I’m itching to get back to my home and territory. All my underbosses have been sent home with strict orders to meet me at The Underground tomorrow at noon. This is an elite poker gambling establishment. The buy-in for a single game is a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Is it legal? Absolutely not! Do I care? Hell no!
The cops are in my pocket and the politicians are so deeply in my debt, it’ll take three generations to pay back the money I’ve lent them for their political aspirations. The Underground serves a dual purpose, and in the basement is a full MMA fighting ring.
I own the building next door as well. On the surface, it’s just regular businesses, but once I owned the property, I blew out the walls and created one massive space. The ring is on one side of the building, and on the other end is where we bring people for questioning. Suffice to say, it’s not an invitation you want to receive. Some have tried to disappear once they’ve been called in, but it only makes matters worse for them when they’re found. And they are always found.
Carla and Evangeline said goodbye, with a few tears being shed. Evangeline was quiet all the way to the airport, and once we were onboard, she was so tired that she drifted off as I was working on my laptop. Ivo caught a tail on the way to the plane and wanted to stop the car and take them out. Under different circumstances and if Evangeline wasn’t in the car with us, I would have agreed. Instead, I noted the license plate and sent a text message directly to Dante.
Dante was able to link to the car’s GPS and will track it. Once Dante had the tracking in place, Ivo was able to ditch the tail and get us to our plane, where the pilot was waiting on standby for takeoff.
By the time we arrive at our home, it’s almost seven in the evening. Apart from a few words, Evangeline remains silent. I’m not sure what to make of it. Most women I’ve met are constantly talking about one thing or another, and I need to tell them to keep quiet.
I’m sure her nerves are playing a part in this. After all, she doesn’t know a soul, and this must all be overwhelming for her. I lead her into her new home. She looks around, her jaw dropping when she sees the expanse of the house. I like room to move around, and when I had this place built, I always thought my brother would be here and he’d need his own space. The left wing is now occupied by Ivo and his daughter. Their rooms are private and self-contained, with their own kitchen and all the amenities they need, and it still gives me the privacy I crave.
Peppa comes running from across the hall, her salt-and-pepper hair in a tight bun and hands clasped on her round cheeks. She’s brimming with excitement. When she reaches us, she tugs on my arm. I bend to accept her kiss on my cheek.
“Welcome home,” Peppa says happily, then wraps her arms around Evangeline and hugs her tightly. Evangeline is stunned for a moment, then hugs her back. Peppa pulls back and scans Evangeline’s face. “You’re a vision of loveliness. I’m so happy for my Raffaele to have found someone to care for him.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Evangeline says politely. I place my hand on Evangeline’s lower back. She turns her head to look at me.
“Peppa has been with me since I was a child. She was my nanny and has been my housekeeper for years. She’s like one of the family.”
Just then, Francesco appears with our bags. I motion for him to take them through to our bedroom. Ivo has disappeared, probably to see his princess. It’s Adriana’s bedtime, but I’ll make sure Evangeline meets her soon.
Suddenly, a woman’s shrill voice is heard. Then I hear Francesco arguing with her. Immediately, I race up the steps, taking them two by two. When I reach the top of the stairs, Francesco is trying to wrap a sheet around a naked woman who is fighting him tooth and nail. She swipes her nails at Francesco’s cheek, which he artfully avoids without retaliating.
“Does he think I can be discarded like a piece of garbage?” she shouts. Her blonde head whips around. Monika Davenko, the model. Jesus, I haven’t seen her in months. I made it abundantly clear that we were done, only to now find her in my bedroom.
Someone’s head is going to roll, and when I find out who let her in the door, I’ll kill him. Monika wrenches out of Francesco’s grip and scrambles over to where I’m standing, nearly falling headfirst into me when she stumbles over the sheet partially covering her body. Monika presses up against me, her palms firmly planted on my chest, lifting her pouty lips for a kiss.
I push her off me, and she cries out as she lands on the bench at the end of the bed.
“Baby—” she gasps.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” My voice is lethally quiet.
“I wanted to surprise you. You couldn’t get enough of me the last time. You came so hard—”
“Shut the fuck up!”
When I hear scuffling behind me, I turn to find Evangeline watching the barely covered woman. Her gaze comes to me. The look in those eyes is worse than a bullet to the heart. Hurt. Sadness. The worst is the expression of disappointment. Her eyes fill with tears, her lower lip quivering, as she sucks in a breath.
“Oh baby,” Monika purrs, “you brought a kitten to play with us. I’ll teach her how you like it,” the bitch says.
Evangeline takes off down the hall. I’m so fucking angry, I wrap a hand around Monika’s throat and squeeze. Her nails claw at my hand, but I tighten my grip.
“Boss,” Francesco calls to me. “Evangeline,” he says, his voice low. He’s right. I need to go find Evangeline.
I let got of Monika. She droops to the floor like a rag doll. “Get her the fuck out of my house and find out who the hell let her in. I’ll deal with them in the morning.” I turn back to Monika. “Show your face again and it’ll be the last thing you ever do. If you so much as see me on the street, you turn your ass around and disappear.”
I hurry out, looking around for Evangeline. A sniffle catches my attention. Through a crack in the door, I see her sitting on the edge of the bed in the spare bedroom. When I push the door open, she wipes away her tears and jolts to her feet.
“Francesco’s getting rid of her. You can come back to our room,” I say.
She shakes her head vehemently. “No. I won’t sleep there. I won’t.”
“Evan—”
She cuts me off. “I’m not sleeping in a bed where you’ve slept with hundreds of other women. I won’t.” Her chest heaves with emotion, fury alive in her piercing blue eyes.
I’m not sure if I want to throttle her for daring to speak to me that way or kiss her until she yields to my touch.
“My wife sleeps in my bed.” I can see she’s rattled by my tone, but there’s no way I’ll let one of my people defy me, even my wife. I take a step closer; she backs up at the same time. “Where will you go, little dove?” I continue to box her in until her back is flush to the wall. I brace one arm by the side of her head, the other at her waist. The fury in her eyes turns to apprehension and sadness. I expected fear. I can handle fear, but this expression isn’t one I see often. By this time, anyone else, be they man or woman, would be begging for mercy, yet Evangeline looks defeated.
Her voice is barely above a whisper when she says, “Please don’t sully the one night we’ve had together by making me share the bed you’ve shared with all the others. I understand that men seek out what they want and have resigned myself that you’ll do the same, but don’t make me see it.” She raises her eyes, and I see the depth of meaning behind her words.
She’s so young, I remind myself. The world is full of stars and hope at her age. I’m not sure I ever had the privilege of feeling the exuberance of youth. My position as the eldest son meant that I was groomed from childhood to fight for what I want. Defeat or be defeated, my father would say.
“I’ll make this one exception, tesoro. Tonight, we’ll sleep in this bed. Together,” I emphasize. “I’ll have the furniture removed and you will choose what you like. Tomorrow, we sleep in our room. As for other women, I have no need to seek out others at the moment. I feel quite gratified by my wife. Give me no reason to stray and this will not be an issue.” I may have ended it on a dick note, but considering my role as capo, I think I’ve been quite generous.
“Thank you for being so compassionate,” she replies, biting her lower lip. The words bring a smirk to my lips.
“That’s a word I’ve never heard used to describe me. Keep it our little secret.” I give her a wink. She actual manages a slight smile, and I swear the room brightens as if it’s lit by a thousand suns. She lets out a giggle.
“Yes, sir.” She puts her forefinger to her lips and mimes her silence on the matter.
“All right, little minx, get ready for bed. I have orders to give.” I swoop down and kiss her soundly on the mouth before taking my leave and giving Francesco the plans for the next day.
I allow Evangeline time to settle in. I send Peppa to see if she’s hungry. The scene upstairs ruined my appetite, and it seems it did the same for Evangeline. Peppa couldn’t help herself and made her some tea and took up some biscuits to go with it. I opted for two fingers of my favorite whiskey and made some calls to get caught up on what I missed.
What was supposed to be a half hour turns into a solid two hours before I make it back upstairs. By the time I get there, Evangeline is curled into a ball on the far side of the bed, nearly falling off. Her hands are tucked beneath her cheek, and the cover is pulled up to her chin. Her glorious dark curls, splayed across the pillow, stand out like a beacon against the crisp white pillowcase.
I strip down to my boxers and slip under the sheets. Normally, I sleep naked, but I’m considering Evangeline’s modesty and giving her time to adjust. This doesn’t stop me from reaching over and gathering her close, nestling her ass into my crotch. My cock jumps to attention, but I curb my desire to turn her onto her back and fill her with my very needy member.
She sighs in her sleep, her arm covering mine under the swell of her breasts. It’s been a very eventful day, starting from the news Dante uncovered, being tailed, and arriving home to find a nasty surprise. The idiot who allowed that to happen is going to pay dearly.
I’ve never slept in any other room in this house. I’ve always considered my bedroom to be my space. I thought I would be tossing and turning for hours. What I find instead is that any bed works if my wife is in it with me.