Page 34

Chapter 34

Massimo

My knuckles are busted and bloody. Tony loves chaos. Well, I fucking gave him chaos.

I attacked Beast and beat his ass to a bloody pulp right there on the platform.

Tony's men had tried to pull me off Beast, but I tossed them off like a dirty shirt into the crowd. I would've killed Beast, if Renzo, Tino, and Marcelo hadn't gotten through my black haze of hate.

Afterward, Renzo spoke into my ear over the deafening roar of the crowd, "Meet me by the pool house."

Then, he descended the steps of the platform, with Chiara materializing like a wraith beside him, and they disappeared into the crowd.

I get dressed and head toward Tony's table. The next fight is already on in the cage. Beast has been carted off, and a crew is cleaning his blood off the platform. The crowd gives me a wide berth but still cheers and congratulates me.

As I approach Tony's table, he's fucking pissed because I nearly killed Beast, but he's also filled with glee at the money I just made him. I tell him to give my winnings to Teresa's Home, a not-for-profit that helps youth stay off the streets, like I always do.

"Maybe some of the winnings could go to the surgeries Beast will need to repair his shattered jaw, broken arm, and destroyed knees," Tony suggests .

I step into his space. "If a dime of my winnings goes toward Beast, I'll slit his throat." Tony's eyes nearly bug out of his head. "And I'll fucking know if all my winnings don't go to Teresa's organization, Tony."

"What the fuck's gotten into you?"

"Beast and every one of us knows the risks when we enter the ring."

"Except you two never made it into the ring," he retorts.

"Semantics." I shrug. "I made you thousands tonight, Tony." I give his cheek a light slap. "You're welcome."

Pivoting on my heel, I push through the crowd with Marcelo and Tino and storm up the stairs like a thundercloud. I want to fight again. My fury and rage aren't abated, but I really will kill someone if I do.

Like my father, I make decisions about who lives and dies with a level head. The death of anyone, even the most heinous of humans, can have rippling effects, and those need to be considered in the decision.

Alejandro smiles as I crest the stairs. "Heard you put on a fucking show. Sorry I missed it."

I smirk. "Enjoy your winnings."

We exit into the night and make our way to the SUV. The smaller guard climbs into the very back, and I get in the middle row with the other guard. Tino drives, and Marcelo rides shotgun.

I'm silent, itching to pull out my phone and check in on Nova over the security feed, but I resist. Tino and Marcelo give the other guards a play-by-play of my fight while remaining vigilant as we drive through the city.

I'm more on edge than I usually am traveling outside my territory. Vincenzo is my peer and ally, but I can't ignore Beast. He's French mafia. Vincenzo has to know Beast is here in his territory; Tony is tight with Vincenzo, and hiding that from him would be stupid. Friends or not, you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Instead of checking Nova on the video feeds, I check on my messages. Since it's still day time back home, and there are a few from Gabe.

Gemma's here; it seems to be going well

I won't say she's forgiven Gem, but it's a star t

Relief cuts through me. Even though I’m keeping Nova hidden, the last thing I want is for her to feel isolated—especially as I suspect that’s what Mancini did to her. From what Gemma has told me, they had a strong connection and a friendship was forming before Gemma's deception.

I lock my phone, processing everything as we drive back to Vincenzo's estate.

Once we arrive, I dismiss the guards for the evening and walk along the front of the house. Vincenzo's guards nod at me, but leave me alone as I make it look like I'm out for an evening stroll, and I head into the garden that's lined with high hedge walls. There's little moonlight tonight as I move through the expansive space, making my way toward the pool house, as Renzo said.

I turn a corner and catch sight of a faint silhouette on the wrap-around deck of the pool house, a glowing cherry of a cigarette flickering in the dark. A dark shape moves toward me, and I reach for my weapon but pause when I realize it's Renzo.

A soft whistle cuts through the air, and Renzo instantly pulls me back into the shadows. We remain silent and still, listening, until the thud of boots on the ground signals one of Vincenzo's guards on patrol passing by the garden's entrance.

I watch Renzo in the shadows, recalling Anna's actions when I arrived this morning—her warning and her comment about owing a friend. She must've whistled to signal to him about the guard. I narrow my eyes at him. "Are you fucking Anna?"

Something flashes over his face that I can't decipher. "Not everything is as it seems."

"What's that mean?" I ask, keeping my voice low and quiet.

"Do you want to really talk about that? Or do you want to talk about what I know about your…situation?"

I inwardly stiffen, but keep my body from noticeably reacting. "Care to explain?" There's a warning of threat in my tone.

Renzo is a close ally. Other than Zio Riccardo, he's the only one of my 'Ndrangheta peers I'd consider a friend, but that doesn't mean I blindly trust him.

He threads his inked hand through his hair, pushing back the top longer length. "I'm not asking for validation of what I suspect, Massimo. I'm giving you a warning."

I fully expect his warning to be that I need to return the princess to her father, so I only stare at him when he speaks. He's not only not telling me that; he's pushing me to take things one step further than I had planned.

He studies me as I remain silent. "You're being short-sighted. Marrying her alone won't protect her, Massimo."

"I don't know what you're—"

He shoves me lightly and snorts. "So that healing bite mark on your neck isn't from the princess?"

"That mark could be from anyone."

He narrows his eyes. "Don't fucking lie to me. You and I are cut from the same cloth. I knew the moment I saw you today—you're a man obsessed . Like recognizes like."

There's only one thing that I know Renzo has been obsessed with the past couple of years. He had a complicated relationship with his father—he'd wanted to kill him, but patricide in our world is severely punished. The Irish mob did the job for him. To the outside world, everyone’s waiting for Renzo to strike—plotting his revenge against Patrick Finley for Rufino’s death. But I know it's Kianna Finley who's the secret object of Renzo's obsession, and she has been for years.

Renzo is right in that we're alike in this regard: we both targeted the daughters of our enemies.

"Kianna is protected in Frolov Bratva territory," I hiss quietly. "You don't want to make an enemy of Rurik Frolov, Renzo."

"This isn't about me," he growls. "Massimo, listen to me; just marrying Nova will not keep her safe."

"Even if I have the Mancini Princess, why do you think I would even consider marrying her?" Disrespecting Nova makes bile rise like a solid mass in my throat, and it nearly chokes me.

He shakes his head, dismissing my comment. "The French are mobilizing. They’re not just increasing the bounty; they're preparing for war. They'll team up with Mancini and hit you with everything they've got. And Nova is your enemy's daughter—will your family step up and protect her if something happens to you, Massimo? Think of what happened with Anna when her cunt husband was killed; his family left her for the wolves. Your family is cut from a different cloth than most, but can you say with absolute certainty they'll protect her if you're not there to give the order?"

I know my family isn't like like most crime families, including Renzo's. Creed always jokes we're the mafia version of the Brady Bunch . The Nucci family is more like the Lannisters from Game of Thrones —minus the incest. But if something were to happen to me, after all the sins Mancini has committed against us, would my family protect Nova even if she was my wife?

Doubt pushes in at Renzo's warning about me being short-sighted, especially as I think of what happened with Anna.

"Massimo, even if nothing happens to you, do you think there won't be resistance from your family and within your ranks? That they'll willingly risk the lives of your women and children—because Mancini and the French will go for them—to defend and protect your enemy's daughter? Because it's not a matter of if they'll come for Nova, it's when . And Mancini and the French mafia will come for Nova with everything they got."

Dread pools in my stomach because I can't answer that for certain. Especially if it comes to light that Mancini was involved in trying to deliver Sophie to a death ring. "Why does Julien Moreau and the French mafia want Nova so badly?"

"I don't know," Renzo admits, glancing around to make sure no one is getting too close from what we can see, while Anna continues scanning the areas we can't. "All I've heard are whispers—that it has something to do with Nova's mother, and something Mancini forced out of her before she died."

I frown. "Miriana has been dead for a decade."

"I don't know," he repeats. "But Anna overheard Vincenzo and Camillo talking the night before you arrived. It all seems to connect to that multi-million-dollar diabetic drug they need Mancini for."

Glucoaid-X—Synovex Biotech’s cutting-edge diabetic drug, thanks to its gene-editing therapy—will hit the market soon .

I rub my face in frustration. "Why the hell would Vincenzo, Gastone, Camillo, and Achille get involved with a snake like Mancini with Glucoaid-X? Plus, how do they plan to take any sort of a cut of the profits from a pharmaceutical giant?"

Synovex Biotech isn't some new kid on the block who stumbled upon a revolutionary drug. The CEO and their shareholders will have an iron grip control to ensure all the revenue goes into their coffers, preventing people like Mancini being able to siphon any off.

"I agree. But they're keeping their mouths shut about the details. All I know is that they’re standing by the deal, and they need Mancini alive."

Taking a calculated risk, I tell Renzo about Beast's tattoo.

He scratches chin. "No wonder you fucking pulverized him. I was wondering what made you lose control."

I unclench my fists, wishing I had someone else I could pulverize right now.

"Let's assume that Mancini's alliance with the French has to do with Glucoaid-X as well—why would Vincenzo, Camillo, Achille, and Gastone get involved with them both? With six of them splitting the ill-gotten profit, their cuts can't be that big, could they?"

"Vincenzo and the others have to realize that."

I frown, continuing to try to puzzle through all this. "Vincenzo bleeds 'Ndrangheta. Mancini and the French are known dregs of the criminal underworld based on what they're deeply involved in, and an alliance with them would taint the 'Ndrangheta and everything Vincenzo stands for. Plus, how the hell does Nova's dead mother play into this?"

Renzo grips my shoulder. "They won't budge on the vote if you bring it up again. Bringing it up and trying to re-convince them will only give them a window to dig into your motives."

I hate that he's right.

He looks at me intently. "Keep her safe, Massimo."

Jealousy rears its head, thinking that Renzo cares about and wants Nova.

He sees it and smirks, but it fades quickly. "Over on this side of the pond, I hear things you don't. The French mafia is into some very bad shit. Julien Moreau is one of the worst animals in our world. You know about his proclivity for buying humans?" I nod, and he continues, a dark look flashing over his face. "Well, I've heard of his plans for Nova. He plans on making it a regular thing to force her to watch as he rapes and kills people as he's finished fucking them."

I jerk, and he grips my head.

"He plans on shattering her mind with guilt and horror, Massimo. He'll use her body however he sees fit; sharing her with whoever he thinks will benefit him. He'll destroy her, inside and out."

I'm snorting through my nose with rage and disgust, and toxic fear.

Mancini may not be the worst of Nova's monsters.

"Make it so your family has to protect her, Massimo, even if you're not there to order it. Don't risk that they'll do the right thing out of principle."

He releases me and steps back. He doesn't need to spell it out for me; I know what the ultimate protection for Nova will be.

Her being the mother of my heir.

She'll hate me even more for it than forcing her to marry me, because this will bind her to me forever. There'll be no chance of her ever leaving and to live her life in peace, free of her monsters.

Yet, there's no question or hesitation in my mind.

Renzo leaves me and goes to the pool house as I pull out my phone.

I text Gabe my order and start walking back to the house. I'm halfway there when Gabe calls me. I decline the call and respond via text because I don't want to risk being overheard.

You have your orders

Do it

My phone vibrates as he calls me again, and once again, I decline it. Then his text comes in.

Fuck's sakes, Mass. Answer your damn phone

Do it, Gabe

This is a direct order from your Don

I want it done for tomorrow

Not the next day or the day after

Tomorrow

She could hate you, brother

I know Gabe will get what I've ordered done.

I'm a monster, Gabe

HER monster

I'll protect her anyway I need to

Even if it means forcing her to marry me.

And for her to have my child.

As the mother of my heir, my family will protect her without hesitation, no matter what happens to me. Nova will be strategically protected.

But this isn't just a play on the mafia chessboard. The thought of being a father—of having a child with Nova—lightens my steps and brings a wolfish grin to my face.

Nova. Is. Mine.