chapter 10

AngeloDuring the drive to the heart of Long Island, where Fallen Angels is situated, my thoughts are inundated with the opportunity that’s been presented to me. Before I laid eyes on Vittoria, I didn’t give two shits about getting married. Sure, I knew I’d take the plunge at some point, but there was no urgency. There’s still no urgency. But the thought of having the beautiful little deer warming my bed is just too good to pass up.I’ll have something no other man has touched. The corner of my mouth lifts, but the smile quickly disappears when I think of Giorgio. I’m not known for giving second chances, but the sadistic side of me wants to play with the fucker as if he’s a mouse. I want to see how far he’ll go before I kill him. When Big Ricky pulls up to the front of the club, Tiny escorts me inside before returning to the SUV to carry out my order. Fallen Angels is closed on Sundays, so besides a couple of workers who are cleaning the place from top to bottom, it’s quiet. I head straight to my office to double-check the deposits banked over the past week. I have people who do everything for me, but when it comes to money, I don’t trust a living soul. Besides the strip club and casino, I own a fleet of ships that transport prohibited goods worldwide.Salvatore handles the schedule for the fleet, while Eddie makes sure shit doesn’t go down at my club. He also runs the restaurant and casino for me. Sunday is Eddie's only day off, so I don’t even bother checking if he’s in his office. I feel Eddie is an excellent candidate to run things in Sicily on my behalf when my uncle retires. I have to think of someone else who we can train to take over from Eddie. It’s not going to be an easy decision to make because, besides Renzo, Damiano, Dario, and Franco, the heads of the other four families, I only trust Salvatore, Eddie, Tiny, and Big Ricky. I keep my circle small because, in my world, it’s the only way to stay alive. There’s a knock at my office door before Tiny enters, followed by a shit-scared Giorgio, who doesn’t look like he’s gotten any sleep since we last spoke. It makes me recall how tired Vittoria looked. Tiny shoves the fucker forward, and he comes to a staggering stop in front of my desk. My eyes lock on him with disgust, while his pleading gaze is filled with terror.I could kill him and just take Vittoria. My tone is filled with danger as I mutter, “If I take Vittoria for myself, I won’t tolerate any interference from you.” Confusion flutters over his face before it’s followed by relief. “So you’re taking her virginity in exchange for wiping the three hundred thousand off my name?”I stare at the man until it looks like he’s going to piss himself before I say, “I haven’t made up my mind yet. If you breathe a word of this discussion to her, it will be the last thing you do.”“O-of c-c-course,” he stammers. “I’m not stupid. The last thing I want is for her to run away.”Tilting my head, I ask, “Is that something you think she’ll do?” His head bobs up and down. “Since she was a teen, she’s had a stupid dream of living in a small town with a whitepicket fence house and the perfect husband. She’s keeping herself pure for marriage.” My eyes narrow on the fucker for insulting Vittoria’s childhood dream. If she marries me, she’ll have a fucking castle and everything her heart desires.“What else does she dream of?” I demand. “The usual bullshit. Being a mother.” That’s good to hear. Waving a hand, I dismiss Giorgio. The gesture has Tiny gripping the fuckers arm and shoving him out of my office. When I’m alone again, I stare at the spreadsheet on my laptop, but I don’t see any of the numbers.My thoughts are with the beautiful little deer who might become my wife. Knowing she’s a flight risk, I begin to devise a plan. If she can’t know about the wedding, I’ll have to lure her to the ceremony under false pretenses. I also don’t want her fucking stepbrother knowing I’m taking more than just her virginity. Once I have her in front of the priest, she won’t be able to escape and will have no choice but to marry me.Do I feel shitty about being prepared to trick a woman into marrying me? No. Not one bit. In my territory, I take what I want. Vittoria will quickly learn to obey me and be a good wife, and in return, she’ll live a life of luxury. She can raise our children while I continue to rule over my empire. Deciding that Vittoria will become my wife, the corner of my mouth lifts. Soon, the little deer and all her innocence will be mine.