yours
to have. It is the least I can do.”
Mario’s mouth dropped open.
“Truly?”
“ S ì .”
His face lit
up , those
bright blue eyes of his stunning. “ Grazie , don, grazie mille .” He refocused on Red, the woman looking
confused. Mario wiped the expression off her face as he latched
onto her lips, giving her the kiss of a lifetime, because she was
no longer a slave, she was his woman.
I headed back up the
staircase s,
knowing that my job was far from finished, because I needed to go
to the Donatelli abode straight away.
The Landi soldiers who had been ordered
to protect me, followed me outside, piling into the four-wheel
drive we’d arrived in, Tomiso taking the steering wheel this time.
He backed out as I clicked on my seatbelt, then headed down the
driveway. Within minutes he was driving down a much grander
entrance, one that led to the Donatelli house, the beautiful
Baroque-styled palazzo worthy of royalty, the line of statues leading to it
reminding me of centurions, although in this case they could do
nothing but watch their masters fall.
T omiso pulled the vehicle alongside a row
of black vans. Several Santini men were patrolling the front with a
few Rocco guards, which intrigued me. Although the Rocco famiglia were closely linked
to the Santini, I didn’t realize they supported me, but then again,
I was going to be the new head of the island and the Roccos always
sided with the winners, their don a crafty and highly intelligent
man.
I got out of the vehicle and headed
for the front entrance, the Santini and Roccos parting for me. I
stepped inside and walked through to the formal lounge, where I had
instructed the women and children to be taken. Chandeliers lined
the ceilings while gold-framed pictures decorated the walls, and
like outside, there were more statues, but in a much more
extravagant baroque-style, their overabundance of swirls and
saintly faces reminding me of Bernini’s work. The Donatelli were a
showy bunch of thugs, who took great pride in displaying their
wealth.
More Santini guards parted for
me, allowing me access to a scared bunch of women and children, who
were huddled in the far corner, the marble angel overlooking the
group unable to save them. The don’s widow was clutching onto two
of her grandchildren while her daughter-in-law, Lucky’s wife, was
holding her sixteen-year-old daughter. And in front of them sat the
four sisters, Camila, my ex-lover, the only one not looking scared.
Instead, she appeared furious, her eyes boring holes into the
Santini men.
Her head snapped around to me
as I neared her, recognition flashing across her face, hate quickly
following. She jumped to her feet and charged at me, but got
shunted back by a Santini guard. She turned to him and slapped him
hard across the face, screaming profanities. The guard went to hit
her back, but stopped as I yelled at him not to. Only I had a right
to slap the bitch, which I knew I would do many times.
The guard quickly moved out of my way as
I headed for Camila. She stormed towards me, waving her arms about,
screaming, “Get out of my house!”
I stopped a few feet from her
and smiled, receiving great pleasure in saying my next words: “This
is my house now, not yours, so you will be the one leaving.”
“ I will
not !”
she spat, her blue eyes blazing. She was a true beauty. Her long
black hair was thick and luscious while her olive skin was
flawless—and that body of hers ... it was a delight to fuck. But
despite all of that, her personality was far too acidic for my
taste, nastier than all the Donatelli put together.
My smile widened. “Oh,
you will be leaving here; your don has decreed it.”
“ My father is
dead!” she s napped. “Show some respect.”
“ I t’s you who needs to show respect, because I’m your don
now.”
“ You are not
my don, Frano. You are a manwhore who cheated on
me.”
“ I
didn’t cheat, I left you, and if you don’t get on your knees and
accept your lot
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