The Don’s Soulmate

10. Ettore

Chapter 10

Ettore

“Get going,” I repeat, annoyed with the chauffeur.

“But boss,” his eyes meet mine in the rear-view mirror. “Surely you don’t mean to go there directly? That’s not our territory.”

If I could, I’d punch him here and now. This poor girl next to me still trembles from what she’s been through. She doesn’t need to know that she just jumped into a car with a mafia don’s son.

“Bypass it” I demand.

“Boss. The address…it’s his house,” he stammers. “Your father …there’s war–”

“Quiet,” I bellow, slamming my fist against the leather seat. Beside me, Carlotta jumps involuntarily. I didn’t mean to scare her, but talks of war isn’t what she needs to hear right now. "Drive to the address I gave you. Now step on it before I put a bullet through the back of your skull!"

Enzo pales and nods vigorously. "Y-yes boss. Right away." The engine roars to life as we peel out onto the rain-slicked streets.

I sit back, jaw clenched tight, and glance over at the young woman huddled on the seat beside me. “Tell me,” I run a hand through my hair, “what happened back there in the alley? Who was that old guy, and how did you end up with him?”

I turn in my seat, facing her fully. The sparse moonlight glows off her smooth skin. She looks like an apparition, and for a moment I want to touch her, reassure myself that she is real. Then she starts speaking softly.

“He is the man my father and brother want me to marry.” I lean in to hear her words. “Tonight was the first time I met him - and hopefully the last - if I can convince Papa to break off the engagement.”

“I’ll help you convince your father. I’ll tell him everything that guy did: what he said to you, how he nearly strangled you to death! I’m sure that once he hears the threats that old guy-”

She whispers something I can’t hear. I lean in further. The car hits a bump in the road and our skin touches; my nose to her ear. Her disheveled hair tickles my cheek. I breathe in the smell of her. I want to pull her into me, to whisper into her hair that everything will be alright. I will protect her and help her out of this mess. My family holds influence, after all. Instead, I ask “Sorry, I didn’t catch what you said?”

“Ugo, Ugo Caputo. That’s the old guy’s name.

I blink at her – eyes unseeing. Mentally I go through the scene in the alley. Caputo? Yes, I see it now.

I grimace at the realization. The Caputo family has a vile history, and Ugo is no exception. There have always been rumors of the Caputo heir’s vicious games with women. A pal of mine, years ago, I now remember, used to run a brothel. Ugo liked sadistic games and the whores always left the room crying. Eventually, they banned him from the establishment, in retaliation he had the place burnt down. He's an animal, a beast that should never be allowed near a woman like Carlotta.

“Why?” I press, my voice thick with anger. “Why would your father and brother do this to you, don’t they know the kind of man he is?”

Carlotta's eyes fill with tears, and she looks away from me. Her voice breaks as she speaks. “Because they think it's a good match. They think it will strengthen our family’s position.”

I sit up abruptly. “Who is your family?”

She averts her eyes, her fingers fidgeting nervously in her lap. The air between us crackles with tension. After a long moment, she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "My father is Salvatore D'Amici. Angelo is my brother."

The names hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. My jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in my cheek. Of course, she's the D'Amici. The universe has a twisted sense of humor, making me save the daughter of a sworn enemy, not once, but twice.

I look at her again. This time not trying to be subtle as I study her. Those captivating green eyes, that heart-shaped face - she's the spitting image of Giana D'Amici. Don D’Amici’s long-departed wife.

Her mother used to be a model, before the Don found her. Carlotta is a well-kept mystery of the D'Amici family, a daughter who is always kept out of conversation, hidden away from our world. I heard she was studying abroad for a while. Fuck.

I rake a hand through my hair, a war raging inside me. Part of me wants to tell Enzo to turn the car around, but I can’t just abandon her, but waltzing right up to their front door with Sal's little princess in tow is suicide.

Then again, this golden opportunity seems to have fallen into my lap. And why not? Those D’Amici bastards don’t deserve a woman like this. If they did value her, they wouldn’t exactly marry her off to that monster I just crushed. The temptation to let them know that even I, their enemy, knows what’s better for their treasured daughter and sister is too great to resist.

“Your father is in the mafia,” I state, matter-of-factly, wondering what she thinks of it.

She gasps, looking at me with wild eyes, her hair tumbling off her thin, naked shoulders. “I…I…”

I reach out to stroke Carlotta's trembling cheek. “I won’t hurt you,” I reiterate. She flinches but doesn't pull away. Behind the fear clouding her eyes, a spark ignites between us and I can tell because she leans into my touch. A thought crosses my mind: What would it be like to own a woman I could touch when I wanted? To know she’s mine, and mine alone.

Some other woman perhaps, but not her. I turn away from her, straighten my posture and face forward.

I don’t say a word. It’s not my place. Women in families like ours; this is what they’re brought up to do. Except Laura, of course. My sister fought, clawed, broke her way to freedom and my brother and I, though resistant at first, saw she proved her mettle.

The car rolls to a stop outside the imposing iron gates of the D'Amici estate. I step out, pulling Carlotta with me. She trembles against my side as I wrap an arm around her waist, holding her close.

Two guards approach from a distance, shouting, “This is private property! Leave now, or we’ll remove you by force!” In the shadows, they can’t see who we are.

I chuckle darkly, unimpressed by their bravado. "I don't think so, boys. You see, I have something that belongs to your boss." I tighten my grip on Carlotta and pull out a gun, placing it on her head. Her breath hitches, and I feel her legs give way as she lets out a short scream.

I wish I could tell her that I won’t actually shoot her, but the guards are by our side now. They panic, noticing I’m holding the D’Amici princess, and they glance over at my car, and the convoy following. Our family emblem, bolted on every number plate, makes it abundantly clear who I am.

“Let her go,” one of the guards says, his hand reaching for his holster.

I pull cock my revolver, the clicking sound loud and clear. A whimper escapes Carlotta. "Now, be good lads and open the gates before things get messy."

The guards hesitate, eyeing Carlotta. I can practically see the wheels turning in their heads, debating whether or not to risk defying a man who’s holding Salvatore D’Amici’s daughter as leverage.

I lean in, my head now resting on Carlotta’s neck. Her skin, soft and smooth, smells like roses. My voice is low and dangerous, and I feel the thin hair on her neck rise as I breath into it. "Tick tock, gentlemen. My patience is wearing thin."

After a tense beat, one of the guards reaches for his radio, murmuring something unintelligible. With a mechanical groan, the gates slowly swing open.

I flash them a predatory smile. "Wise choice."

I motion at my driver with the gun to bring the convoy in. There’s no way I’m going to be entering alone.

As we step onto enemy territory with my cars following and Carlotta pressed against me like a second skin, I feel a thrill of anticipation course through my veins. The games are just beginning, and I always play to win.

“Wh…what are you doing?” Carlotta whispers, as I push her forward, gun still to her head.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts, and focus on the task at hand. "I'm here to save you, Carlotta," I tell her softly, my voice filled with determination. "I won't let them marry you off to that monster. But I can’t do that without using you.”

I can feel her body trembling against me, and I know she's terrified. But there's a spark of hope in her eyes as she cranes her neck to look at me, a subtle shift in her expression that tells me she trusts me.

I stride through the grand foyer of the D'Amici mansion, Carlotta still firmly in my grasp. The sound of hurried footsteps echoes from the marble staircase, and I look up to see Salvatore and Angelo descending, their faces contorted with anger.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Salvatore demands, his voice booming through the spacious room. "How dare you barge into my home uninvited!"

Angelo, the ever-loyal son, flanks his father, his eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "Release my sister immediately, Mancini, or suffer the consequences."

I stand my ground, unfazed by their blustering. Carlotta trembles against me, and I instinctively pull her closer, my grip protective yet unyielding. She almost stumbles when I move forward too fast, and I clench my hand against her waist, pulling her against me so hard, our bodies seem plastered together.

Her brother bellows and steps forward, his hand on his holster, but I shake my gun at her forehead to keep him in check. "Relax, gentlemen. I'm not here to harm Carlotta. On the contrary, I'm here to save her from the monster you've chosen as her fiancé."

Salvatore scoffs, his face reddening with indignation. "How dare you? “I don’t know how this happened, but get your bloody hands off my daughter!”

“And have you shoot me in the face?” I laugh back. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Salvatore.”

Carlotta gasps, probably shocked at how I address her father. What she doesn’t realize is that her father and I are closer in age than she is to me. I look young, but I’ve got forty-five years under my belt.

“You have no right to interfere in our family matters, Mancini. Carlotta's engagement is none of your concern."

I feel a surge of anger at his dismissive tone. How can a father be so blind to his daughter's suffering? "None of my concern? It wouldn’t have been, if I hadn’t found that Ugo Caputo with his lecherous hands all over her in a seedy alleyway,” I tell them.

“And where are your hands now?” Angelo screams at me, his eyes tracing how I grip her by the waist.

I can see the fury in his eyes, and the blood rushes to my temples. It's our first confrontation, the two eldest sons, but I have a feeling it won’t be our last.

“Nice try,” I say, digging my nails further into her until she winces. Salvatore strides forward, anger etched on his face to see his precious daughter be hurt, but that is what I wanted to prove.

I release Carlotta, pushing her towards her father. She stumbles into his arms, body bent over, and looks back at me wild-eyed, her beautiful locks slick to her cheeks.

With my gun now pointed at Salvatore, I quickly press the emergency combination on my phone, signaling for my men to attack.

“See how you cared when I dug my fingers into your daughter?” I say coldly, just as my men rush in through the doors, weapons raised. Our men stand-off against each other, ready to shoot on command.

Salvatore’s vein almost pops out of his head, as he holds on to his daughter with a possessive grip. “That man assaulted her and was ready to rape her while suffocating her. It’s a good thing a Mancini heard her begging for help or she wouldn’t be back home the way she left here tonight,” I spit out the words, disgust dripping from every syllable.

Although Carlotta whimpers softly, my gaze never wavers from Salvatore's face, challenging him to deny the truth.

I wait for them to ask her what the truth is, but that question never comes.

Salvatore's face hardens as he studies his daughter, the marks on her throat and thighs unmistakable. His eyes glitter with barely contained fury when he turns back to me. "Enough! I will not stand here and listen to your lies. Carlotta's fiancé is from a prominent family. For all I know, you did this to her. This marriage forms a beneficial alliance for our family. Maybe the Mancinis are afraid to see us rising to power.”

“But father, Ettore didn’t–” Carlotta begins to protest, but her brother gives her a warning look, threatening her into silence.

I stare between father and son, shaking my head in disbelief. "Benefit you, perhaps. But at what cost? Your daughter's happiness? Her safety? Her very life?"

The room crackles with tension, the air heavy with unspoken threats. I know I'm treading on dangerous ground, challenging the powerful D'Amici family in their own home. But I refuse to back down, not when Carlotta's well-being rests in my hands.

As I stare into Salvatore's unyielding eyes, I realize that words alone may not be enough to sway him. I may need to resort to more drastic measures to protect the woman who has somehow become my responsibility.

My responsibility…

The thought catches me off guard, but I push it aside, focusing on the immediate problem.

I take a step forward, my voice low and measured as I address Salvatore directly. "Listen to me carefully, Salvatore. I understand the importance of family alliances and the power they bring. But there are some things that should never be sacrificed, not even for the sake of business."

Salvatore's jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing. "You dare lecture me about family, Ettore? Do you think me a cockatoo, unable to see your real intentions? You would want to see us destroyed; Carlotta included."

"This isn't about our rivalry," I counter, my tone firm. "This is about doing what's right. Ugo Caputo has been known to rape and torture the women he is with. Is that the man you want to invite into your circle? The kind of man to raise your grandchildren.”

“A man treats his wife better than he treats a common whore,” Salvatore replies. “I trust he will be what we need and train her to serve the family above all.”

Angelo scoffs, his voice dripping with disdain. "You speak of marriage as if it’s purpose is happiness. Carlotta's duty is to her family, and from now on, to Ugo Caputo. I pray he only forgives her for dragging you into their personal matter."

Rage boils within me at his callous words. Without thinking I rush forward, grabbing on to Carlotta’s hand. “Come with me,” I say, staring directly at her. “They’ll be the death of you.”

The room falls silent, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Time stands still for what feels like an eternity, her hand in mine soft and sure. But just then, her father pulls her away and throws her towards her brother.

“Stay away from her!” Salvatore screams in my face.

“Maria,” Angelo calls a maid. “Take her to her room.”

I watch as Maria tries to coax her away, but Carlotta puts up a fight.

Salvatore's gaze shifts to Carlotta, a hint of uncertainty in his expression as he looks over at me. For a moment, I allow myself to hope that perhaps, just perhaps, I may have gotten through to him.

But as quickly as it came, the moment passes, and Salvatore's face hardens once more. "Enough of this. Carlotta will marry as planned, and that is final. I will not have you interfering in our family matters any longer, Ettore Mancini. You don’t care for my daughter half as much as you do for watching the downfall of the D’Amicis, and as long as I’m alive, that will never happen," he spits at my feet.