Reign of rapture, p.1
Reign of Rapture, page 1
Reign Of Rapture
Dark Reign Book Five
A.G. Kirkham
Copyright © 2021 by A.G. Kirkham
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Cover design by JS Designs Cover Art
Editing: Linda Ingmanson
Contents
Dark Reign Families
Prologue
1. The Meeting
2. Respect
3. Christ, She Said Yes
4. Creating a Future
5. Monsters in Suits
6. In All Ways
7. Honeymoon
8. Mad Bikini Moment
9. Bruises Don’t Make a Man
10. Bedpans and Mafia Men
11. The Animal Returns
12. Friendships
13. I Love You
14. Mommy’s Home
15. Bloodline
16. Heart to Heart
17. Not What It Seems
18. Dinner Companions
19. The Takedown
20. Scotch Neat
21. Home Again
22. Family
23. Let Me Go
Playlist
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by A.G. Kirkham
Dark Reign Families
La Famiglia
Marco (Capo) & Gloria Moretti
Son: Nero
Daughter: Grazia
* * *
Nero (Future Capo) & Felicia Moretti
Children: Antonio Luciano (Consigliere) & Grazia Donatelli
Nero’s Parents: Marco & Gloria MorettiLuciano’s Parents: Paolo (deceased) & Francesca Donatelli
Felicia’s Parents: Mario & Teresa BianchiGrazia’s Parents: Marco & Gloria Moretti
Nero’s Sibling: Grazia MorettiGrazia’s Sibling: Nero Moretti
Felicia’s Sibling: Emiliano BianchiLuciano’s Sibling: Cara Donatelli
* * *
Nostra Casa
Moreno (Capo) & Anna Viale
Children: Samuele, Simona (twins)
Reno’s Parents: Giovanni & Clara Viale (both deceased)
Anna’s Parents: Franco & Angela Corelli
Reno’s Siblings: Sebastian Viale, Dante Viale
Anna’s Sibling: Giorgio Corelli (married to Sara and they have a child Franco Jr.)
* * *
Sebastian (Consigliere) & Olivia VialeDante Viale (Consigliere)
Sebastian’s Parents: Giovanni Viale & Magdalena DeLupa (both deceased)
Olivia’s Parents:Orlando & Diane (deceased) Micelli
Sebastian’s Siblings: Reno Viale, Dante Viale
* * *
Leonardo Conte (Underboss) & Lucia Ferrante
Leo’s Parents: Martina Conte, father unnamed
Lucia’s Parents: Giuseppe & Natalina (deceased) Ferrante
Siblings: None
Prologue
Leo
Reno’s lost his mind. I’ve tried twice to talk him out of it since that day he sprang my impending union with Lucia Ferrante on me. Today, we’re on our way to speak with Giuseppe before inviting Lucia into our conversation. Reno sits beside me like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Sebastian’s driving and keeps peering into the rearview mirror at me, probably wondering if I’m going to lose my shit.
Dante’s sitting up front next to Sebastian, his expression of relief clearly showing. He totally freaked in Reno’s office that day. Reno’s given him a year to sow his wild oats and make a decision. Even I can see that Dante’s already made his choice. Something’s eating at him, and he’s not sharing. Right now, I’ve got enough of my own problems to deal with. My only hope is that Lucia refuses our match.
I’ve killed and tortured men. I’ve seen more blood than a person should have to in a lifetime, and one small woman is turning my guts inside out. My stomach’s clenched so tight, I can barely breathe. I feel like I’ve got to give this one last shot.
“Reno, this isn’t a good idea,” I say in a low voice. He turns his head from the window and aims his gaze in my direction.
“You can refuse me.” The fucking asshole knows I won’t go against direct orders from my capo, even if he’s my best friend.
“Asshole,” I mumble under my breath, to which he replies with a crooked grin.
“She’s a beautiful woman. Any man would consider himself lucky to marry her. She’s intelligent. She’s a registered nurse, specializing in ER surgery. Lucia will make a wonderful mother if how she cared for her mother is any indication. Her father knows your reputation and respects your place in Nostra Casa.” He pauses and blows out a gust of air, finally relenting. “If you want out, then we stop the car right now and turn around.”
This pang in my stomach is supposed to go away, but it’s only getting worse.
“She won’t be alone for long. You saw the way those men were looking at her at the casino,” Sebastian says. “I’m actually surprised as shit she hasn’t already been promised. Fernando was panting like a rabid dog when she walked past him.”
“He’ll need a lot of work to be the underboss Nostra Casa expects,” Dante says. He looks to the back seat and continues, “Maybe you can do the man a solid since he’s giving you your freedom, and you and Giuseppe can train him.”
The more they talk, the more I want to ram my fist down their throats. Imagining Lucia with another man is making me sick. Even in her modest dress that night at the casino, her ass and tits were hard to miss. Especially that ass. What’s worse, for the past week, she’s haunted my thoughts. I dream of her dark hair spread out over my pillow. I’m in the shower and get myself off picturing her rosy lips wrapped around my cock.
Christ, this is an impossible situation.
“In life, you have choices, Leo. You can either let destiny lead you and decide your fate, or you can create the destiny you deserve. You’re the man who’s never shied away from a challenge. If nothing else, consider this your greatest achievement.” Reno’s letting me choose. I can walk away right now and watch another man claim Lucia as his wife. That would tear me up, and I’m not sure why. Maybe because she would be the one pure thing I’d have. But can she deal with a man with a tainted past and black heart?
“Lucia has the right to back out, without repercussions.” My gaze pierces Reno’s. He nods with a sly smile resting obnoxiously on his face. It will destroy me, but I will let her go.
One
The Meeting
Leo
Most Nostra Casa underbosses show their wealth by the size of their homes, their luxury cars, and lavish purchases, but not Giuseppe Ferrante. His home is modest in comparison. A lovely ranch-style bungalow, with a wrap-around porch, it’s significantly larger than the norm, but it’s not filled with spectacular art, fountains, or gold trim.
Giuseppe has never come across as pompous, nor has he ever spoken down to me or any of his men that I know of. He holds a prominent place of distinction by running a large territory and can easily afford a castle for his queen. Natalina was his queen, his everything “good,” he would say. He speaks of his wife lovingly, and his voice quivers with emotion even six months after her death. Natalina fought her battle with cancer valiantly. It started years ago in her breasts, and just when they thought they had it beat, it returned with a vengeance to claim her life. She was the love of Giuseppe’s life, and they never hid it.
When their daughter arrived, it was nothing less than a miracle. Natalina was told she couldn’t have children, and after several miscarriages, they stopped trying. So to say that Lucia was a gift is the greatest understatement ever made. Lucia made their house a home and created the family they yearned for. Their home was complete until one day it wasn’t, and it was Lucia who cared for her parents, especially her mother, without a moment of hesitation. And now she cares for her father in his grief, guiding him back to the land of the living with her soft touch.
Perhaps it’s her nursing training, or she might have the magic touch, because it seems that everyone is drawn to her, entranced by the light of her burning flame.
Even me.
And here I am, in Giuseppe’s study, wondering how the fuck I can fit into a home made of love when I’ve always been alone. I loved one woman, my mother. A child is supposed to love their mom, and a mom is supposed to unconditionally love you back. Not mine, though. She was a whore working at the clubs for Reno’s father. He frequented my mother’s bed many a time, and he was demon spawn. He made me watch as he fucked my mother. I was five. Didn’t know why then, but as I grew older, I knew it was meant to hurt and insult me. He would bring Reno, beaten to shit half the time, with him to the whorehouses. That’s where Reno and I met, where we bonded, and where we vowed we’d protect each other.
We’re brothers in every sense of the word except blood. Through the years, Reno has entrusted me with looking after the most precious people in his life. First, Sebastian and Dante, and easing them into Nostra Casa. The brothers were yet another fuckup by his father. He got a young girl pregnant and forced her to run away to save her sons. Once he learned that she disappeared, I’m sure his hope was that they would perish and never be heard from again. When Sebastian and Dante’s mother died, Risk found and cared for them, treated them as his own, until he found a way to reconnect them with Reno.
My mother a whore, my father an addict who didn’t make it to his thirtieth birthday, and here I sit, Leonardo Conte, with the greatest men in Nostra Casa, sipping espresso.
A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts. An elegant Lucia Ferrante enters with a tray in hand. She sets it on the low table before me. Her long dark hair is a blanket of silk cascading down her back, and as she bends at the waist, I get a full view of her curves. She’s all woman. Hips, ass, and tits, all wrapped up in a tiny five-foot-four-inch package that’ll drop you to your knees when she shines that golden smile your way, like she is right now at me.
“Mr. Conte,” she says, her natural voice low and husky, and I swear to God, it beckons like a mermaid’s song. I follow her eyes to the homemade tiramisu she’s plated and is holding out to me. As I reach for the plate, I notice the man size of my hand in comparison to her much smaller one. My dark skin compared to her olive glow. “I hope you like it. It seems to be Don Viale’s favorite.”
She straightens and goes to her father, placing a loving hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to be in the garden if you need anything,” she says, then bends to kiss his cheek. She gives us a wave before she shuts the door behind her. “Have a good day, gentlemen.”
“Take a bite.” Giuseppe indicates the plate I have in hand. “It’s the best you’ve ever tasted. I’d stake my life on it.”
Sebastian has all but inhaled his slice, and Dante is already eyeing mine. Reno is more tactful. “Take a bite. You like sweet things,” he says, and I know he’s not talking about the cake.
Not wishing to be rude, I take a bite of the creamy mixture of coffee and cream. The smooth combination explodes with flavor as it slides down my throat. “Do you like it, Leo?” Giuseppe asks. “It’s Lucia’s specialty. I think it’s because she made it so much for her mother. In the end, it was the only food we could coax her to eat. Even then, we could only get her to eat a few bites of tiramisu.”
“It’s delicious,” I manage to reply, looking into Giuseppe’s proud eyes. Yes, he loves his daughter. He’ll never agree to this marriage. Giuseppe knows me as a soldier, a fighter, a protector. I’m not a loving man. I don’t have a soft side, and if I do, I haven’t found it in my thirty-five years. The last time I showed love for someone was when I gave myself to Reno’s father as a soldier for my mother’s release. I was twelve, but that didn’t matter to the tyrant in charge. He took me on to break me. He wasn’t looking to build a stronger army. His intention was to turn me into my father. The very next day, my mother left without a word, and I haven’t seen her since.
Women are a weakness, so what the hell am I doing here?
“Giuseppe, we spoke last week about finding a suitable suitor for Lucia,” Reno says, bringing up the matter at hand.
“Yes, and you said you had someone in mind,” Giuseppe responds, nodding.
“I do. The man I’m thinking of is one of my strongest, most faithful men, and I have no doubt that he’ll treat your daughter with care and respect. Remember, I once said I would give your daughter to a man I would trust my own daughter with.” He waits for Giuseppe to nod. “Besides my own brothers, the only other man I trust so explicitly is Leo.”
Giuseppe’s eyes turn to me, searching my own. His gaze isn’t harsh, but penetrating, searching, like he’s trying to look deeper inside me. Little does he know that there’s nothing to see. Empty of emotional entanglements and never wanting to be tied down, I haven’t hidden who I am, where I come from, or what I’ve done.
“How do you feel about this?” he asks.
“I will do what’s best for Nostra Casa,” I tell him without missing a beat.
“That’s not what I asked, Leo.” I quirk a brow. He says, “I asked how you felt, not why you would want to marry Lucia.”
“Feel?” I say the word, and as it slithers out, I feel like I’m choking on it.
“Yes, feel. You know, happy, sad, mad. Pick one.” Giuseppe sits back in his chair.
“Pick one?”
“Or two, your choice.” He shrugs one shoulder.
I glance at Reno, who is zero help and is grinning like an idiot at my unease. Sebastian gives me the “go on, you can do it” look, and Dante gives me a curt nod, urging me to answer.
“Frankly, I’m confused. Is that a feeling?” I ask, then move on without waiting for prompting. “I’m a soldier and a leader. I’m not soft, and I’m not sweet, and I don’t have flowery words. I do have respect for you and what you’ve built, for your daughter and her dedication to her mother and you and Nostra Casa. I can’t promise hearts and flowers. I can promise to protect, respect, and care for her.”
Giuseppe turns to Reno. “You’re giving my daughter a piece of your family with Leo.”
“I am.” Reno nods in agreement.
“Then I will speak to Lucia,” Giuseppe says.
“Lucia should have the right to refuse. Reno promised me that should she choose not to proceed, there are no consequences,” I tell Giuseppe. I want it clear that this isn’t a death sentence for a girl who sees me as a monster.
“I appreciate that, Leo. Come for dinner this evening. Say around six,” Giuseppe says.
“Dinner?”
“Yes, it’s the meal at the end of the day,” Reno teases. I turn to give him a dirty look. Any other man wouldn’t be able to get away with that. Reno would make an example out of him, perhaps even kill him for eyeing him that way.
“I will speak to Lucia, and we can discuss this more then. Does that work for you?” Giuseppe stands, as do I.
“Yes, of course.” I take the hand he extends to me.
“You will make an excellent underboss, Leo.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Two
Respect
Lucia
I carry the mixed bouquet of flowers from the garden into the kitchen and reach for the vase tucked into the highest shelf in the cupboard. A useless effort, seeing that on my tiptoes I can only reach the lip of the shelf. I grab the edge of the counter and heft myself up, knocking my head on the corner of the cabinet door.
“Good grief,” I moan, rubbing the side of my head. Determined to get my vase, I get to my knees on the counter, and just as the vase is within my reach, two huge hands grab me at the waist and yank me off. I cry out in surprise, only to see Leo Conte staring down at me angrily.
Even when he’s pissed off, I find myself attracted to the man. I especially like that he let his hair grow back after his stint away a few years back. I overheard Dad talking about the sacrifice Leo was making by infiltrating the Bratva as one of their own to uncover a vicious plot to attack our territory. He had to shave his head, and they emblazoned their tattoo on him, but, as Leo is well known for his sacrifices, he did it all for the good of Nostra Casa and for Reno. A greater pain was having the tattoo removed and moving on like it was just another day on the job.
