Bought by The Mafia Boss

Chapter 25

I shook my head. I recognized that voice but couldn't quite seem to place where I had heard it from before. Yet, I knew I should panic. Simply by the threatening and sick tone of his voice, I knew I should be terrified. So I remained frozen. Shelby and Marissa joined me at the door and I saw the complete bewilderment in their faces from the foreign language.

"Uh, who is it?" Shelby shouted out and I heard a couple footsteps shuffle outside the door. I stepped away, as fear continued to course through my veins. Something about this didn't sit right, something about this seemed threatening.

"A friend." The voice said in English this time, with a thick Italian accent that seemed to hold a sick hatred in it.

"What's your name?" Shelby said back through and I stepped back again.

"Princess in there knows my name and she needs to get a hold of her boyfriend." The voice spoke through the door again and it made my insides curdle. I shook my head in fright as Shelby shrugged her shoulders and unlocked the door.

"Don't." I whispered out but it was too late, she pulled it open and I immediately recognized the tall, thin man that shoved Shelby back. She crashed onto the ground as I backpedaled as fast as I could. Several men shoved their way into the apartment behind him as Riccardo's eyes locked onto me.

"Where is he?" He boomed at me in Italian, his eyes burning coal black holes into mine as I was backed against the wall. I didn't answer as Marissa helped Shelby to her feet. The rest of Riccardo's companions had formed a circle around the group at the couches. Riccardo smiled at me and took a couple steps back as he saw my trembling fear laced plain across my face.

He walked over to Shelby and Marissa who were standing huddled against each other, their eyes wide with fright. Offering them a smile, he spoke in English. "Where is her boyfriend?" He pointed at me and I watched the fear leave Shelby's face and she looked at him with disgusted confusion.

"What boyfriend? I haven't seen her bring a single person over, ever." She answered and he threw his hands up in frustration.

"I can't get a hold of him and I am getting very impatient." He yelled at Shelby and she shrank in fright. Riccardo stomped back over to me and sneered at me. His eyes held that anger I saw back in the office. He glanced down at the dress laying across the back of the couch and his mouth curled up in a disgusting smile.

"Awe, I remember you in that dress, Princess." He said, still in English.

"I'm not your f****** Princess." I said back, and spat at him. He wiped the snot off of his face with one hand and licked it to which I gagged.

"That was gross." Marissa said and he chuckled before returning his focus on me.

"I Draghi Bianchi wants to talk and he doesn't seem to be reachable, Princess. Despite the fact that I have literally kept one hundred percent of the profits, he won't answer me. I am slowly ruining him and he won't answer." Riccardo slurred out at me and then placed a hand on my arm and trailed it up. I shoved my knee at him in disgust and he grunted as he stumbled back.

"Don't you dare touch me." I angrily said to him. "And again, I am not your Princess."

"That's right. You're his Queen and you are going to call him. He will answer if it's from you." Riccardo stepped menacingly back to me.

"You've got the wrong girl, mister. She doesn't talk to anyone, let alone some guy who seems scary enough to work with the likes of you." Shelby said and Riccardo nodded his head as one of his men turned and walked towards Shelby and Marissa.

"If you speak again, Agosto has permission to hurt you." Riccardo shouted at Shelby. She stepped back and put her hands up in submission. He returned to stare at me and I shook my head.

"I don't have his number. Plus I haven't talked to him since Christmas so you came to the wrong girl. I'm nobody's queen." I said and Riccardo groaned before pulling out a switchblade from his pocket and shoved it against my throat.

"He will want to hear what we have to say." He shoved it tighter against my throat and I felt my heart rise in my chest. Riccardo didn't seem to believe me and I had no idea how to convince him. But then his words resonated through my head and something dawned on me.

"You double crossed him." I said to Riccardo and he furrowed his brows for a second, caught off guard. "You just said you are ruining him slowly and keeping one hundred percent of the profits. Why would he let you keep it all if he's the boss? He wouldn't, so you've double crossed him." I continued as Riccardo dropped the knife from my throat. Shock filled his face and he stepped back from me.

"But are you really ruining him that much over one shipment if he hasn't found it necessary to contact you?" I asked with confidence, stepping towards him.

"Whatever." Riccardo spat back at me. "I Draghi Bianchi wants a word with Oliver."

"Who the h*** is I Draghi Bianchi? You keep saying that like it should frighten me, but it holds no meaning." I asked as Riccardo's face flashed with surprise that I wasn't scared.

Adam broke the silent pause that had filled the room as I tried to figure out what was actually going on. "How about what does I Draghi Bianchi mean because I have no idea what is going on, but it feels like we have just been thrown into the middle of a turf war or some sort of war because dudes got a knife."

Everyone looked at Adam as the men surrounding the group flashed guns on their belts. "Not just a knife. Cool, cool." Adam quietly said and cowered on the couch.

"I Draghi Bianchi means The White Dragons." I answered and watched their mouths fall open along with mine as small pieces of a puzzle I didn't know I had started playing began to push together. I flipped to Italian, not wanting the others in the room to understand what I was about to say. "The gala. Everything at the mansion was designed with white dragons. The boys were removed permanently. Everyone called him 'Boss' and did exactly what he said. Riccardo, you double crossed him and are now threatening my safety because he's not playing your game." I honestly didn't believe the conclusion my mind was going to but if Adam was right, this was a turf war but also so much more. Maybe my observant curiosity wasn't such a bad thing or maybe it was pulling me in deeper than I should be.

Riccardo smiled in front of me, a wicked smile and responded to me in Italian. "His Queen really is as smart as she is pretty. Now that you understand how important it would be to get Oliver to speak with me, I suggest you do so. For your safety"

"Why?" I asked him, not acknowledging his request. "Why would you double cross him?"

He chuckled and turned around, flipping the knife around his fingers. "Because, someone needed to show him he wasn't as invincible as he thinks he is." He spun around and crashed right into my face. "He declared war on us the moment he killed four of my men for simply talking to you." My face went white as I realized what he was talking about and that I received my first confirmation for my assumptions.

I unintentionally flipped back to English in my fright. "This isn't real. You have no proof he did that. You're making it up." I choked out as Riccardo's hand flew around my throat and he smashed me against the wall. My head crashed against the plaster and I heard a crack as the room began to spin.

"Isn't real?" He placed his mouth directly against my ear as I closed my eyes, trying to shove out the stars that were spinning in my head. My vision was blurry and the lack of oxygen was causing me to fade fast. I struggled to understand his Italian words. "Princess, Oliver Hunt isn't the hero that you seem to think he is. He kills, steals, swindles, and lies to whomever he wants to get whatever he wants. And he's good at it. I'll admit, even better than me."

I blinked trying to process what he was saying and keep myself awake. "I don't believe you." I whispered out through gurgled words.

"No?" He seethed at me. "I guess I'll give you time to process." He released my neck and I fell to my knees, trying to breathe in sweet oxygen and regain focus in my vision. Riccardo spoke loudly and slowly as I looked up at him watching his mouth form the Italian words. "You have one week to get him to contact me, or I'll be back to prove to you how dangerous I can be." He nodded his head and just as quickly as they had shoved into the apartment, he and his men were gone.