The Devil's Little Angel

CALISTA.

The amber liquid in front of me was a mix of different alcohols, I drank it down in one burning shot.

Then I shifted the glass aside, joining the other five empty ones.

"Another" I slurred, banging my weak hand on the counter.

I met my reflection in the row of bottles. My eyes were puffy and my face was swollen.

I looked as I felt.

I had stood in the doorway of my fiance's home, frozen, blinking rapidly. Hoping that I was imagining the scene before me. But it was real. Matteo and my stepmother... Together. A tangled mess of limbs and moans.

Matteo flinched when he saw me, but instead of remorse and shame, annoyance flashed through his jade eyes. It was at that point that I knew I couldn't stomach this anymore.

It was at that point that everything snapped.

I didn't think, I acted. Matteo's gun was on the bedside table. I took it, cocked it, and aimed at his disgusting face.

"Don't you dare!" he had threatened, which only fueled my rage. My stepmother curled herself behind him, her eyes wide.

I wanted them both in hell.

I pulled the trigger and a bullet landed in Matteo's arm, drawing an agonizing scream from him, and then, like the coward I've been called my entire life, I ran.

I ran away from Matteo and the evil look on his face that promised to pay back; I ran away for the life of misery waiting for me at home.

I didn't stop until I was in our enemy territory-Chicago. This was the last place Matteo's hounds because of the man who ruled it.

I've never seen him once and I don't know what he looks like, but I've heard stories, and whispers about how he thrives in blood and war.

Romano Cappellucci. The Capo of Chicago Mafia. And the only man Matteo is dead scared of. It's why I ran here, because Matteo won't dare come, but his was also the easiest place I could get killed.

What a fool I am

I glanced around the bar I had wound up in. It was nearly empty, a good place for me to drop my head and cry, but so far, since I walked in on Matteo, not a drop of tears had slid down my face.

I have felt pain before-it was when my mother kissed my cheeks, and an hour later, I was staring at her corpse. Rejection, I've experienced that too, when my father told me I was worthless in front of our entire mob famiglia. I've known fear; I lived in it all my life.

This, however, is something I've never experienced; it's hollow, a feeling of nothingness, of emptiness, like my world had been put on hold.

I banged on the counter again. "Another shot"

The alcohol was good. The alcohol could numb my feelings for a while.

"I'll take another shot. Of everything you have." I shouted, my voice hoarse from all the drinking.

If God is merciful today, I might drink myself to death before Matteo and his hounds find me. How quickly can the liver burst from the intake of excessive alcohol? I hope it happens in under two hours.

A rich timber reverberated in the small bar. "Give the lady water."

That voice was like a ray of light in my darkness. I felt it down to my stomach, and that's not good. Voices are supposed to stop at the ears; why did this one make my stomach flutter?

I swiveled round, and if I thought his voice had shaken me, his face instantly put me under a spell. The man's eyes were the colour of whiskey; his face was glorious to look at. With a chiseled jawline and full lips. Brown hair and stubble that added to his rugged beauty.

The flutters in my stomach turned crazy. I forced my voice not to shake "And you are?"

Although I was mesmerized by his handsome features, he had no right to choose what I did and did not drink. I'm twenty-two fucking years old. I'm legal.

The man's eyes narrowed at the bartender who hastily rushed to get me water.

"Whatever issues it is you have, if you want to kill yourself with overdrinking, do it outside my bar." he sneered in an icy voice that made me shudder. The bartender placed a bottle of water in front of me, ducking his head to avoid the man's gaze.

What did I need water for? Water wouldn't ease the pain I felt. I needed strong liquor before I lost what was left of my sanity.

"Hey. I need alcohol, not water." I hollered at the bartender who paid me no heed.

Fine, whatever.

My legs shook as I stood up, willing myself not to cry. I'm not going to cry in front of this bar owner who ordered me to take my miserable life elsewhere.

I started walking with my head up high till I reached where he stood. His face was a mask of perfect boredom, muscular arms crossed, his biceps flexing as he watched me like a hawk.

"Fine. I'll take my sorry ass elsewhere." I retorted, looking him dead in the eye. I was made to walk past him when he called out to me.

"He doesn't deserve you." He said, his voice softer this time. My steps faltered.

"W..What?" Trepidation began creeping under my skin. Does he know who I am? This bar is under the protection of the Cappellucci family. If this bar owner finds out my identity, he would take me to his Capo and then...

This is stupid; I shouldn't have risked coming here; I should have stayed where it was safe.

The sensible option would be to bolt for the doors and escape while I could, but there was something about his gaze that pulled me closer and closer till I was standing mere inches from his giant frame.

"How did you know what was making me upset?" I asked, locking my eyes with his

He put his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His black shirt did little to hide his perfect abs. My breathing turned shallow as I drank in the sight of him.

The bar owner tilted his head. "I can tell," he stated. "If he did something that hurt you, leave him."

I sighed, pulling my lower lip into my mouth and chewing on it. "You're right. It's because of a man, but I can't leave. It's not that simple."

He studied me for a moment like he was reading my soul. His gaze felt like a soft caress. I wondered how his touch would be.

Jesus, Calista, get a grip on yourself.

"Why can't you leave him?" the man asked carefully.

My throat bobbed. That was something I couldn't reveal to anyone, least of all a man from the enemy territory. But the presence of this stranger provided a comfort I haven't felt since Mom's death.

And so, I did something that could cost me my life. One word to his Capo- Romano Cappellucci. The man who people talked about with fear and in hushed whispers, and my head would be delivered to Matteo in a box.

But regardless, I wanted to spill it out, to let go of the truth weighing me down; maybe then my heart could be at ease, even though for a short while.

And so, I told him

"I'm the bride of Matteo and the daughter of Vitale." I gulped and the man's nose flared.

He uncrossed his arm. "Lucas Vitale? Our longest time enemy?"

I didn't know how I managed to stand still when his eyes narrowed and darkened on me.

Something dangerous flashed in his face and then he growled. "You shouldn't have come here"

CALISTA.

I took a step back, and another, and another.

It was only when he growled that I realized that this man could kill me easily, snap my neck like a twig with his big hands.

"I mean no harm" I stuttered, the alcohol clearing from my head. "I'm not here to cause trouble"

My heart began pounding fast in fear, and I eyed the distance between me and the door. How fast could I run towards it to escape from here

The man with whiskey coloured eyes tilted his head, watching me the way a predator would watch a prey before killing it.

Cold shivers ran down my spine, and my fight or flight instinct was immediately activated. There was no way I could fight this hulk of a man, so the only sensible thing to do was to run

"The minute you step out of this bar-" he murmured as he stalked closer to me. My knees turned to jelly. I couldn't breathe.

And I didn't know if my breath was catching because of fear or something else

He stalked closer, sucking up all the air, and continued his threat "-You're going to meet a painful end"

My lungs burned, and a heavy weight sank on me. I opened my mouth to speak, but only a choked sound of apprehension came out.

Then I glanced at the windows and my stomach flipped. "You...you..." I pointed a finger at him, then out to the window where I could see the Cappellucci soldiers.

They're all black outfits gave them away, I knew without any sense of doubt that they were soldiers of the Chicago Mafia family, if they had the faintest hint that I was the only child of their enemy...

Acid churned in my stomach and I was about to vomit all over the floor.

They wouldn't just kill me, they'd make me suffer before giving me a horrible death. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have come to Chicago knowing this was enemy territory.

I cast pleading eyes on the man in front of me, not a flicker of emotion on his handsome face. "Please," I begged, my words shaking the same way my body was.

His head tilted again, watching me with that intensity that burned. "Why did you run from Matteo?"

My eyes burned hotter than the alcohol in my system did. "He slept with my stepmother and I ....I shot his arm"

The man's face didn't change, but for one quick second, disgust twisted his features.

He glanced out to the window, where we could see more soldiers patrolling the front of the bar.

I would fall to my knees and beg him if it meant to keep my identity secret. As much as I hated the life I was born into, I wasn't ready to die.

"Please" my words were nothing but a whisper. "Please, don't tell them. I had nowhere to run to that's why I came here"

The corner of his lips curled in a wicked smile. "We found three of Matteo's men this morning. They said they were in search of someone, but didn't mention who."

The half smile on his face twitched and his whiskey eyes gleamed with wicked delight. He prowled forward, I backward, till there was no space left to go.

The man, whose name I still didn't know took a strand of my hair and ran his fingers through it.

I shivered, not entirely out of fear

"How did Vitale and Matteo manage to keep you hidden for so long?" he questioned quietly, more to himself than me.

I should have stepped away, found some backdoor route to escape from. But the same spell that made me reveal my identity kept me glued in place.

"Can you help me?" I made my eyes wide. Imploring.

The man only let out a short dry laugh. "No one runs into Cappellucci territory and walks away." His whiskey eyes held mine without blinking. "And even if by some miracle you manage to escape the seven trained soldiers outside..."

A scream clawed at my throat, begging to be ripped free. There was no way I was leaving here unharmed, not without help

His fingers touched my hair softly, then trailed over to my cheek's and my stomach erupted.

My fear mixed with something else. Something that warmed my thighs and made my core ache.

"If you're able to take those soldiers down and leave Chicago, Matteo would still hunt you down and rip you to shreds"

The half smile turned into a dangerous smirk. "Seems to me that you're doomed anyway"

A tear spilled down my cheek and the man's eyes zeroed in on it. His thumb wiped away the tears with surprising gentleness. "Beautiful" he breathed and locked his gaze with mine. "No wonder Vitale hid you all those years."

I didn't know what he meant by that, and I didn't want to find out. What I wanted was to be safe. To be free.

"Help me" I begged.

From the look of things, this man was one of the soldiers. He could protect me from Matteo, if his Capo allows it

His smirk widened. "And if I do, what shall I get in return-"

"Calista" I supplied.

His breath turned uneven and he muttered to himself. "Calista"

"Help me" I repeated.

I didn't know how he could, given that helping me would be going against his Capo, and that could cost both our deaths.

He didn't answer for a beat. The silence stretched between us. "You can survive one way." He bent his head until his lips lined up with my ear.

"Become part of the Chicago familar."

My stomach dropped to my toes. "There's only one way for that to happen."

I wasn't breathing anymore. Did this man know what he was saying?

"For someone like me, the daughter of Vitale, the only way I can be accepted into the Chicago family is through..."

I didn't even want to say it. It made no sense.

A fire blazed in his amber eyes. "Through what?"

It was the arrogance in his tone that had me sneering. "The only way I'll ever be accepted into the Chicago Mafia, is if I marry your Capo"

Then his thumb grazed my lips, I couldn't help it. The shivers that shook my entire body or the way my core spasmed or even how my traitorous lips immediately parted

The man's eyes darkened as he thrust his thumb into my mouth, against my tongue.

And I should have been repulsed, I should have been irritated, but danger always turned me on and I had a feeling this man was as dangerous as they come.

His voice dropped lower than I've heard and he growled. "That's right. Marry me and earn your place in my family"

The world stopped. The butterflies fluttering in my belly paused, and my knees buckled.

I stared up at him, at his face.

Acid churned in my stomach, and everything began to make sense.

I wasn't just standing in front of any man; I was standing in front of the Capo of the Chicago Mafia.

The most dangerous man in all of Illinois.

Romano Cappellucci.

CALISTA P.O.V

On a cloudy morning in Chicago, the wind blowing in my face and my mind racing a mile a minute, I married my fiancé's sworn enemy.

"Are you certain about this Romano?" The priest questioned him with disbelief. "I've known you since you were a little boy. Such.. err.. sudden decision is not in your nature at all."

Romano's resolute voice echoed in the near-empty cathedral, "Yes, Father."

"And you child? Are you certain of this?" The priest questioned me. "Yes, Father," I replied, my throat thick with nostalgia.

It was strange to be in the presence of a priest again. I was born into the church, and my family, like many other mafia families, were strong followers of the Christian faith.

As a child, I had a profound love for the church, but my fondness became too much, and one day, over dinner, I blurted out how I wished to be a nun.

My mother's mouth was open in shock, and my father turned beet red with rage. As the daughter and only child of a Capo, I had duties to fulfill, duties that could not be understood by a five-year-old child

After that day, my father limited my access to the church until eventually, I lost all interest. Even after he died, I couldn't bring myself to go back; it was a painful reminder of everything I had sacrificed to be the perfect daughter.

"Very well." The priest gave us a small smile. His brown eyes were warm beneath the spectacles he wore.

"Since you both are certain, let us proceed. As you requested an immediate wedding, we will have to forgo some of the traditional ceremonies. We'll keep it simple."

Romano dipped his chin in appreciation. "Thank you, Father."

I was still reeling to know that the stranger at the bar was Romano Cappellucci. The leader of the Chicago Mafia.

And we were getting married.

I still haven't - couldn't process it.

He hadn't explained much as he drove us here, only that if I wanted to be part of his family and gain my freedom and protection from Matteo, I needed to marry him right away.

There were no other choices for me. No other options, so I weakly shook my head and followed him.

How he had gotten the rings for our marriage, I didn't know. I wasn't paying attention to anything. My mind screamed that I had just traded one devil for a bigger one.

I had made a big mistake by coming to Chicago.

"Romano, take Calista's hand and face me." The priest's words dragged me out of my thoughts.

He took my hand in his.

Romano. Matteo's long-time enemy and my husband-to-be.

My stomach fluttered widely despite myself.

Romano's big, callused hand covered my small one. He squeezed mine, and some of my unease washed away.

"Do you, Romano Cappellucci, take Calista to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

I searched his face for a flicker of uncertainty, for him to bail out on me and laugh about this absurdity.

"I do," he replied with confidence.

The priest turned towards me, reciting the same words he had asked Romano

"I do." Romano would protect me from Matteo. I could live a free and safe life in Chicago. I could even be happy again, even though our marriage was as fake as the smile I plastered on my face.

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, Romano and Calista, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I tensed. We hadn't talked about this. Romano's whiskey-coloured eyes held mine. He leaned forward and cupped my cheeks.

There was an unreadable expression on his face as he brought his lips down to mine and then kissed me.

I could have gone mad when his lips touched mine. He tasted of richness and danger and everything I should stay away from

This was the man I was raised to fear, to hate and I was kissing him on the altar. His ring on my hand.

Romano kissed me deeply and I felt his hot tongue brush over my mouth, seeking entrance; my breathing hitched; just as I was about to open my mouth so he could deepen the kiss further, he pulled back, taking the warmth and sweetness of his mouth away.

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Cappellucci." The priest chanted.

That was it. Just like that I had become the wife of my enemy. No, not my enemy anymore. He was my savior. I didn't dare imagine what life would Matteo would be like.

Roman led me down the altar. He was quiet in a way that made me nervous. "What now?" I asked

"There would be no meddling in each other's personal affairs." His voice was stoic and hard.

My brows furrowed but he continued without looking at me.

"You have your life, and I have mine. There will be no romantic expectations, emotional support, or shared personal lives. We'll maintain separate lives, you'll be my partner in name only. I will protect you from Matteo and you will stay safe within the Chicago territory"

Something, some fragile hope inside my shattered and I gulped. "What would you gain?"

I hurried to keep up with his long stride even as his face darkened. "You are giving me the greatest protection a Capo can give someone; your name, what would you gain from me?"

There must be some reason why he decided to help me without a wink of thought

Romano's lips tilted to the side, and a smile hovered on his handsome, rugged face. He finally looked at me and the ice in his next words sent chills all over me. "Revenge"

I paused in my tracks just as we reached the doors of the church. Romano stilled too and drew his full height which towered over me

I wanted to ask. To demand what he meant by revenge. Yes, my flash marriage to Romano would be a slap to Matteo's face but revenge?

Revenge for what? For who?

He stretched out his hand before I could voice any word. "Let's go"

I tentatively placed mine in his large ones, and a pulsing sensation spread all over my body. "Where to?"

In the morning light, the amber in his eyes glowed bright. Then Romano smirked, full of cruelty. "I'm going to have my first taste of a long-sought vengeance."

"How?"

Nothing made sense anymore, and my heart raced behind my ribcage. If I thought he had married me to help me, then I was a fool

Romano Cappellucci would not do anything that isn't in his favor. And I had a feeling this was deeper than it seemed.

His smirk slowly faded. "We're going to pay Matteo a visit," He said. "As Man and wife."