Page 41 of Memento Mori
“We will need help,” she said.
I nodded. “Call Abasi. Have him get here as soon as he can. And bring everything possible since we don’t know who we’re dealingwith. Somebody wants war, and war is what they’re about to get.”
Chapter Sixteen
HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE COMMISSION
Aaliyah
I’d spent endless hours trying to uncover what the hell was going on and who was behind it. I immersed myself in the dark web until I came across an encrypted site known as Soldier of Fortune. It was there I uncovered most of the information we needed.
I agreed Dante Messina had a hand in the shipment being seized, but he was not behind the plot to get rid of me, and some of the wives of some of the highest-ranking men in the criminal underworld. He doesn’t have the power or the balls, and not the brains although I couldn’t confirm his hands were totally clean in the plot.
What are the connections between Antonio and these other men? And what the hell does it mean I have to pay for the sins of the father?
Somebody had a death wish going after me and the wives of the heads of the Yakuza, the Bratva, and the Irish mob. It was unheard of. This person was either crazy, had a serious bone to pick with these men, or both. That made whoever it was very unpredictable and dangerous, which made the situation more dire and made me extremely uncomfortable. I hadn’t even revealed the information to Antonio in hopes I could tell him who was behind the plot when I did. My time had run out. There was a contract on my life, as well as three other women.
“How much longer are you planning to work on this Aaliyah?” he asked. “It’s fucking cold in here.”
“The cold helps me think,” I mumbled, continuing to scour the dark web trying to find the person behind the attack on the Rizzo family and the contract on my life.
I had no idea why, but the colder the room, the more info just flowed through me. It had been that way since I was a child. Antonio always complained when I worked in near-freezing temperatures like now.
I glanced at him. “I’m planning on working on this however long it takes, Tony. Someone is threatening you. I’d love to know who and why so I can cut their balls off and shove them down their throats before I put a bullet through their head.”
With a roar of laughter, he threw his head back. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time since Papa Rizzo’s death the old Antonio made anappearance. I missed his laugh and his smile. It had become a rare occurrence to see.
“I know it’s important Aaliyah.” He took my laptop out of my hands then sat it on the bedside table. “All I’m saying is you need to take a break. You’ve been working on this shit since we found out about the shipments and the note.”
My best work was done from the comforts of my bedroom. Whenever some deep digging needed to be done, or breaking into a couple of encrypted mainframes, or hours upon hours of hacking, I liked to be comfortable. And no other place was more comfortable than our bed.
“Antonio, it’s important,” I whined.
“I know,Bella. But we need to take a break and have some time to ourselves before all hell breaks loose.” With a smile, he ran his fingers through my hair and softly kissed my earlobe. “We’ll have a lot more eyes on this thing in a few more hours, so you can afford to take a break for an hour or two. And right now, I want my wife. I need my wife.”
With every lingering, trembling kiss on my collarbone, he drew some of my flesh into his mouth. How could I say no? We’d been so focused on the mess within the Family, as well as running numerous legal and illegal businesses, we hadn’t had much time for ourselves. I missed my husband as much as he missed me.
“Antonio,” I moaned as he laid me back, situating his muscular frame in between my thighs.
“Yes, my love?” He kissed my forehead, then my eyes, and finally my lips. “What do you want? You are my heart, the very air I breathe. If you asked me for the moon, I’d give it to you.”
How do you reply to something like that? Antonio always had a way with words. If there was a such thing as an ice queen, he could melt the ice around her heart instantly. However, nothing was more special than the look in his eyes right now. One of lust and most of all, love.
Unable to speak, all I could do was surrender to him. Antonio knew he already had my heart and my soul, but now he needed my body. Something he never had to ask for. I was his.
Always.
I softly nudged him, and he ended up on his knees. I hoisted my tank top above my head, exposing my breasts to him. A deep growl resonated from his chest as he caressed my breasts and sensually kissed my perky nipples.
With my husband’s warm breath on my chilled skin, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and lean my head back in delight. Softly, he laid me back down and then kissed me fervently, transitioning from my breasts to my lips.
“I know I’ve been distracted with everything this past few months, but I want you to know how much I love you and how happy you make me Aaliyah.”
Our eyes locked in a gaze. I held his face and smiled back. “I know, Tony. And I love you too.”
He reclaimed my lips shattering our tender moment. His tongue sent shivers of lust racing through me as he explored every inch of my body. His hands moved downward, tracing a gentle path along my stomach and thighs. A deep, satisfied sigh escaped my lips. We had been so engrossed in grief and the threats surrounding us, we hadn’t taken the time to reconnect with one another.
He pushed himself inside me completely, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, matching his every movement. This was when I felt the connection between us the most. The loved we shared was tangible when we were intimate. We breathed in each other, with every caress of skin, and with every intake of air, we existed as one. Nothing or anyone could come between us. Not even Death himself. We were one until we both took our final breaths.
