Page 50 of One Savage Union

“Now, we need to be on our way. I don’t want to lose any more sunlight.”

I don’t want to lose anymore of myself.

16

ROCCO

Baby girl is tired.

I may have underestimated the complexity of this hike and overestimated her ability to complete it. The thing is, it's not her body holding her back. I know she thinks it is. She’s hard on herself and I fucking hate it. Her body is beautiful and full of curves that I obsess over. However, since she’s not a model’s size, society has her doubting herself, and that doubt is what’s causing this hike to take almost twice as long as it should.

She thinks she’s going to fall.

It’s her anxiety causing her to stumble.

She’s nervous about every step she takes, and that causes a double-take at every motion forward. Upon taking a look around, I can see that this hike is not for beginners. There is little to no railing to protect you from the sea thousands of feet below you. The trail is not as polished as I remember. The last mile has been rocky and unblemished mountain terrain. She’s anxious and her fear exasperates me.

As if I would ever let anything happen to her.She’s mine.

I won’t even let Mother Nature have her. The crazy thing is, I no longer have a clear picture of why she’s mine or what she’s here for. I‘ve got her father by his balls. Mario informed me that their follow-up meeting went on without a hitch. There’s a plan to take out Leo through a fake drug exchange with Ricci.

Leo still thinks that Ricci is on his side and will supply him with the first shipment of drugs he needs to break into his line of business. Ricci is only charging him 25% of the profits in perpetuity since he’s getting to sell on our turf. The deal also includes him lending Leo some soldiers when he assassinates our don, his father.

Leo knows that there will be a bloody war after he takes out his father, and he needs Ricci’s support. But he will never get that far. When he goes to the docks to meet Ricci’s capo Enrico, he will instead meet Enzo, Mario, and the barrel of my gun. It should all be wrapped up within a week.

Today, it is all about endearing Lucia to me even more. I need her thoroughly fucked and high off my cock before all this goes down. I want her emotionally tied to me so her loyalty is with me and not her father after the smoke clears.

Technically, she’s still in a lot of danger until Leo is dead, and no one will keep her safer than I will. I don't quite trust Ricci to do right by her.

Enzo discovered some suspicious deposits in Leo’s bank accounts. It makes sense to see one or maybe two transactions from Ricci to him. After all, the sham drug deal takes some capital. But Enzo found deposits that date back over a year. The depositor is a shell company owned by none other than Matteo’s capo, Enrico Manetti.

What could he possibly be paying Leo for in the tune of two million dollars? Does Matteo even know?

Something is off.

Other than my paranoia, I have no real reason to keep her from her father. I could arrange a meeting, or at least let her know I've met with him. But I won’t. I need her to be dependent on me for just a bit longer.

I'm a selfish bastard. I want her to feel as crazy and off balance about me as I do about her.

I try not to think about how arousing her smell is. When I sneak out of my bed early to leave her, I sniff her hair to get a hit. I refuse to acknowledge how I look forward to our dinners at home. Seeing her in my element, in my favorite place on earth, does things to my chest I don’t recognize. She belongs here, and I like it this way. The campaign to make her want to be mine starts now. She won’t leave this mountain the same way she arrived.

“Rocco, I hate this. Why did you make me hike this stupid mountain? I could die out here with any step I take. Why isn’t there any railing? Is this a public trail? I’ve only seen one other pair of hikers. Do you plan on abandoning me out here or something?”

I’m trying not to laugh at her feisty stance. She’s sweaty and tired but still has enough fire to place her hands on her hips and give me a piece of her mind. Her hair has flown from under her carefully tied silk scarf and sweatband, and I can tell she’s just over it at this point. I don’t laugh because I know it will only anger her further, so instead I give her the most serious face I can muster as I close the distance between us.

“No, my Lucia. I would never leave you. We only have about a quarter of a smile to go before we get to your surprise. Just be patient.

“Yeah, Ok,” she huffs. “You’ve promised me some big reveal for the past two miles, and all I see is more of this stupid mountain. My body aches, and I’m sure my hair looks like a bird’s nest at this point. I don’t like being afraid to fall everyminute of this hike, and it’s also a bit warm. I'm sweating like a man, and no part of this is enjoyable. I hate to sound like a complaining brat, but that’s where I am at the moment.”

I don’t reply. Instead, I turn around and keep trekking down the mountain. Engaging her while she’s in this mood will do me no good.

We continue in silence for about thirty minutes until she catches a glimpse of twinkling lights ahead.

“What’s that!” she gasps. “ I hope it’s somewhere to sit down!

I snicker. “ It’s even better than that, Lucia. It’s somewhere to lie down.”

I feel her hand on my shoulder, and she slips a bit, trying to gain her footing. “ I don’t sleep outside Fieri!”

---