Chapter 3
Chapter Three
GAbrIEL
S he didn’t know who I was.
I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. I couldn’t walk the streets of this city without people stopping to gawk. Now more than ever, everyone seemed to know my face from the nightly news or newspaper articles or the covers of magazines. I couldn’t go a city block without seeing some headline about me and my family. Just this week, the Times ran a full-page piece titled Gabriel D’Angelo—The New King of the New York Underworld.
Half the stuff in there was bullshit, of course, and the half they did get right was watered-down gossip that had been making the rounds for years. I’d committed far worse crimes than the dozen or so the paper had printed. But apparently, even that PG-rated garbage was enough to make the island of Manhattan shake. The public’s reaction in the bar tonight was proof of that.
Not that their nervousness was anything new. People had feared the D’Angelo name in this city for generations, all the way back when my great-grandfather first stepped off the boat from Italy. I just happened to be the most recent to inherit the role of head of the family.
Of course, it wasn’t just my name or my new position that had everyone in the city terrified of landing on my bad side. It was how I’d got here.
Mafia murders were nothing new. Countless bestselling books and blockbuster movies proved the public couldn’t get enough stories about bloody gangland justice. But even in those fictional versions, the bad guys had their limits. There were rules.
As far as the public was concerned, we were only supposed to put out hits on traitors or members of other crime families, those who talked to the cops or poked their noses into our private business. We weren’t supposed to target our own family. We weren’t supposed to kill our own. Especially not for the sake of our own ambition.
But according to the papers, that’s exactly what I’d done to the previous D’Angelo boss—my uncle Sal.
When reporters discovered that the cops had found my brother and me at the site of his murder, they took the story and ran with it. It didn’t matter to them that the authorities had cleared us of all charges, ruling Sal’s death a matter of self-defense. The second the reporters got a look at the crime scene, they instantly cast me as the blood-thirsty villain.
And they were right, of course.
I was every bit as violent and ruthless as they made me out to be…just not for the reasons they thought.
While in my mind, Sal’s murder had been both honorable and justified, it had nothing to do with self-defense. His death had been justice, pure and simple—killing the man who had killed my father.
But apparently, a truth like that didn’t sell papers. So, instead, the news had gone with a different story—one about the passed-over, power-hungry son who couldn’t wait to take up the reins of New York’s most powerful criminal organization.
And to be honest, they’d done me a favor.
Fear had always played a significant part in our family business, and in many ways, being seen as the city’s latest boogeyman had made my accession to the top easier. Anyone vying to rule the dark corners of this city would face challengers looking to steal his crown. Having a ruthless reputation from the start made anyone considering crossing me think twice. After all, if I’d been willing to snap the neck of my own uncle, what other horrible things was I capable of?
It was a question that everyone in Manhattan seemed to be asking.
Everyone…but Liv.
To her, I wasn’t the personification of evil itself. At first, I’d just been the Good Samaritan who had run off the drunk idiot who’d threatened to ruin her night. Now, I was the man offering to indulge her most personal and secret desires.
A part of me was surprised that she’d agreed to leave the hotel with me. Liv might not know who and what I was, but just a few minutes of conversation made it clear she wasn’t an idiot. She knew I wasn’t a saint.
And neither was she…no matter how she tried to hide that side of herself.
All I’d had to do was scratch, and I could see traces of those hedonistic cravings right under that good girl surface.
And as I pulled my Bentley Continental up to the curb outside La Sera, I could hardly wait to get her inside and crack away even more of that shell.
“This is your brother’s nightclub?” she asked, blinking in confusion at the sleek black exterior.
“You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say that.” She hesitated half a second before adding, “But it is kind of intimidating, isn’t it?”
She was right. La Sera was intimidating by design.
Unlike all the other Manhattan hot spots, there was no sign to advertise the club’s existence. Dark red velvet curtains covered the windows, obscuring any hint of what might be happening inside to those on the sidewalk passing by. But the line of massive bouncers completely blocking the door gave the final clue that this nightclub wasn’t for public consumption.
If you weren’t invited, you weren’t getting in.
Liv’s uncertainty became even clearer as one of the men came forward to open our doors, and she stepped out onto the sidewalk. I spotted her trembling fingers even before she wrapped her hand around my sleeve. I felt the nervous energy flowing through her.
And it only grew stronger as we neared the door.
“Second thoughts?” I asked as the door to La Sera opened for us.
She hesitated. “Well…”
I led her inside before she could finish answering and watched her eyes go wide as she took in the ultra-lux surroundings. Black marble floors glistened under the sparkling glow of a massive crystal chandelier. Mahogany paneled walls absorbed the excess light, giving the lobby a moody opulence.
“What do you think now?” I couldn’t resist asking as her jaw fell open.
“I…I think that I am horribly underdressed.”
Her answer brought a small smile to my lips—no small feat.
Even before taking over the responsibilities of boss, I hadn’t exactly been known for my sense of humor.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told her, and not just because if the evening went the way I planned, she wouldn’t be wearing that simple black dress of hers much longer. “As long as you’re with me, no one is going to say a word.”
“Sir,” the floor manager smiled as we approached the podium. Even though her voice was calm and sultry, I caught the slight flicker of concern around her eyes. “I’m sorry. We weren’t told to expect you this evening. Unfortunately, your brother isn’t in the office tonight.”
“It’s all right, Carla,” I said. “I’m not here on business.”
If Carla was surprised by my answer, she was professional enough to hide it. Not that I would have blamed her.
La Sera had always been my brother Matteo’s passion, not mine—a gentleman’s club that catered to the needs and desires of New York’s wealthy criminal elite.
Here, there were no cameras. No phones. No cops. Nothing to get between a man and the “personal hostess” he’d chosen to entertain him for the evening.
That kind of practical, cash-based arrangement had always appealed to Matteo far more than me. I’d barely visited the club before he’d bought it. Now, I only dropped by to meet with him on the nights he worked.
The manager’s smile didn’t flicker as she glanced over at Liv. “Would you like us to set you up at a booth at the bar?”
“Actually, I was hoping you had a room available.”
“A room ?” The sound of Liv’s surprise echoed off the stone floors and columns. Instantly after, an embarrassed blush lit up her cheeks, and she leaned in, whispering, “I’m sorry, exactly what kind of club is this?”
“The kind where your comfort and privacy are our highest priorities,” Carla answered without a hint of condescension. “And, of course, sir. We always keep a private suite open for our most valuable guests. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the way.”
Liv stayed glued to my side as Carla led us through the deep burgundy curtains that separated the front of La Sera from the back, her grip on me tightening the further down the hallway we went. And when a door opened and one of the “personal hostesses” stepped out in her outfit of black lingerie, Liv nearly tripped over her own feet.
Damn. She really was a sheltered little thing, wasn’t she? It was willing to guess it had been a long time since anyone so innocent had walked down the halls of La Sera.
“Here we are,” Carla said, stopping in front of a glossy black door with a gold number 1 hanging in the center. Turning the knob, she pushed it open, holding it while we stepped inside. “If you need anything, sir, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”
“Will you have the kitchen send over two plates of Carbonara and a bottle of Pinot Noir from Matteo’s private collection?”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.” Then, smiling knowingly at Liv, Carla added, “Enjoy your evening, miss.”
The instant the door clicked closed, Liv stepped back. Even though the temperature inside the room was perfectly comfortable, she rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms as she looked around the private room. Her big green eyes flickered from the fully stocked bar to the black leather couch to the mirrored wall on the opposite side of the room.
“This is…uh,” she bit into her lower lip as she struggled to find the right words. “Well, I’m pretty sure we don’t have any place like this in Milwaukee.”
That was a safe bet.
“You’re from Wisconsin?” I asked, leaning back against the wall as she started to pace from one point to the next in the room. While I was used to making people nervous, I never found any of them half as amusing as Liv. “Interesting.”
“You would be the first person to think so,” she said.
“Why do you stay there if it’s so boring?”
Now that she was all the way across the room from me, apparently, she felt comfortable enough to lift her face and look me in the eye again. A hint of a smile lifted her lips. “What do you mean? I love boring.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You should,” she said. “Trust me, if you had to spend time with my family, you’d understand the appeal of living somewhere boring, too.”
I shook my head. “We weren’t going to talk about family tonight, remember?”
“Right. Sorry, I forgot,” she said with a grimace. “But my point still stands. Boring can be good. It’s peaceful. It’s predictable. And most importantly, it’s safe.”
Her words might have been true, but I could tell she was still lying. “If you actually valued any of those things, you wouldn’t be here in this club with me right now.”
I knew I’d hit the nail on the head when that pretty blush lit up her cheeks again. Her big green eyes broke from mine, dipping down toward the floor.
“Yeah, about that,” she hemmed. “What exactly am I doing here?”
“I would have thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
She flashed me an annoyed look.
There were those heated sparks I’d spotted back at the hotel lounge—the ones that hinted at the hidden fire burning deep inside her. The flames she desperately tried to keep under control at all times.
God, how I looked forward to stoking them until they burned us both to ash.
“Don’t act like an idiot. You know that’s not what I meant,” she said…and that’s when I knew for sure she had no idea who I really was. There wasn’t a creature alive who thought they could talk to me like that and live to tell the tale. “I know why I came here with you. I understand what I’m getting out of this deal, but why did you bring me here? Especially since I’m pretty sure this is the kind of place where you can order a woman the same way you ordered dinner.”
“Because they don’t have you on the menu here,” I said. “It’s true, though. You’re not my usual type, just like I’m willing to bet I’m not yours either.”
Even though her blush deepened at my words, she didn’t look away this time. She also didn’t disagree. “What is your usual type?”
“Tall, thin, with long, straight hair.” The kind of woman who filled the exclusive dance clubs of Manhattan and relished the idea of fawning all over a powerful man in the VIP section all night.
“Right…so, basically the opposite of me,” she said, pushing a stray auburn curl behind her ear. “That’s kind of what I figured. So, again—what exactly am I doing here?”
That was a question I didn’t have an answer for. At least, not right away.
I’d gone out tonight with every intention of it ending the same way it always did—with one of those tall blondes. But business had got in the way.
I’d been checking in on some coglione who was overdue on a loan he’d taken out with my uncle last year. One of our guys at the hotel texted me that he would be checking in that night. While I was scheduled to meet with the mook the following day, I figured I would save us both the time and effort of a formal meeting.
Because, in the end, either the asshole had the money he owed my family, or he didn’t.
And if he didn’t…well, then we had nothing to talk about, and he’d be returning home in a body bag.
At first, I’d been disappointed when the staff told me someone else had checked into his room. I wasn’t surprised the punk had turned chicken shit, just aggravated that I’d have to send a man all the way to Chicago just to take care of the job. But as I was walking through the bar, I saw that fate had lined up something better for me.
Something with shoulder-length russet hair and sparkling green eyes. Someone who didn’t fawn all over me like the club girls did. Someone who wasn’t scared to speak the truth straight to my face.
That kind of honesty was a rare thing in my world.
Sure, there were people I trusted. I could always count on my brothers to tell it like it was, but they were family. Liv was different. She spoke from an outsider’s perspective. And when she talked, I didn’t just find her opinions intriguing; I found them dead sexy.
So sexy that I gave that I had no trouble delivering that same honesty right back to her.
“I like the way you talk to me,” I said.
“You like my voice?” She shot me a look, narrowing her eyes as if she didn’t believe that for a second.
“Yes,” I admitted. There was a softness in her tone, a quietness that practically begged me to move in closer. “But more than that, I like that you’re not afraid to tell me what you’re really thinking.”
“Should I be?” she asked.
I surprised myself by shaking my head. “No. Everyone else should worry, but not you.”
There was no way she could know how deep of a compliment that was from me, but something in my tone must have given her a clue since she started nervously shifting her weight back and forth.
“So…” she finally said after a few seconds of silence. “I still don’t get what’s so great about this club. I mean, it’s nice, but so was my room back at the Ritz, and we didn’t need to drive through evening traffic to get there.”
A smile lifted the corners of my mouth. “Now you want to know why I brought you here ?”
“Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Then let me show you.”
Stretching out my arm, I flicked the switch on the wall by the door, causing the lights in the room to dim…and the lights behind the mirrored glass to come up.
One more time, I watched Liv’s mouth fall open in amazement as she turned and stared. She didn’t even blink as I pushed away from the wall and came right up behind her. Tracing my fingertips up the back of her neck before tangling them in her curls, I brought my lips down, even with her ear.
“Do you understand now?” I whispered.
I felt her whole body tremble as she gave a shaky nod, her eyes transfixed on the scene behind the glass.
“Y-Yeah…Now I get it.”