Page 17 of One Savage Union (Crimson Bonds #1)

ROCCO

T he moment I shut the bedroom door, I seal a piece of my control behind it.

Lucia’s in there—bound by my punishment, pulsing with frustration, and likely plotting her next rebellion.

And yet, all I can think about... is feeding her.

Pathetic.

I should be preparing for war, not heading into the kitchen like some smitten fool. But here I am, waving off Maria with a clipped, “Take the night off.”

She pauses, surprised. I never cook for anyone.

But Lucia isn’t anyone.

She’s mine.

And tonight, she eats from my hands.

Every bite. Every sip. Every quiet moan of pleasure. All mine.

I move like a man possessed—knife flashing, flame roaring, basil and garlic perfuming the air. The same rhythm I learned at my mother’s elbow when I was still just a boy with raw fingers from piano keys and a father whose bark outweighed his worth.

Back when music was my only rebellion.

Back when I still believed love didn’t leave scars.

Cooking calmed me then. My mother would press dough into my hands and say, “If you can feed someone, you’ll never lose your humanity.”

Now these hands punish.

They dominate.

They carve obedience into the bodies of men—and bury pleasure into the softest parts of her.

Even after everything—her disobedience, her fire, the chaos she stirs in me—I want to nourish her.

I want to watch her lips wrap around the food I made, feel her sigh when the flavor hits her tongue, and know I put that sound in her throat.

God help me, I want her to crave me in every way.

That’s the problem.

Lucia Ricci is a distraction—a storm wrapped in silk and attitude. Every minute I spend thinking about her is one I could be using to destroy Leo or secure our next move with Ricci.

But she’s in me now.

And if I’m not careful, she’ll become more than my weakness—she’ll become my downfall.

No. I can’t allow that. I’ve worked too long and killed too many. I’m not throwing it away for a beautiful, disobedient concert pianist with daddy issues and a mouth that makes me want to sin.

But… I’ll feed her tonight.

And maybe—just maybe—if she looks at me with those eyes full of fire and surrender… I won’t burn with her.

I place some garlic bread into the oven and rise to Enzo standing across the island from me with a raised eyebrow and a ridiculous smirk on his face.

He was silent on the plane ride here, because he knew I was pissed.

He wasn’t scared of me; he was disappointed in himself. The man is a serial perfectionist.

Enzo is sharp and a certified genius. His father is still a soldier on Capo Richie Caruso’s construction crew and has spent thirty years in the same position, as he gambles as much as he works.

Regardless, Mickey Bianchi is a good man and highly respected within the family.

He can kill a man with one punch. He was a professional boxer before becoming a made man, and he is vicious in the ring.

He’s Caruso’s muscle, and he tried to teach both Mario and Enzo to have the same bloodthirst as him.

The problem was that Enzo never loved boxing the way his father did.

Enzo would rather make his enemies suffer by draining their bank accounts or hacking into their lives to blackmail them.

His torture is life-altering, and you don’t want to be on his bad side.

He’s a vindictive son of a bitch, but he’s loyal to his circle.

He’s also our comedian when he wants to be, but that shit gets old quick.

“When did you become Chef Boyardee? Should I get you an apron and hat to complete your look?”

I slam the oven shut with my foot and look up.

“Fuck off Enzo! I hope you have some information about who tried to kill my wife and me, along with your witty comments.”

He nods, and his face turns solemn. “Indeed, I do. It was just as Mario and I thought, Leo had only just found out that Lucia was missing. He didn’t have time to coordinate such an attack. It wasn’t him, but he is still the reason for the attack.”

When he pauses and crosses his arms, I’m ready to jump across the table and punch him in his smug face. “Well? How is Leo responsible, and who is behind the attack?”

He takes his time pulling out a stool to sit down.

Enzo’s theatrics piss me off and he knows it.

He also knows that I’ll wait. I can already tell that I will not like what he has to say, and that makes him cautious.

Whenever he delivers bad news, he jokes and stalls to calm his nerves. It only makes me angrier.

“It appears we’ve been heavily surveilled for the past few years by the Riccis. They knew where the safe house was and when you entered it. They were the ones who attacked.”

I pause.

This makes no sense.

I lean forward against the island with my elbows on the counter and get eye to eye with Enzo. “Tell me everything from the beginning and leave nothing out this time, Enzo. What the hell is going on?”

He straightens his impossibly long body on the stool and gets to the point. “Leo reached out to the Riccis and forecast his plans. He sent a ransom note before he secured Lucia, thinking it was a done deal. He dared Matteo Ricci to stop him.”

“Fuck!” I curse under my breath.

Idiota! Leo was more interested in the show and threat than in being strategic about his plan. If it went south, he probably assumed his daddy would bail him out. He doesn’t know my uncle is through with him.

Mario nods and walks to the island where Enzo and I are huddled.

“Exactly, boss. Of course, he didn’t share that he was going rogue on his little mission to extort Don Daddy Ricci.

Therefore, Matteo assumed the Romanos were behind the threat.

Since he already had men on us for normal surveillance, he asked about our movements.

They told him we kidnapped a woman from Lucia’s building.

The three rats we killed weren’t Leo’s men. They were Matteo Ricci’s.”

Damn, this keeps getting worse. I nod, now understanding.

“So, the men claimed to be Leo’s because that’s what we wanted to hear, and because they would never give their boss up.”

Enzo nods. “Once they reported to Matteo that we had Lucia, he sanctioned the attack. What happened at the Safehouse was a rescue attempt to save her life, not to kill her. Lucia’s father wants her back.”

I slam my hand on the marble counter. “That fucking parasite Leo always messes everything up! This was not the plan!”

At that moment, Mario walks in and looks over his shoulder towards the hallway. He knows I don’t want Lucia to hear any of this. I motion towards the hallway. “In my office.” Enzo nods and follows me. Mario joins us.

As we walk through the hallway, I walk past the stairs, and I look at my watch.

She still has seven minutes. Part of me hopes she’s late so I can punish her.

Seeing her sweet ass jiggle with every swat of my hand makes me want to pull my flogger out to mark every inch of her lovely body.

Her reactions to my hand make me think it's something she would also enjoy.

Once we’re in my office, Enzo begins again.

“When we contact Ricci, the conversation must be different. He needs to know why you have his daughter, and I guess now he also needs to know why you married her without his permission. I doubt we’re going to convince him that this was for her safety when you could have just told him what was going on from the beginning. ”

I punch my fist down on my desk behind me. This is a clusterfuck, but it’s fixable.

I lean against my desk as my mind races. I turn to Mario and smile,

“You know, this may be better.”

Mario goes to the bar and pours himself a drink. The look on his face tells me he sincerely doubts that, but I continue anyway.

“Ricci knows I couldn’t tell him the plan.

I can’t tell him about the Romano business.

How could I trust he would be on our side?

He would have moved the same way. The plan can still move forward.

I already have his daughter, and she’s already my wife.

She’s safe from Leo and in my care. If Matteo ever wants to see her again, he’ll do what we say and help us take Leo down.

If he kills Leo, Thomasso won’t have to, and the family can save face.

By this time tomorrow, Leo will know all that has transpired, and we will all be at war. ”

Enzo sighs, seeming to understand. He’s probably upset he didn’t think of it himself.

Mario knocks back his drink before speaking. “OK, that could work, but what about Lucia?”

“What about her?”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m sure that part of the reason she’s even tolerating you is that she thinks you saved her life and that you’re her only option for safety.

If her father is an actual option, how will you keep that information from her?

Now you truly are keeping her as a pawn, and she may never forgive you. ”

I wave my hand in his direction and tut.

“This isn’t about forgiveness. We have a marriage of convenience, Mario.

I don’t care if she’s pissed, her feelings are of little consequence to me.

I have a job to complete. I’d also appreciate it if you leave my woman’s feelings to me. It’s none of your concern.”

Mario glares but stays quiet. I know he’s only trying to help, but I don’t like anyone insinuating that I don’t know how to take care of my wife or that I could lose her.

Enzo laughs to break the tension. “No disrespect, Roc, but I call bullshit. I’m your closest friend, and I know you.

You’re making your mother’s homemade red sauce and pasta.

You weren’t just thinking about your wife as a business transaction, standing at the oven like your nonna.

You’ve caught feelings for the girl. Just admit it.

Only then can you shove them deep down in your belly and shit them out.

Because you can’t let that impede the end goal. ”

I stare at them both for a few seconds before I continue. When I speak, my voice is deadly quiet.

“We are all friends, but remember your place. When have I ever put my feelings over family? My uncle saved my life, and I will never let him down. I know what I must do for this family; do you? You keep your nose in Leo’s business, and I’ll handle mine.

What Lucia doesn’t know won’t hurt her. There’s no way for her father to get in touch with her without me, and she does not know he’s looking for her.

I’ll reach out to Ricci and make it very clear what he can and cannot say to his daughter if he wants to keep her and his family intact.

Then we can move to the next step and take Leo’s sorry ass down. ”

“Enzo, in the meantime, keep Aria out of preschool and add extra soldiers to her security detail. Recheck her nanny’s background, I don’t want any surprises there.

” I look up at Mario and see the appreciation in his eyes.

That little girl means the world to all of us.

What he doesn’t understand is that I’d give my life for her. She’s our treasure.

I look down at my watch and see I only have two minutes to spare.

“I need to go.” I stalk out of my office and slam the door behind me.

I want to be in the kitchen when she arrives. The thought reminds me that Enzo was not too far off in his warnings. I care, and I need to kill that quickly.

Lucia is my wife, but she’s just a means to an end. I can’t afford to fall in love or have any distractions from my family’s ascension. She’s only a pawn—hopefully, an obedient one.

It’s time for another lesson in submission.

Her total surrender is the only way we both survive.