The Vendetti Devil: an age gap mafia romance Page 2

  It’s nearly time for Sammi to leave, so it’s my chance to finally make a move. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll have with him visiting and no one catching onto his routine. Right now, I have an advantage the others don’t possess. Exiting the vehicle, I quietly close the door behind me to not draw any attention. Creeping along the houses, I make my way over to Sammi’s car. His doors are locked, so rather than taking him by surprise in his vehicle, I wait off to the side. He won’t see me when he initially leaves, so I’ll be able to catch him off guard.

  Like clockwork, he comes outside. I wait until he says one last goodbye and the front door closes. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention when I’m about to take this fucker out if need be. Sure, the agreement was to capture him alive, but I’m all about the most effective route. He has to be taken out of my way, whether he’s alive or dead. It doesn’t matter which path I have to utilize to execute my mission.

  Taking a step forward, I leave the spot shadowing my presence. “You have something I desire,” I say by way of greeting.

  He purses his lips briefly before looking me over and unpleasantly replying, “Diavolo.”

  Yes. I am the devil.

  At least to him, I will be.

  Tipping my head in acknowledgment, I state, “Your time is up. You no longer sit at the table. It will be up to you how much you fight it and how much pain you receive. It doesn’t matter to me either way.”

  “Fuck. And Capo Ruthless won’t work out a deal, I suppose?”

  With a solemn shake of my head, he curses again. He’s in deep—it’s good he realizes as much. Regardless, he’s still dying. By my hand or Joker’s, we’ll see who he ultimately chooses with his subsequent actions.

  “If I go with you willingly, will you promise me one thing?”

  “A bargain? Si,” I lie. Only a desperate man would attempt to negotiate when my famiglia is famous for always collecting debts. I owe this man nothing, least of all my promises. He’ll be dead soon enough, so it won’t matter. Usually, I don’t waste words on dead men, but I’m in the middle of a neighborhood, not trying to cause a scene in public without having the Chicago PD in my pocket.

  “My daughter,” he begins, and my brows raise.

  He’s got a mafia princess stashed away from the world. I was right. Rather than give anything up, I remain quiet. Men like to hear themselves speak, especially when they’re met with silence. I’ve never been one with the desire to fill empty space with noise, probably because of how strict Romano was on us. I stare him down, making him uneasy.

  “My famiglia will be killed. All but Joker, I’m sure.”

  Giving nothing away, I brood while he figures out how to bargain with the Diavolo. He’s correct, however, and anyone in his direct line will be slaughtered aside from Joker’s famiglia. It’s the price you pay being a mob boss and getting retired by force. Folding my arms across my broad chest, I loosen my stance. I’m ready to pull my knife free, slash his throat, and be done with this mess already.

  “I’ll go with you… as long as you swear to protect my daughter, Emilia. I’ve heard stories about you… how you tell the truth whether it benefits you or not.”

  2

  DANTE

  In my next life I’m coming back with money and looks instead of all this sparkling personality bullshit.

  — Pinterest meme

  * * *

  With a shrug, I remove the silencer from inside my breast pocket and screw it onto my gun. I don’t mind loud and messy, but the neighborhood over here might, and again, I have no cops in my back pocket. “What would I gain by keeping your secret? As you say, I typically go with the truth route, but it isn’t always the case. I owe you nothing. My famiglia owes you nothing. I’ve come to collect your life.”

  “I know. Fuck. I’m aware of how your brother plays. He enjoys having the upper hand at all times.”

  “Si.”

  “If you protect my daughter, you’ll have the one person Joker won’t fight against. He has a strong sense of family, aside from my betrayals. He has no idea Emilia exists… no one does. My father found out, and it’s why I killed him.”

  “You wanted his position,” I retort, calling him out on his lie.

  He nods. “Of course, I did. He knew about my daughter and was holding her over my head. He knew I wouldn’t come after his spot if she were in danger. He’d planned to give my brother his position as head of the family while threatening me continuously. So, I got even. I killed them both, as well as my mother, once she figured it out. I’ve done everything in my power to keep Emilia a secret.”

  “And?”

  “And I plan to continue, even from the grave.”

  “Hmm…” I grunt, thinking over this new information. I know Emilia is a secret, but Sammi’s words prove that she’s been hidden from everyone, even his famiglia. If I take her, we’ll have the upper hand on Joker. I know damn well Capo will approve. Since my brother has become a father to his own tiny princess, I’m also aware that he won’t want this girl killed. He’ll be even angrier with me if I allow her life to perish when I know damn well I can easily protect her.

  “Well? Do I have your word? I’ll go with you without a second thought, just please give me this one last thing. I know no one owes me a thing, but she’s the only good person I know in this life.”

  With a half grumble, half growl, I mutter, “Si.” There’s no going back now. The little mob princess belongs to me. If we were in New York right now, Matteo would have a contract in place, and I’d be forced to put my bloody handprint dead center, signing the blood oath. If she had any idea what that entails, she’d be running for the hills and hiding out for as long as possible.

  Sammi heaves out a relieved sigh, and I bark, “Hands.”

  He moves his arms in front, holding his palms together. I grab a roll of duct tape from my vehicle and jerk his wrists to me, securing them from moving. I pat him down for hidden weapons, and shockingly, he’s not packing anything. I assume he left his weapons in his car while visiting his daughter. Taking his wallet, I empty the wad of cash inside and briefly glance through it. I’ll stack these dead presidents for now and offer them to my crew. They deserve the extra compensation for being stuck with me in the windy city.

  “You won’t tell anyone about her? She has her grandmother to raise her, and she won’t be any trouble for you. Emilia’s a good girl. Listens well.”

  She didn’t look like a small girl to me by any means, but I suppose females always appear small and helpless in a father’s eyes. Violet Vendetti taught me how wrong misogynistic perception is. Women are far from sweet, helpless creatures. They’re brutal when needed and much more intelligent than any man I’ve ever met.

  “Where’s your crew?” I ask and use the tape to wrap his elbows as well.

  “Some have fled, and others are hiding. The loyal ones are making whatever deals they can to keep bringing in money. You and Joker haven’t made it easy to sit at the table anymore. At one point, we were respected and protected from a possible coup.”

  Ripping a piece of tape free, I smack it over his mouth. “Those times are over. Unless your name is Vendetti, your life means nothing to me.” I shove him in the trunk, slap tape over his eyes, then shut the lid. If I find out he’s lying about his men, and they’re waiting for us, they’ll all die too.

  First things first, I need to drop this piece of shit off to Mad Max. Joker can finally have his precious revenge kill, and I won’t have him up my ass as much checking in for details. It’ll move us one step closer to taking the city as my brother plans.

  I’ll come back for the girl.

  Sliding into my driver’s seat, I pull up Santino’s number. I hit the speed dial number, and he picks up on the first ring. “Meet me at Sammi’s safe house. We’ll tell Joker we found Sammi together. He doesn’t need to know we split up. I don’t want him aware you had eyes on him and his guys while I was on Sammi’s tail. Let them believe we always stick together and know
less than we do.”

  “Si. I’m almost there. Our men are close behind as is Joker. A few minutes out from us, tops. He’s used to being the motherfucking king ding-a-ling. I’d love to see Matty smoke his ass.” His comment has me twisting my lips in a cruel smirk. Santino’s right, Matteo would eat Joker for a fucking snack.

  Reversing out of my spot, I pull up to my guy who’d followed me. “Remain behind and watch Emilia’s house until I can return.”

  “Si, Boss.” he concedes, and I’m done with him.

  “Meet me at the corner store,” I order Santino and swiftly drive the rest of the way outside the city.

  Before long, I’m pulling into a small mom-and-pop type gas station. Santino’s waiting for me and opens the door when I pull to a stop. “Morelli?”

  Gesturing to the back of the vehicle, I grumble, “Get in the back. Let’s get this over with. I could use a drink and a hard fuck.”

  “My two favorite things.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Apparently, yours is gym time and slashing throats. Sadist.”

  I shoot him a dark look. Fucker doesn’t need to worry about my habits, only his own. “Why are you here again?”

  “To help your lonely ass out should you need it.”

  “Well, I don’t. I’m perfectly capable of killing people on my own.”

  “Trust me, fratello, we all know it. I’m here anyway.”

  We sit in silence while I soak in the words he isn’t saying. He’s here so I won’t be alone. He’s my younger brother, and in our famiglia, it means something to be there for each other.

  We unload Sammi from my vehicle and take him around the back of his place. I’ve learned he has several houses, but this one was harder to track down. Santino picks the lock to the back door, and I push the old mobster inside. Flipping on the living room light, we keep the rest of the house dark, not wanting anyone looking in through the windows. I still don’t know if he has any men lurking around, and I don’t want to be taken by surprise. We need to sit tight until my crew arrives and checks the property out. I watch Sammi like a hawk while Santino checks every other corner in the area. It’s times like these I don’t mind having some backup.

  My phone chimes with a text, and not long after, the sound of multiple approaching vehicles have me standing up straighter than before. I have to look like an unmovable force, just out of reach to anyone trying. Enemies always search out your weakness, attempting to fester their way under your skin. The key to survival in this life is not to have anything they can use against you.

  Glancing at my phone, it’s a text from my men. They’ve arrived before Joker, thankfully. I’ll have some backup around if Mad Max or anyone else with him tries to pull anything. They may think I’m easy pickings since I’ve killed off the other famiglias, but they’ll learn quickly I’m as unmovable as Capo Ruthless is in New York. You can come for one of us, but you’ll be feeling the entire wrath of the Vendetti Empire in return for eternity.

  Tito comes in the back, wrestling with a beefy thug. “He was outside,” he says by way of greeting.

  With a nod, I step forward and slash my blade across the man’s throat before he can put up a fight. Blood drips down his neck, coating his shirt as his eyes grow wide. He chokes and bleeds out. “Any others?”

  “No, Boss.” Tito drags the body into the other room and returns, wiping his freshly washed hands on a paper towel. He offers me a clean towel, and I wave him off. I don’t mind a bit of blood. It’ll send a message of strength to Mad Max, how I kill without much of a mess as well as not minding if I get dirty on the spot. The crazy fucker needs to realize I’m on another level from him.

  A guy I’ve seen with Joker enters first. “Dante,” Cage says.

  I remain quiet because fuck him, I don’t owe him dick.

  Joker strolls inside next, looking dapper and unruffled in the suit he wore to the wedding. He was Mad Max’s best man, along with a few other idiots. I don’t know why anyone would want to marry the psychopath, but I’m not here to dig into anybody’s feelings.

  “Mio fratello and I followed Sammi Morelli here. His protection is dead in the other room. I kept Sammi alive as you requested,” I lie straight to Joker’s face without so much as a twitch to give me away. Matteo swears I always tell the truth, but he fails to divulge that I only do as much with famiglia. If you aren’t Vendetti blood, then I don’t care what you believe. There’s only one famiglia that matters to me, and it’s mine.

  “I’ll relish in taking my revenge. I won’t forget this,” he states earnestly, and I let the unsaid promise roll off my back. I can’t trust him, nor would I ever. He’s a street gangster, and I’m a vital piece of the Vendetti Empire. Two completely different factions of the mafia, both of which mia famiglia anticipates us ruling over.

  “Let me know when he stops breathing so we can move forward with our plans.” We’d agreed to share the spot at the table for the time being. How long the agreement lasts is another thing entirely. I’ll be quietly picking apart his hold while I’m sure he’ll be attempting to do the same to my men and me.

  “I should’ve known he’d show up and think he could escape unscathed since I was distracted,” Joker states and shakes his head. “You were our secret weapon. He had no idea you’d be waiting for him at the wedding as well. I appreciate your assistance with this.”

  With a nod, I shake the hand he holds out. He’d have never caught his uncle if it weren’t for me, but I don’t say as much. I’m fairly certain he knows it and chooses to swallow his pride in the wake of his upcoming revenge. Little does he know I’m the one coming out the winner tonight. I’ll have his niece in my hold to do with as I please before he ever knows she exists. Victory is a sweet taste on my tongue, a warm feeling in my gut that I’ll silently relish.

  “You and Six enjoy your weekend,” he says, calling my brother by his title. It’s common—most people in the mob life know us by our last name and our number. For example, I’m Four, also known as Dante ‘the Devil’ Vendetti. The fourth oldest in the famiglia, Rappresentante to the Empire, and I use it to my benefit. People underestimate you when you’re not number one. They’ve quickly learned I’m just as deadly as our Capo dei capi Ruthless Matteo.

  3

  DANTE

  I burned bridges because I can swim.

  Don’t ever think I need you.

  — Pinterest meme

  * * *

  Leaving Santino behind at my place, I head back for my prize. She’s still safely tucked away inside the house from yesterday. My guy remained at his post as I’d instructed, although it sounds like it wasn’t necessary. No one left nor came to visit. It only leads me to believe she truly is the secret Sammi had claimed her to be, and it makes her all the more valuable to our famiglia.

  Rather than park a few spots away as I’ve done in the past, I pull directly into the driveway. If someone’s following me I’m unaware of, I don’t want them getting a good look at the girl when I take her. It won’t surprise me in the slightest if someone has documented damn near every move I’ve made in this city. They’ve probably got evidence of me strangling the whores and disposing of them, biding their time to use it against me. My men have cleaned up after me, but I’ve discovered nothing in this life is foolproof. I’ll do time eventually, it’s inevitable unless I flee the country. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. At the moment, I’m a free man.

  Exhaling, I leave my vehicle and click the lock button. I don’t anticipate coming out until I have the girl in tow, whether she comes willingly or by force. Whatever the outcome, I have to get her the fuck out of this city before someone else discovers her identity and how important she is to our endgame.

  Lifting my fist, my knuckles rap against a light teal door. The color matches the house trim with a frosted window running down the center. It opens, and I’m momentarily stunned. The young lady who answers is the one I’d seen before, but she’s so much more attractive this close. I clear my thr
oat, not intending to come off too strong but also wanting her to know my presence here means something significant.

  What the fuck do I say to her? I may as well be the damn Hulk compared to her. Of course, she’ll most likely be frightened of me. Right? Typically, fear from others is what I crave, but I find myself desiring something much more carnal with her.

  “My father?” The girl questions as she notices he’s not with me. I’ve kept to Sammi’s schedule and shown up when he’d usually be here. I didn’t want to frighten her or the older woman presently standing behind her, hands on her hips and a severe frown in place. She looks the type to slug you over the head with a rolling pin or a lamp if she needs to. Our cook, Martha, has always had a no-nonsense air about her too. She’d spoil us, but I’m sure she’d have popped us if the time ever called for it. Not that Romano would’ve stopped her if she did. No, Matteo’s the only one who ever shouldered beatings for us.

  “Right, Sammi. He’s unavailable. May I come in so we can discuss him?” I don’t know how to do this exactly—gentle hasn’t always been my strong suit. I tend to be more forward and hands-on with challenges. I’m a knock-you-out-and-drag-you-away sort of guy.

  The older woman reaches around Sammi’s daughter and pushes against the door to close it in my face. She’s got lady balls. I knew it.

  Catching it, I mutter, “Easy, lady. I’m here to talk. You’ll want to hear me out.”

  “Does Sammi know you’re here? I’ve never met you before.”

  “Would I be here during his normal visiting time, otherwise?” I imply, not admitting nor denying. Killing her in front of Sammi’s daughter isn’t on my agenda, so I’ve gotta do this the smart way.