Wanted: A Dark Italian Mafia Romance (Men Of Mayhem Book 1) Read online

  Her jaw drops, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing to razor-like slits. “Don’t make the biggest mistake of your life, Diego. If you send me away without a deal, you know what will happen.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. Nine times out of ten, I don’t let my cock do my thinking. The one time I decide to cut him some freedom, he betrays me, and I wake up with this bitch next to me.

  “I’ll take my chances. You and I both know your threats are bullshit. Your father won’t do a goddamn thing to us if he’s smart. And if he tries to pull any shit, I’ll make sure his weapon and drug shipments are locked up in customs before he can smuggle them through any of our ports.”

  Via lets out a gasp. “You motherfucker,” she seethes.

  “Wrong. I don’t fuck moms. Goes against my personal code.” I grab a pair of jeans and nod toward the door. “Now get the hell out.”

  I watch as Via shimmies back into her skimpy black dress and slides on her high heels. She stalks toward the front door, stops and turns back toward me with a sinister smile on her makeup-streaked face. “This isn’t over, Diego.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “Honey, it never even started.”

  Her nostrils flare, and she flings open the front door and slams it hard behind her. I press my fingertips to my temples.

  I’m never drinking again.

  It always leads to trouble, and I still haven’t learned my lesson.

  Jesus, will I ever?

  “Unca Dee!”

  I jump up with a gasp, startled from the nightmare that is Via Fortunato. I twist my head toward the window. Still dark. I let out a groan, falling forward into my pillow.

  Oh, Christ.

  It’s too early for this shit.

  Literally.

  I put the pillow over my head and press the sides against my ears.

  Maybe I’m dreaming. Please let me be dreaming!

  “Unca Dee!”

  The piercing screech of my almost two year-old niece, Ava, slices through me like a knife to my chest.

  And no, I’m not exaggerating.

  I’m also never babysitting again. My sister Gianna and her husband Alek promised me she’d sleep through the night. They swore if I gave her a bottle an hour before bedtime that she’d make it until at least seven.

  Fucking liars.

  I peer at the clock next to my bed. Five a.m.

  Five? Argh!

  I never wake up at this hour. If anything, I’m usually falling into bed around now.

  I roll onto my back, clutching the pillow to my face as I scream into it.

  I’m not a morning person. At all. I don’t like to talk to anyone before noon if I can help it. But Gianna begged me. She and Alek flew in from Monaco for a business event, and the bottom line is she doesn’t trust my other brothers with her kid.

  No fucking surprise there.

  Tommy and Ant don’t go to bed, they pass out, fucking drunks that they are. And they usually have overnight guests, ones of the skanky stripper variety.

  Vince is such a heavy sleeper, he wouldn’t wake up if his house was being torpedoed.

  I was the logical choice.

  And because I’ve sworn off women since that bitch Via, they didn’t have to worry about my social agenda interfering with the care of their daughter.

  I pull myself to a seated position and let out a deep sigh as I scrub a hand down the front of my face. I love my niece, but I’m going to have to set some ground rules for her if she’s gonna be spending time here. I mean, right now my living room looks like a toy store hurled all over the damn place. How much crap does one baby need for a night away from home?

  I throw my legs over the side of the bed and stagger across the hall to the makeshift nursery I set up for Ava. She’s bouncing up and down in the crib, her arms stretched out. “Unca Dee!”

  Tired as I am, I smile at her because she really is the cutest thing on this planet. No bias, of course. She’s got big blue eyes courtesy of her father, and dark curls just like her mother’s. Bright pink spots on her cheeks give her a perpetual rosy glow.

  But the stench that hits me when I get closer makes my gut clench.

  “I can’t be mad at you, beautiful,” I nuzzle her cheek once I lift her out of the crib. “But trust me, I’m holding my breath right now because if I don’t, I might just pass out.”

  She giggles, kicking her tiny feet against me as I walk her over to the changing table. “Da-da-da-da!”

  I snicker and unzip her fuzzy pink onesie. “Da-da-da-da is very happily snoring right about now, unlike your Uncle D.” My fingers work fast to get the diaper open, and once I do, I have to bury my mouth and nose into my shirt for a second to take in a breath of something other than baby poop. I gag as I wrap up the crap diaper with one hand and shake out a clean one with the other. I dump half a container of baby powder on the area after wiping up the disaster that greeted me at this ungodly hour of the morning. “Jesus, kid. That’s like a new level of toxic. How can your little body even produce that much of a disgusting mess?” I shake my head and tape up the clean diaper as she giggles and wiggles around on the changing table.

  I blow a few raspberries onto her chubby belly and she chuckles, her arms and legs flailing around me.

  Smack!

  “Ahh!” I yelp, clapping a hand to my nose. “You got me!”

  “Unca Dee, pee ah!”

  That’s code for ‘pick up’.

  I tickle the sensitive area under her chin with one finger and she giggles, grabbing onto it and shoving it into her mouth so her few sharp baby teeth can gnaw on it “Lemme get this straight. Now that you’ve beaten me up and paralyzed my sense of smell, I’m supposed to pick you up?”

  She bites down harder, smiling with my hand hanging out of her mouth.

  “You’re a vampire, too?” I shake my head, lifting her off the table.

  “Baaa!”

  I pad into the kitchen, bouncing her in my arm. “Yep, more food so you can do more of that monster crapping thing. At least you can save that joy for your parents since they’re picking you up this afternoon.”

  I walk over to the playpen set up in my living room and lower her into it while I make a bottle. I squint as I pull open the refrigerator, shoving things around to get to the bottle of milk. I pour it into a clear plastic bottle and screw on the top.

  The sun is barely peeking over the clouds right now, but I’m up. And talking.

  And I had a damn harsh wake-up call, after having a horribly vivid nightmare.

  I lift Ava into my arms and sit down on the couch with her warm little body nestled into my chest. “I love these pjs, you know that?” I murmur. “They make you so cuddly and soft.” Ava fidgets as she giggles, milk drizzling out of the sides of her mouth and onto the front of my t-shirt. I grab the television remote and press the Power button, dropping my head back against the couch cushion as Ava slurps her milk.

  I stroke the top of her soft hair as she settles down once again. I can’t even explain how much I love Ava and my nephew Joseph, my brother Cristian’s son. I used to think that being the cool as shit uncle would be enough for me since romance has never really been my forte. I struck out big with Via, and I haven’t had the desire to try my hand at the love shit again since I cut her out of my life.

  Truth be told, I wasn’t sure how long of a life I’d actually have after Nic found out I’d rejected him not once, but twice.

  I figured between my niece and nephew, I had the perfect setup. Two kids to play with, spoil, and send home whenever I wanted. It was all fun, all the time, and I had no responsibility for the big shit.

  Except for the one I just cleaned up…

  I never thought I could have more. Truthfully, I didn’t know if I wanted it. The way I’d dealt with my grief and rage unleashed terror on a lot of people. I plunged into a really dark place with Via there to cushion my fall. She fed into my anger, gave me the means to launch my attacks. She enabled me, encouraging me to let my emotions consume everything
…all because she needed something from me. Salvatore Chiaza. I played right into her hands because I’d been too weak to deal with the guilt over my father’s death. That’s when she had me exactly where she wanted me, backed me into a corner like a rat with no hope for escape.

  I put everything at risk and then kicked her to the curb.

  Again.

  When I sent her bony ass packing, she made it clear that she and her father would be back to collect.

  I told her to fuck off and spent months afterward trying to pick up the pieces after my hit on Salvatore Chiaza. Vince was the only one who had any clue what I’d done, what havoc my actions wreaked, and what threats I’d opened us up to.

  I battled him for months over that shit show.

  And then on the night of the gala for the Rizierio Vitale foundation, I finally got a glimpse of light and of hope in the most unexpected of places.

  One person changed my view on the future…what I wanted, what I needed, and what I’d been missing.

  Then just as quickly, the light flickered out.

  Images flash across the plasma television screen — smiling faces, cameras blinking, crowds of people milling around what looks to be a benefit of some sort. Then I see her. Serena Vitale. She’s caught on camera in the center of the screen, in a shimmery gown. I squint at the caption on the bottom of the television and see the video was taken at a movie premiere one year earlier. That smile on her face…God, I’d never seen anything so beautiful until I witnessed it in person. I drop my head onto Ava’s as we watch the clips. The next segment is a video of Serena visiting a few orphanages in southern Italy. The paparazzi and the media swarm her like ants on roadkill, capturing every step of her path. She’s photographed with heads of the facilities, shaking hands. In other segments, her arms are draped across the shoulders of girls whose lives were lucky enough to be touched by her.

  A real-life angel.

  My life had been bright for those few minutes, months ago. I finally got it. I understood why she was so beloved by so many people.

  Principessa filantropa.

  Vicious mobster’s daughter turned Good Samaritan.

  And oh yeah, she happens to be as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside.

  I’ve thought about her every day since the night of the gala in Naples, wishing I could reach out to her without seeming like a complete stalker.

  I know I can’t.

  Ever since the attack, it’s been radio silent from the Vitale camp. This was a woman who appeared on the news almost on a daily basis for something to do with her foundation or her notorious father. And if the press wasn’t talking about her family or her work, they were talking about her clothes, shoes, bags, trips, cars…you name it. Everything the woman does is documented and made available for public consumption.

  At least it was up until a couple of months ago…

  When she disappeared.

  “She’s pretty, isn’t she, baby girl?” I whisper against Ava’s soft hair. “I bet she’d love you if she ever met you. She seems like the type who’d love babies, even if they woke her in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder and wearing a soggy crap diaper.”

  Ava coos, toying with the bottle.

  I stroke the soft fabric covering her arm as more pictures scatter across the screen, a harsh reminder that the life I want isn’t the one I chose. Oh sure, it happens for some. My brother Cristian found happiness with his wife Tali, and Gianna and Alek live in their own little bubble of bliss.

  They have it all, despite their choices.

  My choices have almost gotten me killed more often than not, so I don’t think I’m really a candidate for that happily ever after bullshit. Anyone who comes too close runs the risk of getting hurt.

  Or worse.

  But Franco Vitale already knew that, and made it pretty damn clear in case I was under some crazy delusion that I was the right pick for his daughter, successful businessman or not.

  So after that night, ever since my one glimmer of hope went off the grid, I’ve focused on my work and my family.

  A loud ringing sound jolts me out of my sleepy haze. Fortunately, Ava has a full belly now and her even breathing doesn’t even hitch when the ringer blares into the still air from my bedroom. I clutch her and pull myself off of the couch, running through the house to grab the damn thing before it wakes my niece.

  Who the fuck is calling me at this hour?

  I grab it, shouting a silent ‘fuck you’ at the screen when I see Vince’s name flash across it. I stab the Accept button and grunt into the phone.

  “Oh, you’re awake. Great. I was afraid I’d have to go over there in person to drag your ass out of bed.”

  “I think you’re confusing me with yourself, asshole,” I mutter, bouncing Ava in my arms. “What the hell do you want at this godforsaken hour?”

  “There’s going to be a meeting at my place in an hour. I need you there.”

  “Are you serious? I can’t even see straight right now.”

  “I said it’s in an hour. Once your eyes work, get yourself some coffee and drive your obnoxious car over to my office.”

  “Why do you need me there?” I hiss. “You make it pretty damn clear every chance you get that my way of working doesn’t really mesh well with yours.”

  “It doesn’t,” Vince replies in a flat tone. “But it wasn’t my choice to bring you in.”

  I blink fast, trying to clear my blurred vision. The eyes really are struggling to function right now. So’s the brain.

  “You’re playing games with me, and I hate it.”

  “Look, just do us both a favor and get over here. I’ll explain everything then.”

  I sigh. “I had an overnight guest.”

  “Get her the hell out, Diego. I don’t give a shit about your social agenda, and I’m not gonna be put on the fucking chopping block because your dick needed a nightcap.”

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake, it’s Ava! I was babysitting last night!”

  Vince chuckles. “Aha. Well, get Gianna on the phone and tell her you’re gonna stop by earlier than planned.”

  “Yeah, like before the sun comes up. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” I grunt.

  “Just get here. One hour.”

  Click.

  And just like that, my brother is on to his next task. As usual.

  I hug Ava close and breathe in her sweet baby smell. It’s nice. Soothing. And a lot safer than whatever the hell is gonna greet me at Vince’s office.

  This day started out shitty and the outlook is no better for the remainder of it.

  It’s a good thing Alek and Gianna thought to leave me their rental when they dropped off Ava yesterday. I eye my fire-engine red Ferrari Testarosa in the garage as I carry her out of my house. People with Ferraris don’t think about things like car seats.

  They know they work better on their own, without young, innocent lives hanging in the balance.

  Yep, I’m one of them.

  Ava is definitely more of a morning person than me. She hasn’t stopped talking since Alek’s call shattered my hopes for another couple of hours of sleep. I can’t make much of it out, to be honest. But I nod and smile and answer whatever questions I think she might be asking. I’m almost a hundred percent sure she said she wanted a red car just like Unca Dee’s. Of course, I told her I’d get her one as soon as she gets her license.

  That’ll be a heart attack waiting to happen.

  Good luck, Gi and Alek.

  I buckle Ava into the car seat and stifle a yawn. I really need some caffeine. I’m talking a triple shot. Maybe two.

  At this hour, traffic is nonexistent on the roads between my house and the hotel where Alek and Gianna are staying in the city. I glance at the clock on the screen in front of me and shake my head. No way in hell am I going to make it out to the office by six-thirty.

  But knowing Vince, he told me an hour because he knew I’d make it in two.

  Punctuality isn’t my strong sui
t.

  And in my defense, I had to deal with another ass explosion, courtesy of my niece, before we left the house. I think she might be lactose intolerant. Just a hunch, since any milk that goes down seems to quickly explode out in every fucking direction imaginable. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I’ve witnessed plenty of disturbing shit over the years.

  I turn on the radio as I drive and the car is filled with the most annoying fucking sounds on the planet. Loud, obnoxious, and irritating as all hell.

  And then the singing starts.

  Fuck me.

  I groan, gripping the steering wheel tight. The noise blaring through the speakers is like nails on a blackboard to me, but Ava loves it. She claps her hands, sings along, and giggles in that adorable frigging way that always makes me smile.

  She’s got me wrapped tight, I’m telling ya.

  Twenty agonizing minutes later, I pull up to the valet at the hotel where Gianna and Alek are staying while they’re here in Naples. I lower the window and one of the guys asks me if I’m checking in.

  “No, I just need to make a quick trip upstairs. I’ll be back in about five minutes. Can you keep it close?” I pull the key out of the ignition and drop it into his hand.

  He nods. “Of course, sir.”

  I slip him a twenty-dollar bill and pull open the back door to unstrap Ava. She leaps into my arms and hugs me tight around the neck as I grab the fifty-pound diaper bag Gianna left for me. I sling the pink flowered bag over my shoulder and carry Ava through the revolving door. The bag strap digs into my shoulders and I shift it around. “Jesus, you come equipped with a lot of stuff, baby girl,” I mutter, digging around in my pocket for the key card Gianna left with me.

  I know she wasn’t expecting me to use it so quickly, but hey, duty calls.

  My fingers close around it, and I pull it out to show the security guard who’s posted outside of the elevator bank. He nods at me and I hand the card to Ava. “Here, princess. Hang on to this for me, will ya?” She grabs it with her chubby fingers as we walk through the glass doors.

  “And now I just need to call your mama to let her know we’re on our way up since I don’t want to witness anything disgusting when we get to the room. I don’t need to know what Mama and Papa do when nobody is looking, you know what I’m saying?”