Chapter 14
HUDSON
Ihate the bitter feeling that settles in my gut when I threaten her, and I hate seeing her eyes go icy as she stiffens even more. “Andrea.” I don’t know what I would’ve said if she hadn’t interrupted me. It’s not as if I can take back the threats. That’s the only thing that’s making her consider my demands.
“Fine. We”ll be married for a year, and then Andrea Beaufort dies a brutal death. Got it. What else?” She’s speaking the words I want to hear, but her eyes are screaming bloody murder. I guess this is the end of our brief reprieve? It’s for the best, though. I was starting to have this confused with something else.
“There are a few other points to discuss.” I pause to make sure that I have her attention since her gaze has moved to a point above my shoulder. After a few seconds, she frowns and makes an impatient gesture for me to continue.
“One, when in public, this is a love match; so whatever hate you harbor, you need to learn how to conceal it, and well.”
She scoffs, “There’s a flaw in that plan, genius. The fifty-five men you have on this property know that I’m your kidnap victim.” She makes air quotes with her fingers to emphasize the number we both know is exaggerated.
I ignore her and respond, “Only the people living in this mansion know you’re here against your will, and they know to keep their mouths shut. Besides, this isn’t the first time a captive falls in love with her captor; so they might be convinced that’s what happened.”
“Just watch your neck around this captive,” she grumbles.
“Two,” I continue. “We’ll have a public date so that as many of my men as possible can see us together. I expect you to be very persuasive. The actual proposal will be in public for the same reason.”
This engagement will strengthen my position as head of the Moratti family, especially when it gets out that the woman I’m marrying is the one and only Beaufort princess.
“There’s going to be a public proposal? Is the great Massimo Moratti going to drop to his knees before me and confess his undying love?” Her voice and eyes are sharp.
“I’m sure you would like that, but no.” I don’t kneel for anyone.
She shrugs like she couldn’t care less, “Are we done? As much as this conversation thrills me, I need to return to my prison cell. I have a riveting book that I just must get back to.”
I don’t like this new tone of hers. I don’t like it at all. But short of taking back my threat against her brother, I don’t see how to make her get in line. “You’ll have to meet my men after the proposal goes public so I can personally introduce you to them. After that we’ll start planning to have the wedding within the month.”
She raises a hand like she’s in class and wants to ask her teacher a question. I swallow a sigh as I wave my hand to go ahead. “I’m concerned about our sleeping arrangements after everything. Do you still expect us to sleep together in your bedroom?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes almost burn a hole in my skull. “I hope you’re not expecting a wedding night?”
“Are you offering, pet?” My lips tilt up in a slight smirk.
She stands, her lips pursed. “If that’s all, master, I’d like to retire to my cage.”
“Andrea,” I say to stop her before she can open the study door. “You have the freedom to roam the house as you wish, so you can stop acting like an inmate.”
“I get the privilege to roam this entire house? Lucky me,” she deadpans as she opens the door more aggressively than necessary and slams it shut behind her. I sigh as I sink back in my seat. My gaze drops to the knife on the floor underneath my desk. Stealing Eli”s knife. Not once but twice. How did she even accomplish that feat without him noticing? Bold little thing.
I glance at the mug of coffee she has left behind and tilt it to me. Not a drop left. I can hardly believe we went from arguing to her almost knifing me, and I fucking dry humped her against my desk like an animal. Then we dove right back into our usual bickering. It just comes naturally to us both, I guess.
Our marriage certainly won’t be a boring one. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested in my conjugal rights, but Andrea seems to be against it. I’m many things, but I’m not one to force myself on a woman. All I have to do is show up at one of my clubs, and there’d be more than enough women willing to spend the night with me.
But fuck if she isn’t the only woman in my head. When did I let her get under my skin? My phone ringing tears me from the turmoil of my mind. It’s Isaac, my consigliere. “What is it?” I ask, glad for the distraction.
“Felix and Luka Giovanni hit four of our warehouses and torched one of our clubs a few hours ago. They coordinated their men and made the attacks simultaneously. Luckily, the club wasn’t open yet, so only the manager and a few of the staff were there. They caught strays, but nothing major.”
“Fucking hell.”
The Giovannis are a small minority Cosa Nostra family from off the coast of Newport. Because I let them get away with the slice of territory they stole, they’re starting to get bold. Do those morons think I’m called the capo di tutti i capi–the boss of all the bosses–of Rhode Island, for fun?
Over all, there are six families–well, five by the time I’m done with the Giovannis–with affiliations to the Cosa Nostra scattered across the different cities and regions of Rhode Island; but when I rose to power, a tentative truce was formed. I was blinded by rage and not about to let any challenge against my power stand. I was the boss with the largest territory, meaning the most man power. No one dared risk getting on my bad side.
Now, word on the street is that the Rossi’s are planning something big: to overthrow me and this seems to be making everyone antsy. It’s why the elders and my capos want to marry me off. They foolishly believe an heir can solve anything. I’m willing to strike this deal with Andrea to get them off my back.
“What do you want us to do, boss?” Isaac asks.
“Round up Luka and Felix, as well as the thugs that went on the fucking mission with them, and take them to the ranch,” I order. “Let me know when you have them and I’ll meet you there.”
Showing them mercy would only serve to show weakness, and I didn’t get this far by being perceived as such. They’re lucky I’ve let them live through all the shit they’ve been doing over the years, but I could overlook minor inconveniences. This, not so much. They took my gift of their life for granted, and now I’m going to take it from them.
“What about the other members of his family?”
“Round them up too.” I’m going to use them as an example for anyone stupid enough to challenge me. I’m not going to kill them; no I’m going to do something that’ll hurt them more. Confiscate all their properties and send them packing from the state.
I’m not going to demand it–I’m not a tyrant–I know how important choices are, so I’m going to give them some, since they’re not the ones directly responsible for this mess. They either forfeit their properties and leave for good, or they lose their lives, simple as that.
Less than an hour later, Isaac texts me that he has our culprits, and he’s heading to the ranch with them. I get up from my seat and straighten my suit jacket as I leave the study. It beeps as the lock engages.
The ranch was once just that. A beautiful working ranch owned by the Mancini’s, the previous ruling family. After I had wiped them out, I let it dilapidate, so I could take over the property for my own nefarious purposes. Tanner is already waiting for me outside the front door with my Grand Cherokee since I had texted him to get it ready after talking to Isaac.
“The ranch,” I tell him as I get into the back seat.
The ride there is only twenty five minutes, at a prime location close to the city, but not so close that it draws unnecessary attention. It’s closed off to the public; and with the roof falling off its hinges as well as the huge two-story front house that looms ominously, anyone nosy enough to poke around is immediately deterred.
Tanner parks the SUV at the back of the house. Although the ranch is far off the beaten road, I’d prefer not to draw undue attention to the activities about to take place here. I make my way to the big slaughterhouse next to the windmill. Ironic that the slaughterhouse is out front with the stalls for the animals behind it. When this ranch was still active, could the other animals hear as their peers were being killed? Sick.
I push the double doors open; the people standing around the space turn to look at me. “They said anything interesting yet?” I ask as I take in Felix and Luka Giovanni as well as ten other men tied to the iron chairs by their hands and feet.
“No, but I have no doubt they’ll start yapping now that you’re here,” Isaac answers as he passes an iron chair to me. The shit is heavy, but I don’t let it show on my face as I spin it around and straddle it backward.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?” I don’t really expect an answer, but a man whimpers at the back.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Moratti, I was just following orders, I–” I nod at Isaac, and he raises his gun to shoot the blubbering idiot. I nod again and he shoots the man next to the dead one just in case the others get any ideas.
“If you don’t have a good answer to my questions, don’t bother speaking. Of course, being mute can also be damning, but I’ll leave it to you as to which route you want to risk.”
“We watched quietly as you and your men drove us out of the capital to Newport, but enough is enough. Your reign is almost over, so enjoy it for as long as it lasts before we force you out,” Luka threatens, blood dripping down his nose from the beating he undoubtedly endured from either Isaac or one of my other men.
I chuckle, “You and what army, Luka? Look around you, nobody is leaving here alive tonight.”
“The rest of the Giovannis will–” he starts to say, but I get up from my chair unexpectedly and lift it, swinging it at his thick head before he can complete his idiotic threat. The chair he’s tied to tilts backward, and he falls with a loud thud. I move closer and bring down the chair on his head repeatedly. A squelching sound fills the air as his skull gives in.
“I give the threats, Luka, so I don’t respond well to them,” I tell his corpse as I toss the blood coated chair away in disgust and turn to his brother, Felix, who looks green. I hope he doesn’t throw up.
“And the rest of the Giovannis will do exactly what I tell them to. Don’t you agree, Felix?”
He gulps. “It was all Luka’s idea, Massimo. I swear I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen. Please, Massimo.” His pitiful pleas trail off to a sob.
“Be a fucking man, Felix, and own up to your shit. You’re grown enough to identify lines you shouldn’t cross. You think I’d just sit back and watch after what you and your brother did? I can’t get back my warehouses and it’s going to take a shit ton of money to restore my club, you know?”
He opens his mouth to answer, but it was a fucking rhetorical question, so I pull the trigger of my gun before he can respond. “Now, who’s next?” I ask as I face the fear-covered faces of the other men.
“The others and I can take them,” Isaac suggests, speaking for the first time. He means my men scattered around the premises.
“Good. When you’re done, toss them in the grinder.” Another good thing about this slaughter house is that it came with an industrial-size meat tenderizer used to pulverize the meat. I had a cremating machine brought in too, but this time I don’t want their ashes.
Because I’m feeling extra gruesome today, I’m going to have them packed up and delivered to the remaining families as a reminder of what happens when you cross Massimo fucking Moratti. I want pieces of their bodies strewn about the city, so people remember that I’m not one to be fucked with. Seems that they’ve started to forget.