Mágoa (n.) A heartbreaking feeling that leaves long-lasting traces, visible in gestures and facial expressions.
Nicolo's P.O.V.
God, how stunning she is tonight.
She radiated of beauty under the moonlight in that dress made perfectly just for her, not even her diamonds could steal away an admirer's eye. I commended myself for the gifts I had bought her as she so elegantly wore them with confidence, she could not have looked more heavenly.
Although, I was starting to believe that such gifts might be something I will soon regret. She will walk through the entrance of the club, all beautiful, powerful, and independent, capturing the lecherous eyes of revolting men. While I, on the other hand, will not be able to hold her or stand by her lovingly. I will not be able to show the world she's mine.
"Let's get this meeting over with," Manny's voice redirected my attention.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, standing from the hood of my car as he laid his hand against my passenger door.
"I'm riding with you," he shrugged and opened the door, which I immediately slammed shut.
"No you're not," I stood in his way with my arms folded against my chest.
"Ah, I think I know what's going on here," he chuckled and darted his playful eyes between me and Arabella.
"Am I being replaced?" he asked dramatically, pretending to sound hurt.
His damn behavior had made me think that my affection towards Arabella was too obvious, perhaps I have just been caught. There was no harm or shame if the others knew, maybe it would be a nuisance to Alexander, but my men will know that she would be my first, and I would become the center of their teasing jokes.
"No, you are not being replaced, but that is not your seat to take," I replied.
"Right," he chuckled to himself.
"I was just kidding anyway, you know I enjoy keeping you on your toes," his smile grew wider as he patted my back.
"You're fucking hilarious," I said sarcastically.
"Ora puoi andare," I spoke quickly once I noticed Arabella making her way towards us (You can leave now).
"You look lovely tonight," I said to her as I opened the passenger door.
"Thank you," Arabella and Manny spoke in unison, but her soft voice was barely audible under this fool's obnoxiousness.
Manny walked away and laughed loudly to himself, leaving Arabella and I in an awkward silence. I could only summon a nervous chuckle as I struggled to get my shit together in her presence and she turned to me with her brows furrowed and head slightly tilted. How cute.
"Did I interrupt something between you two?" she asked, biting that rosy, plump lip of hers.
"No, you're completely fine. You know how Manny is," I smiled and gently closed the door once she sat down in her seat.
I led our group into the city of Rio de Janeiro as we overtook the bustling streets and blessed the eyes of pedestrians with a fleet of opulent cars. Although this was a thrilling time for the others, Arabella and I rode in silence, filling the space between us with tension as I had nothing more to say to her.
She knew that I had despised her coming along with us. It was quite evident, the hatred that I felt towards this plan, which to my displeasure, involved her, but one thing that I hated even more was that I could not bring myself to say no to her. Even at my own expense I was at her feet, ready to do or say whatever pleases the woman.
"Nicolo," I heard her voice call out to me for the first time this night.
"Yes?" I grabbed her hand for comfort as she seemed shy to continue.
"Do you really think your plan will work?" she sighed and I held her hand tighter at the sound of her scared voice.
"I know it will," I reassured her.
"Don't be afraid, mia Arabella," I said and brought her fingers towards my lips, kissing her soft skin.
"Fine, I trust you," she nodded her head and looked down at her lap to hide those blushed cheeks, only giving me seconds to admire them.
She trusts me, I repeated her words and grinned stupidly to myself, feeling my heart melt.
"You're so confident now. What changed?" she chuckled.
"You were so hesitant to accept their deal during our meeting in Sicily," she added and I gritted my teeth at the memories from that night. I could have possibly spared Luca's life if only I had simply made an agreement, but I believe there's more to this that our eyes are being hidden from.
"The purpose of that meeting was to see how far our enemies were willing to take this," I replied as my eyes narrowed at the road.
"I wanted to see how serious they were, and given that they killed one of us that night, they're pretty fucking determined to overtake us," I continued and gripped my steering wheel tighter once I caught her frowning.
"I have never heard of their organization before. These small and new groups know not to attack powerful families, such as ours. But, this group is different," I spoke, and the air around us became unsettling.
"Now that we're here in their territory, we'll be able to learn more about them, study them. We need to understand why they're doing this. We need to find their motive," I further explained.
I placed our car into park and turned to look at her. She seemed to be contemplating my words deeply as she never noticed me gazing at her, but after some time she pushed her thoughts away and those irresistible eyes met mine.
"We'll figure it out together," she spoke softly and I became completely dazed as my eyes trailed down her face. If only I could close the space between us and taste her upon my lips once more, then she would understand how weak of a man she makes me.
A shaky breath left her parted lips and I smirked as I noticed her eyes had now found a similar interest. It was so fucking difficult to resist this divine woman, but I wanted her to choose when she's ready for us to move forward. And, if that meant I would have to wait for eternity for her, I pray that even after death our time together will be infinite.
"Are you two ready?" a muffled voice came from outside as Leone knocked on the window.
Arabella and I were immediately brought back into reality and I blinked away the amorous desires from my mind. She replied to him as I was too choked by burning temptations, but eventually I recollected myself and prepared for our business.
"We're going to wear these throughout the night," I cleared my throat and handed her an earpiece. I watched her as I adjusted my own and shook my head, smiling to myself while she fumbled with the device.
"Let me help you," I chuckled and gently placed my hand along the nape of her neck. I could feel her eyes studying me intensely, roaming over every detail of my face, but I kept my focus on the device as to not get lost in her gaze once again.
"You're all set," I said and pulled my hand away, feeling my fingertips lightly trace her skin and brush by her soft hair.
"Thank you," she smiled and I couldn't help but show one in return.
Beginning our night, I quickly made my way towards her passenger door and took her hand. I guided our group through the club doors as Arabella walked by my side with her head held high and a fearless look across her eyes. She stood as my equal.
"Alright, you're all in. So far, so good," Lorelei's voice came through.
"If you guys see anything through surveillance call it out," Leone instructed.
"You got it," Galen confirmed and the sound of keyboards clicking filled our ears.
"Are they putting us through a scavenger hunt? How the hell are we supposed to find them in here?" Romano groaned out in annoyance, causing Arabella to chuckle at his unnecessary remark.
"Stay close, Romano," I warned as I watched him wander into the sea of sweaty and intoxicated bodies.
I kept a wary hand along Arabella's waist, hoping that she wouldn't follow Romano's lead, but she seemed eager to search the crowd as she stood on the tips of her toes, observing over oblivious heads to find clues of our absent enemies.
If only she knew how the world stops just to catch a glimpse of her. Even with me by her side, abhorrent men had no shame in staring at her, and that had provoked a monstrous rage within me. I found it even more difficult to focus on our task, but Arabella had begun her own hunt, and I followed her, trailing closely behind the woman who has taken control.
"Nico, Gabe and I will search over here. Maybe we'll find them sooner if we split up," Manny informed, and I was hesitant to agree with his plan, but the man held a resolved look across his eyes, and I knew that I couldn't decline his determination.
"Arabella and I are going to look around the bar and see if we can find anything," Rowan spoke of imprudent words that could not have been more witless.
I immediately approached the absurd woman with a murderous glare the second she grabbed Arabella's hand. To think that she could simply take my girl away from me and believe that I would trust Arabella's life in the hands of someone so incautious, was beyond ridiculous. My God, in all my years of working with others, I have never met such a brainless individual, it was almost laughable.
"No, she stays with me," I growled at the now stunned woman. She had taken a step back and glared at me in shock, but I did not care for the fear that I stirred within her.
"I think the girls can handle themselves," Alexander cleared his throat, attempting to ease the tension as he stood between me and his woman.
"It's fine, we'll meet back here soon," I heard Arabella speak out as she lightly tugged the jacket of my suit. I turned to her with a worried gaze and saw a slight smile across her face before she walked away with Rowan, disappearing into the crowd and forcing me to let her go.
"You really underestimate those two, especially my sister," Alexander stood by my side as we vigilantly observed them at the bar.
I was on my last fucking nerve with these Greeks, it's unfortunate that they come as partners with Arabella. The last thing I needed was to be told some profound lecture by this man. Alexander and I were never on terms to hold casual discussions, but of course, in the situation we were in, he felt it was necessary to tread new waters, and so he continued.
"You haven't seen yet, but I've watched her train with Rowan and Galen," he added and I only nodded in return at the sound of his voice, not truly listening to his words, but the man genuinely believed that I had given him my full attention.
"She has improved a lot throughout the months and has quite an impressive aim too," he smiled proudly at his sister's achievements.
"You know everyone can hear you, right?" My eyes lit up as I heard Arabella's voice come through the device.
"What, am I not allowed to brag about my little sis? You should be proud!" Alexander laughed and his grin grew wider as she turned to glare at us through the crowd.
"You're so embarrassing," she mumbled while hiding her reddened face in her hands.
I smiled to myself at her sheepish reaction and continued to keep an eye on her throughout the night. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, for the time being, but I was still on edge, waiting for our enemies to make an appearance.
I was only notified of the time and location of our meeting. There were no further details communicated once we landed in Brazil, it was almost like the Ignacio's never existed. Although, I was not worried, this had only proven to me that this cartel was unorganized and faulty. Amateur. But, this was something that I had expected from a new and rogue group.
"Nico, I think we have something," Ilaria alerted us and I remained calm as I looked around for the rest of my men.
"Tell me," I said urgently and prepared myself as the events of tonight were beginning to unravel.
"There are guards blocking the entrance. They're not letting anyone in or out," Galen observed.
"Boss, I just saw a group of armed men walk through the back doors," Dante called out and my mind was racing to form a plan.
"Cazzo, what kind of games are they playing with us?" Leone voiced his concern.
"Everyone, meet at the bar. Arabella, stay where you are, we're coming to you," I directed and began to push my way through the bodies of dancers and drunken minds.
"Rowan, you do not leave her side. You stay together, do you understand me?" I spoke to the woman with grave concern as I struggled to find a path through the crowd. The girls' voices became muffled as they seemed to discuss matters amongst themselves, but the lack of their responses had made me quicken my pace as I could not bear the thought of Arabella getting hurt.
"I think the bartender is growing suspicious of us, we'll meet you guys in the middle," Rowan replied nervously and I gritted my teeth in anger.
"Excuse me, Miss! Are you not going to finish your drink?" My eyes widened with rage as I heard a man's voice through the device.
"Walk away, Arabella," I demanded furiously, but a fearful gasp escaped from her precious lips.
"Let go of me!" I heard her struggle against the man.
"Nico! No guns, remember? Not yet," Manny said in a hushed tone as he quickly rushed to my side and grabbed my shoulder while I reached inside my suit.
"We have you where we want you. Why don't you sit back down," the man's voice turned villainous.
"Tell your boss to come out of hiding. The Mazzerelli Family is here to talk," she spat at the man.
"Arabella," I spoke her name once I finally reached the bar and gently pulled her aside to excuse her from the violence that was soon to take place.
I forcefully grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and dragged him over the counter. He was shocked by my sudden acts, but I did not give him the time to comprehend that I had just broken a bottle of his cheap liquor and stabbed the broken glass into both of his hands, as I was not sure which one had touched her.
His painful shrieks were such a pleasure to my ears as they were accompanied by horrified screams from our witnesses. The man was fortunate that I did not waste a bullet on him, for his cries would be silent and only his blood would be a testimony of this crime.
"Alright, let's settle down!" A voice commanded and we all turned towards a group of guards approaching us, and amongst their faces, someone familiar. Heitor Ignacio.
Tensions were high and guns were raised, but I stood in front of Arabella, becoming a target for any bullets that were to come her way. The guards held their stance and studied us carefully in silence and I nodded towards my men, signaling them to lower their weapons.
"I would like to personally welcome the Mazzerelli Family to Brazil, our home," Heitor announced.
"Such a grand entrance you have all made," he smiled wickedly, while my men and I shared cautious glances between each other.
"We're ready to talk business," Leone said firmly, but the Ignacio's had dismissed his request.
"May I introduce you all to my boss," Heitor spoke in a lighthearted manner as if we did not have a serious agenda to take care of.
"This is Vitor, head of the cartel," he introduced his leader who stood with his head held high and an enigmatic glint across his eyes.
Our attention was now on him, but the man remained quiet, he almost looked too afraid to speak. My men and I could not care less for the people who stood before us as we were now growing impatient with Heitor's attempt to fool around, and to our displeasure his charades went on.
"Would you all like something to drink? We have a variety of—" Heitor began to say.
"You are all late to the meeting that you have planned yourselves," I interrupted, growing exasperated.
"I'd like to begin as to not waste more of our time. I'm sure you and your men would appreciate that, yes?" I spoke directly to Vitor himself. A satisfied smirk almost revealed itself across my face as the man seemed surprised by my sudden confrontation, but I needed to be forward with him. There is no reason for us to be here longer than needed.
"Right, of course. Follow me," Heitor answered for his group and we were all led into a dimly lit hallway.
I was frisked from head to toe and watched as the guard pulled out the gun from my suit and place it into a bin. The man that was assigned to me had no difficulty with his search, but on the other hand, Romano struggled to remove every weapon on his body and was left with a hefty pile before he was permitted to enter the meeting room.
"The ladies have nothing on them, they're clear," I spoke before the guards could even consider laying a finger on them, but the men were hesitant to trust my words.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" I raised my voice and sent Heitor a threatening glare.
"Let them through," Vitor spoke for the first time and I turned towards the women with a reassuring nod.
I pulled out a chair for Arabella to sit beside me and she happily took it. She sat down so elegantly, with her legs crossed and hands clasped together, neatly placed upon the table. There was not a single sign of worry across those beautiful eyes, instead she narrowed her concentrated stare to the men across from us, as she was eager to begin. She was ready.
"So, what's our mission? Why are we here?" Gabe initiated our meeting.
"You are all here to help us," Vitor answered plainly.
"Cairo was never one to share, but he has money that we believe is rightfully ours," he explained and Arabella shifted in her seat as she was drawn closer to his words.
"We are missing a cut of our profits made with Cairo, to say the least," Heitor added.
"We need you to go into his estate and steal it for us," Vitor said and his statement had aroused growing curiosity and confusion within us all.
"Why don't you steal it yourselves? You sent people to kill him, didn't you? The man is dead," Manny scoffed at the absurdity of this situation.
"We do not know if his estate is still occupied by his men, and we will not risk our own lives if we have someone else to do the job for us," Vitor replied and leaned back into his chair, waiting for our response.
"What's in it for us once we complete the task?" Dante asked.
"Well, you do something nice for us, and we'll return the favor. Complete the task successfully and we'll stop sending our men to hunt you down in Italy, you and your families will get to live in peace again," Heitor introduced an inticing offer.
"You've threatened us to come all the way to Brazil because you are too afraid to retrieve your own money?" Arabella summarized their pitiful case as she slightly tilted her head and studied the men through furrowed brows.
I looked down at my lap as I had no strength within me to hide a grin. I had always found myself to become amused with every meeting that I've had with this blunt woman. It was even more hilarious knowing that she acted innocently, with no intention of provocation. She had always managed to see through bullshit and get straight to the point.
"Look at this as a networking opportunity, sweetheart," Heitor smiled sarcastically, obviously offended by her choice of words.
"It was always our dream to expand our business into international territory, and that means taking down powerful families, such as yours," he said and looked at us all.
"But, help us get our money back and we'll no longer be a threat, we may even consider a future partnership," he shrugged, as if they were the ones who had that decision to make.
"Do we have a deal?" Vitor asked, urging us to form an agreement.
I turned towards my group to see if anyone had more questions to ask, but they all seemed satisfied with how this meeting had gone. Ultimately, we all knew of our main plan that we had discussed from the very beginning, and so we went through with it.
"We'll be ready to begin tomorrow," I stood up from my chair and held out my hand for him to shake.
I had learned more about the Ignacio Cartel just by observing the way they carry themselves, but this entire circumstance still remained unclear to me. Their answers may not be laced with lies, but I believe we were not told the whole truth tonight. Secrets were being kept from us and their motives are a complete mystery, yet to be revealed.
"Do you think you can steal from me? I am missing more of my belongings," Romano complained as he retrieved his weapons from the bin.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the guard spoke, but the slight curl to his lips had told me that he was a dishonest man.
"Dimenticalo, Romano. Ti comprerò ciò di cui hai bisogno," I spoke to him discreetly as I knew the guard was looking for a reaction (Forget about it, Romano. I will buy you what you need).
"I am giving you one last chance," he ignored me and instead took matters into his own turbulent hands.
"I think you need to leave," the guard took a bold step closer and reached out to escort Romano from the room, but before he made contact, Romano was quick to react.
It was an unexpected turn of events, but the inept guard stood no chance against Romano's highly skilled training. We all could not register what had happened until it was done, but the sound of a bullet fired off, followed by the guard's lifeless body falling limp towards the ground.
"Romano, no!" Dante gasped at his reckless actions, but the murderous man was unfazed.
"Wait, don't shoot!" Leone shouted with his hands raised and stood between Romano and pointed guns.
"Get her out of here," I quickly turned to Alexander and watched him guide Arabella out of the building before our situation worsened.
"You've killed one of ours back in Italy, we're even now," Leone tried to negotiate between nervous breaths, but I placed my hand over my gun as the men seemed to contemplate their next move.
"Leave, all of you," Vitor demanded and I quickly grabbed Romano by his shoulder, pushing him out of the building.
I despised this man even more for being so fucking heedless, knowing that he had put her life in danger. She was the only reason why I've allowed him to live for this long, but the man was too arrogant to care.
"Romano!" Arabella yelled his name angrily once we exited the building.
"Leave it, Arabella," I warned through gritted teeth and grabbed her hand to hold her back, but the woman was adamant and pulled herself away from my grasp.
"Why would you do that?" she shouted after the fleeting man and proceeded to follow him towards the streets of Rio.
"Do you understand that they could have killed you?" she scolded him and grabbed his arm before he could escape, forcing him to face her.
"I think you've forgotten about the world you live in now, Arabella," he seethed while towering over her unfaltering stance and brazen glare.
"I will not be humiliated or disrespected by a group of men who have no authority over us," he exclaimed, but she was not frightened by his words.
"And, Luca, do you remember that name? I have gotten revenge for his death, but if you have a problem with taking an eye for an eye..." he trailed on with a voice so sinister.
"...you do not belong with us," he said with hostility, taking a step forward, and we all watched as the daring woman conceded her assertion in the face of a nefarious reality.
"That's enough, Romano," I said in a low voice and clenched my jaw, hoping the man would surrender, but instead, he had turned his outrage towards me.
"What? Do not stand there and think that you would not have done the same. You and I are much more alike than you believe," he laughed wickedly as he approached me.
"So che sei arrabbiato, ma iniscila adesso," I spoke solemnly as his indignation was beginning to worry the others, but he shook his head in defiance (I know you are angry, but end this now).
"You and I both know that every one of them that we kill now is one less man who will attack us later. The only reason why you have not acted on this, is because of her," he whispered the last words for only I to hear.
Romano had called me out on my weakness. He had seen into the truth as to how my plans have grown more passive and how much I have changed. But, this was no place to argue, not in front of my men or her family, not in front of her.
"I will not ask you again," I warned with composure, attempting to placate the man with a calm demeanor as I did not want to end this night with violence.
His breaths were heavy and his chest heaved from stress as he recollected himself. Romano stumbled back, now speechless, once he saw that no one here had any fight in them to argue back or return curses of insulting words, no one here was against him.
"Mi dispiace," he muttered quietly and looked at us with regret (I'm sorry).
"I'm sorry," he repeated again with a voice that was on the verge of breaking.
In our many years of knowing him, we have never witnessed Romano in such a vulnerable state, it had taken all of us by surprise, but suddenly, Arabella slowly took cautious steps towards the disheartened man.
She wrapped her arms over his shoulders and pulled him close, embracing him in a hug. I was stunned by her grace, even after she was confronted by his anger, but she had given him more than just a comforting hold.
We all observed as she whispered words, which would remain a secret to us all, but a message of worth to him. I must admit, I had felt an aching burn in my chest while I watched this little entanglement unfold, but just when I couldn't bear the pain any longer, she finally let him go and air had filled my lungs.
Her hands cupped his face while she smiled sadly and the man nodded his head, communicating that he had understood her assurance. Leaving him to reflect, she dismissed our attentive eyes and began to walk towards the cars, leading us to follow in her steps.
There was no doubt in my mind that the others were curious as to what she could have possibly said to Romano, but something else had occupied my thoughts. I trailed closely behind her, breathing in the scent of her perfume and just simply basking in her presence.
She had managed to turn Romano's outburst into a compassionate scene. She has given me another reason to admire her as someone who is purely perfection. Although, this was a reminder that I did not deserve her, but tonight, I found myself falling in love with her again, and I had never felt more alive.
*****
Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
I hope you all enjoyed this super long chapter! We'll be back in Bella's P.O.V. for the next one, so stay tuned!
-Love, A