His to Own (Mafia Kingpins Book 1)

The drive out to the Bianche estate seems to take forever and by the time we finally reach it, I’m on the verge of losing my mind. Every emotion is assaulting me, threatening to tear me apart or push me straight over the edge of sanity. Because if anything happened to Alessia, I’m going to lose my shit.

Vin pulls up along the rear of the property just as my inside pocket starts vibrating. I reach inside for Alessia’s phone, pulling it out and checking the caller ID. She dropped it outside of the doctor’s office when Leo was shot and one of my men found it and brought it to me. Now, I swipe my finger across the screen and answer.

“Hello?”

“This is Dr. Durant and I’m calling about Alessia Rossi’s next appointment. Is she available?”

Next appointment? With a frown, my hand clutches the phone tighter. “This is Mr. Rossi. My wife isn’t here right now, but⁠—”

“Ah, congratulations, Mr. Rossi. You’re going to make an excellent father.”

Father? My heart stutters within my chest. “Ah, thank you,” I say, playing it off like I already knew. But, inside my world is spinning as I try to wrap my head around the idea.

“Well, I’m just calling to confirm Alessia’s next appointment and wanted to let you know that I have no problem making it a house call, per her request.”

My throat tightens with emotion. “Thank you. I’ll let her know.” I have to choke out those final words and after I hang up, I stare down at Alessia’s phone and feel something I haven’t felt since I was a boy. The threatening sting of tears.

“What’s going on?” Enzo asks from the back seat.

“Who was that?” Vin glances over at me from the driver’s seat and, for a moment, I can’t answer. Hell, I can barely breathe, much less form words. It feels like my throat is swollen and I have to force myself to speak.

“Alessia is pregnant,” I tell them. My voice is flat and a fear more powerful than I’ve ever known before fills me. It’s not just her life on the line anymore. Now an innocent baby is involved. Our baby.

“Oh, shit,” Vin says.

“Pregnant?” Angelo echoes from the backseat.

Getting control over my emotions once again, I nod. “We can’t let anything happen to her. Or, my baby. Our baby,” I correct myself. Holy hell—our baby. Alessia and I are having a baby!

“We won’t,” Enzo states firmly. “Don’t worry, Miceli. We’re going to get her away from Bianche.”

“Holy shit!” Angelo exclaims. “I’m going to be an uncle.”

And I’m going to be a father. It’s such a powerful thought and knowing I’m going to be in charge of that little life makes my heart swell.

“We’re all going to be uncles. Not just you, dummy,” Vin states.

“Yeah, but I’m going to be the fun uncle,” Angelo announces.

“Of course you will be,” Enzo says dryly. “You’ll be the one to get the poor kid into all sorts of trouble.”

“You bet I will,” Angelo says, completely unapologetic.

I can’t help but chuckle. My life is going to change in so many ways. Alessia has brought so much joy to my days. Days that used to be long and full of too much work. She’s taught me how to relax and play. How to loosen my tie, slip out of my suit jacket and realize there is more to life than running an empire.

Alessia has shown me what it feels like to love. And I love her and our unborn baby fiercely. So damn much that I refuse to let anything bad happen to them. The more I think about Rocco and what he’s done, the more angry I become. How fucking dare he take what belongs to me.

“Okay, we’re here,” Vin states. “Is everybody ready to do this?”

“I was born fucking ready.” Enzo smirks arrogantly.

The idea of Alessia being in that house, locked up with Bianche who could have done absolutely anything to her by now makes me livid. A red haze settles over my vision and I practically throw the car door off its hinges when I open it. I yank my gun out and feel invisible smoke pouring from my ears. The urge to torture and kill Bianche leaves me feeling a little unhinged, and my brothers must see that because they’re watching me closely. Vin lays a hand on my arm, halting me.

“Get it together, Miceli. Now isn’t the time to lose your shit.”

“I’m going to kill him,” I growl.

“Take it easy,” Enzo warns. “Otherwise, your ass is staying out here in the car.”

“Like hell it is,” I grit out, pulling free from Vin’s grip.

“Going on a bloody rampage is only going to put Alessia in further danger. Lock it down.” My gaze meets Vin’s and I know he has a valid point. He’s always been the wisest of the four of us. Five, if you count Carlotta, too.

After they talk me down, I pull in a deep breath and force a nod. “Let’s do this,” I say, keeping my expression neutral and my voice deceptively calm. We all walk over to the corner of the yard where we’re going to scale the fence. The plan is simple: access the yard, sneak past the guards and find Alessia. Of course, that’s the plan in its absolute basic, most simplistic terms.

Thanks to Archer, we now have a map of the mansion and since none of us have ever been invited over for a beer—shocker—these floor plans are priceless. Especially since the place is five stories with over fifty rooms to search. We’ve already determined that Alessia is most likely on the third floor—in the master suite. It pains me to admit it, but knowing what kind of scum Rocco is, it’s the first place we’re going to look. Even though I hope I’m wrong and she’s somewhere else, I’m going to listen to my gut: he has her tucked away in his bedroom.

“Wait for the camera,” Enzo reminds us, and we all watch, waiting until it moves and we’re momentarily in the clear.

“Up and over,” Angelo says, reaching for the wrought-iron bars. We all start climbing fast, keeping eyes on the nearby security camera, then round over the top of the spears and drop down on the soft grass below. Just as the camera begins to sweep back in our direction, we each duck out of sight behind a tree. We have a huge advantage because there are so many trees to use for cover as we make our way across the yard and up to the house. It’s a mini forest back here and I send up a silent prayer of thanks. Because right now, we need all the help we can get.

Dodging from tree to tree, getting closer and closer, we keep a lookout for guards and cameras. As soon as we reach the perimeter of the woods, we pause and take a moment to study the situation. Vin silently motions to the right and I look over to see a guard walking along the back of the house. There are several more cameras and we’re going to have to time this perfectly or get caught bringing the guard down.

Waiting, heart thundering in my ears, I time our attack on the guard along with the sweeping camera. Lifting my hand, I tick down the final seconds with my fingers, making sure the four of us are all on the same page.

Three…

Two…

One…

We burst out of the treeline and the surprised guard barely has time to react before I tackle him down hard. Enzo wraps a thick forearm around the man’s neck and squeezes until he passes out. My younger brother is more than just a businessman and he’s taken martial arts for years. If there’s a way to bring a man down quietly, he knows the maneuver. And that’s exactly what we need right now because we’re relying on stealth to get this job done. Without a second thought, I slit the guard’s throat.

Enzo and I drag the dead guard into the shadows of the large trees, making sure he’s out of sight. Meanwhile, Vin and Angelo are working the nearest window up with some kind of fancy tool. It’s small, compact and I’ll have to remember to ask Angelo where he got that toy. Knowing Ang, he probably slept with some hot CIA agent. No one gets around like my youngest brother but, God love him, he’s getting me into this house and that’s what I need right now.

Enzo and I hurry over, making sure to dodge the camera, and meet Vin and Angelo who have the window up now. We each climb through and, once I’m inside, I look around the dark room, letting my eyes adjust. According to the map Archer sent, we should be in the music room. When I spot a piano, I know that’s accurate. My heart does a funny, little lurch because listening to Alessia play for me every night these past few weeks has been one of my greatest joys. I’ve treasured every moment, every song, every melody that she’s played for me.

She’s going to play for me again, I vow. I’ll make sure of it.

Quietly stalking forward, I reach the closed door and listen for a moment. Since I don’t hear anything, I pull it open a crack and peer out. The hallway is deserted, but when I look to the right, I see the staircase we need that will take us straight up to the third floor. Then all we have to do is get down to Enzo’s master bedroom.

And I hope that’s where Alessia is. Otherwise, we have a damn big house to search and time is running out fast.