Page 1 of Dare To Free Us

PROLOGUE

MATTEO

Ecstasy.

I stood at the mirrored glass overlooking the club I’d built that became the hottest spot in Boston in less than four months.

A sea of people swayed and ground against each other while lights flashed across the writhing mess of patrons. The music was loud enough to shake the floor but I couldn’t hear any of it on the other side of the soundproof glass—which Luca insisted on— separating my office from the chaos below.

Bringing the glass of bourbon to my lips I smiled for the hundredth time at my own success. I let the alcohol coat my tongue and took pleasure in the burn as my creation thrived below. I had the old brick building renovated and repurposed in record time. Having city officials in my pocket helped a bit. Then opened and created a place that brought in more than enough money to front for our money laundering purposes on its own if whenever needed.

My father, the head of the Family, told me we didn’t need another club. To him the strip clubs and lounges were enough. But I wanted somewhere different, somewhere people were dying to get into. Where you felt like a god standing above a world of people desperate for what you had.

And Ecstasy certainly filled that want.

There was a knock at the door followed by the sound of it opening without my consent. The noise it let in had me turning my focus on the intruder who would dare enter without permission. When Luca’s face appeared I held back my irritation, besides my father, Luca was the only man allowed to open my door without permission first.

If the door was locked they knew why, and could wait.

Luca’s dark presence went perfectly with the dark suit he wore. With dark brown hair and dark eyes we could be mistaken for brothers— which would suit me just fine. Luca was my most trusted friend, maybe my only true friend. And in a world such as ours, to have one man you trusted whole heartedly was more that you could hope for.

“Luca,” I greeted. “How are things running downstairs? We must be close to maxing out capacity?”

“Already did and it’s barely midnight. The line outside stretches down the street.”

A large grin spread across my face. “Good.”

“Basking in your own success again?” he asked, raking a hand though his neatly styled hair that he kept short on the sides.

“Yes. My father told me today that he is impressed with the money this place is rolling in.”

“About time, the stubborn bastard,” Luca replied, coming to stand beside me.

It only took Lorenzo Russo months to swallow an ounce of his pride and tell his son he was happy with a job well done. Lorenzo handed out congratulations like he handed out pure natured generosity— rarely ever. If I ever heard him say he was wrong, I would bet every penny I owned his body had become inhabited by an alien.

Luca knew this better than anyone. He’d been with us since he was twelve years old, when he saved my father’s life by taking another. My dad took Luca off the streets into our home and raise him as close to one of his own sons as possible. Since then Luca has been the most loyal person I know, we became brothers in ways that connected us stronger than blood.

“Well, I hate to break up your little self-love fest but we have a bit of a problem,” he stated none too happily.

“And what could it possibly be thattheLuca Moretti couldn’t handle?” Luca scowled at me for the sarcasm. He was more capable than any man under me. Which is why as soon as my father made me Underboss, Luca became my Captain.

There was rarely a situation that he felt the need to have me handle. Cold and hardened to the core, Luca was also the best fighter I’d ever seen. With all the training we did together I knew he should have gone pro, but selfishly approved when he turned down the opportunity to go pro and continue working for us.

“The district attorney’s son is here. He’s making quite a scene. Throwing himself on any woman who walks by. Touching the waitresses and making sure to be as loud and obnoxious as possible.”

I quirked an eyebrow at him. That did not sound like something that warranted my attention in the least.

“And… when I told him to knock his shit off or I would throw him out,” Luca’s face darkened, “he told me I can’t do shit because his father owns your family’s ass and could throw you all in prison anytime he wants.”

Fucking little shit.Rage burned in my gut. Nobody threatened us like that, especially myself in my own fucking place. His father was in our pocket and did as he was told, or he would be subject to some very bad press involving him and time spent at the underground sex club he frequented in the past.

Luca’s grin spread as I dumped my glass on the table, threw my suit jacket on, and stomped toward the door like a hurricane ready to destroy anything in my path.

I flung the door open and was blasted by the sound of music and people screaming their excitement to the world. It physically changed the beat of my heart for a moment before my body could right itself. Our feet pounding on the stairs leading down from my second story office were lost in the shattering noise.

After making a right to head though the back VIP overflow area we made our way to the far wall that was lined with elevated VIP booths. The black lighting lit up my white shirt as I powered my way though a throng of people that luckily were smart enough to get the hell out of my way.

Halfway down the line I spotted him. A young, blond, little dipshit with his hands all over a waitress trying to set drinks down on a table overflowing with empty glasses and bottles of vodka. She pulled away from his hands that had gone from her ass to her sex. Then she shot out of there like the booth was on fire.

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