Falling for an Italian Mobster

Ch 5 - In Which He Gets More Than He Bargained For

I was not expecting the wild red head that appeared hours late to brunch with a bullet in her perfectly shaped thigh and a jar of moonshine in her hand. Salvatore had said his only granddaughter was simple, plain, easily manipulated. He wanted no one in the family to hear or breathe a word of the arrangement, therefore the terms had already been set in writing. She was anything but, and I wanted her with an ache so deep, I found my anger hard to control as he sat talking of her as if she were nothing. I was glad I'd resisted looking her up on social media. The first glimpse of her getting out of the SUV to saunter across the lawn and I'd been struck with the most uncomfortable erection. One glimpse and I'd wanted a taste. But one wouldn't have sufficed. Especially after she'd opened her mouth and her sassy tone had whipped Salvatore across the face. When we'd sat down to finally eat, he'd been pale and silent with anger.

"...cannot compare to my Gracia, but she is the only granddaughter I have left. I will not blame you if you would want one of my grandsons to marry a granddaughter of yours, instead." The bargain had been struck years ago, when he'd first found out about his cancer, back when Gracia had still been alive. It was her that had been promised to the future patriarch of the Mussolini family to solidify the alliance when it was time. That treaty alone had set our families on a course to being unstoppable in Italy. At the time, I was third to the throne, and grateful to be because Gracia and I had no love lost. Until my idiot cousins had gotten themselves killed.

"Micah?" I cleared my throat and my mind at the sound of my grandfather's voice. I could feel my father's eyes on me, as were every other pair in the room. How forward could I be in telling this man to shove his head in his ass before I crossed the line? "If you do not want this, we can have Marco marry into the family instead. There are quite-"

"I'll have her."

When I returned to her cabin, her guard was in the kitchen with her cousins, Sal and Hector. They'd been having a conversation until I walked in.

"Hey, man." I nodded in greeting at Hector's words. He'd arrived first some days ago, taking up residence in the room with his name carved into the door. There had been three rooms with three names for the Ricci cousins that shared this cabin. I'd taken an unmarked room, and I assumed her guard had taken another.

Inside my room, I grabbed a beer from the mini fridge before relaxing in bed to watch the cameras I'd set up. I hadn't invaded anyone's privacy too much, just bugging the living room, kitchen and outside patio. I listened to them as they talked about a road trip Sierra had taken. They stood at the bar for some time watching a few videos on the guard's phone. I cursed myself for not thinking of the numerous vantage points in the kitchen because I wanted to see what I was hearing.

I watched for an hour before Sierra woke up and joined them. She didn't complain as the guard began cooking her something and her cousin inspected her. She had the bullet wound in her thigh, bruising around her eye, a scratch across one cheek, and something about her feet that she assured her cousins was fine. They bickered quietly with each other, the three cousins, too low for the cameras to pickup what they were saying as Sal cleaned and rewrapped her thigh. Underneath that spitfire who'd appeared today, there lay that soft feminine persona she had nearly perfected – submissive, docile. She was anything but – she and most likely those around her had convinced her she was perfect in those ways. Someone had finally decided to be herself and it was to the grandfather who'd always deserved it. Salvatore had kept in touch with my grandfather after the deal was struck, naturally. And once Gracia had passed, his disdain for his only remaining granddaughter had been loud and clear. I hadn't bothered with the details because I was technically third in line to head the empire. I'd gone off to create my own branch of the business away from the family for nearly a decade before I'd been called home six months ago. I'd been presented with my inheritance, her included. An eye for an eye, it had been said. The reason for the bad blood between our two families. This marriage, and joining of our businesses, would cement the end of the feud.

I couldn't stop myself from watching her. The way she spoke, the way she joked with them. The way she ate the food her guard had cooked – everything about her was attractive. She was so genuine, spoke what was on her mind – but only because she was comfortable with them. She would be someone I wouldn't have to play mind games with to get what I wanted from her. I'd just have to get to know her as fast as possible. I had three months to convince her that she was falling in love with me to secure the relationship. From there, we'd have a happy ending. I'd make sure of it; she would never know of the contract sitting in my safe at the Tennessee ranch.