Page 14 of One Savage Union (Crimson Bonds #1)

“There’s no need to splatter my skull all over your fancy upholstery,” Mario mutters, eyes on the road.

“All I’m saying is Enzo’s team has Leo locked.

He’s in New York sniffing around Ricci, not making moves here.

Whoever hit us had inside intel—real-time.

That safe house was as secure as Fort Knox.

Cleaner than a Vatican ledger. The damn President doesn’t sleep that securely. ”

Rocco lets out a low, humorless laugh and leans back, still holding me.

“ Yet the White House still has a front door, Mario. My safe house doesn’t.”

“Not yet, anyway,” Mario mutters.

I glance up, catching Mario’s reflection in the rearview mirror. He’s eerily calm. Like the threat of having his head blown off is just another item on tonight’s agenda.

And Rocco? He’s no longer tense either.

As if this —death threats, explosions, blood on the carpet—is just business as usual.

This is how they operate, how they breathe.

Violence is their air.

Loyalty, their religion.

And I’m strapped into the backseat of a bulletproof Bentley with the high priest and his sword arm.

No one tells you what it’s like to be hunted.

No one tells you how fast survival warps everything you believe about right, wrong, and the space in between.

And no one warned me what it would feel like to stay in a killer’s lap and be grateful for it.

When I shift in Rocco’s lap to get comfortable his cock stiffens beneath me.

He pulls me closer and nips at my neck before continuing his conversation with Mario.

The gesture surprises me, but it's a nice one. I still hate him for making me marry him, but there’s something to be said about the joy of knowing how much a man like him wants you.

Once he’s satisfied with whatever mark he’s left on my skin, he licks the spot to soothe the sting and continues speaking.

“So, what you’re saying is that I must flush out a rat on top of everything else I need to do for this plan to work?”

Mario hits the gas, and we speed into the night. I look out the window and see nothing but trees. It doesn’t even seem that anyone else is out on the road. No one is chasing us, so what’s the hurry?

“No, boss, you don’t. The only men who knew about that safe house were the three guarding it; I made sure of that.

They didn’t even know where they were going until an hour before they had to arrive. That’s the same protocol I use with you, so there is no chance of a leak. All three guards are dead. Whoever the rat was is already down death’s drain.”

Rocco nods. “I see. But we still need to find out who the disloyal bastard was. Their friends and acquaintances may have information about who they were talking to. I want the name in 24 hours.”

Mario clears his throat. “Yes, boss. It could be Ricci. Maybe he got wind that we have his daughter and didn’t take too kindly to it.”

My husband’s hands tightly squeeze around my waist.

“I doubt that. Ricci has no idea I even know Lucia exists. He would suspect Leo or my uncle, not me. If you have eyes on Leo, so does he. He knows Leo doesn’t have her. Maybe Leo used a decoy to throw us off. Like a taunt. That’s his style.”

Mario makes a sharp turn, and I almost fall off Rocco’s lap. He catches me and yells at Mario. “Attento idiota!”

“Well, maybe you should put your precious cargo down in a seat of her own instead of holding her like a toddler.”

Rocco jerks his body forward to retaliate, but I hold him steady. I do not want to come between these two men. First off, they’re family. Second, I’d like to have Mario on my side, not against me. I don’t want him to think of me as a nuisance.

I scoot off Rocco’s lap and buckle myself into the seat next to him. I ignore his scowl and attempt to talk through the charged moment.

“It’s all right Fieri. Mario is right. He’s trying to get us to safety. The last thing he needs is me flying through his windshield.”

Rocco slams his hand against the window so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break. “Don’t call me Fieri again. I’m your husband, not some stranger. The next time, there will be consequences. The kind that requires you to bend over my knee in front of whoever witnesses the transgression!”

I stare at the monster I married and don’t say a word. His mood swings are vicious.Shit! I can’t believe I let him touch me, or that I wanted to touch him. This is a moment I must never forget. He is my enemy.

“I decide what Mario does and doesn’t need, not you. What he needs to do is keep his thoughts about what I do with you to himself and get us to the airport in the next ten minutes. The pilot is waiting.”

His tone snaps me back to reality. This man is a gangster, not a loving protector. But that’s the least of my worries. Where is he taking me?

“Airport?” I ask. “Where are we going, and why? I know things are dangerous right now, but I was hoping. I could at least make some of my upcoming performances, with enhanced security, of course.”

Rocco laughs and reaches out to stroke my cheek. “Oh, my piccola ragazza. I forgot how na?ve you are. You can never perform on a stage at that level again.

That’s way too much exposure. That part of your life is over. What you must focus on now is your future.”

I reach up and snatch his hand away. “And what kind of future can I possibly have with you? A man who dates death daily.”

He shrugs. “A future full of danger, yes. But also passion, luxury, and the love of our children. You will live the life of a queen. Your training begins as soon as we board my private plane to my villa in Ravello, off Italy’s Amalfi Coast.”

I squirm to take my seat belt off as we approach the airstrip.

Then I panic. As long as we were in Chicago, or at least the United States, I understood my surroundings.

I could ask for help, given the chance. Now, he wants to take me to a foreign country where I don’t even speak the language? I will depend on him. Hello no!

“Italy!

I’m not going anywhere else with you! Let me out of this car right now!” I try to open the door, but the locks are engaged. I scream and kick at him. But he catches my foot and squeezes, stilling me for a moment.

He shakes his head in disappointment. “No, I will not let you go. I did not want to do this, but if you can’t cooperate, I must drug you again for your safety.”

“I hate you!” I scream and whine, but he pulls me to him and pushes my head against his shoulder. When I feel the needle he must have had in his pocket, puncture the back of my neck, I release a silent cry.

The last thing I hear before I black out is his quiet words of advice against my ear.

“Prepare yourself la mia piccola palla di fuoco. Life with me will not be easy, but it will be worth it.”

I doubt that very much.