Wearing a sexy little black dress, she looks nothing like the schoolgirl who had detention not so many weeks ago. My fists clench, and my cock twitches. I want to punish her. I want to claim her. And Iwill.
Maddalena is at her side, dressed in a similar fashion. Giacomo and some other Trio men stand beside them, watching the fight. I turn to Bobo. “That girl,” I say, pointing to Maddalena. “You are to drive her to her apartment to collect her belongings and then to my parents’ home. Do not harm her in any way but do not accept any refusal either. By the time you arrive, my mother will be expecting you.”
His eyes widen before he quickly nods. “Yes, Capo. What about the little spitfire?”
“Oh, leave her to me.”
20
Matilde
Maddalena had initially been too fascinated by the finely dressed people drinking and smoking around the wine-dark leather booths to consider the grim reality of the steel cage in the center of the room.
That fascination ended when Dante snapped his opponent’s wrist like a dry twig and ripped a chunk of his earlobe off with his teeth. “I feel sick,” she admits, embarrassed over not relishing the bloody sport. “Aren’t you sick, Mat?”
Shaking my head, I pat her hand. The stories I overheard our father and the other Cosa Nostra soldiers telling would send most children diving for their blankets. It was normal to me. “I do not enjoy it,” I reply. I hate Giacomo for bringing us down here.
The sweaty, bloody men grapple in the cage. It rattles threateningly every time one of them is thrown against it, like wild animals that might escape and attack the rest of us. The referee keeps just out of their reach. There don’t seem to be many rules for him to enforce beyond making sure they're still lucid enough to continue.
The rage in Dante’s dark eyes is frightening to behold, and there’s a triumphant roar from the crowd when his brutal high kick makes contact with his opponent's skull. Maddalena winces as though she felt the impact when the fighter lands with a heavy thud before staggering to his feet again. “Please, stay down,” she whispers as if the poor man can hear her.
At least Nico’s brother is too busy fighting to have noticed me. If I can convince Maddalena to go now, I may be able to scale the gardenwall and slip up to my bedroom tonight without Nico ever knowing about any of this.
Beside us, Giacomo is yammering on, convinced we’re impressed. “The cage fights always bring a lot of money. Of course, death matches bring the most-”
“Death matches?” Maddalena gulps, turning pale.
“Yes, but no one’s dying here tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” a familiar voice rasps behind me.
My knees are jelly as I turn, dreading what I know I’m going to see. “Nico.”
His name was barely more than the breath leaving my lungs, but his slate gray eyes slam into me at the sound. Even in my high heels, the top of my head barely reaches his chin, and I’m at eye level with the sliver of his chest his shirt doesn’t cover. I watch it rise and fall steadily with his deep breaths, always so controlled.
“Nico? This is a surprise,” Giacomo says before he glances my way. “Did your nanny not have your permission to be here? I swear, if I had known she-”
His words end in a yelp when Nico moves suddenly, pouncing like a jungle cat. He throws Giacomo against one of the tables, shattering glass and looming over him before pulling his scary knife. The crowd grows hushed.
Maddalena takes one step forward, but I drag her toward me. “He’s going to hurt him,” she protests.
“He is the Capo.” I know she likes Giacomo, but I suspect whatever Nico’s going to do to him will be earned.
“What did I tell you about underage girls?” Nico asks, his voice deadly soft yet clear.
“They’re not underage! And I haven’t touched them! They were only standing beside me! They must have snuck past Bobo and-”
“Bullshit. You vouched for them to come down here.” The tattooed giant has joined us. He must’ve called Nico after my threat. This is all my fault, though part of me is glad Nico's here.
“Maddalena cleans my house. She’s just a maid. Nothing more. She begged me to get them into the club tonight, a pesky kid wishing to play at being a grownup. I brought them down here so they wouldn’t be alone upstairs while I watched your brother’s fight. I planned to drive them home after. I swear to you, Capo-”
With his hand gripping Giacomo’s throat, Nico looks back at me. “Has this man touched you?” My nose scrunches up in disgust as I quickly shake my head. He nods at Maddalena. “Has he touched her?”
My sister rapidly shakes her head, so I do the same, hoping she’s telling the truth.
“Very well, Giacomo,” Nico says, turning back around. “You get to keep your balls tonight, but I warned you at Matilde’s birthday party to stay away from her.” He did? I didn’t know that. “Since you did not listen, I must ensure you won’t forget again. Are you right or left-handed?”
Bile stirs in my stomach. I take Maddalena’s arm, trying to back away, but Bobo is behind us, blocking our path. Giacomo gulps, staring at Nico in disbelief. “I… I am right-handed-”