Taken by the Underboss

Copyright © 2023 Nikki Rose.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination. Book design by Nikki Rose. First printing edition 2023. All rights reserved. Venturi MafiaReading OrderRendezvous with the Enemy (Venturi Mafia, #0.5)Free with newsletter subscriptionWilled to the Enemy (Venturi Mafia, #1)Bound to the Enemy (Venturi Mafia, #2)Devoted to the Enemy (Venturi Mafia, #3)Taken by the Underboss (Venturi Mafia, #4)Hired by the Consigliere (Venturi Mafia, #5) Chapter 1Alessandro“Hello?” Teo's concerned voice came over the line, but he sounded different. “Teo?” “Yeah.” I took a deep breath, unable to hide the pride in my voice. "We got him. We took out the bastard and his men while they were at their meeting, so we were able to get them all at once.” “That’s fantastic. This news couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you, my friend.” Teo was one of my best friends, but he was also my future don, and his grateful tone made my chest puff out with pride. “I was happy to do it.” “Do you need transport home?” “No. We’ve got a cargo ship. We’re heading that way now.” “Any casualties on our side?” “Two of my guys,” I felt a pang of sadness at the mention of losing them. “Luca lost three of his men and a bullet grazed him as well.” “Luca was shot?” I glanced over to Luca who sat in the backseat of the car, staring out the window. “He assured me that it was just a flesh wound and that it could wait until we got back on Italian soil. He’s more concerned for the fallen men.” “Their sacrifice was not in vain. You guys took out a huge enemy today and I will see that their families are taken care of.” “I know they will appreciate that.” “Make sure that Luca and the other injured men get checked out as soon as you’re home.” “I will. We should be offloading in Tuscany.” “Call me with your coordinates and I’ll have the jet ready to transport you all as soon as you dock. It should be patched up by then.” “Oh yeah, I heard about your dramatic entrance into France.” “You have no idea, but we will catch up on all that as soon as you're home.” “I look forward to sitting down with you and having a strong drink after this.” And I would need it too. “You got it.” Teo ended the call, and I pocketed my phone, letting out an exhausted sigh. The fighting had been more brutal than I let on. One of Graziani's bullets had torn through my side before I put two bullets in his chest. I could still feel the residual burn from the bullet grazing across my skin, but that didn't matter. I was the one who walked away. I'd survive, and I didn't want to worry Teo while he was still enjoying his post-wedding bliss. We left our SUVs parked out of sight, just off the main road, and crept through the tree line with our gear on our backs. It wasn’t long before the dim lights of the dock came into view along with the silhouettes of a few dock workers loading a large cargo ship, ready to depart for Italy. It was easy enough for our skilled team to slip into the open cargo bays and the last of our men found their way on board just before the cargo doors were shut. We crouched behind shipping containers and waited for the ship to embark on its journey to take us home. The men worked in shifts, keeping watch while the rest of us, scattered among boxes and crates, propped ourselves up on our gear and tried to get a little sleep until it was our turn as lookout. After dozing off for about an hour, I woke during one of the shift changes and glanced at Luca, sleeping, propped up against a large shipping container. His skin was a paler olive than usual, and his lips matched. "Hey Luke, you alright?" He didn't respond. I gripped his bicep and gently shook him. "Luca? Wake up. You okay?" He stirred a bit that time, his eyes weakly fluttering open, but something wasn't right. I pulled my hand away from his shoulder and came away red. His jacket was blocking my view, so I moved it aside along with the collar of his shirt to reveal a wound much worse than I’d expected. Blood leaked from the amateur bandaging that he had applied earlier. "Leave it alone. I'm fine, " Luca muttered, but I didn't listen. I removed the bandage, revealing a bullet hole in his shoulder. "Shit, Luca. You said it was minor." "I'm fine. I'll be fine. Just need to get home..." His voice faded out as his body slumped and started to slide to the floor. I grabbed his biceps to hold him up. "Luca?" I snapped but he didn't answer. "Angelo, bring me those medical supplies." Angelo ran from across the aisle of cargo crates to where I was carefully lowering Luca's head to the floor. “What happened?” Angelo asked as he unzipped the bag and started pulling out all the supplies that we had. “This idiot neglected to mention that he had a bullet wound in his shoulder.” “What? He said it was just a scratch. I figured maybe he got grazed but I never thought it was that bad.” “Yeah well, it was that bad. He's bled through his bandages, and I don't know how many more he's gone through that he