Vito shot me another hard look, one that said a thousand different things, and turned to follow Cristiano. I waited until he was out of sight before turning to face the twins. How was it that Scarlett and Victoria were identical in every visual way, yet when I looked at Victoria my body remained completely unaffected? As I took her in, I didn’t feel anything except maybe a brotherly sort of affection.
Shifting my gaze to the older twin, my heart contracted uncomfortably and my dick came to life immediately. Her long red hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. There was no trace of makeup on her alabaster skin, and her light brown eyes were looking at something behind me. I would have given my last breath to have her look at me—to have her eyes devour me as they once had—but knew it was better for everyone if she didn’t.
“You look as if you haven’t slept in days, Ciro,” Victoria commented as she turned her full attention on me.
I shrugged, dismissing her concern. In truth, I hadn’t slept in two days, but I wasn’t about to explain that to either of them. “Shall we?” I moved to open the front door. On the other side, two men in suits stood at the ready. I gave them each a curt nod, but they didn’t move from their posts.
In the driveway, Vito’s Town Car was already waiting. The car looked like a typical sedan, but the windows were bullet-proof. Behind the wheel, a man with an entire arsenal of guns and knives sat, ready to protect the Vitucci twins with his life if he had to. Two other men were already standing by the back passenger door, waiting for Scarlett and Victoria.
Three men. Not nearly enough in my opinion. Fuck, twenty men wouldn’t be enough to protect Scarlett if it were up to me. Gritting my teeth, I pulled out my phone and snapped a command to the man who answered. I trusted all of my men, but Desi was the only one I would entrust with Scarlett’s life.
Without answering me, he appeared from beside the house where he normally waited for me when I was at the compound. Beside him was Paco. The two were brothers, and I knew they would keep Scarlett safe. Vito’s two men didn’t even blink when my guys stepped up beside them. It might have been three years since they’d had to worry about protecting the twins, but they knew not to question any extra men being added to their security detail.
Victoria stepped around me and descended the steps to the car without another word, but I felt Scarlett pause just behind me. Stilling myself to look at her, I slowly turned to find her eyeing the compound grounds in front of her. The compound was over thirty acres, with a wall up around the borders of the property. Men patrolled it day and night, but the men had learned to fade into the background, and all anyone really saw was the beauty of the many trees, tended lawns and gardens, and the long, stone driveway.
Scarlett’s eyes seemed to drink all of that in as she stood on the top step. I watched as a small smile teased at her luscious lips and her lashes drifted down as if trying to savor every little detail. She was so damn beautiful, my heart virtually stopped just watching her like that.
“I’ll never get tired of this sight,” she murmured, and I wasn’t sure if she was speaking to herself or if she was actually gracing me with conversation. “No matter the season, this will always be my favorite view. I’ve missed it.”
“You didn’t like Sicily?” I asked before I could stop myself.
She shrugged without turning her gaze away from the scenery. “I loved it there. It was beautiful and it was wonderful getting to know some of my extended family. But…” Her brown eyes turned to me, looking at me for the first time. I saw the way her pupils dilated, knew she was just as affected at the sight of me as I was. “There’s nothing like home, you know?”
Before I could question what I was doing, I reached for her. Clasping her hand gently in my own, I lifted it to my lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I do know.” Slowly, I released her, mentally cursing myself for the need that had consumed me to touch her. Ten fucking minutes and I was already finding it hard to keep my hands to myself. I knew if I didn’t stop I would become addicted to the feel of her softness under my fingertips. “It’s good to have you home, Scarlett.”
Her eyes were turned to her now free hand, her lips slightly parted as if she was panting. I counted the erratic beats of her heart from the pulse at the base of her throat. Seeing how easily I could get her to respond only made my need for her twice as bad.
“You should go now,” I told her when she just stood there, as if frozen in place. “I’m sure you have lots of shopping to do.”
Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowed in a mixture of hurt and anger, and I reminded myself that I wanted her to be pissed with me. Her hating me was easier to deal with. It made it easier to walk away.
Liar.
It wasn’t easier for me. Not even a little. Yet for her, it was simple. She didn’t speak as she walked down to the car and let Desi help her into the back seat. She sat, and kept her eyes trained straight ahead. Desi shut the door and I was able to pull my gaze from her.
“Keep them safe,” I commanded. Keep her safe, was what I meant but would never say aloud.
The men climbed into the car and I watched until it had disappeared through the gates before going back into the house. Only then did I let thoughts of Volkov reenter my mind. As I went past Vito’s men on my way to his office, they paused to let me pass, keeping even more distance between themselves and me than they normally would have.
I had that effect on most of the men I worked with—and even more that I didn’t. From the age of seventeen I’d been one of Vito’s soldiers. I’d followed my father’s lead into the Cosa Nostra, but it hadn’t been the fact that I was Benito Donati’s son that had made men start to fear me back then. Benito was Vito’s consigliere, sure, but I’d proven myself over and over again, not just to Vito, but his caporegimes as well, that I was worthy of being one of his soldiers.
Now I was a capo with my own men to command, but more often than not I was a soldier, carrying out orders that Vito only ever trusted me with. I could never wash away the blood that now stained my hands and it was one of the reasons I knew Scarlett would be better off with someone else.
Fuck. I wanted to put my fist through something when that reminder flashed through my head.
I entered the office without pausing to knock. Instead, I walked in, crossed to where Adrian Volkov was standing casually by the window, and grabbed him by the collar. Slamming him up against the wall, I got in his face, my rage vibrating through my entire body. “You ever look at her like that again and I will send your sister your head giftwrapped with your entrails.”
The only reaction Volkov gave of anger was his eyes narrowing. “Is she yours?”
I didn’t answer. Scarlett was mine, but I could never claim her. To do so would be like putting a neon target on her back. My enemies were dying to find a weakness in me, so I would never let them know that Scarlett was my only one. Even if that weren’t such a huge risk, she deserved better than a man with so much blood on his hands. Volkov had just as much, if not more.
I would kill him before I let him touch her.
“Easy, Ciro.” Cristiano put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. “Volkov knows to stay away from Victoria.”
Victoria.
Fuck that shit. I didn’t give two fucks about Victoria. It was Scarlett I would gut him for.
Releasing him, I straightened my tie and stepped back, making my face go completely blank. It was time to get to work. I’d deal with Volkov later.
The Russian fixed his suit jacket, his face just as impassive as my own. “Back to business?” Vito gave a single nod. “As I was saying, I have eyes on the entire Santino family. All except for Carlo Jr. He’s a ghost as of yesterday.”
That wasn’t news to me. The Santino family was a West Coast based Casa Nostra that wanted to set up shop in New York. They didn’t have the connections or the money to take over Vito’s territory, but that hadn’t stopped them from trying. Jr had tried to marry into the
Morgan family, which held about as much political pull in some circles as the Kennedys did. With their help he could have set up camp in Connecticut and slowly made his name known in New York.
Jr’s plans were now shattered, which was one of the reasons I hadn’t gotten any sleep and was now running on fumes.
“So we have no idea if that bastard is still in the area or if he’s gone back to California.” Cristiano thrust his hands into his pants pockets and glared out the window Volkov was still standing by.
“He’s not in California,” I assured him. “The Angel’s Halo MC has eyes on the Santino compound. If Jr had shown up I would’ve known by now.”
“You’re so sure of that?” Volkov lifted a bored eyebrow at me. “Aren’t the MC looking for Jr too?”
“They wouldn’t make a move on him without informing me. The MC’s VP is in Connecticut as we speak. Their president won’t touch Jr without Hawk Hannigan’s say so. Not after what has happened to his woman.”
“Will she live?” Vito asked from his seat behind his desk.
“The blood poisoning is bad, but the doctors have assured my people that she should make a full recovery.”
“Good. A pissed-off gang of bikers is not something any of us need storming around this city.” Vito turned his blank stare on Volkov. “I’ll expect regular reports from you or your second-in-command. Santino is all of our problems and until we get him neutralized none of us will know peace.”
“Agreed.” Volkov moved away from the window. “You will have my full cooperation regarding this matter.”
“Wait,” Vito commanded in a tone that few men had ever ignored, when Volkov looked as if he was going to leave. The Russian paused and looked at Vito, his face blank. “Stay away from my daughter, or Ciro’s earlier promise will become a reality.”
“I’ll make sure to make Anya aware of the possibility.” With that he walked away.
“That could be a problem,” Cristiano muttered once he was gone.
“If it becomes one, I’ll handle it,” I promised my friend. With pleasure.
“No,” Vito said after a moment. “No, let’s see what happens first.”
“You know he will make a move on her, Papa.”
My head felt like it was about to explode. I knew they meant Victoria, but all I could see was the the way Volkov had looked at Scarlett and I wanted to tear that fucker apart.
“Yes, I do know.” His eyes darkened. “Have him followed. Tell your men to keep their distance though. As I said, let’s see what happens.”
Chapter 4
Scarlett
When the taxi pulled up outside of a club I was unfamiliar with, I knew instantly that Victoria was up to something. There was a line two blocks long of people trying to get in. Three bouncers stood by the ropes that kept everyone back, only allowing a few in at a time as more people left.
Shooting my smiling twin a glare, I didn’t immediately turn when one of the bouncers stepped forward and opened the back door for me.
“Is this what I think it is, Tor?”
She gave me a sly grin. “You said to pick a club, so I picked a club.”
“A club that’s probably owned by Adrian Volkov. Papa’s head will explode if he finds out.” I didn’t even think about how big the mess would be if he found out Victoria and I had snuck out of the compound. We’d done it hundreds of times in our teens and had only gotten caught twice, thanks to my twin’s genius planning.
Twice was enough for me to dread my father finding out again.
“Adrian doesn’t own Iron Hand,” she assured me, and I started to relax. “His sister, Anya, does.”
Damn it.
“Miss?”
I bit back a curse as I finally gave the bouncer my hand and stepped out of the taxi. With the heels I was wearing, I needed his help to stand up straight. Why I had let my sister talk me in to them, I still had no clue. I’d been weak after my exchange with Ciro earlier and had been even less involved in the shopping process than usual.
Victoria slid across the bench seat and let him help her out next. Her heels were just as dangerous as my own but, unlike me, she walked like she had been born in them. Giving the bouncer a coy smile, she turned her head, letting her long red curls fall over one shoulder. “Volkov is expecting us,” she told him.
Wait—she was? When had Victoria spoken to her?
“Name?” the big man growled, and I stepped closer to my sister, wanting to put myself between her and the possible dangers this guy represented.
“Victoria,” she murmured in a voice that was soft and husky.
I saw the bouncer actually shiver. How the hell did she do that? She could bend any man to her will with just a simple word, and I wanted to know how. Maybe if I knew how, I could have convinced Ciro years ago that we were meant to be together. I realized I’d been wrong but, hell, I couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘what ifs’.
Lifting his hand, the bouncer touched the communication device in his ear. “What should I do with Victoria?” His eyes didn’t give away what whoever was on the other end was saying. “Yes, ma’am.”
The man moved to the entrance and held the door open for us. “Go straight in. Miss Volkov is in a meeting right now, but she will join you at the bar on the second floor when she’s finished.”
As soon as we stepped into the club my senses went into overload. There were different colored lights everywhere, flashing to the beat of the music flooding through the club provided by a skilled DJ on a platform on the first floor. Sweet incense filled me with a feeling of calm even as I dreaded taking my next step inside. The space inside could easily hold two thousand people, and I was pretty sure there were at least half that in attendance right then.
Huge couches filled every corner where large groups were both sitting and lying as they enjoyed drinks—and probably stronger, more dangerous things—with friends. On the second floor, I could see the bar where a smaller crowd of people were spread out. The two extra-large men standing by the stairs that led to the second floor told me exactly why those numbers were so much smaller than that on the first floor.
Victoria took my hand and urged me toward the staircase. The trip was long and we had to weave through several drunken dancers before we reached our destination. Seeing her, the two guards stepped forward. “Any weapons?” the one on my left asked us both.
I shook my head just as Victoria did but, unlike her, I was completely lying. I had a knife strapped to the inside of my inner right thigh and a derringer strapped to my left. Both had been a gift from Ciro when I was seventeen, when Victoria and I’d been caught at a club in Manhattan for the second time. He’d known we would probably do it again, and he’d wanted to make sure I was protected if I did. I never went out without either of them now.
Thinking about the friendship we’d had back then made my stomach tighten and my chest ache with longing for how it had been in the old days. Fuck, I missed him so damn much.
The one on my right grasped Victoria’s wrist and pulled her closer, making me stiffen. “We have to check for sure, miss.” His quiet voice didn’t fit his overly large body and I almost laughed because it was so surprising.
“Does it look like I could hide a weapon?” she snapped at him as his hands started to lift to touch her shoulders. I widened my stance, ready to reach for my gun and not giving a damn who saw me waving it in these two fuckheads’ faces. “I have maybe two feet of fabric on and all my assets are on display. Do you think these girls aren’t real?” Her hands touched her breasts, lifting them.
From behind me I heard a harsh hiss. The bouncer followed the movement of Victoria’s hands and I saw the interest light up his eyes. If he touched her, his brains would be splattered on the wall behind him before he could take his next breath. I’d kill the sonofabitch and wouldn’t have a minute of regret.
Before I could even move, the bouncer was backed into the wall beside the stairs, his face turning purple a
s Adrian Volkov squeezed the life out of him. “Touch her again. I dare you.”
“I was just following protocol,” the man was able to wheeze out. “Miss Volkov said…”
“Do I look like I give a fuck what my sister said? These two are the exception.” His grip tightened. “Understand?”
Unable to speak at all now, the bouncer could only nod. Volkov slowly released his hold on the man and turned around, but his gaze went straight to Victoria. The rage that had been vibrating off him only a moment before faded in the next blink of his eyes. “I should have known you would be trouble.” His accent was prominent now, all the anger gone from his face as he watched my sister through his thick lashes. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so brave, kotyonok.”
It took me a second to realize what he’d just called her because my Russian wasn’t nearly as good as Victoria’s was. Kitten. It fit her, considering I thought I actually heard Victoria purr as he grasped her hand and pulled her closer. Volkov had to be some kind of magician or something, because my sister didn’t just act like this. Ever. She was incredibly feminine, but she’d never been the kind of girl who lost her mind the second a hot guy looked twice at her. She’d never had a crush, never really noticed guys because most of the ones we were around on a daily basis either worked for our father or were related to us.
She was under his spell, but as I watched her lean into his touch when he lifted a hand to cup her chin, I realized she’d never looked so happy in her life. My happy sister, the only one who could shine a light on my darkness, was glowing as bright as the sun at midday right then.
Then and there I knew it didn’t matter how angry Papa got over her being with Volkov. I wouldn’t let anyone stand in her way.
***
Volkov led us upstairs and to a back corner that was completely deserted. As he sat on the long, wide couch with dark pillows, I realized it was his special corner. Almost like they had been part of the woodwork, two large men in suits appeared at each end of the couch.