Donald beckons Nonno to the bedroom and I hear the door shut with a thud.
“He has a lot of medical bills I have to pay off. He can’t afford this penthouse. You’re putting him in more debt.” Irritation grows inside me like weed.
“Roselyn, shut the fuck up.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m handling it. I paid his debt off and his medical bills. I’m paying all his household bills. A thank you would be nice.”
“Thank you,” I exhale. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Irritation paints his face. “You’re my wife, Roselyn. I have to take care of you.” He pulls me on his lap, and I feel his erection digging in my lower back. It is awakening every nerve in my body.
“You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“No, I’m not. I’m the devil and I know I’m evil.” He leans down, whispers in my ear. “You are about to dance with the devil.”
He kisses me again, then kisses down to my neck and I push his chest, but Devious holds my hips tighter.
“What I’ve I told you about fighting me?”
Immediately, I stop, and he continues to kiss my neck, and electricity jolts through my body.
“That’s what I love to see.” Nonno’s voice booms and I jump out of Devious lap so quick you would think my ass is on fire, then I sit next to him. Embarrassment dampens my cheeks.
“Two love birds. It’s rare to see in the mafia. Which is why I love to tell my love stories to other couples.” He sits back in his recliner, with a leather photo album in his hand.
I listen to Nonno tell us the story on how he met Nonna. He goes on to tell us how he met her and how he fell in love with her.
“Now, Corsetta. You need to forgive my son for all the stuff he does. I know you don’t like hearing it, but he has a good soul. It’s my fault he is the way he is.”
“Nonno, I’m Rose Bug. She’s not here.” He eyes me again.
“When did you get here?” he asks, setting the photo album down on the table. “It doesn’t matter. You want to stay for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, you should ask my controlling ass husband.”
Devious leans down, whispers in my ear. “You’re going to get a spanking when we get home for your behavior, Mrs. Vitali.”
Shaking my head, I remove his hand around my hips, then I stand up. “I’m going to set the table, Nonno.”
I waltz into the kitchen and grab a few crystal plates from the cabinet, then Devious snatches them from my hand and I follow him to the dining room.
“I really appreciate you taking me to see my Nonno and taking care of him. I really do, but please, this is my safe haven, he’s my safe haven. And I don’t want to feel like I owe you. I don’t want to feel like if I don’t do what you say, you’re going to hang his health and safety over my head. It will hurt me too much. You already hurt me already and if you do anything to harm him, it will break me, Devious. You’re always talking about breaking me. Locking me into the cell and assaulting me will not break me. But this will.”
“Why would it break you?”
“Because in this world. Nonno makes me feel safe. When I would run away from home this would be my place to stay. Nonno and Nonna treated me like a daughter. When I wanted to get away from the abuse, I call my Nonna to pick me up and she would. This is my home.”
He set each plate on the table and for a while he doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s thinking. I gave him the weapon that could destroy me so what will he do with it? It might have been a stupid move on my part.
His lovely eyes bores into mine. He makes my heart skip a beat. “My goal was never to destroy you when I married you.” He stomps up to me and his chest rises and falls as he breathes rapidly. “I won’t break you unless you make me.”
Devious
WITH A BAT IN HAND, I open the sliding glass door of the back porch. The house is a nice suburban home in Bedford. I check out the stainless-steel kitchen and pick up a stack of mail and read it. The person who lives here is Celeb. From what my IT guy found on Liam’s computer, this is the guy who handles their business transitions.
When I open the pine door to the study, Celeb is hunched over his desk, typing away on his computer. His clothes are all white and his face is decorated with pimples. He looks up from the screen, and fear clouds his brown eyes. “Who are you?” He quivers before he pulls open a drawer. I yank out his chair and slam the baseball bat across his hand. He screams in agony and tears wells in his eyes.
“Where is Cashel?”
Celeb tries to wiggle his bloody broken fingers. “Why did you do hit me?” he whimpers.
“Answer the question.” I rest the bat on my shoulder.
“I don’t know.”
“Last chance.” I raise my bat to strike him again, and he holds up his other hand to stop me.
“I’m telling you the truth,” he screams. “I’m an associate. I handle a lot of legal documents for him. And he doesn’t send it to me himself. He gets someone else to do it. No one ever meets the Don of the family unless they’re a high rank.”
It seems Cashel decided to hire new people when our businesses separated. If anyone decided they wanted to work with me, he killed them on the spot.
“Give me the paperwork to his businesses. I want names and shit.”
“He’ll kill me.”
“And if you don’t do it
