#3 Chapter 45

He continued to rub me, and somehow I sensed that he needed this connection every bit as much as I did. My fingers absently fondled his jaw. "I used to have nightmares after my mother died and I almost drowned. Frankie said I would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming."

"Oh?"

"They subsided after a few years, but every now and again I'll have one. My therapist said-"

"A therapist? I'm surprised your father allowed it."

"He didn't know."

Enzo huffed a small laugh. "You have never played by the rules, have you?"

"Not by any man's rules, no."

"Yet you play by mine." He squeezed one of my ass cheeks.

"Or maybe you are playing by mine."

Another laugh. "I guess we will see, no?"

I didn't like the sound of that, but I was in too deep to stop now. Besides, my heart wasn't listening. It was singing at the lingering touches and gentle words, swelling with happiness at the closeness between us. We understood each other better than anyone else ever could.

Despite how I felt, I had to get my sister home safely. If I had to deceive Enzo to do it, so be it. I didn't care what happened to me, but Emma didn't deserve to be cooped up here. She was a good person.

I had to make him understand that my twin posed no threat to him whatsoever. "You know, Emma is the one who begged Fausto to postpone killing you until we left."

"I assumed."

That caused me to pull back to stare at him. "Why? Because I'm not as nice as she is?"

He snorted and played with my hair, combing his fingers through the long strands. "Nice is boring, micina."

True. "Seriously, how did you know it wasn't me?"

"Because you understand that the world isn't all gelato and rainbows. You're tough because you have to be. Your sister has been sheltered, protected from the ugliness that surrounds us. She is a mafia don's daughter who wishes to save people, to become a doctor to alleviate her guilt. You don't have that problem. You're ruthless."

The words sent a ball of emotion into my throat, drying out my mouth. I licked my lips then pressed them to his jaw. "Sort of like you."

"Life does not reward the timid."

"But when is it enough for you?"

"When is what enough?"

"This," I said, indicating the yacht. "The money, the power. Is all of it really worth it? I mean, aren't you tired of hiding? Of not seeing your children? What are you trading away to keep all this?"

"What would you have me do?"

He started to tense, so I stroked his chest, trying to calm him. "At some point you need to set aside your pride, Enzo. If you don't, it will kill you."

"This is nothing new. Death has stalked me every day since I've been alive. If it catches me, at least I will have no regrets. My children are safe and well provided for."

"None?" Wow, if I died today, I would have a shit ton of regrets.

"One," he said after a moment. "My wife. I told you she died in a car accident, no?"

"Yes."

"She was having an affair with my guard. At the time of the accident, she was blowing him in the car, her seat belt unfastened."

I froze. "Holy shit."

Raising his head, he kissed my shoulder. "I was not a good husband and she found another. Now my children are alone."

I didn't know what to say. I just clutched him tighter. "Does anyone else know?"

"No. I have told no one, not even Vito."

"Oh, baby." I pressed my forehead to his cheek. "That's awful."

He angled toward me and began kissing me again, this time slow and sweet. I clung to him and poured everything I was feeling into the kiss. Finally, he rolled me onto my back and mumbled against my lips, "Want to fuck you again."

I nodded and slid my arms around his neck. That was the last coherent thought I had for the rest of the night.

Enzo

I awoke early and found Gianna curled around me. The sun was just starting to creep over the horizon, and my mind churned with the events of the night before. Embarrassment heated my skin. Gia had witnessed my insecurities and pain, the memories that haunted and shamed me. I nearly had a panic attack in front of her.

She'd pulled me from my personal hell with her gentle touch and soft words, which had soothed then aroused me, and I let her use my dick to get off.

Afterward I told her about Angela's death, something no one else knew. Gia responded with kind understanding, which I didn't deserve but soaked in all the same, and her sweetness filled in a few of the jagged edges surrounding my heart. A sense of peace settled inside me and I'd rolled her over to fuck her like she was precious. Like she was mine.

Just you, tesoro mio.

Endearments and soft words were unacceptable, especially with this woman. Was Vito right? He insisted that I was spending too much time with Gia, that I'd let her get under my skin. That she was changing me.

Last night was the proof.

I slid out of bed and went to shower. The remnants of the nightmare lingered in my sore muscles, humiliation like a stone around my neck. I pushed it aside. I pushed everything aside. Long ago I learned the boss must do what was necessary, no matter the cost.

So I numbed myself to thoughts of long legs and deep brown eyes. Of her sweet body and feisty spirit.

I would do what needed to be done.

When I emerged from the bathroom Gia was still asleep. Good.

I dressed, then slipped her ankle out from under the covers and fastened the cuff and chain around it, locking it in place. She would hate being restrained again, but that was too fucking bad.

I went above deck and made an espresso. After downing it quickly, I made another and carried it to the office. A very interesting email awaited me. Grinning darkly, I grabbed the satellite phone and started dialing.

I was impatient to have all this finished. It was time to see it through and get my life and children back.

A man answered after two rings. "Pronto."

"Alessio."

A long beat of silence followed. "Don D'Agostino. It has been awhile."

Alessio and I hadn't spoken directly since I'd hired him to kill Ravazzani-a job for which he'd failed to deliver results. Since then I'd let Vito handle the communication, but this couldn't wait for my brother. "This is not a friendly call," I snarled.

"I see. Still angry over wind and gelato, no?"

Alessio blamed the bungled assassination on changes in wind patterns and Ravazzani's sudden move to sample a dessert. It made no fucking sense-and I didn't give a shit. Ravazzani still breathed, so Alessio owed me. "I need you to drop everything and go to Málaga."

I couldn't hear him, not even his breathing, but I knew he was there, thinking over what I said. But he couldn't refuse. I had him by the balls.

"This is for the son, I assume. Vito warned me."

"He's using the name Javier Martín. I have images of him in the Málaga airport five days ago." Giulio had gone from Madrid to Málaga, changing his name mid-trip. Smart. But not smarter than me.

"No."

I sat up straight in my chair, my muscles tightening in anger. "Do you honestly think to refuse me?"

"You can't expect me to-"

"What I expect," I spat, "is for you to do anything I fucking ask. You failed in your last job for me, and with one call I can let Ravazzani know who shot him and almost killed his pregnant wife. Is this what you want?"

"If I kill his son, he will hunt me down like a dog."

"That is not my problem."

There was a long pause. We both knew he could not refuse me. If he did, I would tell Ravazzani everything I knew. Alessio would be on the run for the rest of his life.

Of course, if word got out that he killed Giulio, Alessio would also be on the run for the rest of his life. It was a lose-lose situation, but I didn't give a fuck. Not as long as I got what I wanted.

"Like I told Vito, I returned the money you paid me for Ravazzani," Alessio said, as if this excused his failure.

"That is not how it works, stronzo. And you should be grateful I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself after what happened. Imagine if word got around that you had missed."

"There are others you can hire. I can refer you to-"

"I don't want anyone else. I want the one who owes me his fucking life and will do what I need when I need it and keep his fucking mouth shut."

"Twenty million Euros," he fired back.