Undressed By The Mafia God-Chapter 166: Don’t Do This

The fight drained out of her body all at once. Her shoulders shook as the first sob escaped her throat.

Ricardo’s grip softened instantly. He pulled her into his arms without thinking, holding her tight against his chest as she collapsed into him.

Her forehead pressed into his shirt, her hands clutching the fabric. "My sister is going to die!" Valentina wailed.

Ricardo wrapped his arms around her tighter, his hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head as she cried into him. He could feel the heat of her tears soaking through his shirt. "No... no... no... Babe, come on... Don’t do this, please. Hey..." Ricardo soothed as she bawled.

He held her tighter. He wasn’t used to seeing her like this. Valentina was fire. She laughed loudly, argued harder. "Listen to me, Val," he murmured. "Listen... this was just sheer bad luck. The gun wasn’t even aimed at her. It was a stray." He lifted a hand to gently tilt her face upward so she would look at him.

Her eyes were swollen and glossy with tears.

"No one," he continued firmly, "I repeat no one in their right mind would want to go against Luca. Hell, your sister is safest with him." He brushed a strand of hair away from her damp cheek.

"And you are safe with me, Val."

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead slowly. "Absolutely sure... my love."

Then he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Your sister has an army protecting her," he continued quietly. "This is an isolated incident, I promise."

Her breathing was beginning to slow now.

He kissed her again.

This time on the mouth.

Gentle enough to pull her back from the edge of her thoughts. His lips lingered against hers, coaxing.

Then she melted into him. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Her fingers slid up into his hair.

Ricardo pulled back just long enough to lift her easily off the floor as he carried her the short distance to the desk. He set her down carefully. Ricardo rested his hands on either side of her, looking at her with that crooked half-smile. "Can we concentrate on us, sweetie?" he murmured softly. "Please... Val."

She reached for him again, pulling him closer until the space between them disappeared.

"You want to do this here? Now?" he asked quietly.

"I need this," she whispered.

Ricardo huffed a soft breath of amused disbelief.

Well... when she put it like that, who was he not to obey?

His hands slid gently to her waist as he leaned in again, kissing her with a little more urgency this time.

*****

The house was quiet. The lights in the grand hallway were dimmed. Luca arrived from the hospital. His body still throbbed from adrenaline, jetlag, and lingering anger, and he could feel the dull burn of exhaustion pressing down on him.

Don Genovese was already there, sitting in the living room. The Don’s eyes tracked Luca as he stepped into the room.

"Good evening, father," Luca said as he made to stroll past him toward the stairs. Conversation was the last thing on his mind.

"Luciano!" Don called.

"Dad, I am tired. I am exhausted. I just need to go to bed," Luca said, trying to deflect. His words carried more frustration than respect this time—he didn’t have the energy for diplomacy.

"Tired from shooting your brother or almost throwing your wife off two stories?"

Luca went quiet.

"Come here," Don said simply.

Luca hesitated, then walked and stood directly in front of his father. His posture was tense, alert, a subtle readiness for whatever reprimand—or lecture—was coming next.

"You claimed a stranger to be part of the familia without talking to me about it first," Don Genovese said.

"I would have. But circumstances prompted me to make the announcement," Luca replied steadily. It was true; sometimes choices had to be made in the moment, without waiting for approval, even from a father.

"How is your mother?" Don asked suddenly, a shift in tone that suggested curiosity rather than anger.

"She is doing well. Still cunning but okay," Luca said, a trace of humor flickering across his face. A small, private smile at the thought of his mother’s relentless cleverness.

A small smile crossed Don’s lips too. "Are you sure this woman even wants to be familia? You do not quit familia," he said.

"Mother did," Luca replied quietly.

"Because you pledged your life to me, Luca. She would have been long dead since the moment she suggested it," Don said, the edge of threat hidden beneath a veneer of authority.

"Is that it? Is that truly it?" Luca said. "You took the promise of a ten-year-old to heart. Or was it that you couldn’t bring yourself to kill her?"

Don’s gaze didn’t waver, not even for a second. "However it may be, the only way out of the familia is death," Don replied evenly.

"She knows that. She understands that," Luca said defensively, his jaw tightening.

"Promises made in the throes of passion cannot be taken seriously either, Luca," Don said firmly.

"Father, I have made my claim. That’s it. End of story," Luca shot back.

"Fine. Let’s hope this woman is deserving of this level of commitment. Your wife, on the other hand, she is a Vitale. She is not going to sit back and take this."

"Then it’s simple, Father. We can always get a divorce."

"Did you hear the part where I said the only way out is death? Luca. She has been part of the familia for almost a year now. She knows things, she has seen things. We cannot just throw her back out." Don continued. "And also, don’t forget the benefits of your marriage—for both sides, our family and hers. This is not something you get out of. Not easily. Not without consequences."

Luca exhaled. "We are married in name only. That’s it, Father. I have done my duty. Now it’s time for my happiness."

"So who carries the heir? Your wife or this woman?"

(Brought to you by Jennifer Willard)