Page 6 of Mafia Heir’s Alpha (Mated in the Mafia #7)

ROSCO

"Excuse me one moment." I handed Ori his glass of water, taking the half-empty glass of champagne from him. If this evening went the way I wanted it to, I needed him to have a clear head. Abstaining from alcohol was something both of us would do in order to make the most of this night.

He seemed to have the same line of thinking because he didn't resist when I took the champagne away. He smiled at me, his eyes dancing. "Of course, I'll be right here."

I had ignored the messages going into my ear while I was talking with Ori, but there were a few things I needed to take care of if I was going to dedicate the rest of my evening to spending time with him.

The majority of the party attendees were here.

We weren't waiting for anyone else to arrive, which meant the rest of the night was simply keeping the peace and making sure no one indulged in too much alcohol and made bad decisions.

I went to Andro first, waiting while he finished his conversation.

He had his omega Joey attached to his side, the two of them looking like they had already indulged in a few shots.

Joey was leaning against his alpha with his hand on Andro’s chest, staring up at him like he hung the moon.

There was so much love in his eyes that I felt like I was intruding on a special moment.

"Rosco, you're not here to tell me anything's going wrong, are you?" Andro said.

"No, sir, everything's been pretty low-key."

"Then go enjoy yourself." He gestured toward the rest of the room where guests were talking and some dancing to the orchestral music.

"Actually, sir, that's what I came to ask. I wanted to make sure you were fine with me turning over the security responsibilities to Valerio for the evening.” It would mean me taking the night off—something I didn’t usually do. Not when Andro or Cord's security was at stake.

Andro raised a brow.

Cord did as well, and he nodded slightly. "Of course, if you want the night off, take it.”

“I'll be reachable if anyone needs me, and I won't be leaving the hotel."

Cord waved a hand. "Of course, of course, have fun." He winked at me.

Joey and Andro were too lost in each other’s gaze to pay me any mind.

My next stop was the security room. I took out my earpiece and put it away, giving all the command to V. "If anything beyond a threat level two arises, let me know. Otherwise, you guys are in charge this evening."

"Absolutely, boss.”

“Do not hesitate to reach out if you need something. I'm trusting you all."

"Of course." They nodded and went back to work.

I didn't know what it was about this omega that had gotten under my skin and influenced me to take a night off for the first time in forever, but I was here for it.

Perhaps it was because things were going smoothly for the Ferrinis and Menettis for the first time in a long time.

Most of our enemies had been removed or at least put in their place.

No one was strong enough to be a real threat to us anymore.

That didn’t mean things wouldn’t change, but I could at least relax for a night.

Next, I returned to Ori's side. He smiled when he saw me. He had finished his glass of water and had a small plate filled with various finger foods that were being served. Good. I would need my omega hydrated for the plans I had for him.

I laced my fingers into his and tugged him toward the terrace. "Come look at the stars with me, Ori."

He giggled. "The stars? Is that the best you can do? I didn’t peg you for the romantic type."

"It's a good excuse to get you close to me, don't you think?"

"Well, if close is what you’re looking for, you don't need the stars to do it." Ori didn’t hesitate to snuggle against my side. Not unlike what Joey was doing to Andro and what Avery was now doing with Cord since he returned to his side.

Not until this moment did I realize that was something I wanted.

The alphas around me had all found their omegas and paired off over the years.

I hadn’t thought much of it. It meant more work for me, more people to keep safe, and it made them more vulnerable to attack.

But it also made Andro stronger, Cord as well.

Having a family meant the two of them were more motivated than ever to keep their empires safe.

Now, I wanted the same thing.

I grinned right back at Ori. "Perhaps I also wanted to talk. To get to know you."

His smile faltered, but he recovered quickly. "Really?" His lashes lowered as if he was unsure of himself. “I thought maybe you just wanted a repeat of last night.”

"I want that too, but I also want to know you. I'll be honest." I brushed a kiss over the top of his head as we stepped outside. "I had my team run a background check on you. You're not twenty-two."

He chuckled. "No, I'm not. Just nineteen."

"Why did you lie? "

Ori’s grin turned lavicious and sexy. "I saw something I wanted, and I removed all the barriers in place in order to get it."

I raised a brow. "I can respect that, but I don't take kindly to liars. Other men have been severely punished for lying to me."

"Rosco, I know what you do for a living, the men you protect. I'm sure lying is somewhere in your job description."

I loved the way he pulled no punches when he spoke to me.

I didn’t intimidate Ori. “I’m not sure my job has an actual description.

Perhaps lying is something I do on occasion.

But never to those who matter to me. And never about something important.

I expect honesty.” It didn't surprise me that he knew that I worked for Cord and Andro.

It wasn't a secret. In fact, we were all quite honest about our activities.

"And how is it that you've all never been caught by the law for this honest work that you do?"

I scoffed. "They could never. Besides, we do more for keeping the scum off the streets than the police do."

Ori's face twisted in disbelief .

"I'm serious." Why was that surprising to him? "Hell, just last year, Cord and Andro worked together to get a sex-trafficking ring closed down."

As his brow furrowed, he cocked his head and really looked at me. "If that's the case, why didn't I hear about that? You would think that'd be front-page news."

"Right. Like they're gonna report that known drug runner and weapons dealer Andro Ferrini and his newly acquired business partner Cord Menetti took down Russo and Brutus because they kidnapped an omega. Rowan, Andro's cousin, was taken and tortured, but the public doesn’t hear about that stuff. Nah, the media would never share that. The police didn’t have the balls to take Russo down, but we did. "

Ori was quiet for a moment, and I worried I’d gone too far. Knowing what I did for a living and hearing specific details were two different things.

“Right. Yeah, I suppose that wouldn't really go well in the tabloids."

"Perhaps we should talk about other things. Or maybe we don't have to talk at all." I tugged Ori closer to me as I sat down, and he settled onto my lap. "You studied law with a minor in information technology. That's an interesting combination."

He shrugged. "I'm good with computers. In fact, I’ve been known to partake in my own illegal activities from behind the keyboard."

"Is that right?" I nuzzled my nose against him, inhaling his sweet omega scent. All it did was drive me wild and cause my cock to harden.

"It is."

I had to taste him again. I wasn't going to let him get away. As much as I wanted to learn more about him intellectually, I also had a lot to learn physically.

“Tell me everything about you, Ori. I want to know all about you and your life. Then later, I want to take you upstairs and learn all about your body.”

Ori swallowed thickly. “Only if you tell me about you, too.”

Hmm. I didn’t like talking about myself. There wasn’t much to say. But if Ori wanted to know me, then I could open up to him. He was worth it. “It’s a deal.”