Chapter 32

ALESSIO

T he whup-whup-whup of helicopter blades sliced through the air, growing louder by the second.

I snapped my head up, muscles tensing.

The tension was palpable as Lorenzo stepped beside me, eyes narrowed at the gray sky that still had to reveal its prize.

His body was coiled, ready to strike at a moment’s warning, his hand resting on his weapon, a mirror of my stance.

‘People, fall back.’ Lorenzo nodded, his eyes glinting with a predatory light.

We melted back into the shadows of the barn, blending into the gloominess, using the veil of the dark clouds above to take cover and assess the threat.

Cleo’s hand found mine in the darkness, her fingers lacing tight. I squeezed once, a reassurance and a promise.

She met my gaze, her chin lifting. At that moment, I loved her more than ever.

She fell back, her presence to my rear, crouched low on the ground.

The seconds stretched each one an eternity as a new, approaching noise ratcheted.

Through the trees, I glimpsed sleek, black metal glinting in the morning light.

At least ten SUVs raced up the Contis’ driveway rapidly in a roaring convoy, the rumble of powerful engines filling the air.

Lorenzo held up a hand, a silent command to hold position.

‘Who are these fuckers? Unintended collateral?’ he whispered to me.

‘I have a hunch,’ I muttered under my breath, sliding my hand to the grip of my Sig Sauer, thumb poised over the safety. ‘Uninvited company.’

Whatever this was, it didn’t bode well—not with this many wheelers storming the Contis property just after we’d un-alived the Head of the Conti family.

‘Renzo, I’ll take the lead,’ I told my brother.

When he appeared to protest, I shook my head. ‘This is my fight,’ I growled.

He flicked his dark aqua gaze over me and then nodded.

The SUVs roared into the courtyard and formed a semicircle, a phalanx of steel and glass, each one disgorging well-armed men.

They fanned out, weapons ready, their faces stern and uncompromising.

Fuck. The Caputos must have called in reinforcements.

The chopper thundered overhead now, so close the downdraft whipped at my hair and clothes.

We observed through the leaves as the machine settled onto the front lawn in a vortex of dust and debris in the center of the arc.

It was a great, black beast, its rotors decelerating, the airflow from its rotors flattening the grass.

I crouched low, my senses on high alert.

I tightened my grip on the Sig in my other hand, finger hovering near the trigger.

With slow deliberation, the helicopter’s door opened.

A tall figure emerged from beneath the slowing blades, flanked by armed bodyguards.

Even from a distance, I sensed his power, the aura of command. He strode forward, his steps sure and purposeful.

I tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.

The man stopped at the edge of the semicircle, his gaze sweeping over the destruction. Then, as if sensing our presence, his eyes locked on the shadows where we hid, like predators detecting prey.

‘To whom do we owe the pleasure?’ I drawled, nonchalant-as-fuck, stepping out of the barn’s overhang.

The man smiled, a slow, dangerous curve of his lips. ‘I’m Don Sebastian Caputo, head of the Caputo family. And I presume you are the man who brought the AFP down on our heads.’

I smirked back, a wolf baring its teeth. ‘Guilty as charged.’

The air around us seemed to vibrate with the promise of violence.

The Don’s henchmen bristled, mitts twitching for their weapons.

I raised a hand.

My crew materialized like shadows at my back, their sheer appearance and might an unspoken threat.

The Don’s brows arched in surprise.

For an uptight moment, no one breathed.

The world narrowed to this - two factions on the brink of war, waiting for the other to flinch first.

The tension ratcheted up, the atmosphere crackling with it. My people, too, tautened, ready to unleash hell at my command.

I broke the impasse with a slow, deliberate movement, raising two fingers to my lips. ‘Umiltà, Don Caputo,’ I rasped, my voice soft, almost gentle. ‘Humility, in the face of the Omertà.’

Lorenzo appeared at my side, mirroring the gesture. ‘Umiltà per l’omertà,’ he murmured. ‘Humility for the code of silence.’

The color drained from Caputo’s face as understanding dawned.

He stared at us, mouth agape, for a few more moments before he spoke. ‘We caught wind of rumors that the Calibrese and the Omertà Alliance were in Australia,’ he whispered, shock and something like fear in his intonation. ‘But we never dreamed -’

‘We are,’ I said, my growl hard-edged. ‘Our presence here can be soft or hard, depending on your subsequent actions. My advice is to take your men and fuck off this area, for it’s under our protection. Leave and never return, not even to the farm next door or even the entire freakin’ region. Do this, and we’ll be ghosts, nothing more than specters haunting your dreams. Choose the alternative and start counting your days and those of your children on Dio’s green earth.’

Caputo’s eyes iced over. For a split second, I wondered if he’d be foolish enough to challenge us.

The silence stretched between us, taut and razor-thin.

The Don’s eyes darted from Lorenzo to me, calculation warring with self-preservation in his gaze. The gears turned in his head as he weighed his options.

The mafia leader’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. For a long moment, he stared at me, his expression unreadable. With a sharp jerk of his head, he raised his hand in surrender.

‘Va bene,’ he ground out, the words like shards of glass in his throat. ‘For I’d be a scemo to cross the Sons of Honor.’

He lifted a hand, asking for permission to step forward.

Lorenzo granted it with a raise of his chin.

Don Caputo moved toward him and, in old-fashioned tradition, bowed one knee before him, head down.

It was his sign of respect, capitulation, and a request for forgiveness.

He reached for Lorenzo’s hand, fumbling a kiss on his Omertà signet ring.

My brother glanced at me, narrowing his eyes.

He loathed all the godfather shit, but he had to play a role to maintain peace and order.

Lorenzo placed his hand on the older man’s shoulder.

‘Rise, friend, all is well. ’

The Don pushed up with some effort. He gave Renzo and me a sharp, relieved glance, nodded, and turned on his heel. Moving fast, his hand whirled in a tight circle to call back his men.

They, too, had a new measure of restraint and respect in their gaze as they eyed us in cautious retreat.

They obeyed with alacrity, melting back into their vehicles as the helicopter fired up.

I glared, unmoving, as the Don and his guards disappeared into the sleek machine. It lifted into the sky, hovering for a moment as if the man inside was still trying to comprehend what the fuck had just happened.

My crew emerged from the shadows, clustering close, our hands crossed over our chests.

Behind us, silhouetting our badass figures, were the flames burning off in the still-smoking barn.

The helo banked and faded away into the heavens while the convoy revved and roared out of the property.

‘Good riddance,’ I growled, the tension leaching from my frame.

Cleo’s hand was on my back, sliding around my waist. Her touch grounded me, bringing me back to the present.

‘You OK, baby?’ she murmured, her voice soft in my ear.

I turned, drawing her closer to me. ‘I am,’ I said, pressing my lips to her forehead. ‘You?’

‘Always fine when I’m next to you,’ she breathed, melting into my embrace. ‘But you’ll need to explain what the fuck just happened there.’

‘In good time, mia sola, in good time.’

We stayed that way long, watching the sun push through the storm clouds .

Morning’s full brilliance began to streak across the canopy, chasing the shadows of the tempest, and the skies painted in the aftermath shades of gold and pink.

CLEO

‘Fratello, won’t you introduce us to your lady? The reason for all this excitement.’

Alessio’s face dissolved into a soft smile as we turned arm in arm.

‘This is my woman, Cleo,’ Alessio growled, stepping toward his gun-toting, frankly badass entourage.

He slipped a hand around my waist, tugging me to his side, owning me, claiming me.

‘I never thought I’d see the day.’

The speaker was a man in his mid-to-late thirties who carried significant gravitas. Sinewy and commanding, he towered tall and imposing, with broad upper arms and a lean, muscular frame.

But his face, a craggy-hewn sculpture of rugged masculinity and dangerous allure, caught my eye because it resembled Alessio while paying homage to the iconic figures of Italian cinema.

Dark, slicked-back hair set off piercing inky blue eyes with an alluring and threatening intensity.

He wore a stylish sweatshirt, no less, under an expensive leather jacket that hugged his muscled, sinewed body, exuding confidence and power.

Thick thighs were encased in black jeans, and his feet were in patent upper sneakers with couturier detail.

‘Never say never,’ came the amused drawl from a second man.

This time, he was a bulwark of flesh and muscle.

Face hard, gaze harder, and his cold, dark, honeyed features inherited from his Moorish ancestors.

He had the stride of a wolf and the menace of a warrior, and I felt a shiver go down my spine.

‘Cara, meet Lorenzo,’ he growled, pointing at the designer-clad man. ‘My older brother and boss of the Calibrese family.’

‘Hi,’ I told the man, nonplussed as his eyes raked over me, focusing on how close Alessio was holding onto me.

‘The second mofo is our consigliere, Mauri,’ he rasped, raising his chin to the honey-skinned man. ‘The rest of the crew are our freakish capos. Mattia, Leonardo, Andrea, Francesco and Tommaso.’

I nodded to the group of men. ‘Lovely to meet you. I can’t thank you enough for being here.’

Lorenzo stepped forward and tugged me away from his protesting brother.

I slow-blinked at him, surprised as he enveloped me in a tight hug, my face in his leather jacket.

Emotion clogged my throat. ‘I can’t believe you came. All of you.’

‘You’re family.’ Lorenzo added, kissing my cheek. ‘And famiglia stays united, no matter what.’

The fear I’d tagged in Don Caputo’s eyes had made me realize my man was a major badass, and so was his kin, given how the head mafioso had reacted to them.

Alessio’s older sibling was a charmer, yet underneath his sophistication lay a sinister spirit that few would dare cross.

As for my man, he exuded a raw and powerful energy, like a force of nature that could not be tamed.

Hell, they’d driven off the mafia kingpin together.

I realized then that they were a formidable clan, and I was awed by their power and dominance, unwavering and unapologetic gaze.

Like a pack of wild wolves, his family was fierce regarding each other, their bond tight and unbreakable.

I never imagined I’d have this kind of support.

Not after losing so much, so young, born of a mother and father who had manipulated me and never stepped up for me.

Apart from my grandparents, I had never been shown love, and witnessing Alessio’s brothers and friends rally to his side, our side, filled me with deep gratitude.

We drove back to my cabin, which was still worse for wear from the Contis’ last incursion.

While I changed and fed Mauri and the crew, they cleaned up the aftermath.

Lorenzo and Alessio went into town and chatted with the local cops.

In time, my man and Lorenzo returned with tired smiles .

‘The cops listened, persuaded by my Australian Federal Police connection, a badass mofo called Saint Tahana, that the showdown, while firmly in the gray from an ethics perspective, had aided the fight against crime. They were happy to let the Conti problem go away forever,’ Lorenzo announced, stepping into my cabin and sinking into my couch.

‘They’re well pleased the Contis are gone and won’t terrorize the community anymore,’ Alessio rasped into my hair when he tugged me close.

I raised a brow in disbelief.

‘The Contis were on the AFP wanted list for a long time. We did them a favor.’

‘The Caputos?’

‘We left out our business with them, affording the Don his peace.’

Alessio convinced me to leave the farm, even if just for a while.

‘The place is a wreck—walls splintered, windows shattered, the cabin is not holding together,’ he exhaled into my neck.

‘It looks like a battlefield. We can’t stay here. It’s not much of a home anymore.

‘Let’s regroup,’ he said, his voice firm yet gentle.

‘Where to?’ I asked, pressing my lips to his.

He took my mouth in a blistering kiss.

When he finally lifted off me, he breathed. ‘Sydney, where we can rest and shake this whole thing off.’

He didn’t just suggest it; he promised it, swearing he’d leave two of his men behind to guard the property and ensure the safety of my belongings.

I gave in eventually, unwilling to be surrounded by the reminder of Franco’s wrath and how much he’d wanted to destroy my life, to own me.

The thought of making the journey by car didn’t sit well with Lorenzo, who was itching to get back to his wife.

So he used his hideously expensive satellite phone to make a few calls and pull some strings.

A private hire helicopter was sent to us. It set down in my front yard in a whirl of leaves and dust.

I hurriedly packed a bag, not needing much from the bullet-torn cabin.

I wandered between the bedroom and living area, sighing at the stuff that I had to leave behind.

‘My books, though?’ I asked Alessio, running my hands over the spines on the shelves. Which had, by a miracle, survived the gunfire that had shredded most else in the house.

He pressed a kiss on my temple. ‘I’ll have my men pack them with care, bella, and bring them to our new home wherever that will be.’

I took an inhale and surrendered.

In less than two hours, Mauri, Alessio, and I joined Lorenzo on the flight, the roar of the blades drowning out any second thoughts I might have had.

I gave one last look at my sanctuary as the helo banked into the skies.

I was consumed by a sense of loss yet eager to move on to the next season of my life.

With the man whose arm was banded around my waist, my other hand in his, my heart and soul forever entwined with his.