Ravage

One Taste Of Her Will Be The Death Of Me.

Protect the empire at all costs,
Eliminate any threats,
And defeat our enemies.

For years, I've accepted these responsibilities to keep my family safe.
I've given up my life in exchange for their happiness.
Until Gianna tore through the barbed wire surrounding my black heart and showed me what I'd been missing.

She's beautiful, naïve, and dangerous.
A liability to everything I've built.

But I broke my own rules, took a bite of the forbidden fruit.
Now that one taste will mean the death of her.
And me.

RAVAGE is the final book in the dark Russian mafia series, SEVERINOV BRATVA, by USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Luciani. It is a standalone suspense dark enemies to lovers age gap mafia romance, complete with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating.

I creep toward the hushed voices coming from the shore of the large lake. Moonlight reflects along the top of the rippling water as Carlo Santini skims rocks, trying to get each one to jump farther than the last.
But he sucks, so they just sink.
I narrow my eyes at the petite, dark-haired figure to his right. Gianna Marcone.
My brother-in-law Cristian’s sister.
Even in the darkness, I can see her smile.
Christ, it can light up the sky.
At least in my mind it does.
I crouch down, palming the knife in the waistband of my jeans. I pull it out and click to pop it open, staring at the glimmering steel.
The perfectly sharpened tip.
The tip I’m going to use to stab Carlo Santini in the fucking eye if he does what I think he’s about to do.
I grit my teeth as he turns toward her, dropping the remaining rocks in his hand.
He’d better watch that fucking hand…or he’s gonna lose it.
A frustrated sigh escapes my mouth.
She shouldn’t be here.
Nobody knows she sneaked out of the house and ran half a mile to Carlo’s car because everyone in her life keeps her so sheltered that if she has to pee, they all escort her to the fucking bathroom to make sure she gets there okay.
It’s only a little bit of an exaggeration.
She wants to rebel. I get it. She’s been stifled for years, ever since Cristian saved her life from some crackpot bitch with a vendetta.
But she makes pretty fucking bad choices.
Case in point, Carlo.
Yeah, I know plenty about that blowhole.
I never walk into situations blind.
Not anymore.
I have eyes and ears everywhere.
I watch. I learn. I listen.
And only then do I act.
It’s taken me a long time to get it right, and I’ve lost a lot in the process.
I didn’t come to Sicily expecting that this woman would awaken things inside of me that I thought had died years ago. Ten years ago, to be exact.
I figured my heart was permanently out of commission, and I liked that. It’s kept things simple for me. No romantic entanglements, no drama, no distractions.
That’s all buried in my very sordid past.
Emotion just makes you weak, and in my business, weakness gets you killed.
Period.
And so now, here I am.
Because she’s in real danger.
What’s worse is she doesn’t even suspect it.
She thinks Carlo is safe, that just because they’ve known each other for practically a lifetime, he’d never hurt her. She thinks he’s one of the good guys.
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Money talks, and my friend Carlo has gotten his pockets lined with plenty of cash to make this little rendezvous happen.
I narrow my eyes at Carlo. “Don’t even fucking think about laying a finger on her, you bastard,” I mutter, slowly rising to my feet.
They are only about fifty feet away, but I can’t make out their words. Body language speaks plenty, though. As he pulls her close, my chest tightens. When she dips her head back, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. And as her eyes drift closed, I silently spew expletives that would make a nun’s ears bleed.
A rustling from my right side jolts me back to reality. I turn my head, narrowing my eyes in the darkness. There are plenty of thick bushes surrounding the area, but wind is at a minimum tonight.
Sounds are amplified in the darkness.
We have company.
I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing pulse as Carlo’s hands travel the slope of Gianna’s spine. Her back arches, her hips thrusting forward as he fists her long dark hair.
Motherfucker!
I grip the knife tight in my hand, imagining how good it’s gonna feel when I slam the blade right into his fucking carotid artery.
More rustling comes from a nearby bush.
The lovebirds don’t notice anything, but I do.
And I don’t like it.
Seconds seem to stretch into hours as I wait, hunched over in my own bush.
She didn’t know what she was walking into tonight, but I did.
I always know.
But I didn’t say a word to anyone because I wanted to be the one to save her from Carlo.
I just didn’t count on an audience. And I’m damn curious to see who’s about to join the party. Luckily, I don’t have long to wait because while Carlo has his tongue stuck down Gianna’s throat, three big guys jump out of the bushes.
Short and stocky, they’re wearing jeans, t-shirts, and Nikes.
They’d be best advised to fucking run their assess off now while they have the chance.
I can hear Gianna gasp from my spot in the darkness. Carlo flashes an evil smirk at her and waves the guys over. I drop my knife in the grass and pull out my gun.
I always carry multiple weapons because you just never know.
And since I’m not one to count on anyone coming to my rescue, I need the added insurance.
Thank fuck I’ve had an eye on Carlo since I landed here in Sicily a couple of weeks ago.
I’m not proud to admit I’ve had my eye on Gianna, too.
I’ve watched her when I thought nobody was looking…the way her hair falls over her shoulders in loose waves, the way her dark eyes twinkle when she laughs, the red ring that appears on her lips after she’s had one glass too many of the famous chianti her family makes. God, I want to suck off every last drop.
And that’s when I really love to fantasize about that body plastered over mine, her hot mouth wrapped tight around my dick, her tan, toned legs straddling me…
But I wasn’t as careful as I thought because someone else picked up on the longing stares.
Cristian.
He only made a few passing comments to start, but there were always thinly veiled threats weaved into his words.
Until he flat out told me to stay the hell away from his sister.
It pisses me off that I showed my hand. I never do.
But Gianna…God, she has an effect on me, like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
Makes me want to take my chances with her ridiculously overprotective brother.
But I know it can never happen. We can never happen, for so many reasons.
And that’s why I need to come up with some excuse for being here tonight…something that doesn’t make me look like a complete fucking stalker. Which could be difficult because that’s basically what I am.
Tonight isn’t the first night she’s escaped from her house, which I know because I’ve been watching. Closely. But it is the first time she’s in danger of never going back.
The Sicilian mafia doesn’t forget things like debts that are owed, even if the guy who owes them is dead as a fucking doornail.
They find other ways to collect.
I cock my gun and point it at the three beefy jackasses, expelling a frustrated sigh. I know they won’t kill her.
Not yet, anyway.
They need her as leverage for their boss.
The one who wants to collect.
And if there’s one thing the Marcone family will bend over for, it’s Gianna.
But I don’t trust that these guys will give her up that easily, even if they get their damn money. And I know they’ll come after the shipping business that Cristian and I co-own next because these seedy cockroaches just infiltrate every fucking thing.
They take it all and still come back for more.
I swallow hard as Carlo twists Gianna around, his arm tight around hers. Her squeals of pain echo in the still air. “Carlo, get the hell off of me! What are you doing?”
The other three idiots leer at her and one has the nerve to run his hand down the front of her shirt.
Fucker. I’m gonna kill you first.
Carlo leans close and whispers something I can’t make out. Adrenaline courses through my veins as Gianna’s cries get louder.
Not that it matters. We’re not in a place where anyone can hear her.
Or witness what I’m about to do to the men whose hands are now all over her.
I should call Cristian. This is his family’s fight. I’m just an unlucky associate.
But I don’t want her family to know that I’ve been watching her every move.
Because it’s only partially out of concern.
Mostly, it’s because I’m crazy about her. It’s a fact I’ve tried to keep hidden for weeks because she’s Cristian’s sister and because being with me is never in anyone’s best interest.
Like Lina’s.
That’s why I keep myself closed off, why I don’t trust people, why I won’t let them get close. I can’t take unnecessary risks or people I love will die.
And Cristian knows it.
He’s seen what I’m capable of, and the qualities he likes in me as his business partner are not the ones he wants in a guy who lusts after his sister.
I narrow my eyes as Gianna’s expression morphs into one of terror. I’m guessing that right about now, Carlo has told her that she’s never going to see her family again.
Goddammit!
Why the fuck did she need to sneak away? Why did she allow herself to be sucked in by him, of all the greasy, pizza-eating, wine-guzzling motherfuckers here in Sicily? Why does she need to be so fucking rebellious?
Why, why, why?
I’m going to have a lot to explain to my new partner.
Later.
I can’t sit here with my thumb up my ass, concocting a story.
Right now, I need to make sure there’s a story to tell…one with a satisfying ending.
I squeeze my eyes shut. But I don’t say a prayer.
I never do.
Don’t need to.
I leap out of the bushes and run toward the group. Time slows to the point where it almost stops, and I leap at Carlo’s dipshit pals first, shocking them so that I can take the first shots. Even in the darkness, I never miss my mark.
I fire off three shots.
Two of them crumble to the ground in a heap, but the third guy, he’s scrappy. He manages to escape my bullets and rolls away from me so he can grab his own gun. The guy takes a few shots while he looks for cover…shots I easily avoid.
Game on, motherfucker.
There’s nothing that’s gonna keep me from blowing off your head.
Gianna’s whimpers make my throat tight, and I know before I even look that Carlo has a gun pointed at her head and his arm wrapped around her chest, shielding him. I can tell what a fucking coward is gonna do before he does it.
Only when Carlo’s last peon turns his panicked eyes at me do I know for sure he’s finished.
His clip is now empty, and I’m still alive, all because he’s a suck-ass shot. I point my gun at him and squeeze off a couple of shots.
He lands on the ground with a satisfying thud. I’m not even out of breath when I turn toward Carlo. He looks like he’s about to shit himself, if he hasn’t already.
The corners of my lips curl into a smirk. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that you know I’m not here to settle your boss’ debt.”
Tears stream down Gianna’s face, her lips quivering.
All I want is to wrap my arms around her and bury my head in her sweet-smelling neck.
But that’s something I’ll never get to do.
Instead, I’ll be her savior. At least for tonight.
“I’m a big fan of messages, Carlo.” I take a few steps toward him, slowly. His eyes are wide with fear, but he doesn’t speak. I cock my head. “Seems like you were saying a lot to Gianna before. Now you’ve got nothing? I’m surprised. I’d heard you were some big bad ginzo gangster. I’m a little disappointed.” I shake my head, circling them. He turns and twists around, never taking his eyes off of me.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll fucking kill her! Her family needs to pay, and if you’re smart, you’ll take that message back to them.”
“I could do that,” I say, pretending to think about that half-ass threat. “Or I could kill you, find your family, kill them, and then go and have a glass of wine back at the house. With Gianna and her family.”
“Fuck you, asshole! You won’t get off one shot!” He cocks his gun and Gianna lets out a shriek, clawing at his arms. “It’s my way or she fucking dies!”