Malavita
MALAVITA
A son determined to avenge his family.
A daughter desperate for peace.
Two fathers intent on destruction…
Enrico Lucchesi never wanted anything to do with the Mafia. But when his brothers were murdered, he accepted that he would someday be the next don. However, he doesn’t accept that he must marry the daughter of the man who killed them. Enrico will never trust an Andretti, never mind love one. The Andrettis are up to something with their so-called “truce”—and Enrico must avenge his siblings. But will his dark secret spell the end of his vengeance—and possibly the Lucchesis?
After Antonella Andretti’s father tries to destroy the Lucchesis, she persuades him that an alliance—achieved by her marriage to Enrico, the “golden boy” she’s loved from afar—would be in everyone’s best interests. As her wedding day approaches, people close to her father start dying, and her fiancé’s behavior is suspect. When she learns Enrico’s true feelings about her—and what her father’s actual plans are—will Antonella damn their families to eternal war, or will she broker a peace that might destroy her heart?
“…leaves you wanting to read
Revenge
(if you haven’t already—shame, shame, shame on you... go READ it) and the follow up,
Retribution
.”
—
Steph’s Book Retreat
blog, 5 stars (on
Malavita
)
“This is the first book I have ever read by this author and I have to say I couldn’t put it down till I finished it. What a ride I got! Love, action, excitement, crime families—heck, what more could you ask??”
—Amazon reader “cedarblue,” 5 stars (on
Malavita
)
“This story truly exceeded my expectations.
Revenge
is action packed, and when the pace picks up, it does not slow down.... Pick up this book today; it will grab your attention from the beginning. I cannot wait to read the next book.”
—
The Romance Reviews (TRR)
site, 5 stars, Top Pick (on
Revenge
)
“Here is to a WHOOPING 5 Stars. If I had to describe this book in about four words, it would be action-packed, sexy, romantic, and adrenaline-rushing.… This would make a kick-butt movie! There were times when I was fanning myself, sitting on the edge of my seat, and so mad I had to put it down. The steamy scenes were oh so delicious!”
—
Bengal Reads
blog, 5 stars (on
Revenge
)
“The suspense keeps the pages moving quickly in book two of the Blood and Honor series. A fast pace, credible characters and a complex plot guarantee hours of entertainment.”
—
RT Book Reviews
magazine, 4 stars (on
Retribution
)
“When I compare the quality of the writing, the complexity of the plot, and the development of the characters in this series to other books I have awarded 4 or even 4.5 stars to, this one is clearly worthy of a much higher rating than many of them. Not only do I look forward to reading more in the series, I am also really excited and can hardly wait.”
—
Lindsay and Jane’s Views and Reviews
blog, 5 stars (on
Redemption
)
“This series is awesome!!! If this series was ever made into a movie, it would put
The Godfather
to shame! I am always pulled into the lives that Dana creates in her books, heart beating so fast it is like I am part of the story line!!! …I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. I WANT TO GIVE IT MORE THAN 5 STARS.”
—Julie’s Book Reviews blog, 5 stars (on
Redemption
)
Blood and Honor Series
Malavita
(Prequel)
Revenge
(Book One)
Retribution
(Book Two)
Redemption
(Book Three)
Reckoning
(Book Four) – coming 2015
MALAVITA
BLOOD AND HONOR
PREQUEL
DANA DELAMAR
Copyright © 2013 Dana Delamar
Excerpt from
Deadly Obsession
copyright © 2012 Kristine Cayne
All rights reserved.
ISBN (print): 0984931147
ISBN-13 (print): 978-0-9849311-4-9
ISBN (ebook): 0984931155
ISBN-13 (ebook): 978-0-9849311-5-6
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 Dana Delamar © 2015
Cover photo: © Depositphotos.com/get4net
Title page logo design by Scarlett Rugers © 2012
Author image courtesy of
LGImages
Editing, proofreading, and print formatting:
By Your Side Self-Publishing
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. 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.
As always, I can never adequately thank my wonderful critique partner, Kristine Cayne. She kicked my butt when I needed it, gave this book her ever-valuable time and attention, and asked many hard questions. Kristine, I owe you big time!
I’d also like to thank my beta readers, Kim Schmeller, Ninia Ingram, Stephanie Veteto, and Trish Ryan, for their insights, comments, and catches. You made this book better than it was!
Many thanks to Luigia Tella for promptly and thoroughly answering my questions about Italy. Any errors are my own.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Natalie G. Owens and the readers who asked “What happened before
Revenge
?” for inspiring me to write this prequel.
I owe a great debt to Romance Writers of America® and specifically my hometown RWA® chapters, Eastside RWA and Greater Seattle RWA, for providing inspiration, support, guidance, friendship, real-world craft advice, industry contacts, and knowledge that proved invaluable. Thank you all.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family, my friends, and most of all my real-life hero, James Davis, for bearing with my craziness. You will always be my honey bunny.
The Lucchesis
Enrico Lucchesi
(loo KAY zee) – son of Rinaldo Lucchesi
Rinaldo Lucchesi
– Enrico Lucchesi’s father;
capo
(head) of the Lucchesi
cosca
(crime family)
Leopoldo (Poldi) Lucchesi
–
capo di società
(second in command) of the Lucchesi
cosca
; brother to Rinaldo Lucchesi
Elma Lucchesi
– wife of Leopoldo Lucchesi, mother to Dom Lucchesi
Domenico (Dom) Lucchesi
– first cousin to Enrico Lucchesi
Francesca Lucchesi
– wife of Domenico Lucchesi
Livio Vela
– bodyguard to Rinaldo Lucchesi
Don Vittorio Battista
–
padrino
(godfather) to Enrico Lucchesi
The Andrettis
Antonella (Toni) Andretti
– daughter to Carlo Andretti and sister to Dario Andretti
Dario Andretti
– son of Carlo Andretti and brother to Antonella Andretti
Romola Andretti
– wife to Carlo Andretti
Carlo Andretti
–
capo
of the Andretti
cosca
(Milan branch)
Lorenzo Andretti
–
capo
of the Andretti
cosca
(Calabrian branch) and father to Carlo Andretti
Benedetto Andretti
–
capo di società
of the Andretti
cosca
(Calabrian branch) and brother to Carlo Andretti
bacio
(bah CHOH) – kiss
basta
(BAHS tah) – enough (as in “I’ve had enough!” or “Stop!”)
bella
, bellissima (BAY lah, bay LEE see mah) – beautiful
bene
(BEN ay) – good
bocce
(BAH chee) – lawn bowling game
buona sera
(BWOH nah SAIR ah) – good evening
capisci
(KAH pee shee);
capisco
(KAH pee skoh) – you understand; I 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
carabiniere
(car ah bin YAIR ay)
ciao
(CHOW) – informal hello and goodbye
cosca
(KOHS kah) – a crime family; plural is
cosche
(KOHS kay)
Cristo
(KREES toe) – Christ
davvero
(dahv VAIR oh) – really, seriously
Dio mio
(DEE oh MEE oh) – my God
dolcezza
(dole CHAYT zah) – sweetheart, honey
faida
(FEYE dah) – blood feud
finocchio
(fee NOHK kee oh) – derogatory slang term for a homosexual
gelateria
(jay lah tah REE ah) – store that sells
gelato
(ice cream)
grazie
(GRAHTZ yeh) – thanks.
Mille
(MEE lay)
grazie
means “Many thanks.”
idiota
(ee dee OH tah) – idiot
In bocca al lupo
(een BOHK kah all LOO poh)/
Crepi il lupo
(CRAY pee eel LOO poh) – Literally
In the mouth of the wolf/May the wolf die
. Traditional way of wishing luck. Similar to “Break a leg.” Means more or less “I’m going into the wolf’s mouth. May he choke on me.”
lire
(LEER ay) – currency of Italy prior to the Euro.
Lira
(LEER ah), singular.
Madonna
(ma DOEN nah) – the Virgin Mary; Mother of God
malavita
(mah lah VEE tah) – the criminal underworld, the criminal life
merda
(MARE dah) – shit
’Ndrangheta
(en DRAHNG eh tah) – the Calabrian Mafia, or “The Honored Society.”
’Ndranghetisti
(en DRAHNG eh tees tee) are “men of honor.” A single member is an
’Ndranghetista
.
