Chapter One

Mattia

T he only thing that irritates me more than getting blood on my hands is trying to wash it off. Crimson stains the porcelain bowl of the sink as it mixes with the hot water swirling down the drain.

The acrid stench of the bleach I poured into the sink to clean up the fucking mess assails me, covering the metallic scent of blood.

"Jesus," I mutter, my upper lip curled in disgust. Next time I decide to get up close and personal when I kill someone, I'll put my fucking gloves on first.

I intended to do that this time, but Enzo Abate decided cooperating was too difficult for him. Now, his blood is all over my hands, his screams still ring in my ears, and his body is sinking to the bottom of the river where it belongs.

It's a fitting end for the pezzo di merda .

His filthy hands won't ever try to touch what belongs to the Valentino family ever again. As the consiglieri to the family, my job is done.

For the moment.

Rafe Valentino is the Capo dei Capi , so peace never seems to last long. There's a new goddamn problem every day. Since he, Luca, and Gabriel took a step back from the family to focus on their own shit for a while, Coda Passero, Domani Brambilla, Diego Butera, and I have had our hands full. Everyone in the city keeps trying to test us.

And if what Enzo said is true…well, we've got a serious fucking problem heading our way.

Somewhere in this God-forsaken city, Rafe and his brothers have a little sister—the daughter Vincent Valentino abandoned before she was ever even born.

"What the fuck was he thinking?" I mutter to my reflection, my mind still reeling. I knew Vincent was a prick, but this is a whole new level of fucked up. Abandoning a principessa is unconscionable.

Rafe is going to lose his mind when he finds out. Hell, they all are, including Nico, the twin who never swore the oath.

If I don't find her before our enemies do… well, we'll plunge the city into war ourselves. And if Enzo knew about her, chances are, he's not the only one. Secrets don't stay that way for long in this fucking city. No matter how deep you sink the bones, they always come floating back up eventually.

The door to the bathroom creaks open.

I flick my gaze over my shoulder in the mirror, watching as Coda ducks inside, his green eyes seeking mine out in the reflective surface.

He strides toward me, moving like a shadow. Hell, he might as well be one. The man is massive, but he moves with deadly grace. No one sees him unless he intends to be seen.

"Did you confirm his story?" I ask, pouring more bleach into the sink.

He nods, his nose scrunching as the strong odor reaches him.

I replace the cap on the bottle, processing that simple bob of his head.

It changes everything. Literally everything.

Enzo wasn't lying.

The Valentinos have a sister.

Cazzo.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"Living with Brio Cascella," Coda says, his voice level, as if he knows I won't like the news.

He's right. I don't. I digest it in silence, eyes trained on the sink as the last few drops of Enzo's blood swirl down the drain, disappearing. I keep the water running, ensuring every last trace of him is washed clean.

The fucking cops have been trying to take our family down for a long goddamn time. It comes with the territory when you're the biggest crime family in Chicago. But it won't be minute traces of Enzo Abate that land me in cuffs. He isn't important enough to have earned that honor. When I fall, it'll take a hell of a lot more than a prick like him to topple me.

Brio Cascella could be that man. Four months ago, his father, Elio Cascella, died in his sleep after a long battle with kidney disease, leaving Brio in charge of the Cascella family.

Until now, he's been a minor thorn in our side.

The fact that Rafe's sister is with him is no minor issue. It's a major fucking problem.

"Are you sure it's her?" I growl, my blood pressure rising. Maybe Nico had the right idea when he walked away from all of this. Right now, it sounds a whole helluva lot more appealing than telling my best friend that his fucking father left a daughter behind. And that she's living with our enemy.

By choice or by force?

It's a good question.

"As sure as I can be without inviting a whole lot of questions you don't want answered at the moment." Coda eyes me levelly, making it clear he isn't on board with any of this shit. He wanted to tell Rafe as soon as Enzo started talking. But I know Rafe better than I know myself.

Rafe wouldn't stop to ask questions. He'd go in guns blazing.

If she's not the right girl, we tip our hand, letting every enemy we have know he has a missing sister. And if she's with Cascella by choice, well, that's a whole fucking different problem. Before I tell Rafe anything, I need answers.

"Where is she?"

"One of the Cascella properties on the far side of the city."

"Guarded?"

Coda shrugs. "Aren't they usually?"

I nod, my gaze drifting to the gun I just unloaded. I thought my night was over, but it looks like it's just beginning. Wonderful.

Whether she's there by choice or by force, I won't leave her there for a second longer. I'm not an idiot. The Valentinos are the closest thing I have to family. They took me in after my parents were murdered. But this girl might be their blood. I'm not stupid enough to believe they wouldn't kill me without hesitation for leaving her there.

It's what I'd do.

I pour a little more bleach into the sink, rinse it out, scrub my hands, and then turn off the water, drying my hands thoroughly before reaching for my gun. "Let's go get her."

"Just us?"

I glance around the bathroom, one brow arched. "Do you see anyone else here, Passero?" A dark smirk overtakes my face. "Or is that your way of saying you're going soft?"

Coda's expression goes flat as he rattles off a string of curses, telling me exactly what he thinks about that question in both Italian and English.

I laugh quietly as I load my weapon before slipping it back into the holster.

He may be married now, but there's nothing soft about the man. He's as deadly and dangerous now as ever, the most lethal weapon we've got. Hell, if anything, he's more dangerous now that he has a wife to protect. Nothing will stop him from making it home to Karina at the end of the day.

"Let's fucking go," he growls, stomping from the room.

I follow him out, still chuckling.

Half an hour later, we park in the shadows outside of the Cascella mansion. It's a mini-Italian estate with towering columns and intricate carvings adorning the stone exterior. Despite its beauty, there's an air of neglected opulence to it, as if the mansion is rarely used.

If Brio is trying to hide her, he picked the worst possible fucking place to do it. The mansion isn't gated. Hell, it's barely even guarded.

That fact doesn't give me much hope that she's being held against her will.

"Only three guards at the front entrance," Coda murmurs, his hawk-like gaze focused on the mansion. "Seems easy enough."

"Which means it's not." My lips pull down into a frown. Either there's more security than we're seeing, or he skipped security for a reason. Brio Cascella isn't a fool. He's as calculating as they come. If there aren't guards here, it's for a reason.

We're probably walking into a fucking trap.

I glance at Coda, grim determination hardening his expression. He knows as well as I do what's at risk here. Shit. We've risked more for less and lived to tell the tale. I can't remember the last time someone wasn't trying to kill us. Frankly, I'll be more suspicious the day they stop trying.

Apparently, he feels the same because he slides a gun from under his coat as he slips from the SUV. "Are we going in or not?" he asks. His eyes are icy in the dim light, his jaw set in a formidable line.

"We're going in," I mutter, climbing out.

I can't shake the feeling that this is all fucking wrong, but it is what it is at this point. If we die, at least we'll do it with our guns in our hands.

We approach the mansion slowly, sticking to the shadows.

The guards are fucking useless. One is smoking by the fountain. The other two are chatting at the front entrance. All three are oblivious to the problem creeping up on them.

Their lax vigilance would be laughable under different circumstances. Tonight, it's going to cost them their lives.

Coda picks them off with brutal efficiency—two silenced shots and then a swift snap of the neck for the last. The third barely even has time to turn around when his buddies hit the ground before he's dead, too.

The front door isn't locked.

We slip in without a sound, our footsteps echoing against the marble floors.

The lights are off, and most of the house is cast into shadow. Even then, it's opulent—ridiculously so for a home that's rarely used. But then again, the Cascella family always liked to throw their money around.

Despite my worries about a trap, we don't find any other guards. The place is empty.

I jerk my chin toward the stairs, letting Coda know I'm heading up. He nods and points deeper into the mansion, telling me that he'll continue searching downstairs.

I make my way upstairs, staying as quiet as possible.

A flicker of light at the end of the hall draws my attention. I follow it, trusting instincts honed by years of use.

The door at the far end of the hallway is slightly ajar, spilling light into the dark hall. I push it open slowly, glancing inside.

The room is as luxurious as the rest of the house, but it's inconsequential. The curvy goddess seated at the vanity is the only thing that matters to me.

The sight of her stops me in my tracks, gripping me by my fucking balls. It's an intense, visceral reaction I didn't anticipate.

Cazzo.

She's the prettiest little thing I've ever seen before. Every inch of her is thick and lush, from her full breasts to her thick waist to her hips. She looks so fucking soft and innocent. So gentle.

There's an ethereal, unreal quality to her—as if she's a midnight fairy bathing in the moonlight pouring through the window. Raven hair tumbles freely down her back. Her olive skin glows. Her full lips are parted slightly as she stares at her own reflection with troubled blue eyes as if trying to figure out who she is.

She turns toward me, and those blue eyes meet mine. It feels like being struck by lightning. Desire sparks through every vein and ignites every nerve.

My cock throbs in response, aching like a motherfucker.

Jesus. I've never felt anything like it.

She gasps, her hand flying to her throat in surprise. But I don't move to reassure her, not immediately. Not while heat pools low in my gut. Not when every instinct roars at me to claim what's mine. Not when my cock is so fucking hard that I can't think straight.

Coda would call this madness—an unnecessary distraction. But he doesn't feel the raw, all-consuming need pulling me toward this goddess. If this is madness, it feels pretty fucking vital to me.

Jesus Christ.

"Who are you?" Her voice trembles with fear, but a spark of defiance in those stunning eyes sends a shiver of anticipation through me.

Would she submit if she were on her back beneath me…or would she fight like hell the whole time?

I've never wanted to find out as badly as I do right now.

I don't have time for women or dating. Actually, I've intentionally never made time. Women and kids are collateral damage in my world. Just ask my mother. My father fucked up and got her killed. She was six months pregnant with my little brother.

I've made a conscious choice not to ever put a woman in that same position. I avoid them, plain and simple. I won't have the blood of one on my hands. End of story.

But there's something about this woman…

Dio. This is madness.

"Mattia Agostino," I introduce myself, my tone soft in contrast to the thundering beat of my heart. "What's your name, cara mia ?"

"Aurelia R-Roscoe."

Aurelia Roscoe.

Jesus. She really is Tabitha Roscoe's daughter.

"Do you know who I am?"

She licks her lips and nods. "You work for Rafe Valentino."

"Yes. Your brother. I'm here to take you home."

Fear flickers across her face before she steels herself, sitting up straighter as she turns to face me fully.

"No." Her voice shakes. "You need to leave. Now."

Cazzo.

She's going to fight me. Of course, she's going to fight me.

Her resistance only makes me harder.

"I can't do that, cara mia . Not before I get you to safety."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Her defiance amuses me. She's a frightened little mouse, but she isn't timid. She's feisty, with a fire in those ocean-blue eyes that could rival the depths of hell. She doesn't deny that Rafe is her brother, though. She knows.

How long has she known?

I'd love to ask her that question, but now isn't the time.

"You aren't safe here, Aurelia. Brio intends to use you to get to your brother. You need to come with me. I can protect you."

"Why should I believe you?" she spits the question at me like venom.

Because I'm the monster who'll keep you safe from every other monster in this city.

I don't voice that thought out loud. Instead, I step closer, slowly, careful not to spook her even while enjoying the way her pulse hammers in her throat.

Would it react the same way if I wrapped my hand around her throat and squeezed while I fucked her? Would she come all over me?

A shout downstairs distracts her momentarily, pulling her attention from me.

I lunge forward, clamping a hand over her mouth before she can scream.

She goes rigid, fighting like a little hellcat as I haul her into my arms. She kicks and scratches, trying to bite my hand as she struggles to free herself. It's no use, though. I'm a helluva lot bigger than she is, and she's right where I want her.

The way she struggles shouldn't excite me, but it does. I want her to fight the same way while I'm balls deep inside of her.

"Relax," I command roughly, holding her close to my chest. "I'm not going to hurt you, cara mia ."

Her body tenses further before she slowly starts to relax against me.

"That's it, principessa ."

The potent fear in her scent does something to me—stirs a desire to possess and fuck that's as intoxicating as it is dangerous. I'm not that man. I shouldn't want to be that man with her…and yet, I want to be. I want to drive into her again and again until she feels only pleasure, until she remembers only ecstasy. I revel in the feeling, relishing in the shiver that courses through her body as she melts against me.

"You're safe with me." My voice is a low growl, foreign to my own ears.

She stares at me with wide eyes, her body trembling against me. I see the plea in them, the silent question: can she trust me?

I brush my hand over her arm, tracing a path up to her shoulder and then along the column of her throat. She stiffens at my touch but can't hide her soft little whimper.

There's an innocence about her that's almost magnetic. A purity that makes me ache. I've never wanted to taste heaven as much as I do right now.

"I won't hurt you, principessa ." The promise feels foreign on my tongue, like a sweet lie meant to soothe her fears. Except, it's not a lie at all. Hell itself couldn't make me hurt this frightened little mouse.

She's mine.

Loud footsteps echo from down the hall.

Coda? One of Brio's men?

I don't have time to fuck around and find out.

I grab the syringe from my jacket pocket and press it against her neck, releasing the potent sedative into her veins before she can even struggle against me. It's not the way I'd choose to do this, but we're out of time.

I need to get her the fuck out of here before we get caught.

"I'm sorry, cara mia ," I whisper in her ear as the drug begins to take effect. "But there's no time."

Her wary eyes flicker with betrayal before they flutter shut, her curvy body collapsing into my arms.

I scoop her up, hoping she'll forgive me one day.

I have a feeling it might be a cold day in hell before that happens, however. This frightened little mouse has teeth and isn't afraid to bite.

She curls into me with a sigh as I carry her across the room, and my fucking heart flutters, something stirring inside me. Something darker, deeper, and more dangerous than anything I've ever dealt with before.

Need.

If she is Rafe's sister, he's going to fucking kill me for what I'm about to do.