Men of Mayhem Read online

  “I guess that’s a no to the blowjob?”

  “I’d rather die.”

  “Oh, you will. Don’t worry about that, princess.”

  Anger burned in her eyes at the nickname. She hated the reminder of her status within her family. I was beginning to break down her walls. My words were hitting marks I shouldn’t, to make this look authentic, and her facade was failing. I needed to end this before she fucked everything up.

  “Kill me,” she hissed, her teeth grinding together.

  I laughed, but it was empty and humourless. “So eager to die.”

  “If I’m dead, I don’t have to feel the pain you’ve caused me. Death would be a blessing over knowing you—”

  I pulled the trigger. Even with the silencer the deadened thwump could be heard over her words that were stopped abruptly.

  Brianna fell to her back. Her body lay awkwardly on the floor and her tied hands behind her arched her back to push her breasts into the air.

  The stillness that followed was only broken by my ragged breaths and racing heart.

  I’d shot the only woman I’d ever loved.

  Brianna

  Two Days Earlier

  “Five more minutes,” I moaned, nuzzling into the warm body beneath my face. It was a futile attempt to cling to the bliss already being erased by the cruel realities facing us. Knowing this, I imprinted the musky scent of his cologne into my memory. It would linger on my pillows and covers, but it would never embrace me at night. When he left, so would I. I’d leave behind our mini oasis and only have a memory to satisfy me until next time.

  “I can’t, Bri. You know I’d stay if I could. There’s nowhere I’d rather be, but…you know…” Nico trailed off, not needing to voice the reason we couldn’t remain together. He was already extracting himself from my hold and sliding my head gently onto the soft, feathered pillow that replaced his taut chest.

  I sat up, not bothering to rearrange the duvet and cover myself. His lips had been tasting and teasing my body only moments ago. There wasn’t a curve that hadn’t experienced his soft, searing touch, and therefore I didn’t feel the need to hide beneath the material. Also, if it had the added effect of making it harder for him to leave then I definitely wasn’t going to hide.

  I pouted, my bottom lip jutting out as I watched Nico pull on a pair of jet black jeans. With his back to me I marvelled at how they hugged his ass perfectly. My gaze then wandered over the contours of his naked back, and he must have felt the heat in my stare because Nico spun to face me. Catching sight of my expression, he strode back over to the bed, not bothered by the fact his jeans were still unbuttoned. The line of dark hair disappearing into his boxers had my pout growing even bigger at the thought of what I was missing.

  He placed a fist on either side of my outstretched legs and dropped his head so his eyes were level with mine. A few seconds passed before I could drag my gaze up to peer at him through my eyelashes.

  His lips grazed my forehead, easing the creases. “Don’t look at me like that. It won’t be this way forever.”

  I snorted indignantly. Anger welled in my chest, erasing any lingering desire I’d felt towards him. It was always the same answer and I was sick and tired of it. “When? Both of our fathers have at least another thirty or forty years in them. I’m not waiting that long.”

  Nico huffed, his breath blowing over my face. “What do you want me to say, Brianna?”

  “How about you’re willing to fight for me? That we can go public and stop the sneaking around?” I growled, eight months of pent-up rage bursting through my usually strong composure. When I only received silence in response, a disgusted choke followed. “Yeah, I didn’t think you would.” Defeat laced my words more than I meant it to. To save face, I pushed him back and scrambled to pick up and put on my underwear. Being naked in front of him only made me vulnerable now.

  “Bri, come on. I know this isn’t perfect, but it’s better than nothing. At least we’re together.”

  I glowered at him over the bed then returned to hunt for my jeans. “Really, Nico? To me it feels like I’m a dirty little secret you want to keep hidden away and only visit when you need to fuck. It’s been eight months and I want more. I need it.”

  “You’re crazy! We can’t go public, and you know it.”

  “Why? Are you scared? Have I finally found something Nico the big, bad assassin is scared of?” I spat back patronisingly.

  “Don’t be a child. You know I love you, and the thought of anyone harming you—” He cut himself off. Rounding the bed, he was at my side within a few steps. He took my wrist in his gently, removing the bra I had been about to put on and dropped it back to the floor. With a flick of his wrist, Nico pulled me flush against his chest. One hand splayed on my back to hold me in place, the other cupped my jaw and tilted my head back until I met his gaze. His eyes were dark, his face hardened in intense fury. The sight forced my breath to catch in my throat.

  “You know what the thought does to me, Bri. I love you.” His fingers grazed my cheekbone, moving up to tangle in my hair. “I would do anything to keep you safe.”

  The weak part of me wanted to cave and drop the argument. That side urged me to lean into his touch, shut my eyes, and close the gap between us until my lips met his. Unfortunately for Nico, I wasn’t used to listening to that section of my mind. Instead, I met his gaze with one just as cruel. I wasn’t some feeble woman he’d picked up on the street who would back down, and I didn’t need his protection. I knew all of the tricks, I was trained to kill, and I was stubborn as hell.

  “If you loved me you’d fight for me.”

  “Don’t do this, Bri. You know what would happen if our relationship came out. What do you want me to do? Take on not one but two families singlehanded?”

  I shoved away from him, snapping from his grasp. Scraping my bra back off the floor, I threw on the remainder of my clothes. “I. Want. More.”

  “Well, you’re shit out of luck.” He yanked his T-shirt off the bed and over his head. “I’m not arguing with you over this anymore.”

  “I’m not scared of our fathers. I didn’t think you of all people would be.”

  “Only a fool isn’t scared of our fathers, Brianna. Until they’re gone and one of us is in charge of a family this is how it has to be.”

  “It’s not enough.” I could see the vehemence increasing in his eyes. Nico was dangerously close to losing it and I was pushing my luck. “I want you, Nico. Not the family, not the money, and not the business…only you. If you walk out of that door now without promising me a way we can have more, don’t bother coming back. I’m not playing this game any longer.”

  His gaze flitted to the door, his jaw clenched in a tight line, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. Raising a hand, Nico pinched the bridge of his nose. For a full minute he didn’t move or speak.

  Finally his eyes snapped open. They were marginally clearer as he sank down on to the bed and folded his arms. I cocked a hip in response, waiting for whatever he was about to say. I didn’t allow the relief at the fact he hadn’t stormed out of my little cabin yet to surface. I was gambling a lot on Nico’s feelings. It didn’t matter we’d been together for months, I was asking him to choose me over blood. In our families, blood was not something you ever disrespected. Our relationship was the biggest betrayal to both of our parents.

  In the beginning, we had tried to fight it and remain loyal to the families. However, after one accidental night together we were hooked on each other. Neither of us could deny the lust between us, and the more time we managed to find to be together the stronger our bond became. Soon it didn’t matter who we were and where we came from, although neither of us thought far enough ahead to consider what our lineage meant for the future.

  The blood pounded in my ears and my heart thundered in my chest at the thought of Nico walking out the door and choosing his family over me. On the outside I remained unaffected, but on the inside a hurricane of emotions whipped through
me.

  It was one benefit to growing up around the mafia.

  It allowed me to control my emotions, to not show my hand. I’d created an impenetrable facade over the years, one so tough no one would know how much it broke my heart to think of Nico leaving.

  “There may be a way, although I never wanted it to come to this.”

  I kept my expression impassive, not allowing the flowering hope blossoming in my chest to show. I blocked it out with feigned irritation. “Why? What’s wrong with it if it allows us to be together?”

  “Because it’s going to start an all-out war.”

  Brianna

  Stars were beginning to reveal themselves as I ambled through my family’s vineyard—one of the few legal businesses we owned. As if a curtain was being drawn over the sky, blackness seeped into the fading cerulean-blue on the horizon, the pinpricks of light shining against the dark backdrop. It was one of my favourite times of day. Everything was still and peaceful, including the air. The sweet, subtle scent of the grapes beginning to bloom embraced me as I walked down one of the aisles and soil crunched under my feet it was so dry. It might have only been May, but the Italian weather meant there was a pleasant heat at this time of day.

  I approached the stone mansion where the large, squared windows glowed in the receding daylight. A few dark shadows appeared in the upstairs windows, but like always, most of the mausoleum of a home was empty.

  The closer I drew to the house, the more my state of contentment was erased. Instead of the serene smile I’d been wearing, my mouth became a hard line and my eyes tightened with determination. In a second I became the stone-cold mafia princess I was known to be.

  I climbed the steps to the patio when a man peeled himself from where he’d been resting against the wall. He reached for his holster on instinct.

  “Stand down, Vito. It’s me.”

  He dropped his hand to his side immediately, but he didn’t stop his approach. His steps were purposeful, his hulking frame making his movements appear threatening.

  “I said stand down, Vito.”

  “Sorry, Miss Aletti, I’ve been ordered to bring you to your father as soon as you returned.”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course he had. Because God forbid my father actually allowed his twenty-four-year-old daughter to have a life of her own.

  “I know the way. I don’t need you to guide me through my own house,” I snapped, jerking my arm out of his reach. I wasn’t going to be herded in like some prisoner they’d caught trying to break in.

  Vito looked torn. Despite his job as an enforcer he was one of the good guys—or at least as good as anyone in our line of work could get. He’d always respected and looked out for me like I imagined an older brother would. Not that it meant he was exempt from my bad attitude. I stormed past him, my head held high as I dodged his outstretched arm a second time.

  “Brianna, please don’t make this difficult.”

  Vito was one of the few I allowed to use my given name, although he only seemed to use it when exasperated. To most people I was Miss Aletti. It kept them in their place and reminded them they were beneath me. It was that minute speck of a relationship which had caused my father to send Vito. He knew Vito was the only guy whose life I wouldn’t risk.

  Damn the bastard straight to hell.

  I swallowed back the retort lodged in my throat and clenched my fists at my side, giving Vito a curt nod. I really wanted to punch something. However, I kept my face impassive as I allowed Vito to escort me into the house, through the pristine white sun room, and towards my father’s office.

  Vito raised his fist to knock on the mahogany door. It looked too normal to conceal the dealings that went on behind it, but I guess that was the point. All of our illegal enterprises were masked by the legal ones. To the outside world, we were wine connoisseurs. Only the underground population knew about our import and export businesses.

  “Enter.” My father’s gruff bark came through the door and Vito opened it, gesturing for me to walk in front of him. I expected him to follow me, but the heat of his body grazing my back disappeared as soon as I stepped forward and the door clicked shut behind me.

  Turning, I was faced with the icy stare of my father. His dark brown eyes appeared almost black in the shadows of his narrowed gaze. The expression creased his weathered face, the strains of his job and constant exposure to the sun aging him past his forty-eight years. Dark stubble had begun to cover his deep olive skin, which he rubbed as he watched me.

  “Where have you been this time, Brianna?”

  “I was in the bottom field. I wanted to watch the sun set and you know that area has the best view.” It wasn’t technically a lie. I had been at the boundary of our property; I just hadn’t stayed there or watched the sun set. At that point I’d been horizontal on the bed I shared with Nico in our hideaway and he’d been—

  I shook my head, clearing the mental images. Now was not the time to be thinking about Nico’s talented mouth. I stood in front of my father who looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. I could dream about Nico all night long, but by my father’s rising blood pressure I needed to tread carefully.

  “Are you sure about that?” he asked, his volume rising in a challenge to repeat my words.

  Like I’d told Nico, I wasn’t scared of my father, so I didn’t react when he called my bluff. “Of course I’m sure.”

  He slammed his fist down on his desk, shaking the monitor and making the pens resting against the cherry wood jump. “Damn it, Brianna! Don’t fucking lie to me. I know all about your hideaway. One of my men caught you sneaking off.”

  “You had me followed? Unbelievable. That’s low, even for you.” I snorted indignantly, and cocked my hip out so my right leg took my full weight.

  “Of course I had you followed. I needed to know you weren’t putting this family in jeopardy.”

  My heart thumped in my chest and a nervous lump of emotions swelled at the back of my throat to suck all moisture from it. Questions bombarded my mind, all demanding I crack and ask how much his employee had seen. I wasn’t stupid though. I’d picked up a few tips in my twenty-four years on how my father worked. He gave just enough information that you couldn’t deny the accusation, but then remained quiet, hoping you’d hang yourself by confessing to aspects he didn’t know. It was for that reason I made sure the turmoil inside me didn’t show on my face.

  “I’m not a child. I’m capable of looking after myself.”

  “That has yet to be seen.” He rested his arms on the desk, leaning forward and dropping his voice to a growl. “Do you have any idea how many threats against your life I get? Do you know how many people we catch trying to get onto our property on a daily basis? Whether you like it or not there’s a target on your head, and one the Salvato family will spare no money on. Is that what you want? To be used against your own family by our biggest rivals?”

  I could think of one Salvato I wouldn’t have minded being caught or used by. However, I stifled a grin and kept that thought to myself. To my father, the Salvatos were the worst human beings out there. The need for power and money drove mine and Nico’s dad. It was a fight I had no interest in beyond the fact it made my relationship with Nico impossible. Neither family would ever accept it, but you can’t help who you fall in love with, and I wasn’t about to let family dictate my life. I may have been born into the mob and taught all of its workings, yet I didn’t want to be a part of it.

  “I only wanted to get away for a few hours. You know, have some time to myself. I was careful and I’m not stupid, but I am going to bed now, so goodnight.” I turned for the door.

  “Don’t walk away from me, Brianna.”

  “I’m not one of your employees, Dad.”

  “Exactly, so I expect more from you. What kind of message does it send to the men if I can’t even control my child? A daughter, no less.”

  It was always about image with him, and the fucking mob was as chauvinistic as they came
. Another reason I had no intention of sticking around. I was not going to play submissive housewife and baby maker. I hadn’t been raised that way. Any man who’d ever tried to control or walk over me ended up with two bullets in his head—just for good measure.

  “You’re forbidden from returning to that property again. I have stationed guards there with orders to detain you and contact me directly if you disobey me.”

  I whirled back in his direction, my face contorted into a mask of rage. “Then I’ll buy another one.”

  He arched an eyebrow in disbelief, his lips twitching. How anyone got pleasure out of tormenting their child was beyond me, but then again, my father was a sick fuck.

  “With what money? Did I forget to mention I’ve put a cap on you withdrawals?”

  I bit my tongue to stop a spiteful retort from slipping free. Anger poisoned my blood, blazing a fiery trail through me that even I couldn’t control. I wanted to smack the smirk right off his face. Instead, with fists clenched at my side, I kept all of my thoughts to myself and strode to the door. I had my hand on the handle when my father spoke again.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you were using that house for, Brianna. End it…or I will.”

  The fire inside me was instantly doused with dread. My heartbeat spiked, and apprehension lined my stomach to make me feel nauseous. Despite my desire not to show how much his words had hit me, my legs buckled slightly. I leaned on the door, pausing to take a deep breath. And when I felt steady enough, I yanked it open and stepped out to hurry to my room with forceful strides.

  Once I was safely behind a locked door I allowed the composed mask I’d worn to crumble. There were deep, red crescents on my palms from where my nails had dug into my skin, and I let out an anguished cry. He couldn’t have known it was Nico, I rationalised. If he had, he would never have allowed me to walk out of that room with a simple threat. It was the only thing I had working in my favour, but it also meant we were going to have to bring our plan forward.