AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A man like me does not just fall head over heels in love with a woman he’s barely known for this short span of time. Yet the tightening in my chest tells me just how wrong I am. I’ve been thinking of no one else but her for weeks. Ever since reading that first article she wrote, looking her up on the internet, having her researched thoroughly and finally staring into those bright blue eyes as she lashes me with her sharp little tongue.
It’s high time that Isabella realizes just what it means to be mine.
It may not be rational, but Isabella is mine. Not for just a few brief nights of pleasure, but for good. There is simply no refuting that. It’s high time that I take matters into my own hands to change the direction of this game.
Isabella means far too much to lose.
But words alone will not solve anything. The pain in her words and her eyes tells me everything about what a precarious position I’m in with Isabella. Her mother’s experiences were far too painful for Isabella to just brush away and have left their marks. The memories seared into her DNA as though she were brought into the world with the pain of her father’s betrayal, and that’s not likely to change overnight or by me whispering some heartfelt words into her pretty little ears.
It will take time to prove to Isabella that I am not the man her father was, or even that I used to be. Even for me the reality is too new. Even in the lower level with all the half nude ladies, dressed in their sexiest attire, the only woman I could not wait to be with again was Isabella.
I may have told her that she was mine, but I didn’t do anything that allowed her to claim me as hers. Maybe that’s not important to some people, especially in this day and age, but if you are raised in the old country, it does.
But yet, her father said vows to her mother and broke them time and time again. A cherished commitment that she witnessed discarded and war-torn in lies, with Isabella carrying the scars of those battles.
Heather, one of the attendants from the service we use, walks into the cabin. “Would you care for something to drink, Mr. Larussio?”
I shake my head, knowing full well that’s not the only thing that Heather is offering. “Not tonight; thank you.”
Her eyes rake over me with the heat of a woman who knows exactly what she wants and ill-concealed disappointment at not getting her way tonight. A sharp reminder that not very long ago, I would have taken her up on her offer just to pass the time. I would have been the very kind of man that Isabella despises today.
If I were her father, I would do everything in my power to ensure she steers far, far away from me.
The main cabin door closes with a click as Heather leaves me alone with my thoughts again, my mind contemplating the complexities that make up the woman I’ve come to love, who wants nothing to do with me at the moment.
I’ve almost fallen asleep when Matteo and Sergio come into the cabin. “We’ll be landing in a while,” Matteo says. “Renzo just called. He and his crew found out that the De Rosas are having a farewell dinner for all the family that flew into the country for the funeral. We even know exactly which restaurant the fuckers will be gathering at.”
I nod, my mind quickly jumping to how this opportunity will play into our plans for revenge. But the De Rosas are not stupid. They know full well that we are not going to allow them taking Alena and holding her hostage to go unpunished.
This could be a trap. But, on the other hand, their house is being remodeled after the fire that engulfed parts of it only a short time ago. Hardly a place to hold a gathering of this size.
Perhaps the perfect opportunity for us to attack…
Pieces of the strategy fall into line, as I process the different scenarios in my mind. “Good. How many men do we have on the inside of De Rosa’s organization?” I ask, anxious to talk with Salvatore and Dominic immediately following our conversation. Having to wait until after the funeral has put the entire family on edge.
Revenge has been far too long in coming…
Every single one of us barely contains our need to seek revenge for what they did to Alena. She may have been lucky, not ravaged, beaten, or otherwise physically harmed, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t left emotional scars and that they won’t pay dearly for even touching or taking one of ours.
Matteo looks up from his phone. “We have three men on the inside. They weren’t as careful bringing in new guys as they should have been after they lost so many of their own. I’ll work on getting a couple into the restaurant. It shouldn’t be hard; we own all the supplier contracts.”
“Wouldn’t it be a fucking kicker if we had the waiters bring out a pair of autos and let them rip through their entire family like they did with ours?” Sergio says.
“That’s the last thing they would expect. It would be far too obvious of a payback. They would consider it, then dismiss it knowing we would think it was just that.”
Sergio’s eyes fall.
“That’s why it’s fucking perfect,” I tell them, watching as both Sergio and Matteo look at me with wide, serious eyes.
“Fucking A,” Sergio says, grinning.
I hit the buzzer for Heather, because enjoying a glass of red as we contemplate the steps of the De Rosa revenge will sooth the balm of my dark black soul. I gesture to the phone in Matteo’s hand. “Get Salvatore and Dominic on the line. Let’s see if they want to get a few of the logistics finalized now that we know the exact location,” I tell them as Heather walks into the cabin and heads to the bar.
Her eyes watch me as she moves the glasses around on the bar. “Change your mind?” she asks, licking her lower lip.
“About the wine, yes,” I tell her. “A drink, men? Surely a toast is in order,” I tell them, alleviating any concern they may have about drinking while on duty because the minute we touch down, we will be surrounded by our soldiers again.
Sergio grins. “Don’t mind if I do,” he says, while Matteo shakes his head, waiting on hold before Heather hands us each our drink and leaves the cabin. “Salute,” I say, clinking glasses with Sergio and Matteo’s bottle of water as we wait.
