Page 34 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

Chapter Twenty-Three

CAPONE

I was still shell-shocked by the events that took place last night.

We were only at Giovanna’s parents' for an hour when pandemonium had broken out. Coming face-to-face with my father was not on the to-do list. I knew Giovanna’s father would be a challenge all by himself, but adding my father to the mix was too much for anyone.

I expected Nico to try to dump salt on Giovanna’s wounds. She had always been very honest with me about how he treated her. Even with her warnings, I could barely hold back. The only thing that saved that man was Gabi. If she wasn’t in the room, I would have beat his ass in his own home.

The smugness from Nico and my father made my blood boil. What made them think their way of life was the only way? As if ducking and dodging bullets were something to be proud of.

I’d much rather live a life of peace. The club wasn’t squeaky clean, but we weren’t always at war with someone. Having enemies in life was natural. Unnecessarily putting yourself on the battle grounds was not.

Nico had done a good job of hiding his horrendous actions toward Gabi and Giovanna up until this point. I knew his pride probably took a hit when Giovanna never came running back like he predicted. Despite everything, Giovanna remained happy.

This morning, we found out after we left that there was an even bigger blowout.

Apparently, Alessia and Emelia were tired of remaining quiet and spilled the beans on their father’s controlling and cruel behavior.

Some of those things were news to Giovanna as well.

They had only told her bits and pieces of the things they had endured.

Needless to say, Gia packed her and Niccolò’s bags and left.

My mother wasn’t too happy either. She called, apologizing on behalf of my father. She was furious with how he sat there and didn’t say a word against Nico for antagonizing me. I didn’t need my mother feeling sorry for something she couldn’t control.

Just like Nico, my father wanted to believe I couldn’t survive without him or his way of life. But over the years, I’d shown him. I was my own man. I made my own way, and I wouldn’t bend for anything or anyone.

We had a flight back home in seven hours, and I still needed to rectify some things from last night.

Giovanna and Gabi were currently at Alessia and Emelia’s apartment with their mother.

They were having a much-needed heart-to-heart.

Gia told Giovanna she wasn’t letting her hop on that plane until she knew every last one of Nico’s transgressions.

I was sure that once she learned everything, that would put the final nail in his coffin.

While they were doing that, I was paying Nico a special visit. He might have gotten off easy for his comment toward Gabi last night, but today?

Today, I would make myself crystal clear.

Gabi and Giovanna were off-limits to everyone .

When I pulled up to the house, I wasted no time killing the engine and making a beeline for the front door. After a few minutes of banging on the door, Nico snatched it open. He looked like shit. His eyes were red-rimmed, his clothes and hair a mess, and he reeked of alcohol.

His eyes turned to slits as he curled his lips. “What the fuck are you doi?—”

His words were cut off as I slammed my fist in his mouth. He dropped down to the ground, holding his bleeding lip. I wasn’t done though. I needed him to really understand what I was about to say because any more shenanigans from him would earn him more than just my fist.

Like a predator, I stepped inside the house and closed the door. Nico’s eyes widened when he watched me slip on the brass knuckles. His mouth was moving, but I heard nothing but what he called Baby Girl last night.

Mezzosangue .

The word had been circulating in my mind since last night.

It was beyond low. Sure, there were some Italians who didn’t believe in dating outside their race, but to degrade and disrespect others whose beliefs didn’t align with yours was where I drew the line.

Not only did he call Gabi a half-breed, but he did it in her presence.

There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going back home without making him eat his words.

Not wasting any more time, I gripped the collar of his shirt and started slamming my fist into his face, one right after another. I watched in satisfaction as his lip split more, and his nose bled like a river.

The cocking of a gun paused my attack. I looked up and saw three men in black suits aiming their weapons at me.

Nico shook his head furiously. “Don’t!” he shouted. His voice was laced with panic. “He’s a Ferrari.”

The guards quickly dropped their weapons, but their faces still held a scowl. I scoffed, not giving a damn about them being angry or the fact that my last name struck fear. My father hadn’t protected me in a long time, and I didn’t need him to.

I was a beast in my own right. Years of grooming from my father made me a monster when I needed to be.

Turning my attention back to Nico, I leaned down, staring him in the eye.

“The next time you call my sweet girl anything but her name, you’re dead.

The next time you bother her or Giovanna in any way, you’re dead.

You think my father can be ruthless? Try me.

I’ll show you something my old man could never. ”

Nico gulped vigorously, nodding his head. My father liked to surround himself with men like Nico. You never had to worry about men like Nico betraying you. They were pussies. Too scared to go up against the big dogs. He was like a mouse while my father was a lion.

Once I was satisfied that my message had been made clear, I placed my brass knuckles in my pocket and left. I was ready to get my girls and go home. I still had a few more tricks up my sleeve.

We had finally arrived back home. The day had been long and exhausting, but it still wasn’t close to being over. I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Today was going to be special. I couldn’t wait to show Giovanna everything I had done while we were gone.

Giovanna had been scrolling through her phone the entire drive. So, when the truck finally came to a stop, she was thoroughly confused as to why we were parked outside of the bakery.

“What are we doing here?” she asked me.

“I figured you would want to see the progress of the shop since we’ve been gone for three days.”

I was blowing smoke up her ass. She wouldn’t need to see how things had progressed because I made sure everything would be complete by the time we returned.

I couldn’t have done it at a better time.

After everything that had transpired between her and Nico, I knew she needed a little sunshine in her life.

“You’re right. I was so caught up in everything, I didn’t even check in with the contractors while I was gone.”

“Well, let’s go check it out.”

I got out of my truck and made my way around. I helped her out and then Gabi. Giovanna gasped when she saw the logo on the glass door and windows. There was also a sign hanging above the door with the name of the bakery she had picked out.

Sweet Delights.

We couldn’t see the inside because, as instructed, I told the guys to cover the windows. Even though I knew what awaited us on the other side of this door, I was anxious. I was ready to see everything that Giovanna had been working on day and night come to fruition.

“Oh my God. Look at the logo, Luca. It came out better than I imagined.”

Giovanna worked on that logo for days until she was satisfied. It was a drawing of a cupcake with pink icing on top, and a chef’s hat placed diagonally on the right side of the cupcake. Underneath, Sweet Delights was spelled out in cursive.

Giovanna’s eyes brimmed with tears. I pulled her into my arms, kissing her forehead. This was her dream since she was a little girl, and it was finally coming true. I was honored that the club and I could help this happen for her. She deserved it.

“Come on, Sugar. Let’s see the inside.”

She pulled out her keys, unlocking the door. When we stepped inside, Giovanna sucked in a breath, freezing in place. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the bakery from wall to wall.

I hit the light switch, showcasing the natural lighting that made the room warm and inviting.

Pink and cream paint decorated the walls.

There was a variety of tables and booths.

In the corner, there were a few sofas for the customers who wanted to linger or socialize.

Giovanna walked over to the glass display for all her baked goods.

She ran her fingers over the counter like she wanted to savor this moment for the rest of her life.

Gabi squirmed out of my arms and ran over to the lounge area. After grabbing a children’s book off the bookshelf, she sat on the sofa and opened it.

When Giovanna turned around, a tear trailed down her cheek. “H-how did they do this? The shop was nowhere near done when we left.”

“The brothers helped. They came in with the contractors over the weekend. With everyone pitching in, they were able to finish everything up last night. The only thing you have left to do is finish up your menu and hire some employees.”

Giovanna rushed into my arms and kissed me passionately. I felt every one of her emotions through this kiss. Out of all of them, one was evident in the way she embraced me.

Love.

She didn’t need to tell me. I felt it in my soul.

Every day with her was a blessing I wasn’t sure I deserved, but I would never give it up.

I would spend the rest of my life proving to her that I was worthy of her.

Too many people took advantage of her, making her feel like she wasn’t the prize.

As long as I had breath in my body, she would know her worth.

Once she broke our kiss, I grabbed her hand and continued to give her a tour of the shop.

By the time we were done, Giovanna was bursting at the seams to go to the clubhouse and thank the guys for helping with the shop.

I told her we would go later tonight for dinner. I had one more trick up my sleeve.

We cut out the lights and locked up before heading home. This surprise wasn’t just for Giovanna this time, but also for Gabi. I wanted my girls here to stay, and after tonight, she wouldn’t think twice about it.

As we strolled through the front door, I dropped our luggage and told them to follow me. When we approached the door with a giant purple wooden ‘G’ nailed to it, I turned to Gabi.

“What letter is that, Lil Bit?”

“G. Like my name,” she cheered happily.

“That’s right. Why don’t you open this door and see what’s inside?”

“’Kay.”

Gabi moved around me and rushed inside the room.

She paused when she saw the princess-themed room.

Her favorite color, purple, was everywhere, from the bedsheets to the paint on the walls.

There was also a white canopy above her bed.

On one side, she had a play area decked out with toys, and on the other, she had an easel set up with all her art supplies.

She also had a desk aligned with crayons, markers, color pencils, and an endless supply of construction paper.

When I thought of everything I wanted Gabi’s room to have, I knew this would be like her personal heaven. Giovanna and I would probably have trouble getting her to leave.

Gabi took off toward the bean bag in her play area and launched herself on top of it, giggling nonstop. “My room, Pony?” she asked with a glimmer in her eyes.

I turned to Giovanna with a brow raised, awaiting her answer. As much as I wanted to say yes, I knew this was in Giovanna’s hands. She stared at me with the brightest smile before facing Gabi, who was watching us with a hopeful expression.

“Yes, Gabi. This room is all yours.”

“Yay!” she exclaimed before she got up and started exploring the room.

“Let me guess. The guys helped with this as well.”

“Yup. But I have one more thing to show you. Come on. Gabi’s not leaving this room anytime soon.”

Giovanna giggled as we watched Gabi run from one side to the other, completely enthralled with her new room. I led her into the living room, where there was a gift bag on the table.

“Open it, Sugar.”

“I don’t know how many more surprises I can take.” She rubbed her chest before making her way to the table. With shaky hands, she pulled the paper out of the bag and removed a property cut.

Sinful Warriors MC was etched on the right side, on the front, and on the back, it read, Property of Capone .

Giovanna gasped and spun around, staring at me in a mixture of shock and happiness. I had already explained property cuts to her. Sara had told her what they were called when she first came around, but hadn’t explained the meaning of them.

“Are you serious, Luca?” she whispered, blinking back her tears.

“I am. I want you, Giovanna. Forever. I can’t imagine a life without you and Lil Bit.” I palmed her face, pecking her lips a few times. “Tell me. Do you want this?”

Giovanna nibbled on her lips before she stretched them, showcasing her beautiful smile. “More than anything.”

She pulled back just enough to put her cut on. As soon as it was on, I yanked her to me, smashing my lips into hers. I could finally rest easy, knowing she was fully mine. There was no more second-guessing our relationship. She was all-in, and so was I.

She and Gabi were my life now, and I would do whatever it took to make them happy.