Bought By The Ruthless Don

ALESSIA. Music thudded in my ears from my AirPods as I threw a rapid series of jabs and kicks at the punching bag. Sweat ran down my back, my breathing steady despite the exertion. I lost myself in the rhythm, imagining the bag was morphing into the numerous faces of the Moretti men who loved to underestimate me. I hit it harder, the bag swaying backward from the blows. Then, over the music, I heard the definite creak of a door opening. I halted my movements and yanked out my AirPods, jamming them into my sports bra, and turned to see a group of men stalking into the gym, like they owned it. Their workout and training session was about to start. As soon as they saw me, scowls and snarls darkened their faces. Yup. It was definitely time to leave. The testosterone was already becoming unbearable I grabbed my towel from a nearby bench and slung it over my neck, reaching hastily for my duffel bag. But apparently, I wasn't allowed to leave, as some of them stepped forward, their words dripping with humor and contempt. "Look here, boys. The bastard girl playing soldier again." Here we go again. "You should be on your knees, sweetheart, not throwing punches." "Why waste your time here when I could give you something better to work out on?" More laughter broke out amongst them. What was funny? Men were so dense sometimes. There was nothing that angered a Made Man more than to see a woman anywhere other than in a kitchen or in their beds. I ignored them and made for the door, but when I reached it, a strong hand clamped around my arm. My body tensed. My weight shifted slightly as I readied myself to shake him off, or punch him in the jaw if that was what it took. The man's hand tightened on me. His eyes roved over me, dark and blazing with something that made my skin crawl. "You know, girl, if you'd act a little more like a lady, maybe someone would want you." His sneer increased. “Or is that why you're always so angry? No one's ever put you in your place?" My teeth clenched, my jaw twitching. First off, I was no girl. Second of all, the last thing I wanted was to be wanted by the likes of him. But I didn’t say that. There was no use voicing it out. “Let go,” I snarled. "Or what, hmm?” He leaned in, his breath thick with arrogance. Fuck this. I stepped nearer to him, ready to show him precisely what. "Hey, man, she's not worth it." Someone shouted from behind him. He tutted in frustration before letting me go finally, but not without a parting insult. "Bastard slut." Be more creative, please. The insults around here were getting very repetitive. I did not give him the pleasure of a reaction. Holsting my duffel bag over my shoulder, I strode out of the gym with my head high. The Moretti compound was alive with movement. Suit-clad men and underling trainees hurried past. Servants darted by, their eyes not meeting mine as they performed their tasks. People tended to avoid eye contact with me, but I was used to it. I was Don Salvatore Moretti's illegitimate kid, after all. Yup. Old Man Salvatore was my pops. But ever since the moment I was dragged into this house years ago, he made it very clear: You must know your place. And as you can guess, there weren’t much places a woman in the syndicate could be. His grand scheme? Lock me up until the day he could broker me off to some droopy Made Man three times my age who couldn’t even get it up, so he could make a profitable deal for the Moretti Familial. I had other ideas though. I chose to fight, to be tough. That hadn't gone so well with the men in this family, obviously. But I wasn't going down. One day, I would leave the mafia world. Start over somewhere calm and quiet, maybe with kids. One day. But today was not the day. "Alessia!" I stopped and turned to see Lucas running up to me. He was young, perhaps sixteen, one of the new bloods being trained to become a Made Man. "The Don sent me to fetch you," he said, heaving a little. I glanced down at my sweaty form. “Now?” Lucas winced but nodded. Of course. When the Don called, you answered, whether you were in the middle of an op or about to die. "Thanks, Luke. I’ll head over there now." He nodded, stepping aside as I headed on toward the less populated wing of the mansion. Salvatore's personal office and quarters were located here, separate from the rest of the men. The moment I arrived at the door, the two guards that were stationed there gave me their usual glances of indifference. I nodded to them. As usual, they didn't acknowledge me. I didn’t let it bother me. I raised a fist and knocked. "Come in." I pushed the door open and entered, shutting it behind me. Salvatore was sitting behind his massive desk, a ledger and a stack of files spread out before him. His dark eyes lifted, already frowning. "You called for me, Don?" I inquired, bowing slightly. "Yes," he said, then picked up a sealed file, extending it to me. "I have a mission for you." Excitement thrummed through my veins. It had been ages since my last mission. I stepped forward and took the file from his outstretched hand. "Your primary mission is to gather crucial information on an arms deal. You will attend a masquerade ball that is being held tonight." I sucked in a sharp breath. Tonight? That was not enough time to prepare. "Tonight?" I said out loud. His eyes snapped up, sharp and narrowed. "Yes, tonight, Alicia. Or would you rather I hand it over to someone more suitable?" I clenched my teeth, even as my nose flared slightly. "I can handle it," I said between my teeth. And my name is Alessia, t**t, I added silently. He nodded, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. I bowed once more and left. Once I was safely in my room, I didn’t hesitate to tear open the file. My eyes swept over the documents, my heart picking up speed. My alias for the night was listed first. Liora Volkov. Then the location: Villa dei Segreti. Time/Date: Tonight. My eyes skimmed over the basic information listed and the map attached of the Villa. But what really took my breath away was the line at the bottom of the page. Target: Silas Dravetti.