The Mafia Contract Series

I CLUB MAFIA t’s good to be back.

My private plane touches down on the small airfield close to the clubhouse, and I’m looking forward to catching up with my friends. When I travel here, I travel light and only four of my soldiers accompany me. Silvio has naturally stepped up as my consigliere and is much happier for it.

Nobody admired or cared for my uncle, and it was an easy transition to shift allegiance to me. I am one of them, after all, and have lived a cruel life alongside them under his leadership. Not now though. Now I’m in charge and it’s as fucking amazing as I always knew it was.

As I step into the waiting car to deliver us to the large fortress hiding in the wilderness, I lean back and close my eyes, loving that the madness has diminished in them. I can only give one person credit for that and thinking of Louisa safely at home in Seattle, heading back to work for her father, results in a peace I’m not accustomed to. It’s good knowing she is waiting for me. That I am not on my own anymore. I have a family, a good family who love one another and surprisingly include me in that. My future wife is strong, sexy and powerful and so beautiful it strikes me awestruck every time I look at her.

Now I have a business, a mafia business, and it’s up to me to make this life as safe as possible for all of us. So, here I am at Club Mafia, ready to touch base with my fellow dons and set in place the plan to guarantee our success.

The car stops short of the huge door that welcomes us inside and I sense the eyes of the guards watching from every lookout point. Angelo’s men, who are loyal to him, guard him like the king he is and as the door opens, I see his consigliere Roberto watching us approach warily.

Silvio murmurs, “Hasn’t he replaced that fucking dinosaur yet?”

I laugh softly. “He’s an old woman but a loyal one. Angelo appreciates his experience and goes easy on him because apparently, he’s clinging to life with his last finger.”

“Aren’t we all, sir?”

Silvio’s dry retort makes me laugh and as I step up and nod coolly to Roberto, I prepare myself for a reunion of the most welcome kind.

My men drop back and retreat to their own lookout positions, like a well-oiled operation that seems so natural.

I follow Roberto to the great hall where Angelo will be waiting. That at least is guaranteed, and I wonder who has made it here before me.

Roberto opens the door and announces in a hard voice, “Don V asquez, sir.”

As I head inside the room, two men turn and clap slowly as I approach, and for some strange reason, it moves me a lot.

Stepping into their hugs, I am pleased to see Angelo and Malik are as emotional as I am and as we hug as a group, Malik whispers, “Good job, Flynn.”

I nod because for some reason, I can’t form words and Angelo slaps me on the back. “Two down, three to go.”

We pull back and they regard me keenly as Angelo says with amusement, “I understand how you feel right now, Flynn, and it’s a good one.”

I nod. “The best.”

“And your angel?”

Malik looks curious and then laughs as my eyes light up and I can’t prevent the shit-eating grin from revealing my feelings regarding her. “Perfect in every way.”

Angelo nods and grins broadly. “I also know how that feels. I’m happy for you, brother.”

Malik groans. “Well, good for you, but some of us are still residing in hell and seeing the two of you wrapped in domestic bliss isn’t making it any easier.”

“Your time will come.” Angelo reaches down to a table beside him and hands me a crystal tumbler of whiskey and they raise their own in a toast. “To Club Mafia and the next stage of our plan.”

I glance around. “Where are the others?”

As if on cue, the door opens and Roberto shows in an enraged looking Beast and I share a guarded look with the others as he growls, “I need a drink.”

Angelo lifts another glass of whiskey from the tray and hands it to him, which lasts all of a second before Alessandro sighs, “I needed that.”

“What happened?” Malik’s eyes narrow and Alessandro sighs heavily. “This shit is getting to me.

The waiting is the hardest.”

I glance at Angelo because the two of them share the pain because whereas Winter is Angelo’s twin sister, for some reason during the short time they spent together, Alessandro fell deep and hard for the beautiful angel that is currently chained to Satan’s side. As I peer closer, I see the pain has deepened in Alessandro’s eyes and I’m worried for my friend.

Although he doesn’t live with the madness of mafia the same as the rest of us, he is still the heir apparent, and his grandfather has only allowed him to pursue his Hollywood dreams as a producer on the proviso he will succeed him as the head of the family when he dies.

Angelo says wearily, “Then you will be pleased to discover that phase three of our plan is already underway.”

We all grin because this is big news and Angelo looks at Malik and says smoothly, “Maybe you should explain where Ivan is.”

Our fifth member is missing, and it’s not a surprise when Malik says with a great deal of amusement in his voice, “I finally got a location on Massimo’s daughter. Her name is Charlotte Richmond, and she is currently locked away in her final year of finishing school deep in the English countryside.”

“Good work.” I’m impressed and Alessandro says urgently, “What’s the plan?”

Malik exchanges a dark look with Angelo, and I recognize the evil gleam in his eye as he laughs softly. “We begin a race of the darkest kind. I’m guessing Massimo will find out the same information as I did, if he hasn’t already and will be on his way to claim his lost daughter. It’s just lucky that our Bratva friend was already in the country, and we have sent him to collect.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Then what?” Alessandro is keen to act, and I feel so bad for him and yet relieved that he has yet to witness the suffering Winter is currently going through because I’m doubtful he would be able to hold back if they were in the same room together and our carefully laid plans would erupt in a bloodbath.

Malik says smoothly, “She is about to be kidnapped by a savage and we should spare a thought for the poor girl and the nightmare she is about to endure.”

This makes us laugh because Ivan’s nickname is well deserved. He is the only one of us who loves this life, revels in it and adores every sadistic moment of it. He loves to fight and the only man who can match him is our beast Alessandro and just thinking of the tattooed warrior heading Charlotte Richmond’s way makes me expel a breath and say with meaning, “The poor woman. Born to a madman and about to be kidnapped by one. I’m sorry for her.”

The others laugh and Angelo grins. “You would understand a lot about living with a madman. Tell us your story.”

As I fill them in on what happened to get us to this point Malik whistles slowly. “Good work, Flynn, I’m happy for you.”

I stare at him with interest. “How are things for you?”

The demons circle as Malik shrugs. “The same, but I will have my day. Have no fear of that.”

Alessandro interrupts.

“So, the plan. Finish your story.”

Malik nods. “Ivan removes Charlotte from life and keeps her hidden. We wait for Massimo to lose his shit when he can’t find her and then go to him with a deal.”

“We wait!” Alessandro’s face is like thunder and Angelo says quickly, “We wait until the time is right. We have come so far, Alessandro. We are not about to go charging in and ruin everything. These things take time, and your involvement is needed to set Winter free more than anyone’s.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Alessandro’s eyes flash with malevolence, mixed with impatience and I almost pity him when Angelo says darkly, “We need your grandfather and his army for this to work.”

As we all stare at Alessandro, the realization sinks in and I watch the defeat settle around him like an avenging angel claiming the soul who got away. He looks down and I wonder what’s running through his mind right now and as he lifts his face and looks around the group, I see a gritty determination that wasn’t there before.

“Consider it done.”

There are no words to offer to make this moment any better for him because we all know what Angelo has just asked. Gone is Alessandro’s freedom. His right to live a normal life. Now he must step up and return to his family. The most powerful Sicilian Mafia feared by every family in the world. Alessandro’s grandfather is the head of that and if he is going to grant us any favors, he will only accept a very good reason for that, and Alessandro is going to have to offer him the gift he has been waiting for.

His soul.