Page 12 of Married to the Mafia Devil

His voice is a gruff bark in a Russian accent, his words clipped and direct. “Quiet down,” he grunts, his breath smelling faintly of tobacco.

His companion waves a gun at me. He’s taller, thinner, his hair tied back in a neat ponytail. He wears a crisp white shirt under a tailored suit jacket. He watches me struggle with a cold detachment, only intervening with his voice, smooth and even, almost soothing in its tone.

“Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be,” he says, his gaze locked on mine. “Where’s your father?”

A cold terror courses through me. “You’ve come to kill him, haven’t you?”

“Smart girl. Where is he?”

Despite the fear, a fierce determination not to be a victim surges through me. “You’re making a mistake,” I say, trying to infuse my voice with the same strength I've been forced to summon every day since Mom died. “Matteo Rossi is a friend of mine. You hurt us and he’ll hurt you worse.”

“Bullshit. You don’t know Don Rossi.”

“He’s on the end of this phone right now. Ask him if I know him.”

The thin man snatches the cellphone from me. “Who is this?” he asks down the line, pausing for a second. “Don Rossi?”

He listens for a moment, his resolve crumbling. “Petrovitch has it.” He pauses again, his face turning white as he listens.

“What did he say?” the bulldog asks.

“He’s coming for us,” his companion replies. “Bring her, we can use her as a shield, try to bargain.”

“Bargain with Matteo Rossi? Are you insane? Leave her and let’s run for it while we can.”

“She means something to him. I heard it in his voice. We might be able to swap her for our lives.” He glances at me. “Are you related to him or something? Who are you to him?”

I summon up all my courage. “You kidnap me and he’ll kill you.”

“What about Flesh?” the bulldog asks, ignoring my threat.

“That’s not a bad idea. Petrovitch turf. Secure. Keep her there while we bargain. Let’s do it.”

I glance toward Amelia’s room as she appears in her doorway, terror etched on her face. I motion desperately for her to hide, a silent plea she understands at once, backing away out of sight.

“This way,” the thin man says, gun pointing straight in my face. “Time for a change of scenery.”

FOUR

Matteo

“They've gone into Flesh.” Alex’s voice is steady, but I can hear the underlying tension down the phone line.

“I’m ten minutes away. Don’t let them leave.” I can hardly see for the rage boiling inside me. They kidnapped her? My angel? They will suffer pain the world has never seen before.

Alex is still talking and I tune back in. “You want to go in after them? Only, breaking into Petrovitch’s biggest brothel uninvited probably counts as a declaration of war.”

“He started this. He stole the suitcase from my vault.”

“You still haven’t got any real proof he ordered the robbery. Plausible deniability, remember? Same as with your parents.”

“Who the fuck else would need that file? We’ve got a billion dollar deal going down in a week and someone just happens to crack our secure vault and take the file containing all the blackmail material I’ve gathered on the appropriations committee? Leaves the money, the jewels, everything else. Just takes the file and loads it into a suitcase. Who else would do that?”

“I’m not saying he didn’t do it. I’m saying we need proof or the city drowns in blood and that deal disappears into the mayor’s asshole.”

“They already told me it was Petrovitch they were selling to. I’m betting he ordered the theft. Who’s on the door there?”

“Peter. Looking bored and I’m guessing he’s not been to the gym for a while. Put on at least ten pounds. Want me to take him out?”

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