Page 220 of Kissing the Villain

I tapped my platinum and onyx serpent ring on the desk to steady my nerves. “Stefano?”

“Agreed.”

Three of the other four men on the phone muttered similar responses.

“The Basiles are in town,” Enzo Conte boomed. “I expect Arlo and our Sicilian friends to grace us with their presence this weekend.”

Enzo had influence and power over the men on the phone.

“All of my family will be there,” I told Enzo.

My father had insisted I handle this matter without his intervention. Not like I needed his help. But an old-school mafiosolike Enzo would only speak to the head of the family, even though I was about to assume the position.

In my father’s eyes, my marriage to Alex was a step in the right direction. Finally, the plans he had laid out for me were falling into place. But until I held the title, men like Enzo would not consider me on the same level. And I needed his help.

“There’s one more matter of concern,” I told them. “We received a call from Conor O’Shea. Someone kidnapped his daughter Rhiannon after adding her to theIl Circoauction.”

Rhiannon O’Shea was the only daughter of an Irish Mob boss and Sonny’s cousin. Marcello had a love-hate relationship with the girl and saw her occasionally. Because of his friendship with Sonny and our relationship with the Irish, Marcello wouldn’t tell anyone about her. I was the only person who knew about his side piece.

With all the shit we had going on, I hadn’t had the chance to tell Marcello about Rhiannon. I wasn’t even sure if he would care. That bitch and her father had blackmailed my family for something Marcello had done in the past. Rhiannon could be the fuck toy of a sick motherfucker at the auction for all I cared.

She was my brother’s fuck buddy, but I could tell there was something more between them. Marcello hadn’t spoken to her after Alex returned to Devil’s Creek. That was how I knew he was falling for Alex. Besides Rhiannon, Alex was the only woman Marcello had kept around for more than a night.

“What do you want from us?” Vince asked.

“O’Shea is desperate to get his daughter back. This is an opportunity to force his hand with the CIRA.”

It was also a chance for my family to get revenge. O’Shea was lucky we let him live this long. And he would only continue to breathe until we bled him dry. Conor O’Shea strong-armed my father into making deals that didn’t suit our interests, all because of what Marcello had done to save the ungrateful dickhead’s daughter.

It was time the Irish paid for their sins.

Enzo said, “Arrange for O’Shea to visit my home this weekend with Arlo.”

“I will let my father know.”

“I’ll have an update on the Albanians in the next twenty-four hours,” Vince said and hung up.

The other men hung up afterward, leaving me feeling like I was sitting there with my dick in my hand. My mistakes were costing me a fortune. And if I didn’t find the men who wanted Alex in time, they would take something more valuable than my money. Without Alex, I would become someone unrecognizable. I would turn into the man my father had groomed me to become. She was the only reason I hadn’t turned into a full-blown psychopath. I struggled with rage and bloodlust every single day.

“That went well,” Damian deadpanned.

“I feel like I’ve just had a simultaneous root canal and colonoscopy.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Fuck, that was brutal. I will owe favors to the Five Families for the next decade.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Bastian said.

Some of our family’s power came from the help of our associates. I hated that we needed them to find the Albanians and whoever was vying for the bounty on Alex’s head. But none of our attempts to locate the bastards had proven successful.

A loud beep pierced through the silence. I glanced at the security monitors on the wall beside my desk, shaking my head at the sight of Aiden Wellington on my doorstep. Two guards gripped his shoulders with force. Determined to get inside, Aiden thrashed in their arms, desperate to break free.

“Find out what he wants,” I told my brothers.

Aiden banged on the front door as they rose from their chairs, screaming at the camera. I clicked the sound button on the remote.

“They took Alex!” Aiden slammed his fist into the door. “Open up, Salvatore!”

My jaw dropped at his words. A rush of heat shot down my arms, anger pumping through my veins.

What the fuck is he talking about?

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