Angel’s Trumpet by Sem Thornwood

Igor Zakharov fucking ran.

He ran before I got the chance to torture him to death. But he left his man behind. His VIP member Russians in his VIP whorehouse. He left almost all of his top-notch gangsters, bosses.

Fucking good.

We washed the place with blood, and the fuckers we didn’t kill were going to die soon. We just needed to torture them a little first for information. If I was not going to kill Igor Zakharov, I was going to make sure he was not going to dare attack me again. I needed leverage on him, and this place was full of that.

I still wished he didn’t run, though.

After Mia got into my car with one of my soldiers, I gave the green light, and we stormed inside. It was total chaos, but it fed my soul. All that blood and ear-killing gunshot sounds were like home to me. It was the best thing in the world after Mia.

When we were inside, it was not so hard to find Zakharov’s office, which I went straight away. I did promise Mia I was going to stay alive, but I couldn’t even care about the flying bullets as I moved into that office. I was burning up with the wish to kill him.

To my great disappointment, he was not there.

I only found a dead woman on the floor and Duran Ricci trying to hide under a table.

Coward.

I understood why Zakharov didn’t take him. He knew he lost too. That was an apology present. He left Ricci so I wouldn’t go after him. And I was not going to run and try to find him. I was just going to ruin him. Chicago was going to belong only to me.

Ricci, on the other hand, was not going to be so lucky.

All the other guys were going to wait for their torture and interrogation. First, we needed to make a celebration. It was not the way I intended to do this, but destiny was sometimes shitting all over your plans. So, we were doing this.

There were not many people. I sent some soldiers to follow Mia home, but after the attack was done, I sent some more. It still didn’t stop the fucking worry in my heart, but it eased my craziness a little bit.

Antonio and I were here anyway. We didn’t need many soldiers.

I always thought Alessio would be here too, but there was no way I was going to allow him to come. He did call and said he could, but I declined. I didn’t want to also worry about Bella and Clara. Even though I was near sure Russians were done with attacking us, all the horror was too fresh. Losing Mia felt like my whole world collapsed, and it was something I could not endure for a second time.

So, this was how Valerio was going to get initiated. Without any important bosses of the Outfit. There was only me, Antonio and some soldiers.

He didn’t seem like he cared, though. His gaze was full of hate towards Ricci. It seemed like the only thing he gave a fuck was killing him, which made me even more sure of my decision.

He needed to kill him himself. That would set him free.

There was no meal for him to meet with the family. There was no great audience. He would get that later. Right now, he just needed to take his oath. My and Antonio’s presence was enough. Especially after the slaughter of the Russians, no one could dare to oppose us.

Since I was Capo, Antonio took the job of introducing him. He stood next to my brother, who was looking more determined than any other man I have ever seen.

“Who is to be inducted?” I asked Antonio.

There were few feet and a little desk between us. Duran Ricci was watching the ceremony tied up to a chair. He didn’t have a blindfold like the tradition because I wanted him to see. I wanted him to feel the coming pain and death.

Antonio put his hand on Valerio’s shoulder. “Giovanni Mario Vasile’s son Valerio Stefano Vasile. He is here to take the blood oath.”

“Come forward,” I ordered, and Valerio obeyed. Now he was standing right in front of the table. I stretch out my palm, and Valerio gave me his hand. He was not prepared beyond Antonio’s quick description.

He didn’t need to be, though. He was a Vasile, a natural. He was my heir.

I took out a small knife from my holster and first poked his pointer finger. Then I sliced his palm deep enough to draw blood and left a scar but not deep enough to make him lose so much blood. He was a lefty, so it was his left hand. Just like the tradition, I poked the finger that was going to pull the trigger and sliced the hand that was going to hold the knife.

“You bleed for us thus now we are the same until death. You will live by the gun and the knife, and you will die by the gun and the knife. Your oath can only be sealed by death and can only be broken by death.”

Valerio didn’t even flinch as he answered. “My blood is my oath. I will live by the gun and the knife, and I will die by the gun and the knife.” Then he lowered his eyes to the table between us. There was a gun and a knife. It was his choice.

There was no rule to choose one over the other. He only needed to kill the person that was brought for him. Though making a show on your initiation was the way to gain a reputation. The brutal ones always chose the knife.

I chose the knife.

Antonio chose the knife.

Alessio chose the knife.

And in front of my eyes, my twelve-year-old brother chose the knife.

He slowly made his way to Ricci. I could see the pure fear in his eyes. I would never think that he was going to go like this. But he was somehow terrified by Valerio.

My brother slowly dragged the knife from his neck along his chest, cutting his shirt open. “Remember calling me Little Monster?” he asked with a soft but deadly voice. I didn’t remember hearing him say that, but maybe it happened when they attacked the Mansion. Valerio told me both Ricci and Igor were there. He told me they beat them up real bad. It was the revenge for that.

Or it was as far as I knew.

Valerio pressed the tip of the knife between Ricci’s legs, slowly drilling a hole in his pants. “Well, now I grew up. And I am going to make you pay for your sins.”

Then he ripped the pants open. He didn’t slowly cut him to make him bleed for hours like Alessio did in his initiation. He didn’t slice up tender places and widened them with his fingers like Antonio did. He also didn’t drove a knife to his eyeballs like I did. He went straight for the kill like a real, determined monster.

He grabbed Ricci’s dick in one hand and chopped it off with the knife while his screams and cries filled the warehouse. I could see even the best soldiers were fighting hard to not make a sour face. It was a hard thing to watch as a man.

It was brutal, but it was short and clean.

I waited for Valerio to come back and leave him bleed from his groin to death, but Valerio didn’t. This time he chopped off his balls. There were even more blood and more screams. Ricci was going to die in agony. He couldn’t even form meaningful sentences. He was just squirming in pain.

But Valerio didn’t come back this time either. He didn’t leave him bleed to death. He used his knife to open up his mouth, which was not so hard because he was screaming his lungs out. Then my brother filled Ricci’s mouth and throat with his chopped-off dick and balls. He forced them so deep that Ricci couldn’t scream anymore. He filled his throat and made him choke to death while smiling the whole time.

My heart filled with both pride and fear. He was a strong heir, but he was too much like me. All my worries about myself reflected to my brother in the blink of an eye. I didn’t want him to be like me. I was afraid that I made him like me.

I knew people were going to call him Monster after this, but I hoped that he could have a separate side from his monster. I hoped for him to be not tangled up with his dark side as much as I.

But deep down, I knew that was not a problem because he had something I didn’t. He had a loving and caring family.

He had Mia.

 

At the end of the ceremony, I kissed Valerio on both cheeks as tradition. Valerio seemed like he didn’t give a shit about tradition, though, because after that, he hugged me.

He hugged me and whispered to my ear. “I love you, Sal.”

Little shit.

It was the first time he said that in years and he chose a moment in front of all my soldiers. I had to hide all my emotions but pride. Yet, I managed to whisper it back. “I love you too, Valerio.”

I wanted to stay by his side, but an invisible thread that was tied to my ribcage was pulling me to Mia. So, after the ceremony was done, I rushed back home. Valerio didn’t want to come. Normally I would force him, but right after his initiation, it was a bad idea. I shouldn’t treat him like a child in front of my soldiers anymore. He was a Made Man. Also, he had Antonio with him.

Torturing the Russians for information was important, but my wife was more important. I didn’t even have a doubt while leaving. I knew the people I left were going to do a good job.

I only talked to one hostage before leaving.

Mateo.

I was ready to hurt him badly for everything he had done, but I wanted answers. I wanted to know why he did it, and I wanted to know if there was any other rat in the Outfit.

“For love,” he croaked. “I had an outsider lover. They kidnapped her. They were going to give her and fake passports in exchange for Mia.”

It was the stupidest reason I have ever heard. “You should have come to me right away. I would help you get your girl back.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“I would as a reward for your loyalty. I would help you for Mia. But you chose to betray me, Mateo. You know what your punishment is.”

He nodded weakly. He didn’t have much blood or bruises on him. He probably didn’t try to defend himself when we ambushed the whorehouse. He was a good man, but he was stupid. “Anyone who comes between Mia and me dies. Anyone who puts Mia in danger dies in pain.”

“I accept my punishment. I would do it again for my love.”

Something stirred inside me. I was not going to let him go. After seeing Mia with her hands tied back and blood dripping on her chin, there was no way for me to give it to him easily. It was the one unforgivable sin in my book. Yet, I understood his reason. I understood how one person could do anything for the person they loved because there was nothing – absolutely nothing – I wouldn’t do for Mia.

“I will give all your money to the girl,” I declared. Mateo didn’t have any family, so this was probably his wish. “I will make sure she is safe.” She would be after Mateo was dead anyway, but assurance was always good.

His eyes filled with gratefulness. “Thank you, Capo.”

I nodded absently. “Now I have to go back to my wife and hold her until I am sure she is really safe. While I do that, you are going to die slowly in the hands of Antonio.”

He shivered to that. He knew how Antonio was. But I didn’t care about his reaction. I only rushed out of the room and drove home to do exactly what I said to Mateo.

When I came back home, I went straight to our bedroom, assuming Mia was there. I had a small heart attack when she was not, but then I remembered Verona. She was probably soothing her.

I went to Verona’s room, but I didn’t even need to get in. Mia was there at the door. She was sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the wall, her eyes closed.

Why was she sleeping here?

I slowly squatted next to her and brushed a wayward black strand from her face. Her mouth was cleaned from the blood, but her neck and chest were still red. She didn’t change her clothes.

“Mia, Baby,” I whispered, caressing her cheek.

Her body went rigid, and she opened her eye immediately. For a second, I felt bad for scaring her, but her features softened at once. She brought a hand to my cheek. “You are back.” Her voice was sleepy but sweet.

“I am.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, couldn’t stop touching her. I needed to make sure she was here with me. “Why are you sleeping here, Angel?”

Mia straightened her back, and her face darkened with agony. “She didn’t want me there. I tried to get in, to help her but she didn’t want me. She said she was fine and went to sleep.”

“And why are you still here?” I tangled my fingers in her hair. God, I wished I could just erase all the pain from her beautiful face.

“I couldn’t leave,” her voice cracked. “I had to make sure she was safe. I was so afraid, Sal.”

“Baby,” I murmured and wrapped my arms around her. She was so strong that I almost forgot how scary all this had been for her. She didn’t need me to rescue her, but she did need me to stitch herself back together. Luckily, I was ready to give everything to ease her pain.

I gathered her in my arms and stood back up. Her eyes went to Verona’s door, full of worry. I kissed her lips to swallow some of her worries away. “Zakharov won’t be a problem for a long time, Angel. Doors are locked, and there are guards around the house. Let me clean you up.”

She looked down at her t-shirt like she only now realized it was covered in blood and slowly nodded her head. I carried her to our bathroom. Her eyes were both empty and full of pain at the same time, but she clung to my shirt desperately. I was grateful that despite the pain, she didn’t want to leave me out.

She wanted me to heal her.

My heart ached at the thought. I tortured and killed people. No one ever trusted me to heal them.

No one but Mia.

She didn’t say a single word while I carried her to the bathroom and draw her a bath. Then I slowly peeled all the layers of clothing on her and made her get into the tub. She sat down, pulled her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them. When I gently brushed her hair back, her absent eyes found mine, and she whispered, “Join me?”

I didn’t need to be asked twice. I quickly got out of my own clothes and got into the tub with Mia. Her tiny form was between my legs. I pulled her to my chest, flushing our bodies together because I needed to be closer to her. Always a little closer.

To my surprise and disappointment, she didn’t relax into my touch. Her body was rigid, and after few seconds, I felt her shake with a silent cry. I croaked my neck to see her face, and there were indeed tears.

I brushed a few tears away, but there were too many. “Shh, Baby, don’t cry.”

“It is my fault,” she murmured to herself.

I didn’t know what she thought was her fault, but I knew she needed me to soothe her. “Nothing is your fault, Angel.”

Mia shook her head. “I told her to come home. I shouldn’t have let her come home.”

I remembered Aldo’s texts about him taking my siblings home early. It was Mia’s order, and I didn’t ask why she did that. Nothing could make this her fault, but I still needed her to get it out of her chest. “Tell me what happened, Angel.”

“She called me,” Mia said, but her voice cracked. She drew in a deep breath and swallowed to get her voice back on, and even though her shivering and tears didn’t stop, her voice was better. “Verona called me. She told me that she got her period for the first time and wanted to come home. I told Aldo to take her home earlier.”

Valerio must have joined them when Aldo got the greenlight from Mia. But still, it was not something Mia did. It was just bad luck. Fucking horrible bad luck but nothing to make her cry in a way that tore my heart apart.

I was about to tell her that, but she went on, “I also didn’t come home right away. If I was here earlier, they would have taken me and left them alone. I went back to the store to get pads and tampons. Then I stopped at the bakery to get her a cake.” she shook even more. “I just thought it would be cute to celebrate. I didn’t think they were in danger.”

I held her tighter and brushed my thumbs to her shoulders. “Baby, you didn’t do anything wrong. Please don’t cry.”

“It was my fault.”

“No!” I said a little harsher than anticipated, but it worked. Her sad little sounds stopped. She only sniffed to stop her cries now. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were perfect,” I said, and it was the fucking truth. She was just trying to make something nice for Verona. “It is their fault. Ricci and Zakharov and fucking Mateo.”

She nodded to herself and turned in my hold. I guessed it was a good sign that she wanted to look into my eyes. Hers were still red from crying, but there were no fresh tears.

“I should have told you about the kiss,” she whispered. Now she looked guilty.

I pulled her closer to me by her legs and caressed her thighs. “How did that happen?” I asked. I knew Mia didn’t cheat on me with Mateo, but I was still curious, and the memory of those pictures still boiled my blood. Another man touching Mia was just where I drew the line for my insane behavior. Yet, I suppressed my anger because Mia didn’t need that right now.

“It was before we slept together,” she explained without looking at me. “I was sad and vulnerable. Mateo told me about how he fell in love before. Then he kissed me.”

“And you didn’t tell me,” I said, trying so hard to hide my anger.

She looked up, and her blue eyes were shining with leftover tears. “I am sorry,” she murmured. “I told him to never do it again, and he seemed regretful. He told me he would take any punishment, but I didn’t want you to punish him. I didn’t want him to die because he kissed me in a weak moment.”

I brushed my thumb over her bottom lip. No man was worthy of kissing those soft lips, least of all me, but the difference between them and me was that I was ready to take a bullet for it.

The sensation of kissing Mia didn’t have a match in the whole world and in heaven and in hell. It was irreplaceable.

I wanted that feeling, so I brushed my lips to hers, just like that. I was mesmerized by the fact that it was so easy for me to get my high.

“You should have told me,” I said and kissed her again. “Any man who kisses you.” and again. “Other than me.” And again. “Deserves death.” And again.

She shook her head, but there was a little smile, and just because of that little curve of her lips, all of my body filled with warmth. I couldn’t help it. I kissed her again.

She smiled a little more brightly after our kiss, but it didn’t go on for long. Her brows furrowed, and she looked up at me. “Did Valerio get initiated?”

I nodded. “He did.”

“He is too young, Salvatore.”

I could tell her frustration with the situation, but there was more sadness. Even though traditionalists wouldn’t approve, my plan was to take Mia’s approval in this situation. Like she said before, Verona and Valerio were like our children now, and I didn’t want to make big decisions without talking to her.

And I wanted her to know it. “I didn’t want this to go like this also. I would have talked to you, Mia, but I had to make it. If I killed Ricci for him, it would never be enough. He needed this.”

She nodded. Maybe for another woman, it would be impossible to understand, but Mia did grow up in the mafia. “At least don’t force him to lose his virginity like your father did it to you.”

It was a tradition. Being a man meant killing other men and fucking women. I had no intention of forcing him, but… “I think he is going to want to do it himself. He is so eager to prove himself.”

“Well then, I will talk to him,” she said. I could see that it was very important to her, and I felt way too grateful because my siblings had someone like Mia. “I don’t want them to grow up like we did. Please don’t force them.”

I pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I won’t take him to a brothel until he asks me too, okay?”

She nodded because she knew that was the best she was going to get. “And same with Verona?”

I snorted. “Baby, I don’t think I will take her to a brothel even if she asks me to.”

Mia slapped my arm. Her hit was far away from hurting me, but the anger in her eyes made me shut up. She didn’t have to be physically strong. She already held a lot of power over me. “I want them to be free,” she explained. “We didn’t get a chance to be free. I know they can never have a simple life, but they can make their own choices. Don’t force Valerio to lose his virginity. Don’t force both of them into an arranged marriage. Let them live.”

It was a big thing to ask. I could give Valerio some freedom, but he was still my heir and will have some responsibilities because of that. And giving freedom to Verona would be judged too much on our circle. But as long as I was a strong Capo, no one would be able to say anything to my or, more importantly, Verona’s face.

“Okay,” I accepted, and Mia’s face lit up. “There are still going to be rules in their lives, but I won't force them to anything our parents forced us into.”

Mia pressed a million kisses to my jaw. “That’s all I ask.”

“They are lucky they have you, you know.”

She wrapped her arms and legs around me. “They are lucky they have you too.”

I didn’t answer that but instead kissed Mia. It was a lie, but I knew she was going to fight me on that. Instead, I reached for the sponge and cleaned the leftover blood on her chest. When I was done, Mia looked at me with sleepy eyes. “Can we go to bed, or do you have to leave?”

“There is no way I am leaving you.”

I dried her taking my time. I loved the feel of her soft skin under my death-filled fingers. Then I dried myself and carried her to the bed. I put on boxers quickly and came back with a pair of panties and one of my t-shirts for her. I could have just brought a nightgown but seeing her small body in my clothes stirred my possessive side.

I got on my knees and put on her panties. Before I got up to my full height, I pressed a kiss to her thigh and felt her shiver. My cock was hard since the moment her naked body pressed up to me in the bathtub, but I ignored it. I wanted to be close to her, to make love to her, but she was tired and traumatized. She needed my softest side, and I did my best to give it to her.

Still, I couldn’t help but press another kiss to her nipple before putting on the t-shirt. She drew in a breath, and her gaze filled with lust, but something erased that look quickly. “Did you find Pam?”

Pam? My brows came together, and she explained, “It is the woman who helped me.”

Of course, she was curious about her.

“I think I did,” I said as I made her sit on the bed. I didn’t want to upset her more, but she wanted to know, and I knew she would not give up. “African-American, green dress, right?”

She nodded.

I got on my haunches in front of her and took a deep breath. “She is dead, Baby.”

Her eyes widened. “Did you?”

“No, of course not, I promised you. I found her dead in Zakharov’s office. He was gone. I think he saw the text you sent her and killed her because she was a traitor.”

Her breath hitched. “She died because of me?”

I trailed kisses on her legs. “No, Baby. You were trying to warn her. She died because of Zakharov. Everything happened because of him.”

“This is too much,” she mumbled.

I gently pushed her down onto the bed and lay down beside her. “Let’s sleep. Let me hold you. I want to heal you.” I spooned her from behind, feeling her deep breathing. I was not going to fall asleep before her.

But she didn’t go to sleep. Instead, she turned back to me and pressed herself to me. “I don’t need sleep. I need you. I need you to make it go away.”

I kissed the tip of her nose. Despite all the shit that went down, my body was ready to take her. I was always ready to be inside her. She was my home.

But I didn’t want her to regret this. I didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerability.

So, I asked, “Are you sure?”

Mia nodded and cupped my cock over my briefs. “I need you to make love to me. Please make me forget. Heal me.”

God, how could I say not to her? I rolled myself over and pressed kisses to her face. I loved hurting her, but I loved healing her more. I loved how I was able to go slow because of her. I loved how she changed me.

I loved her.

A little hesitation came to her face when she wrapped her legs around my waist. “Is this what you need too?”

My brows were drawn together. “Why wouldn’t it be.” Being with her always made me feel good.

Mia nibbled her bottom lip nervously. “All that killing and blood and everything brings out ‘Crazy Eyes.’ He usually needs more violent things. Are you sure you want to make love?”

I understood her concern. We were still new to this soft sex thing, and I knew we both loved the rougher side more. Still, it was not what we needed now. Now, it was not about pleasure or getting off. It was about feeling good, feeling safe. We just wanted to be close. This was what she needed and what I needed.

I pressed a gentle kiss to her pink lips. “This is what I need, Mia.”

“Sure?” she asked again, still hesitant.

God, this woman. “It is. I always told you, you are an angel and that I have corrupted you. But that was not really true. You are an angel, and I am a devil, but I was not the one with the power. I didn’t corrupt you, but you shackled me.” I licked her neck. “Now, let me worship you.”

She shivered under me and brought her lips to mine. That was the only answer I needed.

I was in heaven.

And I was in hell.

I didn’t care where I was as long as I had her, though.

She was my redemption and my corruption.

She was my heart and my soul and my everything.