Claimed by the Enforcer: A Venturi Mafia Spin-off novel, page 2
“Are you alright, amore mio?”
“I’m okay.” I looked up at him and forced a smile. “Just worried about Mia and the baby.”
“I wish there was more that I could do for you.”
I smiled weakly, not having to fake that time as I sat up and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Just you being here is enough.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and held me close. I closed my eyes and said a little prayer for Mia and Elio.
Stefano gently nudged me awake and I jumped, surprised that I’d been able to fall asleep. I glanced up at him and he inclined his head toward the door. I followed his gaze to Sienna heading toward us. We all stood and hurried to meet her.
“Is...” I started and Sienna smiled.
“Mia and the baby are good. Everyone is good. They are out of the woods.”
My shoulders slumped as I blew out a breath of relief and sagged against Stefano’s chest. “Oh, thank God.”
“When can we see them?” my father asked.
“I can take you in now, just a couple at a time but only for a few minutes. We want to give them some time to recover and bond.”
“Of course. After you get to see them, why don’t I treat everyone to something to eat?” Stefano said, giving me a happy little squeeze.
“That sounds great. And so generous. Thank you.” I lifted up on my toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek.
“Why don’t I take you three first?” Sierra motioned to my father, Nic, and myself and I grinned excitedly.
“I’ll be back soon.” I squeezed Stefano’s hand.
“Take your time. It’s a big moment.” He gave me a reassuring nod and I beamed at him before letting go to follow the others.
After two turns and countless hospital room doors, we finally stopped in front of Mia’s room. My father knocked quietly, and we waited.
“Come in,” Teo called out quietly.
“Ciao,” I greeted them happily, leaning in to give Teo a hug and kissed his cheeks before doing the same to Mia. “How are you feeling?”
“Groggy, but so blessed.”
“The doctor gave her some pain meds to help after the c-section,” Teo explained.
“And this must be my grandson,” Papa said proudly as he gazed down at the tiny baby wrapped in Mia’s arms.
“Oh, he’s adorable,” I said in awe.
“Well done, brother,” Nic stepped up to shake Teo’s hand.
“Mia did all the hard work.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Nic teased.
Teo chuckled and cleared his throat, changing to a more official tone. “We would like to formally introduce you three to Elio Abramo Venturi.”
“Abramo,” I gasped and grinned at Mia. “You used your father’s name.”
“He was already getting our last name. We wanted to honor Mia’s family as well.” Teo radiated with pride.
“That is a good, strong name.” Papa never took his eyes off Elio.
“Can I hold him?” I asked timidly.
“Of course.” Mia smiled and she passed him to me carefully. “Just make sure to support the head.”
I cradled him in my arms and grinned down at my beautiful little nephew. “Ciao, Eli. I’m your zia.”
Chapter 3
Luca
The day after Mia had the baby, I volunteered to stay with her and Eli at the hospital while Teo went into the office to handle a few things since their son’s birth had been so unexpected.
Mia napped quietly in her hospital bed while Eli and I had some guy time together when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” I sat up in my seat, ready to defend them if it was anyone that wasn't welcome there.
Armando walked in with Mia's chart in hand, and I relaxed.
Mia stirred from her nap and smiled at her cousin. "Armon."
"Ciao, Mia. How are you feeling?"
"Not bad. Ready to sleep in my own bed."
“Where’d Teo run off to?”
“He had a couple of things to wrap up at the office that couldn’t wait. He’ll be back this evening to take us home.”
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here a couple more days."
"What? Teo said that it was all arranged with the hospital. That as long as we had you and Sienna at the compound to keep an eye on us…" Mia sighed in disappointment.
“Well, you know it’s customary for a woman to stay longer after a c-section. And the other doctor said that it should be okay for you to go home early under my care if everything looked good.”
“So, something isn’t good? Is it Elio? Is he okay?” Mia sat up straighter as if she was going to leap from the bed, but Armando’s soothing voice calmed her.
"Everything is fine. Some of the numbers from your blood tests aren't exactly where we want them to be, so we want to keep you an extra night or two as an overabundance of caution."
“After everything that had happened and all the attacks and challenges to get to this point, Teo just wanted us safe behind the walls of the compound.”
“Around an army of armed guards, I’m sure.” Armando smiled at Mia, and she nodded.
“He didn’t even want to leave me here alone for a few hours which is why poor Luca is stuck here when I’m sure he’d rather be anywhere else right now.”
“Nonsense,” I interjected. “There is nowhere I would rather be than protecting my donna and our future don, here.”
Mia smiled at me affectionately. She’d had a rough start of things in the Venturi family, but I was so glad that my friend had found someone who was such the perfect complement to him.
"I should probably call Teo and let him know. Are you good with Eli for a few more minutes?"
"Oh, yeah. We're just having some guy time. Isn't that right Eli?" I looked down at the tiny little baby in my arms and smiled. It was amazing to me how sweet and innocent we all started.
It didn't take long for a concerned Teo to walk through the hospital doors to be with his wife and son.
"Ciao, Teo."
"Ciao." He gave me a grateful nod before turning to Mia. “How are you doing?”
“I'm fine. I feel fine. Like I said on the phone, Armon said that they were keeping me out of an abundance of caution. I promise there's nothing to worry about."
“I still feel better being here with you. Speaking of,” Teo turned from Mia to me. “I wanted to see if you would mind going by the office and wrapping up a few things for me. I left before I was able to finish but it's mainly just a few calls and emails. I can forward you a digital copy of my agenda.” Teo pulled out his phone and tried to wake the screen, but it didn't work. “Phone must have died. I'll plug it up and forward you a copy as soon as I can but there should still be a hard copy of my daily agenda on my desk.”
“You got it. It's not a problem at all. Is there anything else you need for me to do?”
“No. I think we're good.”
I stood and handed Eli to Mia before slapping Teo on the shoulder. “I’ll call you if there’s any issues at the office.”
“Thanks again.”
“It’s no problem.”
I drove straight over to the Venturi building. It was nearly empty after business hours as most people hurried home to be with their families.
I went to Teo’s office and made myself comfortable in his large, leather office chair, flipping open his daily agenda and jumped into the work that needed to be done. I was on a business call when there was a soft knock on the door that I could barely hear.
I glanced up to see Mira peeking into the office. I didn’t miss a beat, still talking on the phone as I held up a finger for her to wait.
"Si. Si, alright. I'll call you in the morning..." I hung up the phone and looked at Mira curiously. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for Teo. He was supposed to be bringing Mia and Elio home, but he never showed up, and he wasn't answering his phone."
"Armando ran more blood tests, some of Mia's numbers were off. She’s fine, but they are keeping her for a couple more days. He’s going to stay with her tonight and asked me to wrap up a few things."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." Mira sighed and started to turn away.
I tilted my head, studying her. There was a sadness in her eyes and in her tone that sparked my instinct to hunt down whoever was the cause and make sure it never happened again. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." She turned to walk away but I jumped up from my seat and rounded the desk before she reached the door.
"Bullshit.” I spun her around rougher than I’d meant to. “I know you better than that. What's wrong?"
She turned her face from me, gazing down at the floor. "I'm just feeling a little lost since I've been back."
"How could you be lost? You're back home with your family, where you belong."
"I know it sounds petty or selfish. I mean, Mia and Teo just had their baby. I’ve just gotten very used to being busy with school and helping Nic with the casino or flying back here with all the craziness that has happened over the past year, but things feel so normal now and here I am without school to keep me busy...I know it sounds stupid...”
My heart ached and all I wanted was to comfort her. I tipped her chin up toward me. “You feel adrift. It’s normal but it won’t last. You’ll start your big fancy law firm soon enough and with that nephew of yours coming home soon, I’m sure there will be more than enough for you to do.”
She looked hopeful but a shadow crossed her face. “You’re probably right.”
I let her go and took a step back to give her space, remembering that it wasn’t me that she wanted close to her anymore. Images of her in that Sicilian’s arms at the hospital sent a flare of anger coursing through me. “I’m surprised that you aren’t enjoying the downtime with your new boytoy.” Even though I knew that I had no right to feel jealous, I couldn’t help the bite in what I’d attempted to be a joking tone.
“My what?”
“You know, your family obligation. That Sicilian prick you brought back with you.”
“You mean Stefano? He’s not just some family obligation.”
I scoffed in disbelief. “You mean you’re actually dating him?”
“Yes and he’s great.” The realization was like a knife to the gut, but I couldn’t let her see that.
My eyebrow quirked and I let out a quick, dry laugh. “Spent all that time in Las Vegas with Nic and your poker face is still shit.”
“I’m not lying. Stefano and I started out as a way to placate our fathers, but we hit it off. He’s actually a really nice guy. He’s smart, and successful...”
“Sounds like a great job application,” I said flatly. “But I know what it is that you really need from a man.”
Mira laughed and it only made me angry. “You? You think you know what I need?”
I stepped closer, towering over her, not to intimidate her, but to remind her of the power and electricity that we had when we were close. Her breathing hitched as she began to draw in ragged breaths, and I was glad to see that I could still affect her.
Mira took a step back, but I followed, backing her up until she was pressed against the wall with nowhere to go.
I smiled a wolfish grin and leaned in, resting my arm over her head. I let my body pin her in and brought my mouth close to her ear. My voice was a low growl when I finally spoke. “I know exactly what you need.”
“Luca.” Mira’s tone was a warning.
“Don’t tell me that you’ve already forgotten our time together.”
“Of course not. But I also haven’t forgotten that you called sleeping with me a mistake and said that we could never be together.” The memory pained me.
“That doesn’t stop me from wanting you.” I leaned in, needing to feel that connection to her again, even if it was wrong, even if it meant betraying Teo. I just needed to be near her.
I pressed my lips to hers and God help me, her body responded instantly as her lips parted, granting me access to her mouth.
More. My body growled and ached to touch her. I let my hands roam down the curves of her breasts, along the slender curve of her waist, pulling her harder against my body before palming her bare thighs and drawing my hands up, underneath the smooth fabric of her skirt.
She reached up to run her fingers through my hair when she suddenly froze.
“Stop.” She jolted back, shoving me away and I stumbled slightly before regaining my balance from the unexpected force.
“Mira.”
“We can’t.”
I felt her slipping through my fingers and I was desperate to hold on to her anyway that I could. Deep down, I knew we couldn’t be together but that didn’t change the way I felt. "We can. It can be our little secret."
"You made it crystal clear that we couldn’t be together and that sleeping together was a mistake."
"Because I don't want to upset Teo, but I've realized that I can't just not be with you ever again."
"I won't be your dirty little secret besides, what about Stefano?"
"I don't like seeing you with another man." I growled and closed in on her again, but she shoved me back.
"I’ve moved on.” Her words were like a slap in the face.
I chuckled bitterly. “Moved on? With Costa? You forget, Mira, I know you well and I know that you’ll never be happy with Stefano.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I lunged forward, pinning Mira to the wall and she gasped. I didn’t make a move to kiss her again. I ran the tip of my nose up her neck and jaw, making her breath hitch, and her body shuddered at my breath against her skin.
“You need passion, excitement, and heat. When we were together, it was like an all-consuming fire.”
“Yeah, and I’m the one who got burned.” She shoved me back angrily, but I was ready that time and barely budged.
I let out a harsh chuckle. “Well, dolcezza, you won’t have to worry about that with Costa. He seems perfectly safe. There’s not even a spark between the two of you.”
“Stefano and I have plenty of spark between us. In fact, when we’re together, it’s explosive. Nothing compared to our encounter.”
“I remember you exploding pretty thoroughly while wrapped around me when we were together.” I leaned in to whisper and she shuddered again. The fact that I could still get her going like that fed my urge to push her further.
“It was a mistake.”
“You didn’t seem to think it was a mistake at the time.”
“We’d been drinking, partying at the reception. I just got caught up in the moment. That’s it. It meant nothing. You made that very clear.”
“Don’t say that. What we have—”
“Whatever we had is over. Don’t act like I didn’t fight for you. Like I didn’t pour my heart out to you, but you said that we couldn’t be together. You said that my brother and your loyalty to the family comes first. What happened to not being able to betray him?”
“I—” I started but the words died in my mouth.
“Tell me this. What’s changed from that night? Other than the fact that I’m dating someone new, what has changed?”
“Nothing.” My whole body deflated at the realization that she was right, but it didn’t change the desire I’d held onto for so long. I’d fought it for years but one taste at Teo’s reception was all it took for me to lose my self-control.
“Exactly. So, who I date is none of your concern.”
“But you can’t seriously be interested in someone like Costa.”
“Let me go, Luca.” She shoved me back enough to free herself and walked toward the door without another word.
Panic filled me as she walked away, slipping away for what I feared to be the last time. “Tell me. You can’t be serious about him.” My voice rose in desperation as Mira walked away.
Chapter 4
Mira
The moment that I reached my car, the dam holding back my tears broke, sending tears flooding down my face. I quickly unlocked my car door and jumped inside, barely managing to stifle the sobs long enough to shut my door so no one would hear me.
I was a Venturi and while I was away at Harvard that might not have meant much to most people, back in my hometown, we were almost like some modern royal family. If I'd burst into tears back in Cambridge, the worst to happen would be glances from a few passers-byers but at home, it was possible that I could end up in a newspaper or tabloid.
