Chapter 6

Alessio

 He steps back, shuts the door behind him, and I turn to my brothers, "What the hell are you guys doing here ?"

"Someone’s pissed,"Fabian murmurs.

"Think big brother, here, isn’t getting enough?" Alessandro smirks.

“Maybe he isn’t satisfied enough with what he has ?After all ,quality over quantity ,isn’t that what they say ,” Fabien said as he precedes the other one further into the room.I stared at the three of them prowling around my space.Alessandro lowers himself into a chair and props his feet on the coffee table,Fabian sinks into a couch ,

“I thought you were suppose to be in London ?” Fabian jerks his chin at me ,

“I was ,”

“Is it because of a woman you had to return so urgently ?”

I hold his gaze and didn’t say anything else .

“I knew it !” Alessandro exclaimed .”It always have to be lady who pus him in such a scrappy mood”

“Well it  not only my  mood which  is going to be in scrappy mood soon” I bashed  out .

I hold his gaze, don’t say anything else.

"Knew it," Fabien crows. "It has to be a woman who’s put him in such a filthy mood."

"It’s not only my mood which is going to be filthy soon," I growl."What the hell are you two doing here, anyway?"

“Always demanding questions from his brothers “ Alessandro smirks

“Shut up “ I scold while as I rub my face.

Of course, I always have to .  I walk over to stand over the two  of them. Carlos  follows me. "Get your foot off the table, Sandro," I growl at my youngest brother.

"Seriously?" He grimaces, "What’s wrong with where my foot is?

"Want me to show you?" I pull my pocket knife from my belt, flip it over in my hand. I glare at him, and he grimaces.

"You’re such a kill joy , Ales ." Xander lowers his foot to the floor anyway.

"You called us ?" Alessandro  straightens in his seat. "It has to be something serious that had you summoning all of us here."

Oh bloody hell . I can’t believe I forgot about that. Shows just how much she’s addled my mind that I can’t recollect half the orders I’ve issued in the last few days. I glance between them, "Can’t I ask my own brothers to join me? After all, we are a family, aren’t we?"

"We met just before you went to London, so I take it there have been developments?" Alessandro  tips his chin up at me.

"You could say that." I rake my fingers through my hair, then survey them, "I’m getting married."

"Married?" Fabian  slowly bats his eyelids, then bursts out laughing,"Che cazzo?"He snickers, "You sure have a strange sense of humor,Michelangelo."

"I hate that name," I say through gritted teeth, "and what’s wrong with my getting married?"

"Everything." He tries to school his features into some semblance of seriousness, then bursts out laughing. Again.

"And here I thought Fabian would be the first to get married, considering he's had a lifelong crush on Theresa." Alessandro leans forward on the balls of his feet.

"Hey," Fabian  protests, "I don’t have a crush on her."

"Oh, please," Carlos  scoffs, "whenever you see her you go all googly-eyed."

"Googly-eyed?" Fabian putters, "What does that even mean?"

"Why is it that the two of you still squabble like you are ten?" I rub the back of my neck.

"Guess they never learn to  grow up, unlike you," Alessandro  smirks, "though I can't help but think that London’s polluted air got to you. Maybe that's why you decided to get married?"

"You may have a point, " Carlos turns to Alessandro . "Think we need to call the doctor to have him tested out ?"

"Fuck off,testa di cazzo," I growl.

"Oooh," Carlos  mock shivers, "I am so afraid."

"I am your Capo," I say mildly, "better show me some respect, or I’ll be asking for your pinky finger next."

"Sometimes," Fabien sighs, "you sound like an actor from a bad Hollywood Mafia movie."

"Too sad ,I don’t watch movies."

Alessandro  pretends to do a double take. "Next you’ll be telling me that you are in love."

I laugh, "Good one." I smirk. "I see you’ve been polishing up your comedic skills."

"And you’re going to have to polish up your role as a husband."

"Only until I get an heir." I raise a shoulder.

"Surely, there are fringe benefits," Fabien murmurs. "Who’s the lucky woman, by the way?"

"Someone none of you know."

"Fantastico." Alessandro  rubs his hands, "Is she so beautiful that you don’t want us to meet her before the wedding?"

"Yes, she is, and no, that’s not the reason I don’t want you to meet her before the big day. It’s purely because she is currently unaware that’s the plan I have in store for her."

"So, you what, kidnapped your bride ?" He fixes me with his shrewd gaze, "What else are you not telling us, Alessio?"

"I am telling you everything you need to know at this stage."

"You know that, as your lawyer, I do need to know everything, if I am supposed to help you on this in the future.”

"And what makes you think I will be needing your help on this?"

He laughs, "You and I both know that almost everything you do needs my expert touch to steer it along at some point."

"Don’t remind me." I scowl.

"Not that I am not grateful for it."

"You better be." I glower at all three of my younger siblings, "It’s why I gave you three roles in which you didn’t have to get your hands dirty." Fabien my lawyer, Carlos takes care of our finances, and Alessandro? He’s the artist among us. My youngest brother—he's younger than Fabien by two minutes, has the softest heart, the face of a fallen angel, and the talent of a Renaissance artist.

The joke among us growing up had been that he should have been called Michaelangelo, not me—the oldest, the most cynical brother, on whom the responsibility falls to keep the family business going. One way or the other, though, all of us have our lives intertwined with the firm. Once you’re born into a Mafia family, really, there’s no way out, particularly for the males. Even if you are as prodigiously talented as Sandro, who paints masterpieces. We use his growing fame in the art world to identify potential new targets we can kidnap and hold for ransom in return, not for money—that would be too crass—but for influence, power, and the ability to infiltrate governments and those in the higher echelons of power. It had long ago ceased to be about wealth. Our focus now is to build up our network, to ensure we have the means to influence governments and heads of organizations.

"And I, for one, am grateful that I don’t need to be directly involved with the day-to-day business," Fabian murmurs.

"Enough to back me up in what I am going to say next?”

"Which is?"

"That you support my wedding and the consolidation with the other families that I am aiming for."

"But that’s not the only reason you are marrying her, is it?"

Antonio and I exchange glances.Fabian has always been quick on the uptake. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s too smart a lawyer and very good at what he does, which is to ensure that my men don’t land in prison, I’d have him more involved in the strategizing and planning of our operations.