AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

HIS LAST MISTAKE

The elevator hums softly as I descend into the basement, the smooth motion doing nothing to settle the rage simmering beneath my skin. Antonio stands beside me, his knife already twirling between his fingers with effortless precision. He doesn’t need to speak; I already know his thoughts. Whoever took that shot at us outside our own building made a grave mistake.

When the doors slide open, we emerge into the hallway and access the concealed entrance to the basement. As we make our descent the scent of damp concrete, sweat, and old blood fills my nostrils. At the bottom of the stairs, the room is dimly lit, a single bulb flickering above the uomo di merda shackled to the chair in the center. Vito and Andre flank him, their faces expressionless, the unwavering stance of men who have done this a hundred times before. The bastard’s head is slumped forward, his breathing heavy and uneven. A trickle of sweat drips down his temple, his torn shirt clinging to his chest like a second skin.

I step forward, slow and deliberate, the echo of my shoes against the concrete like the gunshots he was so happy to rain down upon us today.

“You were sloppy,” I say, my voice calm, almost conversational. “Taking a shot at us in broad daylight? Missing?” I shake my head in disappointment. “It’s almost insulting.”

The man lifts his head just enough to glare at me through swollen eyes. I don’t recognize him, but that doesn’t make him any less of a threat. Blood crusts along his temple, his split lip barely able to form a sneer. “Va’ fan culo.”

Fuck me? Me? This piece of shit has more than a death wish. He’s begging for pain.

Antonio exhales sharply, a dark chuckle slipping from his lips. “You first.”

I crouch before the man, resting my arms on my knees, watching him with the patience of a priest before a sinner. “Tell me who sent you.”

Silence. His jaw tightens.

Vito shifts behind him, but I hold up a hand. “You know how this goes. You talk, maybe I let you walk out of here with most of your fingers. You don’t…” I glance at Antonio, whose grip tightens on the knife. “Well, let’s just say my brother is very creative.”

The man spits at my feet. “I’m not telling you shit.”

Antonio doesn’t hesitate. He steps forward, grabbing the man’s hand, and drives the knife straight through his palm, pinning it to the wooden arm of the chair. A strangled scream rips from his throat, his body jerking against the restraints. His back arches, muscles straining against the unbearable agony.

“Not the answer we were looking for,” Antonio murmurs, twisting the blade just enough to make the bastard’s agony double. “But maybe this will help you think.” His voice is almost soothing like a father patiently scolding a disobedient child.

I stand, rolling my shoulders, tugging at my shirt cuffs, letting the moment stretch. The slow burn of anticipation coils in my gut. “Let’s try again.”

His breathing is ragged now, his forehead slick with sweat. He groans, eyes squeezing shut against the pain. When he finally speaks, his voice is a hoarse rasp. “Enzo… It was Enzo.”

Antonio and I exchange a glance. My stomach tightens.

“Enzo Lambretti?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

He nods, biting down on another pained cry. “He sent us to kill the girl… take you all out.” He sucks in a sharp breath.

Antonio growls, twisting the knife deeper. The man howls in agony, thrashing in the chair, his free hand curling into a useless fist.

I step back, exhaling slowly, letting the rage simmer just beneath my skin. “That’s all I needed.”

The man sags against the restraints, his body trembling. Relief flickers across his face for a fleeting second before he looks at Antonio’s emotionless mask and realizes his mistake.

I turn on my heel, cold with the ease at which the coglioneEnzo sent to kill Aemelia could have succeeded in ending her life, or ours, and pause. No one takes what is mine. When I speak, my voice is smooth and cold. “Finish him.”

Antonio nods, wicked and deadly, as he pulls another blade from his pocket. The last thing I hear as I step into the hallway is the sound of another scream, then silence.

Enzo Lambretti just made his last mistake.

***

By the time I return to the penthouse, the tension in my shoulders is on the brink of snapping. Alexis is the first thing I see as I enter the living room. He’s leaning against the counter, arms crossed, looking entirely too satisfied with himself. His shirt is half-buttoned, his hair still damp from a shower, and there’s something smug about the way he lifts his chin at me.

“You look like shit,” he says, pushing off the wall.noveldrama

I ignore his attempt at humor and glance toward Aemelia’s door. “She okay?”

He nods, expression softening just slightly. “She’s fine. Shaken but fine. She’s tougher than she looks.”

Good. The last thing we need is for her to break. “Enzo’s behind the shooting.”

Alexis lets out a low whistle, dragging a hand through his hair. “Fucking Lambretti scum. Mario wasn’t enough for them?”

I move to the bar and pour myself a drink, watching the amber liquid swirl in the glass. “He wanted to kill Aemelia.”

Alexis exhales sharply, rolling his shoulders. “You think she’ll be upset to lose him?”

I take a sip, the burn of whiskey settling deep in my chest. “We need to talk to her. Find out everything she knows. About her family, about the past. If we’re going to take Enzo out…”

Alexis tilts his head. “You’re worried she’ll care, and…”

I set the glass down with a quiet clink, my gaze cutting to his. “And.”

There’s no need to say it out loud. We want her to stay with us and holding her against her will isn’t enough. She needs to want to be here, and destroying any family she loves can only drive a wall between us.

Enzo wants to kill her, and we need to find out why.

Then we need to finish him.

I just hope Aemelia will agree because now there are two Lambretti cocksuckers on our hitlist, and there’s no saving either of them.