Her Mafia Daddy

by Bianca Cole

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I scream, as Jaz pins me to the bed, holding me down.

  A fear and dread slice through me as I wonder if my step-dad was serious. He surely isn’t going to touch me in that way. Jaz snatches a ball of cloth from one of the other men, forcing my mouth open and shoving it inside.

  My mouth dries as I try to scream and make some noise. It’s not use. The sounds are muffled as I try to writhe against the men above me, they hold me tighter. I hate being so fucking weak and powerless.

  For a moment, the three men remove their hands from me and I snatch the opportunity. I dash off the bed and toward the door, slinging it open only to be dragged back inside. My step-dad using the back of his hand to slap me across the face, sending a stinging pain across my jaw. Blood trickles down my face where the ring on his finger caught my cheek.

  The pain barely registers as I continue to try to break free, hearing the tearing of material as my dress is ruined. Jaz pulls out some ropes and ties them around my wrists, keeping them behind my back. I bite down on the rag as the rope cuts into my skin. Next, he ties my legs together and then shoves me at one of the other men.

  I know I’ve got no chance, as he hauls me onto his shoulder, carrying me as if I weigh nothing. A tear of frustration slides down my cheek. This day was supposed to be the happiest of my life, and my step-dad has ruined it. I’ll kill him if I get the chance, and I hope to God Kane finds me.

  Alex opens the door to the room, and they carry me out down the corridor. Surely, they can’t walk out the front door with me. Then I remember Kane’s instruction to the guards the night before. He has sent most of security away for the day, leaving only a small amount of guards on—one of them being Jaz.

  They head down the stairs and straight for the front door and any little bit of hope fades. What if he thinks I ran away or changed my mind?

  A shout from behind us forces me to look up. Rick is rushing toward me, our eyes meet and he gives me a nod, as if to say don’t worry. He doesn’t stop running, but he’s too late. The guy carrying me, breaks into a sprint and flings me into the back of a car.

  My head hits the door, pain radiating through my neck. The engine rumbles to life beneath me, and I feel the car move.

  Everything around me fades to black, as I mutter Kane’s name. His face clear behind my shut eyelids.

  19

  Kane

  I can’t help but smile, as I stare into the mirror. My beige suit looks perfect, even if it wasn’t tailored for the event. My wedding day. I won’t lie, I never expected to marry anyone, not until Jasmine stepped into my life and turned it around.

  A knock at the door breaks my attention away from the mirror. Before I can call for whoever it is to come in, Rick steps inside. His face is grave and I know something is wrong, making me tense. My heart races, as I wait for him to speak.

  “Alex Cavino has taken Jasmine.”

  My fists clench by my side and I punch the wall, barely noticing the pain. “Who the fuck let that asshole in here?” I spit out.

  “He told the guards he was here to give her away and attend the wedding.” Rick shrugs. “But, Jaz is missing and we believe he was an accomplice. They knew he was her step-father and assumed he was telling the truth.” He walks toward me and throws the bag onto the bed. “He’s demanding a ransom for her.” He nods toward the bag.

  Hot rage explodes through my veins, and I can feel my control slipping. I may have spared that asshole's life the first time, but this time I know I will kill him. Jasmine is the most precious thing to me, and he has taken her.

  I grab the bag and pull out the note, scrunching it in my fist after reading it. He wants two-million dollars. The words only add fuel to my rage, making me sick. The threat is as clear as day at the end of the note. Or you’ll never see her again. This man doesn’t know who he is fucking with.

  “The guy has a death wish,” I say.

  Rick nods. “Yeah, we’ve got all our men looking for him. There’s only a few places he can hide. We’ll find him and her.”

  Jasmine had spoken about a place outside of town they used to vacation at. A log cabin he still owns in the Heartacre Woods. “I’ve got a feeling I know exactly where he has taken her.”

  "Where?” Rick asks.

  “It’s a hunch, but although Alex is an idiot, he’s not dumb enough to risk returning to the city.” I pace the floor. “Jasmine mentioned he always took her and her mother up to a cabin he owns in the Heartacre Woods for vacations.”

  “Okay, let’s head up there now, you, me, and Leo.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll get three of our guys to follow in another SUV for backup.”

  I shake my head. “This is something I need to deal with by myself.”

  “No fucking way, you don’t know how many men he might have with him. We’re coming with you.”

  I sigh heavily, running a hand through my hair. “Fine, but no one gets in the way of me and that sniveling asshole, you got it?”

  Rick’s eyes flash. “Are you sure you want Jasmine to witness that?

  I’m not sure I do, but I know I won’t be able to hold back this time. Alex needs to pay for this. He stole my bride on my wedding day, thinking he can shake down the Romano family. He has to pay.

  “I’m not sure, but I don’t have a choice.”

  Rick nods. “I’ll drive, and I’ll also request a map and plan of where the cabins are built up there from Ian. Get Leo, and I’ll meet you out front.”

  I stare at my brother, considering arguing about them coming, but he’s right. Alex may be an idiot, but he won’t be alone. If I go in there all guns blazing, I could end up getting killed or worse, getting Jasmine killed. Leo and Rick are good at planning and making the right choices. I need them by my side. Ian will pull the records quickly, he’s a whizz with computers and anything tech.

  “Okay, I’ll see you out front.” I turn and leave my room, heading toward Leo’s room down the corridor.

  I wonder if my ears deceive me, as I hear a squeal from the other side of his door. Could my brother have company on the morning of my wedding? Leo never brings women home, preferring to fuck them at hotels. He says it makes it simpler that way.

  I knock once, waiting for him to answer. There’s a commotion inside, and I can hear him speaking in hushed tones. My brow furrows as I wonder what he’s doing. There’s no doubt someone is in there with him.

  He comes to the door in his boxers, squinting at me. It’s almost midday, why the fuck isn’t he dressed? “Cavino has stolen Jasmine, I need you to come with me now.”

  His eyes widen and he stares back into his room for a moment, before nodding. “Give me two minutes, and I’ll meet you out front.”

  My eyes narrow as I attempt to look passed him into the room, but he keeps the door angled. He stares me out, daring me to ask him who he’s got in there. Instead, I nod and turn away, letting him shut the door. All I care about right now is getting Jasmine away from that good-for-nothing asshole of a step-dad.

  The rage flooding me is dangerous. I know the moment I get my hands around Alex’s neck, I won’t be able to stop. The reason I’m renowned for my brutality is the fact that I can kill a guy with my bare hands, especially if I get wound up enough. It’s happened before, and it sure as hell will happen again. Jasmine can’t witness that—I hate that part of me.

  It feels like I’m in a daze, as I make my way out to the SUV. Rick is sitting in the driver’s seat, engine already running. Three guys are in an SUV behind, ready to follow in convoy in case we need backup. I slide into the passenger’s seat, and he gazes at me questioningly.

  “He wasn’t dressed, said he’ll be down in two minutes.”

  Rick sighs. “What a lazy fucker. Ian has already sent me the plans, and the cabins are all in one part of the woods. I’ve got the GPS set to that location.”

  I nod, glancing over at the house as Leo rushes out. He doesn’t look his normal, put together self, as he flings open the
back door and slide in. “Shit, sorry I held you guys up.”

  Rick steps on the gas the moment the door is shut.

  “What the hell happened?” Leo asks.

  Rick glances at me and I give him a nod. My mind is a mess as he reels off the story to Leo, telling him what happened. I shouldn’t have left her side. Fuck tradition and not seeing the bride before the wedding, particularly in her dress. It shouldn’t have mattered. Jasmine and I should have been together, and I could have protected her.

  “How did she look?” I ask, hearing that Rick saw her being taken out the front fucking door but was too late.

  “A little beaten up, but she’s alive.”

  My fists clench. Alex Cavino is dead. If he hurt my Jasmine, he’ll suffer a painful fucking death. “How beaten up?” I ask, between gritted teeth.

  Rick gives me a wary look. “She had a busted-up face and some bruises.”

  “Mother fucker,” I shout, punching the dashboard.

  “She’ll be fine, brother. Alex isn’t stupid enough to hurt her badly, especially since he thinks you’ll pay him a ransom,” Leo says, always the voice of reason.

  “It doesn’t mean I want to kill him any less for it,” I mutter, staring out the window as Rick takes the exit out of town toward the woods we used to spend our summers exploring, when we were boys.

  The roar of the engine is all that falls between us, as we make the twenty-minute drive up to the woods. Even though it has only been twenty minutes, it feels like a lifetime has passed when Rick turns off the main road onto a dirt track. The GPS is leading him to the exact location of the cabins.

  Rick stops about a mile from the location on the GPS, turning off the engine. “We don’t want to drive right up to them, it might spook him.” Our men stop behind us and wait. Rick speaks to them on the radio. “Wait here until we instruct you to drive the two cars to the cabin.”

  He gets a generic response, and the three of us get out of the car, heading toward the cabins which are straight ahead. My heart is pounding hard and fast as we make the hike toward them.

  What if I’ve got this wrong, and he hasn’t taken her here?

  It doesn’t even bear thinking about. I can’t stand the thought of not finding her at the end of this. It’s unspoken but we all know that no matter what, we can’t pay a ransom. There’s a tension in the air, as the three of us walk in silence. It’s odd for Leo to be so quiet for a change.

  After approximately twenty minutes walking straight, following Rick’s GPS, a cluster of cabins come into view. A lightness enters my chest as I clock Alex’s gunmetal gray Jeep parked outside one of them. Leo and Rick notice it too, both of them exchanging glances and then nodding toward the nearest cabin.

  We all walk together and then rest our backs against the wood wall, keeping out of sight.

  “What’s the plan then?” Leo asks, looking at me.

  I shrug. “I don’t know, you two are the ones that make the plans.” I clench my fists by my side. “My plan is to kill the son of a bitch.”

  Rick cracks his knuckles. “I’ll make sure the Jeep won’t start first, in case he tries to run. Then, we get Jasmine.”

  A scream from the cabin has my whole body on edge. Fuck. What the hell is he doing to her in there? I’m about to run toward the cabin when Rick grabs hold of my arm. “No fucking up the plan. We will get her in a minute.”

  I take a deep breath to calm myself, trying not to let my control slip. The thought of him hurting her makes me crazier than I’d like to admit.

  “Let’s do this,” Rick says, walking toward the Jeep.

  My heart races as I step toward the cabin, itching to get to Jasmine. At least I know she’s here, that’s the main thing. All I can hope is that this works out the way we planned.

  20

  Jasmine

  The darkness swallows me whole as I open my eyes, clutching at my aching forehead. My cheek is puffy and swollen, the scar crusted up from where Alex busted my face with his damn ring. I take a moment to fully recollect what happened, but as it does lots of rage and hatred overcomes me.

  Alex is a bigger asshole than I ever believed. He gave me to the mafia, and now he’s stolen me from them for a ransom. Kane would never pay a ransom, no matter what. I know how important upholding their family reputation is. Even if he wants to, he can’t.

  I swallow hard, wondering where on earth Alex has taken me. I glance around the room I’m in, standing to my feet and feeling around. It’s ridiculously dark but there’s a faint light from a tiny little window in the corner.

  As my senses kick in, the familiar scent of pine and forest floods my nostrils. I’m in the basement of Alex’s cabin in the Heartacre Woods.

  Would Kane remember that I told him we used to vacation here? He said he used to camp up here too, so it’s possible he might realize where he has taken me. Alex isn’t stupid enough to go back to the city, not with every single Romano Mafia member searching for him.

  I smooth my hands down my dress, finding the beautiful lace torn at the hem. I can’t believe he ruined a day that was supposed to be the happiest of my life, all so he could try to hold me for ransom. The guy has been doing well at his fucking club, and sells boat loads of drugs, why isn’t that enough? I’ve known for a while Alex is greedy and power-hungry, but this is a new low.

  The Romano family don’t pay ransoms. They don’t give in to demands. I know that all too well from the way Kane spoke about things he’s had to do. The sound of a door creaking open and light filtering downward, forces me to sit up straight.

  Alex appears at the bottom of the steps, holding a flash light. I squint as he aims it at me, laughing. “Jasmine, you’re pathetic,” he says, stepping toward me. Alex had never been so cruel before, but perhaps it’s because he could get nothing out of me before. “Sleeping with Kane Romano is a slutty and whore like thing to do.”

  I shake my head. “He will kill you for this.”

  “Is that right? I’m not sure how he will find me here.”

  I hold my tongue, hoping that he does remember Alex owns a cabin in these woods. The only problem will be whether or not he can find it.

  “If he cares about you, then he’ll pay the ransom.” He chuckles gently. “But, he’s an idiot if he thinks I’m ever giving you back.”

  I feel dread slice through me, cold and chilling at his words. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “You’re mine, Jasmine, and I’m going to find out exactly what has Kane so hooked on you once he pays me. We’re going far away from here.”

  My skin crawls as he gets closer to me, running a finger across my neck. I swallow hard, trying to reign in the fear spreading like a disease around my body. The thought of Alex, my step-dad, touching me, makes me sick to the stomach. I’ve always known he was bad news, but this is a new low, even for him.

  “Get your hands off of me,” I shout, spitting in his face.

  All the muscles in his body tense, as he wipes the spit from his cheek. His hand comes down hard against my face, blistering pain sweeping across my jaw. The force reopens the wound on my cheek, and I can feel the fresh blood streaking down my skin. Tears prickle at my eyes, as I gaze up at the man whose house I’d live in the past seven years of my life.

  He was never a Dad to me, but he wasn’t cruel and disgusting like he’s being right now. I’m thankful he has stepped away from me.

  “You’ll get used to me touching you, Jasmine.” His eyes are burning with a sick desire that makes my stomach churn. “Kane will never find you where we are going.”

  I feel a shiver run down my spine, as I don’t want to believe he’s right. Kane has to find me. He has to. “No one can run from the Romano family,” I say, quietly.

  Alex laughs deeply. “Maybe not in North America, but we will be long fucking gone from this country.”

  A flood of panic hits me and I know I can’t just sit there and do nothing. Adrenaline pulses through my veins as I jump to my feet, rushing towa
rd the steps up into the cabin. Alex tries to catch me around the waist, but I see the move coming a mile off. I dodge him, kicking him in the crotch for good measure. He falls to the floor, grunting deeply and holding his crotch.

  “The bitch is trying to run, stop her,” he shouts up to someone above, sending my heart rate spiking even faster. My muscles tense as I get ready to fight, I’ll do anything to get the hell out of here.

  My heart pounds faster than my footsteps up the stairs, bringing me into the cabin I spent so many summers at. There’s one guy standing between me and my escape, but he’s fucking huge. He has to be about six-foot-eight and built from pure fucking muscle. The width of him covers the entire door, and my stomach sinks, as I realize the likelihood of me escaping passed him is slim to none.

  “Where the fuck do you think you are going?” he asks, smirking at me.

  “I’m leaving,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

  He laughs at that, so I make for my old bedroom. I can let myself out of the fucking window, and he won’t be able to follow. The pounding of my feet on the wood echoes around the cabin and his footsteps follow. I slam the door of the bedroom behind me, rushing for the window.

  My shaking hands make hard work of undoing the catch, but I get it undone and force the window open. My heart is in my throat as I get one leg up onto the ledge, only to feel two large hands grabbing me.

  “Let go of me,” I shout, trying to break away from his grip.

  He chuckles, picking me up as if I weigh no more than a feather. I scream loudly, as he hauls me down the corridor and back toward the kitchen. I’d been so close to getting out. He barely seems to struggle, as I kick and flail against him, landing a few punches. Alex is standing in the kitchen, eyes wild and full of rage.

  He grabs hold of my throat, squeezing so tight I can barely breathe. “I will love breaking you, Jasmine,” he spits, forcing his lips against my own.