•Giovanni•
Watching Nola stab Matteo to death was unexpected. He pushed her, talking about Rome like he did, so I wasn't going to stop her even if I hadn't been frozen to the spot in shock. She looked like a vengeful queen with Riots switchblade in her hand. Her eyebrows dipped, dark eyes shining and her jaw set in anger as she repeatedly sank the blade into his body. Riot must have also been as stunned as I was because he just stood there until he realized what she had done. She looked like she had seen a ghost as she stared at the blood on her hands. Although it wasn't technically her first kill it was the first that wasn't motivated purely by survival so I know it hit her differently than the others had.
I pull out one of the metal chairs and have her take a seat, her eyes focused solely on Matteo's body on the ground. Her shirt and jeans are marred with scarlet splatters and smears but I don't think she's noticed, if she had she would probably react in the same way she did with her hands covered.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Riot asks, his annoyance obvious.
He's so good at bringing people to the edge of death he gets irritated when others can't do the same.
"Why didn't you?" I counter.
His eyebrows raise. "Me? She's your... pet, not mine. Now what are we going to do?"
"Don't call her that." I glower at him. "We still have the address Kirill gave us. Call the capos and I'll call the dons, I want to move as soon as everyone can get together."
I'm not going to be upset with her for killing Matteo, he deserved what he got even if it was a quick death.
Riot crosses his arms. "Matteo knew we had Kirill though, I'm sure Mikhail is long gone by now. Matteo probably warned him as soon as you told him."
I nod. "Most likely but we're still checking things out to see for sure. I want the best men we have to replace Matteo and Angelo, you can take care of that right?"
And I'm going to drill her safety being the top priority into their heads until I'm red in the face.
"Of course. I already have two in mind."
"Who?" I question curiously.
He had to of already been thinking about it to have two men in mind.
"Dario and Marcello." He answers.
Both have been loyal and haven't caused any issues since they became made men. Dario was a SEAL, so that's reassuring and Marcello is family. When his Papà passed when we were young he even stayed with us for a while before getting on his feet.
"Perfect, send them to my house so I can talk to them after your call to the capo's." My eyes flick over to Nola who hasn't moved an inch in the chair, her gaze still focused on Matteo. "I'll take Nola home, make sure she's okay."
I catch Riot rolling his eyes out of the corner of my eye. "She's fine. She's resilient, tough as fuck. If her first kidnapping didn't make her spiral, killing a traitor won't. I like pushing her, pissing her off to see how much she can handle but after what transpired today I'm beginning to think she was born to be by your side, fratello. She hasn't even been with us for a full year yet and look at what she's done."
(Fratello: brother)
She has taken my world mostly in stride. I've watched her change over the months but not in a bad way. She adapts so easily to her surroundings it's as if she's been here all along.
"Call the capo's." I demand and walk back over to Nolani.
I grab her hand and she glances up at me, her eyes swirling with emotion and I know I'm part of the reason hurt is there.
"Come on, let's go home." I murmur quietly to her.
She rises from the chair and follows me without a single word.
"What will you do with his body?" She asks when we get in the car.
"We have a cleanup crew that will dispose of him so he'll never be found." I reply backing out of the driveway.
"I'm sorry." She whispers, her voice breaking.
It feels like someone shoved their hand in my chest and they're squeezing my heart painfully tight.
I glance over at her but the car is dark so I can't make out her facial expression. "Don't be sorry, he deserved it."
"But now we're back at a dead end and as much as I wanted him dead I want Mikhail dead more."
"We'll catch Mikhail, even without Matteo. He probably wouldn't have talked anyway." I assure her.
Even with Riots torture tactics there are men who refuse to talk even as they take their last breath. I pull my phone from my pocket and quickly call each don, letting them know to have their capos gather their men and send their underbosses with them.
We get to my house where we walk into the living room to see Nico and Alessia arguing.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Nothing." Nico mutters. "Do I need to stay?"
My brow furrows. "No."
He nods and leaves without another word.
"Alessia." I say, arching an eyebrow at her.
They were fine before we left.
She gives me a shrug. "Just Nicky being Nicky."
"Jamie you can take her home now." I state and Jamie rises from the chair.
"Dismissing me, hmm?" Alessia says then her eyes flick to Nola and she takes in her blood stained clothes and they widen. "Romes in his crib, he ate twenty minutes ago."
She leaves with Jamie and I grab the baby monitor off the coffee table before taking Nola's hand and guiding her to her room.
I grab the hem of her bloody shirt and she stops me as I go to remove it. "What are you doing?" She asks with a frown.
"Taking care of you." I reply simply, pulling the garment over her head when she removes her hands from mine.
She can't go to sleep in bloody clothes.
"Would you like to take another shower?" I ask once she's fully undressed.
She's so beautiful standing in front of me all smooth deep brown skin and dark curly hair but I don't ogle her. I want to show her that she's more to me than just the pleasure her body brings me, I want her to know she can lean on me no matter what. I was furious that she left the community but I can't stay mad at her, not when she went through so much and I know she won't ever try it again.
"No." She whispers.
I disappear inside her closet retrieving a pair of silk pajamas like the ones she wore yesterday except in white. I leave the closet and gently dress her and she lets me, her dark eyes boring into me the entire time. I grab a rag from her en suite and dampen it with water and soap and clean the scarlet speckles off her face.
Her lower lip trembles and her eyes fill with tears as I toss the rag into her dirty clothes hamper. "He's gone, Giovanni. I'll never speak to Angelo again."
I cradle her face. "I know, micetta, I'm so sorry."
I'd dig my way to hell with just my hands and trade my soul for Angelo's if it meant making her happy. I despise the fact that I can't take that pain away from her.
"Please don't leave." She whispers, tears trickling down her face like the downpour of rain on a window pane. She licks her lips, her fingers grabbing me by the belt loops as she pulls herself against me. "I don't forgive you, I'm still so mad at you for keeping things from me but I need you to stay. I don't think I'll sleep if you go to Rafael's. " Her voice is a broken plea, pain bleeding into every word.
I drop my hands from her face and lift her into my arms, she clings to me like a koala as I snatch the baby monitor off the bed and carry her to my room. I place the monitor on the nightstand and rub my hands up and down her back.
"Of course I'll stay." I say and feel her body sag in relief. "I have to change and call Riot, okay?"
She nods, releasing her tight grip on me and sinking down onto the bed. I brush a kiss across her forehead and exit the room. I call Riot and tell him to handle the men going to the address Kirill gave us and to put off on sending Dario and Marcello to my house until tomorrow and then I go back in my bedroom and strip down to my boxers. I shut the light off and slip under the covers, Nola latches onto me getting as close as she can, her face damp against my bare chest.
"My Papà used to say the toughest thing in life is living while those you love die." I murmur. "If I could take your pain and your grief and your guilt from you I would. I want every one of those Russian bastards to pay for what they've taken from you."
"I hate them." She whispers hoarsely.
"I know. We'll find them." I promise.
And we will, even if it kills me.
• • •
Rome must sleep through the night for the first time because by the time my internal alarm clock wakes me up at seven am just like every other day Nola is still clinging to me exactly as she was when we fell asleep. She looks breathtaking, her face relaxed as she sleeps peacefully, her curvy body wrapped around mine. I brush the pad of my thumb across her cheek, how do you show someone who was constantly told they would never be loved that you're in love with them? It cut me deep when she asked how I could love her with all that I knew about her. The things she's been through are part of the reason why I love her because if not she wouldn't be the person she is today.
I want to show her how amazing she is. I want to take her to Italy and show her my parents house there where I spent half of my life. I want her to see the stars in the sky while we lie on the beach and listen to the waves. I want to show her where my Mamma grew up and the streets my Papà ran when he was my age. Then I want to take her to the church my parents were married in and tell her it's where I want us to be married as well. I want her to be Nolani DeLuca and for her to call me her husband. I want to beg her for forgiveness, show her I'll never hurt her again. I want to split my chest open so I can hand my heart over since she already owns it anyway.
She shifts in her sleep, dragging her silk pajamas and smooth skin against me and lets out a content sigh. She stretches her legs out and groans as her eyes slowly open and then they meet mine and I find myself lost in the dark depths. The different shades of brown in her iris' so beautiful and the emotions there so painful to see.
"Buongiorno, micetta." I say quietly.
(Buongiorno micetta: good morning kitten)
She blinks at me a few times. "Buongiorno, Giovanni." She replies after a moment.
I can't help it, my lips tilt up into a smile at her Italian. She hasn't learned much yet but it makes me happy to hear her speaking my first language.
"Thank you for staying." She whispers, her eyes downcast.
I place a finger beneath her chin and tilt her head up so our eyes meet. "Stop thanking me. I was only going to Raf's to give you some space like you wanted, I'd much rather be here with you than anywhere else."
I wouldn't have even slept if I went to Raf's.
"You were supposed to be doing something else last night though weren't you? You made those calls in the car."
I nod. "Yes but Riot had it handled, that's what he's for."
She lays there for a moment in thought and then jumps up, glancing at the night stand where I had put the baby monitor last night. It still sat there but it was silent, normally you could hear Romes sound machine through it. Panic fills her eyes as she darts to the door and I follow her into the nursery to Romes empty crib. She looks at me in alarm and sprints back into the hallway with me right behind her, she stops abruptly at the end of the hall and my hands grip her waist so she doesn't fall as I bump into her.
"Everything okay?" Alessia asks us with a frown, Rome nestled safely in her arms sucking on a bottle of milk.
Nola sinks with relief, her body falling lax against mine.
She places a hand on her chest. "I was terrified something had happened to him."
Alessia winces. "I'm sorry, I didn't think. I know you went through a lot yesterday so I wanted to help out a little, thought I'd let you sleep in although that didn't happen since it's only a little after seven and you're already awake."
"No, it's okay." Nola says.
"Go back to bed, I've got him." Alessia insists.
Nola stares at her for a minute before nodding reluctantly.
She steps around me but grabs my hand, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. "Will you come lay with me or do you need to go?"
"Of course I'll lay with you." I reply and Alessia flashes me a smile before I turn and follow her back to my bedroom.
We slip back under the covers, the sheet still warm and she curls against me.
"I need to call Riot and see what happened last night." I say grabbing my phone from the nightstand but when I unlock it there's a text from him that says 'empty'.
"What is it?" Nola asks.
"Mikhail wasn't there."
She heaves a deep sigh.
"It's fine. He'll slip up, it's inevitable." I assure her.
I text Riot back and let him know I'm taking the morning off and he's in charge. I put my phone back on the nightstand and Nola snuggles against me, her eyes fluttering closed. I don't even realize I've fallen back asleep until there's a knock on the door hours later and Mamma strolls in with a tray of food.
"I've brought lunch." She says with a smile.
Nola sits up, rubbing her eyes.
"Mamma, she was sleeping. She had a rough night." I scold her in Italian.
"She still needs to eat, especially after having a rough night and when Alessia said you two went back to bed together I had to see it for myself. You two have gotten so close, it makes me happy." She replies and Nola frowns at us for speaking too fast for her to translate a single word.
Mamma places the tray on my lap and presses a kiss against Nola's forehead. "Eat, relax, enjoy each others company. Rome is taken care of." She says.
I shoot her a glare as she leaves the room.
"Did she say enjoy each other's company?" Nola asks.
I dig my palms into my eyes and sigh. "She did."
She lets out a quiet laugh. My eyes meet hers and she smiles so big it reveals the dimple in her cheek. Before I say something stupid like 'cazzo, ti amo', I grab a spoon and dig into one of the bowls of soup Mamma prepared. I know she's not ready to hear it again.
(Cazzo, ti amo: fuck, I love you.)
"Was she like that with the other girl?" Nola asks quietly as she grabs her own spoon.
My brow furrows. "Other girl?"
"The one who lied about her husband raping her." She adds.
"Oh, no. She hated Vittoria. She constantly fussed at me for seeing her so I didn't really bring her around. She likes you though, she's scolded me a few times about needing to marry you to protect your reputation." I chuckle.
We talk while we eat until the tray is empty and our stomachs are full. I tell her stories about growing up in Italy and she talks about all the places modeling has taken her. She tells me about growing up in a foster home and asks about what it was like having such a big family. The more we talk to deeper I fall. I want to kiss her and see what the soup tastes like from her lips but I don't.
My phone rings with a call from Toni a second after Nola goes into the bathroom. "Yeah?"
"I found the mother." He replies. "Ayana Arnaud married to French millionaire Pierre Arnaud. They live in a mansion in Versailles and they have a ten year old daughter Juliette."
Merda. She's made herself a completely new family after leaving her daughter behind, what is wrong with that woman?
"Grazie, Toni. Stay there and keep an eye on them, I'll talk to Nola and see what she wants to do next."
After I end the call Nola exits the bathroom and takes a seat on the bed.
"Toni found your Mom."
She frowns. "And?"
"She's Ayana Arnaud now. She's married to a French millionaire and they have a daughter together."
"Wow." She mutters, letting out a dry laugh.
"What do you want to do now? We can fly out to France or I can have Toni drag her back here, or if you don't want anything to do with her I'll have him come back and she won't even know that you know she's alive."
She chews on her lower lip for a moment, contemplating her reply and then shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it right now. Can we give it a few days to sink in? In my head she's still dead so it's a lot to process."
"Of course." I agree.
"I think I'm ready to get up for the day now, I'm sure you have things to do anyway." She slips off the bed and exits the room before I can even form a reply.
I don't think I've ever wanted to harm a woman like I do her mother.
I get up and get ready for the day. When I enter the living room Nola's on the couch holding Rome. Alessia's sitting beside her and Jamie is in the chair. While I was getting dressed Riot texted me telling me I was needed at Raf's, he's sending Dario and Marcello over so I can speak to them before leaving.
I crouch down, pressing a kiss against Romes cheek and running a hand across his dark hair, my eyes meeting Nola's. "Riot needs me for something, call me if you need anything. Okay?"
She gives me a silent nod, her dark eyes sad. "Okay."
The motion detector goes off just before there's a knock on the front door. I open it revealing Dario and Marcello but step outside instead of allowing them in.
"There's a few things we need to go over and then I'll let you inside." I state, looking down at them with a stony glare on my face. "Under no circumstances are Nolani or Rome to leave the community without me. The last idiot drove them out of the community because her bodyguard held him at gun point. If you were to have a similar situation you better press your fucking heads against the barrel of the gun and happily take a bullet in your skull. If someone gets inside the community and takes either of them you'd better be fucking dead to let that happen because if not Riot will make you wish you were."
Both men remain stoic as they give a sharp nod and say, "Yes, sir."
"If either of you even look at her or my son wrong I'll cut your eyes out with Riots switchblade. Don't even think about putting your hands on her either." I add.
Hopefully I've made my expectations crystal fucking clear this time.
"Yes, sir." They say again.
I open the door and step inside, motioning for them to come in. "This is Dario and Marcello." I say to Nola.
Both of them stare straight ahead.
"We'll protect your with our lives." Dario promises.
"You won't take your last breath unless we've taken ours." Marcello adds.
"I'll be back." I mutter and exit the house.
I get in my car and drive down to Rafael's. Jamie opens the door for me and motions toward the den where I can already see cigar smoke curling out from the entryway.
Riot, Nico, Dante and Edoardo are all seated on the couches, puffing on cigars with tumblers of whiskey placed on the coffee table.
"There he is!" Edoardo says happily as I enter the room and I question just how much of my brothers expensive Whiskey he's consumed.
I take the empty seat by Riot. "What are you doing here, Edoardo?" I ask bluntly.
"I was just telling your brother that I ran into the little DeLuca girl this morning after we came back empty handed from the address Kirill gave you. I'm not sure if you've forgotten but she was promised to my son years ago by your father." Edoardo replies.
Merda, I hope he didn't say anything to her but if he did she would've let me know first thing this morning so I doubt he did.
I run a finger across my jaw and give him a nod. "Yes, I know. You and I discussed it after Rafael passed."
Edoardo frowns. "The anniversary of his death is only weeks away and yet my son is still single."
I run my tongue across my teeth as I reign my temper in and keep my face neutral. "We've had an eventful year as you know, marrying Alessia off hasn't been high on my list of priorities."
This is the last thing I wanted to do today.
Edoardo puffs on his cigar. "Well I'd prefer if we pushed it up on that list of yours. I'm getting old and Dante is ready to take over, I'd prefer he do that with a wife by his side. I've been a patient man."
I grit my teeth. "You have been patient. Let me get things with Mikhail taken care of and we'll get the wedding preparations going."
He sighs. "It's already been months with no luck of finding him, it could be years. I think it would be understandable to give a few months and then we move forward with the engagement party and have them meet officially."
Great, I think sarcastically, fighting the urge to groan in annoyance.
I purse my lips. "You're right, that is an understandable request. I'll have Mamma set a date for the engagement party."
"Fantastic!" Edoardo exclaims, smacking Dante on the back. "You'll be married soon enough, mio figlio."
(Mio figlio: my son)
Cazzo, something else to deal with, just what I needed.
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Hey babe's, I know this is late but when I said the next upload would be Friday I completely forgot about thanksgiving being Thursday 😂 I had dinner Thursday and Friday so I didn't get any time to write either day.
Okay so the next book in this series is centered around Riot. Things are happening with him right now as this story has been playing out so book 2 will start months ago from this timeline. Y'all are gonna die 😂 I'm not sure how many chapters are left in this book but there won't be very many, at MAX probably 10.
Thoughts & theories? Can't believe I had to replace Angelo 😭 believe me I'm as upset as you are. Don't worry there will be answers about Angelo coming soon.
Next upload will be Tuesday! Have a great weekend!
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Love youu🖤🖤
— Katy