My Mafia Madness 2

Chapter 9 - Making a Stand

*** NOTE - This chapter includes a scene where characters talk about non-consensual s****l abuse. You have been warned! ***

Dante was beyond furious as he sat before his father in the darkened room.

He could feel his blood burning fiercely from beneath his inked skin, bursting to free itself.

The gaul of his father…

Diego sure had some nerve to treat his son like some sort of an object!

His father had practically sold Dante to keep the peace with his newest rivals.

And what’s worse, Dante would never go along with such an arrangement, not in a million years.

The Reaper’s heart already belonged to someone else.

“Chi diavolo credi di essere!” (Who the hell do you think you are!) Dante snapped, abruptly standing and towering over his father in the one sudden movement.

The sound of his chair flying backwards and clattering to the floor was enough to wake Luca from his drug-induced sleep and he startled to life, looking around in confusion.

“W…what? What’s going on?” he mumbled.

Noticing Dante standing up in front of him, Luca’s eyes moved to the side and immediately recognised the man seated behind the large desk opposite Dante.

Dante’s father.

“Oh shit.”

Those two words were all Luca spoke before remaining silent as the two of them continued their heated conversation right there in front of him.

Dante spat his next words angrily, each of them laced with venomous rage as he glared down at his father.

“Non sposerò una puttana italiana solo per mantenere la pace tra i vostri due sindacati!” (I will not marry an Italian w***e just to keep the peace between your two unions!)

But Don Diego did not appreciate being spoken to like this, especially by his own son.

“Farai come ti dico. Sei ancora mio figlio!” (You will do as I tell you. You are still my son!) Diego commanded, suddenly standing up from his chair to match his son and pressing both hands onto the surface of his desk.

“Questo è più grande di te o di me, Dante. Molto, molto più grande!” (This is bigger than you or me, Dante. Much, much bigger!)

The Reaper’s eyes narrowed into thin slits as he spoke again.

His voice had eerily lowered in both tone and softness as he spoke defiantly to the man he called father only by name.

“E se rifiuto?” (What if I refuse?)

Diego snorted, shaking his head.

“Come ho detto, sei mio figlio. Farai come ti è stato detto. L’intera linea Romano dipende da questo. Questo non è il momento dell’orgoglio sciocco.” (As I said, you are my son. You will do as you are told. The whole Romano line depends on it. This is not the time for foolish pride.)

Dante tilted his head off to the right ever so slightly now. He wanted to lunge right over that desk and tear the older man’s head right off.

This certainly wasn’t how he planned on informing his father about his relationship with Alexa, but it seemed rather necessary right now, given his current situation.

Forced marriage was not something he was particularly keen on and definitely not something he would willingly agree to.

“Mi dispiace far esplodere questo tuo piccolo sogno, padre, ma sembrerebbe che io non sia più disponibile.” (I’m sorry to blow up this little dream of yours, father, but it looks like I’m no longer available.)

Dante announced straightening to stand up tall and crossing both arms over his chest. A rather cocky smirk formed on his face.

“Ho incontrato qualcuno.” (I met someone.)

Luca continued to watch from his seated position behind his boss.

He now knew they were currently talking about Alexa, but what was this s**t mentioned about Dante marrying someone else?

He continued to listen in, afraid to try and interrupt.

Di che diavolo stai parlando?” (What the hell are you talking about?) Diego demanded, looking his son up and down.

“Come hai conosciuto improvvisamente qualcuno? Chi è lei, questa donna misteriosa?” (How did you suddenly meet someone? Who is she, this mysterious woman?)

Dante’s posture began to relax a little as he began pacing up and down in front of his father.

He relished in the thought of having some power over his father, even if only a small amount.

He enjoyed the expression of concern now present on his father’s usually stoic face.

“Inizialmente avevo programmato di presentarvi voi due stasera quando venite a cena... ma ora suppongo che il gatto sia fuori dalla borsa, per così dire.” (I originally planned to introduce you two tonight when you come to dinner… but now, I assume the cat is out of the bag, so to speak.)

Diego seemed to be taking in this new information as he stood still behind his desk, watching his son pacing back and forth.

But what Dante did and said to him next really did surprise him.

The eldest Romano son turned to face his father, looked him dead in the eye and spoke in all seriousness, unblinking and showing nothing but certainty in what he was admitting.

“La amo, padre.” (I love her, father.)

Diego’s brows lifted and he took a step backwards in disbelief.

And his weren’t the only ones. Luca also matched Diego’s shocked expression as he looked towards Dante with a pleased smile.

“I knew it!” he spoke softly from behind Dante.

Luca’s voice alerted both Romano men to turn and acknowledge his presence for the first time since this conversation has started and the henchman shrunk into his seat, lowering his gaze towards the floor in embarrassment for interrupting them.

“Sorry, boss.” he muttered.

Dante couldn’t help but smile at Luca, but Diego still looked shocked.

“Tu la ami?” (You… love her?) the older Mafia Don repeated, this time in question as he returned his gaze to Dante.

“Lo faccio.” (I do.) Dante replied confidently.

His father suddenly shook his head, as if breaking free from some sort of a daze. His brows narrowed inwards in a mixture of anger and surprise.

He certainly wasn’t expecting this!

“Da quando il Mietitore prova cose come l’amore?” (Since when does the Reaper feel things like love?)

Dante’s expression darkened at the question.

“Come faccio a sapere che non lo stai dicendo solo per uscire da questo accordo?” (How do I know you’re not saying this just to get out of this deal?) his father questioned accusingly.

Luca watched as Dante suddenly slammed his hardened fist down onto the desk between father and son with a tremendous ‘SLAM!’

“Ne ho abbastanza di questa merda!” (I’ve had enough of this s**t!) the Reaper bellowed loudly, his voice echoing throughout the room until it faded away.

“Sei assente dalle nostre vite da oltre vent’anni. Venti cazzo di anni!” (You’ve been absent from our lives for twenty years. Twenty f*****g years!)

Luca suddenly felt somewhat awkward being here now as he averted his gaze from them.

“Non hai voce in capitolo nella mia vita. Sei padre per me solo di nome. Niente di più.” (You have no say in my life. You are a father to me in name only. Nothing more.)

Dante pressed both open palms face down onto the desk, mirroring his father’s pose as he spoke his final comment, this time in English which Diego also happened to understand.

“As for your proposed arrangement, I humbly refuse.”

With that he stood up, straightened his jacket and turned to look down at Luca.

“Come on. Let’s get the f**k outta here.” Dante commanded before turning and heading for the doorway.

He stopped one last time, keeping his back facing his father out of complete disrespect as he turned his head to the side, speaking over his shoulder.

“And don’t bother coming over for dinner this evening. Your invitation to be a part of our life has officially been revoked.”

As Dante marched out through the doorway, Luca quickly followed along behind his boss, too afraid to meet eyes with Dante’s father who stood fuming from behind the desk.

Veins bulged from the side of the older Don’s wrinkled neck as he gritted his teeth together firmly.

A man like Don Diego Romano was not one to be told ′no’ very often.

And there was a good reason for that…

-

After collecting their personal items, such as their wallets, guns and phones, Dante and Luca called an Uber to drive them from their current location back to Castle Romano.

Dante needed to see Alexa, badly.

He needed her to bring him a sense of peace after such a horrid altercation.

Holding his phone in his hands he noticed that it had been switched off when they were taken.

Turning it back on it suddenly came to life with countless notification sounds.

It showed that he had missed over thirty phone calls!

He also had several text messages and the Don sat reading through them as the Uber car drove them along through the streets of Puglia.

There was a total of fifteen text messages, but the last three read…

-

1:12pm - ‘Boss, where are you? Something happened with Alexa, code red. Call me as soon as you get this. Nicola.’

1:30pm – ‘Still can’t get hold of you. Please reply. Serious issue involving Greco’s… Nicola.’

1:42pm – ‘Dante, let me know you’re alright. I’m getting worried now. Nicola.’

-

As soon as Dante read that something had happened with Alexa, accompanied with the comment ‘code red’, Dante immediately dialled Nicola’s number and held his phone up to his ear.

The phone only rang once before he heard Nicola’s voice.

“Thank f**k! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to contact you for over two hours boss!” his number two spoke frantically from the other end of the line.

“We thought something happened.”

“Something did happen.” Dante admitted, lifting his brow in annoyance.

“My father, to be more precise.”

Nicola went quiet for a moment, taking that in.

Dante took the chance to cut in over his second-in-command, changing the subject to one he cared more about.

“Nicola, what happened to her? Is Alexa alright?”

Dante could hear Nicola letting out a long sigh on the other end before he spoke his reply.

“It’s probably best if I explain it all when you arrive. How far away are you anyway?” Nicola asked with a frown.

Dante lifted his Rolex and peered at the time.

“Should be there in the next twenty minutes or so. Nicola, I need you to tell me she’s alright.”

Pursing his lips together, Nicola thought for a moment of how best to answer Dante.

Eventually, he answered in a way that managed to slightly change Dante’s original question, but still gave him an answer that would keep him calm for the time being.

This way Nicola wasn’t actually lying to him, but he was also leaving out the details that would no doubt send his boss over the edge as soon as he heard about it.

“Alexa and her friend are both safe. I’m here watching over them, you have nothing to worry about, Capo.” he replied.

Dante let out a sigh of relief and nodded his head.

“Good. See you soon.”

With that, Dante hung up his phone and pocketed it.

Luca, who sat beside the Don had been unintentionally listening in on the conversation and bit his lip at the thought of asking what was going on.

Dante beat him to it.

“Something happened to Alexa while we were out.” he announced, glaring ahead.

“s**t, is she alright?” Luca asked in concern.

“Nicola tells me she’s back at the castle with him… he assures me that she’s safe, but…”

As Dante paused, Luca got the sense that something was still bugging his Don, something that he clearly wanted to get off his chest but found himself unable to do so.

So, Luca took the first step and spoke.

“You think that Nicola’s hiding something from you?” he queried.

“Maybe he’s not telling you everything?”

Dante’s expression darkened.

“He’s never done it before. But, if my suspicions are indeed correct, there would be only one reason for Nicola to hide the truth from me…”

“And what reason would that be?” Luca asked out of curiosity.

Dante turned to look him in the eye as he spoke again.

The intensity in the Reaper’s emerald green eyes was both captivating and frightening at the same time.

“It means that I’m not gonna like whatever happened to her...”

-

Alexa sat snuggled up against her friend by the large natural fireplace, each sharing a blanket and with a hot cup of coffee in their hands as they sipped it together quietly.

The sound of crackling wood burning away in the heated fire was all you could hear in the solemn silence surrounding them.

“You ready to tell me what happened yet?” Willow’s voice suddenly broke through the silence as she lowered her eyes to look at Alexa.

The obvious bruising showed signs that she was choked by someone, but once again, it only told part of the story.

Who had choked her?

Why would someone want to do that to her?

Willow knew that her friend needed to vent if she were to ever move on from whatever happened earlier on.

There was a hesitance in Alexa’s expression as the blonde looked down before replying.

“I told you. I was attacked.” she replied rather vaguely.

“Yeah, you told me that. But I asked what happened…” the red head purposely exaggerated the two words, lifting her brow in question.

She sounded like a mother nagging her daughter right now.

“In all the years we’ve known one another, have I ever kept anything from you, Lex?” Willow asked.

Alexa closed her eyes and lowered her head in guilt.

“No.” she shook her head as she spoke softly.

“No… exactly. Come on, I can see that whatever happened in there has totally f****d you up. It’s obvious that someone had their hands around your throat...” Willow pointed out.

“Lex, you know I’m the best person to talk to about this. Open up to me girl, I’m here for you.”

Willow pulled Alexa in closer with her arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“Please talk to me, Lex.”

Alexa’s mouth opened and the words finally came pouring out.

“He surprised me in the changing stall. He had a gun and he used it to overpower me.”

She could feel her heart racing as her body began to tremble at the horrible memories. Of the feeling of Alonzo’s hand wrapped around her neck, squeezing as he finger f****d her up against the mirrored wall.

“Ok… so then what happened?” Willow urged.

“Did he choke you?”

Alexa nodded her head.

“But there’s more…” she continued to speak softly, her tone filled with obvious embarrassment at what she was about to confess.

Willow tightened her hold on her friend, reassuring her that she could continue and feel safe about doing it.

Willow had always been there for her bestie, as had Alexa. The two were almost inseparable.

“He… he… used his fingers… to…”

Willow’s face contorted in disgust at what her friend was struggling to admit aloud.

“He violated you?” Willow cut in, choosing her words carefully.

As Alexa nodded her head the tears returned, flooding down both sides of her cheeks as she threw herself into her friend’s embrace and sobbed painfully.

Willow on the other hand was filled with anger at what her friend had just admitted to her.

Some smug bastard had violated her best friend.

“I got you girl… don’t worry.”

Willow soothed her sobbing friend while she held her in close.

“I got you…”