Page 3 of Wanton

The pile of bodies outside of the garage—all men I knew, all dead.

Domani Brambilla and Coda Passero, two of Rafe Valentino's enforcers.

Utter terror as a hand clamped down over my mouth from behind.

Fighting for my life as my captor dragged me toward an SUV outside the gates.

And then blessed darkness.

Maybe not so blessed, you fool. You've been kidnapped and chained to a bed. Nothing good has ever happened to a woman chained to a bed.

"Does he know about this?" a man rumbles from the other side of the door, anger seething in his dark tone. His deep voice is familiar. I've heard it somewhere before, but I don't know where or when. Tonight, possibly, though I don't think so. He doesn't sound like Coda, Domani, or Mattia.

"No. Given the circumstances, I thought it best to give him some time."

Another bolt of fear lances through me at the sound of the second man's voice. I've definitely heard it before. Right before I passed out.

Or did he drug me?

I don't remember.

But I remember him.Mattia Agostino, the Devil's right hand. If someone dies under order ofLa Cosa Nostrain this city, his boss gave the order. He's ruled over the city with an iron fist since he rose to power. He's ruthless and brutally efficient.

I think I'm going to live long enough to find out just how ruthless and brutal he can be. If I'm here, it's not by chance. His men took me for a reason.

"I should kill you and Domani for bringing her here," the first man growls to Mattia.

"We couldn't take her to him," Mattia says. "Think about it, Luca. Tommaso is dead, and Rafe left a pile of bodies on Emilio's doorstep. The first place he'll look for his daughter is with him. We're trying to stop a war, not start one."

My breath catches in my throat.

Dead. My grandfather is dead. I knew it, and yet it feels as if I'm learning it all over again. My heart twinges with some emotion, but I have no name for it. It isn't grief. Nor is it sorrow. I know exactly who and what Tommaso Genovese was. A monster.

It's hard to grieve what you loathe. But I think I feel sadness anyway.

"Porca troia," the angry man, Luca Valentino, growls. "Fine. I'll deal with her. But I'm doing it my way."

Deal with me? His way? Do I even want to know what his way is?

No, I quickly decide.No, I don't.

Luca may not be as infamous as his notorious brother, but he's stillmafioso. He's still a Valentino. And my grandfather may have been a monster, but I figure it takes one to know one, right? He hates—hatedthe Valentino family. My whole life, I've heard about the things they've done. The people they've killed. The crimes they've committed.

Rafe may lead the family, but Luca's behind every business deal they've ever made. He's just as ruthless as his brother. When Rafe wants something, Luca makes sure nothing stands in his way.

Dio. I have to get out of here.

I take a breath, trying to calm the way my heart pounds with anxiety. I quickly examine the chains, giving them an experimental tug. The hook over the bed doesn't even budge. It's tightly anchored. But there's enough chain for me to stand up from the bed if I'm careful about it.

Rolling carefully to my side, I wiggle my way to my feet. My head swims. Mattia definitely drugged me. If I ever get my hands on him….

Ugh! I want to punch him in the throat, though I doubt it'd do me any good. You'd think someone would have taught me self-defense, given the life I was born into, but I guess that was too much to ask.

I was just supposed to trust that my bodyguards would protect me. No one ever considered what would happen if they died. No one ever planned for the day my grandfather pulled everyone from their stations for his big move and failed to tell me I was unprotected. No one prepared me for the day I was captured. I don't think my grandfather even considered it a possibility. He was so convinced he'd win that he didn't consider what would happen to anyone else if he lost. I'm not sure he cared enough about me to think about it.

I was a paycheck and an alliance to him, nothing more. He had no affection for me. He protected me because it was expected of him. Because to do anything less would have been to show weakness. One thing Tommaso Genovese was not was weak.

"Domani and I will go fill him in," Mattia says outside the door. "He'll be able to deny involvement without violating the oath."