A loud crash sounded as glass met wall

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters

AN: This story is rated for language, scenes of violence and adult themes. You've been warned.

Enjoy 

La Bella Mafia Chapter 1

A strand of silky jet black hair fell into dark blue eyes. Fingertips reached up to brush it aside once more, a habit well exercised. A man of about twenty-eight stared down at the newspapers strewn before him. His face strongly featured and exquisitely handsome, glancing back and forth at the stories printed in bold letters among the headlines. His crisp white shirt's sleeves rolled up to the elbow revealing tanned skin. His black slacks hung low on his narrow hips.

"Shit," he said under his breath before continuing to flip through the papers.

He was standing behind a large wooden desk and the breeze coming in from the open French doors attached to his office was a welcome guest. It was a warm day and the sweat starting to bead on the sides of his face were akin to that, damp strands of his hair clinging to his forehead.

He reached up and flipped on a fan sitting on his desk, satisfied when the dull hum sounded and the blades started their turning. The cost of keeping his family's home 'truly authentic', as his mother used to say, was worth having to endure this humidity he supposed.

"Have we made the arrangements yet?" his deep baritone voice heavy with an Italian accent continued without his gaze moving from the papers.

"Well actually, as it turns out, it's not going to be as easy as we thought Darien," a second voice sounded within the room.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Darien glanced up, staring across his desk. "This situation has already gotten out of hand. We need to get control before problems start as a result."

"There is absolutely nothing linking us to this Darien," Mal reassured. "The police have already excluded us."

Darien scoffed, "Mal…the police will hardly be the problem, I think you know that."

Mal sighed, rubbing his temples. "There's been some unexpected developments." Readjusting himself in the large leather chair he continued. "Seems that the old man did have a kid after all. One that has only now stepped into the picture."

The smile fell from Darien's lips. "What are you talking about? Luciano didn't have a son." He didn't like the way this conversation was headed.

"Well, you're right. He didn't have a son," Mal responded before leaning up and dropping a picture on top of the newspaper Darien had been previously reading. The photo was of a small blond haired child, all curls and lace. The young girl had a grand smile on her small face, clinging to an older man. An older man Darien recognized as Richard Luciano.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," Darien barely suppressed his laugh. "She doesn't look a year over five!" This time he let the laugh roll of his lips. "Is this who I'm suppose to fear? Death by rattle, is that it?"

"Not so much," Mal said before placing a second picture next to the previous one. This time the photo was of a young woman of about twenty-four and while much older the face could clearly be seen as the aged version of the younger girl. Her white dress clinging to her curves as the sun played across her face. The smile fell from Darien's face as he gave the photo a closer look.

"It's his only daughter, hardly a little girl anymore, and she's taking the family and its business interests. Seems she's been instructed by Luciano himself. He knew what he was doing." Mal noticed the way Darien was looking at the second picture. "And don't even think about it," he cut in before Darien could finish his thought. "From what our sources say, this isn't a woman you want to fuck around with. As far as she's concerned, we're the ones responsible for her father's death and she'll have our bodies at the bottom of the river the first chance she gets. She knows what she's doing Dare. And she knows what we're doing."

Darien continued to stare down at the face of the beauty in the photograph, not responding to Mal's words. How could he not have known that Luciano had a daughter, and a gorgeous one at that? He had probably kept her hidden for this very reason, no matter how unlikely it was that a woman would be the head of a family she was still his only heir and now controlled millions; millions that everyone else wanted. Including him. Her life would have been in danger from the moment she was born. He brought his hand up to touch her face in the photo. Looking up once more he smiled. It didn't matter, his interests were in those companies and if she was in front of those than she would become his interest as well.

"Keeping it all in the family is he?" Darien said, more of statement than a question. "Make an appointment," he continued casually.

Mal started, "Darien, are you kidding me, do you have a death wish? Let me repeat myself. She wants you dead."

Darien at him and smiled. "She's not going to kill me."

"And how do you figure that?" Mal questioned.

"Simple," Darien laughed. "She's a woman. And women, I can handle…if you know what I mean."

Mal didn't like where this was going. "Let me get this straight. You're way of fixing this is to seduce her? Into what? Just handing over her family's power?" he asked skeptically. "This is out of even your reach. It's too much of a risk. It's too dangerous."

"Maybe," smiling Darien looked at the picture once more, picking it up to shine in the light. "Either way," he paused. "It ought to be fun."

"Make the appointment," he said once more before walking around his desk and out the door.

"Those are gonna kill you, you know."

Pursing her lips together, she exhaled once more, watching the spirals of grey mix with cool the air. She half chuckled before responding.

"Considering the circumstances, that's not a bad way to go, don't you think?" Throwing a smirk at her companion, she waited for the inevitable retort.

Mina shook her head, knowing there was no point in arguing with Serenity, she had been trying to get her to stop smoking for years, why would she stop now. Besides, she was probably right. Instead she glanced back in front of her from her seat on the bench, watching two small children, a boy and a girl, play on an old set of swings, their laughter filtering through the air along with the creak of the rickety playground equipment. They settled into a comfortable silence.

"So how are things?" she asked suddenly, still watching the children.

"Oh," Serenity drawled, taking one last drag from her cigarette before grounding into the cement with the bottom of her heel. "Difficult," she stated simply, the last remnants of smoke flowing from her mouth. "I knew there were going to be problems with this transition. Just in the process of…correcting…when necessary," she smiled once more but when she glanced over she noted that Mina found no amusement in her dark humor. "I'm sorry," she recovered. "I know you don't like to talk about it. It's hard for my mind to think about anything else. It's not exactly a nine to five."

"Do you have to act like you enjoy it so much?" Mina questioned. "Dealing death cards doesn't exactly strike me as something that should be taken so lightly."

"I don't enjoy it," Serenity immediately responded, feeling the need to defend herself. "I've watched souls be stolen from this life simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time." She paused for a minute in thought. "But it is what it is. We'll always be victims of our own circumstances, and that doesn't exclude me. I do what's necessary for the family and that's it. That's all that matters."

Picking off some imaginary lint from her black skirt she stopped. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and decided that she needed to lead the conversation in a different direction.

"And you? How are you holding up? I know the last couple of weeks have been really hard on you too, and for Elizabeth and Rafael," Serenity followed Mina's gaze back to the children, the sun reflecting off her golden hair.

"I'm ok…I'm…yeah I'm ok….I'm just, you know….and they miss they're daddy…and I just don't know what to tell them when they ask," she stopped, her voice breaking preventing her from continuing. Serenity reached up a hand to rest softly on her shoulder.

"I'm ok," Mina reassured her. "I swear I'm fine…it's just been hard not having anyone. I mean, I'm surprised you even still talk to me," Mina said while reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Serenity moved the hand from Mina's shoulder to her chin and lifted her face. "I will always be here for you. We're surrounded by what seems a world filled with nothing but death and if we don't have each other than we are truly damned." Looking straight into Mina's eyes she continued. "You are still a part of this family," she said slowly, emphasizing each word, imploring her to understand. "My father's stubbornness sometimes got the better of him and I'm sorry that you've been alone during these past years."

Mina let a small smile grace her face and shook her head. "I knew what choice I was making when I married him," she said softly, the sweetest sadness in her eyes. "I don't think that Uncle Richard ever forgave me." She looked down, "he told me if I turned my back on the family he would do the same to me. But I loved Lorenzo. I couldn't stop loving him Serenity. And he loved me. It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Father loved you Mina," Serenity quietly reassured her but knew that she couldn't make this better for her. Turning back to gaze at the sunset she confessed, "He just hated the Marciello family more."

A loud crash sounded as glass met wall. "Who the fuck does he think he is." A voice came from behind a large chair that was set before grand glass windows that covered the walls of a spacious office before continuing. "Darien Marciello may think he's at the top of the fucking food chain but I could squash him like a roach under my shoe. He's just going to waltz into her office? He'll be lucky if he walks out without a bullet in his head!"

"Hey! Don't waste that, its good shit," a voice idly responded from a chair just in front of the large oak desk watching the discarded whiskey run down the wall and down to the broken glass that now lay on the floor. The chair swiveled around quickly to reveal a man in his mid 30s glaring piercing ice blue eyes at his companion. "He thinks he can just fucking come in here and take everything that I've made, Rubeus. I know what he wants. Everyone knows what he wants. If I was the head of this family he would be dead within the hour but instead I sit here while he's up on his damn high horse because we're now under the fucking authority of that God damn little girl!"

"You're the one who sounds like a little girl Diamond," Rubeus sounded once more, becoming more and more bored with the conversation. "Throwing a tantrum isn't going to change the situation. This family was built on Richards back and you know it. Hell, you're not even technically family, just the boy who does some dirty work. He wouldnt have thought twice about cutting your neck like a disposable toy." Twirling a pocket knife loosely between this fingers he added, "Besides, that 'god damn little girl' was his only daughter and the only thing in this world he loved and I wouldn't hesitate to say that she'd love to see your throat cut as well. And despite the fact that the board may not be happy with her in control, she has the loyalty of those closest to Richard, and they'll kill anyone who they view as a threat. So may I suggest that you start playing the kiss ass instead of the angry jaded child. And you've never really made the best impression on her have you?" he smiled then, a dark grin growing on his features. "Or is that it? She didn't want to fuck and now you feel like a rejected schoolboy?" Rubeus looked at Diamond knowingly only more satisfied with himself when Diamond didn't immediately answer.

"Yes, well, we'll see who she rejects when she finds out-," Diamond started with venom in his voice but was cut off abruptly when a beep sounded from the phone on his desk and the voice of his secretary filtered through the speaker.

"Sir, sorry to disturb you sir but Miss Luciano wants to see you in her office….immediately."

Diamond didn't respond.

"Sir?" the secretary asked again.

"Tell her I'm on my way."

Rubeus chuckled, "may I suggest that you go to the 'little girl' with your tail between your legs if you want to live past the hour."

"Shut the fuck up Rubeus," but even as he rose angrily from his seat, he knew that Rubeus was right.