Arranged Mafia Marriage

Jeanne

A scream spills from my lips. I scramble back until I hit the wall. “Who… who are you?” I gasp out at the stranger who stands inside the door.

“Freddie Nielsen, at your service.” He tips an imaginary hat, then grins at me. His accent is British. He’s of medium height, slightly overweight, but muscular, with a bald head and a round face. His thick neck and the shape of his biceps that stretch his jacket indicate he’s stronger than he seems. He’s wearing black pants and a button-down shirt. What is it with these men? It’s like they don’t go anywhere unless they’re dressed formally.

The door behind me is wrenched open before Luca bursts into the room. “What the fuck, what happen-?” He spots Freddie and his features harden. He draws himself up to his full height-which means he towers over Freddie.

“Freddie-fucking-Nielsen.” He rushes toward the stranger, who pulls out his gun and fires.

I scream. Luca halts mid-stride. My heart crashes into my chest and adrenaline laces my blood. I whip my head in Luca’s direction to find he has his hands raised. He’s still standing; he’s not hurt. Clearly, the bullet missed him. The breath whooshes out of me. His features harden as he glares at the other guy.

“Next time, the bullet will be in your chest.” Freddie smirks.

“Next time, I’ll get to you first,” Luca snaps.

Hands still raised, he sidles over to stand between us, so he cuts off Freddie from my line of sight. Huh? Is he protecting me? That full-of-himself jerkface is trying to shield me?

“The fuck do you want with us?” Luca lowers his chin to his chest.

“Ah, there’s already an ‘us’ here, is there?” Freddie’s grin widens. “I knew the two of you would hit it off.”

“The fuck you talking about, stronzo?” Luca’s shoulders flex, tension pours off of his body. I peek around and spot Freddie’s face. His attention is focused on Luca.

“How predictable you Sovranos are, eh? A pretty face crosses your path, and you’re instantly captivated. Not only that, but you become all protective toward them. Nothing like your father. Guess your Nonna did a good job bringing you guys up, eh?”

Every muscle in Luca’s body seems to coil. “Don’t talk about my Nonna, you fetente.”

“What a tragic way to go.” Freddie shakes his head. “I’m sorry for your loss, by the way.”

“You… You were behind the shooting at her place that took her out?” Luca’s shoulders seem to grow even bigger. The biceps that stretch his T-shirt sleeves bulge further.

Freddie laughs. “You have to admit, it was a smart move to shift the blame to Fabio.” Who’s Fabio? Who’s Freddie referring to? And is he responsible for the death of Luca’s grandmother?

“You pezzo di merda! I’m going to kill you,” Luca growls.

Freddie chuckles. “You can try. But it would be a pity to hurt you, considering my plans for the two of you.”

“The fuck you talking about?” Luca snaps.

Freddie glances past him and rakes his gaze down my body. I try to shrink back against the wall, then stop. If I show him I’m afraid, that’s only going to encourage him. I straighten my shoulders and meet his gaze.

He blinks, then waves his gun in my direction. “The two of you are going to provide me with many hours of entertainment.”

“You’re fucking boring, you know that?” Luca drawls.

Freddie firms his lips. “Don’t forget I have a gun.”

“If you wanted to use it, you would’ve already.” I tip up my chin. “Since you haven’t, I have to assume you don’t mean to hurt me, you-”

Freddie shoots. The sound ricochets around the room. I scream and clap my hands over my ears. Bits of plaster float down from the wall where I assume the bullet has embedded itself.

“That should show you how serious I am,” Freddie murmurs.

“What do you want?” Luca snarls.

“To make you suffer. Your father made my life miserable,” Freddie retorts.

“You do realize I had nothing to do with the actions of my testa di cazzo padre?” Luca asks in a low voice.

“The sins of the father will be revisited upon the son… In this case, you.”

“Okay, now I’m confused. What did my father do to you, anyway?” Luca widens his stance. “Weren’t the two of you partners?”

“The crime of the century was my idea, and he took credit for it.”

There’s silence for a beat, then another. Finally, Luca asks, “You’re referring to the kidnapping of the Seven in the UK?”

“An idea I came up with. An idea that your father appropriated and took credit for. Thanks to that, the Cosa Nostra was, once again, taken seriously by organized crime syndicates around the world. It was my idea. Mine!” Freddie slaps his chest with his palm. “And your bastard father walked away with all the glory.”

Luca’s shoulders rise and fall. “So, you’re pissed about it. It’s understandable. But that’s the kind of snake my father was. You should have known that, getting into an agreement with him. He wasn’t exactly known for his honesty and straightforwardness.”

“And then, you deprived me of the satisfaction of killing him,” Freddie scoffs.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He raises a shoulder. “My brother, Michael, beat you to it.”

“And now, you’re going to pay the price for it.” His eyes gleam.

“O-kaaay. So, that’s me. What’s the deal with her? Why is she here?” Luca stabs his thumb over his shoulder.

“I needed to get you a companion for what I have in mind.” Freddie’s lips curve.

“Your problem is with my father. I have nothing to do with it, but she…” He nods in my direction. “She has even less to do with it than I do.”

“On the contrary, the scene I have set needs a female to accompany you. It so happens, this one fits the bill for the woman I need, so…” He glances past Luca, and his gaze intensifies. “She’ll do very nicely for what’s coming.”

My skin crawls with revulsion and my stomach churns. I feel like I’m going to throw up, but manage to swallow down the bile that boils up.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Luca’s voice is tinged with anger. He takes a step forward and Freddie raises his gun again.

“Don’t take another step forward.”

Luca stops.

“Enough with the posturing. Why don’t you come out and say what the hell you have in mind?” he snaps.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t guessed, considering…” Freddie jerks his chin in the direction of the camera in the ceiling.

“You’re a fucking voyeur, you figlio di puttana,” Luca growls.

“So are you.” Freddie laughs.

Luca freezes. Anger seems to roll off his body in waves. The tension in the room ratchets up. My nerve endings are so stretched, I’m sure I’m going to faint any second.

“The fuck you talking about?” Luca asks in a voice so normal, I know it’s not good. No, no, no. He’s going to do something that he and I are both going to regret. He’s going to lose his temper… and get himself shot, after which, that asshole, Freddie, is going to shoot me, or something worse.

I sidle toward Luca, hiding behind his bulk as much as possible.

“I’m talking about the fact that you like to fuck your women while being watched by an audience.”

Luca raises a shoulder. “So? I’ve never denied that. My life is an open secret. But her? She doesn’t have anything to do with it. You should let her go.”

“Hmm, you might have a point there.” Freddie tilts his head.

I hold my breath. Is he going to let me go? Is he?

“But you know what? Nah. Where would the fun in that be? Not after the lengths I’ve gone to get the both of you here to a place so secluded, no one will hear you, no matter how much noise you make.”

Fear knots my stomach. What is this mad man up to? What is he going to make us do?Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“As for your phone… I know you had a tracker in it. It’s been used to divert your brothers in another direction entirely, while we brought you here.”

“You moved me from the house where you found me?” Luca says in a hard voice. There’s a dangerous edge to his tone that makes me wince. He has his fingers curled so tightly, his knuckles are white. So, does this mean they took him from another place and brought him here? My head spins, trying to make all of the connections.

“Exactly.” Freddie nods his head. “The last thing you probably remember is us finding you in the house where you tracked my men.”

“I fought you off,” Luca says hotly. “You motherfuckers drugged me.”

“Just a whiff of chloroform. Admittedly, you put up a good fight. You did take down one of my men; managed to wound another. But four to one is too many, even for a man your size. You were out like a light; and then we brought you here.”

“Why don’t you fight me face-to-face, you stronzo, and then we’ll see who wins.” Luca takes a step forward. He throws up his fists, and Freddie raises his gun. That’s when I close the distance to Luca and grab his arm.

“Don’t,” I whisper-scream. “If you antagonize him, he’s going to shoot you.”

Luca growls deep in his chest. The sound is so rough, so abrasive, that a hot sensation swirls in my underbelly. My pussy clenches, my thighs quiver, and moisture beads the space between my legs. Damn, we’re fighting for our lives, and all I can think of is how I want to throw myself at this guy, wrap myself around him, press my nose into his skin, and draw his scent into my lungs. I press my face into his back, and the hardness of his muscles is a shock to my system. What am I doing? I step back, putting space between us, but my touch must have distracted him enough that he lowers his arms to his sides.

He draws in a breath and seems to get control of his emotions. “What do you want from us?” he asks in a voice laced with steel. “And cut the crap, Freddie. Just tell me what that warped mind of yours has dreamed up.”

Freddie chuckles. To my relief, he lowers his gun.

Some of the tension drains from my body. I step up next to Luca. “Yes, tell me why you brought me here. Also, whatever it is had better not take too long. I need to be back at Palermo for the premier showing of my musical in two days. I really can’t afford to miss it.”

“Afraid it’s not that simple, because firstly, we’re no longer in Italy.”

“What? We’re no longer in Italy! Then where are we?”

He shakes his head. “Can’t go revealing that to you now, can I? Suffice to say, we’re far enough from the mainland that you’ll have a tough time getting back. Secondly, it’s clear I chose well because the chemistry between the two of you should help the proceedings.”

“Proceedings? What proceedings? You, motherfucker, better come clean or else…” Luca’s voice trails away as Freddie once again glances at the camera, then at us.

A shiver rolls up my back and stiffens the hair on my nape. Luca must realize what the bastard is suggesting at the same time that I do, for his entire body tenses.

“No fucking way,” he snaps.

“Oh, yes.” Freddie laughs delightedly. “You’re both performers.” He directs his gaze at Luca. “Being in front of a camera fuels your kink. All I’ve done is provide the perfect setting for you to enact your favorite acts.”

Luca leans forward on the balls of his feet. “Fuck you,” he snarls.

“Not me. Her. And you’d better do it well, because the intensity of your performance decides how soon I’m going to let the two of you go free.”