3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Mateo
I don’t like weddings. They remind me too much that mine isn’t happening anytime soon, that my wait continues.
Watching this one is painful.
Renaldo Conti is one of our most capable enforcers and, judging by his blank, emotionless expression, not interested in his nuptials. I’d bet my favorite Ferrari that his mind is anywhere but here with his bride. It’s a shame, she’s pretty.
Unlike Renaldo, his fiancée is an open book. Antonio’s daughter is a bundle of nerves, struggling to keep her emotions in check.
Even beneath the veil, it’s obvious how pale her face has become in the past few minutes. Her hands shake, and her entire body trembles.
Poor girl.
Being married to Renaldo won’t be easy. He has a cruel streak, and I can only hope it doesn’t carry over into his marriage. Despite this, Antonio is celebrating the match with the Contis, who have served our family for generations.
Antonio Accardi is a master schemer. Loyal to a fault to each Don, first to papà and now to Tiero, he’s used his talents to expand our family’s reach and connections. He’s well regarded and has steadily climbed the ranks. He’s likely to become my brother’s next consigliere when Baroni retires at the end of the year.
Right now, Antonio is focused on securing his position by marrying off his daughters to influential men within our organization.
He has five of them, a fact he has unashamedly lamented since their birth. It’s a sentiment neither Tiero nor I share. Any child is a blessing.
How anyone can despise their own flesh and blood is beyond me.
A male heir is needed to pass on our crown, and I’m confident that either Tiero or I will eventually provide one. De Marcos have always fathered sons first, but any daughters will be just as loved. Our marriages will be love matches, not the archaic arranged unions that still dominate our circles, like the one we’re witnessing today.
Tiero might become a father soon. He suspects Ella is pregnant. But we’ll never know if we don’t find her. And that is proving difficult.
She must have help. There’s no way she could slip through our tightly woven net on her own. While she’s clever, she’s still an amateur.
I glance at my brother who’s sitting beside me, wondering what’s going through his head.
He’s been on edge since Ella ran a few weeks ago, and this wedding must remind him of what he desperately wants but can’t have. A bit like me, just that he has found his girl and I haven’t… yet.
Still, he wouldn’t have missed it. As head of la famiglia , he attends every wedding and funeral to foster a sense of community and belonging.
La famiglia, it’s everything.
We’re born in it, and we’ll die in it.
Loyalty is demanded, betrayal punished by torture and death.
My gaze returns to the couple by the altar when Father Josef speaks again.
“Renaldo, do you take Mariella to be your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
I didn’t think it was possible, but Antonio’s girl turns even whiter.
“I do,” Renaldo says, without a hint of emotion.
My eyes are on the girl as she struggles to keep her composure.
“And do you, Mariella, take Renaldo to be your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
There’s only silence.
And… more silence.
She isn’t seriously contemplating saying no, is she?
Everyone here knows this wouldn’t end well. She has no choice but to go through with it.
Still, the silence stretches on.
All eyes are on her.
The congregation is holding their breath, waiting to see what will happen next.
Something stirs in the pit of my stomach. Is it pity?
Come on, girl, just get it over with.
Embarrassing the Contis is a bad idea.
The next second, she drops Renaldo’s hand.
Gasps echo through the quiet church.
I watch on, stunned.
She bends over as if in pain and cradles her stomach.
Then, she turns her head away from her fiancé, and…
Ohhh, wow!
My eyes widen, and I jerk back instinctively.
She throws up!
The projectile vomit hits Father Josef with a sickening splatter.
Everyone freezes.
Complete silence descends.
Mariella’s cheeks flush from pale white to red hot under the weight of a hundred eyes staring at her.
Father Josef stands motionless in his speckled robe, his expression a mix of surprise, dismay and concern.
Her chest heaves visibly. She sways on her feet as her father jumps up.
Antonio is furious!
I doubt he’s rushing forward to catch his daughter, who’s about to go down.
Then she’s on the floor.
Raucous chatter breaks out in the church. My view of what’s happening is obstructed by Antonio’s wife and his other daughters tending to the bride.
“Well, that was entertaining,” Romeo, my best friend and right-hand man, chuckles beside me as we stand. To my left, my older brother rises too, buttoning up his suit jacket.
“I guess this wedding is over,” Rom says. “I wouldn’t want to be in the girl’s shoes. Antonio is about to blow a gasket.”
He’s right. Mariella’s father is red-faced and frantically talking to Renaldo and his father, one of our high-ranking capos. Both look furious.
Can’t say I blame them. Renaldo Conti will be a laughingstock for the foreseeable future, something he won’t take lightly.
“I’ve never seen Antonio so livid. He might pull his gun and blow the poor girl’s brains out, just to appease the Contis,” Rom jests. Though watching the three of them, it’s a possibility.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” Tiero says, as Santino, our head of security and my brother’s faithful shadow, steps up next to him.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Making sure there’s no bloodshed.”
I nod. “Yeah, good idea.”
Though we usually avoid meddling in family affairs, making sure Antonio calms down before acting will benefit everyone.
I watch Tiero’s retreating back, Santino and a team of loyal soldiers close behind, ready to protect him. He needs it too. He’s been making more enemies lately, mostly among the loyal soldiers of our rivals, whom he’s been steadily eliminating over the past few weeks.
There’s a lot of bad blood pulsing around us. Integrating the territories and people we’ve taken over is facing heavy resistance and is going to be a slow process. No one is under any illusion about that.
Security around Tiero and me is being ramped up for the foreseeable future.
It’s frustrating not being able to go anywhere without an entourage, but it’s become a necessary evil.
Attacks on us are more frequent since Tiero’s ‘cleanse’ began. But he’s determined to wipe out anybody who poses a threat to Ella, especially while she’s missing.
The bounty on her head has quadrupled since she ran away. And when it comes to her, he’s not taking any chances, ever.
We took out our main adversary a few weeks ago. It was a once-in-a-lifetime coup for Tiero and me.
Our family has been waging war with the Molinaros for generations.
Niccolo Molinaro killed our father and made Tiero’s life a nightmare when he first took over.
Hiding behind his army of men, he was untouchable for a long time, but when he attempted to kidnap Ella twice and almost got away with it, Tiero was more determined than ever.
We hunted him through half of Europe, taking over his empire in the process.
When we finally caught him, the coward chewed a cyanide capsule and killed himself right before our eyes.
With his dying breath, he promised the war wasn’t over. To stir up trouble, he implied I had a hand in this mess.
Molinaro knew how close Tiero and I are. He obviously wanted to plant seeds of doubt in Tiero’s mind and fracture the bond between us.
He won’t succeed.
Tiero knows I’d never betray him. He’s the only family I have left. I’d do anything for him, die to protect him.
Still, Molinaro’s words linger in my mind.
‘Your little brother will be your undoing. Even without him, I still have a few surprises up my sleeve. And my death isn’t one of them.’
What surprises?
“What time are we leaving for Rome?” Romeo asks, drawing me from my thoughts.
I lift my arm, pulling back my sleeve to check my watch.
“Six o’clock, but we could move it up. I doubt the reception is still on.”
“No, don’t. I’ll stop by Agneta before she jets back to Sweden and I never see her again.”
“Which is how you like it.”
He grins at me. “Fucking the same girl more than twice gets old, as you would agree.”
“Ha, you’ve done it a few times, though.”
“And it’s always a mistake. See you at the tarmac.” Putting his stern face back in place, he signals to his men and leaves.
I chat with a few of the remaining guests while I wait for Tiero to return. As predicted, the gossip is rife.
Perhaps Rom has the right idea. I could do to let off some steam. This wedding has left me feeling more frustrated than usual.
Stepping aside, I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts.
I have two hours to kill. Who is close by?
I hit dial and press my phone to my ear. She answers on the third ring. Took her long enough.
I don’t bother with a greeting. “Valentina, baby. I’m on my way. Be naked and ready for me. Warm yourself up and send me a video,” I command.
Her smile is obvious in her voice. “Yes, sir,” she all but purrs down the line.
I hang up, not needing to say any more. By the time I sit in the backseat of my car, I’ll have that video waiting for me.
While Rom is right and I don’t like to bed the same woman twice, Valentina is one of two exceptions. She knows I want nothing but sex from her. And as her pleasure is guaranteed, she’s always eager to let me use her delectable body however I want.
She’s a fun lay, and I know exactly what I get. Perfect when there’s limited time.
My cock stirs at the thought of wrapping her long blonde hair around my hand and plowing into her from behind.
I push that thought aside when I spot Tiero walking toward me, his entourage in tow.
“How did it go? Did you have to stop Antonio from killing his daughter?”
“She’d just regained consciousness when I got to the back room. With me there, he didn’t dare lay a hand on her. He’s gone now to patch things up with the Contis, though I doubt they’ll have any of it. I told Antonio that you’ll take Mariella to Rome.”
“What?”
“Antonio is fuming, and that doesn’t bode well for his daughter. I don’t want her harmed.”
At my questioning look, he adds, “Ella really likes her. I want her around when I get Ella back. That’s not guaranteed if I leave her with her father.”
Why am I surprised by his reasoning? Since meeting Ella, every decision he makes is with her in mind.
“Fine. But Antonio won’t be happy.”
“He rarely is. Until further notice, Mariella is under your protection. Antonio won’t dare go against my orders, not if he wants to be consigliere.”
I nod. “Sure, she can help Giulia out.”
“Good.” With that he turns to leave, calling over his shoulder, “I’m heading to the office. Uberto has a lead on the last of the Molinaro supporters. I’ll call you when I know more.”
“I’ll be occupied for the next hour. Call me when I’m on the plane,” I tell him.
He gives me a curt nod. There’s none of our usual banter. Before Ella’s disappearance, he would’ve given me hell for that.
Tiero is really not himself, hasn’t been for weeks. It worries me.
The day Ella returns can’t come soon enough.
Tiero stops in the doorway, and, turning around, says, “Mariella will meet you at the airport.” Then he’s gone.
I follow him and the last remaining guests outside, my guards forming a wall around me. I ignore them and slide into the backseat of my waiting car. As the door shuts behind me, my phone pings with an incoming message.
My grin widens.
Valentina.
Right on cue, baby.