Page 11 of Massimo

Massimo

TheabjectterroronNova's face when she sees the guards should be the fucking cherry on top of this goddamn sundae.

Instead, unease swirls in my gut. Which I promptly ignore.

Novashouldfeel terror and realize that she won't be allowed to leave until I deem it so.

I haven't decided when or how yet; I was planning on letting Nova have a role in dictating her fate. It all depends on her behavior during her captivity, and once she sheds her skin to reveal her true self, that will dictate whether she's still actually breathing after I kill her father.

The Mancini empire will be destroyed—nothing will be left for her or her brothers if they're allowed to live. But I'm not a heartless monster. If Nova proves not to be the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel, slithering creature like her father, she might still draw breath once this is over.

But I watched her double down on her acting skills during the drive to my home. She's more determined than ever to keep her true self hidden from me—and that pisses me off.

Fuck her for trying to feign weakness and innocence. She's wearing a mask to hide that's she's a venomous viper, hiding behind deceptive compliance. She's hiding behind her walls, trying to play me for afool.

After what Lixin and Amazu did, how they played me, Ash, and Dom—the other Chamber leaders—for fools, that will not happen again. I won't fucking allow it.

Rage claws at my insides.

Knowledge of Lixin and Amazu's betrayal is less than twenty-four hours old, but I'm unsure if it will ever abate. They weren't my friends; however, they were my allies and ones my father, family, and I trusted. The Chamber has been in place for years—it was the brainchild of my father and the then-leader of the Triads. Its purpose was to stop the warring and bloodshed amongst the top five strongest criminal factions in San Francisco—the Santoro family, the Triads, the Havoc Guardians motorcycle club, the Fire Clan, and the Saints. It forms a collective alliance where we could protect each of our assets and grow our power and wealth at the same time.

Over the decades of operating, the Chamber had grown the wealth and strength of our five factions, and several other smaller criminal entities had benefited as well. The Chamber has an oversight and protection role it's come to play, one we take very seriously.

Lixin and Amazu's scheming and treachery would've destroyed the Chamberandthe Santoros—and it could have opened the floodgates for human trafficking.

They made a fool of me for not suspecting their treachery. Hell, I hadn't even been the one who initially suspected them—it was Vito, after putting pieces together trying to protect Eden.

I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Nova Mancini, the Mancini Princess, the snake's spawn. She wouldn't pull the fucking wool over my eyes. I see her trying to hide who she really is.

And I'll crack her wide open like a nut to see her dark and slithering insides.

Gabe drives us up the driveway lined with tall, thick trees that hide the large house from the street. My home sits on three massive lots, which allows for expansive grounds, but more importantly, it situates the house in the middle so it's easily guarded from all angles. Like my family's estate, it is fortified and guarded by technology and humans.

I inwardly smile when the house itself comes into view, knowing that to Nova, it's as imposing and overwhelming as the impenetrable wall surrounding the property. It's elegant and cold with intimidating strength—much like me.

Only Gabe’s six hand-picked men are allowed in the house; the rest of the guards are stationed along the perimeter. The house staff have been given paid leave, leaving only Jerome, my butler and majordomo, onsite. He loves to cook, so he'll easily be able to feed the Mancini Princess, Gabe, me, and the guards rotating on shifts. He'll call in some of our cleaning staff periodically when he knows Nova won't be seen by them.

I step out of the vehicle and head to the trunk, just as Gemma scrambles around the back to join me. Gabe sees her and moves to Nova's side of the vehicle in case she tries to make a run for it. She wouldn't get far, but still.

I let Gemma see my displeasure. She knows how this works, yet her face is etched with concern.

"Massimo." She grips my forearm.

I shrug her off. "Which luggage pieces are yours?"

Gemma isn't staying here; she'll be staying at my family's estate, surprising them with her visit.

"Massimo." She grips my arm again and yanks to make me look at her. "Fucking stop for one second."

"No," I grit, then school my face back to being unreadable.

"She didn't fight. Not once," Gemma says in a rush. "She didn't even ask questions."

"So she was the perfect captive. Good to hear." I look at Gabe standing by the back passenger door. Nova hasn't gotten out of the vehicle yet, and that makes me angrier.

Spoiled, pampered princess sitting there like we're here to serve her, at her beck and fucking call, waiting for the door to be opened for her. Probably expects one of us to carry her in as well.

Fuck that.

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