Of Beauty, Brains, & Bravery, page 1
OF BEAUTY, BRAINS, & BRAVERY
NATALIA LAMB
J. S. COOPER
Copyright © 2023 by Natalia Lamb
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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CONTENTS
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Acknowledgments
BLURB
There was once a wolf and a little lamb.
He was full of fury, and she was calm.
The first time he saw her, he was intrigued.
He lured her into his web of deceit.
Once she found out his lies, she was done.
And now this Mafia boss’s time has come.
He’s known as a wolf. The cold Mafia boss with the frozen heart. His father told him he had to find a wife, but he had other plans. The first time Antonio Marchesi spied Callie Rowney, he knew he had to have her. Even though she wasn’t from his world, he didn’t care. He concocted an elaborate plan to trap her in his web.
She’s known as a lamb. A sweet, innocent college senior who dreams of one true love. When she met Antonio, she couldn’t help but be attracted to his charm and looks. She tried to resist, but he knew the tune to her heart. But then his lies were exposed, and she was heartbroken and despaired. She fled his den and never wanted to see him again.
But there’s one secret neither one of them knows about.
1
Callie
“I have not broken your heart—you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.” —Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Momma’s going to buy you a mocking bird. I heard my mother’s dulcet tone in my head as I lay there on an unfamiliar hard bed, but it was Roberto Marchesi’s face that I saw mouthing the words. He was the epitome of a nightmare, with his garish, ugly, pudgy, and callous features. I could still smell his putrid breath in my nostrils, and I wanted to throw up.
Don Roberto Marchesi was Antonio’s father, but their resemblance ended at their names. A sickly tremor rose in my throat as I thought about the last hour. All I could wonder was how Roberto and Antonio knew my mother, Phillipa, and the song she sang to me when I was young?
“Callie, my little lamb, can you hear me?” Antonio’s deep voice sounded concerned as it echoed in the room he’d carried me into, but I knew that was just wishful thinking. He’d most probably clapped in glee when I’d fainted.
I wanted to open my eyes and shout at him. Tell him that he was a pig. And I wanted to punch him hard in the face for using me. For making me believe he cared. What was it he’d said? My brain ached as I lay there, and suddenly his words hit me hard, like a freight train. “I am Antonio ‘the wolf’ Marchesi. I know everything.” I seized up for a few seconds as I tried to shout out, “What is everything?” But my words wouldn’t come. Instead, I heard a taunting yell reverberating in the room.
“She’ll come around soon,” an older lady said, and I was about to open my eyes when Antonio spoke again.
“How do you know that song, Papa?” There was a quietness to his tone that sent a shiver down my spine. Now I understood what deathly quiet meant. Or did it just mean it was so quiet, it was deathly? My brain was scrambled; I was anxious, and my thoughts were rambling. I just needed to stop.
“What song?” Don Roberto tried to sound confused, but he wasn’t a good actor. His tone was almost cackling. I wouldn’t be shocked if he turned green and transformed into a witch. Maybe he’d start singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and then transform into Judy Garland. Focus, Callie. My brain was trying to distract me from my nervous anxiety.
“The song Callie’s mother used to sing to her?” Antonio’s voice rose, and I felt agitated. He was asking the question I wanted the answer to. Did that mean he didn’t know the answer? But then, how did he know my mother? None of this made any sense.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Don Roberto’s voice was distant, and I heard a chair pushing back, scratching against the wooden floor. The sound made me tremble. “I need some answers myself. What is this girl doing in my house?”
“I invited her,” Antonio responded coolly. “She’s joining us for dinner.”
“Antonio, is that wise?” The woman’s voice again. Who was she?
“What do you mean, Luisa?” His voice was deceptively calm. I was learning Antonio’s tells now. He was always extremely calm before he got enraged and pounced. They called him a wolf, and he called himself a mole, but I thought of him as a lion: strong, proud, and vicious.
“Tonight is the dinner with Tommasso and Serena and—” she continued softly.
“And what of it?” Antonio laughed, the sound coming from deep in his throat. I couldn’t see, but I could picture the danger. The smell of a cigar suddenly filled the room, and I felt queasy. I wondered if I was going to die. I wondered if this was it for me. A stupid trap that I’d fallen into because I’d wanted a romantic adventure so badly. What a way to go out. At least I wasn’t a virgin anymore. At least I’d experienced passionate lovemaking before I died. Even if it had only been for one night.
“It is important that you follow through with your obligations.” Don Roberto was pissed.
“I never said I would marry Serena and you haven’t answered my question.” Antonio’s voice was raspy. “How do you know the song Phillippa sang to Callie?”
“Or, rather, I could ask you what are you doing with her?” Roberto’s voice was deathly quiet now. “Luisa, please leave the room.”
“But…” Luisa protested. She didn’t want to go. Was she scared Roberto would kill his own son? It certainly didn’t seem as if there was any love lost between father and son. If I’d ever heard hatred in a voice before, it was between the two of them.
“I will not tell you twice.” Roberto’s voice was pure venom. There was silence in the room for a few seconds, and then I heard footsteps and a door opening and closing. All hope left my body. My subconscious had been sure that a matronly woman would never let something happen to me. Women weren’t as cruel as men. At least, that’s what I’d always thought until I met Valentina. Had she had anything to do with this? Exactly what had she known?
“Don’t you ever try and usurp my power in front of anyone ever again.” Roberto’s voice was a hiss. “I will take you down, Antonio.”
“Is that any way to talk to your son?”
“Why is she here?”
“Why do you care, Papa?”
“You bring the daughter of the man that killed your mother into my house.” Roberto’s voice was deadly, and I felt like I’d been slapped. What was he saying? What did he mean? My father… what? He couldn’t have.
“Paul Rowney will pay for what he did,” Antonio responded. “He didn’t even go to jail for what he did to Mama.”
Roberto cackled. “So that’s why she’s here…”
“Why else would she be here?” Antonio asked, his tone slightly confused. “You don’t actually think I care for her…”
Pain coursed through me at his words, and my eyes slowly opened and took in his face. The room was dark, darker than I’d thought it would be. I could barely see anything. The curtains were drawn, and the only light source was a dozen candles sitting on the ornate mantlepiece across from the bed. Antonio and his father were standing on the left side, closest to the door, both men’s guns prominent on their hips. I tried to sit up, but a sudden jolt of pain filled my head. It felt like I was stuck in a small room, and the walls were closing in on my head.
“Ow,” I exclaimed, regretting the word as soon as it was out of my mouth.
“Callie…” Antonio rushed to my side, a look of concern on his face. He was a much better actor than I’d given him credit for. I wanted to punch him, but I had no energy.
“Whhaat is…” I started to speak, but he dropped to his knees and pressed his finger against my lips.
“Save your energy. You’ve had a shock.” His eyes shimmered as he gazed at my face. “You can talk later.” I hated myself then because I almost melted at the concern on his face, even though I knew it was all false. Then Don Roberto came up from behind him and looked down at me.
“She’s very beautiful and very young.” He stared at me and then at Antonio. “Maybe you are ready to take over, after all.”
“What does that mean?” Antonio looked back at him.
“The famiglia code you always talk about, we never harm women or children.” Don Roberto’s voice was snide and excited, as if he could barely get the words out of his mouth. “Looks like there’s a woman here that’s about to be harmed, or do you need me to finish the job?”
“Leave now,” Antonio said, jumping back up. “I have the situation under control.”
“We still have the dinner tonight. Tommasso will not be agreeable if we have more changes.”
“We will be there.” Antonio looked down at me, and if I’d had the energy, I would have laughed. Did he really think I was interested in going to the dinner with him now?
“You’re still bringing the girl?”
“Her name is Callie.”
“Callie Rowney…” Don Roberto sounded almost gleeful. “Does her father know?”
“Soon enough.” Antonio sighed and looked down at me to see if I was listening and comprehending. I tried my best to glare at him. I’d fainted, not undergone brain surgery. The look he gave me was almost sorrowful. As if this was hurting him as much as it was hurting me. I wished I could jump up and knee him in the groin… hard. Then he’d have something to look pained about.
“It’s been nineteen years since Mom has been gone,” Don Roberto said, nodding. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has.” Antonio nodded, and I could feel my brain working. His mom had been dead for nineteen years? My mom had also been dead for nineteen years. Was there a coincidence there? My heart nearly stopped for a few moments… We didn’t have the same mother, did we? No, there was no way. I felt sick that the thought had even crossed my mind.
“She was a slu—” Don Roberto’s voice turned to a wail, and I heard a thud. My eyes flickered to the side. Antonio had his father against the wall, his fingers gripped around his neck, and it looked as if he was going to strangle him to death.
“Antonio…” I called out, but he didn’t even look back at me.
“Don’t you dare talk badly about my mother.” Antonio’s voice was ice.
“She was the one that cheated on me,” Don Roberto spat out.
“You’ve never been faithful in your life.” Antonio’s fingers tightened, and Roberto started sputtering.
“Antonio, no…” I said louder. I didn’t particularly like Don Roberto and hated Antonio right now, but I didn’t want to witness a murder. Life was already moving in a direction I didn’t like or understand. “Antonio, please…”
Finally, Antonio looked back at me, his eyes in my direction, but his expression blank. He was looking at me, but not really. I felt invisible. And cold. He let go of his father, and I watched as his dad grabbed his gun and placed it against Antonio’s head.
“You wanna fucking choke me?” He pulled the trigger, and the room started spinning around me. “Who da fuck do you think you’re playing with, Antonio? You have no respect for your papa now? You want me to blow your fucking brains out and blame it on this bitch?”
“You don’t have the balls.” Antonio didn’t even flinch as he gazed into his father’s eyes. “Put the gun down before I blow your cock off and stuff it down your throat.”
Silence filled the air. I could hear a shuffling from the floorboards above and a creaking in the walls. My heart was beating so rapidly now that I was positive I would have a heart attack. I blinked as I saw a fly landing on Don Roberto’s ear. I wanted to crack a joke about flies always finding the trash, but even I knew that now wasn’t a good time. And Antonio didn’t deserve my jokes anyway.
“Fucking take care of this shit,” Don Roberto said finally, looking over at me. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you suck on my balls…” He gestured down to his crotch and chuckled as Antonio stepped forward, a furious look on his face. “Don’t forget who I am, dear son. Your disrespect is out of control.”
“And there’s nothing you’re going to do about it.” Antonio opened the door. “Get out.” I was confused by their power play. If Don Roberto was in charge, why was he letting Antonio get away with his blatant disrespect? I was pretty confident men had been killed for less in the Mafia. Something was just not adding up. In fact, there were so many things that weren’t adding up. The door slammed as Don Roberto left the room, and Antonio headed over to me.
“Would you like another shower before dinner?” he asked me softly as he bent down and kissed me on the forehead. “You’ve had a shock.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Did he really think I wanted anything to do with him now? Did he think he had a magic cock that would make him think I would disregard the last couple of hours?
2
Antonio
“It was not the thorn bending to the honeysuckles, but the honeysuckles embracing the thorn.” —Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
“You must be crazy if you think I’m going to stay here for another second.” Callie looked at me as tears welled up in her eyes. “I want to go home right now.” She stepped out of the bed and glared at me. Her face was full of hurt and distrust. So she’d understood I wasn’t the deep, sweet guy she’d initially thought I was.
“That’s not going to be possible,” I said, shaking my head, taking a deep breath. I knew she was upset and hurt, and I understood why. This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out some of my secrets, but eventually, she’d have to know. “I’m sure you want answers, don’t you?” I said softly, touching the side of her face.
She slapped my hand away and then pushed me. “Don’t you dare touch me!” she screamed as if I held a knife to her throat.
My eyes widened in surprise. She was definitely acting like a drama queen. And it was turning me on. I wanted to bend her over the bed and slide deep inside her. I wanted her to scratch my chest, my back. I wanted her to bite me. I wanted to have angry sex with her. Somehow, I didn’t think she’d go for that, though. I’d fucked everything up. I should have known my dad would have recognized her. I’d seen photos of her mother, and they looked very similar. Both had hauntingly beautiful and vulnerable faces.
“I want to go home, Antonio. I want to go now! You can take me or you can call me a taxi or you can have one of your goons take me, but—”
“One of my goons?” I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Isn’t that a stereotypical thing to say?”
“Isn’t what stereotypical?” she said, blinking in confusion, her anger forgotten for a moment.
“Calling my friends goons. That’s like assuming every Italian or Sicilian man is part of the Mafia.”
“But you are part of the Mafia, Antonio. Your dad is the freaking don, and you’re going to be the don one day, and I’m pretty sure guys like your friend Jimmy are called goons for a reason, because they do your dirty work. Oh, wait, but you do your dirty work, too.” Her lower lip trembled, and she paused. Her eyes searched mine for a few moments, and she grimaced.
“What is it, Callie? I know you haven’t finished saying everything you want to say.”
“Is that why you slept with me,” she said, “because this is a game to you? And I—”
“I didn’t sleep with you because this was a game.” I shook my head. “This isn’t a game. I didn’t want to hurt you.” Which was true, technically. I didn’t want to hurt her as much as I wanted to hurt her father. “I’ll explain everything to you, if you let me.”
“Explain what?” she said.
“Don’t you want to know why you’re here and how I know your mother?”
