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I feel the anger start to vibrate through my body, and I internalize it, not wanting to waste it here, but eager to inflict it on her father or that fucker, Enzo.
I hang up from Sebastian, and Jake and I follow the lead of his soldiers as they escort us to the cars, and we start the short journey to the mansion on the cliff. The drive is not too long, but it feels like it takes forever because I am eager to get there. Once we do, I am gob smacked. It is huge. I have been to a lot of elaborate places, but this one is by far the biggest and most elegant of them all. One whole side is pure cliff face down into the rocky depths of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Bougainvilleas adorn each window and are crawling over the fence offering vibrant color and a welcoming tone. If only all the visitors knew what evil lurks behind these gates.
Sebastian’s men drive us all the way in, and my heart rate escalates as I can feel Jake’s body tense next to me. Never in my wildest thoughts could I ever imagine that I would be in Sicily, in the equivalent to the godfather's main house about to take away the one thing he wants. The one thing he took from me. The car drives right up to the side of the house and then stops. Outside, I see the side door that leads into the staff quarters. I can see workers congregate and deliveries are coming and going, all in preparation for my wife to marry pure evil.
We step out of the car, and a man wearing the same uniform Jake and I are, meets us with a nod of his head. “Follow me,” he says as we mingle in with the crowd of staff. He takes us through the kitchen. It is loud, there is lots of shouting, pots banging and people rushing around. The kitchen is massive and full of cooks and chefs of all different calibers, preparing dishes that I know won’t even get eaten today.
We slip down a quiet hallway, and I know from the plans we memorized on the plane that we are still in the staff quarters. We walk up some stairs, and I can feel Jake's eyes assessing everything. We are both on edge wanting to grab Frankie and get the hell out of here.
As we reach the top of the stairs, we look down a long hallway, with numerous doors coming off both sides. I now realize that these internal hallways are how the staff walk around the place without being seen. Our guide puts his finger to his lips to request that we remain quiet, and to be honest, I don’t think I could speak now even if I wanted to. I just want Frankie. My heart is pounding out of my chest as we walk slowly down the hall and stop in front of a door.
“This door is opposite the room that Francesca is in. The soldiers stationed here should all be downstairs to be with Sebastian. I will walk through first and ensure the hallway is clear before taking you inside, then you are on your own,” he speaks with a strong Italian accent and leaves no room for questions. Jake and I simply nod in reply.
He opens the door and walks through slowly, then indicates for us to follow him, and within two seconds we walk across the main corridor and through the open door on the opposite side. He quickly closes the door behind us, and I then realize Jake and I are on our own here in this suite.
I hear a gasp and I turn around quickly, and my eyes land on her. My queen.
Jake stays near the door as I rush to her side. She is dressed in a massive white dress that looks decades older than I assume it is. I reach for her, and she grabs me, but I hear her breath hitch as I grab her too tight. I pull back, looking at her with concern, and I see that she is beaten.
Her face, neck, and God knows where else under this stupid looking dress is, purple, blue and swollen. Her lip has a nasty cut on it, and I hold her carefully because I know that she is sore. One eye is red and bloodshot which must have occurred from the impact of a hard object, and I shake in anger.
“Baby?” I croak out, my heart breaking at what she has had to endure. She reaches out and strokes my cheek, her eyes glistening. “I’m okay now,” she whispers, and I kiss her lips gently. I want to feel her, taste her, and fucking get her out of this place, but we need to wait. We need to wait for Sebastian, because if he doesn’t arrive in the next five minutes, we are all dead.
38
Frankie
I stand in Marco’s arms in pure disbelief. Sebastian slipped into my room this morning, so I knew that he was here in Sicily, and I was so grateful that he was still alive. But honestly, I never thought I would see him again. I can’t believe he came to Sicily for me. He is crazy. He is in my family home, my papa is literally downstairs, and I have never been happier to see him than I am right now.
But I am so scared. Not for my life. No. I knew my life was probably going to end early, but Marco, God, he can’t get hurt, not for me.
As I sink into his embrace, Sebastian and Dante slip into the room. There are now four men and me, and I move away from Marco and quickly go to the bathroom to slip out of this stupid dress mama brought me and into shorts and t-shirt and sneakers. Fighting gear because war is coming.
Coming back into the bedroom, Marco looks at me, but before I go back to him, I detour to my vanity. Reaching underneath, I grab both my gun and knife. As I walk back to Marco, I see his eyes are wide as I place the knife in the back of my jean shorts and check that the gun has bullets—which it does. Standing by his side now he leans down and murmurs, “That was the sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen.” And he kisses me again.
The boys stand side by side and Marco positions me behind him, shielding me from anything that will come. But I know I will fight in this battle, so I am ready.
Sebastian informs us that his team has taken down Enzo, giving him a silent death with a slit throat in his bathroom downstairs, as he shaved his face to get ready for his big day. While I hate death and destruction, the knowledge that he is now gone from this earth gives me a sense of relief.
Just as Sebastian finishes talking, papa walks into the room, giddy with excitement before his eyes set on us all. He looks at each of us, paying little mind to Jake or Dante, before his eyes settle on Marco, and his face turns into disgust until he locks eyes with Sebastian and his face contorts in pure rage.
“You fucking traitor!” he yells at Sebastian. Dante and Sebastian take a step closer to papa without a care in the world. Sebastian is the king of calm. Even when he is raging internally, his demeanor indicates not a stress in the world—it is why he can be so ruthless and earn respect as well as he does. I feel Jake and Marco retreat back a step, keeping me behind them, creating distance between me and whatever is about to go down.
“Times up, papa, you are done,” Sebastian says and papa reaches for his gun but he is too slow because Sebastian quickly grabs papa’s hand and disarms him. Papa’s gun falls to the floor, and Dante kicks it to the side of my room.
“Enough, papa!” Sebastian yells. Papa looks like a wild bull, nostrils are wide and flaring, spit flying out of his mouth as he seethes in pure anger at his heir. Papa looks at me then, the first time since he walked into the room, and I feel unsettled by his murderous gaze.
“Are you going to kill me, Figlio?” he asks Sebastian in a taunting tone, while still staring at me.
“All because of your stupid whore of a sister!” he yells, making me jump and Marco stiffens in front of me, anger permeating off his body. But in a blink of an eye, Sebastian punches him in the face in retaliation. A move that surprises me, and I think everyone else in the room, including Sebastian himself, not that he shows it.
Papa looks back at me, blood now dripping from his lips and he brings his hands up to wipe it away. “I know Enzo tried to take your innocence when you were young, Diletto,” he spits out at me as my body begins to shake. His admission is not a surprise, but still heartbreaking. “It was all part of my plan, but you spoiled it all that night, and now you’re back spoiling it again!” he yells, looking at Sebastian as spit flies from his mouth. Although Sebastian looks calm, I know he is enraged. “If Enzo had his way with Francesca back then do you know how rich we would be, Figlio? Do you?” Papa presses, and the fact that all this is about money is no surprise. Papa is one of the richest men I know, but still, it isn’t enough. I feel Marco’s grip tighten in my hand, anger rolling off his body, but he is still, protecting my body with his, letting this family dispute play out.
“You fucked up, boy. You are a worthless piece of shit just like your sister. You think you can overthrow me?” he bellows. ”You are not fit to lead this family. Enzo was right, he is the better choice to lead once I retire.” Swiftly, papa pulls out a knife and holds it to Sebastian’s throat, I gasp in surprise, sheer terror gripping me. Marco and Jake get ready to intervene, but both Sebastian and Dante stand casually, not looking surprised at all. Papa strikes out and removes the gun from Sebastian so now he is without a weapon, the knife still at his throat. But again he remains calm. Papa keeps pushing him, trying to get a reaction, but he isn’t getting one which frustrates him more.
“Women only get you in trouble, Sebastian. Your sister is a whore, and women like your little goldie locks just need my fat cock…” but papa doesn’t get to finish whatever he was going to say because Sebastian finally snaps at his last statement and pushes him so his back slams against my bedroom wall. Papa’s maturity is no match for Sebastian’s strength and anger.
“You dare call my sister a whore!” he shouts, and I know Sebastian is beyond angry right now.
