A Famiglia Novel (book 2)
Dark Betrayal is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by A.J. Daniels
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design and Formatting: ©Just Write. Creations
Edited by: Hydra Productions
She was a savage
a fucking brute
Unafraid to fight for what she wanted
Brave enough to go to war for what she deserved.
R.h. Sin
She became dangerous to them when she no longer needed or cared for their approval.
JMStorm
To Neil (my dad), Eddie (grandpa), and Nora (granny),
You may be gone but you’ll never be forgotten. Thank you for always encouraging me to never give up and to pursue whatever it is that makes me happy.
To my hubby, thank you for being patient with me and taking on the majority of the household stuff when I was on a deadline. Thank you for bringing me wine and chocolate when the stress got too much. Thank you for being my rock. I love you to infinity and beyond, babe, and I can’t imagine doing life without you.
My mom and brother, thank you for always encouraging me to pursue my writing, even when I was younger and had my nose stuck in a book or a pen and paper in hand. I love you and can’t wait to see you at Christmas.
Laura, Andy, Sarah, Megan, Katrina, and Jeana, I’m incredibly blessed to have a group of friends who support and encourage me. Seriously, you guys make me cry every time you purchase a book or talk me up to other people. I love you. Thank you.
Sheila, my second mommy. Thank you for being there for me and treating me like a daughter when I had no family out west. I still can’t believe my debut book traveled around the world haha.
Jo-Anna, thank you so much for another amazing cover and teasers. I can’t wait to finally meet you in Vancouver and hug you. Thank you for all your support and encouragement.
Victoria, our random early morning messages give me life. Some days it’s exactly what I need to make it through another day of writing and adulting. Thank you for your encouraging messages and your love of my mafia men, especially The Boss. Hawk is mine though, I put it in a book therefore, it’s official haha.
Raven and Hydra Productions, thank you for jumping in when I needed an editor. I look forward to working with you in the future.
To my Beta and ARC readers, I value your opinions so much. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without you. Thank you for telling me what I need to hear, even if it’s not always what I want to hear. Thank you for making me dig deeper. Your love and demand of these characters is what keeps me going.
Thank you to all the bloggers and reviewers. I hope you enjoyed Alessandro and Jessika’s story as much as I enjoyed writing them.
And last but definitely not least, thank you to you, the readers. There is no doubt that without you I would not be able to do this. You guys demanded Alessandro and he’s here, and I promise Antonio is coming haha. I can’t say thank you enough, but THANK YOU.
Make sure to check the back for sneak peeks of the next book in the Famiglia series.
What happens when you have to choose between loyalty to your family and loyalty to your heart?
JESSIKA
I begged, pleaded with them to not make me do it. To spare his life. It was the only thing I ever asked of them and instead of granting me my sole wish, they gave me an ultimatum.
Him or me.
If I couldn’t choose, we would both die.
Could I sacrifice the man who saved me to save myself?
ALESSANDRO
She thinks I don’t know the real reason for her seeking me out after two years. But I know. I’ve been watching her closely, anticipating the day she’ll make contact. What I hadn’t anticipated was my body’s reaction to her when she stumbled into my apartment. But hell, as long as she’s playing the game, I will too.
I’ll have her as much and in as many ways as I can get her until the time comes when the decision will have to be made; me or her.
Together we’ll destroy each other.
Could I walk away from the girl with the emerald eyes?
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
EPILOGUE
BONUS
A SLOW GRIN tugs at the corners of her lips, the tip of the blade gleaming in the small beam of light right before piercing through skin like it was nothing. There is something about the sight of blood gushing from a throat wound followed by the gurgling sound that sends shivers down her spine.
The Bratva will be pleased with this latest kill. After all, this is what she was made for. They stole her innocence, broke her down into nothing so that they could rebuild and mold her into a machine. A black widow, if you will.
Wiping off the excess blood on the dead man’s clothing, she re-holsters the knife in the sheath hidden inside the pocket of her leather jacket and zips up after tossing the black gloves.
The street is crowded with people on their way to their usual Friday night activities, no one the wiser about the monster hiding among them. It’s not until she strips of her clothes and steps under the hot stream of water that she crumbles under the weight of it all. Sliding down the wet tile and bringing her knees to her chest, she allows the tears to mix with the steady stream of water from the shower head.
Another life lost. Another life was unnecessarily taken by her hand. One more and then she would be free.
They promised.
JESSIKA
“DEEP BREATHS, JESS. In. Out. In. Out. He’s just a man,” I tell myself. “Just a normal person. Nothing to be afraid of.”
I groan, resting my forehead against the painted wood of the apartment door I’m currently standing in front of like a stalker.
Why I decided to try and find him, I have no idea. Morbid curiosity maybe? Fuck if I know. I did owe him a thank you for rescuing me from that hell, though, but that doesn’t explain how I tracked down his name… and his number… and his address two years after the fact.
Well… it actually did. Klara and I talked a lot while we were held at the hospital. We bonded over the darkest time in both our lives and have been in contact ever since. I may or may not have let slip while we were leaving the hospital that I wanted to thank the man who had saved me, and she hadn’t hesitated to give me his name and a number I could reach him at. I had the feeling, though, that she wasn’t supposed to give me that information, but did anyway. She did not, however, give me his address. No, that I tracked down all by myself.
Yup, that’s me. Jessika Tomlinson, stalker extraordinaire. To be fair, you can find anyone’s address with a name and phone number. So, what did she expect? Probably not that I would show up on his doorstep, that was for damn sure.
I’m such an idiot. He�
�s totally going to call the cops on me.
Just as I’m about to lift my forehead and turn around, having successfully talked myself out of this stupid plan, the door swings open, causing me to lose my footing and stumble forward into a very hard, very tall body. He grunts, catching me under my arms and standing me up, his hands never leaving my body until he’s sure I’m steady on my feet.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I was just-”
“Leaning against my door,” he finishes for me.
“No,” I cross my arms over my chest in a defiant manner. “well, maybe,” I correct when one dark eyebrow raises in a try-again move.
Now that I’m standing in front of him I take a minute to take him in. He’s tall. I mean massive, almost giant like. I’m five-six, and he easily towers over me by another foot. His hair is shaved down to his head, his grey eyes are striking against his tanned skin, and holy crap, talk about vein porn. The veins on his arms are fan-yourself-drool-worthy. His chest is broad, his stomach hard. I can see the ridges of his sculptured abs through the cotton of his muscle shirt when he crosses his arms.
“You about done looking your fill?”
Sweet Jesus, that voice. It’s deep, seductive, and coupled with his physique will probably be my undoing.
“Nope,” I pop the ‘p’ continuing my eye fuck of the specimen in front of me. You’d think after what I went through in that make shift room of that cold, dark building that eye fucking a man, let alone thinking about all the things I’d like to do to him would be the last thing on my mind. But over the last two years, after realization sunk in that I wasn’t living in that nightmare anymore, I’ve had a tough time thinking of anything other than the man who saved me from hell.
Strong hands grip my wrist, yanking me into the hard body my eyes were just taking in. “Did you come here to dance with the devil, Jessika?”
My breath hitches as I stare up into colorless eyes. “How did you know my name?”
“After two years, I know more than just your name, sweetheart.”
“You’ve been stalking me?”
His other hand moves down to the dip in my lower back applying just enough pressure to bring me closer to his body. “Like you’ve been stalking me?”
“I came to say thank you.”
Two years ago, Alessandro and Braxton De Luca, along with some of Braxton’s other men, saved me from a rundown warehouse where I was kept chained to a dirty mattress as one man after another used me. Two years ago, this man saved my life and I never had a chance to thank him… until now.
He smirks, dipping his head and brushing his lips along my jaw turning my knees to jello, and if he wasn’t holding me up, I’m certain I would’ve melted into a pool of need at his feet. “Haven’t thanked me yet but if eye fucking me from across the room is your way of saying thank you, I’m going to need a lot more than that.” His tongue licks up my jaw, his teeth nipping at my ear lobe causing me to shiver.
I swallow hard, my panties already growing damp. “Thank you.”
“For what?” His breath is warm against my skin.
His lips hover just above mine, and I have to fight back a moan. “For saving me.”
Abruptly he pulls away, taking those lips and the heat of his body with him as he takes several steps backward. I have to stop myself when I realize I’m seconds away from pouting and demanding he continues what he started. I watch him gather his wallet, keys, and holster a handgun before throwing on a leather jacket.
“Got somewhere to be, babe.”
I follow him out, thinking we can continue a conversation as we both head downstairs, but as soon as he locks the apartment door behind us, he turns in the opposite direction and stalks off toward the stairs so fast that it leaves my head spinning. By the time I recover enough to follow him, he’s gone.
***
ALESSANDRO
I needed to get out of there and fast because as soon as I saw her, got my hands, on her I wanted to claim her. Fuck, I wasn’t ready for her to find me. I wasn’t prepared for the tornado that is Jessika Tomlinson, but ready or not, she was here. And now that I’ve had my hands on her again I don’t plan on letting go this time.
Prepare yourself, Jess. You’re about to tango with the devil’s second-in-command.
***
JESSIKA
I frown at the text as I get on the elevator and hit the button for the lobby, debating on how much to tell him. For the millionth time in the last two years, I wish I could disappear. Go anywhere, do anything, be anyone other than who I am.
I wish for a normal life. A life where nobody knows me, where I can leave my family -if you can even call them that- behind and make new ones in new friends. A life I could spend holed up in some cabin in the woods somewhere with only the sounds of nature to keep me company. Contradicting, isn’t it? Wanting to make new friends but wanting to be so isolated that the only company I have are the sounds of birds and woodland creatures. What can I say, I’m a complicated one. Or not so much.
The things I want, the things I dream about aren’t so different to anybody else’s, really. I’m sure a lot of people wish they weren’t born into the family they were. Forced to lead the life they were. Forced to lie and steal and cheat and destroy.
I always thought God must’ve had a sense of humor when he put me with the family he did. How else could I explain turning out to be the exact opposite of every one of my family members? I don’t fit in with these people, never have and never will. Despite their attempts. Their attempts which included finally using the address I found all those years ago. I would’ve eventually tracked him down and thanked him. That part wasn’t a lie. I just wasn’t ready for that day to be today, but they were. And it was either them or me paying him a visit. I couldn’t allow them to get their hands on Alessandro.
I know this looks bad. After saying I hated lying, to then turn around and lie to my family, but was it still a lie if it kept the person safe? Was it still a lie if it offered protection, even though brief?
Yeah, fuck that shit. By ‘someone else’ I know that means my sister. I was not going to get her grimy hands on Alessandro. Not if I had anything to do with it.
I turn off the mobile device as I step off the curb and hurry across the street to the whited-out jeep. I breathe a little easier as my body sags against the black leather of the seats and the comforting aroma of the air freshener hits my nose. Mochadoodle.
Now, if only I could turn off my body’s reaction to the giant of a man.
ALESSANDRO
GREEN EYES FLASH in my mind’s eye, and I curse as I push open the door to Braxton’s home office, stopping when I get an eye full of Klara straddling him in the leather chair. I can’t help the smirk that pulls at a corner of my mouth when her head snaps around at my entrance, her wild eyes locking on mine.
Then it dies at the memory of Jessika’s skin under my palm when she stumbled through my door this morning. I’m glad Braxton finally got his happy, but seeing them together is making me itch to go after the woman who unwantedly managed to wiggle her way into my head. It was a rescue mission two years ago, and that’s all it could ever be.
“Alex,” Klara says, heat coloring her cheeks as she makes her way past me, closing the door behind her.
Braxton clears his throat, readjusting himself in his seat before moving closer and resting his elbows on the desk separating us. “Wasn’t expecting you til later.”
“Got an early start.” I take up the seat across from him, a hand buried in the pocket of my coat, my thumb absently flicking the zippo lighter open and close. Open and close. Emerald eyes.
I need a smoke.
“The fuck’s your problem, Alessandro? You’re making me antsy.”
I stop fidgeting, forcing my body to still. I don’t fidget, ever. This girl is getting to me more than I’d fucking like.
“Got an unwanted visitor this morning.” My lips move before I command them to.
“Oh?” Braxton sits back in his seat, an
ankle crossing over a knee.
I rake a hand over my bald head, avoiding eye contact with the man who’s been my best friend since we were in school. The man I’ve killed for. The man I’d die for. “That girl from the warehouse two years ago. The one next to Klara…”
I can’t bring myself to continue. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life, but that was by far the worst of it. The images that haunt me at night would be enough to bring any grown man to their knees. Braxton’s cousin, Dante, was responsible for Klara’s kidnapping two years ago. With the help of Klara’s friend and a traitor within the Famiglia, they took Klara from her apartment in the middle of the night. When we finally tracked them down, Dante had broken her in more ways than one, but it wasn’t just her. There were twenty other girls, most under the age of eighteen, being held against their will. We got them all out of there, and Braxton paid for their care and has continued to pay for any therapies the girls have needed. As for Rick, Gio, and Dante, they all got what they had coming to them.
“The one you carried out to the ambulance.” It wasn’t a question. His thumb runs over his mouth as he studies me and my reaction to the girl. “What did she want?”
Open and close. Open and close.
“To thank me for saving her.”
Braxton nods, a quiet hum in his throat. “Did you fuck her, Alessandro?”
“No.” My teeth hurt from the pressure I’m putting on them by clenching my jaw shut. I want to tell him to fuck off, but that’ll cause an inquisition.
“But you want to?”
Dark Betrayal (Famiglia Book 2) Page 1
