Revenge

BLOOD AND HONOR

BOOK 1

DANA DELAMAR

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 Dana Delamar Excerpt from
Deadly Obsession
copyright © 2012 Kristine Cayne

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13 (ebook): 978-0-9849311-1-8

Publisher’s Note
: This is a work of
fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Book cover design by Scarlett Rugers Design
2011

www.scarlettrugers.com

Cover photo courtesy of: disney-stock.deviantart.com/art/Epcot-Italy-at-Night-2-110476297

Author image courtesy of LGImages

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reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
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Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Your support
of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Many people contributed to the creation of
this book. No writer goes it alone, and I am certainly no
exception.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank my
wonderful critique partner, Kristine Cayne, who read every word of
this book multiple times and poured her time and attention into the
shaping of it, down to individual word choices. Kristine, I
couldn’t have done this without you. You are the best!

Ann Charles and Wendy Delaney came to the
rescue when I was floundering about and needed help replotting this
book. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving up part of a
weekend to help me.

The amazingly generous Delilah Marvelle also
helped me with plot pointers and an early critique that was
instrumental to reshaping some characters and scenes. Thank you,
sweetie!

I’d also like to thank my beta readers, Kim
Schmeller and Ninia Ingram, for their insights, comments, and
catches. You suffered so others don’t have to.

Getting started on this journey was tough;
without the help and support of Romance Writers of America® and
specifically my hometown RWA® chapters, Eastside RWA and Greater
Seattle RWA, I would have struggled for many more years toward my
dreams. These organizations provided inspiration, support,
guidance, friendship, real-world craft advice, and industry
contacts and knowledge that proved invaluable. Thank you all.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my
family, my friends (especially David Shank for giving me the push
to get the hell out of software and start my second career), and
most of all my real-life hero, James Davis, for bearing with me
during the madness and putting together an awesome home office for
me. You will always be my honey bunny.

Enrico Lucchesi
(loo KAY zee) –
capo
(head) of the Lucchesi
cosca
(crime family)

Kate Andretti
– wife of Vincenzo
(Vince) Andretti

Domenico (Dom) Lucchesi
– first cousin
to Enrico Lucchesi and
capo di società
(second in command)
of the Lucchesi
cosca

Carlo Andretti
–
capo
of the
Andretti
cosca
(Milan branch)

Vincenzo
(vin CHEN zoh) (Vince)
Andretti – nephew of Carlo Andretti

Antonio Legato
– bodyguard to Enrico
Lucchesi

Ruggero (rooj JAIR oh) Vela
–
bodyguard to Enrico Lucchesi

Rinaldo Lucchesi
– Enrico Lucchesi’s
father; former
capo

Dario Andretti
– son of Carlo Andretti
and
capo di società
of the Andretti
cosca

Vittorio Battista
– godfather to
Enrico and Dom Lucchesi; second in command of La Provincia
(quasi-ruling commission of the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrian
mafia)

Silvio Fuente
– officer of the
carabinieri

Benedetto Andretti
– brother of Carlo
Andretti;
capo di società
of the Andretti
cosca
(Calabrian branch); head of La Provincia

arrivederci
(ah ree vah DAIRT chee) –
goodbye (formal)

basta
(BAS tah) – enough (as in “I’ve
had enough!”)

bella
,
bellissima
(BAY lah, bay
LEE see mah) – beautiful

bene
(BEN ay) – good

buona sera
(BWOH nah SAIR ah) – good
evening

capisci
(KAH pee shee) – you see, you
understand

capo
(KAH poh) – head (don) of a crime
family (
cosca
); plural
capi
(KAH pee) capo di società (KAH poh dee so chay
TAH) – second in command of a
cosca

cara
(CAR ah),
caro
(CAR oh) –
dear, sweetheart

carabinieri
(car ah bin YAIR ee) –
Italy’s national police force; a single member of this force is a
carabinere
(car ah bin YAIR ay)

ciao
(CHOW) – informal hello and
goodbye

come stai
(COH may sty) – how are
you

comparaggio
(cohm pah RAH joe) – the
Southern Italian institution of co-parenthood, whereby the person
making this vow swears to be as a parent to the child. A co-father
is referred to as
compare
; the “parent” and “child” are
compari
. The vow is thought of as indissoluble and
incorruptible. Within the Mafia,
compari
will not betray
each other.

contabile
(cone TAH bee lay) –
accountant; treasurer for a
cosca

cosca
(KOHS kah) – a crime family;
plural is
cosche
(KOHS kay)

Cristo
(KREES toe) – Christ

Dio mio
(DEE oh MEE oh) – my God

dottore
(dote TOR ay) – doctor; the
“e” is dropped when used with a last name

faida
(FEYE dah) – blood feud

figlio
(FEEL yoh) – son

grazie
(GRAHTZ yeh) – thanks.
Mille
(MEE lay)
grazie
means “Many thanks.”

Madonna
(ma DOEN nah) – the Virgin
Mary; Mother of God

malavita
(mah lah VEE tah) – the
criminal underworld, the criminal life

Maresciallo Capo
(mar ess SHAH loh KAH
poh) – Chief Marshal

merda
(MARE dah) – shit

molto
(MOLE toe) – very, a great deal,
a lot

‘
Ndrangheta
(en DRAHNG eh tah) – the
Calabrian Mafia, or “The Honored Society.” Members are
‘Ndranghetisti
(en DRAHNG eh tees tee), or “men of
honor.”

nonna
(NOHN nah) – grandmother

padrino
(pah DREE noh) – godfather papà (pah PAH) – dad

per favore
(pair fah VOR ay) –
please

perfetto
(pair FEHT toe) – perfect polizia (poh leet TZEE ah) – Italian
police

prego
(PRAY go) – welcome

puttana
(poot TAH nah) – whore,
prostitute

salute
(sah LOO tay) – to your health;
cheers!

scusa
(SKOOZ ah) – excuse me

sì
(cee) – yes

signore
,
signora
,
signorina
(seen YOR ay, seen YOR ah, seen yor REEN ah) –
sir, madam, miss; the “e” is dropped from
signore
when used
with a last name

Sottotenente
(soh toh teh NEN tay) –
Second Lieutenant

strega
(STRAY gah) – witch

ti amo
(tee AH moe) – I love you

troia
(TROY ah) – slut

vaffanculo
(vahf fahn COO loh) – go
fuck yourself

zio
(ZEE oh) – uncle

Twenty-eight years ago

Cernobbio, Lake Como, Italy

As his assassins set the trap, Carlo Andretti
leaned forward, his nose nearly touching the window.
Vengeance
is mine. Just like the Lord above
. His pulse quickened, his
mouth went dry, his body itched to be in on the action. To aim a
gun. To pull a trigger.

The Lucchesi family’s driver and their
bodyguard waited outside the restaurant in a large black Mercedes,
smoke from their cigarettes floating out the open windows.
Idiots. Anyone could get the drop on them
. These
were the
men Lucchesi trusted with his family
?

Bruno, the man Carlo used for all his dirty
work, snuck up behind the car, followed by one of his assistants.
The two men dispatched the guard and driver without effort,
slitting their throats in tandem, the strike perfectly timed.

Sipping an espresso in a room across the
street, Carlo watched his men melt back into the dark. It wouldn’t
be long now until they attacked their true prey. He savored the hot
bitter brew he swallowed. Rinaldo Lucchesi, the
capo
of the
Lucchesi family, had interfered in Carlo’s business for the last
time. He thought he could come up north, into Carlo’s territory,
and impose his principles and his will.

Rinaldo and his ridiculous, short-sighted
philosophy would be the ruin of the ‘Ndrangheta. Carlo was not
going to let Lucchesi expose their bellies to the sharp teeth of
Cosa Nostra or the Russians. Lucchesi might be suicidal, but Carlo
most assuredly was not. He had a family to look out for, a child he
adored. He couldn’t let Lucchesi destroy her future, and he
couldn’t let him destroy the future of all ‘Ndrangheta.

Taking Carlo’s son hostage to force him to
capitulate was where Lucchesi had miscalculated. He’d taken the
wrong child. In a contest between Dario and Antonella, Toni won
every time. Had Lucchesi taken Toni…. Carlo’s gut quivered.
Everyone would know his weakness then. He’d make any sacrifice for
his tigress, his cunning little she-wolf. The child of his heart.
The child who
was
his heart.

If Toni knew he was risking her twin
brother’s life this way, she’d be appalled. But if his plan worked,
he’d have the boy, his vengeance, and the way clear in the north.
Milan and the lake would be his alone. And once their riches were
his, nothing could stop him from pushing his father and his brother
off their perch, high at the top of the ‘Ndrangheta. They’d
censured him once, they’d exiled him up north, thinking that would
keep him weak, that their lapdog Lucchesi would be able to muzzle
him. They were about to learn otherwise.

The front door to the restaurant swung open,
its glass catching the light of a streetlamp, and the Lucchesi
woman and two of her children strolled out, the boys flanking her
on either side. Rinaldo and their middle boy, Enrico, were not with
them. Unease wormed through Carlo’s belly.
Where are they
?
He glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but the
nighttime shadows could be both friend and foe.

The woman and her boys had almost reached the
Mercedes when they stopped short, the woman placing a restraining
hand on the shoulder of her youngest child. The eldest son, Primo,
nearly a man now, the one who was supposed to be
capo
someday, pulled his gun and looked in the passenger side front
window. No doubt he saw the bodies, because he shouted, “Go
back!”

It was too late.

Bruno and his four men charged toward the
family, opening fire. Primo whirled around to meet them, but
bullets slammed into his chest before he could get off a shot.

Carlo felt an odd sort of admiration as the
boy fell, blood blanketing his once-white shirt. Primo had tried to
defend his family like a good man of honor. But the boy was ruined,
his mind tainted by his father’s notions.