Michael Bianchi

Hours Earlier

The phone on the table rings, pulling my attention away from the charts displayed on the computer about the new route to bring drugs into New York. The name "Bonnarro" flashes on the screen. I slide my finger across to answer.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I need you to do something for me," he says, and for the first time, I detect fear in his voice.

"What happened?"

"My daughter Hope was kidnapped on her way back from college, and Black was seriously injured. I'm being attacked at five casinos at the same time, and my team can’t handle the assaults and rescue Hope. I want you to take care of it."

Hope Bonnarro. The last time I saw her was at her fifteenth birthday party. I remember her nervousness as we danced and how many times she stepped on my feet—too many to count. That night, I asked for her hand in marriage. Bonnarro refused my request and all the others that followed over the years, turning Hope into the untouchable woman of the Bianchi Mafia. She is a crucial part of my plan to replace Andrew Bianchi and become the next Boss.

The opportunity I wanted landed right in my lap. I won’t lose the chance to get what I desire. I always get what I want, no matter how long it takes. Hope will be mine, as will the Boss’s chair.

"We can negotiate," I say, shutting off the computer and leaning back in the chair. "I’ll bring Hope back. What do I get in return?"

"What do you want?"

"Hope."

"You’re asking me to save my daughter! How dare you ask for her as a reward?" I hear something crash on the other end of the line and sigh.

"I thought you wanted her alive."

"I know you only need my approval to be accepted as the new Boss. She’ll be yours, and I’ll convince the other capos to support it. But Hope is not an option." I let out a dry chuckle at his proposal. Bartolomeu’s obsession with keeping Hope locked away in a glass jar only makes me want her more.

"I thought you wanted your daughter back. Time is ticking. I’ll only take this mission if she’s the reward."

The line goes silent for long seconds before things start crashing on the other end. Bartolomeu has never lost control. The fact that he's losing it now, imagining Hope as my wife, gives me a new peak of satisfaction.

I’ll have the girl denied to everyone—my sweet, untouchable woman.

"Don’t tell her. Let me give her the news."

"Swear on your blood, Bonnarro."

"I swear on blood and bone that Hope Bonnarro will be your wife if you bring her back."

"We have a deal."

"What do you need?" I can tell he’s holding back from yelling.

"Footage from the last time she was seen. You’ve got agents in Nevada’s security system—give me their contact and tell them they’re at my disposal. I’ll gather my team and we’ll rescue her."

"Promise you won’t tell her about the engagement. I’ll do that."

"As you wish."

I hang up and receive the info I requested by message while calling Daniel and Kai to come to me. I update them on the situation as one of my tech soldiers tracks the cars that chased Hope’s convoy. Black is also part of our team—Monster Quartet, as we’re known due to our codenames. I hope we won’t have trouble without him.

"Do you think Black survived?" Kai asks. "For Bonnarro to call us, Black might be dead."

"Or seriously injured." Daniel puts on his suit, covering the weapons in his holster. "He wouldn’t go down easily, but if he’s not going after his sister, and Steve can’t either, that means the situation in Vegas is worse than Bonnarro told us."

"I got it." Simon hands me a tablet with an escape route used by the kidnappers. "I tracked them through state security cameras. They switched cars three times. I got an image of one of their faces. Based on the route, I estimate they’re heading to Utah."

"Utah?" I frown, zooming out the map to see the possible route. "They’re fleeing Nevada and heading toward New York? Are they insane?"

"Doesn’t make sense." Kai scans the map, looking for answers. Then a name flashes before my eyes, and I have all of them.

"Boston. When did the new Boss from there visit Bartolomeu?" I ask Daniel.

"A month ago."

"They're from the Boston Mafia, and that’s where they’re heading. If they stay on I-70, they’ll end up in Richfield. Get ready."

"Yes, sir!"

"It’s been a while since the Boston Mafia clashed with us," Daniel says.

"Let’s remind them why they stayed hidden for years."

I grab my weapons and send nearby allies to provide support. I don’t know how many men we’ll find, but I’ll make sure they all end up dead after giving me answers. Hours later, when we arrive in Utah, I get a call from Bartolomeu saying Hope contacted him and gave a rough location. Simon cross-references the data, and we find where she is.

No one will touch Hope. I’ll be the only one to make her mine.

We arrive at the location. Armed men are in the open. The surrounding houses are locked. I can feel the fear that’s been inflicted on the families. We circle around the block. From the back, my team enters the houses, turning the locals into allies—or hostages.

Through the radio, Trent clears a house with a view of the residence where Hope is being held. I enter and head to the second floor. With binoculars, I spot the woman tied to a chair, hands bound behind her back and feet flat on the wooden floor. In front of her, a man is yelling with a gun pointed at her head. She stares him down with fierce green eyes, teeth clenched, ready to rip the flesh from his throat if given the chance.

Hope Bonnarro. Her eyes haunted my mind for years, clashing emotions battling inside. She was as easy to read as a sheet of paper. I never knew if she felt relief, happiness, or fear in my arms. On the night of her debutante ball, after the first song ended, she softly asked if we could dance again. Something about her stirred something in me, and I gave in.

I had already decided to propose a marriage agreement, but that small moment convinced me I truly wanted it. When she came of age, she’d belong only to me. I wanted to hear the reason behind the nervous blush on her cheeks, the anxiousness that made her step on my feet every second.

She’s been kept like Rapunzel locked in a tower, hidden away so no one could see how much the Bonnarro girl has grown into a stunning woman. Even tied up and more than thirty feet away, I can see the thickness of her thighs, her breasts straining against the buttons of her shirt.

Mine.

I’ll gut the bastard who dared to lay a hand on her.

"Are we going in?" Daniel, my right hand, asks.

I lower the binoculars and face my team.

Daniel Griffin, son of the consigliere, soon to take his father’s place, hands me the golden 9mm. I check the ammo before sliding it into the holster hidden under my jacket. Kai Lucian, son of the Underboss and the best sharpshooter in the Bianchi Mafia, positions his M4 Hell assault rifle at the window, finger on the trigger, ready to kill at my command.

"I could kill them all from here," Kai pops his gum.

"Not yet," I tell them. "We’ll wait for the soldiers to clear the entry. Then we storm in. The man’s got a gun to Hope’s head—don’t kill the bastard until I get my hands on him and teach him what happens when you mess with our women."

I clench my fist, adrenaline rushing through my veins, hungry for action and the blood of those who dared to challenge us. Declaring war is nothing new in our world—blow up a club, kill a soldier—we answer with violence. But when they dare to touch our women, they’re asking to be guests of honor in hell. The most exquisite torture awaits those who touch what’s ours.

"When Black finds out what they did to Hope," Kai adjusts and lights a cigarette, "he’ll want to wipe Boston off the map."

"What did Bonnarro offer you?" Daniel asks, eyeing me suspiciously. "It’s not like you to take on missions from other Capos. You only follow Andrew or your own will."

The Monster Quartet is an elite team led by me, Daniel, Kai, and Black. We only take my orders. I only accept missions from other Capos if they benefit my plans. I have my own army within the mafia and I won’t let it mix with Andrew’s. Everything is planned for the moment I take power.

"I’ll tell you later."

I’ll respect Bartolomeu’s wish not to announce the engagement for now. He made a blood oath over the phone and knows all my calls are recorded. Breaking the promise is asking to die.

I take promises seriously, as the future Boss of the Bianchi Mafia. I’m an honorable man. I’m just steps away from achieving my goals. Hope will be mine, and I’ll bring her home safely, sealing my deal. The news of our marriage will spread like wildfire, and the bastard who kidnapped her will run in fear of my wrath.