Chapter 26

He said something that I am sure are swear words in Italian. “First Landon, now Leo. You dirty f*****g whore.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I tried to push past him but he pushed me back.

“You are better than I thought.”

“Once again, you seem to be losing your mind now, let me out!”

“You think locking your doors will keep me out? You have little shopping trip coming up. It would be a shame if something happened. Pretty little corpse” he seethed in my face before turning around and opening the door.

My heart dropped.

I’m not going to be safe with him around, and he is always around. He has now threatened my life twice! I need to tell Landon, I have the recording as proof.

I locked the door after him and stood there for a bit. Pulling my phone out, I wanted to make sure it had recorded everything properly and you could actually understand what was said. Thank all gods, you could with it only being a little muffled!

What storm would this bring though? I am going up against an elder member of the mafia! A man that was born into this world! I am way over my head!

I nearly squealed at the sudden knock at the door.

“Sorry I won’t be a moment.”

“My daughter! Come, come. You are missing the food”. Of course she found me!

I took a deep breath and opened the door with the biggest fake smile I could muster.

“There you are” she looked into my eyes as I put on the best smile I could for the moment. I could see she was assessing me but she couldn’t know what had just happened. I have probably just been away for too long for her liking.

She kissed my cheeks and linked my arm with hers to lead me out into the ball room.

When we walked in, I was shocked to see Francesco standing up the front with Landon pointing a gun to his head and 2 guards either side of Francesco looking at him. The murderous looks on the faces made me want to throw up.

Did they know? They can’t!

“ATTENZIONE!” Ma yelled from beside me, holding onto me tightly “NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE THREATENS MY DAUGHTER!”

She turned me, so I looked at her. She placed both hands either side of my face and kissed my forehead as I heard the shot and then the body hitting the ground. I jumped a little from the sound, trying not to squeal from the shock of what I knew had just happened.

A man was just shot in the same room as me by my boyfriend.

For what? I have no idea, as it can’t have been from the conversation we just had unless he came out and bragged about it. I very much doubt that!

She finally pulled back a little to look in my eyes. “Come, we talk later and you tell me everything”. I just nodded as I felt Landon’s arms wrap around me, spinning me, then pulling me into him.

He held me tight as he whispered into my ear “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He knew! Somehow he knew!

I pulled back a little to look him in the eyes. I could see the concern and pure rage as his jaw was clenched so tightly I thought he might break his teeth.

“I was going to tell you later. How did you find out?”

“Later, come and sit and finish your food” Ma said softly as she stroked my hair.

I did my normal, I just nodded and let Landon lead me back to our table although now on wobbly legs.

By the time we had turned around you would never have guessed what had just happened. The only remanence of something happening were 2 men and woman finishing cleaning the floor. You would have thought there was just a normal spill of food or wine, not b***d from a man that had just been shot dead.

Landon sat on his chair and pulled me onto his lap as Ma sat in my seat.

Everyone looked at me with concern as Landon held me close. Ma handed me my wine before motioning for the waiter to quickly fill it up, which they almost sprinted over to do!

“Alla Mia Famiglia” Ma said loudly, holding up her glass. Everyone quickly held up their glasses and repeated what she said with strong conviction in their voices before clinking their glasses.

Ma made a point of clinking our glasses first before, then Landon’s before turning to do the same with everyone else. I followed suit and didn’t miss how everyone that could reach made sure to clink my glass while looking me in the eyes. Their faces showed nothing but fierce loyalty to me! Me, the woman who has been in their lives for less than 2 months and not the man that they have known probably their whole lives!

The next course came out then and the conversation started back up. Landon wouldn’t let me off his lap and Ma stayed in my seat.

If you arrived after Francesco was shot you would never have known it had happened. Everyone laughed, talked and enjoyed themselves. The wine flowed, their wine, of course! The food kept coming and everything went back to normal.

Instead of us having 2 plates, since I wasn’t allowed off Landon’s lap, his plate had twice the amount of food on it for the rest of the courses!

My stomach really didn’t like the idea of food to start off with, but Landon wasn’t having any of it and forced me to have small amounts of food as he also fed himself. I really needed his comfort and warmth surrounding me right now, but did feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb with all the glances.

Even though the food came out in small courses, I was still stuffed by the end as always and I swear I put on another 5 kilos! Just like last Sunday and the one before that and so on.

After dessert finished, some excused themselves needing to get home to their kids or other engagements. It was then I remembered that there weren’t any kids tonight for some reason. I will have to ask about that later.

It was then Ma got up “Let’s talk in da office.”

We got up and I was surprised when Uncle Vin, Uncle Andy, Tom, Leo, Louie and Gi came with us. I honestly thought it would be just Landon, Ma and I with maybe Tom.

We all got comfortable in the office with Landon sitting on the couch, pulling me onto his lap again and Ma sitting next to us.

Tom went to the desk and grabbed the laptop, typing something into it before the speakers on it rang out about Francesco and my conversation.

I swear the temperature in the room dropped 20 degrees. As everyone’s eyes went dark and their jaws clenched. Landon held me tighter and kept his face buried in my hair.

As soon as the recording stopped, Ma spoke up first “When did he start threatening you?”

“Only once the other day. He barged into our house and said silly girls like me end up dead.”

“Is that why our doors were suddenly always locked?” Landon asked.

“Yes…” I got out before Landon interrupted.

“Tuesday.”

“Yes.”

“Wait, I was there on Tuesday. When?” Leo sat forward shaking his head.

“About an hour before you arrived.”

“I f*****g knew something was wrong”. Leo threw his hands up and started cursing in Italian under his breath before rubbing his hands down his face.

Landon softly moved my chin so I was looking into his eyes. “We all did. You should have told me straight away.”

“I was worried about what issues it was going to cause and I didn’t have proof. You have known him all your lives. You told me he was a trusted elder. So I kept my phone on me at all times. I recorded today as well to show you.”

“I had noticed you hadn’t misplaced it for most of the week.” He kissed my forehead and mumbled “You should have told me” through his k**s.

“I didn’t know how,” I whispered.

Ma took my hand. “You are family, it does not matter who, you tell me in future! Luckily, I have whole house bugged.”

“I was wondering how you got that recording.”

“Why he talk about Leo as well?” Uncle Andy cut in with his extremely thick accent.

I went to shrug but Leo cut in “He has been trying to throw his slut of a god daughter at me and I told her off for being rude to Kate today.”

“Da w***e is banned from the property and I see her again I kill her myself” Ma looked up to Tom, who nodded once and picked up the phone, quickly barking out orders in Italian.

“Will there be any repercussions?” everything that comes around goes around.

“No, Amore!” Landon kissed my head. Ma also shook her head and gave me as soft a smile as she could muster, even though you could see the determination in her eyes. There is definitely something coming after this!

“Now my daughter, my son will take you home to a hot bath dat is being made now. You relax and forget him. Past is da past!”

LANDON POV

I held it together for my world, my heart, my future, but as soon as she was asleep, I was up and out the door. He had to be made an example of properly.

Francesco’s wife died years ago and he only had 1 son who had disowned him a long time ago. Smart boy!

On my order, Ma had Francesco’s house burnt to the ground with his body in it. The police reports will miss the bullet to his head.

That f*****g b***h though, she must have run to Francesco. Aurora also needs to pay!

I went to her house, breaking in easily through her back door and went to her bedroom. I brought a kitchen chair with me so we could have a little chat.

I sat next to the bed, got comfortable and shot her in the foot to wake her. She awoke with a scream and held her foot, looking around frantically, finding me quickly.

“No. Please!” I shot her in the leg, making her scream again.

“Did you think you could disrespect her and get away with it?”

“Who?” She seriously thinks she can play dumb with me!

I shot her in the shoulder.

“I’m sorry I… I… didn’t mean… I will apologise“ she sobbed.

Killing and torturing women doesn’t give me as much of a thrill as men most of the time. If they fight back though, it makes it a more interesting game, but this was pathetic and I needed to get back to my future wife.

I didn’t want her waking up without me there, so I shot the slut in the head, lit the bed on fire and left.

I still had some built-up anger, so I took care of some other fools on the way home. One I had a good play with for an hour which made me feel much better to the point where the hour disappeared quickly, I only meant to be there 15 minutes. Yes, I was covered in b***d now, but I needed release.

I went back to Ma’s to shower and change first. Amore had a bad enough day, I didn’t want her to see the b***d.

“Where have you been?” Ma caught me as I was about to leave.

“The slut had to go and fixed the Moretti issue as well.”

She nodded “Take my daughter away for a couple of days. I have had da beach house cleared and stocked ready. Leo also took care of some extra loose ends that came up. Francesco was a very naughty boy.”

“Who?” My b***d was boiling again. He dares to f**k with us!

“Franny, Vino and some new kid.”

“What about their warehouses?”

“All cleaned out. Everyone should be back by morning. My daughter? Very clever recording him.”

I nodded as it was, then again it is Kate. She infuriates me how she doesn’t realise how smart she truly is.

“Resting.”

“Don’t forget I want grand-babies” she sang as she put both hands on my cheeks and pulled me down to k**s my forehead.

Kate doesn’t realise she is quickly becoming the heart of the Mafia, or should I say, is bringing a heart to us as I knew she would. Even a few of the cold old pricks are warming up to her.

They were suspicious at first, like always, but it isn’t hard to see there are no pretences, no agenda, just a pure soul. Within one meeting, most were already comfortable with her.

That is also why Francesco thought he could pull one over and scare her away. There will be changes now! I have no problems making sure everyone understands not to f**k with her. Sure, we showed that today, but it is always good to reinforce it!

I still need to be more vigilant. The extra guards I saw near our house when I got back was a good start. We had the normal ones doing their walk around the property in different patterns, never the same and never at the same hour but now there were some extra just for around our house. Ma was already on it, protecting her daughter, not daughter-in-law to be, no daughter!

It made me smile! Since meeting Kate I have never smiled this much in my f*****g life!

While getting undressed, I looked at the beauty that had my heart. Her delicious curves sprawled on our bed, the bed that would be our marital bed. My c**k was instantly hard. I love how she sleeps naked most of the time!

I slipped in beside her slowly not to wake her, but my need to be inside her grew with every inch I got closer.

Maybe if I get her pregnant she will marry me sooner. Would she be angry if I put a baby in her now? Except she was on that damn pill! Is she ready? I know I f*****g am! I can already imagine her beautiful swollen belly as she chases after a dark-haired boy.

I would like to have 2 or 3. Hell I could even handle 7. However many she wanted! The thoughts somehow making me impossibly harder, making it so I can no longer resist.

I need her! I need to claim her, to feel her, to engulf her in the most primal way! She is on her side, so I moved her leg to give me a better angle to glide in easily.

Her low m**n as I slowly fill her, is the best sound in the world, next to her laugh. I take my time making sure I caress and love every curve, every inch.

I k**s her deeply, passionately as my hands roam the body that belongs to me!

She needs to know she is treasured.

She needs to know she is mine forever!

Kate POV

It’s been 3 days since THE Sunday lunch. Everyone started treating me like the china doll again, so I told them where to shove it.

Leo, Louie and Gio were the worst. I ended up locking them out of the house and refused to talk to them until they stopped being “over bearing Neanderthals”.

I couldn’t even go for a walk down to the beach without one of them appearing beside me.

I know I haven’t started my shooting lessons and haven’t done any self-defence classes for a little bit, but I’ve just been busy and not I just need space.

A hornet’s nest of issues had arisen since Francesco was shot. Turns out he had quite the side hustle going on, with only Ma and Gi giving me the low down as everyone else tried to avoid the topic. At least they understood not knowing was worse than knowing, so they always kept me up to date.

I was making tea as I had given the chef the night off when I heard the first lot of gun shots.

I froze as I wasn’t sure if it was someone being an i***t which had happened in the past. One of the guards saw a mouse and lost his mind, doing everything he could to kill it, including nearly emptying his machine gun on it. Yes, he got it in the end and a big reprimand from Landon. He was lucky he didn’t get a bullet to the head, knowing Landon, but I was assured he was alive and well.

Luckily, I was out at the time with Gi and a few of our friends at the time. They were originally Gi’s friends but we all instantly became best friends after the first shopping trip, Alexa told me. I love her over the top personality. She reminded me of Kylie but was somehow worse in the best way!

Kylie was not happy to hear someone was more over the top than her. It was hilarious listening to her talking about upping her game and ideas on how she was going to do it. I was in tears by the end.

A second lot of gun shots started up somewhere closer, so definitely not a mouse problem.

I quickly turned off the stove and oven when Leo suddenly burst through the back door, making me jump. I have no idea where he got the key, but it certainly wasn’t the time to care.

The frantic look in his eyes and the gun out cemented that this was definitely the real thing, making my heart rate double.

“There has been a breach. In the safe room NOW! Head down!” he grabbed me by the waist and held on tight as he pulled me through the house, almost trying to shield me with his body as we went.

Wait what? “What safe room?”

“Office, head down!”

I grabbed my phone quickly off the counter as we ran to the office.

I could hear more gun shots and shouting outside that was getting louder, making my heart feel like it was trying to escape my chest.

Leo held me tight, making sure his body was between me and the windows at all times.

I couldn’t help the small scream that left my mouth as a window smashed somewhere in the house.

We reached the office and Leo pushed a book on the back wall to the side and pressed his thumb to a pad and quickly punched in a code.

What the f**k?!

Why didn’t I know about this?!

The bookcase slid out, showing a doorway behind it.

He pushed me through it first, following closely behind before pressing a button on the wall beside it that closed the bookcase and a metal door that slid into place, keeping us extra secure.