Sold to Moretti Mafia

Julian

“What do you mean vacation? You can’t just take a fucking vacation! You are my second in command. You’re in the mob.”

“I can, and I will,” Markus tells me, arms crossed over his chest. Of all of my men, Markus is the last person I expected to fucking do something like this.

What the fuck is he thinking, buying this girl, and going on a vacation? He is in the mob, we don’t go on fucking holiday.

Pinching the bridge on my nose, I grind my teeth and suck in a deep breath. “Markus–” I start, but I’m cut short by someone grabbing my arm. My whole body tenses, and I curl my hands into a tight fist, ready for a fight, but when I look down at my arm, I find Elena’s small hands wrapped around it.

Her face is pale, her big green eyes are glassy and brimming with fear. Immediately, I know something is wrong. Her tiny nails are digging into my skin even through my suit jacket. It’s like she is clawing her way to me, scared that she is going to lose me or something. I look past her, scanning the area for any danger, but there is nothing, there are just people at the bar, drinking and conversing. Lev, one of the heroin suppliers, also the son of one, Vladimir Volcove, is looking in our direction, but he could be looking at anything. He knows that she is mine, and he wouldn’t be dumb enough to touch her.

“What’s wrong?” I ask quietly.

“I don’t feel well, can we please go home.”

She might be able to fool someone else, but she can’t fool me. This has nothing to do with her feeling unwell. The way she looks right now is how she looked the night I almost gave into my selfish needs and took from her. Did someone try and hurt her? Talk to her? Touch her? Blind rage festers inside me at the unknown.

“What really happened?!” I growl, refusing to accept her lie.

She shakes her head, her eyes bouncing to Markus and then back to me.

I turn my attention back to Markus, knowing full well that I need to get Elena out of here if I want to figure out what the hell happened.

“We will discuss this further,” I grit out, and Markus’s lips barely twitch.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m taking some time off. Lucca is more than capable of stepping up.”

I want to strangle Markus right now, but that’s not going to happen, not with Elena latching onto my arm like this.

“Call the car for me,” I order, wondering if it’s going to be my last one for a while.

Markus pulls his phone out and calls for the car. Grinding my teeth together, I give Markus a nod before turning all my attention to Elena.

“Let’s go.”

With Elena clinging onto me, I walk through the crowd as fast as I can manage without making her trip in her high heels. When we get to the exit, and no one is paying us any attention, I lean down to pick her up, so I can walk faster.

Her thin arms come around my neck and shoulder to pull me closer. Burying her face into my neck, she starts to cry, small sobs shaking her body in my hold. What the fuck happened in there? Fucking Markus dropping this vacation bomb on me had me distracted for a few minutes. I should kill him, but then I would have to find a permanent replacement for him, which would be even more annoying than finding a temporary one.

Just as I walk outside, Lucca pulls up the car. He jumps out and opens the back door for me. It’s not his normal job to be my driver, but I needed my best men with me tonight. Lucca is smart enough not to ask me any stupid questions. He simply watches me get into the backseat while holding Elena to my chest, before closing the door after us.

He gets back into the driver’s seat and pulls away from the venue.

That’s what I like most about Lucca, always so quiet, never second-guessing me, maybe he will be a great second, after all.

Another sob wracks through the small body in my lap, and my attention is drawn back to her. “Tell me what happened.” I try to keep my voice even and calm, but it’s hard to do when all I want to do is demand an answer. I’m not used to having to ask or decipher someone’s emotions.

“I just wanted to leave.”

“Don’t lie to me. Something happened. Tell me.”

“I stayed quiet like you told me to. I didn’t talk until he touched me. I only told him to leave, but he just laughed.”

My whole body tightens, every muscle in my limbs flexing, ready to kill someone. “Who touched you?” I grit out.

Instead of answering me, she continues rambling, “I don’t care if you punish me, you can do whatever you want to me, but don’t hurt Marie, please. I tried to listen to you, but he kept coming closer… and when his nails sunk into my skin…”

“Don’t worry about Marie, she’ll be fine.” It’s the guy who dared to touch Elena that’s already dead. “Tell me what this guy looked like.”

“I kept my eyes lowered on the ground. I didn’t see his face.” Fuck. “But I saw his hand. One of his fingers was tattooed with a crown on it. He also wore gold rings, and on his wrist was a red spider web…”

Lev. I know it’s him simply from the tattoo. He is fucking dead.

“I’m sorry…”

“There is nothing to be sorry about. You did great tonight.”