Page 6 of Little Rabbit

“Ah, now this is where things get a bit convoluted,” I tell her with a teasing smile. “Are you sure you’re ready for it?”

She blinks at me, and then looks at Lazaro. “Are you sure he didn’t hit his head or something? I mean, I get you, since you’re a giant, but like, did you drop something on his head? Should we get him to a doctor?”

Lazaro lets out a snort of laughter, and I shoot him an annoyed glare. He doesn’t respond , but the smile on his face is answer enough. “Cara, your concern is touching,” I say, pulling her attention back to me. “But I can assure you I’m perfectly mentally sound.”

“Could have fooled me,” she mutters. “Look, as much as I’m enjoying this little stroll around my family tree, could we pick up the pace to a jog at least? I’d like to get to bed before midnight. I thought mafia guys liked to be quick about things, but you’re about as slow as a turtle.”

Her sass is going to get her into a world of trouble, but I have to bide my time. If we were further along, I’d already be fucking that sass out of her, but instead, I say, “Fine, fine, excuse me for trying to keep you from being overwhelmed.”

“I have a soon-to-be mafia Don in my apartment with his giant of a bodyguard,” she replies drily, “and have just been informed that my biological family are mafia and are looking to take me captive and forcibly marry me off. I think we’re past overwhelming. Tell me the rest.”

Her calmness is remarkable. Any other woman would be freaking out and screaming the place down. So, I give her what she’s asked for.

“Your eldest brother, Marco, contacted our family to form an alliance, the price being the marriage of myself to your sister. Now, our family normally has no interest on this side of the ocean, but well, things change and I was intrigued. At that point, your sister was the only known female De Luca, so that made her even more appealing. However, we did not know that your father and uncle were also individually trying to secure marriages for her. Your father promised her to the eldest heir of a lower-level Boss just outside of New York, while your uncle promised her to a rival family in Sicily. Specifically, to Rafaele Parisi, who has taken over for his terminally ill father. As you can see, there are a lot of people who thought they were going to marry your sister. Until she went missing. None of us were the wiser about these other plans for her hand.

“Once she caught the eye of Nico, well, there was no way he was letting her go. Not long after we made an agreement with your brother for the marriage contract, we got a call from Nico and his housekeeper. The housekeeper is actually Lazaro’s sister, they informed us they were aware of the marriage contract and that things were falling apart in New York. Because while she was offered to Parisi, her brother to me, she was also offered to Nico by your uncle. Your uncle had no idea she was already with Nico. But to speed things up, we agreed with Nico and after speaking with your sister, we went to New York to handle things and attend their wedding. It was at that point when things made themselves known. Currently, the De Luca house is broken into three different factions, headed by your father, your uncle, and your brother. All three are trying to gain control, or in the case of your father, keep it, and part of that control is the need to fulfill some of those contracts to gain more allies and power. Since your sister is married and no longer an option, that only leaves you.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long time. She just stares at me, processing. Finally, she asks tightly, “And, you being here?”

“I’m here to take you to Sicily, where your sister is vacationing with her husband on their honeymoon, and ensure you don’t fall into the clutches of your family. From there, we’ll decide what happens.”

“You’ll decide,” she repeats, a sardonic smile twisting her mouth. “Oh, well, how generous of you, Mr. Caruso.”

“I’m a generous man,” I say with a smug smile. “Just ask anyone.”

“Mhmmm, and you’re not here to enforce the contract are you, Mr. Caruso?” she asks. “You know, since you can’t have my sister.” Her voice goes ice cold, and her eyes turn glacial as they stare at me.

Ah, there it is. The emotions she’s kept carefully guarded. I want to see just how much I can draw out of her. “You are far more my type, cara mia, though your sister is lovely,” I tell her. “I have a feeling you and I can be very happy together.”

“Well, I’m afraid I’m not in the marriage market at the moment.”

“Ah, well, I’m sure you’ll see how well we’re suited on the plane on our way back,” I say easily, getting to my feet. “And your sister can tell you all about how wonderful I am. You’ll be half in love with me before we land, cara mia.”

“You really think so?” she asks sarcastically, not moving as she watches me.

“I know so,” I brag. “I am well known to be…fuck!”

She moves so fast I can’t brace for it, or dodge the mug full of coffee that comes flying at my face with so much force that the impact stuns me and makes me stagger back a step. Before Lazaro or I can react, she runs into the pantry next to her, the door slamming shut behind her with the lock snicking in place. “Fuck!” I snarl, moving to the door and ramming into it, trying to force it open. Lazaro quickly joins me, the two of us trying to get the door down. “That was stupid, Sienna,” I growl, stepping back and swiping a hand along the side of my head, seeing blood coating it from where the mug cut me. “We were having such a nice conversation, too.”

Lazaro lets out a low snarl, steps back, and boots in the door with one hard kick. But the moment the door lands, instead of falling on her, I see that the pantry is empty. “What the fuck?” Lazaro snaps.

I spin on my heel and race for the window, and that’s when I see Sienna on the sidewalk, in front of the building near our SUV. “She’s outside,” I bark. We run out of the apartment, but just as we get outside, I watch in disbelief, anger, and maybe a little bit of amusement, as our SUV peels away from the curb, tires squealing.

I stand there staring after her, even as Lazaro starts barking orders into his phone. Anger burns in my belly that she got away, and that she caught me by surprise. But the anger is quickly overtaken by something darker, something far more pleasurable. It seems Sienna Harris has a few tricks up her sleeve. I won’t underestimate her when I catch her again. And I’ll make her see the errors of her ways in the best way possible.

4

SIENNA

Scottish Highlands

The weather in Scotland is surprisingly warm and sunny as I make my way along the winding road toward my parents’ cottage – one that isn’t on any documents and was purchased through a shell company. Do I think Alessio Caruso can’t find it? I know he will, and I need to be gone before he does. Or worse, before my biological family and their fucked-up mess catches up to me. Which is exactly why I called my parents and asked them to meet me quickly, letting them know it was an emergency. Of course, they dropped everything right away.

I should probably be shaking in terror considering what I’ve done, but instead, I’m damn proud of myself. I knew he wasn’t expecting it, and I have never been so grateful to Rori and my mother insisting on training me in the best ways to catch whoever might be in front of me off guard. I’ve also never been so happy that my apartment has that secret exit. Otherwise I’d probably be dead, or worse. Still, I would give anything to have seen Alessio’s face when he realized I stole his SUV. I was able to hot wire it to get out of there, another handy skill Rori taught me.

Speaking of Rori, I’m still trying to decide on what to tell her. I told her that there was an emergency in London and I had to head over, which she accepted easily enough, but I know that won’t last long. Rori has an incredible sixth sense about these kinds of things, and soon I’ll have to tell her what’s going on. But for now, I need to fill my parents in.

I may not have grown up in the mafia life that I was apparently sent away from, but having grown up on both sides of the Atlantic, I understand the reach of the various mafias and other criminal organizations. I don’t doubt that I’ve put a target on my back, and by extension, my parents’. So we need a plan, and fast.

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