Merciless Queen Read online

  Her father’s eyes narrowed on her, his face cold. It was frightening how in an instant he could change from her loving father to the man who ruled the mob for many years. She had seen the face of the mob boss many times over the years as he groomed her for this life.

  “Stop your pacing, sit down, and read the damn file,” her father ordered. “You’re being emotional and that’s what got you here in the first place.”

  Her heart dropped to her stomach because his words were true. She had let her guard down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. She needed to think, and she couldn’t when all she saw was red. What had this man done to her? She didn’t freak out like this. That’s what made her such a good boss; yet here she was, a total mess. Sighing, she sank down into the chair across from her father. He pushed the manila folder toward her. She didn’t want to pick it up. This folder would tell her things about a different Andre—one she didn’t know... one who had manipulated her and put a bullet through Calvin, even if he didn’t do it personally. When she didn’t move to touch the folder, her father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “His name is Andre Rizzuto,” he said. “He’s part of the Rizzuto crime family—not born into but worked his way up. He started in the West End Gang. He was known to be a big earner. Made the gang thousands and when he became part of the Rizzuto family, he turned that into millions. The boss at the time, Jon Rizzuto, treated him like a son. Andre isn’t known to be a killer, but he is known for his brutal ways. More likely to play with your head. Made a man cut his own arm off once, telling him he would be forgiven if he did so. One week later he put a bullet through him. A war broke out last year. Jon Rizzuto died. The FEDS believed that was the end of it, but Andre stepped up. He made an agreement that ended the war and came over here to find more ways to make money. Some stuff was true about him. He really did graduate with a business management degree and owns all the real estate and restaurants. The Montreal gang is keeping a low profile right now—no killings in a couple of months, just gambling.”

  “When did you find all this out?” Cassandra asked.

  “Last week. I never stopped looking into him.”

  “And you decided to tell me just now?” She felt like a child again. Her father was always trying to teach her life lessons in the cruelest ways.

  “You needed to figure it out on your own.”

  Cassandra stayed silent, letting everything sink in. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces, but she knew what she had to do. It was simple; she had to kill Andre. She had to show everyone that a snake cannot crawl into the bed of a boss. Especially since she was a woman, men already doubted her emotional well-being. She had killed many men, some who didn’t deserve it, and she knew this would be difficult but necessary. She said nothing to her father as she stood up. It would hurt so bad, but she would grieve and move on. She had worked too hard to turn back now.

  “Cass, do what you have to do but make sure you do it,” her father said.

  She turned and left, Leo following close behind.

  Andre

  He paced his office as Felix updated him through the speakerphone. Things were starting to come together, but he knew he had to go back soon.

  “I think the FEDS are on to something new from what my mole tells me,” Felix said.

  “Good, that’s what we want. Talk to me about the money.”

  Felix was silent for a moment, and Andre stopped his pacing. The money was what was important to him, it’s what made this whole life worth it.

  “Felix…” Andre warned.

  “We don’t have a lot out here, Boss; gambling is not doing well.”

  “What do you mean it’s not doing well?” he asked.

  “Something’s going on, someone’s coming up short.”

  Andre sighed, pushing his hands through his hair.

  “I can handle it, Boss. Just give me the green light.”

  “No, I need to handle it. I’ve been gone too long. I’ll be back soon so don’t get too comfortable.”

  Andre hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t keep hiding in the States while Felix held things together in Montreal. The business was going good here—his men had made their way into the gun trade, dope was selling fast, and now that the FBI was off their case he needed to get things moving in Montreal. Everything was at a standstill right now, but after he got back it was going to be a different story.

  Matteo cracked the door open and peaked his head in without knocking. “You got a visitor.”

  He waved him in as Al, one of Andre’s men, walked in wearing jeans and a hoodie. He looked like the typical street thug.

  “What do I owe the pleasure?” Andre asked.

  “We got a problem, Boss.”

  *****

  Andre barely had time to put the car in park before he ran up the steps to the apartment, taking them two at a time. It would take Cassandra a good hour to get back from her parents’, which means he would have a few minutes to hide all the guns before she got there. He had swept her place before and hopefully, knew of all the hiding spots. Behind the fridge, in the cereal box, strapped under the bed, and next to the toilet. As he got to the front door, he hesitated. What if she was already in there? He wasn’t sure what would be waiting on the other side. It wasn’t often that Andre felt fear, least from a woman half his size. But up until this morning he had never been scared of seeing that side of Cassandra. He knew it was there. The boss that everyone feared, the one that set men on fire and cut off their balls for interrupting her. He wasn’t sure if that Cassandra would be able to rationalize with the one that spent so many nights sleeping soundlessly in his arms. He knew one thing. No matter what, he could never bring himself to hurt her. As quietly as possible, he unlocked the door and opened it. The apartment was quiet as he searched the space. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized she hadn’t made it back yet. Looking around the apartment he ran a hand through his hair. This was the worst thing that could have happened. He took his suit jacket off and tossed it on the bed. He loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He knew it was going to be hell when Cassandra got home but hopefully, if he hid all the guns, at least she wouldn’t kill him…maybe. He got to work, moving from the kitchen to the bedroom area and then the bathroom, grabbing all the guns as he went. He stuffed them all in a far closet just as the doorknob clicked. His jaw clenched in anticipation. She walked inside her heels, clicking against the floor.

  “Hey!” she greeted him with a smile. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and he noticed a bag of groceries in her hand. “I thought I’d make dinner since I was awake. You leave work early?” she asked as she made her way to the kitchen and started unpacking ingredients. Andre raised an eyebrow. He wouldn’t put it past her to play this off like nothing was wrong and poison his food. He quickly masked his emotions, not giving anything away as he stepped into the kitchen.

  “How about you relax and let me cook?” he suggested.

  She shook her head. “No, I wanna cook; I’m not going to Tempest so we have all night together.”

  Her lips turned into a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. With hesitation, Andre slid onto one of the stools. He watched her carefully as she made her way around the kitchen, grabbing various pots and pans. She seemed to be completely focused on her task as she started boiling water. Andre didn’t see any kind of rat poison or antifreeze that she could be slipping into his food, but he couldn’t relax yet. She finished making dinner as Andre sat on the stool, keeping a close eye on her. When dinner was done, they ate in silence as Cassandra scrolled through her phone. Andre raised an eyebrow as the phone vibrated against the counter.

  “It’s just Gio updating me.” She sent a quick text and turned the phone face down on the counter before turning to Andre. “OK, I’m done. I’m all yours. What are we doing tonight? We could go on a real date.” Her lips perked up into an excited smile. Maybe his information was wrong. Knowin
g Cassandra, she would have tried to murder him as soon as she walked in the door. He let his shoulders relax. This gave him the chance to tell her himself before she would hate him. How was he supposed to tell the most powerful crime boss in the world that he’s played her without being murdered? She scooted the stool back and stood between his legs.

  “Or we could stay in…” His dick was instantly hard from her sultry tone, and he grabbed her hips pulling her closer to his body. He would tell her soon, but for tonight he would enjoy this moment with her. Her teeth nipped at his throat and then she started trailing kisses along his neck. He fisted her hair and pulled her face up so he could kiss her plump lips as his fingers dug into her hips. She let out a moan that made his dick throb against his already strained pants. She rubbed her hand over his pants, teasing him, and just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore and would grab her to throw on the bed, he was falling from the stool. Her red high heel had come up and kicked right between his thighs. An inch from his strained dick and the stool had tumbled over sending him to the ground. He jumped up as fast as he could but he was too slow. She stood to the side of him with a gun out and cocked at his temple. His heart pounded in his ears.

  “Cassandra….”

  She breathed heavy beside him and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the anger in her face. This wasn’t the woman he had come to love but the woman who earned her place to lead men double her size and age.

  “You made me into a fool,” she spat; her face was flushed with red, and her chest rose and fell with each breath. Andre turned slowly to face her, the barrel of the gun moving from his temple to the middle of his forehead. He could feel the anger rolling off her in waves.

  “I was going to tell you.”

  “I don’t have time….” Before she could finish, Andre swiped her arm to the side, ripping the gun from her hand and letting it clatter to the floor. Before he could blink, she had a knife out and pointed at him but from a farther distance.

  Cassandra

  Cassandra tried to control her breathing as she stared at Andre. Her muscles tensed with anger as she gripped the handle of the knife. His dress shirt was crooked and wrinkled, and his hair was tousled. She expected him to look as angry as she did, but all she saw was sadness in his dark-blue eyes, and it just pissed her off more.

  “You’re going to kill me?”

  “You killed Calvin!” she shouted.

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” she spat. “We found one of your men. He ratted you out. I know everything, Andre. You’re a snake. You thought you could make a deal with Cosa Nostra by stealing my fucking money and killing my men.”

  Her hand that held the knife shook. She needed to get herself under control and do what she needed to do. She took a long deep breath trying to calm herself. Andre took that as an opportunity and kicked her legs out from under her sending her to the ground and the knife rolling out of her hand. In a moment, he was on top of her, holding her hands above her head.

  “Cassandra….”

  Before he could say anything else, she used all her body strength to buck her hips and roll them over so she sat on top of him. She landed a hard punch on his jaw. There was a loud crunch, but she doubted he could even register the pain. She landed punch after punch on his hands that were now protecting his face.

  “You. Killed Calvin. And. Then. Comforted. Me,” she said between punches. He rolled them over and pinned her to the ground with his hand on her neck. Not hard enough to hurt her but enough to keep her pinned to the cold hardwood floor. She brought her knee up, and he let out a burst of air as her knee connected with his groin. He slid off her releasing her neck.

  “Ahh fuck!” he moaned as he rolled on the ground, holding himself. She didn’t get up, instead laid on the ground next to Andre as he moaned. She stared at the ceiling as she caught her breath, and once she did, the tears streamed down her face. It hurt more than anything else she had felt before. Her heart broke wide open, and she felt the emptiness. She knew she couldn’t truly hurt Andre. As much as she hyped herself up to have him killed and set out an example for everyone else in the organized crime world, she couldn’t do it. She had failed, and all she could do was lay on the floor of her apartment and cry. Andre had stopped moaning next to her.

  “I love you, Cassandra.”

  “No, you don’t. I know what love is, Andre. My parents are in love, and people who are in love don’t use each other to gain what they want. They don’t lie to their face every day about who they are. This isn’t love. This is business that you disguised as love,” she said calmly, all the fight leaving her.

  He shook his head. “No, it started as business, but I am in love with you, Cassandra.”

  The tears began to roll down her face again as she stayed quiet.

  “I needed more revenue for Montreal, after the agreement we lost a lot of ways to make money. I came here to get close to you and find out more about how Cosa Nostra made money and later convince you to strike a deal with us…or I would steal your business. One way or another I didn’t expect you to be…you. I didn’t expect to feel the way I do about you, Cassandra. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn’t want this to end. I was selfish, and I’m sorry.”

  She wiped her face and stood up from the floor. She said nothing as she grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter and left.

  *****

  She drove around all night, and when she finally had enough and went back to her apartment she found it empty. All the things he’d been keeping at her place—toothbrush, a pile of clothes in the corner, and even his soap—were gone. She should feel relieved. He was out of her hair, but there were still issues to be solved, and she didn’t have any idea how she was going to solve them. She’d thought about it her entire drive home. The only person who knew anything was Gio, but her men were searching high and low for a competitor who was right under her nose. She kicked her shoes off and buried herself under the covers. A few minutes later, Grayson jumped on the bed to join her. It was as if the cat could sense her frustration and sadness. Grayson purred as she stroked his head. It wasn’t until her eyes got so heavy she could barely keep them open that she fell asleep.

  Andre

  “The men are getting antsy,” Andre vented to Matteo. Matteo lounged across the couch, throwing a basketball above his head and catching it as Andre rolled one of his suitcases into the living room.

  “I’ve noticed they kept coming by the office today looking for shit to do.”

  Andre took a seat on one of the chairs and ran a hand through his hair. He fucked up in more ways than one. If he was being honest his organization should have been his first concern, but it wasn’t. He’d tried to call Cassandra all day with no luck. She must have blocked him because the phone would only ring a couple of times before going to voicemail. He was beyond frustrated with himself. Matteo stopped throwing the ball and sat up on the couch.

  “So, that’s it? You’re going back to Montreal?” he asked, eyeing the two suitcases.

  “I don’t really have a choice. I’m not going to go to war with Cosa Nostra. Maybe I can make another agreement…I don’t know.”

  He hated the thought of going back to Montreal and trying to change the terms of the treaty that he’d agreed upon, but what could he do? The weight on his shoulders felt more like a boulder, not to mention the constant thoughts of Cassandra that were playing on repeat in his head. Matteo scooted to the edge of the couch and rested his elbows on his knees.

  “I think you’re thinking about this the wrong way,” he said.

  Andre just stared at him, waiting for him to go on.

  “You’re looking at Cassandra for her position. She’s just a woman.”

  Andre scoffed Matteo had no idea.

  “Seriously, yea, she had to fight and claw her way to where she’s at and from what you told me she’s stubborn and difficult, but what woman isn’t? If you really want her in your life,
you need to go after her. That’s all any woman wants: for someone to fight for them so they can stop having to fight for themselves all the time.”

  He had to admit, Matteo had a point. All Cassandra did was fight and work. He wanted to be the person who fought for her this time.

  “Or if you aren’t going to fight for her, go ahead and leave for Montreal,” Matteo added.

  Andre stared up at the vaulted ceilings. Cassandra was stubborn and difficult like Matteo said, but he also fucked up. Who knew if she would even give him a chance. He turned his head to look at the bags packed in the corner. He couldn’t leave without at least trying. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t at least try.

  “When did you become so wise, Matteo?” Andre asked.

  Matteo shrugged. “Been with a lot of women.”

  Andre’s face split into a smile before he threw a couch pillow at him.

  Cassandra

  She sat in the back of the SUV looking out the window at the buildings passing by. She’d gone to the club for a meeting, and now she was headed back home. She figured for the next few days she would be fine running things out of her apartment. She wasn’t one to slack off, but it was like Andre had sucked all of the energy out of her, leaving her high and dry. Leo stopped the car out front. She said nothing as she climbed out and made her way upstairs to her apartment. When she opened the door to the apartment, Andre was sitting up on the bed, shirtless with just a pair of sweatpants on. His hair was slightly wet as if he just came from the shower. He used one hand to scroll through his phone. He set his phone down and looked up at her as the door clicked shut. They both stared at each other, not saying anything. She walked over to the bed and sat on the side. She kicked off her heels and took off her clothes until she was in nothing but her bra and panties. He scooted over to make room for her on the bed as she sat against the headboard next to him.

  “I don’t know where we go from here,” she admitted.

  He nodded grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers.

  “How about we figure that out in the morning.” His voice came out tired and exhausted the same way she felt. “For now let’s just lay here and watch one of those Alfred Hitchcock movies you love.”