Her Mafia Daddy (Book 1) novel Chapter 7

Rafael POV

She swallowed and focused on the scenery. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at my home, Castello di Ravazzani. I loved every bit of the estate the olive groves, vineyards, farmland and pasture but I couldn’t appreciate any of it at the moment And this only increased my fury. When the car stopped in front of the stone entry, I didn’t move. “Leave us,” I told Marco and my driver.

The doors closed and Valentina jumped, a frightened little rabbit. I angled toward her slightly. “Do you know my favourite part of owning a castle?”

“No,” she said, her voice breaking.

“Not even a guess?”

“The turrets?” Smirking, I got out and came around to her side. Once I pulled her from the car, I leaned down. “My favourite part of this castle is the dungeon.” She gasped. My patience thin, I didn’t give her a chance to run. Instead, I hauled her over my shoulder and started walking toward the back entrance that led below ground.

She instantly began thrashing, her legs kicking frantically. “Put me down! Stop, please.” I ignored her and kept going.

“No, please. I can’t go into a dungeon. Don’t take me down there. Please, Signore Ravazzani.”

Signore? That was new. But I was mad, beyond rational thought. We used the dungeon for business, though I preferred not to kill people on my land. It made too much of a mess. Valentina could stew in one of the dank cells for a few hours, then she might be more amenable to my hospitality.

By the time I threw open the heavy door, she was weeping. Good. Perhaps this would help her learn her place. “Please, signore. I can’t... You cannot put me down here.”

The soles of my shoes scratched against the old stone as I descended. Hopelessness rattled off the walls, while blood and despair hung in the air two familiar scents that never failed to please me. I had done terrible things in this place, and my son would do countless more. The legacy of the Ravazzani ’ndrina would continue here through fear and intimidation, through wrath and torture.

Grabbing a ring of keys off the peg by the door, I strode to the nearest cell. The iron bars were impossible to escape, though many had tried. Chains were embedded into the wall, but I didn’t think those were necessary with her. Not yet, at least. I set her on her feet. Tears tracked her cheeks and her eyes were wild as she clutched at my jacket. “Please. Don’t do this. I will literally freak out.”

This generation. So damn dramatic. I shook her off and stepped back, my intention clear. A capo never changed an order once it was made. We never showed weakness or remorse. I would gain the upper hand with this woman and she would fall in line.

I stepped outside the cell and swung the heavy metal door shut before she could slip through it. When it closed, she shook her head, panic causing her to shake. She clutched the iron bars. “Please, signore Don’t do this. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll be good.”

The words made my dick twitch as I imagined her on her knees being very good for me. Minchia! There had to be a special circle of Hell for a man who had impure thoughts about his son’s fiancée.

With a furious twist of my wrist, I locked the door with the old key. Above ground, we may have gone high tech but mediaeval worked perfectly well down here. “Perhaps this will teach you who holds the power in this house, piccola monella.”

She rattled the bars with a pained cry and for a brief moment I reconsidered, something which I almost never did. A capo cannot show weakness. My father had drilled this into my head for years, almost from birth. It was in our blood, our history.

After all, the word “’ndrina” was derived from the Greek, meaning “man who does not bend.” Which meant there would be no mercy, not even for her. I spun and started for the exit. “Enjoy your stay.”

****************

Ravazzani. He began carrying me up the stairs. “My father can be a real bastard sometimes.”

The words were spoken quietly, as if he were speaking to himself. “You are Dimitri .” I hiccuped into the rough skin of his throat, tears still leaking from my eyes.

“I am. You must be Valentina Mancini.” I nodded and tried to burrow closer into him, desperate to purge the lingering cold from my bones. “Th-thank you for rescuing me.”

“You never should have been down there in the first place. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

“Your father….”

“Has a temper And you stabbed him with a pen. Not that I am excusing his behaviour.” We reached the top of the stairs and the wide expanse of stars stretched overhead in the dark sky. The knot in my chest loosened and I dragged in my first real deep breath since getting off the plane. I could smell dirt and grass, a balm to my ragged nerves. You’re okay. You aren’t locked in any more. “You can put me down,” I told him through my chattering teeth.

“I can walk.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you. You were practically catatonic when I found you a few moments ago.” I was? I sighed and rested my head on my arm. “I don’t do well in small spaces.”

Dimitri cursed in Italian. “I apologise, Valentina . I would like to think he wouldn’t have put you there had he known….”