Page 14 of Bratva Bride

I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing as I sat down. I looked across the table to find Arturo's gorgeous mix-matched eyes scrutinising Maxim's every move. His icy glare was fixed permanently on Maxim as he took his seat next to his father.

Vincenzo turned his seat around and sat down, leaning his arms against the back of the chair. He cocked his head to the side as his eyes locked onto me.

The room filled with silence once more until my father spoke again, stretching out his hand. "The floor is yours, De Luca."

ChapterFive

Illayana Volkov

Iwatched as Alessandro tapped his finger on the table, pursing his lips. It was like he was trying to figure out where to start.

"It's been a long time, Dimitri," he eventually said, tilting his head to the side, studying my father. His thick Italian accent came through clear as day.

"It has," my father replied coldly.

"How's the family? And business?" Alessandro asked.

"Cut the shit De Luca and get on with it," my father snapped, his icy blue eyes lit with fire.

Alessandro shook his head and chuckled, his big body shaking in his seat. "Ah, still as patient as ever I see," he said, scratching his chin. "Alright. No more pleasantries then." He took a deep breath before continuing. "If you're going to understand exactly what it is we're doing here, I'm going to need to explain a little bit of . . . De Luca family history to you," he said, waving his hand in front of him. "Twenty-nine years ago, my wife, Isabella, was arranged to be married to Nero Gambino, son of Matteo Gambino, Don of The Chicago Outfit. It was a contract agreed upon by their families at the time she was born. She was set to marry him a few weeks after her eighteenth birthday. That was, until she met me." A sly smile broke out over his face, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"We fell for each other instantly, kindred spirits and all that. But I knew the Gambinos would never let her go. She was, for all intents and purposes, theirs. Nero's," he sneered, shaking his head, anger starting to take over his body at the memories playing through his mind. "There was only one way I could see out of it. Out of her arrangement with the Gambinos," he said, placing a hand on Arturo's shoulder.

"You got her pregnant," I said, my eyes fixed firmly on Arturo.

His gorgeous blue-green eyes were already on me. Watching me. His lips were set in a slight frown that made him look even sexier.

Alessandro smiled, showing his gorgeous, straight white teeth."Si,"he replied, nodding his head. "Nero was. . . well. . . not happy to hear his bride had not only slept with another man, but was pregnant as well. He was ready to come and take her by force. To challenge me for her," Alessandro scoffed, shaking his head, like the mere thought of that was idiotic. "But his father wouldn't allow it. Matteo was already at war with an MC gang that was selling drugs in his territory. He couldn't afford to start another war with us. He was by no means happy with how things were playing out. The Russos - Isabella's family - had agreed to a union with the Gambinos, but he didn't have a choice. He simply didn't have the numbers to fight a war on two fronts. In the end, he compromised and agreed to take another Russo woman in Isabella's place. Isabella's younger sister, Mia. It meant waiting a few years until she came of age, but the agreement suited everyone."

"Everything in the end worked out and our families were able to put aside what happened. My father Antonio De Luca, head of La Cosa Nostra, apologised in person for my 'behaviour' and agreed to supply Matteo with a years’ worth of free drugs as penance. Everyone was able to forgive and forget, except for Nero," he said, pressing his lips firmly together. I could see the veins pulsing in his neck and I knew his anger was building.

My father remained quiet as Alessandro spoke, his hands clasped together on the table in front of him. Aleksandr hadn't moved at all, his icy glare stuck firmly on the De Lucas.

"Nero was never able to let go of the past. He could never accept the fact that I won, and he lost. Over the years, his anger continued to build, until he was finally able to do something about it. A few months ago, Matteo was murdered in a drug deal gone bad. His people think it was us who killed him, and I bet you can guess who started that bullshit," he said, shaking his head, clenching his fists on the table. "Nero quickly became Don of The Chicago Outfit, taking over from his father. His first order was to attack us. He claimed it was revenge for what happened to his father, but I knew better. It was and always will be about Isabella."

"I was prepared for it and planned against his attack. It was easy. Nero was nothing more than a child playing dress up in his father's clothing. He may have been his father's successor, but he didn't know anything about being a leader. I had already been head of La Cosa Nostra for years, taking over after the death of my own father, before Nero stepped up. I knew how to lead, how to plan, how to fight and how to win."

"Even though he wasn’t successful the first time, Nero continued to attack us, but it was never anything more than a nuisance. He just didn't have the experience to take me on, or the guidance. He lost a lot of support after the first few attempts failed and to be honest, I was having fun slowly stripping him of everything he had," Alessandro said, shrugging his shoulder, chuckling.

Then he took a deep breath in, closing his eyes. He exhaled loudly, letting all the air back out. "That is, unfortunately, until my ego got the better of me. I should have stopped toying with him and just finished the job, but I was having too much fun!" he yelled, like a petulant child. "I didn't anticipate him approaching The Los Zetas for aid," he said, scowling.

Vincenzo chuckled at his father's behaviour and I couldn't help joining in. It was funny to see a big, bad, mafia boss sulking because he was having fun destroying someone's life and he couldn't continue to do so.

"The Los Zetas? The Mexican Cartel?" Aleksandr asked, speaking for the first time since we entered.

"Si,”Arturo replied, speaking for the first time as well. His voice was deep and thick. Seductive. It felt like it was crawling all over my skin, giving me goosebumps.

"With their help, he's managed to hit us back. Hard. He's not only fucked up a few of our trade routes, but he's ambushed several of our suppliers as well. They were either murdered or turned to work for him," Alessandro said, gritting his teeth. "I've had enough of this fucker and I'm ready to do what I should have done years ago," Alessandro said, straightening in his chair. "That's where you come in, Dimitri."

My father arched an eyebrow at his last statement. "Oh?" he questioned.

Alessandro narrowed his eyes and scowled. "Don't play dumb Volkov, you know what I want. As much as I wish I could do it on my own, I simply don't have the contacts. I need your guns. Nero has declared all-out war on us, and with the Los Zetas aiding him, he’s becoming more and more of a threat. "

My father chuckled, shaking his head. He raised his hand in the air, clicking his fingers. Immediately the woman from outside came in with a glass of what I can only assume to be vodka. She placed it down in front of him and stepped back two steps.

"Would you like a drink?" my father asked, raising his own glass to his lips and draining the contents.

Alessandro remained silent.

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