Page 38 of One Savage Union

I lean forward against the island with my elbows on the counter and get eye to eye with Enzo. “Tell me everything from the beginning and leave nothing out this time, Enzo. What the hell is going on?”

He straightens his impossibly long body on the stool and gets to the point. “Leo reached out to the Riccis and forecast his plans. He sent a ransom note before he secured Lucia, thinking it was a done deal. He dared Matteo Ricci to stop him.”

“Fuck!” I curse under my breath.

Idiota!Leo was more interested in the show and threat than in being strategic about his plan. If it went south, he probably assumed his daddy would bail him out. He doesn’t know my uncle is through with him.

Mario nods and walks to the island where Enzo and I are huddled. “Exactly, boss. Of course, he didn’t share that he was going rogue on his little mission to extort Don Daddy Ricci. Therefore, Matteo assumed the Romanos were behind the threat. Since he already had men on us for normal surveillance, he asked about our movements. They told him we kidnapped a woman from Lucia’s building. The three rats we killed weren’t Leo’s men. They were Matteo Ricci’s.”

Damn, this keeps getting worse.I nod, now understanding.

“So, the men claimed to be Leo’s because that’s what we wanted to hear, and because they would never give their boss up.”

Enzo nods. “Once they reported to Matteo that we had Lucia, he sanctioned the attack. What happened at the Safehouse wasa rescue attempt to save her life, not to kill her. Lucia’s father wants her back.”

I slam my hand on the marble counter. “That fucking parasite Leo always messes everything up! This was not the plan!”

At that moment, Mario walks in and looks over his shoulder towards the hallway. He knows I don’t want Lucia to hear any of this. I motion towards the hallway. “In my office.” Enzo nods and follows me. Mario joins us.

As we walk through the hallway, I walk past the stairs, and I look at my watch. She still has seven minutes. Part of me hopes she’s late so I can punish her. Seeing her sweet ass jiggle with every swat of my hand makes me want to pull my flogger out to mark every inch of her lovely body. Her reactions to my hand make me think it's something she would also enjoy.

Once we’re in my office, Enzo begins again. “When we contact Ricci, the conversation must be different. He needs to know why you have his daughter, and I guess now he also needs to know why you married her without his permission. I doubt we’re going to convince him that this was for her safety when you could have just told him what was going on from the beginning.”

I punch my fist down on my desk behind me. This is a clusterfuck, but it’s fixable.

I lean against my desk as my mind races. I turn to Mario and smile,

“You know, this may be better.”

Mario goes to the bar and pours himself a drink. The look on his face tells me he sincerely doubts that, but I continue anyway.

“Ricci knows I couldn’t tell him the plan. I can’t tell him about the Romano business. How could I trust he would be on our side? He would have moved the same way. The plan can still move forward. I already have his daughter, and she’s already my wife. She’s safe from Leo and in my care. If Matteo ever wantsto see her again, he’ll do what we say and help us take Leo down. If he kills Leo, Thomasso won’t have to, and the family can save face. By this time tomorrow, Leo will know all that has transpired, and we will all be at war.”

Enzo sighs, seeming to understand. He’s probably upset he didn’t think of it himself.

Mario knocks back his drink before speaking. “OK, that could work, but what about Lucia?”

“What about her?”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m sure that part of the reason she’s even tolerating you is that she thinks you saved her life and that you’re her only option for safety. If her father is an actual option, how will you keep that information from her? Now you truly are keeping her as a pawn, and she may never forgive you.”

I wave my hand in his direction and tut. “This isn’t about forgiveness. We have a marriage of convenience, Mario. I don’t care if she’s pissed, her feelings are of little consequence to me. I have a job to complete. I’d also appreciate it if you leave my woman’s feelings to me. It’s none of your concern.”

Mario glares but stays quiet. I know he’s only trying to help, but I don’t like anyone insinuating that I don’t know how to take care of my wife or that I could lose her.

Enzo laughs to break the tension. “No disrespect, Roc, but I call bullshit. I’m your closest friend, and I know you. You’re making your mother’s homemade red sauce and pasta. You weren’t just thinking about your wife as a business transaction, standing at the oven like your nonna. You’ve caught feelings for the girl. Just admit it. Only then can you shove them deep down in your belly and shit them out. Because you can’t let that impede the end goal.”

I stare at them both for a few seconds before I continue. When I speak, my voice is deadly quiet.

“We are all friends, but remember your place. When have I ever put my feelings over family? My uncle saved my life, and I will never let him down. I know what I must do for this family; do you? You keep your nose in Leo’s business, and I’ll handle mine. What Lucia doesn’t know won’t hurt her. There’s no way for her father to get in touch with her without me, and she does not know he’s looking for her. I’ll reach out to Ricci and make it very clear what he can and cannot say to his daughter if he wants to keep her and his family intact. Then we can move to the next step and take Leo’s sorry ass down.”

“Enzo, in the meantime, keep Aria out of preschool and add extra soldiers to her security detail. Recheck her nanny’s background, I don’t want any surprises there.” I look up at Mario and see the appreciation in his eyes. That little girl means the world to all of us. What he doesn’t understand is that I’d give my life for her. She’s our treasure.

I look down at my watch and see I only have two minutes to spare.

“I need to go.” I stalk out of my office and slam the door behind me.

I want to be in the kitchen when she arrives. The thought reminds me that Enzo was not too far off in his warnings. I care, and I need to kill that quickly.

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