Mafia Obsession

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I can’t help but smile, as I stare into the mirror. My beige suit looks perfect, even if it wasn’t tailored for the event. My wedding day. I won’t lie, I never expected to marry anyone, not

until Jasmine stepped into my life and turned it around.

A knock at the door breaks my attention away from the mirror. Before I can call for whoever it is to come in, Rick steps inside. His face is grave and I know something is wrong, making me tense. My heart races, as I wait for him to speak.

“Alex Cavino has taken Jasmine.”

My fists clench by my side and I punch the wall, barely noticing the pain. “Who the fuck let that asshole in here?” I spit out.

“He told the guards he was here to give her away and attend the wedding.” Rick shrugs. “But, Jaz is missing and we believe he was an accomplice. They knew he was her step-father and assumed he was telling the truth.” He walks toward me and throws the bag onto the bed. “He’s demanding a ransom for her.” He nods toward the bag.

Hot rage explodes through my veins, and I can feel my control slipping. I may have spared that asshole’s life the first time, but this time I know I will kill him. Jasmine is the most precious thing to me, and he has taken her.

I grab the bag and pull out the note, scrunching it in my fist after reading it. He wants two-million dollars. The words only add fuel to my rage, making me sick. The threat is as clear as day at the end of the note. Or you’ll never see her again. This man doesn’t know who he is fucking with.

“The guy has a death wish,” I say.

Rick nods. “Yeah, we’ve got all our men looking for him. There’s only a few places he can hide. We’ll find him and her.”

Jasmine had spoken about a place outside of town they used to vacation at. A log cabin he still owns in the Heartacre Woods. “I’ve got a feeling I know exactly where he has taken her.”

“Where?” Rick asks.

“It’s a hunch, but although Alex is an idiot, he’s not dumb enough to risk returning to the city.” I pace the floor. “Jasmine mentioned he always took her and her mother up to a cabin he owns in the Heartacre Woods for vacations.”

“Okay, let’s head up there now, you, me, and Leo.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll get three of our guys to follow in another SUV for backup.”

I shake my head. “This is something I need to deal with by myself.”

“No fucking way, you don’t know how many men he might have with him. We’re coming with you.”

I sigh heavily, running a hand through my hair. “Fine, but no one gets in the way of me and that sniveling asshole, you got it?”

Rick’s eyes flash. “Are you sure you want Jasmine to witness that?

I’m not sure I do, but I know I won’t be able to hold back this time. Alex needs to pay for this. He stole my bride on my wedding day, thinking he can shake down the Romano family. He has to pay.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t have a choice.”

Rick nods. “I’ll drive, and I’ll also request a map and plan of where the cabins are built up there from Ian. Get Leo, and I’ll meet you out front.”

I stare at my brother, considering arguing about them coming, but he’s right. Alex may be an idiot, but he won’t be alone. If I go in there all guns blazing, I could end up getting killed or worse, getting Jasmine killed. Leo and Rick are good at planning and making the right choices. I need them by my side. Ian will pull the records quickly, he’s a whizz with computers and anything tech.

“Okay, I’ll see you out front.” I turn and leave my room, heading toward Leo’s room down the corridor.

I wonder if my ears deceive me, as I hear a squeal from the other side of his door. Could my brother have company on the morning of my wedding? Leo never brings women home, preferring to fuck them at hotels. He says it makes it simpler that way.

I knock once, waiting for him to answer. There’s a commotion inside, and I can hear him speaking in hushed tones. My brow furrows as I wonder what he’s doing. There’s no doubt someone is in there with him.

He comes to the door in his boxers, squinting at me. It’s almost midday, why the fuck isn’t he dressed? “Cavino has stolen Jasmine, I need you to come with me now.”

His eyes widen and he stares back into his room for a moment, before nodding. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll meet you out front.”

My eyes narrow as I attempt to look passed him into the room, but he keeps the door angled. He stares me out, daring me to ask him who he’s got in there. Instead, I nod and turn away, letting him shut the door. All I care about right now is getting Jasmine away from that good-for-nothing asshole of a step-dad.

The rage flooding me is dangerous. I know the moment I get my hands around Alex’s neck, I won’t be able to stop. The reason I’m renowned for my brutality is the fact that I can kill a guy with my bare hands, especially if I get wound up enough. It’s happened before, and it sure as hell will happen again. Jasmine can’t witness that-I hate that part of me.

It feels like I’m in a daze, as I make my way out to the SUV. Rick is sitting in the driver’s seat, engine already running. Three guys are in an SUV behind, ready to follow in convoy in case we need backup. I slide into the passenger’s seat, and he gazes at me questioningly.

“He wasn’t dressed, said he’ll be down in two minutes.”

Rick sighs. “What a lazy fucker. Ian has already sent me the plans, and the cabins are all in one part of the woods. I’ve got the GPS set to that location.”

I nod, glancing over at the house as Leo rushes out. He doesn’t look his normal, put together self, as he flings open the back door and slide in. “Shit, sorry I held you guys up.”

Rick steps on the gas the moment the door is shut. “What the hell happened?” Leo asks.

Rick glances at me and I give him a nod. My mind is a mess as he reels off the story to Leo, telling him what happened. I shouldn’t have left her side. Fuck tradition and not seeing the bride before the wedding, particularly in her dress. It shouldn’t have mattered. Jasmine and I should have been together, and I could have protected her.

“How did she look?” I ask, hearing that Rick saw her being taken out the front fucking door but was too late.

“A little beaten up, but she’s alive.”

My fists clench. Alex Cavino is dead. If he hurt my Jasmine, he’ll suffer a painful fucking death. “How beaten up?” I ask, between gritted teeth.

Rick gives me a wary look. “She had a busted-up face and some bruises.”

“Mother fucker,” I shout, punching the dashboard.

“She’ll be fine, brother. Alex isn’t stupid enough to hurt her badly, especially since he thinks you’ll pay him a ransom,” Leo says, always the voice of reason.

“It doesn’t mean I want to kill him any less for it,” I mutter, staring out the window as Rick takes the exit out of town toward the woods we used to spend our summers exploring, when we were boys.

The roar of the engine is all that falls between us, as we make the twenty-minute drive up to the woods. Even though it has only been twenty minutes, it feels like a lifetime has passed when Rick turns off the main road onto a dirt track. The GPS is leading him to the exact location of the cabins.

Rick stops about a mile from the location on the GPS, turning off the engine. “We don’t want to drive right up to them, it might spook him.” Our men stop behind us and wait. Rick speaks to them on the radio. “Wait here until we instruct you to drive the two cars to the cabin.”

He gets a generic response, and the three of us get out of the car, heading toward the cabins which are straight ahead. My heart is pounding hard and fast as we make the hike toward them.

What if I’ve got this wrong, and he hasn’t taken her here?

It doesn’t even bear thinking about. I can’t stand the thought of not finding her at the end of this. It’s unspoken but we all know that no matter what, we can’t pay a ransom. There’s a tension in the air, as the three of us walk in silence. It’s odd for Leo to be so quiet for a change.

After approximately twenty minutes walking straight, following Rick’s GPS, a cluster of cabins come into view. A lightness enters my chest as I clock Alex’s gunmetal gray Jeep parked outside one of them. Leo and Rick notice it too, both of them exchanging glances and then nodding toward the nearest cabin.

We all walk together and then rest our backs against the wood wall, keeping out of sight.

“What’s the plan then?” Leo asks, looking at me.

I shrug. “I don’t know, you two are the ones that make the plans.” I clench my fists by my side. “My plan is to kill the son of a bitch.”

Rick cracks his knuckles. “I’ll make sure the Jeep won’t start first, in case he tries to run. Then, we get Jasmine.”

A scream from the cabin has my whole body on edge. Fuck. What the hell is he doing to her in there? I’m about to run toward the cabin when Rick grabs hold of my arm. “No fucking up the plan. We will get her in a minute.”

I take a deep breath to calm myself, trying not to let my control slip.

The thought of him hurting her makes me crazier than I’d like to admit. “Let’s do this,” Rick says, walking toward the Jeep.

My heart races as I step toward the cabin, itching to get to Jasmine. At least I know she’s here, that’s the main thing. All I can hope is that this works out the way we planned.