Page 107 of Ruined in Vows

Nico pushes the door at the end open, stepping inside. Matteo and I move closely behind him, pausing when I spot all the men sitting around a large oval shaped table. Nico takes his seat at the head, motioning for me to sit on one side and Matteo on the other. He makes the introductions, no doubt for my benefit, though I met them in a previous life.

All these men are strangers.

To our right-hand side, he points out the Don of the LuccheseFamiglia, Antonio Lucchese with his under boss, Elio, standing guard behind him.

Then we have Emiliano De Luca and his underboss, Piero. Nico then motions to Marco Agostini and his right-hand, Alessandro.

Along with the Romanos and Marchetti’s they make up the five families in New York and the commission.

“Gentleman,” Nico starts.

“Can we get these theatrics over with, Marchetti. I have other business to attend to,” Agostini grunts, taking a pull on his cigar.

Nico narrows his eyes, shooting back with pure venom. “Do you not think dealing with a traitorous enemy is more pressing than meeting your whore in the hotel room you have her shacked up in?”

Agostini bursts from his seat, palms flat on the table.

“Don’t you dare bring her into this, unless youwantanother enemy!” he hisses.

“That’s enough,” Antonio Lucchese barks, making Marco, who keeps his narrowed gaze on Nico, take his seat once more. Antonio is the oldest man in the room, one that demands our respect even when we don’t want to give it, and Nico’s only competition for head of the commission.

Nico’s papà, Lorenzo, was the head before he was gunned down by the Russians. Can’t say I am upset that it happened to him. Not after everything I’ve relearned since coming back. The man was a power-hungry asshole, who sold his daughter to the highest bidder, without a worry about what would become of her.

He received his karma tenfold.

Nico clears his throat. “As you can all see, Dante is very much alive. Turns out Riccardo wanted rid of my underboss, so the wedding to my sister could go ahead. Ignoring the other shit he pulled, that alone was an attack on my family in and of itself. To execute his plans, he consorted with the Bratva, our enemies. He is a traitor and cannot be trusted.”

“We already discussed this,” De Luca mutters. “What is it you want from us, Marchetti?”

“You know what I want,” Nico fires back.

“We already told you that it’s yours. Torture the bastard, kill him. He will be no loss to anyone,” Lucchese adds.

Agostini snorts, shaking his head. “And the women of New York will be a lot safer without that violent piece of shit around. We are all aware of what type of man he is. It was a shock to us all when your papà agreed to an arrangement with Franco.” He stands once more. “Do what you have to do, Nico. But do it quickly and discreetly.”

Antonio also rises, buttoning his jacket. “If Franco starts asking questions, we will be ready for it. Make it look like the Russians turned on Riccardo. We have all the evidence we need to show Franco that his son was a traitorous asshole, not fit to be part of our commission. He double crossed us. Whether the stuff with Dante had happened or not, the fact he consorted with the Russians is grounds for death. You know how we work. We might not all get along most of the time, but there is a sense of loyalty and comradery between our families. It has been the same for the last eighty odd years. Riccardo Romano clearly thought he could challenge our rules.” Lucchese smirks. “Look how far that got him.”

Nico chuckles. “Dead.”

“Not yet. But he will be.” De Luca adds, standing.

Antonio turns to face me. “Good to see you alive, Dante. See to it that Riccardo gets exactly what he deserves.”

Without another word, he strides toward the door, the other families following his lead, leaving me, Nico and Matteo.

Nico faces me, a manic look in his eyes. “Ready?”

“More than ready.”

“Fuck,” Riccardo grunts, his head dropping to his chest as I slice through his flesh, inch by little inch. I’m making it as painful as possible, drawing it out, and inflicting as much discomfort as I can on him, for every minute he kept me away from my angel.

“What made you believe you could ever get away with this?” I growl, bringing the knife down and stabbing his thigh. The crunching sound tells me I have hit bone.

Riccardo whimpers, biting back the scream he so desperately wants to release. I have got to give it to the man, even knowing that he is about to die, he is avoiding showing us any sort of weakness. “I got away with it for months. If only the whore hadn’t seen you in Las Vegas, she would be married to me by now. She would be my wife. I would be taking that cunt, ass, mouth, and every little part of her until there was nothing left,” he fires back, a smirk covering his ugly, battered, and bruised face.

The thought of his hands on her, taking her without her consent, taking what isminehas me seeing red. Pulling the knife out of his thigh, I slam it down once more, then smash him in the face with my fist. His head snaps back, the force of it making the chair tip. He laughs manically, blood coating his teeth.

“Do not talk about what is mine. Don’t even think about her.”

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