18| Mafia and Mothers

⚠️ Contains Torture ⚠️

"What does Dalmani want with the girl?" Victor asked the blonde man chained to the chair in front of him. His blue eyes were stubborn but the fear behind them didn't go unnoticed.

"Even if I did I wouldn't tell you" The man spat

"Suit yourself" Victor shrugged, pulling his arm back and punching the man "still not?" Victor asked as blood gushed from the man's nose, the crimson liquid pooling into his mouth and staining his shirt

"Fuck you!" The man spat blood at Victor.

"I'll ask you again," Victor said patiently going over to the tools that lay on the silver table next to him. He smiled picking up a pair of pliers. Walking over to the man, he gave him a cynical smile "We can do this the easy way, tell me what I want and I'll kill you quickly, refuse and you will die slowly" He grabbed the man's bound hand, applying his pliers at the start of his thumbnail. "What does Dalmani want with the girl?"

His question was met with silence. "The hard way it is" Victor sighed. He clamped down on pliers, pulling it back swiftly with the man's thumbnail between its teeth. The man cried out in agony but still refused to answer. Victor moved on to the next finger. Clutching the nail between the pliers. "You still have a choice," Victor said before forcefully pulling off the man's nail. Besides the cry of pain, no answers were given. They went back and forth like this for the next hour before Victor's phone vibrating against his leg interrupted his Torture session. The man looked like he was about to pass out, Victor knew he was not going to get much more information out of him, which frustrated him. With a groan, he took out his phone, where his mother's name flashed on the screen.

"Kill him, make it slow and painful" Victor instructed one of his men, before stabbing a knife into one of the man's now nail less fingers. He walked out of the warehouse and away from the screaming before answering his phone.

"Hi mom" He answered.

"Took you long enough to answer Victor, what were you doing?" His mother's voice asked on the other end.

"Working, why are you calling?" He asked as he climbed into the backseat of the Mercedes that stood waiting for him. Fatigue pulled at his limbs.

"Do I need a reason to call?" His mother snapped "It's not as if I can expect a call from you, you're always too busy for your own mother!"

"You're right, I'm sorry." Victor sighed defeated "How are you mother?"

"I'm great!" She said happily "You know it's my birthday this weekend"

"I know," Victor said curtly, he had promised his mother he would be there on her birthday but he hadn't expected the current predicament he was in.

"Well, you promised me you would be here Victor!" She snapped "I don't want any excuses from you"

"I will be there" He confirmed "I'm bringing someone with me," He said as an idea formulated

"Who?"

"Her name is Grace," Victor said into the phone, he knew that Grace was unhappy being trapped in the house constantly, this would be an outing for her and a way to get his mother off of his back.

"What!" His mother shouted, "a girl, oh my God are you finally bringing a girl home?" She laughed excitedly "I'll have everything arranged dear. I cannot wait to meet her"

"Thanks, mom, see you soon" Victor smiled ending the call, he knew his mother would be happy, she had been nagging him for years to settle down. As the car pulled up to the front of the house, Victor got out, Torture had always left him feeling tired.

"Welcome home Mr. Bernardi," Darla said taking his jacket

"Thanks, Darla," He said softly "Where is Ms. Brennan?"

"In her bedroom sir, I think she's retired for the evening"

"Thank you" he replied heading up the stairs to Grace's room. He was surprised when he found her sitting on the bed reading through a book. He leaned against the door frame watching her for a moment, savoring the small details, the way her finger moved across the page as she read, the small crease between her brows as she concentrated, and then the hazel brown eyes looking his way with the smallest glimpse of excitement behind them.

"You'll give me a heart attack" She stood with her hand over her chest

"I apologize, it's late, why are you still up?" He asked walking into the room before standing in front of her. Grace swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, it didn't matter how long she had spent with Victor, he always seemed to have that effect on her.

"I wasn't tired" she admitted looking down, the crimson liquid on Victor's hand stopping her in her tracks "your hand!" She stood quickly before running into the bathroom "sit" She demanded in her cute little way making the corners of Victor's mouth pull up in an amused smile. Grace rubbed the warm cloth gently over his knuckles. Victor would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying her touch.

"Oh," Grace said realizing as she wiped off the blood that it wasn't his.

"No harm," Victor said softly

"At least not to you," Grace said realizing the closeness between them as she stood between his legs.

As if it were instinct Victor's hand traced up the back of her thigh causing her breath to hitch in her throat as her body buzzed with his touch. "You look tired," she said stupidly

"I am" Victor replied gripping the back of her thighs before pulling her down onto his lap. Grace's cheeks burned bright red as she found herself straddling the man while his hand clenched the fabric of her silk night dress. His green eyes were tired but wanting at the same time as he brought his lips to her kissing her roughly as though he could let out the day's frustration onto her. His kiss was urgent and needing as his tongue snacked against her lips pleading for an entrance to dominate her mouth and taste her. Grace curled her fingers into the strands of his black hair as her core began to tighten, her own needs being reflected as she kissed him back.

"You're going to drive me insane," Victor said breathlessly as he pulled away from the kiss. "Do you want to go away with me this weekend?"

"Where to?" Grace asked her breathing coming out uneven

"Italy"

"Italy?" Grace looked at him surprised

"It's my mother's birthday," Victor said suppressing the urge to smile

"You want me to meet your mother?"

"She wants to meet you"

"Oh" Grace looked at him, for a moment it felt normal, she was going to meet the mother of a man she likes, not a mafia King, not someone who murdered people and tortured them. Just a man like any other but she knew no matter how normal she thought this moment was, her relationship with Victor was far from normal. "So do you want to come?" He raised a dark brow

"Sì" Grace smiled playfully, perhaps they were normal, it didn't matter the feelings that had began developing for Victor had already warned Grace that regardless if it were normal or not, it was too late to go back.