Blackmailed to the Altar (Caputo Crime Family #2)

8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

R iccardo

My turn. I warned Sebastian before taking over. The world snapped into focus, like a film reel suddenly spinning back to life, vivid in ways Sebastian could never appreciate. I’d never felt the need to warn before taking over, but something had changed since my little firecracker came into my life. I was sick of lurking in the shadows. I wanted to spend time with her, and learn her likes and dislikes. What did she want?

This wasn’t something I’d ever felt for another human being before. I held no love for family, and no remorse for the heinous things I’d done. Hell, Sebastian was running around trying to eradicate all trafficking rings, when I was the one running them to begin with.

It really confused some of my men.

I started taking over more and more at night because of it. He could be the smooth CEO, while I did all his underhanded dirty dealings in the dark. The two never needed to meet.

And yet, I wanted what he had.

I wanted to walk in the sunlight with my firecracker. Every night I had her, but it wasn’t enough. I quickened my pace. Fucking Sebastian. He should be out with his security detail.

Instead, I was skulking in the shadows with no protection. Not that I needed it. It was more for appearances. I was the Don. After my famiglia’s untimely demise when Silas was excommunicated, I had to show strength, so the men wouldn’t try to stage a coup. It was time for me to see my woman, who was tucked safely at my home, waiting for my cock. Probably for the Prince Albert, she loved it.

Maybe I should get my little firecracker a gift. I looked around to see what stores were open this late. It seemed to be slim pickings. A convenience store across the street, that looked skeptical with its flickering lights, wouldn’t have what I needed.

Distracted as I was, I almost didn’t hear the snap of a branch behind me. I spun as my assailant tried to get the jump on me, and narrowly avoided his knife. A savage grin flashed on my face. This was going to be so fucking cathartic.

I struck out with my gloved fist, catching his jaw. He stumbled, but didn’t go down. I hit him with an uppercut, and took my knee to his face. I didn’t even need to pull my gun. He collapsed on the ground, out cold.

I rummaged through his pockets, but only found a small baggie of coke. Must have been some crackhead trying to steal my wallet off of me. Well, at least he made it easy on me to clean up his mess.

I slit his throat and dragged his body behind a dumpster, then I whipped out my cell.

“What?” Daveed barked into the phone.

“I need your crew.” I didn’t waste time. My cleaners were always working so hard.

He let out a sigh. “Another mess?”

“He was asking for it,” I said, with a glare down at the corpse.

“Be there in ten, make sure–”

“There are no witnesses.” I cut him off.

“Right.” He hung up the phone.

Daveed was family. He ran the crews that cleaned up behind the famiglia. He wasn’t in line for the throne, but he had a bit of his own power. I was certain he had a few secrets he was keeping, on some of the other organizations we associated with.

I smoked a cigarette, waiting for the cleaners to show up. A dark van with tinted windows pulled up to the opening of the alley. The door slid open and Daveed hopped out, wearing a white hazmat suit.

His men wore white coveralls over their suits, as each one of them greeted me upon their feet touching the ground. They got right to work. I didn’t stay to see them clean. Not only did they have men who would watch the area to make sure no cops came sniffing around, but Daveed liked to work alone.

I headed home with no other stops. The long walk cleared my head, and I started thinking about how I could keep my little firecracker. I hadn’t been obsessed with something in so long.

Not since I appeared, rising from the ashes of a hellish night. I’d gotten Sebastian out of a domestic violence altercation that went awry. Back then, he wasn’t as strong as he was now.

He was a doormat, plain and simple. The bitch he’d settled down with had gotten too comfortable with his ideal of being different. Sebastian had seen many men beat, or even kill, their wives in the life.

It warped his sense of relationships. He veered so far left, he was getting punched in the stomach all the time. She would take her heels and dig them on his hands, while she forced him on his knees.

Anytime he’d try to fight back, she would run crying to her family. The Albanians were supposed to be our allies, but now they were our most powerful enemies. Her brother Arjun had been out for blood this past year.

So, I wanted to keep my little firecracker and hold on to her tightly. When I was deep inside of her sleeping body, I felt so much peace. Too bad it didn’t last long since Sebastian came back.

If only I could rid myself of him. Couldn’t my little firecracker do that? She was a psychiatrist and the top in her field. If anyone could get rid of my alter, it should be her.

Maybe I could offer her something tonight.

With that thought in mind, I nodded to my soldiers at the gate, and waited for them to let me on the property. It didn’t take long, but Silas met me at the front door as soon as I walked up the steps.

“What do you want?” I groaned, wishing I could get rid of the fucker. Who cared if he was blood?

Silas looked surprised. Sebastian wasn’t a confrontationalist. He typically allowed his brother to walk all over him, but recently, I’d been pushing through our mental walls and doling out my winning personality.

“I just wanted to know where you’ve been?” He held up placating hands.

I chuckled. “I’m surprised you aren’t stalking me, like you do your poor wife.” Where I’d been wasn’t any of his business. Baby brother was getting a little too comfortable in my kingdom.

Silas frowned and stepped aside to let me in the doors. Then he followed behind me as he spoke. “I don’t stalk my wife,” he growled. “I just need to know where she is, so I can make sure no other motherfucker lays a hand on her ever again.”

I didn’t make fun of his passionate speech. I felt the same way. A bit. I wouldn’t admit it. Feelings weren’t something a mafia leader needed. Still ticked me off that he was acting like this was his dominion. Like he was a leader, or had any semblance of power.

“Semantics.” I waved his words away. “Did you need something?”

“I know what you’re doing.”

His words stopped me in my tracks. I turned in place slowly until he stood before me, his hands clutched to his sides.

“And what exactly would that be? Hmm?” I casually stalked toward him, planning my revenge right then and there. His comeuppance was going to happen now. I’d had enough of his uppity attitude.

Silas backed up. “With the Doc. I know why she’s here, and what you do to her at night.”

“You little fucking pervert.” I grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, and slammed him against the wall as I saw red. “You think I’d allow you to lay eyes on my woman?” I drug him through the halls by the back of his neck, until we reached the basement door.

It was padlocked, and I grabbed the key out of my jacket. Silas was sniffing and sniveling before me, begging for mercy, and asking for me not to kill him. I scoffed. I would not kill him. I couldn’t. It would break the line of succession, even if he was a piece of shit who made bad deals that caused me to lose my entire family.

Not until I had an heir.

Besides, there were consequences for being somewhere he shouldn’t have been. For feasting his eyes on my woman. Something I wouldn’t tolerate from anyone. I couldn’t kill him, but that idea wasn’t off the table. No, I would punish him, and come to a conclusion on his fate when I was less angry.

Emotions led to mistakes. “How long did you watch?” I asked offhandedly, like it was no big deal.

Silas blinked, confused. “Huh?”

I held him up by his throat, choking his life from him, as I snarled in his face. “I said, how fucking long did you watch me and my woman.”

This was the second time I’d referred to Dr. Mya that way.

He clawed at my hand, trying to pry it off his neck. I released him only so he could give me a rational response.

“N-only a few seconds. I swear to god.”

“You don’t have to swear to him. I believe you.” I patted his cheek, showing a little comfort.

“T-thank you.” His shoulders sagged in relief. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to lay eyes on her. I just wanted to see what you were up to. Once I realized, I left.”

His explanation mollified me, but only for a second. He still saw my woman in a way no other man but me, and by extension, Sebastian, should.

“Don’t worry, baby brother.” I kissed both his cheeks.

I shoved him down the steps, enjoying the satisfying thud of his body hitting the cold concrete. He scrambled up, wide-eyed and furious, but all I did was smile. I slammed the heavy door shut, locking him inside with the finality that sent a coherent message: playtime was over.

“Consider this your lesson, brother,” I called through the door, my voice echoing in the damp darkness. “Disrespect me again, and next time, you won’t be walking out.”

I turned away, the sound of Silas’ shouts muffled by the thick walls. I walked back up the steps, whistling happily as I headed to my firecracker’s room, each stride fueled by the fire that Sebastian could never quite control. Tonight, I’d reminded Silas, and everyone else, that Riccardo was in charge.

And it felt damn good.