Chapter 5: An Intriguing little Puttana

Chapter 5: An Intriguing little Puttana

Draco’s P.O.V

“Capo! Capo!”

Riccardo burst through the doors to my study, making my head snap in his direction in irritation. Leaning up from the naked woman on my desk, I sneered at my guard. “This better be good, Rico.”

“It’s Devon!” Rico sounded out of breath. “He’s in bad condition…”

“The bagman?” I growled. “If he’s incapable of collecting our dept then chop him up and throw him to the sharks!”

“No, Capo.” Rico lowered his head. “Someone tried to burn him alive.”

That got my attention instantly.

“Leave,” I ordered the puttana still lying on my desk as I picked up my shirt from the floor and buckled up my belt. She immediately got off, and clutching her clothes to her chest, ran out of the room. Outside, my men lowered their eyes, giving her the dignity she needed to find an empty room and get dressed.

“Lead me to him.” I ordered Rico once I had put my shirt back on.

Rico complied and began leading me towards the infirmary where Devon was currently being taken care of. “His arm is all but singed off…” Rico spoke through gritted teeth. “Whoever did this to my fartello-”

“Will pay for their deeds accordingly.” With those words, I reminded Rico not to overstep his boundaries. At this point, I did not need to remind him that I was Capo dei capi, and no one in my famiglia moved a foot out of place without my permission.

Rico and I went down the elevator to the underground infirmary where my most trusted men were treated. I didn’t trust all of the members of my family, and those I did had worked extremely hard to earn that trust. And Devon was bordering on the lines of distrust with his recent actions. Still, he was innocent until proven guilty and I did not want to flaunt his injuries to those who were of lesser rank.

My mansion was built like a fortress. The original plan had been my father’s, but after he was murdered by the enemy, I had made significant changes to the household so no other famiglia, no matter how powerful, would ever be able to penetrate our defenses again. No one from La Cosa Nostra would dare to make an enemy out of me, but the Bratvas were a different story. Those motherfuckers liked to cause trouble.

“This way, Capo.” Once we reached the infirmary, Rico led me to the room where Devon was being treated. They had formed an unlikely bond recently. I had no qualms about it, as long as neither of them slacked at their jobs.

The doctor was injecting something into his IV when we reached his bed and Rico had been right. His right hand was in poor condition. The skin was all but charred to the bone. Still, the man tried to sit up upon seeing the both of us.

“Who did this to you?” I asked Devon, getting straight to the point.

“C-capo…I…” Devon tried to speak but his voice was hoarse.

Aside from his charred skin, he also seems to have taken a beating. There was a bandage on his forehead as well, telling me that he might have sustained some form of head injury. If he truly was innocent, then the person who had done this was going to pay…but I was starting to have doubts.

The doctor gave him an ice chip, which he swallowed gratefully before gulping down a few more. Once his voice was no longer hoarse, he turned to report to me. “I-I had g-gone to Theo’s brothel.” Devon swallowed. “I was there to collect the debt…and I had a-a…disagreement with one of the whores…and the next thing I know…this woman w-walks in and she orders me to be tied up…a-and then…”

Devon looked towards his hand; his lips trembling with rage, or perhaps sorrow at the loss of his dominant hand. However, I didn’t buy his sob story one bit. I think both the doctor as well as Rico had already noticed his hesitation before the word ‘disagreement’ and that was where I knew he had been the one to screw up first.

Devon met my eyes once again and whatever he saw in them, made his eyes widen in fear. I smirked. He sure had some courage, lying straight to my face. Walking to the bed next to him, I leaned down until I was his level.

“Tell me, Devon,” I leaned in closer to him. “What did you do to deserve this treatment?”

I saw his throat move as he swallowed. “C-capo…”

“Answer me.” I told him once again, my patience paper thin. “This is your last chance.”

“I–I…I burnt the whore with my cigarette…be-beat her up...” He swallowed once again. “She was fighting back, Capo, I-”

He didn’t get to finish before I took the used syringe from the tray next to the bed and slammed it into his chest. “Capo!” Rico’s startled voice was followed by the high pitched scream coming from Devon.

“We don’t have many rules, Devon.” I told him once his screams subsided. “But one of the most crucial one is never to hurt innocent women and children.”

I turned to face Rico, his expression stunned as he looked down at his so-called fartello (brother). “Get him treated and then decide what to do with him.” I told Rico. “There’s no point in kicking someone when he’s down. For all I can tell, he got exactly what he deserved.”

With that, I left the infirmary and went back into the elevator, Rico following behind me silently.

“Capo…I’m so-”

“Get me this woman.” I told him now, after the elevator doors had closed on us. “I may not tolerate Devon’s actions, but whoever this woman is, she needs to be taken care of as well. She’s either pazza (crazy) or extremely coraggiosa (courageous). However, she had dared to hurt one of my men.”

“Yes, Capo.”

There was no doubt that Devon was full of shit. Burning a woman just because she refused to sleep with him? Hitting and abusing her? That was what made him part of the filth that I hated. A Mafioso famiglia had strict rules and those rules, when broken, were punishable by death. It was the way of the Cosa Nostra.

But this woman…the one who had suddenly taken over the brothel after Theodor’s death…she seemed like an interesting little puttana (whore). Hurting others wasn’t an innate trait many people possessed, let alone a prostitute girl. She must have had an iron stomach and a penchant for torture to just sit and watch a man burst into flames, to enjoy the sight of his pain.

A sudden image flashed before my eyes. Of devil red lips tilted up in a smirk and velvety soft skin under my fingertips.

I don’t know why I suddenly remembered that woman from the party…of her, I will think again later, once I had dealt with the current problem. That temptress belonged to silken sheets and utmost luxuries, her body trembling in pleasure underneath mine. But not the woman who dared to hurt my men.

Whoever she was, needed to be taught a lesson. Because I was Capo dei capi for a reason. I showed no mercy for friends or foes. And if this woman thought she could get away after messing with my famiglia, she had another thing coming for her.

Because I stood by my rules. Never hurt the innocent. And she wasn’t innocent by a long shot.