Mafia Born

Chapter Seventeen: The Warehouse

**Teo's POV**

The next few weeks seemed to fly by. Sofia and I kept training with Ronnie. We both wanted to make sure she could defend herself if she ever needed to. She excelled in hand to hand combat and learned how to shoot with ease. I was very impressed with how far Ronnie has come since we first started. Unfortunately, Marco was always around. Ronnie and I never really got another chance to take advantage of our connection to each other because of that nosy dickhead. I could tell she was confused and I didn't want to confuse her anymore. I'm not normally a patient man but I will learn for her.

Thinking back to the night of the break in, Enzo wanted to bring Ronnie back up north but I talked him out of it. We were lucky it wasn't a total ambush. Only one fucker was able to get in and he wasn't leaving until he got what he wanted. The few lucky cuts he got in were not deep and Ronnie didn't need to clean them. Was I going to tell her that at the time? Oh no. She wanted to help and I got to feel her touching my chest. I think it was a win-win for both of us in the long run.

However, with the summer season slowly starting to come to an end, Emilio and Isabella will be heading back home leaving their summer house which meant it was time for Ronnie to return home.

Enzo and I have decided to increase security at both the main house and the warehouse. If someone was after Ronnie, that could only mean the snitch in the crew had been feeding information to the enemy. But I'm trying to remember who all even had knowledge of Ronnie's location? Something wasn't adding up and I wanted answers.

I'm quickly broken from my thoughts when I hear Ronnie enter the guest room where I'm currently packing our suitcases for the trip back. She was wearing a tight tank top with some American band logo on the front, black leggings, and her hair was still wet from showering. She always looked beautiful but when she was most comfortable did she truly look like the Goddess I know she can be.

"Good morning. Ready to head back this afternoon?" Ronnie asked me while moving towards her suitcase. "Hey! I said I could pack my own things!"

"Don't worry, I didn't pack your underwear. You can do that yourself." I chuckled.

I noticed Ronnie turn red before going to the dresser and taking her clothes out to begin packing. I just shook my head and continued to gather my things. I had most of our clothes from the closet already neatly stored in the suitcases.

"Why do we have to head back again? I was really starting to enjoy it down here." I heard Ronnie ask.

"Your father wants you home and we both believe it might be safer there since the mansion is fully equipped with the best security money can buy."

"But nothing has happened since that one night! Plus I can totally defend myself now. Lorenzo is just over-reacting." She says nonchalantly.

"A little bit of training and you think you can take down Mike Tyson." I mumble to myself hoping Ronnie doesn't hear.

Ronnie walks over to me and playfully smacks me on the arm. "I heard that! I'm not cocky. I just know I could handle my own until help shows up. I told you I trained before."

"Yeah, but that was years ago and even though you may think you're tough, you still have a lot to work on."

"Like what?!" Ronnie whines to me.

"We will work on training you some more once we get back to the house. Do you have everything?"

Ronnie scans the room, checks the closet, and looks through the dresser before nodding towards me.

"Alright, say your goodbyes to Emilio, Isabella, and Sofia before we hit the road." I grabbed the suitcases and headed towards the car.

Marco was already out by the car putting his suitcase in the trunk when I went outside. Ronnie was still talking to Isabella and Sofia I noticed after loading up the vehicle.

"Don has been informed that we are about to leave. He wants us to stop at the warehouse once we get back. He wants to show Ronnie around." Marco informs me.

"I figured he'd want to do that sooner or later. It's a little weird seeing Don Lorenzo acting all soft and stuff when it comes to Veronica."

"I feel bad for the poor soul who gets arranged to marry her. Not only do they have to deal with her temper, they'll also have to deal with dear daddy's." Marco laughs almost hysterically.

My eyes grow in shock and my heart starts beating faster. Did Marco just imply Enzo is already thinking about arranging an agreement with another family through marriage? He wouldn't do that to Veronica. I know he wouldn't. Would he? Hell, he didn't want to be forced to marry anyone so why would he force his only child?

"You and I both know Enzo would never force Ronnie into an arranged marriage. That's not something he would make her go through." I said in a stern voice.

Marco was still laughing. "Oh ye of little faith. With all the s**t happening since word got out he has a kid, let alone a daughter, you won't believe all the offers he has been receiving for her hand."

"Offers? There has been offers??"

"Oh cazzo! I forgot to tell you about it when I got here. Yeah, Don's been getting phone calls daily about her current relationship status from other mafia families. Even the Triads are interested. You forget how powerful Lorenzo is, Teo. Maybe he won't agree to a marriage right now, but who knows what the future will hold. She's still young-ish. Good age for any wife. Why do you think I've been trying to have her while I can?" Marco chuckles some more before patting me on the back and getting into the car.

Stunned is the only thing I felt at that moment. The Triads are a very dangerous gang known throughout all of China. We have worked together in the past so I knew we were on friendly terms but what would they accomplish with a marriage? Cazzo! I refuse to let Lorenzo arrange any agreement like that.

I look up and see Ronnie embrace both Isabella and Sofia one more time before skipping her way towards the car.

"I'm ready!" She says with a single tear rolling down her face.

I carefully take my finger and wipe the tear away. "Why are you crying?"

Ronnie sniffs a little and wiping her face. "I'm just really going to miss them. It's always just been my Mother and I growing up. I never had any siblings, no aunts, no uncles, no cousins, and no grandparents. It's nice to know that even though I lost my mom, I still have people I can call family."

I gently bring her into a comforting hug rubbing her back as well in the process. "You have so many people here, mio petardo, that you can call your family. We will always be here for you." Before I let her go, I place a tender kiss on her forehead and open the back car door for her to slide in. Ronnie thanks me and disappears inside the vehicle.

The ride back up north felt shorter than the drive here. Ronnie slept most of the time while Marco was playing games on his phone. It was nice to enjoy the peace and quiet before we return to chaos. Lorenzo has been driving himself insane with trying to figure out who the leak could be and preparing for the arrival of the Russians. Lorenzo had to move the meeting because for some reason he really wants Ronnie to be there. I guess he wants her to see him in action.

We pull into the underground garage at the warehouse before the sun began to set. Marco quickly jumped out of the car and went into the building. I looked behind me through the rearview mirror and noticed Ronnie was still sleeping. She looked adorable. As soon as I turned back around to gather my things, I noticed Lorenzo and few other men walking towards the car.

"It's good to have you back, Teo." Lorenzo says giving me a firm handshake.

"It's good to be back, Don Lorenzo. Veronica is still sleeping. I didn't want to wake her. She's not the happiest person when that happens."

Lorenzo flashes a small smirk before it disappeared from his face. "She gets that from me. How has her training progressed?"

"Very well, sir. She's a natural sharp shooter in my opinion." I said filled with pride.

"Hmm. How is her hand to hand combat?"

"She still needs some work. She fights with her emotions which can be good but it's also distracting. Once she knows how to use them to her advantage, she'll excel. Hands down."

"Good. Wake her up and lead her to my office. We have a few days before the Russians arrive so we have some work to do."

I nodded and watch Lorenzo head back into the building. Opening the door where Ronnie was seating, I noticed she was now laying down in the back seat completely passed out. I swear I heard a slight hum or something escape her mouth but it was so subtle it was hard to tell.

"Ronnie, time to get up. We're back." I say lightly poking her.

"Mmm 5 more minutes, mama. I'm dreaming of naked men..."

Well, I knew she wasn't as innocent has she appeared but I don't think I would have ever told my mother I was dreaming of naked women. My dad, maybe but not my mother. She'd smack me on the back of the head and say something about personality or look beyond beauty.

"Ronnie. Get up. Your father is waiting for you." I said louder in a more serious tone.

She moved and mumbled something again but she was not waking up.

I rolled my eyes. "You're really not making this easy for me. Veronica! Wake up, wipe the drool of your mouth, and let's go meet your father!"

Ronnie jumps up, hair looking a mess, a little drool dripping down the side of her mouth, and looks around frantically trying to piece together where we are. At first, her breathing was heavy, looking every which way except in my direction. When she finally sees me, I see her face instantly calm and her breathing slow down. Good girl, I think to myself.

"Hey..." She says softly tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Good morning, sunshine. Come on, we gotta get going."

"Where are we?"

"We are at the warehouse. This is the main base of your dad's operation. This is also where are the magic happens, in a way."

Ronnie chuckles. "What magic? I don't think putting a bullet between someone's eyes is magical."

"No, but it's pretty impressive. Don't you think?"

"No! Just because I know how to use a gun doesn't mean I'm going to kill someone. I don't think I could ever take another person's life. It's not in me."

I offer my hand to her and help her out the car. She brushes her self off and takes another scan of the garage.

"This doesn't look like much. A little bland for my taste."

I smirk. "This is just the garage. And it's underground. Wait till you see my office. Don Lorenzo has great taste, don't get me wrong, but it's a little too bright for me."

"Huh? What does that even mean?" She asks me as we make it to the elevator.

"You'll see." I wink at her and I see the blush form on her face. She's so beautiful and she doesn't even know it. I feel like that adds to her beauty.

I wanted to follow Enzo's orders but I also wanted to show Ronnie off a little bit to the men and women working at the warehouse. Instead of going all the way up to Enzo's office, I decided to give her a private tour.

"First things first, let's get you something to eat."

"It's like you've read my mind, Teo. Food first and then to mister grumpy."

"Mister grumpy? Who's that?"

"My father."

"How would you feel if I gave you a tour of the place? Show you all the cool things and introduce you to the right people?"

Ronnie's face lit up as soon as I asked that. I'm glad she's excited to see where I work. I just hope we don't run into any trouble along the way.

I hit the button on the elevator to take us to the main lobby. As the doors closed, I grabbed Ronnie's hand and held it in mine. I felt her turn and look at me but I remained looking straight ahead. I didn't want her to see me blush.

The elevator digs and the doors open up to the main floor of the warehouse. Not too many people seem to be here. I'm sure Enzo has them off preparing for the big meeting and other missions he wants done.

"Welcome to the warehouse. This is the lobby area. Nothing too spectacular. It looks like a nice hotel lobby with all the fixings but just because it looks classy doesn't mean classy people work here. We came through the secret entrance from the parking garage. This building does do other business not typically associated with the mafia so we do get all sorts of people in and out of this place. Gotta make it look nice."

We wave to people as we walk through the lobby stopping and admiring some of the artwork as we go. I keep Ronnie close to me and have my hand resting on her lower back. I have seen a few men I work with eye-f*****g her already and I'm getting territorial. We head towards the elevator when I hear my name being called by the one person I was hoping to avoid.

"Teo! Where have you been?! You haven't returned any of my calls." I try not to turn around but I feel a tug on my other arm which swings me around to face her. She wraps her arms around my neck forcing me to get close and look at her. I try to look back to see Ronnie but she moves my face towards her.

"Hello! I'm talking to you, Teo. Why have you been avoiding me? You promised we would hangout soon. After you got done babysitting or whatever you had to do." Roxane lustfully trails a finger down the front of my chest trying to get a rise out of me.

My face shows my disgust and yet she refuses to leave. And I never told her anything about babysitting? How did she know I was watching over Ronnie?

"Get off of me, Roxane. I don't have time for this." I push her off of me and turn back to talk to Ronnie. But she's nowhere in sight. "Cazzo! Where did Veronica go, Roxane?"

She smiles crudely at me. "She went somewhere with Marco. She knew you had other business to attend to. Come on, baby. We had so much fun not too long ago. You know I'm the only one that can truly handle all of you. She's a child. What does she know? Why don't we sneak away to your office and we can make up for lost time?" Roxane winks at me before getting closer again. She leans up and nibbles on my ear slightly.

"For Christ's sake!" I pushed Roxane off me with more force this time almost pushing her to the ground. I never harm women. I don't, trust me. But Roxane is far from a woman. "Stay away from me and stay the hell away from Veronica! Try to touch me or even look at me again, and you're done."

"Done? What hell do you mean I'm gonna be done?" Roxane's face turns pale. I finally got her where I want her.

"You know exactly what I mean. The look on your face says it all. Now f**k off!"

I quickly make my way to the elevator and decide to head to Marco's office. Maybe he took her up there. I hope she's there because I really need to talk about what just happened. Ronnie has nothing to worry about when it comes to other women. She has me bewitched and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I practically run to Marco's office and I'm instantly relieved. Marco was showing Ronnie something on one of his bookcases. Probably a book or something. Both their heads turn to my direction once I enter the room. Marco just grins and Ronnie refuses to look at me.

"Sorry, Teo. I just wanted to show Veronica some of the stuff I have in my office. She's all yours." Marco then turns to Ronnie who's still avoiding looking my way. "I see you back at the mansion. Maybe play some video games later?"

Ronnie looks up at him and smiles. "I would like that, thank you." Marco places a gentle kiss on her forehead while staring at me the entire time. Asshole...

I head towards Ronnie closing the space between us and attempt to reach out to her but she backs away. I try to ignore it and grab her hand maybe a little harsher than I intended. I feel her try to struggle out but I'm not having it.

"f**k! Teo, you're starting to hurt me." Ronnie says sternly as I feel her wiggle in my hand.

I drag her into my office, shut and lock the door, and then back to her. She's glaring at me with her arms crossed. Oh boy, I'm in the doghouse now....