressed his face against the soft bump.
In Italian, he muttered thank you to God for giving them this wonderful gift. Then, he looked up at her with tears in his beautiful eyes that freely flowed down his cheeks.
”Thank you. Thank you, perla.”
Romero refused to release her, and Lucrezia allowed him as much time as he needed to adjust to this newfound information.
Her Daddy possessively caressed her belly, speaking to their baby in Italian and promising that they would be loved, cherished, and cared for.
Romero abruptly stood and hoisted Lucrezia into his arms without warning, carrying her to bed.
”We”ll call for Doc as soon as possible. I want to know everything there is to know about what we have to expect!”
He gently deposited her into bed, a far cry from his punishing palm he had used on her before.
Lucrezia mused on what method of discipline he would use on her now that she was with child.
She didn”t put it past him to invent some new-fangled ideas.
He stripped off his clothing until he was naked as she was, crawling on top of her.
Romero swallowed her body, pinning her gently with his weight as their lips touched.
”You”ll be lucky if I let you out of this bed for the next several months. Your feet wouldn”t touch the floor again if I had it my way. But I know you”re a stubborn little thing. You”ll fight me every step of the way.”
”Would you have me any differently?” Lucrezia blinked up at him, bending her legs at the knee to offer herself to him.
”Hell fucking no.”
Romero devoured her lips again, forcing their tongues in a dance. He separated when exhausted of breath and his length began to harden against her pelvis.
”But there will still be consequences if you earn them,” Romero groaned, rocking himself into her center.
Against her better judgment, she nipped at his bottom lip, which got her exactly what he promised in the form of his palm cracking against her ass.
”You can”t help yourself, can you? Bad little girl.”
Romero growled as he flipped her on her belly and smacked her fleshy globes.
Lucrezia squealed, almost too happy to feel that he was hard as he loomed over her.
”I should keep you tied to the bed. Needy. Wet. Big with my child. Jesus fuck.”
His chest vibrated against her back, and he pushed his cock between her lower lips.
Lucrezia could only bite down on the fabric of the blanket as he slowly sheathed himself inside, leaving her impossibly full.
”Yes, yes, yes!” Her Daddy”s voice was nearly unrecognizable as he wasted no time in taking what was his.
It was almost as if her condition spurred him on even further, knowing he had made her that way, and that only he had ever known her and planted his seed in her belly.
Romero would look at her each and every day with a hunger in his eyes. And she couldn”t fucking wait.
He roughly repositioned her on her side, as not to put an ounce of pressure on her abdomen. One thigh hiked up just enough to allow him entry, he reentered while almost painfully gripping her bottom cheek.
Lucrezia was utterly helpless as her body bounced against his relentless hips.
And she couldn”t get enough of him.
Neither one of them lasted long, exploding at the same time and collapsing into the sheets, spent and exhausted.
Lucrezia found herself sinking into the bed, ready for sleep. Next time, they would have to take it slower, since much of her energy would now be taken up by their soon-to-be new family member.
Her daddy rolled over and pulled her flush to his chest, cradling her soft swell and soothing her to sleep.