Page 115 of Bratva Bride

ChapterTwenty-Eight

Arturo De Luca

“Is she here yet?” Vin asked, stepping into the basement downstairs that served as our torture dungeon.

I pummelled the fucker strapped to the chair we had bolted to the floor in the middle of the room, punching him repeatedly in the face even though he was knocked out.

I didn’t fucking care. I had anger to work out and this guy was the perfect option.

Hewasa Cosa Nostra man…until he decided to open his stupid fucking mouth and insult my wife.

“She’s on the way.”

One final punch and I was done. For now. I grabbed a cloth sitting on the metal table off to the side of the room and wiped the blood from my knuckles.

Vin watched me with intense eyes. “Have you told her yet?”

“No, I’ll tell her when she gets here.”

Vin frowned. “You sure that’s wise? She’ll be within hitting range.”

I blew out a breath. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if it was wise. And once I told her what I needed to tell her, she was going to lose it. I was sure of it.

After returning to New York, I spent days dealing with the Outfit. They were still causing us trouble, their new Don, Franco, trying to make a name for himself by stepping into my territory with his men and drugs. It was pissing me the fuck off.

Add in the fact that there was also dissension in my ranks due to me marrying outside thefamigliameant that I was getting problems from all sides.

The Los Zetas had been quiet, but it would be stupid to count them out of the game. Whatever reason they had for following Nero’s orders wouldn’t keep them down.

My father had officially stepped down as head of the family, relinquishing control entirely to me. He was still somewhat in the picture (more so on an advisory level than anything else).

Vin was my number two.

Even with all the shit that happened, I was still expecting Illayanadaysago. But she was hesitant to leave her family when so much crap was still up in the air. I understood, but that didn’t mean I was fucking happy about it.

“Wise? No. Unavoidable, yes,” I said, finally answering Vin’s question.

“Is she the jealous type?”

I scoffed and threw the bloody cloth back on the table. I walked up the stairs, heading back into the house. “If the way she acted when Gabriella touched me is any indication, I’d say yes.”

Vin followed and slammed the steel door shut behind him. It locked immediately. When he stepped away from the door, I clicked the button underneath my desk and the bookcase moved back into place, concealing the door.

“Right. I forgot she threatened to kill her.”

I started to undress, taking off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. “I didn’t think Gabriella was capable of being so manipulative. She always seemed so-”

“Docile? Passive?

“To say the least,” I grunted, shrugging out of my shirt. “Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Any news on the Zetas?” I asked, eager to change the subject.

“Nothing of merit. I’ve put word out on the streets to keep an eye out for them. If anything substantial comes through, I’ll let you know.”

“Good. Keep a close eye on it. What of Franco?”

“He’s stepped back after we butchered his last round of dealers. But I have a feeling he’ll be back.”

I moved to the closet and pulled out a fresh clean shirt, placing my dirty bloody one in the basket on the floor to be disposed of. “Me too. We’ll have to hit him first, show him that we’re not to be fucked with.”

---