Page 77 of The Madman and his broken Princess
He was one of the people I couldn’t punish. Dammit.
Amelia leaned back against the headboard with a look of trepidation. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and lifted it to my ear. “Remo, to what do I owe this call?” I had an inkling of why Remo was calling me today. The news of my spectacular exchange must have reached Las Vegas by now.
“I’m currently watching helicopter footage of police shooting chimps after they ripped apart as of yet unknown victims in the Port of Los Angeles.” He paused for effect, and I waited patiently for him to continue. “I remember these crazy apes distinctly from my conquest of the manor. Nino recommended we shoot them as they were obviously out of control. I thought this should be your decision, considering the manor was yours. I reckon you didn’t kill them.”
“Indeed,” I said. I motioned for Amelia to go ahead to the bathroom. I had a feeling Remo was calling with a purpose in mind. Often, when I acted too volatile, he liked to remind me of my standing in the Camorra. His word was law, even in California.
“Apparently, a few rats kidnapped Achille Lamorgese’s son, and you staged a risky exchange?”
I wondered who had leaked the information. Several of my men had known about the kidnapping and my plan. I doubted Niccolo had gone behind my back. He preferred to be honest with Remo, as did I, but he would have told me if he thought we should call our Capo. “It wasn’t very risky. Chaos was on my side.”
“It always is, and so is madness.” Remo was one to speak. My chaos and madness were why we got along so well, or as well as one could get along with my bloodthirsty Capo. “I assume the boy is safe and our enemies died brutally.”
“The chimps were very vengeful.”
“Given their abrupt end, you probably failed to obtain any information regarding possible supporters.” The strain inRemo’s voice revealed his anger, but I could handle it. It was my friend, not a foe.
“These men are the last of a dying species. We’ll burn them out of their dank holes even without the unreliable words out of Corvin’s mouth.”
“Considering your adept torturing skills, he would have revealed the truth eventually.”
I didn’t deny it.
“I enjoyed seeing their torn apart bodies. I’ll give you slack for that. And I’m glad those apes are finally out of the picture. I always worried they’d eat you one day. That would have been a shame.”
That probably meant he didn’t want to kill me for my actions.
“As you might have guessed, this circus spectacle isn’t the only reason I’m calling. I told Nino to schedule your next cage fight in Las Vegas for tomorrow evening, so you should probably grab a flight tonight so you have some time to acclimatize.”
“I expected an invitation from you, and I’ll be there tonight.”
“I assume Amelia will join us?”
Protectiveness reared its furious head. “She’ll be with me where she belongs.”
“Good, good. I booked a hotel suite for you in the Palazzo. Nino and I will join you for dinner at their steakhouse restaurant tonight.”
“I haven’t had a good steak in a while.”
“You’ll get one. I hope Amelia likes hers bloody?”
Remo was trying to get a rise out of me, but with him, I rarely felt the urge to snap. Maybe his volatile nature spoke to mine on a deeper level. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate her food either way.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight at eight.”
He hung up. I got out of bed and followed the sound of the shower into the bathroom. Amelia stood under the running water stream, looking absolutely breathtaking. I tracked therivulets cascading over her ample tits and the dip of her waist down to the beautiful triangle. The moment she spotted me, she turned off the water and poked her head out. Her hair was plastered to her head, and a few droplets caught on her lush lips and lashes. “What did he want?” The anxiety in her voice told me she had the necessary respect for Remo.
“He wants us to come to Las Vegas tonight so we can have dinner together and I can prepare for my cage fight tomorrow.”
Amelia’s face fell, her mouth falling open. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her body, and tiptoed toward me. Small puddles marked the spots where her wet feet had touched the marble, and her wet hair soaked the fabric of the towel, but she didn’t seem to care.
“A cage fight?”
“Most men of power in the Camorra have to do them, and it’s my turn.”
She threw up her arms. “He’s punishing you for saving Luciano!”
“If he intended to punish me, he’d do so. A fight is hardly a punishment for me, only for my opponent.”
