Lies, Secrets & A Baby

Some say that Angels mourn for us when we are unable to weep our own tears.

When the pain becomes so overwhelming that we are afraid that if we let the tears fall, they will drown us in our aura of misery.

The air is thick with melancholy as if a heavy cloud of grief continuously hangs over the entire cemetery.

Death lingers in the air accompanied by the faint smell of rain, cheap perfume, and fresh roses.

I shut my black umbrella, letting it slip between my fingers, and I gaze up at the ominous sky as the tears of the Angels cascade down upon us.

It's a cold day.

The sort of day that drills deep into your bones, marking you forever as it licks and nips all over your frigid flesh.

Today, we lay to rest my dear sister, Rose, whose life was tragically cut short.

The coroner's report states she had alcohol and drugs in her system and that's what caused the car accident, killing her three hours later in the hospital.

But I know better.

I know that my sister was murdered and that someone at the Valentino residence had something to do with it.

Rose was no saint, but she never dared to play God with other people's lives on the road; meaning that she would never get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Don Alessandro Valentino is in the Mafia. He is the most feared man in our country, and I have a feeling many more.

Making his presence known as his henchmen guard every inch of the cemetery not only potentially puts us all in danger, but it also has everyone on edge.

Had it not been for the little girl standing steadfastly by his side, I would have boldly approached him and told him to leave-to fuck off.

Because he isn't welcome here.

The memories of him being, Roses' former flame linger in my thoughts like a haunting melody, ceasing my heart every time I steal a glance in his direction.

The little girl, adorned in a pristine dress with a pearl necklace delicately draped around her neck, is none other than my precious niece, Savannah.

She doesn't know who I am, and it kills me that I never got the chance to build a strong bond with her when Rose was alive.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I surreptitiously cast my gaze back to the front, away from him, and the mysterious raven-haired beauty hanging off his arm like a cheap knockoff purse.

The priest's solemn prayer comes to a close. The mourners step forward, each one placing a single, pristine white rose atop the casket of our beloved Rose.

"I am deeply sorry for the loss of your sister and daughter, Mr...."

The sound of a nasally feminine voice breaks my trance.

"Bishop," I sigh irritably.

Since Roses' passing, my father has not been able to string three words together, nor has he shed a tear.

He is nothing but an empty vessel and it scares me greatly

"Rose spoke highly of you, Ivy. She also mentioned how beautiful you were, and I must say that her description of your elegance has done no justice."

Sighing, I shift my gaze from Roses' coffin and I meet her chocolate brown gaze.

"I'm sorry. Who did you say you were again?" I try to keep the bitterness out of my voice because the last time Rose and I spoke, moments before she died, she warned me not to trust anyone affiliated with Don Valentino at the villa.

"My name is Sofia DeLuca, and I have taken it upon myself to be there for Savannah now that she is an orphan," Sofia responds in a voice that makes my skin crawl with venom.

"Savannah is not an orphan." I spit out bitterly.

As the mighty Don Valentino approaches us, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my grief-stricken eyes, I turn my back towards him.

Feeling like I am offering it to a predator, but the dire thought alone doesn't make me turn around to face him.

A prickle runs down my spine at his nearness, and I can feel him glaring at the back of my head, burning a hole in it.

"Mi dispiace for your loss." His words caress every inch of my body, licking the rage that simmers deep within me.

Curling my hands at my sides, "we don't want or need your condolences." I hiss over my shoulder. "Leave. Take your men and your cheap whore with you."

I grit my teeth, turning my attention to his henchmen standing by the entrance of the cemetery, their hands resting on their weapons strapped to their torsos.

The warmth of his body turns mine to jelly when he stands behind me, his lips a whisper away from the shell of my ear.

"Ivy Bishop." He hisses my name like it's pure filth sitting on the tip of his tongue. "You should know better than to speak to me in such a manner if you value your life."

Raising my chin, I straighten my spine. "You aren't welcome here, and if you had any respect for Rose at all, you would have stayed away."

I spin around on the spot to face him, losing my footing as my heel sinks into the soft soil; he lurches forward, hooking a strong arm around my torso, and pressing my front to his.

"It should have been you in the car. Not Rose!" The harsh words slip between my lips.

Heat explodes across my chest, then my palms as I try to push him off me, but it only coerces the devil himself to press me against his body more firmly.

He smells like sin, whiskey and cigars, making me dizzy with a forbidden lust that sets my skin ablaze.

One of his brows quirks upward. "Then I'd miss all the fun we are going to have. I know what you've been up to, Farfalla, and I'm here to warn you to stop."

Gulping, "and if I don't, are you going to kill me?"

"Not in the sense that you are thinking," he replies in a husky tone with an underlay of amusement.

"You don't scare me," I whimper, lying, continuing to struggle in his grasp. "Let me go..."

"Liar. You are playing a dangerous game, Ivy. I can feel you trembling beneath my fingertips. Just the way I like my women, at my mercy, bare beneath me like a perfect little doll."

"You're disgusting..."

Something flickers in his eyes, and he pulls me closer toward him, brushing his lips along my jawline.

"The second my lips touch yours, you will belong to me. Life as you know it will never be the same. All you have to do is ask me. Ask me to kiss you, Farfalla..." He taunts me, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. "You know you want me. I can smell it."

I raise my gaze to meet his as something inside me snaps, "get your filthy hands off me, or I swear to the Gods I will scream bloody murder, you arrogant son of a bitch." I snarl breathlessly with tears brimming my eyes.

Snickering, he releases me as if touching me suddenly burns him, and he holds his hand's mid-air, taking two steps back.

"Gladly, tesoro."

Alessandro continues to hold my gaze like he could kiss the hatred out of me, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think that he can achieve the impossible.

"You bastard..." I whisper, willing my pounding heart to slow down.

Looking over his shoulder with a sinister smirk playing on his lips. "Andiamo," he says harshly, waving his hand forward as he brushes past me with his cheap whore in hot pursuit.

And like a switch going off, I go back to feeling numb.

Vowing to find out the truth behind Roses' death and save Savannah from the Valentino Villa, regardless of what it may cost me eventually.

THE VERY NEXT DAY:

I gaze upon the grand villa where Don Valentino resides. Its towering iron gate fit for a king's fortress.

My hands clench the iron rods with a vice-like grip, making my knuckles turn a ghastly shade of white as I wait patiently for someone to show up and face me.

Seconds pass, then minutes, followed by hours.

And still, I refuse to leave until I speak with the great Don Valentino, that makes me shiver with fear every time, he is near.

I expel the weight of apprehension from my body as I watch one of Don Valentinos' men exit the villa and make his way toward me. Flicking the lower-right side of his jacket open, the man rests his hand on the gun that is attached to the holster, resting his forefinger on the trigger.

"What are you doing here, Miss. Ivy?" He growls in a thick Italian accent that would have sounded hot if he weren't working for the enemy.

"Well, since we are on a first-name basis, I'm going to assume that you know who I am, and why I am here?" I cannot control the tone of snarkiness that coats my words with affection.

A serious look masks his face as he takes a step back from the gate. "I do know why you are here. And it gives me great pleasure to tell you that Don Valentino has given me strict orders to inform you that you can turn around and go back to the swamps where you came from."

"To the swamps? Do I look like Fiona from the movie Shrek?" I hiss with disdain in a high-pitched tone, feeling quite offended by his choice of words.

"No, but you do smell like trouble, and we can't have you contaminating our air with it. Don Valentino has enough trouble on his hands as it is." He growls.

"But-"

"I suggest you leave before he sees you on the security camera and comes out to see you himself." He challenges me, cutting my sentence short with an exasperated sigh.

Everybody in this city knows that when you have been dismissed by Don Valentino, you leave without batting an eye.

That's unless you are willing to bear the repercussions, which could result in your death and the annihilation of your bloodline.

"Riccardo!" A familiar female voice disperses through the air, and Dip shit spins around to face the owner of the voice.

I suck on my upper teeth as I shift my gaze from Dip shit whom I now know is named Riccardo to... Sofia.

She walks towards us, running her forefinger along her gold chain necklace gracing her neckline. As her chocolate brown eyes meet my hazel irises, her blood-red coated lips pull back into a sinister smile.

"Mrs. DeLuca," Riccardo dips his head upon saying her name. "Miss Bish-"

"Ivy, dear..." Sofia purrs as she reaches the gate, ignoring Riccardo altogether. "And what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Dropping her hand from her neckline, she places her hands on her hips with one side of her mouth curling upwards.

"I've come here to speak with Don Valentino regarding Savannah," I begin. "Now that Rose has passed, Savannah is going to need all the family she has now, more than ever. It takes a whole village to raise a child and all that." I add.

Her eyes narrow into thin slits, "would you like to come in and see Savannah? I'm sure she would love to see you in return."

A wave of goosebumps rides every inch of my body, "seriously?" I reply, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

Maybe I judged her too soon.

"Of course, amore. I'm not a monster, and I think it is very courageous of you to show up like this, unannounced and ready to face the devil himself." Sofia coaxes.

"I don't think Don Valentino will share the same sentiments, Mrs. DeLuca," Riccardo interjects with a serious look on his face.

Sofia abruptly turns to the side to face Riccardo head-on, "you don't need to worry about Don Valentino, I will handle him when the time arouses. Now, open this gate and allow our guest access to the villa." She demands in an authoritative voice that makes me giggle on the inside.

Take that, Riccardo you Dip Shit!

"Si, Mrs. DeLuca," Riccardo responds, unlocking the gate at the same time, and he pulls one side wide open.

"Come on then, amore," Sofia hums gently as she turns on her heel and makes her way toward the villa.

As I approach the villa, following Sofia, my eyes fixate on the extravagant plants that surround the perimeter. Towering trees, miniature gardens, and menacing gargoyle statues stand guard on either side of the entrance, beckoning me to enter the lair of the rich and powerful.

Glancing behind me, I catch sight of Riccardo tailing me with his index finger poised on the trigger of his piece yet again. A sense of unease creeps up on me, causing me to quickly return my gaze ahead of me to conceal the fiery emotions that are brewing within me.

Sofia's unexpected display of courtesy has caught me off guard. She has granted me access to enter the villa without any fuss to see Savannah.

She leads me through the lobby of the villa and straight to the other end of the estate, through another door that takes us back outside.

"All right now, come along, little Savannah is just around the corner," Sofia says as she continues to briskly walk through the yard.

I quicken my pace to catch up with her. After all, the last thing I need is for Don Valentino to catch me in his backyard, alone.

"Oh, Savannah honey, can you come here per favore?" Sofia calls out in a singsong voice as she stops walking.

I, too, come to a standstill as I step beside her and allow my gaze to fall on Savannah, who is sitting on a blanket, playing with her dolls.

As she sets her dolls on the blanket, she gracefully rises to her feet, making sure the skirt of her dress remains below her kneecaps at all times.

"Buongiorno zia Sofia," Savannah says in Italian with a soft voice as she stands in front of us with her head dipped, and her hands clasped in front of her.

"Good morning to you too, tesoro," Sofia replies as she places her index finger under Savannahs' chin and tilts her head upward to meet her gaze. "There is someone here that wants to see you," Sofia drops her hand and lets it fall to her side as she uses her other hand to motion towards me.

Ever so slowly, and I swear it feels like time is slowing down, Savannah turns her head and the second our gazes collide, her eyes grow wide.

"Mamma?" She says in a trembling voice, battling not to leap forward and wrap her small arms around my waist.

Lowering myself onto one knee, I wipe the tears that are now falling down my face and I shake my head, "no, cupcake," my voice trembles, "I'm your Aunt Ivy, your mamma's sister."

I hold my arms out for her to run into them, but a dark shadow suddenly casts over us, causing Savannah to inhale sharply and step back from Sofia.

"What is the meaning of this, Sofia?" Don Valentino snarls in a deep voice that sends a current of arousal surging through me. "Why is Roses' sister here, on my property, without my approval?" He continues in a thick Italian accent.

He sounds pissed.

Like really pissed that if Sofia were to breathe wrongly, he would have her head on a stake.

"Ivy is Savannahs' famiglia, Don Valentino, and you of all people know how important it is to have famiglia close by," Sofia replies in a stern voice that fails to hide the slight tremor riding her words.

"I don't need you to tell me what is significant and what's not. You forget that you are a guest living under my roof, which means you must abide by my rules." Don Valentino snaps, not having a bar of Sofias' excuses for defying his demands.

"Perdonami, I will learn my place," Sofia says in a hushed voice as she holds her hand out for Savannah to take, and when Savannah places her hand in Sofias', Sofia leads her away.

"So much of you handling him, Sofia," I mutter as she saunters away, leaving me to face Don Valentino all on my own.

"Do you make it a habit to enter private property without permission?" His voice is cold and clipped.

Sighing, I rise to my full height and bravely, or just outright stupidly, I turn around to face him.

I hate that his presence is magnetic, and I can feel the pull from where he is standing, glaring at me with his hands tucked inside the pockets of his slacks.

I comb my fingers through my hair to mask my trembling body, then I meet his piercing, predatory, and gleaming gaze.

"Do you always make it a habit of confining Savannah within the gates of your fortress, so she is excluded from the real world and her family?" I bite back.

As our gazes continue to bore into one another, I can't shake the feeling that Don Valentino is an Italian God with intense eyes and a face that is carved from stone.

I doubt he's ever cracked a genuine smile, even when he's balls deep in some random bitch, shuddering as he comes.

He is domineering. Broody. Built like a damn brick wall, and he is scary as hell.

"You are not her famiglia." He snarls darkly, striking my heart where it hurts with his harsh words.

I close the distance between us, stopping beside him, the hard balls of our shoulders touching, while I turn my mouth toward his ear.

"Gods, you are a bigger jerk than I remember, Alessandro," I whisper his name, refusing to address him as Don Valentino, as he prefers. "I can't help but wonder what it was that Rose ever saw in you!"

"Rose was weak and couldn't control me, Farfalla." He chuckles with a sneer. "But she always knew her place, and that was on her knees in front of my fratello."

Clenching my jaw, I chuckle, mirroring his tone, and I raise my chin. "Is it because she couldn't control you, Alessandro, or is it because you simply lacked in..." Lowering my gaze to his cock, I scoff and shake my head. "It's okay. We don't expect every man to be a God between the sheets."

As the words leave my lips, a foul taste coats the inside of my mouth.

Because I know he can fuck.

Everyone knows Don Alessandro Valentino can fuck.

There have been articles printed in his honour by women with loose lips.

Raving about how he's the best that they've ever had.

The vein on his temple pulsates, showing me I've hit a nerve.

"I can certainly show you that I can fuck like a God, Farfalla. But you'd have to be willing to sit back and watch me with another woman. Because I don't have the stomach to personally fuck you." His upper lip curls into a snarl with disgust as his gaze slowly trails over my body.

"If only your mother could hear you now," I spit out, knowing how much of a mama's boy he was. "She'd be... so proud."

He leans in closer toward me, his lips softly grazing my ear, sending an icy chill down my spine and straight to my clit.

His scent I previously wanted to bathe in now smells sour.

"Si," he whispers in my ear. "I'm as holy as they come. And boy, do they come."

"You're fucking disgusting." I push past him, needing to get the hell out of here before I catch something. "And vile. You need God in your life." I add for good measure.

Unexpectedly, his fingers snake around my wrist like a tight vice, and I become paralysed with fear.

He jerks his arm back, causing me to stumble backward, two feet.

I collide with him, and he pulls me against his chest, pressing his forehead against mine.

His eyes dilate with a sense of desire to make me suffer beneath his touch.

And I'm almost intrigued to see what his touch would do to my body, which is currently humming to life in his proximity.

"Tell me, Farfalla, can your God breathe life back into you, if I steal it straight from the nectar of your delectable lips?" He asks me in a sinister tone that makes me shudder with unadulterated fear laced with arousal.

"Why don't you kiss me and find out for yourself?" I hiss, challenging him, knowing that I'd be the last person he would want to touch.

His hands grip the sides of my head, tilting it back, and then his lips devour mine.

His kiss is like pain-it demands to be felt.

So fucking much that it makes me weak in the knees.

He tastes like everything I need and despise, all at once.

His tongue forces its way into my mouth and I try to pull away, but he nips at my lower lip, eliciting a small whimper to depart my lips.

I kiss him back.

Aggressively.

I take all my hate and pour it into this despicable kiss.

Hoping he fucking chokes on it.

I bite his lip, hard, and his hands dive into my hair, fisting it. My scalp feels like it's on fire and I like fire.

He bites down on my lip this time, drawing blood with a low growl vibrating from his throat.

He pulls back, and I suck in a sharp breath, trying to clear my mind.

This is my fault. I should know better than to pull a tiger's tail if I didn't want to get bitten.

I challenged him, hoping he would back down, but he didn't.

His blue eyes roam my face. He lifts his hand, and I flinch. His face grows hard as stone.

"Looks like your God has forgotten all about you, Ivy Bishop." He growls with a smirk. "If I wanted to, I could have taken you right here on the lawn. Planting my seed deep within your womb, corrupting your needy body with the spawn of a devil."

Lifting my hand, I touch my swollen lips, glaring at him. "I think you have it all twisted, Alessandro. If I wanted you to fuck me, you would have. Because no matter whose blood thrums through my veins, you Valentino men are infamous for fucking anything with tits."

I giggle venomously, straightening my spine.

"Oh, and my God didn't forget about me. We both know you're incapable of killing me because all you see when you look at me is... Rose. This whole encounter was... Putrid. Just like your kiss." I huff, pushing past him again. "I'll see you around, Jackass," I add, marching towards the iron gates.