Page 133 of Arturo's Temptation

“Training, Bella?”

“Pa, can you wait two seconds before you descend on me like a fricking vulture?” I managed, trying to keep my cool.

“Trainin’ went well, Lorenzo. Isabella’s a natural at attuning to new environments, that and she really does do as she’s told. She’s a real good girl.” I knew exactly what Arturo meant, luckily for me though, my father didn’t.

“Good!”Yup, totally oblivious to the innuendo in Arturo’s words.“I’m glad my daughter was able to put any negativefeelings for you aside. You’ve both had me worried she’d continue to dig her heels in rather than focus on the work?—”

“Pa, can we have a word in private please?” I asked, already stomping in the direction of his office.

“Well, it seems like my daughter would like a meeting. Excuse me.” I heard him say before kissing my mother and following me.

“Hey, Bells, nice to have you home.” Luca smiled, coming down the stairs.

I ignored him completely. I knew it was childish, but my heart was still hurt by the things he’d said. Not to mention it was the first attempt he’d made to speak to me after acting like a complete douche. Even after the bike accident, he didn’t say one word or once try to come and check on me.

As I shoved the door open, memories of the last time I was in this room flooded back to me. I squeezed my eyes shut as visions of Arturo shoving me over the desk and pounding into me filled my thoughts. Cursing I gently slapped my flushed cheeks in a desperate attempt to make them behave.

Shit.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting, Bells?” my father asked, lowering himself into his chair and leaning back completely at ease.

“Look, I get that you want to know all about training and how everything’s going, but seriously Papa, would it hurt to ask if I had a nice time or how I actually am?”

“Diamond, I just want to be sure you will be ready. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to allow that to cloud my mind.” He stood, taking my hand and bringing the back of it to his lips.

“I get that, I do, but I’m still your daughter and that should come before everything else.” I sighed and pulled my hand away, collapsing into the chair opposite him. “I mean come on, Pa, didyou even speak to Luca about the shitty things he yelled at me, or was that swept under the carpet to protect his feelings too?”

“Bella, you know your brother, he—” he paused for a second to glance at his vibrating phone. “Excuse me, Bells, two minutes.”

“Ugh, fine.” I snapped, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Riley, are we all set for tonight?” Riley was one of the guys down at the docks. I’d never met him but I knew of him.

I watched on as my father continued to nod his head a couple of times, muttering a few words here and there. “Thanks, Riley, see you soon.” Hanging up, he looked back at me, his finger tapping against his lips.

“Everything okay?” I asked, wanting to break the continuing silence.

“No, it isn’t. Someone’s been intercepting our shipments and skimming off the top.” My eyes widened, taking in my father’s furious expression. “We can’t tolerate an oversight like this, Bells. The culprit’s been found and they’ve got to be punished. On that note, you’ll be coming along tonight. It’s about time you saw first hand what we Riccis do to those who betray us and try to fuck us over.” He sounded so calm and composed. But then again, that came easy for him. He did it on the daily.

“But, Pa?—”

“Be ready to leave by eight. I’ll see you later.” he ordered, effectively dismissing me, despite me being the one to insist we talk.

“Fine. That all?” I huffed, getting more and more wound up with him talking business the second I got home.

“No, go talk to your brother… It’s not becoming of you to ignore him.”Was he serious?!

“No.” My father’s eyebrows furrowed as he caught my gaze. “With all due respect, Pa, you’d do well to keep your nose out of my business with Luca. He hurt me… deeply, and right thissecond I’m not ready for the hills to be alive with the sound of fucking music. Understand?” My heart raced as the levity of my words sank in. I had never spoken to my father in such a way before. I barely even ever spoke back. But I was done playing nice all the time. And if I was taking over the business, he had better get used to it.

“Watch… your… tone,” he rasped, a vein popping at the side of his head.

“Or what? You’ll ground me?” I scoffed. When he didn’t so much as blink I raised one eyebrow and stood from the chair. “Thought not, see you at eight.” With that I opened the door and left, leaving it ajar.

41

After almost an hour of arguing,Lorenzo went against my advice and filled everyone in on what would be happening tonight, including the fact Isabella would be coming. It was inevitable really that this day would come. It was the sole reason I was even fucking here. But when I started out on this venture it had never occurred to me that I would need to prepare for the fact that every bone in my body would reject the idea of her being within 10 miles of danger.

It didn’t take a fucking Einstein to work out what tonight would entail… Murder. Cold blooded, filthy torturous murder of the insane motherfucker who had decided to cross Lorenzo Ricci. It was common knowledge amongst the criminal underworld that many had tried to dethrone the unspoken king of New York, but it was also common knowledge that each one that I had tried had failed… And they all ended up the same way, a dismantled body scattered across sea, city, and earth making it as though they had never even walked amongst us.

---