Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

First we went to Siracusa – Syracuse in English. It’s a seaport in the southeast.

Isabella was all excited. Syracuse is apparently one of the oldest cities in Sicily, with a history stretching back to the ancient Greeks.

We had a boring morning looking at ruins in a giant park, which Isabella couldn’t get enough of –

And then we went to Ortigia, where I was meeting Cat.

Ortigia was a small island off the coast of Syracuse, with a single bridge connecting it to the mainland. Though there were plenty of thousand-year-old buildings, it also had the feel of a beach resort town.

The west side of Ortigia looked out on a bay filled with sailboats.

Along the walkway bordering the water, restaurants served Aperol spritzes and massive seafood platters under shaded canopies.

One hotel even had a bayside sunning deck complete with a DJ spinning dance music.

The place was jammed with tourists and felt like a fucking party.

“Whoa,” Isabella said as she stared at the throngs of people.

I knew she was overwhelmed. Ortigia was by far the most crowded place we’d been in, even more than Cefalù.

“You alright?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” she reassured me.

“I love it,” Ludavica said. She was bobbing her head along to the DJ’s set.

“We can go someplace a little less jampacked,” I offered, ignoring the dirty look Ludavica gave me.

“No – I love the sailboats,” Isabella said as she stared out dreamily at the bay. “I’ve read about them all my life, but I’ve never seen one. Except in drawings in books.”

Jesus.

To live an entire life without ever seeing a sailboat – not even on TV –

It was hard for me to comprehend.

Me, the girls, and Paolo got a seat in a restaurant so Isabella could have a view of the bay. And we were out of the broiling summer sun, so that was a plus.

Paolo checked his phone.

“You got a text, boss. She’s at the Locanda dell’Ortigia,” he said, then held it out to me.

I read the rest of Cat’s message:

Locanda dell’Ortigia, Room 301. Meet you out front – the view is amazing!

I checked Google Maps on Paolo’s phone and saw the hotel was on the waterfront on the opposite side of the island.

“See you guys later,” I said as I gave Paolo back his phone.

“Enjoy your sex,” Ludavica taunted me.

Isabella tried to shush her but laughed in spite of herself.

“I will – thanks,” I said with a smile as I walked off.

I cut through the sandstone-colored buildings in the center of the island until I got to Ortigia’s eastern shore.

Things were a lot more subdued on this side. No tchotchke shops or tourist-packed restaurants. In fact, almost no restaurants at all, despite the wide-open view of the Mediterranean.

Most of the buildings were centuries old and had been renovated into hotels or living spaces, so there were only a few tourists here and there. Most of them were heading for the hotspots on the west side.

I walked along the sidewalk that bordered the Mediterranean.

To my left was a one-way street with cars parked on both sides of the road – probably local residents. There was hardly any traffic.

To my right was an iron railing that protected you from falling 20 feet into the water below.

I passed a couple of stairs leading down to the ‘beach,’ if you could call it that. It was mostly a bunch of giant, craggy rocks next to the ancient seawall that surrounded the entire island.

A ring of boulders farther out in the water formed a breakwater – enough that you could swim without getting tossed around by the waves.

I saw one guy swimming laps while a girl took selfies on one of the giant rocks.

Other than that, it was deserted.

As I was looking down at the water, I heard a voice.

“Hey, hot stuff!”

I looked and saw Caterina on the other side of the street.

I grinned and immediately started towards her –

“Wait, hold on,” she said, and crossed over to me instead.

We kissed by the iron railing, the waters of the Mediterranean lapping down below us.

Then she rested her head on my chest so she could look out at the view.

“Isn’t it beautiful here?” she murmured.

“It is.”

“We’ve got a window that looks out over the sea. It’s spectacular!”

“Let’s go up and see it,” I said, a seductive tone in my voice.

She grinned. “I wanted to look at it out here because I knew that as soon as we up to the room, you’ll have me naked and in bed in 30 seconds flat.”

“Probably true,” I admitted as I squeezed her ass.

After a few seconds of passionate kissing, she took my hand.

“Okay, enough of the view. I want to have sex,” she said as she led me across the street.

I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

And it wasn’t true – it didn’t take 30 seconds to get her naked and in bed.

It took 67.

I counted.

I was deep inside Cat and on my way to making her come the first time –

When I heard rapid knocking at the door.

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed.

“Was I too loud?” Caterina whispered, mortified. “It is the middle of the day…”

“You’re fine – WHO’S THERE?!” I yelled angrily.

I’d put out the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign, so if it was Room Service, I was going to kick somebody’s ass.

sorry to interrupt,” came Paolo’s muffled voice, “but we got

I pulled out of Cat and walked towards the door. “What’s

something

SHIT.

with visions of Don Vicari torturing me in his

even bother to put a robe

door a crack so I

WHAM!

into my

filled my

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

Paolo standing there with his revolver pointed in

the old, nervous,

eyes were cold

expression

there by the bed,” he commanded as he slammed the

screamed and pulled the sheet over her

the gun over towards her.

dropped from a scream to a

pointed at her, I calculated whether it was

could go off and Caterina could get hit

I decided not

because Paolo took a quick step back and aimed at me

any crazy ideas, asshole. Now

until I

down

luck,” he muttered, then

growled as I picked up my pants and stepped

same to you,” he joked, then glanced at Cat. “With a pipe like that, I can see why you keep coming after him like a crack whore.” He looked her up and down lecherously. “And why he

YOU FUCKING

asshole,” he interrupted. “I’m the one in

happened to Isabella?” I asked

laughed. “Nothin’. She’s still out there with that other chick,

Shit.

He’d tricked me…

never seen

finally realizing what

you could call it that. Though you’re gonna have to cough up a lot more than some two-bit drug

I cursed myself silently.

known Paolo was a traitor

thought he’d be a

myself be lulled into a sense of false security, thinking he’d

I had to admit, he never would have let this

he would’ve seen it

some cash,” Caterina said miserably as

while keeping

money and stuffed it in his pocket. “But

I snarled.

don’t, but that sister-in-law

Alessandra.

He means Alessandra.

me. Despite being caught off-guard, I

phone and call her,” Paolo

My uncle stole all

fuck did she pay me 50 large? And I’d watch who you call idiot, IDIOT, seein’ as I’m the one who’s got

paid you, not my sister-in-law,” I said. “Another

me, but somebody’s fuckin’ payin’ me. So here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna

“One MILLION?!” I shouted.

been stickin’ your dick all week.

you stop and think what he’s going to do to you once he realizes

first time,

what to do if I

automatically assumed I

a

played by a moron, said a voice in

off, I told the voice.

Paolo a second, but he

so you can’t walk, then call Don Vicari after

Vicari’s doin’ to Eliseo out in the

bitch in front of you while you

“What do you say about that, sugar

That was it.

That last part –

talking to Caterina

I fucking lost it.

acted on

honed by hundreds of hours training with

even if

Just me.

threw the

was heavy enough that when it slammed into

“WHA– ”

word out,

revolver

thing

only so he wouldn’t kill me, but so

clamped a hand against the revolver’s

hadn’t cocked

pull the trigger, the hammer wouldn’t be able to move

hammer couldn’t move, the gun

he was still disoriented by getting hit in

when I dropped down with all my weight pulling

slammed his elbow across my

CRACK as it bent in a direction Nature

in agony

by then I’d knocked the gun out of his hand. It went clattering

at my head with his

didn’t land a solid punch, but even

could use

couldn’t take the chance that anyone

had just tried

to rape the woman I

he was going to

a chokehold, he reached over his head, trying to grab at me

kicked his knees

His legs buckled –

SLAMMED his head

he stopped struggling for

of seconds was all I

into the

plunged his head into the

going on, he tried to

a knee in the

forced his

out as bubbles and a muffled

weight and stayed clear of his one good arm as it flailed

bent sickeningly at the elbow