Family that Binds: Cosa Nostra Series: Book Two Read online

  It’ll all be for me.

  “To the new King and Queen of New York.” I raise my glass to Guido, a smile playing across my face, knowing that soon, all he owns will belong to me.

  He raises his glass to meet mine. “I’ll leave you, so you can make your rounds before your big question.” He wiggles his bushy, grey eyebrows at me, and I have the sudden urge to punch his face in. With a tight smile, I turn around and leave before causing a spectacle in the middle of our engagement party.

  Scanning the room, I search for my intended target. I will no longer be trusting my uncle to relay anything to me, like he has done for as long as I can remember, abusing my trust in the process. From now on, I will be the one to talk to my fellow Dons and Commission members. After all, in a mere two and half months, I’ll be the Don. I might as well start the transition process a little early.

  Vincenzo Di Napoli, the Don from Brooklyn, the Master of Gambling, is standing alone outside. At thirty-two, he is the youngest Don. For now. His largest businesses and holdings are all located in Las Vegas, so it’s not very often that you see him in New York. His Underboss mostly runs his business here. Di Napoli is the embodiment of Machiavellian. Since he’s so young, he has had trouble proving his worth to the rest. Although, they wouldn’t see his worth if it hit them between the eyes, because they are too threatened by the young Don’s quick success and rise in power.

  Romero is the frontrunner when it comes to belittling the Don and what he brings to the table. Although I’m sure he doesn’t underestimate Di Napoli. He and my uncle haven’t gotten along over the years, and their relationship is more than a little strained, even if they serve on the Commission together. I think it’s high time I have a little chat with him.

  After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

  I start to move toward him, my plan perfectly set out on how to approach him, when I feel a change in the room. There’s only one woman in the world whose presence draws my attention like that, whose gravitational pull is undeniable. Like my body knows its counterpart is in the vicinity. Every fibre of my being is drawn to hers. I can do without her here to distract me. She certainly didn’t mention anything about attending the party when I last saw her. She has no business being here. It must be another one of Romero’s fucked-up attempts at rattling me, at trying to keep me in line by reminding me he holds all the power.

  It’s hard not to be totally taken by her. I have found Amelia beautiful from the moment I first laid eyes on her, but since then, it’s like the fire inside of her has grown. And I want nothing more than to be consumed by her flames. Looking at her brown hair that falls down her shoulders in soft, bouncy waves, I can only imagine wrapping it around my fist.

  The blue gown she’s wearing is hugging her in all the right places, her plunging neckline giving everyone a view of her luscious breasts. The sapphires dangling from her ears—no doubt a gift from Romero—are dull compared to the blue colour of her eyes. Amelia is not someone who cares to put her body on display. Although I don’t mind seeing her dressed this way, I don’t particularly like the fact she’s appearing like that in front of everyone here. In front of every predator within Cosa Nostra.

  Shit, having her here will not do.

  I can’t focus with Amelia in the room. This thing between us has got to come to an end. I suppose, in a way it already has. I’ve been clear about my intention to marry Arica. But in all honesty, it does not erase how I know that Amelia belongs to me, with me. It does not erase the need I have to claim her as my own.

  Romero is moving toward her, and it takes everything inside of me not to walk over there and remove him from her presence. He places a hand on her lower back and leans in to whisper something in her ear. It’s clear that she is disgusted by what he’s said as she leans away from him in any way she can. I want to go over there and shoot him in the fucking face for touching her. For, no doubt, offending her in some viciously inappropriate manner.

  And now, more than ever, I know I can’t do that.

  If I want to beat my uncle in his games, I need to focus. I need to play this right. I can’t let myself be distracted by my feelings for Amelia. I can’t allow myself to have any weaknesses. She has already caught Romero’s attention, and I can’t make it worse by showing him how I truly feel about her. It’ll be the end of her, which will be the end of me.

  No. There’s only one thing for it. She needs to leave.

  The sing-song voice of my fiancée pulls my focus from Amelia and Romero across the room. “You’re staring at the wrong woman, honey.” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek. Her raven hair, straight as always, rests over one shoulder. “I’m all the way over here.” She looks behind her, her gaze landing on Amelia. “Besides, I don’t know how you can confuse the two of us; everyone here can see she doesn’t belong.”

  Looking over Arica’s head, it’s clear she could not be more wrong. Amelia was born to stand out in a crowd. Her mere presence demands attention, and it’s difficult not to answer the call. Even with Romero next to her, one of the most successful Dons in the country, she does not shrink away. She can definitely hold her own.

  Arica moves closer to me, pulling me down as she whispers, “It’s going to be fun to watch her face when you propose to me.”

  I grip her arms, pulling her against me. To onlookers, it might appear like a lover’s embrace, but I don’t miss her wincing at the tightness of my grip. “You’re supposed to be looking at me, remember?” I remind her. I have no idea how I’m going to endure a marriage with this woman. But if that’s what I must do to become Don, to become Capo di tutti Capi, I’ll fucking do it.

  Then, I know everyone will be safe.

  She smiles at me, fake as a fucking green sky. “Don’t worry about me—I know the part I have to play. Just make sure you don’t screw this up for all of us.” I used to think Arica is nothing but a spoiled virgin doing her daddy’s bidding. Fuck, she sure as hell acts that way. But the last couple of weeks, I’ve had glimpses of the woman underneath, the one who knows attaching her wagon to mine will result in a much better outcome than staying a Bastone. She knows strength when she sees it, and for that reason, she has earned a small amount of my respect.

  “Ah, just look at our happy couple.” Romero’s voice booms across the room, causing every eye to turn to him and then to us. “Save something for the wedding night, Piccolo.”

  He chuckles at the crowd, ever the perfect showman. Why I’ve never noticed it before is beyond me. I must’ve been too desperate for family, for a place to belong, that I clung to the idea of him. The idea of having a father. But that image has shattered over the past couple of weeks.

  I put a smile on my face and look down at Arica. “It’s hard to keep my hands off this one.”

  She gleams up at me, stands up on her toes, and kisses the corner of my mouth. I’m grateful that she is playing along. Somehow, it makes me feel better knowing that she’s using me just as much as I’m using her. Because, fuck knows, there’s no love lost between the two of us.

  “Please,” Romero gestures to one of the servers, “make sure everyone has a glass of champagne.” He takes two glasses off the tray, handing one to Amelia and keeping one for himself. My aunt is standing to the side, between some of her acquaintances, while Amelia is displayed a few steps behind him. In his eyes, the audacity to parade a mistress in front of everyone, in the home he shares with his wife, is a display of power. He is untouchable.

  Oh, this is definitely for my benefit.

  “Welcome, Family and friends.” Romero opens his arms to the room. “We’re all gathered here tonight on this incredibly special occasion. My good friend, Guido, and I,” he gestures toward a smiling Guido in the crowd, “have always dreamed of bringing our Families together. Luckily, I have a nephew and Guido has a daughter, otherwise, who knows what we might’ve come up with.” He chuckles, and the crowd sounds with a round of fake laughter at his joke.

  “So, tonight we cel
ebrate the joining of these two, lovely people.” He gestures toward me and Arica, before continuing. “At the head of the biggest Family in New York City, they will be the King and Queen of Cosa Nostra.” The crowd applauses, and Arica gives the room a smile before looking up at me like a loving fiancée should.

  “But before we get ahead of ourselves, Neal still has a question to ask. So, without further ado, I give the floor to my nephew.” He gestures his glass at me. “Come, Piccolo, the room is yours.”

  I make my way up to him, aware of Arica following close behind. The fact that Amelia is so close to me is throwing me off, and it takes physical effort on my part not to walk toward her. Not to pull her against my body and take her far away from here. Instead, I brace myself for what’s to come. I never expected to get married—it’s not something I ever wanted for myself. And now the only woman I’ve ever considered marrying is standing off to one side. Now, the first time I ask someone to marry me, it will be out of duty, not love. I grip the stem of my glass as I get ready for my toast.

  “Tonight, I have a few things to say before asking my question, so please bear with me.” Stealing a glance at Amelia, I’m faced with icy features, and her usually friendly and inviting face is stone cold. She’s not letting Romero humiliate her tonight, and at that moment, a surge of emotion fills my heart at the strength this woman is showing.

  “Being part of the Castellano Family has always been a great honour to me. I was born to lead our Family, and in taking this step, I will be able to ascend, to rule as your Don.” A round of applause sounds through the room, and I can’t help but feel pride at the true reaction my words brought. “Although I will not be the Head of the Bastone Family, I will take care of them as if they were my own.” I turn to my soon to be father-in-law. “Guido, you not only entrust your daughter to me but your Family as well. I will not let either of you down.”

  I turn to Arica, extending my hand for her to take. She places her hand in mine and moves closer to my side. “And finally, to the beautiful woman next to me.” I can’t bring myself to meet her eyes, so I take out the ring instead, looking down at the velvet box in my hands.

  A different ring, a different life, a different woman.

  “Arica Sofia Bastone,” I start. There’s no fucking way I’m getting down on one knee.

  I kneel in front of no one.

  I take the ring out, the one Salvatore provided me with, and take her left hand in mine. “We’ve come together in tradition, and in no time, we’ll come together in love.”

  I look over her shoulder, and see Romero putting his arm around Amelia, making sure she’s watching us. No one can interfere now, so she’ll have to deal with this on her own. But I know she can. Even when she was thrusted into this life, she has only shown strength.

  “Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” I slip the ring onto Arica’s finger as she embraces and kisses me, while we’re surrounded by applause and cheers from our Families. A sinking feeling fills my stomach at the fact that this is not how this was supposed to go. It should have been different. But in the Underworld, there is no room for love—only ambition.

  “So, it begins, fiancé,” she says, leaning into me like a gushing bride-to-be. This is the first step toward my victory. Taking down my uncle will be a pleasure. Then, I can rule like I was always meant to. Then, and only then, can Amelia be free of this life.

  I take Arica’s hand and lead her toward the dancefloor for our first official dance as an engaged couple. Her hand is at the nape of my neck, playing with my hair, while I take the lead.

  “You’re much friendlier than you were the last time I saw you,” I comment while looking over her head at the crowd smiling at us, whispering their excitement to one another.

  “The last time you saw me, you used me in front of all the men in both our Families, before rejecting me and leaving me half naked and alone.” She pulls her head back to look up at me, waiting for me to meet her gaze. “Any woman would be fucking pissed if you did that to them.”

  I clear my throat, trying to push down the tiny drop of shame at my behaviour. “You weren’t getting the message, so I needed to be brutally honest with you.” Not to mention the fact I had an emergency to deal with, in the form of Flynn and Amelia.

  She scoffs. “And brutal you were.”

  If I’m to make an ally out of Arica Bastone, now is as good a time as any to make it happen. For as much as I hate it, she and her brother are the heirs to the Bastone Family, and they hold the key to the Iron Pipeline. A Don cannot win wars without weapons, so I can’t afford to make an enemy out of them in any way.

  “I apologize if I’ve hurt you, but like I said—"

  “Yes, like you said. There can never be anything.” She looks at me, and there’s a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I get it, Neal.” I should’ve known that day we met, in this very same house. I saw it then—the look in her eyes. She had hoped this was a love match, had in some way held out for it to be one. But by then, I’d already met my counterpart, and even if I knew I could never be with her, it was already done. “You don’t see me that way, and I’ve made my peace with it.”

  It was never my intention to hurt anybody’s feelings, that is one of the reasons I avoided the whole prospect of marriage to begin with. That, and the fact I can’t bear to have a family just to lose them all to the violence and bloodlust that comes with this life. But I found myself engaged nonetheless, and I’ve hurt my pretend fiancée in a very real way. Hopefully, an alliance with me is a good enough consolation prize.

  “Ric, we’re still engaged, and you’ll still be my wife. I think there could be other benefits to our relationship.” I look around the room. People are starting to join us on the dancefloor, and it’s filling up quite quickly. So I lower my voice. “Us getting married could be a good thing for the Castellanos and the Bastones.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure my father and your uncle have already made a list of all the things they’ll get out of us getting married.”

  “I’m not talking about what might benefit them.” I lower my head and whisper in her ear, “I was thinking more along the lines of benefitting us, the new reigning couple.”

  A frown forms between her eyes before understanding fills her face. It’s hard not to see how beautiful Arica is. She would have made another man fall to his knees for her, and in some way, I feel guilty for taking that away from her. Because it will never be me.

  “You can’t be serious.” She brushes off my suggestion as her gaze nervously flits around us, gauging if someone might’ve heard me. “They’re far from retirement, Neal. They’ll be in charge for many more years.” She sounds a bit uncertain, and that’s all I need.

  “I’m sure they’ll want to stay in charge, behind the scenes.” I find her gaze and hold it. “But we are the future, Ric. Someone must take over the Families. With our wedding I’ll be the new Don, and you’ll be my wife. I’m sure your brother isn’t ready to take over?”

  She huffs at the thought. “Certainly not. To my father’s dismay, he only shows interest in the perks of being part of the Family and none of the responsibilities.” Her expression is slightly pained, and it’s clear that she expected more from her brother. “I would have no problem running the Family, but as you know, it’s basically a crime for a woman to be in charge of anything other than her household.”

  The traditions of Cosa Nostra have not always been fair to the women who belong to the Families. In some ways, it’s a matter of protection; the men of the Family would do anything to keep their wives out of the criminal part of the business. That way, there will always be someone at home, keeping everything together. In other ways, it’s a bit misogynistic. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder where the organization would be today if we did not underestimate the worth of our women.

  Make no mistake, Arica is a born and bred Cosa Nostra woman, and for that reason, I won’t underestimate her. In any way. I’m even aware of the fact she might betra
y me, and I will not be the fool who places his trust in the woman he rejected on more than one occasion. How does the saying go? Hell hath no fury?

  But there can be no harm in keeping her close; it can only be to my advantage in the end. “So, let’s show the Underworld we can truly be their King and Queen.”

  That was exactly the right thing to say, because her eyes glow at the prospect of ruling the city.

  “You’re proposing an incredibly interesting offer, Mr. Sanders.” She reaches up, and I can’t help but stiffen slightly as she plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll rule the Underworld with you.”

  It’s not the Queen I truly want, but it’s the one I have.

  If that’s what I must do to keep Amelia alive, then so be it.

  2

  Amelia

  The fresh ocean air drifting in through the wide-open doors is not the reason for the cold shivers dancing up and down my spine. It’s not even the fact I have to watch Neal dancing with Arica, which only leaves me with a sinking feeling in my stomach. No, it’s Romero’s hand on my back and his mouth next to my ear that’s causing my body to retreat in revulsion.

  “I have to dance with my wife now.” He touches his lips to my ear, and it takes everything in me not to step away and show him my disgust. “But I’ll be back for you. You’re mine tonight.”

  I will not give him the reaction he wants, because I know he feeds off of it. I will not give him the satisfaction. My shoulders relax as he moves away, toward the beautiful blonde woman that must be his wife. She is the embodiment of elegant grace. There’s no evident crack in her perfect façade as she is faced with her husband and his antics. I can’t understand why he screws around if he’s got a wife like that at his side. But what’s even worse is that fact that I can’t, for the life of me, understand why someone like her stays with him. I would’ve divorced his slimy ass a long time ago.

  But I guess it’s not as simple as that when you’re the wife of a Mafioso.