Chapter 33

33

Massimo

"So, she agreed to marry you?" Adrian pours a measure of the Macallan into my glass and slides it across the bar counter. We're in Michael's home in his study, waiting for him and the rest of our brothers to join us. I toss back the whiskey, then hold out my glass.

He raises his eyebrows, but tops me up anyway.

When I drain the glass and set it down, he frowns. "Go easy, will you?"

I reach for the bottle of whiskey and top up my glass, then take a sip.

"I assume the reason you're ecstatic with joy is because you had to coerce her into saying yes?"

"Yes," I snap.

"And what was your negotiating tool?"

I blow out a breath. "I told her I wouldn't take on protecting her family unless she agreed to marry me."

He narrows his gaze on me. "You know she's going to hate you for this, right?"

"Not more than she already does."

"Why is it that you, and every one of our other brothers, seem to screw up when it comes to pursuing the woman of your dreams?"

He's talking about Michael, who kidnapped Karma before marrying her; Christian, who held Aurora captive until she agreed to marry him; followed by Axel, who agreed to marry Theresa to spy on the Sovranos; then Seb, who married Elsa with the promise that he'd find a way to help her get custody of her daughter, which he did; and Luca, who coerced Jeanne to marry him by promising to get her back home after they were kidnapped.

"And all of them are well-settled now," I point out.

"After rough starts to the relationship," he retorts.

I raise a shoulder. "It's the result that matters."

"Sometimes the journey is the destination," he shoots back.

"Is that Confucius, or one of those shithead philosophers you love quoting so much?" I scowl.

"No, that's just me pointing out the obvious." He smirks

"Is that why you've held off from speaking what's on your mind to Cass?" I take another sip of my whisky.

"I'll do it when the time is right."

"And when's that? When she's decided she's tired of waiting and decides to see someone else?"

He straightens. "Is she seeing someone else?"

"Relax, I'm kidding."

"That wasn't funny, stronzo ." He pours out a glass of whiskey and takes a healthy gulp.

"If the thought of losing her is so stressful, why don't you move in on her and lock her down?"

"Like you did?"

"Exactly." I lean my elbow on the bar counter. "She may hate me now, but she's bound to come around, and when she does, I'll be waiting for her."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Of course, she will."

"What if she's so pissed at you, she never comes around?"

"She will, I'll make sure of it. Once we're married, I'll figure out a way to win her over. She wants to pursue her career as an actress, and I'm all for it."

"You sure that's wise?"

"It's her entire life, her passion. I'd never stop her."

"If you're fine with it, then…" He raises a shoulder. "When's this wedding going to be anyway?"

"As soon as I speak with Michael about it."

"I've been receiving calls from our associates and partners, asking what guarantee they have that they won't be shot point-blank at their next meeting with us." My oldest brother's voice sounds from behind me.

I raise my glass to my lips and drain the rest of the liquid before I place it on the counter. I turn to face him. "You can tell them not to worry. None of them are Diego Sabatini, the leader of the Camorra, who was planning to trade his oldest sister to the head of the Mexican Mafia in return for additional trading routes."

His jaw tightens. "He was going to arrange for Olivia to marry Alvaro Garcia?"

"He'd already decided. He was planning to force her into it, one way or another," I growl.

"That's why you shot him?"

I hold his gaze.

He searches my features, then blows out a breath. "I understand why you did it, but it's not going to help our case. On the one hand, we claim we're legalizing our businesses. On the other, you shot the guy. Oh, and not just any guy, by the way." He holds up a finger. "The head of our rival clan, the one whose sister you're going to marry, so he's practically family. Fuck, Massimo, of all of us, I wouldn't have expected you to turn everything into such a shit show."

"It's always the quiet ones who turn out to be the most unpredictable," Luca drawls as he walks in the door. "I say good riddance. Diego was a pezzo di merda , and you know it, Michael." He approaches the bar, then ignores the whiskey to lean over and grab a bottle of grappa. "I'd say this calls for a celebration."

Michael firms his lips. "This is a fucking pain in the rear end, Massimo." He folds his arms across his chest. "Are you going to arrange for the burial?"

"It's already taken care of. And the cops have been paid off, too."

We may be going legit, but some things aren't going to change. The Cosa Nostra own this town, and everything and everyone in it, and it's going to stay that way for a long time.

"Ease up, fratellino, these things happen," Adrian murmurs.

"I assume you're marrying Olivia now, instead of the younger sister?" Michael snaps.

"Just so you're aware, she's found her own beau, so breaking that particular marriage contract isn't all on me."

"Well, Nonna still gets her wish. A Cosa Nostra-Camorra alliance," Seb, my other brother, pipes up from the doorway. He prowls in, followed by Christian and Axel. They head for the bar, each of them accepting a glass of grappa from Luca.

"What are we celebrating?" Axel asks.

"Seems one more of us has seen the light and is getting married… And to a woman of his choice," Adrian murmurs.

Everyone turns to stare at him.

"What?" he snaps.

"It's your turn next." Axel smirks.

"Not any time soon. I'm not rushing into anything." He tosses back the whiskey, then slaps the glass back on the table before reaching for the grappa.

"Remember our promise to Nonna?" Christian asks.

"There is that," Adrian frowns into his glass. "I'm sure Nonna also wanted us to be happy. There's only one woman I'd marry and right now she's being elusive to track down. Once I find Cass though—" He raises a shoulder.

"You ever miss those days when it was us seven, with nothing to worry about except Mafia business?" Luca asks.

"Do you?" Seb narrows his gaze on Luca.

"Fuck no." He raises his glass. "I propose a toast to the women who've made us better versions of ourselves."

Adrian scoffs, " Gesù Cristo , never thought I'd see the day when hot-headed Luca is singing the praises of someone other than himself."

"That's because I found someone worth living for. Apparently, there's more pleasure in giving, more satisfaction in protecting someone who means more to you than all the wealth and all the power in the world, more fulfillment in returning home to the one who, today, is more precious than all of my tomorrows."

Silence descends. He looks up from his glass and takes in our faces. "What?" He frowns.

"You going to tell him, or should I?" Axel says out of the corner of his mouth.

"This one is all yours," Seb replies.

"What is it?" Luca growls.

"I am sorry to inform you that you are absolutely and completely pussy-whipped," Axel drawls.

"As are you," Luca shoots back.

"And I don't regret it one bit," Axel confesses.

"It's never going to happen to me. No way am I going to go around spouting flowery odes like motherfucking Luca here," I declare.

Adrian coughs.

"What?" I snap.

Adrian tries to speak, then chokes. His face turns purple, and he clutches his stomach.

I stare. " Che cazzo? What's wrong with you?"

"You— I—" Adrian wheezes, "You—" His shoulders shake.

"The fuck is he trying to say?" I growl.

"He's trying to say it's too late for that," Axel informs me.

"Eh?" I look between my already married brothers. "You going to tell me that it's inevitable?"

"Yes," Seb replies.

"That I can fight it, but nothing's going to stop my eventual downfall?"

"I'd say, in your case, you're already there." Adrian stops choking long enough to reply.

I stare at him, and he promptly begins to wheeze again.

"Hope that's a sign that you're having a coronary," I turn away disgusted. "You guys should know, it's nothing further from the truth. In fact, we're not even going to live together after we get married."

"No?" Seb rocks back on his heels. "It's a good plan, but it's not going to work out."

"Why the fuck not? She has a career in London, and she wants to pursue it. As she must. And I need to stay here to help with the transition of the businesses to the legal entities."

"You can work from anywhere, in this day and age." Axel smirks. He turns to Christian. "Who bets that within a couple of days of her leaving, he's going to follow her to London?"

"You're being too charitable. I'd give him six hours, if that," Christian replies.

"Twenty-four," Axel retorts.

"Twelve," Luca holds out his palm, face up.

"Done." Axel slaps it.

"Hold on a second, did you all bet on me?" I snap.

"Seems that way, stronzo. " Luca laughs.

"If I were a betting man, I'd say the Cosa Nostra is losing its edge," a new voice sounds from the doorway.

"You?" My fingers itch to reach for my gun again, but I ignore it. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't even think about it," Michael orders.

I brush my fingers against the butt of the gun outlined at my hip. Maybe it's the leftover adrenaline from the earlier shooting, but my nerves are still on edge.

"Massimo," Michael warns.

I look from him to JJ Kane, our one-time rival, now our partner in Trinity Enterprises, a company with three-way holdings between the Cosa Nostra , the Kane company, and the Bratva.

"It's all right, bro." Seb closes the distance to JJ and holds out his hand. "Wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Things change," JJ says in his clipped British accent. He glowers at me. "You set up a meeting with your ally, then shot him in his face. Why?"

"Who are you to question me?" I growl.

JJ stiffens. He looks me up and down. "I was picking off twits like you with my gun when you were still in short pants, young man."

I blink. "You Brits have strange insults."

"Should I call you testa di cazzo instead?" JJ remarks.

I glower at him.

"Thought not. What's your excuse, motherfucker?" He takes a step forward, but Seb plants his body between us.

"Not a time to fight, guys. The hard-won truce is important to both our businesses. Let's see this through with a calm head, shall we?"

JJ glares at me. I crack my neck, then raise my hands to show they are empty.

Some of the tension in the room dissipates.

JJ doesn't take his gaze off me. "Well? What's your excuse?" he asks.

"The stronzo was looking to barter his sister, my future wife, with the head of the Mexican cartel."

JJ seems taken aback. Then, "Fuck." He rubs the back of his neck. "The last thing we need is to give those bastards an entry point into Europe. And to think, he'd do that to his own sister. I knew Diego was a slime ball, but this is remorseless, even for him."

"Ergo…" I whip out my gun and aim it in JJ's direction.

JJ freezes. So does everyone else in the room. Silence cloaks us while nervous tension bleeds into every available corner of the space.

"Massimo," Michael growls.

"Just demonstrating how I shot that testa di cazzo , which you are not, JJ. So, you have nothing to worry about, do you?" I flip the gun over and slide it back into my waistband.

"Motherfucker." Seb releases a breath. "You're losing it stronzo ."

"Asshole." Axel runs his fingers through his hair.

"Watch it, fratello, " Luca says in a mild voice. "You're changing, and not that I don't appreciate it—it's good not to be the only spontaneous one in the room—still, a little bit of warning before pulling such a trick next time?"

Adrian shuffles his feet next to me. He stays silent, but his displeasure pours off of him.

Only JJ stays silent, then he bursts out laughing. "You have some balls, motherfucker, I'll give you that. And as much as I hate to admit it, I admire your courage and conviction. You did what it took to keep your woman safe, I respect that." He walks over and holds out his hand. I shake it.

He jerks his chin in my direction, then turns to Michael. "We need to talk."