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“Agreed,” Gabriel said, staring directly at me. A silent conversation passed between us. We needed a majority vote in favour of his death, otherwise it would be seen as unjust and the Leones could retaliate. Which meant… they could hurt Elle to hurt Enzo. He hadn’t exactly kept his interest in her a secret. I clenched my jaw and sent daggers at Enzo, who looked completely confused by my anger. I thought I had done a good job in teaching him, but it seems he still has a lot to fucking learn.
The commission resumed their seats and we all focused on them, ignoring the body on the floor. Lorenzo had just become Boss of the Leone clan without even realising.
The men took turns on voting if it was a just cause for death. The votes were pretty even. It seems Riccardo’s words had affected many of them and they feared the Barbieris. It was completely split, knowing Bosco would have voted to let Riccardo live. Only Luciano Lino was left. He glanced up at me, knowing whatever he went with right now was committing his allegiance.
“The Lino clan believe there was just cause for Riccardo’s death.”
I exhaled in relief as Gabriel leaned back in his chair. “Then it is agreed. The commission allows the death of Riccardo Leone and no retaliation can be enforced. Luciano, will you inform Bosco what has happened here today and congratulate Lorenzo Leone on becoming the new Boss of the Leone clan.”
Luciano stood from his chair, nodding with respect and walked out the room.
“As for the matter of allegiance to Buccini following the kidnapping of his sister, please speak to your Bosses and ask them to contact Giovanni if they are willing to help. Thank you, gentlemen.”
I nodded at Gabriel and the other men with respect and turned on my heels, marching from the room with Enzo and Max walking briskly behind me. Once we were outside in the daylight, I turned and smashed my fist into Enzo’s face. He fell back on the gravel, groaning.
“Do you have any idea what you nearly did?” I roared, grabbing his shirt and lifting him back to his feet. “My sister is at that family’s mercy! And you just shot their leader!”
“I saw an opportunity and I took it!” he shouted back. “The commission knew he deserved to die for what he has done, but no one was going to fucking do it!”
“You are one lucky son of a bitch. If Luciano hadn’t voted for his death as just, Lorenzo would be after your head, Enzo! And god knows what they would have done to Elle,” Max shouted, his rage evident as he yanked the car door open.
“But it has worked out perfectly, no?” he mumbled as I threw him in the car. “Riccardo is dead and Lorenzo can’t do a thing about it. If he does hurt Elle, the commission will have cause to kill him as well!”
“Lorenzo is not who I am fucking worried about,” I growled as Max started up the engine and we travelled out of the vineyard to the main road. “Lorenzo can’t do a thing about it, but Alessio can. The Barbieris don’t answer to the commission, Enzo. They only answer to themselves.”
The King
My phone had not stopped ringing all day. With a groan, I pulled it out of my pocket to see it was Isabelle yet again. The fifth time today. I silenced it and placed it back in my trousers.
“You can answer it, you know,” Elle said as we walked up the stairs towards the second floor.
“And have you eavesdropping on all my business calls,” I smirked.
“Like I would understand them anyway,” she grumbled. We reached the top of the stairs and I tugged her down the landing towards the bedroom with the best view of the vineyards from the window. I had my men clear it out and put all the painting supplies she had asked for in here. “You really think little old me would be able to run back to my brother and tell him all your business secrets?”
I looked down at her, fluttering her lashes with a pout and grabbed her hips, pulling her into me. “I believe you are capable of much more than you think, Princess.”
I couldn’t help but lower my head and capture her bottom lip between my teeth, tugging it with a growl of frustration. Fuck, being cuffed to her all day was like the most intense foreplay I had ever experienced. Her sweet floral scent must have invaded my veins by now, from the amount I had breathed it in. And the constant touching, some on purpose, some by accident, just kept sending my brain into a state of arousal. Not to mention the actual foreplay we had been having. I am glad I called off all my meetings today, because I wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything with her this close to me. Damn, Flo.
I released her, ignoring the tempting look of lust on her own face as I turned the handle of the door and walked us inside. There was a blank canvas balancing on a large easel by the window and a table full of an array of paints, brushes, paper and mixed media for her to use. She shrieked when she saw it all, pulling me over to the table by my wrist as I chuckled at her eagerness.
“Did you do all this?” she asked, picking up some of the paint bottles and inspecting them.
“You had art supplies on your list. I guessed you wanted to paint, so I thought you might want somewhere quiet to focus. This room has the best views in the house—apart from mine—and all the walls are white so you can go wild.”
She looked up at me in surprise. “You mean I can paint the walls? You are actually going to let me paint the walls in your house?”
“Why not? It needs a little brightening up,” I smiled and she placed the bottle down, looking around at the empty room. I had already made sure there was plastic protection on the carpet so she didn’t have to worry about making a mess.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, her eyes larger than normal as she took it all in. My chest tightened when her gaze met mine and I saw how happy it had made her.
“You could thank me. That’s what normal people would do,” I teased her.
She suddenly reached up with her free hand and grabbed the back of my head aggressively, pulling me down to her lips. As soon as I tasted her again, all my control was gone. We were frantic with need. Her hands roaming my body under my shirt as I lifted her onto the table and pushed her back, forcing the paints onto the floor. Our tongues fought for dominance as our hands did the same, pulling at our clothes, groping, gripping and digging into each other’s flesh. This was dangerous. The most dangerously close we had come to fully giving ourselves to each other. In seconds, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I’d need to have her. Claim her. Make her mine. I was so enraptured by her, I didn’t even feel my phone vibrating in my pocket against her hips.
“Alessio,” she moaned into our passionate kiss. “Your phone.”
“Ignore it,” I ordered, devouring her lips once more as she reached for my belt to undo it between us. It stopped only to start up again. I groaned loudly in frustration as she opened her eyes and blinked up at me in a daze.
