Page 7 of Massimo

It's a long flight, even on a private plane. I can't imagine my mafia cousin doing well with the princess' screeching demands and hissed threats the entire trip; Gemma wouldn't stand for that.ZioRiccardo involved her in the life of their mafia family over in Italy, and she has the stomach for what needs to be done in our world. Although, he refuses to give her a leadership role because she doesn't have a dick between her legs, which is a huge loss—Gemma would make a great second-in-command, in my opinion.

My phone rings, and I frown, seeing it's Gemma.

What thefuckis the hold-up?

But I remain calm and controlled, like I highly value. "Cousin, please don't tell me you can't control a waif of a girl, even if she's being a spoiled brat?"

"Fuck you," Gemma huffs.

Okay, this is likely worse than I thought.

"Call your dogs off, Massimo." I frown, but before I can say anything, she continues, "We're coming, okay? Just tell the guards to get out."

"Why?"

"I don't know… They're triggering her or something."

I bark a laugh, it's harsh with no humor. "Of course, they're triggering her. They're there to make her cooperate, and she wants control, Gemma. Are you falling for whatever ruse the snake's spawn is pulling?"

"That's not it." She swears at one of the guards and tells him to back up. "Mass, seriously, call them off. We're coming out."

"Fine," I grit. I'm only doing this because Gemma asked; I wouldn't care or listen if the princess was shrieking her demands at me.

I hang up and say to Gabe, "Call the men back."

He speaks into his comms to communicate the order. Six men in combat gear with weapons on full display file out and position themselves on either side of the stairs, forming a funnel to the car's back passenger door. The princess won't be able to run when she finally deems us worthy of making a fucking appearance.

The way the guards are dressed is how Gabe runs his show—rather than suits, he opts for field gear, which is more functional for their role as soldiers. It also works well as an intimidation tactic—case in point is inside that plane.

But what did I expect? I'm dealing with a spoiled and pampered princess, the daughter of my enemy. Mancini is the worst of the worst, so why wouldn't I expect any less of his spawn? Of course, she'd be difficult and fighting, trying to control the situation to make us bend to her will rather than the other way around.

I smile inwardly. I'll have fun breaking her entitled little self. The princess wears the snakeskin of a Mancini. Despite the tiny, innocent-looking package, she's a viper underneath.

Movement catches my eye, and Gemma stands on the top of the stairs in a yellow flowing dress. Her raven hair is loose around her shoulders, and I know Gabe's reaction to seeing her without even looking at him.

My head bodyguard and best friend may be death-on-two-legs, but he's a big fucking teddy bear for my cousin.

I frown as Gemma turns and says something to someone inside the plane. Then she comes down the stairs, glaring at the guards, and waits at the bottom.

"What is she doing?" Gabe grips the steering wheel.

Gemma is acting odd. When you're in control of a captive, you lead them out—by the hair if you have to—not try and coax them out.

If I didn't know my cousin better, I'd say she had lost control as the captor, the roles were reversed, and she was being played by the captive. But Gemma is sly and cunning. She's a strategist, and she's jaded as hell. This doesn't make sense.

But all further thoughts are sucked out of my head when the princess finally deems us worthy of her presence.

I've only seen her in the photos that Crispin, our family's tech genius and hacker, took of Nova back home in Boston. Her creamy champagne-blonde hair and makeup are always done to perfection, and she wears the most expensive clothing.

Right now she's wearing a brown pantsuit romper that showcases her shoulders. She's even smaller in person.

Something about her makes me pause.

Her clothing is still well-cut and fashionable, but her hair is twisted into a messy bun on top of her head and her face is clean of make-up. The Mancini Princess always looks perfectly done up. I know Gemma drugged Nova at the club and then loaded her straight onto her family's plane, so that could be the reason for the messy hair and no make-up.

But her demeanor is all wrong.

In all the pictures, Nova looked the part of the perfect princess—soft, compliant, and poised. I'm not expecting that persona now, not after being kidnapped and forced onto a long-haul flight; I'm expecting the stiff spine of an indignant, pissed-off bitch who is ready to make her captor's life difficult.

---