Beautiful Assassin (3 page)

The kitchen was a fucking madhouse; Mouth and Jimmy as she
torturously kept calling him, were taking swipes at each other. Poppy, Rossi
and Alphonso were up to no fucking good how do I know, they were breathing
weren't they? Murdering fucks.

Mom was in her glory having all these people to take care of, and
the two jackasses and my sisters were making googly eyes at each other.

Outside the house must look like the president was in residence,
the amount of manpower surrounding the place was out of fucking control but no
way was I gonna take any chances with her safety.

By tactful agreement no one was mentioning what had happened at
the mall. All I gathered so far in the few rushed minutes I'd stolen with
Tommy was that Mouth recognized some fuck named Joey three fingers or some
shit, she'd made him, he'd drawn his piece and she'd somehow outmaneuvered him
and alerted Tommy and they’d gotten ma and the girls out of there instead of
going after the guy.

What I wanted to know was why were they coming after her? If the
faction that had been after Rossi was dead, then why the fuck were people
coming after her here?

This fingers guy was supposedly a free agent so no one knew for
sure who the fuck he was working for at least that's what Tommy thought; I'll
have to look into it.

Rumor has it that he never missed, there's always a first time for
everything and he'd missed today which meant to keep his reputation he was
going to have to make another play. 

I'm getting tired of people fucking with what's mine.

Fucking mob was like a three-headed snake, you cut one of those
fuckers off and another one took its place.

"You're marrying her?"

 I came back to the here and now at James's outburst.

"What the fuck, who are you talking to?" He knew better
than to question me like that, ma or not I'd fuck his shit up right here I'd
had enough.

"Uhm...." He looked like he'd swallowed something sour
or some shit, like he was about to crap himself.

"Sorry." 

"Don't fuck with me James."

"I still don't understand how Arianna knows our James, he
hasn't been out of the house in quite sometime not since his accident I don't
think.

"They met when I sent him on an errand ma that's all."

"Hey Ari is this the one you capped?" 

Alphonso the fuck had to open his big mouth.

"What?"

"Nothing ma, he's kidding."

She didn't say anything else but she was looking all kinds of
skeptical.

I gave the Rossi brothers a shut the fuck up look but they just
smirked at me. The fucks. I wonder which one Mouth got the attitude problem
from?

As soon as it was possible we men excused ourselves to the study,
dad was still at the hospital but he wouldn't have had much to do with the
meeting anyway, then again with mom involved he might've wanted in. 

"Okay, so who's this Joey fingers what the fuck?" I
got right to the point, no sense in beating around the bush. 

"He's a wildcard, the best iceman in Chicago." Alphonso
lit a cigar as he pulled up a seat.

"Word is he never misses." That’s what I was most
concerned about, the fact that these guys never quit. 

"Nope, not once in twenty years.  Rossi answered.

"He missed today, which means he'll be back."

"That's my kid, we did good there Alphonso.

"Damn straight, she would've made an excellent
Don." 

"Fuck that noise, she's not running your outfit, we're
getting married and she's staying here with me."

There was a look passed between the two old fucks, Poppy meanwhile
hadn't said a word, but the look on his face said it all. He was enjoying the
show.

"What, what the fuck's that look about?" 

"I'm guessing she hasn't told you that she's planning to
return to Chicago in a few days."

I heard her father as if from a distance, fuck me not this shit
again. I jumped up and flung the door to the study open.

"Arianna get over here now."

She came from the living room where the women had congregated.

"You bellowed your crankiness?"

I pulled her into the room and slammed the door shut. 

"You're not going to Chicago."

"What?" She glared at her father and uncle.

"Don't look at them look at me, tell me you understand what I
just said, you are not going to Chicago, no way no how."

"It's only for a short while."

"No."

"Shane..."

I cut her off with a hand around her throat.

"Mouth do not fuck with me on this, you only think you've
seen me pissed, push me on this and live to regret it."

Mikey and Tony came to flank me, but funnily enough her father and
uncle did nothing; not that I'd really hurt her but I did have my hand wrapped
around her throat about to throttle her.

"Shane maybe you should..." 

"Stay out of it Anthony she wants to pull the tiger's tail,
let her see what happens. 

"Son it's only for a short time, she has some unfinished
business, there's still some cousins or some shit left from the family that was
in bed with the Staccos, she asked me if she could take care of it and I said
yes."

"She's not going after any more fucking mobsters and
especially not with my kid inside her."

You could hear a pin drop it got so deathly quiet then.

"Kid, what kid?" Rossi looked between us trying to make
sense of my words.

"Your grandkid."

"Shane cut it out, dad don't listen."

Of course the room erupted in chaos with everyone speaking at
once. I just stood back and watched, waiting to see where the chips would fall,
no matter what though she wasn't going. 

I grabbed the back of her shirt when she was about to lay into her
uncle, she turned her furious glare on me but I didn't give two shits.

"See what you started, are you happy now?"

"Tone it down Mouth, I'm not sure exactly why you think I
handed you my balls but I've got news for you, don't fucking push me, and when
exactly were you planning on telling me about this imaginary trip of yours? Or
were you planning on skipping out without telling me?"

"Of course I was going to tell you, I was just waiting for
the right moment." She turned her glare back on her father and uncle. No
wonder she thought I should be afraid of her; both men seemed to cower under
her scrutiny. Big fucking chance of that happening.

"It's a moot point now anyway, you're not going and Mouth
believe me, if you should by some miracle get away and head there, I promise
you you will wish you'd never met the likes of me."

"Don't threaten me Joe Scarponi."

"It's not a threat."

I saw her gulp when she got a good look at my face. Good, maybe
now she'd take me seriously, because the last time she disobeyed me was the
last time she disobeyed me.

"I don't see why..."

"Get this Arianna, there's no discussion, you're not going to
fucking Chicago or anywhere else. These fucks found you here somehow; did you
stop to think of that? You're being hunted like fucking prey. Kid or no kid I
would've never let you go. You wanna sulk, fucking sulk, you want to throw a
tantrum do that shit too but you'll be doing it here."

I pulled her into my body and lifted her chin so she could see
into my eyes.

"I love you, but you'll never run me, the sooner you learn
that the better off we'll be."

I took my phone from my jacket pocket and placed a call.

"Get me the twins."

"Oh shit." Michael shook his head and looked at Arianna
with pity.

"Who're the twins?" she looked from Tony to Mikey who
just shook their heads at her.

"What
did I tell you Rossi, match made in heaven.” Poppy laughed his ass off. 

What the fuck!

"Poppy what do you mean?"  I looked from one to the
other of the three old mobsters in my father's study, what the fuck was going
on here, did they...?

"Poppy what the fuck is going on?"

"Who’re the twins mob boy?"

"Not now Mouth, just know that your days of running wild are
over; I have shit to take care of in the next few months so I can't be there
every second of every day to ride herd on your stubborn ass so deal with what's
coming." 

If looks could kill I'd be dead, she better keep her little ass
quiet or it'll be worst. Fuck, we weren't even married yet and already she was
driving my ass nuts. 

I turned back to my wily grandfather and his cohorts, they were
busy whispering and gesticulating, probably arguing about how much to tell me.

From Poppy's little bombshell I gathered they think they have
something to do with Mouth and I meeting. 

"Start talking you three." 

They came to a standstill in their little brouhaha as all eyes
turned to them.

Alphonso and Rossi looked sheepishly at Mouth, while Poppy the old
fuck could care less. 

He looked me dead in the eye as he started.

"Listen up boyo, you weren't doing anything about carrying on
the family name, I'm old and two steps out of the grave I want to bounce my
great grandbabies on my knees for fucks sakes. 

"What the fuck?" 

"What about me Poppy?"  

"James boy you know I love you but I've always been honest
with you and I'm not about to stop now. You're not of my blood, doesn't mean I
love you any less but I'm an old Irishman, blood will tell." 

James looked like he was about to fucking break into tears.

"Poppy, that's fucked up, I get what you're saying but it's
still fucked." 

I wouldn't say anymore because I knew Poppy would stick to his
guns, James will just have to handle his shit. I have bigger fish to fry right
now anyway I'll deal with my brother's emotional trauma later. 

"So you decided that I needed to be put out to stud?"
Did I mention I was getting pissed way the fuck off?

"No,no, don't look at it like that, we were just trying a
little matchmaking, it's something her father and I came up with years ago
before you were even born, hell your own father wasn't even born yet when we
made the deal.

Rossi looked nervous as fuck and Alphonso for some strange reason
was silent and seemed to be trying valiantly to disappear into the wall. 

"Dad.........."

"Don't start Ari, you fell in love didn't you?" 

She sniffed her nose at me, I still had a hold of her shirt, I'd
forgotten that. I moved my hand around her waist and pulled her under my arm.

"Whether I did or not you had no right to interfere."

"Of course I did, you're my only kid, did you think I was
going to leave something as important as this up to chance? I had to make sure
your husband was strong enough to deal with your...quirkiness." 

Quirkiness my ass, she's nuts plain and simple, but she's my nut
now. I guess I can't be too mad at the meddling old biddies, they did somehow
manage to orchestrate the best fucking thing to ever happen to me. 

"Uncle Al....." 

"What?" He tried to look innocent as he cleaned
imaginary lint from his jacket sleeve. 

"Wait until I tell auntie on you two." 

"Oh shit girl, that's hitting way below the belt, you won't
do that to your old uncle now would you?" 

What a sap, the guy was really afraid of the women in his
family. 

"Who's auntie?" I squeezed Mouth to get an answer out of
her, seems she wasn't talking to me.

"She's sort of our surrogate sister, use to have designs on
Phonso when we were kids but he's playing hard to get."

"Fuck off Roberto." I can't believe the sap was actually
blushing, whatever, back to the matter at hand; their meddling asses.

"There's no way you three could've orchestrated everything
that transpired here." 

"Not the crazy shit no, we just needed to get her into the
city under your nose. Your grandfather knows you very well, he knew if he
maneuvered it so you could find out what the owner of the pub was up to you'd
take action there. He was actually supposed to be here looking after her
but shit went wonky and there was a change of plans. Things still worked out
fine though don't you think? She was here a good month or so before you knew
she was here, we had to step things up, but after that you crazy kids did
everything else on your own." 

I gave this some thought, I had to admit they were pretty fucking
slick and like I said, I couldn't really be mad at them, but I had a feeling
they weren't done. 

"So you got us together, now what?" 

"You're just going to let them get away with it?"

My bloodthirsty mafia girl wanted somebody's throat between her
teeth.

"Leave it Mouth, no harm done.

There was a lot of throat clearing, James was still sulking and
the Bobsie twins were quiet for once, probably sucking up every word to retell
to their wives and laugh at me later. 

I gave them the finger with just a look; they got the message,
trying to look all cool and shit, fucking yentas. 

I finally took a seat pulling Mouth down on my lap as I waited to
hear what fuckery they had in store for me next. 

"Here's the thing." Rossi once again took the lead
"You're trying to go legit, in fact you're well on your way to being that,
but I'm roads ahead of you. I've been going straight behind the scenes for two
years now that's why those assholes decided to band together, the
fucks." 

I felt her stiffen on my lap; apparently this was news to her as
well.  

"Anyway your biggest problem seems to be the law, as we all
know, it is more profitable to be a criminal than to be a law abiding citizen.
Your grandfather, Alphonso and I will take care of that no problem; us old
dragons know how to handle dinosaurs. Some of the families back in Chicago
weren't too happy with my decision to go legit, but some were on board; I gave
up some of my old contacts to the more upstanding of our brothers and told the
others to go fuck themselves. 

There're still two families left who are a thorn in my side, it's
one of these two that sent that fucking gumbah after my kid I'm sure. We
take out these two fucks and it's smooth sailing." He stopped to take a
sip of water, so far so good. 

"Okay, what else? You're cleaning up your end of things I'm
cleaning mine, this is a good thing but your business is in Chicago mine's
here, Mouth isn't going back to Chicago to run your shit, legal or otherwise so
what was the point?" 

"You'll run them both together." 

The fuck! okay, that was some serious shit he was saying here.
Rossi's organization made mine look like kids play, he controlled more than
five times what I did. 

"You'll have fifty five percent interest in the business, Ari
gets the rest, plus you have your own business here." 

"That's a very sweet deal, tell me, why would you do that for
someone you just met and hardly know?" 

"Boy I've been studying you for the past two years, even
before your Poppy sold me on the idea, you see I got started later in life but
the deal was my kid would marry his kid; since he got started way ahead of me I
figured it was dead but then I started hearing good things about young Shane
Flanagan so I started tracking you. When I called your Poppy a few months ago
asking for help stashing Ari, he brought up the idea of a match between you
two." 

"Two years, when she was seventeen?" 

"Boy that girl was born old, besides we thought we'd wait
until she was eighteen, it's one year later but what the hell?" 

The ball of fire was about to explode on my lap but there was a
knock at the door. Michael got up to answer and the two men walked in. 

"Hello boys." I stood with Mouth next to me. " Meet
your new assignment." 

"Boss...." 

They both spoke at the same time with pained looks on their faces. 

"I see you've heard the stories already." 

They nodded their heads in unison. 

"I'm sure you boys can handle it, didn't they teach you how
to handle explosive weapons of mass destruction in the Seals?" 

"Boss, uhm yeah, but she's yours." 

"So you handle her with care in all things, if the situation
warrants it I give you permission to use force." 

I got an elbow to the gut as Mouth finally caught on to who the
two new men in the room were.  

The twins were anything but, Zane was a six foot four African American
and Alec was a six foot six Native American, they got their nickname because of
the way they moved together, like fucking magnets. It was from their days in
the seals together.

"Arianna meet your two new best friends." 

"I think I liked it better when you called me Mouth, every
time you call me Arianna it's followed by bad news. No offense
boys." 

She smirked at the two men who were sizing her up. Probably
wondering how someone so tiny could've pulled off all the shit they'd heard
about. They'll learn.