Marry the Mafia at Christmas

CHAPTER 6

DAVE

Watching her slip my ring on her finger, I knew this was going to be so much fun. That black ring is one of my most valued possessions. It is a gift from my best friend Damien, and having her wear it without any feeling of regret shows just how f****d up I am in the head.

Realizing I had been staring at the same spot where she had stood a few minutes ago, I chuckled and finally looked away, reaching for my cell phone.

I scrolled through my contacts, landing on Paulo’s name. Without hesitation, I hit the call button and listened as the line rang. Once. Twice. Three times. My patience stretched thinner with each ring. Finally, his voice crackled on the other end.

“You better have a damn good excuse for taking this long to answer,” I snapped, irritation clear in my tone. My fingers gripped the phone tighter, my brows furrowed in frustration. “What’s your excuse? Are you in the ER or something?”

“I apologize, boss,” Paulo’s voice came through the phone, his tone slightly muffled. “I was in the middle of a quick shower, which is why I didn’t pick up.”

I glanced over at the clock on the table, half-expecting to see I’d lost track of time. “A shower at two in the afternoon?” I muttered, confused. He should be at the club, working, not soaking himself in the middle of the day.

“Things got messy with a delivery,” Paulo explained. “Had to go home and change.”

I sighed, but I trusted Paulo to get things done. He’d only been working for me for a year, but in that short time, he’d proven to be far more efficient than most of my long-time staff. In fact, I trusted him more than I trusted most people.

“Alright,” I said, switching gears. “I need you to look into someone for me.”

“Yes, boss,” Paulo replied without hesitation.

“Cedric Wilder,” I stated flatly. “And his business. I know we’ve had him on our radar before, but things are about to get even messier with him. I want you to dig deeper. More eyes on him. And I want every piece of information you can find about his family’s company—its strengths, its weaknesses, everything.”

There was a brief pause before Paulo responded. “Got it, boss. I’ll get on it right away.”

“Thank you, Paulo,” I muttered before disconnecting the call. I dropped the phone on the table and grabbed my laptop, quickly typing in Elara’s name. The image of her popped up on the screen, and I couldn’t help but pause to admire her beauty.

“Just when I’m about to get bored with life,” I mumbled to myself. Damien, my best friend, had just learned that his wife, Clara, was pregnant. As a result, he’d been wrapped up in her world, leaving me to deal with my own boredom. “Just when I was considering moving states, you show up at my doorstep with all this drama.”

I couldn’t help but appreciate her feistiness, her resilience. I admired women who refused to be controlled, especially by their families. It was rare to find someone who could stand their ground and Elara had that in spades.

There were thousands of ways I could have stopped Emmeline from marrying Cedric, but why bother? Why stop a marriage proposal from her when that can m make things even more interesting? Why not turn this into something much more thrilling for me?

Chuckling to myself, I clicked the cancel icon, swiftly removing Elara’s image from the screen. I powered off the laptop, slipped into my coat, and decided it was time to step out for some lunch. With what just happened, I think a celebratory glass of wine was in order.

******************

Walking into my favorite restaurant, I made my way straight to the private booth that had always been reserved for me. But just as I was about to settle into my seat, something ridiculous happened.

Cedric Wilder, of all people, attempted to follow me into the booth.

My men moved in quickly, stepping in front of him without a second thought. They didn’t even flinch at the sight of his own security team, who were glaring at us as if daring us to make a move.

“Are you being a coward by hiding behind your men?” Cedric spat from the doorway, his voice dripping with disdain.

I couldn’t help but laugh, genuinely entertained by his audacity. Everyone in Manhattan knew better than to call me a coward. The entire city was well aware that no one crossed me—or Damien Blackheart—without facing serious consequences. If anything, the fact that Cedric was even trying to walk into my private space only amused me more.

“This is a private booth, Cedric,” I said, my tone calm. I didn’t raise my voice, didn’t have to, I didn’t even blink. “And I believe this has more to do with you failing to respect someone else’s private space than it does with me being a coward.”

“I want to talk to you,” Cedric ground out through clenched teeth. “Let me in.”

I c****d my head slightly, staring at him with mild amusement. His audacity was both baffling and entertaining. Where did he get the nerve to think he could demand anything from me? “And what makes you think I want to talk to you?”

“I… HAVE… SOMETHING… TO… SAY,” he drawled, emphasizing each word as though he were speaking to someone hard of understanding.

Unbothered, I leaned back in my seat, crossing one leg over the other as I reached for the complimentary wine on the table. I poured myself a glass with deliberate slowness, the faint clink of the bottle against the rim filling the booth. “So?” I said after taking a leisurely sip, fixing him with a pointed look. “This isn’t about what you want, Cedric. It’s about what I want.” I gestured at the table in front of me. “And right now, I want to eat. Whatever you have to say will have to wait until I’m done.”

Without another glance at him, I picked up the small landline phone on the table and called the kitchen to place my order.

When I hung up, I noticed him still standing there, his shoulders tense and his jaw tight. His persistence was almost comical. Clearly, he wasn’t getting the hint that I wanted him gone—or perhaps he was too stubborn to care.

Not that it mattered to me. I wasn’t about to spell it out for him. If he wanted to waste his time lingering at the doorway like some jobless i***t while I enjoyed my meal, that was entirely his choice. It made no difference to me.

He could stand there all day for all I cared.

My food arrived, and I took my time with it, savoring every bite. I wasn’t about to rush just because Cedric was still hovering at the doorway like an uninvited ghost. He stood there, growing more restless by the second, until finally, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Of all the women in Manhattan!” he bellowed. “Why did it have to be my fiancée? Why did you have to f**k my Elara?!”

The fork in my hand paused midair, my fingers tightening around it.

My Elara?

What right did he have to claim her? What audacity did he possess to think she belonged to him?

“I understand that the two of you are plastered all over the papers,” he continued. “But I want it to end. You’ve had your fun with her, so let it be over. Now.”

I set my fork down carefully, my movements slow and controlled. Without lifting my gaze from my plate, I responded, my voice low but icy. “The nerve of you, Cedric, thinking you can dictate when it ends.” I picked up my glass, taking a sip of wine before continuing. “Only Elara has the right to make that decision.”

“That b***h isn’t in her right mind to make the right decis—”

The insult was cut short as I picked up the small knife from the table and hurled it at him without hesitation. It embedded itself in the doorway, missing his head by mere inches.

“I never miss my target,” I said coldly, my eyes finally meeting his. “So I dare you to call her that one more time.”

His men reacted immediately, their hands darting to the holsters at their waists.

I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips as I leaned back in my chair, utterly unimpressed. Their cowardice was written all over their faces.

“Go ahead,” I taunted softly, my voice carrying just enough menace to make them hesitate. “Draw your weapons. Let’s see how far you get.”

“Stay away from my woman,” Cedric growled, his tone filled with barely controlled rage. “I don’t want to have to warn you again.”

His words were enough to ruin what little appetite I had left. With a sigh, I pushed the plate away, slowly, rising to my feet, adjusting my coat as I made my way toward him.

Stopping just short of him, I looked him in the eye. “I have nothing to do with your woman, Cedric. Last I checked, you’re the one now engaged to her nineteen-year-old sister.”

His face darkened, confusion flickering across his features for a brief moment. He hadn’t expected me to know that little detail. “That wouldn’t have happened,” he snapped, “if you hadn’t taken Elara away from me.”

I almost laughed at his misplaced blame. Your d**k did that, not me.

I squared my shoulders. “I didn’t take her away from you, Cedric. She made a conscious decision to leave—and she chose me.”

“A decision that’s destroying her reputation!” he spat back. “She’s being called your w***e all over social media!”

The moment the word left his mouth, I moved. My hand shot out, gripping his throat in an iron hold. Cedric choked out a gasp as my fingers tightened, his face turning red with the effort to breathe.

He clawed desperately at my hand, his nails scraping uselessly against my skin as I held him. Around us, my men instantly formed a protective circle, guns drawn, while Cedric’s security did the same.

“You will not take Elara’s name with those filthy lips of yours,” I hissed, my face mere inches from his. “Nor will you call her any name in my presence. Do you understand me?”

I squeezed his throat a little harder for emphasis before shoving him back just enough to make my point clear.

“As for what she’s being called online,” I rasped, “don’t worry. Very soon—very, very soon—she’ll be addressed as my woman.”

His men looked ready to retaliate, but a single glance from me had them hesitating, their fear outweighing their loyalty. Cedric, on the other hand, was too stubborn—or too stupid—to back down entirely, but the look in his eyes told me he understood one thing: I wasn’t someone he could threaten.

“Get out of my face, Cedric,” I said coldly. “Before I start getting crazy ideas. You are not worthy to stand in the same room as me, let alone speak to me.”