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Chapter One
Warwick
Ithrewmylegover the wide girth of my Harley and turned the engine over. This would be the last time I left this house. I had enough money to disappear forever. I’d already made millions without the help of my criminal family. I didn’t need them. I never had. I was a shrewd and smart investor. When I made my first million on the stock market, I bought a small tech company for pennies. I invested more into the company and hired the best of the best to run it. Five years later, I sold it for close to a billion dollars. I didn’t need the life my stepdad offered me. I had done it on my own.
I sped towards the gates of the mansion. I barely slowed down as I used my personal fob to open the gate. The driveway was long and winding, and as I rounded the corner, a frantic figure dressed in white turned and looked at me with fear.
I slammed on my brakes as she dove into a shrub out of the way. It was Sarah, the bride-to-be.
“What the hell are you doing?’ I demanded. “I could have hit you!”
“I can’t go through with this,” she sobbed. “Please. Please help me!”
I contemplated quickly. What would the ramifications be if I helped this poor girl? I had built the perfect quiet life for myself. Helping her would bring me to the spotlight. I’d be the target of not one but two of the most prominent Mafia families. Did I really want to do that to myself? I looked into the eyes of this girl and sighed. Her green eyes were terrified, her brows pinched so tightly they almost touched in the middle. Her dress was rumpled and dirty, and her feet were bare. There was an angry-looking scratch on her chest from her fall. I couldn’t just leave her here. She’d be beaten for her treasonous attempt to escape. I sighed again and thrust my hand out to her.
“Get on,” I said gruffly. She nodded and hiked her dress up, revealing perfect legs. She expertly swung one over the back of my bike and sat down. Her hands reached around my abdomen and held onto me with intensity. My cock twitched as she clung to me so tightly. She really was a fine-looking woman despite the dirt and streaked mascara.
I patted her hands lightly before kicking the bike into gear again and revving it out of the gate.
As soon as the gate closed behind me, I tossed the fob into the nearby bushes. I wouldn’t be needing it again anyway.
I had gone to my stepdad’s mansion to talk about the future of this family. It was only a few hours till the wedding. My younger brother Alex was getting married. Most weddings were fun and festive. They celebrated the love of two people. This one was not that. This was an arranged marriage between two of the most prominent drug dealer kingpin families the world had ever seen. My stepfather, Andre, and the bride’s father, Pauly, were the conniving masterminds behind this arrangement. Sarah was the bargaining chip that was supposed to end the decades-long feud between the two families and join them together as one.
What should have been a joyous event was one that was riddled with silent tears and desperate prayers. I had listened as the hired help bustled around Sarah, just one room away from where I sat. Her muffled sobs and the hurried whispers of the housekeeper and cooks my dad employed were the only noises discernible. My skin crawled every time I heard them. I had wondered how my stepdad and brother could do this to that poor girl. Sarah was 23 years old and had her entire life ahead of her. Or should have, anyway.
I glanced out the window at the sprawling backyard, decorated and ready for the nuptials that were about to take place. Extra security would be arriving next, followed closely by the handful of guests that were to attend this villainous affair.
I was pacing around the room, anger rising in me like a pot of boiling water. I stormed through the massive house towards my stepdad’s private rooms. My hand was closed into a tight fist as I rapped on the door to his office.
“Come in,” he barked.
I shoved open the heavy wood door and glowered at him.
“How have you let it come to this?” I growled at the massive figure sitting behind the desk. “The girl deserves better. We all do.”
My stepfather stood and glared at me. “Are you questioning how I handle the family’s business affairs?” he hissed.
I laughed and squared my shoulders to him. “Business affairs?” I snorted. “Criminal affairs is more like it. Business is what I’ve been trying to get you into for years. If you had done that, none of us would be in this mess. You’d be wealthy without all the drugs, weapons, and violence. Like I am. But you had to do things your way, dragging Alex and Mom right into it and down with you. My way was less dangerous,” I paused and laughed cruelly, “and frankly much more lucrative!”
It was my stepdad’s turn to smirk. “Alex has pride and respect for what I’ve built here. He’s not some vagabond dreamer who thinks the world will give him what he wants if he just wishes for it hard enough. He takes what he wants.”
“Yeah, including the innocence of a girl who had no choice in the matter,” my voice rose with each word. I leaned closer to my stepdad. “What about her? What about Mom? How does she feel about this? Her big, tough husband is allowing a woman to be sold into marriage in this day and age!”
“Your mother has nothing to do with this. She supports my decisions, and most importantly, she knows her role. Sarah will, too. In fact, the only person that seems to have a problem with this is you!” My stepdad shouted. “Now, get out of my office!”
I turned on my heel and strode out and down the hall. I almost collided with my mom.
“Tony, you know this is the way it has to go,” she said. Her eyes pleaded with me to understand.
“No, Mom, it didn’t. The life that asshole has dragged you into is dangerous and unnecessary. He could have gone legal like the Esposito and the Rossi families. You know that.” I snapped.
“That’s not his way,” my mother argued. “He has to do what he feels is best for his family.”
“More like for him. He never even considers hisfamily!” I gestured air quotes angrily as I spat the words out of my mouth. “I’m not going to be a part of this,” I growled. “Goodbye, Mom. I do love you for what it’s worth.” I turned and strode out the door.
“Tony! Wait,” my mom pleaded.
I almost stopped. The sadness in her voice was nearly more than I could stand. I knew it was a futile argument, though. She believed in my stepdad’s cause, however much it hurt her sometimes. I’d had this argument hundreds of times with her. Even when she knew her husband was wrong, she stood by his side with love.
