CAPITANO | BOOK ONE.

TEN.

"Where are you going?"

I blinked at the beautiful girl in my bed for a moment. She tiredly rubbed her eyes, slurring her words. She was still half asleep, and wondering about me.

"Work," I told her softly, and she hummed and fell back into bed, yawning and stretching.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Not long," I said. Lied. "Just have to sort out some things at the office, eh? Won't be gone long, darling."

She nodded, "Well, I think I'll read whilst you're gone. Have you got any books?"

I rounded the bed to her side, fixing my shirt. I looked down at her, pulling my blazer over my shoulders, "There's a library in the study. Take what you like,"

She grinned widely up at me. The most beautiful sight. I had never seen her so beautiful as she was now. Hair everywhere, eyes half open.

"Okay, thank you."

I leaned down, towering over her as she cowarded under the blanket, peaking at me from above the hem of the comforter.

"Have a good day, Ms Jones,"

I could see from the crinkles in the corners of her eyes that she was smiling so big, "You too, Mr Rossi,"

And I leaned down, and kissed her forehead and rushed out of the door, because I know if I didn't, I would get back in that bed with her.

When I got to the meeting, I was immediately on edge. I hated leaving her alone, especially now that I was so impossibly far from her. If anything were to happen, my men would undoubtedly look after her.

But my men, are not me.

It was an hour drive from my country house to the city. An hour too fucking long.

"Ah, there he is," Vitterio lifted his hands, smiling.

"Shut up, and get out of my chair,"

Vitterio laughed and so did Freddie as he moved out of my seat, and joined Freddie on the other side of the table. I took my seat and took a swing of Vitterio's scotch from the table.

Before they could pester me any further, I said, "All right. As you know, the Red Right Hand is after us. Now, these men are the fucking devil. Worse than the devil. And every politician owns them. And The RRH owns them,"

"They want to take us down," I said, and Vitterio passed Freddie a glance and then looked back at me. Rico, Vitterio's toughest soldier, stared at me blankly.

Rico was a man that enjoyed running his mouth. And I have no doubt that whatever he wants to say, he'll fucking say it.

"Now why are they after us, huh?" he asked me, and I snapped my eyes to him and he leaned further onto the table, watching me.

"That's none of your concern," I snapped curtly, and he huffed.

"Ay, but it is because they wabt to kill us,"

"Rico," Freddie said, "shut up, will you?"

Rick's top lip snarled at Freddie, "I'll shut up when I'm not being hunted like a fucking animal,"

"No one's being fucking hunted!"

My patience was running warily thin. Today was not the fucking day. I snarled at Rico, "And now, you will listen very fucking closely, hey?"

The room was dead silent, Rico's brown eyes aflame as he stared at me. I leaned over the table, so close to him I could count his brow hairs.

I whispered, "You put a bullet, in every fuckers brain's." his eyes looked between my features, watching me like a hawk.

"By order of the Black Hand,"

x X x

I strolled out of my Small Heath building, lighting a cigarette as I did.

I had just taken a blessed puff when I felt a fist — or something really fucking hard, break apart the ribs on my left side.

Jesus Christ, here we fucking go.

Another hut broke against my temple and sent me to the cold, hard ground. I groaned, trying to stand but it was futile when a boot connected with my abdomen.

I gasped, blood filling my mouth and suddenly as I saw the crimson drip from my mouth onto the ground, I was... scared.

Scared.

I groaned when a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and heaved me up, tossing me against my buildings wall until he picked me up again, and pushed my head into the wall.

Over and over, my face connected with the wall.

Pain exploded throughout every part of my body. I was weak with agony, with pain.

Over and over and over. I was beaten to a pulp. Unable to fight back because I couldn't fucking see. Blood and sweat blurred my eyes and I tried to blink them away. Attempted to but it was futile. There was just too much of it.

They paused, for a second. And I inhaled a straggled breath through the blood and cotton spit.

I wheeze as they kicked me again picked me up, and punched me over and over in the abdomen.

They were yelling incoherencies, over and over at me. I couldn't hear anything. My nose was shattered up to my skill, my cheeks. My ribs, everything. I couldn't breathe without being in agony.

I rolled over onto my front, blood running out of my mouth like an open faucet. I blinked through bloody eyes and saw a pale man before he pulled me up, and shattered my face further on his knee.

I couldn't care about myself.

All I cared was about her.

And how I promised that nothing would happen to me. And that I would never leave. And that I would always come back.

I was a goddamn liar.