Page 36 of Mafia Mistress

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Fausto

Something toldme she was going to run.

I knew the wedding dress, combined with whatever Francesca saw in the dungeon, would overwhelm her and force her hand. I was looking forward to the challenge, actually. She had no chance of escaping, but it would be fun to see how she tried.

I kept working late into the night. As usual, guards patrolled outside and two men monitored the security feeds. There was a complex system of tunnels that connected the castello to hideouts in the surrounding mountains, and if she found them she would be able to get deep into the forest. While she wouldn’t get away, it would take us some time to find her.

She was unaware of that option, thankfully, and I meant to see it stayed that way.

Giulio had returned an hour ago. Francesca would wait until she assumed everyone was asleep before making her attempt. Which meant any minute now….

I was checking over a contract we had secured for a government building when I heard the creak of the floor above me. Ah, yes. The monellawas on the move.

My lips curved into a smile. It was so satisfying to be proven right.

I flicked off the light in my office, just in case she came down this corridor. More likely she would go the other way, through the kitchen to gather supplies, then out the back door, but I wanted to be cautious. When I didn’t hear her footsteps, I assumed she had gone toward the kitchen, so I followed.

My feet were silent on the old floors as I approached. The refrigerator door opened and closed, and I waited out of sight as she rifled through the cabinets. Looking for food, no doubt. Packages rustled, then her steps took her toward the back door.

I didn’t try to stop her. The best way to break her was to give her a tiny sliver of hope—and then crush it. Prove to her there really was no escape.

The latch on the back door clicked shut, ever so quietly. A second later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. As I moved into the kitchen to peer out the window, I swiped to answer. “Pronto.”

“Don Fausto, the girl has left.” It was Benito. “What do you want us to do? Should we grab her?”

“No,” I said immediately. “I need to teach her a lesson. Let her go.”

“She is headed toward the front. Out toward the road.”

Even better. If she’d gone through the estate, she could have hidden in a dozen places and caused more aggravation. The road was a true waste of her time. “Call our friends at the carabinieri,” I said, letting the local police be of some use. “Have someone pick her up and hold her there on the road.”

“Okay,” Benito said and hung up.

I strode back to my office. There was nothing to do now but wait.

Part of me admired her for running. She was strong willed, which would be good for Giulio. When I died, my son would need a formidable partner, a woman who could handle the risks of life in the mafia. In fact, many women were running ’ndrine nowadays, as their husbands sat in jail.

My father had been arrested once, but released within hours. The witnesses had recanted their testimony and moved away, up to some Scandinavian country where the food was shit. Then my father made certain to infiltrate every level of government, including the police and the judicial system, as insurance against future arrests. That foresight meant I hadn’t been charged with any crime to date because most everyone was on my payroll. There were rumblings about a crackdown on a bigger scale, but I had yet to see it.

So Francesca’s bravery was actually beneficial to the family. I merely needed to prove to her that my power superseded anything she might ever plan.

Benito called twenty minutes later. “They have her. It’s about a half mile along the road to the east.”

“Excellent.” No doubt she was spitting mad. “Come, you’ll drive me.”

He paused for a half-second. “Should we call Marco? He won’t like it if you leave the estate without him.”

I considered this. Leaving was a risk, but a slight one. The road was close to the castello, well within the area my men routinely patrolled. Also, I couldn’t wait to see the look on Francesca’s face when I arrived.

Decision made, I said, “We’ll be fine. We aren’t going far.”

“I’ll meet you out front.”

I disconnected and grabbed one of the pistols I kept in my office. I didn’t expect trouble but it didn’t hurt to have extra firepower. As I went through the castello, I briefly considered waking Giulio. She was his fiancée, after all. But I quickly discarded the idea. Right or wrong, I wanted to handle this. Whatever punishment she received would come from me.

Benito waited in the heavily fortified SUV I used when I left the estate. I got in the back and we drove off. Speaking of punishment, what would I do to her? I knew what I wanted to do, but it was impossible. I wanted to spank her ass red until she cried and begged me to stop. But that would ignite the attraction simmering in my belly for her, the precise reaction I was trying to prevent.

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