VINCENZO POV
I heard the bedroom door open and my body went on alert. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had been listening for any sound of her back there.Eager, like a schoolboy. I shook my head, disgusted with myself. Even if I weren’t too old for her, she was engaged to my son. I needed to pull my head out of my ass.All my men turned to watch as she picked her way to an empty seat, her tits bouncing with each step. Long legs and shapely hips, with waves of blond hair that reached down her back, and a face that could make angels weep. DIO, SHE WAS HOT.When I looked away, I found Marco smirking at me. Had he read me so easily? When my father died and I became the CAPO ten years ago, I appointed my cousin my right-hand. In fact, there was no one I trusted more. We’d grown up together, killed together, and risen through the ’ndrina ranks together. But that didn’t mean he had the right to smirk at me. “You have something to say to your capo?” I asked him. He didn’t appear chastised in the least. “Are you going to shoot me if I say it?”“Probably, once we are on the ground.” Marco held up his hands and remained silent.I went back to my phone, to the emails and notes I was reviewing. These were for the legal businesses, the ones I used as a public front for my family’s wealth. My cousin, Toni, handled most of the Morreti corporation for me, but I kept involved. After all, I had to provide answers if the Finance officers paid me a visit.Earlier, I texted Dimitri to ensure he remained home tonight. I wanted him to meet Valentina as soon as we arrived.The sooner the two of them met, the sooner she would accept the marriage. In the meantime, Dimitri could look after her well being, acclimate her to the life in Siderno. Though my son was only eighteen, but I needed him settled and married.The time had come for Dimitri to fulfil his role as my heir, which meant producing heirs of his own. I was an only child, as was my son. Therefore, until I had grandsons, the future of the Morreti ’ndrina would remain at risk.That brought my thoughts back to Valentina , who was staring out the window at the night sky. Was she on the pill? I’d need to inform Dimitri about her former boyfriend and the possibility she might be carrying another man’s child. Best to wait until she bleeds before the wedding.Her gaze met mine in the window’s reflection but she did not cower. I liked that about her. Most women feared me, or at least my reputation. Valentina didn’t seem to have that problem. In fact, she showed more spirit than most had dared in the last ten years. Would she show that same spirit in bed?I had to stop. These thoughts weren’t productive and I could not afford the distraction. Besides, even if she weren’t marrying my son, she was too young. I had a mistress already, one who gave me no hassle whatsoever, and I wasn’t interested in replacing her.Resolved to ignore Valentina , I returned to my phone. For the rest of the flight, Marco and I talked business, going over all that needed my attention after this trip.The meeting in San Luca was coming up in two months, where all the leaders gathered every year to discuss our operations. Even the Toronto capos, like Romano, would attend. This meant that profits needed to be up, all our debts collected. We would need to pull some men off other jobs to clean up the ’ndrina books.I rubbed the back of my neck, exhaustion pulling at me. I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t relax on planes or in hotels. It was why I rarely left the castle in Siderno. At least there I was safe.“You should sleep in the back,” Marco said. “Now that she is awake.”“We are close. I’ll wait until I’m home.”“Too bad. I bet the sheets smell like her.”“FUCK YOU.”Marco chuckled. “You think Dimitri can handle her?” I cracked one eye. “Are you saying he is soft?”“No, but he’s not like you. He doesn’t have them eating out of the palm of his hand. Never seen a meaner bastard get more pussy than you.”I had a temper, for sure. Dimitri was more even tempered, like his mother. “She will come around,” I said about Valentina .The pilot announced our landing. A silent Valentina put on her seatbelt as I secured my own. Her quiet demeanour bothered me. Shouldn’t she be yelling and panicking right now? Throwing something at my head?Trying to overpower the pilot? The instinct that had kept me alive for nearly thirty nine years screamed inside me, telling me to be on my toes around her. She was up to something.I smothered a grin. Whatever she planned, I would be ready. She didn’t stand a chance. Minutes later, we touched down. As I descended the steps to the ground, I made sure Valentina was directly behind me with Marco on her tail. My car was waiting, so I clasped her arm to pull her toward it and felt a sharp pain in my hand.“CAZZO!” I hissed. She’d stabbed me with a pen, the point now embedded in my flesh. I snarled and ripped the thing out of my skin, tossing it to the ground. That stranzo.Valentina darted off the second she had the chance but she was no match for Marco, who still jogged daily. I hadn’t even finished cleaning up the blood on my hand before she was dragged back to my car.“Help!” she shouted to the crew I employed at the private air strip.“Help! I’m being kidnapped.” My men snickered. No one in a fifty-mile radius would aid a person complaining of a kidnapping here. They all knew better. I jerked open the rear door of the car.“GET THE FUCK INSIDE, VALENTINA .”I walked around to the other side, fury boiling inside me until I nearly choked on it. She had embarrassed me in front of my men. Drawn my blood and made me look weak.She would pay for this when we arrived home. She fought Marco, but it was in vain. Soon she was pushed inside next to me and the car sped off. “I won’t apologise,” she said, like a petulant child.For once, I didn’t try to appear civilised. Instead, I let her see the darkness I normally kept hidden.“GOOD, BECAUSE I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO PUNISH YOU.”VINCENZO POVShe swallowed and focused on the scenery. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at my home, Castello di Morreti (Castle of Morreti's). I loved every bit of the estate the olive groves, vineyards, farmland and pasture but I couldn’t appreciate any of it at the moment And this only increased my fury. When the car stopped in front of the stone entry, I didn’t move. “Leave us,” I told Marco and my driver. The doors closed and Valentina jumped, a frightened little rabbit. I angled toward her slightly. “Do you know my favourite part of owning a castle?”“No,” she said, her voice breaking.“Not even a guess?”“The turrets?” Smirking, I got out and came around to her side. Once I pulled her from the car, I leaned down. “My favourite part of this castle is the DUNGEON.” She gasped. My patience thinned, I didn’t give her a chance to run. Instead, I hauled her over my shoulder and started walking toward the back entrance that led below ground. She instantly began thrashing, her legs
VALENTINA POVThe implications was clear that Vincenzo Morreti was no stranger to cruelty. That he would gladly use a person’s weakness against them. Jesus, What a prize. Before I could comment, we entered the castle. A small room led into a kitchen, which was surprisingly modern for a place with an actual dungeon. “I’ll have Zia bring up hot tea,” Dimitri said as he continued into the house. “That’s my aunt. She lives with us and does most of the cooking.” Calming down, I began to look around curious about this different type of prison. The contrast with the dungeon was startling. What I could see was light and airy with gleaming wood accents and light plaster walls.Huge oval windows were framed with tasteful draperies and tile covered the floor. It was even nicer than our home in Toronto. Surprisingly, I didn’t see any security cameras. That was the information I stored away for future use. “This is my wing of the house,” Dimitri said. “My father stays on the other side.” Tha
VALENTINA POVLight filtered into the room, streaks of blinding sunshine that roused me from a fitful sleep. I could barely bring myself to open my eyes. All night I had tossed and turned, convinced myself that the lock on my door would mean nothing to anyone who wanted to enter. Namely, someone with bright blue eyes and a nasty disposition who liked to kidnap and drug young women. The only way I’d been able to relax was knowing Dimitri slept a few doors away. I rolled onto my back and studied the plaster ceiling. If I were going to find a way out of this, I couldn’t stay in bed or hide in this room. I had to get out and explore, look for weaknesses. Try to come up with a plan to escape. Even if Dimitri had resigned himself to this marriage, I certainly hadn’t.Thankfully, the bathroom had been stocked with every toiletry I might possibly need, mostly high-end Italian brands we couldn’t get in Canada. The closet and wardrobe were full of clothes, from yoga pants to designer dresses
Valentina POVOur last stop was the vineyard, where vines stretched as far as the eye could see. The estate grew Gaglioppo and Greco bianco grapes, which they blended to make red and rosé wines. They also made nigredo, a grappa flavoured with licorice and I quickly discovered this was my very favourite thing on earth from now on.“Easy, signorina ( miss),” Vincenzo, the vintner, said as I took another swallow. “The Morreti grappa is to be sipped.”“Canadians are quickly becoming like Americans,” Dimitri teased, mimicking someone guzzling a drink. “More, more, more.”“Stop dragging Canadians,” I told him as I shoved his shoulder. “We are nicer than Italians.” Vincenzo chuckled, but shook his head. “You will not like how it tastes coming back up, signorina.” I waved that comment away. “I never throw up after drinking. We Romanos are made of sterner stuff.”Vincenzo and Dimitri exchanged an amused look. “No doubt you are, bella,” Dimitri said and held up the bottle. “Would you like ano
Vincenzo POVI came into the kitchen the next morning at my usual time. My son was there with Zia, but Valentina was still absent. She’d been too ill from grappa to eat with us last evening and apparently was not yet awake. I didn’t like it.Dimitri and Valentina seemed happy yesterday in the tasting room. Unable to help myself, I’d watched the security footage, soaking in the way she smiled at him. Studying the curve of her lips when she laughed. It was clear she liked my son, and I told myself that was a good thing. A sign of their future together, a team working toward the common goal of the future success of the Morreti family.I kissed Zia’s cheeks and made a cup of espresso. Dimitri was on his phone, scrolling through videos of some kind. He’d gone out last night for work and, from the looks of it, was only getting home. “Rough night?” I asked.Out of respect, he put down his phone and gave me his full attention. “No. I was at the club until around three. Then we had a shipment
Vincenzo POV“How about this?” I said. “I will give you the satchel if you choose a suitable wedding dress.”“Really?”“I never go back on my word once a deal is made.”“Fine.” She answered too quickly and now I was the suspicious one. What was she planning? My friend Celestina would provide enough choices for Valentina to find a dress she liked. There would be no way around it. I held out my hands. “See? That was not so difficult.”“I want a phone.”“No.”“Why not?”“First, because you haven’t earned the privilege. Second, it isn’t safe. If you need to make a call, Dimitri or I can help you. Until you learn our rules and willing to abide by them, it is too risky.”“I need to call my family.”“I will think about it.” Her nostrils flared and I could see how she struggled not to lash out. After a long second, she asked, “And how am I supposed to earn these privileges?”“By doing what you are told. Stop fighting me and the marriage to my son. Accept your fate, Valentina .” Gracefully,
Valentina POVEven if I didn’t want to admit it, I was excited to go out tonight. I told myself it was because I wanted to see Siderno, to look for possible escape routes. It was definitely that, but it was also the chance to get out of the castle. I hated being cooped up there, and a night in a fancy dress, at a fancy restaurant, sounded like heaven.That was how far I’d fallen in just a few days. Dimitri was chatty during the drive into town, pointing out places and things, sharing funny stories about his childhood. The more I was around him, the less he seemed like a hardened gangster like his father. Dimitri was thoughtful and smart, playful and entertaining, basically everything Vincenzo was not. If they didn’t look so much alike, I wouldn’t guess they were related.At the restaurant, everyone fawned over us like we were Kate Middleton and Prince William. I supposed we were sort of royalty, considering Dimitri ’s last name. We were seated in a private room, the table covered w
Valentina POVThere were three different pasta dishes, fried artichokes, steak with butter sauce, pork chops, bruschetta with ham and tomatoes, and fish soup. When we were alone, I gestured to the food. “Do they think we can seriously eat all this?”“No. They want to impress us.” We started sampling dishes, and I could not believe how delicious every bite was. I moaned as I swallowed another bite of fettuccine with beef ragout. “This is the best thing I’ve ever had.”Dimitri leaned in, like he was sharing a secret. “Zia’s is better.”“Impossible.” He grinned and cut me a piece of his pork chop, putting it on my plate. “Try this. I think you’ll love it.”“Wait, is this a Morreti pig?” I saw some yesterday on the estate and they were so adorable and sweet. While I wasn’t a vegetarian, I felt bad for those little piglets. “Tina, you had no problem eating the steak or the beef ragout.”“Cows aren’t as cute as piglets.” He shook his head, probably thinking I was ridiculous, and reached to