It’s been a long day, and I feel so fucking agitated I could kill someone.
I’m staring blankly at the TV screen, not really watching the movie as I sip on a tumbler of whiskey. Suddenly, my phone starts to vibrate, and letting out a sigh, I pull the device out of my pocket.
“Rizzo,” I mutter.
“It’s Eddie. I thought I’d let you know Giorgio’s running another tab in the casino. It’s already sitting at eighty thousand. Do you want me to cut him off?”
Unreasonable anger flares through my chest as I growl, “I’ll handle it.”
“He’s also been harassing the strippers and bragging about being your brother-in-law,” Eddie adds fuel to the fire.
I should’ve killed the fucker already.
Ending the call, I down the rest of the whiskey before I get up and walk to the bedroom so I can change out of the sweatpants.
The fucker seriously has a death wish, and I’m done playing with him.
When I’ve changed into a suit, I tuck my gun into the waistband of my pants as I head back to the living room.
Vittoria is lying on one of the couches, and Tiny is sitting by her feet. He probably moved closer to her the moment I got up.
They’re busy watching a romantic comedy while Rita keeps bringing them food and drinks.
Vittoria’s eyes flit to me as I lean over her. Pressing a kiss to her mouth, I say, “I’m just heading out for an hour. I won’t be long.”
“Ah…okay.”
Without having to say a word to Big Ricky, he follows me out of the house, and only when we’re both in the SUV does he ask, “Where are we going?”
“Find Romano.”
After he starts the engine, he makes a quick call. “Hey, is Romano at the club?” A moment later, he mutters, “Thanks.”
Big Ricky’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “He’s not at the club. Should I swing by his house?”
“Yes.”
During the drive, I fist my hands on my thighs as the fucking stress and worry of the past two days pour over me like boiling water.
I can’t kill my uncle for what he said and did to Vittoria.
I can’t kill my aunt for trying to take a shot at me.
But I can fucking kill Giorgio Romano for everything he’s done to Vittoria and for being a piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to breathe.
I’m going to take out all my anger on the fucker.
When Big Ricky stops the SUV in front of Vittoria’s old house, I shove the door open and climb out. I stalk up the pathway and take the steps to the porch.
Big Ricky pounds on the front door before he glances around the area.
The moment the door opens, my arm pulls back, and I slam my fist into Romano’s nose. The fucker staggers backward before falling flat on his ass.
He lets out a groan as his hand covers his nose, blood quickly trickling through his fingers. There’s a mixture of confusion and fear on his face as he says, “I didn’t do anything.”
Big Ricky quickly checks the living room, and I hear him growl, “Get out.” A moment later, a scantly dressed woman scurries past me, and I recognize her as one of the strippers from the club.
Sucking in a deep breath of air as I drink in the sight of Romano’s blood, I shrug my jacket off and pass it to Big Ricky to hold.
I also remove my gun, which has Romano’s eyes going wide as saucers. I hand the weapon to Big Ricky because I won’t need it, and I want it out of Romano’s reach.
“Get up,” I order in a low tone.
Romano quickly climbs to his feet, and he looks at the blood covering his hand before his confused eyes fly to me. “What did I do? I’ve been working twice as hard.”
I shake my head at him, and glancing around the shitty little house, I mutter, “I hear you’re harassing my strippers and telling everyone you’re my brothers-in-law.” I let out a dark chuckle. “Either you’re fucking stupid, or you have the biggest pair of balls I’ve ever seen.”
Panic flashes over his face. “I was just playing around with the girls. It was harmless fun.”
I suck in a deep breath of air as I look at the piece of shit.
“You have shares, but instead of cashing them in, you traded your sister to settle your debt.”
“But that’s in the past. We…”
My eyes lock on the fucker. “It’s not,” I snap. “This is about the eighty thousand dollars you owe me after your last fuck up. This is about you mouthing off to everyone who will listen. This is about you fucking with my business.” A growl rumbles from my chest. This is about you abusing Vittoria!” I take a step closer. “This is about you sacrificing her for three hundred thousand dollars, and then you dare to run another tab at my casino.” I take another step, and he staggers backward. “This is about you wanting to control her until she turned twenty-five so you could get your grubby fucking hands on her inheritance.”
Romano’s eyes widen even more, and I let out a dark chuckle. “I know everything.”
“Mr. Rizzo…p-please,” he stammers as he takes another step backward.
I shake my head slowly as my eyes pin him with all the brutality I possess. “You hurt the woman I love more than anything on this godforsaken planet and then dared to fuck with my business.”
He falls to his knees and begs, “I’m sorry. I’ll never do anything to hurt her again. I’ll stay away from the strippers and casino.”
“No, you won’t,” I growl.
I impatiently gesture for him to get up, but when he gives me a pleading look, I unleash every ounce of rage on him. With a vicious growl, I kick him against the side of his head.
Romano sprawls backward, and before his body stills, I’m on top of him, my fist slamming into his face.
I remember every bruise on my wife’s body. I remember how she flinched away from my touch. I remember her fear.
I feel the skin break over my knuckles as I keep smashing my fist into the fucker’s face.
I remember the fear I felt when I couldn’t find Vittoria. I remember the fucking terror when she ran into traffic. I remember the rage when she told me what my uncle did to her and how she almost died.
All I see is blood. I feel the bones in his face break beneath my fist.
It’s not enough.
Getting up, I grab my gun from Big Ricky, and aiming at the fucker’s head, I pull the trigger.
A pool of blood quickly forms beneath Romano’s head, and as I look down at his lifeless and swollen eyes, I finally feel a sense of relief.
I hand the weapon to Big Ricky again as he asks, “Do you feel better?”
“No, but it’s a start,” I mutter as I walk to the kitchen. I open a faucet and wash my hands, watching as the red water spirals down the drain.
“Want me to call the cleaners?”
I nod, my eyes still on my busted knuckles. “Yes. Have them dissolve the body and replace the floor.” I dry my hands on a dishcloth and turn to look at Big Ricky. “I want this fucking place cleaned from top to bottom for Vittoria.”
Walking out of the kitchen, I step over Romano’s body and head down the hallway. I check every room, and when I open the closets in the main bedroom, I say, “Clear out the fucker’s shit and remove any trace of him from this house.”
“Okay.”
As I head back down the hallway, I order, “Pay Damiano the five hundred thousand Romano owed him.”
“I’ll take care of it, boss.”
I stalk out of the house, and when I climb into the back of the SUV, Big Ricky asks, “Home?”
“Yeah.” I let out a deep breath.
Home. To my wife.
He hands me my jacket and gun before starting the engine, and as he drives away from the house, I dig my phone out of my pocket.
I open the screen and send a text to Damiano.
Angelo: Giorgio Romano is dead. His debt will be settled.
A moment later, his reply comes through.
Damiano: Thanks for the good news. How’s Vittoria doing?
Angelo: She’s better.
Damiano: Did she tell you what happened?
Angelo: My uncle tried to get rid of her. They struggled and went over the side of the balcony. He fell to his death.
Damiano: Jesus. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.
Angelo: Thanks.
Big Ricky stops the SUV in front of the mansion, and when we climb out, he says, “I’ll take care of the body and house,” he reminds me. “And I’ll make the payment.”
“Thanks. When you’re done, take the rest of the day off. You need some rest.”
“Thanks, boss.”
We go our separate ways, and as I walk into the house, I hear someone chant, ‘Get low, get low. To the window. To the wall. Till the sweat drop down my balls.’
I come to a stop in the living room and mutter, “What the fuck are you watching?”
“The Proposal,” Tiny says with a grin. “My girl Sandra Bullock is in it.”
Vittoria sits up on the couch, then her eyes lock on my hands. “What happened?” She darts up, and forgetting that she’s only wearing my shirt, she rushes to me. “Did you get hurt?”
“You’re only wearing a shirt,” I growl.
“Don’t worry,” Tiny says. “My eyes are glued to the TV.”
Vittoria gives me a sheepish expression. “Oops.”
“Oops, my ass,” I mutter as I walk to the couch to grab the blanket. I wrap it around her shoulders, then tug her closer and press a possessive kiss to her mouth.
When I lift my head, she repeats her question from earlier, “What happened to your hands?”
I nod for her to follow me as I walk to the stairs, and once we’re in the bedroom, I take hold of her shoulders.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine.” She frowns at me. “Tell me what happened.”
Not wanting her to find out from someone else, I say, “I killed Giorgio.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh my God. Did he attack you? Are you okay?”
I let out a chuckle as I shake my head. “He didn’t attack me. The fucker doesn’t have the balls.” My expression grows serious again. “It was time he paid for what he did to you.” I move my hands to the sides of her neck and lean down. “I wasn’t going to let him live after the hell he put you through.”
I watch as she processes the news, and her eyebrows pinch together. “I understand.”
My gaze searches her as I ask, “Are you okay?”
She lets out a slow breath before saying, “Yes. I knew it would happen eventually, so I’m not surprised.”
“I’m having your house fixed up, and when it’s ready, we’ll go back so you can grab what you want to bring here.”
A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I’d like that very much.” She grips hold of my hand and pulls me to the bathroom. “Let me take care of your hands.”
“Hmm, I like the thought of you taking care of me.”
Vittoria pulls a small first aid kit from below the sink, and it has me saying, “I didn’t know we had a kit in our bathroom.”
“I placed it here right after I moved in.” She gives me an apologetic look. “In case I needed it.” She shrugs as she takes an antiseptic wipe out of the kit. “It was before I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”
I watch as she gently cleans the cuts on my knuckles, then I glance at her face again. “Thank you.”
There’s a small smile around her lips, but it quickly disappears when she asks, “How are you?”
I give her a puzzled look. “I’m fine.”
Vittoria shakes her head. “How are you with everything that happened? They were your family.”
They? Giving her a questioning look, I ask, “You know about my aunt?”
“Tiny told me while you were out.”
I let out a sigh. “What else did Tiny tell you?”
Her eyes fill with compassion for me. “Just that Big Ricky had to kill her to protect you.”
I shake my head before I admit, “The betrayal hurts.” I step closer to her and rest my palm against her cheek. “But it’s nothing compared to the fear I felt when I discovered you ran away.”
She turns her head and presses a kiss to my palm as she takes hold of my wrist. When she stares up at me, I notice how her eyes soften.
“I love you, Angelo.”
Her confession bathes me in so much light and warmth the world falls away until there’s only us.
Lowering my head, I press my forehead against hers and demand, “Say it again.”
Her lips curve up in a beautiful smile. “I love you.”
With a desperate need to taste her words, my mouth slams against hers. I bring my hands to the sides of her neck, and holding her in place, I kiss her with all the love I feel for her.
My lips feast on hers as my tongue brands hers with hard strokes, and I groan from how good it feels.
Lowering my hands to her hips, I lift her up and set her ass down on the counter. Vittoria opens her legs so I can step between them, and not waiting for an order, she quickly unfastens my belt before pulling down the zipper of my pants.
She shoves the fabric down, and when her fingers wrap around my cock, a satisfied growl rumbles from my chest. My woman lines me up with her soaked opening, and I thrust hard inside her.
“Fuck,” I groan from the intense pleasure of being deep in her pussy. “You feel like home.”
She wraps her hand around the back of my neck and kisses the fuck out of me.
Pulling out, I slam back into her warm body, and as the kiss grows wilder, I fuck her with all my strength. The sound of our skin slapping mixes with Vittoria’s moans and whimpers.
I feel her pussy clench around my cock, and knowing she’s close, I push a hand down between us and rub her clit.
“God,” she gasps against my mouth. “Angelo.”
When her orgasm tears through her, her breaths explode over my lips, and not long after, I find my own release deep inside her.
Our eyes remain locked as we come together, and I feel so fucking connected to her, nothing will ever be able to tear us apart.
