My Mafia Madness 4

Chapter 33 - Time to Retaliate

Dante and his men finally arrived at the master bedroom and found Domenico in the process of trying to break down the solid steel door leading into the panic room where Alexa and the others were safely hidden away.

According to the tracker he had been using to help him locate Alexa, she was locked away behind this door.

The rival underboss had already used his gun to try and shoot out the complex locking mechanism several times now without any luck and had now resorted to using his leg and shoulder to try breaking it down with brute strength alone.

With a mere door separating him from his target, Domenico had suddenly become overcome with rage at the thought of being caught by his enemy like this. Failing his mission.

It appeared that he had only just now realised how much trouble he was in.

Not only was he trapped and being surrounded by men loyal to Dante, but he couldn’t get his hands on his primary target, deeming him a failure.

He felt infuriated!

Growling loudly at the solid barrier between him and Alexa, Domenico gritted his teeth together as Dante and his men moved in closer towards him with their guns aimed directly at the raging maniac.

“f**k!”

He cried out loudly with an incredibly guttural sound to his voice.

Another voice spoke suddenly, alerting the intruding underboss of another presence there in the room with him and he spun around to face the approaching gunmen.

“It’s over, Domenico…” Nicola announced coldly.

He had chosen to take the lead in negotiating with Domenico, hoping for a peaceful resolution to this unnecessary conflict, what with their connected past with one another.

“Throw your gun down and put your hands up. No one else needs to die here tonight.”

Domenico chuckled, shaking his head from side to side for a moment at the rather unfortunate predicament he now found himself in.

“I mean it! Don’t do anything foolish… please.” Nicola added, knowing the man standing before him all too well.

Domenico’s top lip lifted up into a snarling expression as he spoke his words laced with venom and directed at his enemies.

“If you think that by taking me out of the picture you’ll put an end to all your troubles with Don Moroni, then you’re seriously far more deluded than I initially thought you to be, Nicola… and you too, Reaper.”

Domenico moved his focus onto Dante now as he slowly turned to face the Don.

“He will keep coming again and again until he gets what he wants. What’s his…”

The last comment had clearly outraged Dante, whose blazing-green eyes narrowed into slits. He let out a vicious snarl first before then responding.

“And what is his, exactly?” the Don demanded offensively.

“Please, indulge me.”

Domenico had succeeded. He had the Reaper’s complete attention now.

The enemy underboss grinned sadistically before he spoke his snide comment in response to Dante’s question.

“What else? Your woman, Alexa… or more precisely, Vincenzo’s new wife.”

Without another word, Dante suddenly lifted his gun up into the air and fired off two shots directly into Domenico’s chest.

The others around him seemed surprised by this as they watched their enemy glance down at the two red feathery ends of the darts now sticking out from the middle of his chest.

“What the...”

Domenico muttered to himself in confusion before looking up to meet Dante’s angered gaze.

Dante didn’t intend on killing him?

He was utterly confused as to why this was the case.

Within a split second the drugs had kicked in and caused his eyes to roll back as his body collapsed down onto the floor below him with a loud ‘thump’.

The semi-automatic gun clattered to the floor beside him as Dante lowered his gun to his side without a single word or sound.

His expression showed just how he was feeling about the whole forced marriage situation that Vincenzo had tricked Alexa with after kidnapping her.

Dante wanted Vincenzo’s blood.

And he would get it, one way or another.

“Get that piece of s**t out of my sight!”

The Don commanded no one in particular as his chest heaved in and out with each of his furious breaths.

“Take him down to the basement and inform me as soon as he wakes up.”

“Si, capo.” (Yes, boss) his men replied in unison.

Two of those men moved forward, scooping up both Domenico’s weapon and his limp body by his underarms and feet before they began carrying him out of the room.

Nicola walked alongside Dante, the pair stepping inside the walk-in-robe and stopping right in front of the panic room’s steel door.

“It sucks, but you do know he’s right, don’t you?” Nicola spoke rather morbidly.

“Vincenzo will keep coming for her, no matter where you go. No matter how well protected she is or how many men you have watching over her, he won’t stop. Alexa’s your only weakness and he’ll use her to try and exploit-”

“-Yeah, thanks. I got it!”

Dante cut in over the end of Nicola’s warning, as if he had no time to hear such things. Perhaps he simply chose not to hear them.

“Let’s just stay focused on what needs doing. For now at least.”

Nodding in understanding, Nicola could sense the frustration that his Don was clearly exhibiting within his actions and the tone of his voice.

And as much as he had hated bringing this sort of thing up right now, what Domenico said only moments earlier was indeed spot on.

Vincenzo had no intention of ceasing his attempts to destroy Dante. And unfortunately, the rival Don had already managed to figure out the best way to do it.

He would use poor Alexa to get to Dante.

Alexa Myers had unknowingly become the mighty Reaper’s greatest weakness.

-

Having watched the entire situation play out before them on the surveillance screens located inside of the panic room with them, Alexa, Roberto and Willow stood patiently waiting as the large steel door slowly opened from the outside.

And there standing before them were both Dante and Nicola, each with a satisfied expression painted across their overconfident faces.

Alexa felt as if a sudden wave washed over her, a mixture of both reassurance and safety, and merely at the sight of the man she loved so deeply.

Without another thought, she immediately ran straight into his open arms, embracing her lover with a tight hug as she breathed his familiar scent of musk mixed with smoke and scotch deeply into her lungs.

That scent always made her feel dizzy with delight.

It was his scent… Dante’s.

“So, how’s it looking?”

Roberto asked his question aloud aimed at his brother as he and Willow stepped out of the secured room, with Willow carrying baby Alessandro in her arms.

The little one was now fast asleep once more.

Nicola decided to give the update instead, allowing Dante a moment to share with Alexa.

“The manor’s secure once more. All intruders have been accounted for.” the second-in-command, Nicola happily reported.

Roberto frowned.

“And that last guy? The one who almost found us?”

He queried cautiously, just to be certain.

“Who was he and what will happen with him?”

“His name is Domenico Lombardi. He’s been taken in for interrogation. There’s not much of a chance that he’ll talk willingly but hopefully we can use some more persuasive methods to help move things along and… well, you know… convince him.”

Nicola explained this with a devious smirk and a playful wink afterwards.

“Don’t worry, we’re all totally safe now.”

Roberto looked across to his older brother who was in the middle of sharing a passionate kiss with Alexa.

The couple were clearly not following their current conversation, instead lost within their own moment of passionate intimacy after enduring such a thrilling and dangerous situation.

Turning his head off to the side, Roberto fixed his eyes upon his beautiful red head Willow, and his heart leapt with joy.

Of all the people he’d met during his lifetime, Willow Coulton was the only one who’d ever caused him to feel this way, at merely the sight of her entering a room or her glance with those stunning crystal blue eyes of hers.

He had to admit to himself, it was quite a strange feeling to experience…and yet he found it to be quite exciting as well.

Thrilling, almost.

How he felt for this woman who now carried his child, it was totally indescribable.

She meant everything to him.

Perhaps only now he was beginning to understand how Dante truly felt towards Alexa. Such a deep and unbreakable bond of lust, longing and love.

Completely lost within their own moment shared together, both Alexa and Dante continued their passionate kiss, completely unaffected by the others who were standing around them.

Both were now wrapped within one another’s wanting embrace, clawing at clothing and nearing a time that they should probably do the decent thing and go elsewhere to continue such intimacy.

Their tongues wrestled competitively with one another whilst hidden away inside their mouths.

Enough was enough!

Clearing her throat, Willow aimed to break things up civilly without causing a scene. And luckily, she did exactly that.

Parting mouths from one another, both Dante and Alexa turned to look at the red head in question as she gave a gestured nod down towards the now sleeping baby she held in her arms. The one who needed to be put back to bed.

Their baby, Alessandro.

“Not that I wouldn’t mind adopting this little one if given the chance…”

She taunted at them with a playful grin as Roberto pulled her into his side lovingly.

“…but if the entire manor is seriously safe again, I believe that he and the rest of us should go up and get some sleep. It’s getting really late and tomorrow’s a big day for you all.”

Willow’s reminder was perhaps one of her most mature moments to date.

In fact, Alexa seemed somewhat stunned by this newly mature side of her bestie.

It was by far a much more responsible way of thinking, one that the red head was not usually willing to undertake in past instances.

Perhaps motherhood was beginning to grow on her?

Smiling, Alexa thought silently to herself for a second.

’Being responsible really does look good on Willow.’

“I agree.”

Dante chimed into the conversation now, a tone of authority evident within his voice as he turned around to look Alexa in the eye while he spoke to her in particular now.

“Go ahead, bella. I need to go and deal with some things downstairs. I’ll join you once I’m confident that everything’s back to normal. Alright?”

His large, inked hand cradled the edge of her soft face, allowing his beauty to nuzzle into his palm affectionately as she spoke her reply softly to him.

“Then don’t be gone too long.”

Pouting her lower lip with an adorable expression, she looked up at him through her long, thick lashes.

“I don’t like it when I’m alone. I’d feel much safer with you around. Keeping me company.”

He smirked playfully back at her, a sparkle of mischief flared within his emerald-green eyes.

“Oh, baby… how could I possibly stay away from you.”

With one final kiss much shorter than the last one had been, the couple parted ways from one another.

Dante headed off in another direction, followed by Nicola and the remaining henchmen he would need to assist him.

Handing baby Alessandro back over to his mother Alexa, Willow then spoke her suggestion aloud as the three remaining adults began walking alongside one another towards the exit of the room.

“Come on, we’ll escort you to the nursery on our way to our own room.”

Alexa let out a sudden laugh as she voiced her opinion aloud.

“Seriously you two. It’s only down the hall from here. I can make it on my own, you know?”

When Willow spoke again, her expression had suddenly hardened, as had her tone. As if something was internally worrying her now. Something she had dared not say aloud.

“We’re walking you to the nursery...” the red head proclaimed, linking arms with her best friend as Roberto followed along obediently behind both women.

Tiny Alessandro was currently cradled skilfully in Alexa’s free arm.

“And that’s that! No arguments! I’m afraid we must insist.”

Rolling her eyes in defiance, Alexa scoffed before she said one final thing.

“Alright, fine…”

-

Once Alessandro had been safely tucked away back into his cot and was fast asleep, Willow and Roberto said their goodnights to Alexa before parting ways and heading for their own rooms to retire for the remainder of the night.

By now it was nearing half-past twelve and with a long day planned for tomorrow, Alexa was hoping to get as much sleep in as she possibly could.

To ensure that she looked her very best when finally meeting her estranged family.

After showering and changing into a short white silken nightgown, she brushed her long blonde hair until it remained fluffy and smooth, right before climbing into the soft, comfortable silken sheets of the massively oversized bed she shared with a Mafia Boss.

The feel of the incredibly soft and fluffy pillow felt absolutely heavenly as she lay her head down on one and pulled the thick blanket up over the crease of her exposed shoulder.

It appeared that the events of that evening had clearly taken their toll on Alexa, exhausting her far more than she had initially realised.

Her eyelids were heavy within seconds.

And before she knew it, she was out like a light.

-

With the intruders now having been captured and with most of them still alive to be interrogated, Dante had gathered his leadership team together in his office for a debriefing and to plan their next moves from here on out.

It appeared that Vincenzo was becoming far too confident, and this was putting Dante’s own family in serious danger.

That he simply would not allow!

As they all stood gathered around the large dark oak desk with their capo standing proudly behind it, Dante’s faithful men listened intently to what the Don had to say.

“What happened here tonight cannot and will not happen again!” he proclaimed.

The Reaper had surfaced now… it appeared that Dante would be taking the backseat in this conversation.

“I want answers! Find out how they knew about the blind spots in our security system at the back of the manor.”

The Don went on, making sure to make eye contact with each and every man in attendance.

“Not to mention how the f**k we managed to hire so many of Moroni’s men to wait tables here tonight! One I might understand… two’s pushing it, but eight? Someone’s clearly f****d up here and I want to know who!”

Nicola took this as his opportunity to give his updated report.

“I’ve made sure that the blind spot at the back of the manor is now covered and we have double the guards placed there, as well as around the entire circumference of the manor. They’re on twenty-four-hour patrol for added security with scheduled change overs that only few of us are aware of. Again, for added security.”

As he spoke, Dante seemed to be listening intently as he simultaneously pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket.

Placing it between his lips, he worked to light it as Nicola went on.

“From what I’ve managed to get out of the waiters I’ve already had interrogated, apparently they were the ones responsible for making the phone call to Moroni about using the staff entrance for the attack.”

Luca frowned as he spoke his beliefs.

“Somehow, Vincenzo had everything planned out from wherever the hell the bastard’s hiding. He knew layouts, how to get his staff infiltrated into our ranks, all of it. Something just doesn’t add up here, capo.”

“A coordinated attack, you mean?” Dante queried, smoke billowing out from his mouth with each of his words.

Luca shrugged both shoulders.

“What else. The prick’s always been several steps ahead of us. He tracked us down here didn’t he? He’ll no doubt have some new plot already under way for us come tomorrow.”

Nicola chimed in now.

“What do you suggest?”

Luca remained silent for a moment, deep in thought.

“Maybe we need to strike at him instead? Catch him off guard?”

Everyone in the room appeared intrigued by the idea, though it was clear that this might be more easily said than done.

After all, how do you get ahead of someone who is already ahead of you?

“No matter where I go, that cockroach always seems to find a way to come crawling back.”

Dante sneered, slamming his hands down onto the desk in anger, the cigarette wedged between his fingers and still wafting smoke up into the air.

“I won’t allow him to get his hands on Alexa ever again. I agree with Luca. It’s time we finish that fucker off for good.”

“We have his underboss now, remember?” Nicola pointed out, lifting his left brow upward as he glanced cockily at the others.

“With Domenico no longer by his side, Vincenzo’s more than likely to make mistakes. Especially if our mole manages to convince Moroni that he’s trustworthy.”

“Maybe trustworthy to fill in for Domenico, perhaps?” Cecilio chimed in snidely.

“It could happen.” Nicola agreed with a nod.

“Without his second, Vincenzo’s bound to f**k up. And if he can lead him in the right direction for that to happen.”

The others grinned simultaneously, some nodding their heads.

“But can Jack do it? He’s still fairly young for such a task, remember?” Luca pointed out.

“He’s fully trained.” Nicola interjected.

“The kid knows his way around things and he’s street smart, which is an added bonus for us. With his help we can lure Vincenzo out into the open and strike.”

“Then it’s agreed. It’s time we bring the fight to that bastard, Moroni.”

Dante made his announcement confidently, pushing off the desk and putting his cigarette out in the centre of the black marble ash tray.

“We will flush the asshole out of hiding and when the time is right, we will end him for good.”

“Sounds good to me, capo.” Luca agreed with a smile.

“Any suggestions on how we might flush him out?” Nicola enquired with his usual level of curiosity.

Dante’s grin began to slowly grow with each passing second, right before he spoke again.

“Vincenzo thinks he’s married to Alexa, correct?” the Don questioned aloud to no one in particular.

His men all looked to one another for the answer.

“Isn’t he?” Luca questioned.

“That’s what I thought happened.” Cecilio added.

“Didn’t he force her to marry him or something? What did I miss?”

Both Dante and his underboss Nicola shared a knowing glance with one another, with matching smirks gracing both their handsome faces before Dante went on to explain.

“I may have an idea of how we lure him out of hiding…”

The Don looked around at his crew as he went on.

“And if all goes well, we will have Vincenzo Moroni as our prisoner as early as tomorrow evening.”