Page 4 of Corrupt Desires

My heart swells when she calls me her little girl, but I am instantly worried about the mention of a severed head on my doorstep.

“Why would anyone send me a severed head? As far as I know, I haven’t angered anyone or stepped outside of our territory.”

She fills me and Matteo in with what happened to one of the Romani sons. It all makes sense now. We killed a Romani son, and now they are out for blood. An eye for an eye, if you will.

Matteo clasps my shoulder. “We’ll protect you,cugina. No one is going to hurt you.” (Cousin.)

“Maldita sea…” I mumble under my breath.(God dammit.)This is not good.

“Whose head was it?” I ask, bracing myself for someone we knew.

“That we are not sure. It isn’t anyone that we recognized, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of our people. Regardless of who it is though, the message is clear. They will come after you, amore mia.” (My love.)

This whole eye for an eye thing is complete bullshit. The Romani family has been itching for an excuse to officially come after us, and our guy handed them the opportunity on a silver platter.

“I’d like to see them try…” is my only response to her before I turn on my heel. Matteo stays behind, talking to my mother about god knows what.

Going back down the stairs, my eyes narrow as I take in the guests filing into the room. Most I recognize, but there is some family I’ve never met before and therefore have no idea who they are. The situation has the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention as a chill skates down my spine.

Turning down the hall, I make my way to the kitchen. Just before I swing the door open, I feel the cold barrel of a gun pressed into the exposed skin on my lower back.They would dare try something in my own family home?Faster than the guy could ever think possible, I swing around, knocking the gun from his grasp and bringing my blade up under his chin.

“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn’t so much as move if I were you,amigo,” I say, my intent clear in the way my blade knicks his skin. (Friend.)

“Who are you? Hmm?” When I don’t get a reply, I dig my knife into his skin a little harder, causing a bead of blood to run down his neck. “I said… who are you, and what do you want?”

“I came to deliver a message. That’s it, I swear,principessa,” he replies, his voice shaky. (Princess.)

Contemplating how true that could be, I reach down and grab the gun before pushing the guy into the kitchen. He’s definitely Italian, and if I had to guess, probably someone running with the Romanis. He’s short, maybe five foot four, has a receding hairline, and the belly of a drunk. The fact that they even sent such an amateur is quite frankly insulting.

“So, tell me,idiota. What is this message you have to deliver so badly, and who’s it from?”

“I-it’s from the R-Romanis,principessa. Specifically from Anthony Romani, and it-it-it’s a message to you.”

“Ok, so I’m listening. Spit it out already,rápido.”(Fast.)

“He said you’re now his, and he’ll come to collect you in one week’s time, Sunday, at the Romani-Bonetti boundary line. He said he would love for you to come willingly but that he loves a good fight in his women if you so choose.”

“And?” I say, expecting there to be more to this story. “Why the need to draw a gun on me?”

“He said I should shoot you to send a message that he’s serious. Not to kill you, but enough to weaken you and scare the family.”

Digging out my phone from my back pocket, I call Matteo and tell him to meet me in the kitchen and to bring Lorenzo.

Not even two minutes later they both come through the doors, both men drawing their weapons once they see me holding the guy at knife-point.

“Put this fucker in a cell and notify my mother. They can decide what to do with this little messenger after I leave.”

Matteo nods and looks like he wants to ask more, but I give him a shake of my head. “Later.”

I am beyond annoyed at this development. Anthony Romani is the oldest of the five sons and set to take over the Romani territory when his father retires. He’s a cruel bastard. Rumors always circulate about his woman being battered and bruised before he moves on to the next easy fuck, or worse, completely disappearing. There’s a rumor that he strangles his whores to death and then dumps them in the ocean. There’s also a rumor that he runs a sex trafficking ring within California. Nothing has ever been confirmed, other than the fact he isn’t ever seen with the same woman twice.

They think they can just waltz into our territory without any repercussions…well they have another thing coming.

They’ll be lucky if they don’t start receiving this guy’s body back piece by piece.

Four

James

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