Undressed By The Mafia God

Val looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting together.

Carol’s voice softened. "Just... for your own peace of mind, leave the famiglia business to Marco, okay? But this world...is designed to take pieces of you."

The car moved smoothly through the traffic.

"Concentrate on being whole, Val. On being a woman with a life outside their wars. A wife because you choose to be. A mother."

Val’s eyes shone, but she blinked the tears back.

Carol kept her voice steady. "Let Marco carry the famiglia business.You carry Matteo. Carry yourself. That is enough. It should be enough."

Val nodded. She did not trust her voice, so she said nothing.

Back at the mansion, the members of the famiglia had begun to arrive. Cars lined the street beyond the gates, sleek black vehicles slipping into place one after another, delivering dangerous men.

Everyone knew why they had been summoned. They moved through the house and towards the back courtyard.

David Vitale was already on his knees. His wrists were bound behind him. A bandage wrapped around the empty sockets where his eyes had been, white cloth stained faintly through with red.

Massimo sat in a chair a few feet away, one ankle crossed over his knee, watching the gathering. On one side of him stood Veronica and on the other side stood Luca.

One by one, the men settled into silence. Once everyone arrived, Luca spoke up.

"I have always thought myself a man incapable of weakness," Luca began. His voice carried across the courtyard without strain. He stepped forward, moving towards David, who knelt in the centre of the courtyard with his wrists bound behind his back and Marco standing behind him. The rope hung from Marco’s hand.

Around them, the gathered members of the famiglia watched in silence. Luca stopped a few feet away from David.

"I was wrong," he continued. "I do have a weakness. My weakness can be exploited...I gather everyone here today to bear witness. I want you to announce to everyone," Luca said, his voice lowering, "and anyone who seems to want a piece of me, to come at me." He took another step. "Me."

Luca looked down at him. "Because if they make the mistake of coming at my family..." He paused directly in front of David and pulled out his gun. "They have signed their death warrants...I will not make the rest of their miserable lives worth living, and I sure as hell will not make their deaths dignified."

Luca’s gaze moved over the men gathered there. "My weakness is my strength...Do you understand that? My love for my family is not a door for enemies to walk through. It is the reason the door closes behind them and never opens again. I will go to the ends of the earth again and again. I will bargain with the keepers of hell if I must. I will empty every pocket of power I possess, and still find more, if that is what it takes to keep my family safe."

"This human stain..." Luca gestured towards David without looking away from the crowd. "And his sister thought themselves capable. They thought they could touch what is mine...They thought fear would make me careless." His smile was cold. "Never again." He looked down at David at last. The man breathed harshly, his head angled towards Luca’s voice.

"Never fucking again." Luca gave one nod.

The rope went around David’s neck. David stiffened, his body reacting. Marco pulled, controlled and pitiless. The rope tightened.

David’s breath broke. The courtyard watched as he struggled. His shoulders jerked. His fingers curled behind his back. His body fought.

Luca waited and watched for the moment before the end. The moment David’s body realised there would be no escape. The moment he embraced acceptance. The moment David would experience the desperate animal need for one more breath.

Once he saw David begin to give in to death. Only then did Luca lift the gun. He aimed at David’s head and fired.

David stilled instantly. Silence followed. Luca lowered the gun and looked down at the body. The satisfaction came as a rush, it felt exhilarating. David Vitale was dead.

At last.

Luca stepped closer, his voice carrying once more to every man present. "My Donna is no one’s toy." He looked over the crowd, making sure every face met his. "Send the message. Announce the message." His eyes returned to David’s body. "The next one that dares..." He sucked in a breath, then spat on David. "Will be finished."

He turned to Marco then. "Take him away and incinerate him." Luca turned towards his wife.

Veronica stood behind Massimo’s chair, one hand resting lightly over the other. Massimo sat like an old king satisfied with the lesson his bloodline had just taught.

Men remained gathered in careful silence, their faces turned towards Luca with fresh understanding. The message had landed.

Touch his family and death would not come quickly. Touch his Donna and even dignity would be denied at the grave.

Luca walked to Veronica. He stopped in front of her and took her hand. Luca lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed her ring.

Veronica’s smile warmed instantly. The meaning was clear enough to every one else. To Veronica, unfortunately, it was romantic. "Show-off..." she whispered.

Luca’s mouth curved against her fingers before he lowered her hand. "As long as they get the message."

"Oh, they got it."

His gaze stayed on hers. "Good."

Massimo rose then. He clapped Luca once on the back, a gesture heavy with approval, then turned towards the men.

Discussions formed around the courtyard. Luca had eyes only for his wife. He slipped a careful hand to the small of her back.

"We have a night planned," Luca said.

Veronica lifted a brow. "So you said. You have given me absolutely no information about it. I don’t even know what to wear."

"You always look perfect."

She gave him a flat look. "Luca."

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