Page 25 of The Vendetti Soldier

“Oh, I’m going to…” I moan, then cry out with a rush. The release is swift and powerful, to the point my vision blurs. I see spots as wave after wave of pleasure washes over me, making every inch of my body tingle in delight. I’ve come so many times tonight, I’ve lost count. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine my wedding night including two strong, sexy, powerful Vendettis.

“Have you spoken toPapa?” I find myself asking Rorik a week after our father left the Estate. I should be wrapped up in post-wedded bliss, and I am,but I’m also worried after Papa was shot. He may act like he’s young and strong, but the reality of the matter is he’s not. Toss in the fact both of his children are no longer in Russia with him, and it makes my stomach hurt thinking about him being lonely.

“Da, sister. He’s good.”

“What do you mean he’s good? He was just shot not long ago and then had to leave his two favorite people in the whole world,” I respond, a bit dramatically. Nothing Ror isn’t used to dealing with already, though. “There’s nothing for him to be happy about.”

His brow jumps as he takes in my messy hair and frazzled expression. “You didn’t get much sleep again, am I right? Did your marito keep you busy?”

“You’re starting to sound like them.”

He leans in, voice low as he states, “We are them now. Besides, you know more Italian than I do.”

I shrug. “Back to our father. What do you know?”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you.”

“Don’t try pulling any of this secretive crap on me now; we’re a team. You and me.”

“And our husbands.”

“Yes, but Santino hasn’t shared anything to do with business.”

“He doesn’t strike me as the type to involve his sweet, innocent wife.”

I snort. Innocent. Sure. The things we’ve been doing since the night we were engaged have been far from innocent. The wedding night solidified I married into a family of freaks, and I mean that in the best sort of way. “Tell me, or I’ll call Papa myself, and we both know it’ll only make him miss me more.”

He sighs, moving away from the view and sits back down on the chair next to me. We’re on one of the balconies having tea, enjoying the portable heaters the staff was kind enough to get warmed up when I asked this morning. I’m still in my luxurious white velvet robe, trimmed in some type of fur Luciano so sweetly surprised me with one evening after he insisted I soak in the tub to rest my muscles. My clothes are beside the point, my brother is stalling, and I don’t like it one bit. We don’t keep things from each other, he and I always stick together; it’s the reason why we’ve always been best friends, not only twins. “Why do I feel like you won’t let this go until I tell you what I know?”

“Probably because it’s true. You should know better by now.”

“I’m trying not to upset my husband.”

“Well, also try not to piss your favorite sister off as well.”

“My only sister,” he grumbles quietly. He flicks his gaze out across the vast grounds, momentarily taking in the white winterwonderland. “I want to bring them to see our castle,” he says absently, and I find myself tapping my fingers on the table, attempting to remain patient as he works through whatever he’s got on his mind. I know him well enough to be confident he’ll spill. He sighs again. “Fine, Mischa. At least pretend like you don’t know,” he says, and it takes everything in me not to squeal in triumph and jump over to hug him. Instead, I stay quiet, waiting.

“Papa is working with the Capo to find a specific Irishwoman. From my understanding, she’s in charge of the faction that causes the Vendetti family so many issues. Supposedly, she’s set up various explosions, ruining several of their properties. Her brother was sent to Chicago to stir up problems and nearly killed Dante’s wife.”

“Seriously?” I gasp.

He shrugs, leaning back in his chair. He sips from his tea and continues. “Supposedly there was an ambush, and he fired on Dante and his wife. There’s more. Valentino was caught fucking the woman—the one in charge.”

“No!” I whisper-shout, shocked to my core. These mafia men don’t strike me as the type to fall for the enemy. I bet Matteo was positively boiling mad when he found one of his own brothers with his enemy. I’m a little surprised the brother is still alive. I know they claim family is everything to them, but fucking the enemy who’s been killing your own crew kind of pushes things into a gray area. If it were one of Papa’s brothers, they’d already be dead.

He nods. “They believe she’s the one who set up the ambush outside the gates; that she’s to blame for Papa getting shot and his men being murdered.”

“But…why? She has to know pissing off the Vendettis is a death wish.” I take a sip of the hot tea, unable to glance away from Rorik. This news has me fully invested.

“Dante killed her brother in Chicago when he went after his wife. It’s this big thing spanning over years that I’ve only managed to catch bits and pieces of in conversations. They’ve shown me trust, but I’m not completely in with the brothers yet. It’ll take time for them all to fully trust me and share backstory on everything.”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I think over everything Rorik has shared. The Irish are gunning heavily for the most powerful mafia name in America. “There has to be more to it we don’t know about. It’s too much for an Irish faction to risk certain death over.”

“I agree. The only thing making any sense is if there’s a history we don’t know about. Anyway, Papa’s staying busy trying to hunt this woman down for Matteo. If it weren’t for the distraction, we’d be hearing from Papa daily. Or he’d already be on his way back to check in with us.”

“He’s a good father. Don’t get me wrong, I was going stir crazy stuck in the house with him, but I will miss having him nearby—our dinners and vacations. He meddles, but he spoils us.”

My brother nods, his lips tipping up, remembering the same fond memories as I am. “He’ll be back for a visit before we know it. Maybe it’s all the more reason to take our husbands to visit Russia.”

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