Page 3 of Born into Mayhem
Surprising the hell out of me, the woman nods, throws her shoulders back and scans the crowd like a lioness on the hunt. She spots a man at the other end of the bar, and when he returns her flirty smile, she says, “You’re right. He may not be my first choice, but he’ll doin a pinch,” and with those parting words, she walks off, raising a hand to Ricki on her way to let him know he should start pouring.
“She’s going to drink her weight in alcohol,” I tell my brother. “Why did you offer to pay for that?”
Sandro laughs. “I’m not paying for it. I don’t own the bar.”
“Dominic will be thrilled to know he’s footing her bill,” I say, knowing exactly what our cousin would think of this.
My brother shrugs. “He’ll never find out. He has a six-month-old son, a four-year-old daughter, and a wife he’s obsessed with. That man’s attention is not on La Dolce Vita’s finances. Plus, he’s good for it. The man’s loaded.”
He’s not wrong. Being the don of the Alessi Mafia pays well, and we’ve all benefited from it. None of us will ever be hurting for money, and when Dominic married Natalya Melnikov, it joined our families, increasing the wealth and security for everyone. It just so happens that Mia is Natalya’s younger sister, a fact that my brother is always more than happy to remind me of.
To prove my point, he says, “So if you marry Mia, Dominic will be your brother-in-law and your cousin. That’ll be weird. What would your kids be to each other? That’s a Google question if there ever was one.” He ponders that particular quandary for a second before moving on and saying, “Not to mention the heart attack Lev will have when he loses another daughter to the Italians. You might want to go ahead and freeze some sperm, because he’s going to try and cut your balls off.”
“Nothing is going on between Mia and me,” I try to tell him. “I teach her to fight. That’s it.”
He grins and scans the crowd. “For now, brother, but you and I both know where this is headed. Mom and Dad want grandkids, and you’re the oldest, so you’d better get on it.”
“I’m leaving,” I tell him, because there’s no way in hell I’m sticking around for a baby talk. I don’t need to warn him about sharing this with anyone else. Alessandro might talk a lot of shit to me, but neither one of us would ever betray the other, and I know this conversation and his suspicions won’t go any further than this. It won’t stop him from teasingme about it every chance he gets, though, so I mentally try to prepare myself for that as I leave a tip for Ricki and then nod at my brother’s grinning face.
Before I leave the club, I stop and have a word with Marco, one of the bouncers on duty, making sure everything looks okay. We’ve had some issues with a local gang trying to sell drugs nearby, but according to Marco there’s been no sign of them tonight.
“Call me if you see anything,” I say before leaving him to his work and walking out. There’s a long line waiting to get in, but I ignore it and head straight for the Ducati Streetfighter that’s parked right out front. God, I love this fucking bike. The all-black sleek design is what first caught my attention, and once I’d taken a test ride, I was hooked. Dominic thought I’d lost my mind the first time I got on one wearing an Armani suit, but I refuse to compromise. I love my expensive suits, and I love my motorcycle, so why can’t I have both?
When I hike a leg over, the suit moves with me. I’d had several tailor made in a stretch wool blend, and so far it’s worked out perfectly. Before I start the bike, I grab my phone and send Mia a text.
ME:
You let your guard down during the second stab. What if he’d punched you and taken one of your knives?
I grin and pocket my phone, knowing how much it’ll piss her off when she reads it. Pulling the dark helmet on over my head, I start the bike, smiling even bigger at the sound of the loud engine rumbling to life. The visor on my helmet is tinted, hiding me from view, but all eyes are on me as I leave the club, accelerating as soon as I hit the street. The engine screams as I weave through traffic, reminding me that it’s been way too long since I’ve let loose and taken it for a proper drive.
The standalone I bought a few years ago isn’t far from Dominic’s house, and Sandro bought a place that’s only minutes from mine. We’d wanted to stay close together in case there was ever any trouble, but thingshave been quiet here. My brother and I still fly to Italy several times a year, making sure everything is secure there. Our dad keeps a close eye on things, but he’s not getting any younger, and despite the fact that Dominic left more than enough men to keep things safe, it’s still a good idea to show our faces so none of the other families get any crazy ideas.
Before I head home, I pull into Dominic’s driveway, stopping at the closed gate and lifting my visor so the guard on duty can see me. As soon as he gets a good look at my face, he gives a respectful nod and pushes a button that’ll open the gate. I drive through, parking next to Dominic’s Lamborghini. He’s had to switch to more of a family-friendly SUV, but he still loves the Lambo and sneaks Natalya off for drives every chance he gets.
Ignoring the front door, I walk around to the back, typing in the key code and entering in through the door that leads to Tony’s section of the house. Dominic’s live-in doctor is our go-to guy for everything. Dr. Bianchi retired last year, but he still lives above the garage with his wife. Lucia refuses to fully retire, and she’s been taking care of our family since we were kids. She’s the best cook on the planet and Dominic’s kids love her, so they’re more than happy to keep her on staff. He did hire a housekeeper, though, so Lucia’s duties wouldn’t be quite so demanding. She’d pretended to be insulted and hadn’t talked to him for three days after Sofia started working, but we all know she secretly loves having the other woman around. It helps that Sofia is in her mid-fifties instead of some eighteen-year-old who’d walked in like she was taking over the place.
“What’s wrong?” Tony asks, quickly rushing from the hall that leads to his private living space. He looks like he just woke up with his disheveled hair and poorly tucked in shirt. He puts his dark glasses on and runs his eyes over me, trying to find an obvious injury, but when he doesn’t see one, he asks, “Did Mia cut you again?”
“That was one time, Tony,” I remind him. The cut she’d given me had required twenty stitches, and every time I see the scar that runs up my left forearm, I’m reminded of Mia. Not that I need much help withthat. Ever since she turned eighteen I can’t seem to get her out of my head.
Tony tries to hide his grin and says, “So what’s going on then?”
“Nothing. I just came here to talk to Dominic. I didn’t want to bother Sofia with the front door.” I say a quick “Sorry I woke you up” as I walk past him and towards the stairs.
“That’s okay,” Tony says, already on his way back to bed.
He’s learned over the years to get sleep when he can. You never know when someone’s going to take a bullet and require an all-night surgery.
Before going to Dominic’s office, I make a quick stop at the kitchen. Lucia’s long gone for the day, but she keeps the fridge stocked, and when I open it, I’m not at all surprised to find it loaded with the best Italian food in the city. That woman is a godsend. My brother and I would starve without her.
I’ve just loaded up my arms with containers of caprese salad, lasagne, and grilled vegetables when Dominic walks in carrying his son. “You’re lucky I didn’t just grab my gun and shoot you when I heard you raiding my fridge.”
I set everything down and start fixing a plate. “You’d never just blindly shoot a man, Dom. I know you better than that.”
He knows I’m right. Dominic is a lot of things, but he’s not stupid or incompetent. If he was going to shoot me, he’d do it while looking me in the eyes, which would give him plenty of time to realize it’s just me raiding his fridge and not an actual threat.
Enzo gives a soft whimper, and my big tough mafia don cousin starts swaying and patting his son’s butt while he baby talks to him in Italian. I laugh and dish out more food.
