God Of Vengeance (Kings Of Mafia)

Feeling rattled, I walk to my mother’s private suite, and knocking, I wait for her to answer before I enter.

When I shut the door behind me, I ask, “How are you feeling, Mamma?”

“I’m fine.” She pats the space beside her where she’s sitting on a sofa near the windows. “It’s nothing to worry about, so don’t take your anger out on Gabriella.”

When I barged into Gabriella’s room, it was with the full intention of killing the woman. However, before I could reach for my gun, I saw the same expression on her face I’ve seen countless times on Mamma’s.

It’s a blank look that masks years of trauma, and it’s one of the few things in this world that makes me feel like absolute shit.

I witnessed firsthand how Gabriella was mistreated by her family and Stefano. I can only imagine what kind of abuse she’s suffered throughout her life.

I shake my head as I take a seat, and resting my elbows on my thighs, I rub my palms over my face.

Mamma places her hand on my arm before moving it to my back.

Her voice trembles when she asks, “Did you hurt Gabriella?”

Hearing the question from Mamma makes me feel even worse.

“When I felt her hand on my gun, I just reacted. You know I don’t care whether the person is male or female. If they’re a threat, I’ll kill them.” I let out a sigh before I continue, “She practically weighs nothing, and I slammed her down harder than I meant to.” I shake my head again. “The moment I saw a broken shoe was responsible for her losing her balance, I let go of her.”

My mother scoots closer to me, her voice soft as she asks, “And the bruises?”

“At that moment, she was a threat, Mamma.”

“You should apologize to her,” she demands.

The fuck. I’m not going back to Gabriella’s room.

I close my eyes as the memory of what happened after Mamma’s panic attack plays out in my mind.

The instant I stepped into that suite, I was assaulted with Gabriella’s fresh scent. Seeing her masking her trauma took an unexpected swing at my heart.

Feeling her tremble while she still held eye contact made me realize nothing would be able to break her. Even the threat of death didn’t keep her from raising her chin and facing me head-on.

And then, the woman looked me up and down with interest shining in her eyes before she lowered her head to hide her attraction to me.

She belongs to Dario.

Christ, tonight has given me an emotional whiplash.

“Are you okay?” Mamma asks.

“Yes,” I lie because my emotions are all over the place.

I’ve never hesitated to kill anyone before, but Gabriella managed to escape death twice in one night.

She didn’t beg for her life.

She’s probably not even five feet five inches, yet she stared me down with way too much bravery.

Leaning back against the sofa, I glance at Mamma. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Of course. It was just a little slip-up.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her to my side. Pressing a kiss to her hair, I ask, “Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night? Renzo’s girlfriend opened a new restaurant, and I think it would be good to get away from the mansion for a couple of hours.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes. Besides the guards, of course.”

“I’d love to,” she murmurs.

I hold my mother a little longer before I pull away and climb to my feet.

“Want me to walk you to the sitting room?”

Nodding, she gets up, and I hook her arm through mine.

“Thank you, mio figlio.”

After I leave Mamma in the sitting room, I walk to the veranda and glance over the property.

There’s a chill in the air, reminding me Christmas is around the corner.

Hopefully, Miguel will be dead soon so that I can enjoy the holidays with my mother.

My thoughts turn to the meeting I had with the other capos this morning. Dario didn’t mention anything about getting laid last night, so I’m pretty sure it was a one-night stand.

Maybe putting off talking to him about Gabriella isn’t such a wise idea.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I bring up his number and press dial.

Within seconds Dario answers, “I don’t have any solid leads on Miguel.”

“That’s not why I’m calling,” I mutter.

“Oh, did you miss me?”

I swear, sometimes he drives me up the wall.

Ignoring his question, I ask, “Was last night a one-night stand?”

“Huh?” he grunts in my ear. “Since when are you interested in my sex life?”

“I’m not,” I snap. “Just answer the fucking question.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Fuck.

“You’re dating?” I ask.

“Yeah. I found myself a little dancer. We’re going on our first date tomorrow.”

I let out a sigh. “Are you serious about the woman?”

“As serious as a heart attack. By the way, she lives in Brownsville. If you plan on attacking, give me a heads up so I can get her out of there.”

Christ, what the fuck do I do with Gabriella.

“Why all the questions?” Dario asks, his tone growing suspicious.

“No reason,” I mutter. “Just keeping an eye on you.” I’m about to hang up, then add, “Get yourself some guards. You’re way too careless.”

“Aww … I knew you ca–”

Before he can finish the sentence, I end the call and shove the device back into my pocket.

I hear movement behind me, and a moment later, Carlo comes to stand next to me.

With his gaze resting on the view of the lake, he asks, “You okay?”

I let out a heavy breath. “Yes.”

“Your mother?”

“She’s fine.”

He nods, then turns his head to look at me. “What are you going to do with Gabriella?”

Fuck knows.

“I wanted to arrange a marriage between her and Dario.”

“Wanted?” he asks. “You changed your mind?”

“Dario’s dating some woman. It sounds serious.”

“So what are you going to do?”

I feel eyes on me, and glancing over my shoulder, I see Gabriella standing near the doorway with a worried expression on her face.

Cautiously, she steps closer. “I’d like to hear the answer to that question.” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “Seeing as it concerns me.”

I turn to face her, and when my eyes lock with hers, Carlo says, “That’s my cue to go.” He takes the stairs down to the lawn and walks toward a group of guards.

Gabriella steps out onto the veranda and wraps her arms around herself.

When she tries to rub some warmth into her bare arms, I mutter, “Go inside where it’s warm.”

She lowers her arms and fist her hands at her sides. Her features tighten, and she lifts an eyebrow at me.

“What do you plan to do with me?” she demands.

I take a few steps closer, forcing her to tilt her head back so she can keep eye contact with me.

My tone is low when I answer, “At the rate you’re testing me, I might just decide to kill you instead of sending you back to Sicily.”

Panic flares in her eyes. “To my parents?”

She’s not worried about me killing her.

Gabriella moves closer to me, and for the first time since I laid eyes on her, she gives me a pleading look.

“Don’t send me back to my parents.” It’s not a question but a demand. “I have money. I can get a place of my own. I’ll disappear.”

Someone like her could never disappear. She’ll always stand out.

“You want me to let you go,” I murmur.

Her head bobs up and down, and I see a flicker of hope in her light brown eyes.

“You’re a mafia princess,” I remind her.

Her brows furrow, her expression something between sad and angry.

“I’m so tired of everyone treating me like a pawn in whatever game they’re playing.” The sadness fades until she looks like a powerful queen. “I’m not a possession.”

Needing to test her strength, I close the short distance between us until our bodies almost touch.

“I own everything in this city.” Leaning down, my eyes burn into hers. “Including you, principessa.”

Gabriella doesn’t back down. Instead, she surprises the fuck out of me when she presses her body to mine, rage tightening her features.

Her tone is just as low as mine when she doubles down and says, “I am not a possession.”

No, she’s not.

Instead of losing my temper, the corner of my mouth lifts, and my smile stuns Gabriella.

“You’re quite the little spitfire,” I murmur.

A frown forms on her forehead, and she looks at me with confusion. “You’re not upset?”

I shake my head as her fresh scent drifts around me. I feel the slight tremble in her body, and before I can stop myself, I lift my hand to her neck.

My thumb brushes over the fading bruises.

I hate that I left marks on her skin and hope they’ll be gone by tomorrow.

My eyes flick to hers, and I watch as her pupils dilate.

Letting go of the rigid control I always have, I allow myself to feel.

My heartbeat quickens slightly, and a need to touch more than just her neck pours into my veins.

Tension builds between us, and with every passing second, the trembling in her body grows.

Maybe this woman is strong enough to survive being by my side.

As soon as the thought pops into my mind, I let go of her and step backward.

“Go inside, Gabriella. I’m done with this conversation.”

The stubborn woman remains standing in front of me and says, “You haven’t answered my question.”

“I haven’t decided what to do with you.”

“When will you decide?” she asks.

I’m starting to feel annoyed by all the questions, and tilting my head, I mutter, “Go inside.”

She hesitates, then letting out a sigh, she turns away from me and walks into the house.

I should send her back to her parents.

I shake my head, not liking the idea one bit.

Not wanting to think about Gabriella for a second longer, I walk to where Carlo is talking to the guards.