HONOR
Melissa Ellen
Honey Bee Publishing, LLC
To the DeVivo Bros,
Thank you for all the unlimited coffee and delicious desserts as I wrote. My waistline may not thank you, but I do.
Contents
Prologue
1. Mario
2. Agent Rhodes
3. Mario
4. Lena
5. Mario
6. Lena
7. Mario
8. Lena
9. Mario
10. Mario
11. Lena
12. Mario
13. Lena
14. Lena
15. Lena
16. Mario
17. Lena
18. Lorenzo
19. Lena
20. Mario
21. Agent Rhodes
22. Mario
Epilogue
Epilogue
Also by Melissa Ellen
About the Author
Acknowledgments
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Melissa Ellen
Cover Copyright © 2019 by Melissa Ellen
Background Cover Copyright © 2019 by Depositphotos/feedough, kiuikson
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author's rights.
First Edition: March 2019
Printed in the United States of America
Prologue
Mario
There were three reasons that would get you killed by the hands of your own family—the family you were supposed to put above all else, and all others. The family you swore an oath to. The family that swore that same oath to you.
Family.
Loyalty.
It’s what our lives revolved around.
It was instilled in us.
Tattooed into our skin with our own blood.
Remain loyal. You were protected.
Abide by the rules. You were protected.
Break one. You were a dead man.
You could try running, prolonging the inevitable, but death would always be knocking on your door. It was a knock that came from the hand of a family member. That same someone you’d once trusted with your life was being forced to take it from you…or they’d be joining you six feet under.
There was no escaping.
The only way out was a coffin.
Three rules.
They were simple.
You didn’t disobey an order. You didn’t betray your family. And you didn’t touch a made man’s girl.
Sitting in the back seat of the black sedan between two men, headed to my pending execution, I knew what I was guilty of, what had, most likely, landed me in my current predicament. I just didn’t know if they knew why they’d been ordered to kill me.
It didn’t matter. One mistake was all it took. I was fucked. There was no way out. I knew it the moment I heard the pounding of their fists on my apartment door in the middle of the fucking night. Unexpected, yet expected. It was only a matter of time before the shit I’d gotten myself into caught up to me.
1
Mario
TWO MONTHS EARLIER…
I gripped the iron handle of the heavy, wooden door, pulling it open. My chest tightened with weighted breaths. The smells of freshly baked bread, garlic, herbs, and tomato sauce wafted through the air around me, eliciting the nostalgia of my childhood. I’d walked through that door countless times and never felt more anxious than I did now.
I was home. And they weren’t expecting me. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be back here so soon. Or, maybe ever.
The day I left, I didn’t plan on looking back. I never planned on asking for a second chance. The streets of New York were my past, the lights of California my future. When I took the job in California, I made a choice to end things, knowing it was best. Best for me, best for my family, best for her. At least, that’s what I thought. Maybe I wasn’t as smart as I liked to believe.
I walked past the hostess, giving her an easy smile, making her blush. I didn’t bother saying hello. I was there to talk to only one woman.
I stopped short, spotting her across the lively restaurant, admiring her as she threw her head back, jubilantly laughing with a table of customers. Her hand rested on the older man’s shoulder, squeezing it fondly as she glanced down at him. My heart clenched at the sight. I’d missed her more than I cared to admit. She’d been my solace for so many years, still was and always would be.
She caught sight of me from the corner of her eye, her head slowly turning to face me, her face paling as she stared at me in disbelief. I stood anxiously with my hands in my jean pockets. I couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked back at her customers, excusing herself before making a slow, steady pace toward me, as if she was still registering me standing in front of her in the restaurant she owned. The restaurant where she spent most of her days. She ran it proudly and successfully, despite the shit she had been dealt in the past. Leoni’s was her only pride and joy besides her children.
Our eyes remained locked as she closed the distance between us. She was still a beautiful woman. The years had been good to her, even if they had been hard on her. Her eyes softened as she extended a hand to my face, palming my cheek.
“Mario,” she whispered my name as if she were seeing a ghost.
“Hey, Ma,” I said, grinning at her.
She pulled me into her surprisingly strong embrace, pressing my body against hers the way she’d always done. “My baby boy.” She sighed her momentary relief at seeing me alive.
I flinched from the hold she had on me, my side still healing from the bullet wound I’d sustained at my previous job in California.
“What is it?” she asked, pulling back. The wrinkles between her brows deepened with the concern etched on her face.
“It’s nothing. Just a minor wound.”
Her hands gripped the sides of my face, forcing me to look at her chocolate-brown eyes that were searching for answers. “Valerie?”
“She’s fine. Everyone’s fine,” I said, dispelling any doubts.
I’d been protecting Valerie Blackwood since she was a kid, hired by her family as her personal security detail. Over the years, we grew close. Somewhere along the way, she became like family to me and mine. When she moved to California for college, she insisted she no longer needed me hovering over her. She’d been wrong, and we’d both made mistakes that nearly cost us her life. Thankfully, things didn’t end as badly for either of us as they did for the other guys.
“What are you doing home then?”
“I needed to come back.”
“For how long?”
“For good, Ma. I’m home for good.” I smiled at her, hoping to assure her.
I could already see the worry in her eyes. It wasn’t the answer she wanted. She’d been relieved when I took the job in California with the Blackwood family. It wasn’t that she didn’t want me home. She knew as well as I did, being home only put me in the crosshairs of a life she wanted me far away from.
She didn’t say any of that, or lecture me about returning, or demand I go back.
Instead, she dropped her hands and straightened her shoulders. “You look skin
ny. Let’s get you something to eat,” she commanded, hooking her arm through mine, leading me toward the kitchen.
A high-pitched squeal pierced the air as we came in view of the bar. Gia was already sprinting from behind it straight into my arms. I picked her up, spinning her around.
“Hey, Gia bear,” I chuckled, placing my older sister back on her feet.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, gripping my shoulders as she leaned back to stare up at me.
“Long story. I’ll fill you in later,” I promised as I glanced over my shoulder at our mother, who was waiting for me with a tight smile.
Gia dropped her arms, nudging my arm with her fist. “Tonight. O’Malley’s.”
“Sure thing.” I kissed her forehead before following our mom into the kitchen.
“Tony, make my boy’s favorite dish,” Ma yelled at our head chef as she continued her path toward the back office.
Tony looked up, acknowledging her command before nodding at me in greeting. I returned the gesture, following closely behind her.
Crossing over the threshold, she stepped aside, waiting for me to enter before closing the door behind us. As she lowered herself into the seat behind the desk, I took one in a worn-down vinyl chair that sat opposite of her.
The silence was deafening.
The chair squeaked as she leaned back, fixing her stare on me. The anticipation of her lecture had me scooting to the edge of the seat, leaning my forearms on the front edge of the desk with clenched fists.
“Say something,” I demanded in a strangled voice.
She sighed, brushing a few gray strands from her brow, her eyes sliding from me to the framed family photo on the wall. It was the last one taken of all of us together. For the last twenty years, my father had been missing from every family photo.
“What would you have me say?” she asked, her tone defeated.
“You’re disappointed.”
“Never, vita mia. You could never disappoint me.” She leaned forward, reaching for me, wrapping my fisted hands with hers. “I worry. That’s all. I don’t want to lose you, too.”
“I’ll be fine, Ma.”
Her eyes narrowed, her grip instinctively tightening. “Don’t make me promises you can’t keep. We both know why you’re home.” Her defeat had quickly transitioned to annoyance.
Breaking apart our hands, I sat back, running my palms down my thighs to rid them of the forming sweat. I tilted my head to stare at the stained popcorn ceiling. She had every reason to be angry. It’s where most of my agitation stemmed from, knowing what I would be potentially putting her through. Again.
“Have you seen her?”
My head snapped forward with her question. I shook it.
“But you will.”
I remained silent. There was no use denying it. I came back for her, of course I planned on seeing her.
With a heavy breath, she stood, taking the few steps to me before stopping at my side. She lifted her hand, running the back of it along my jaw. “I know I can’t change your mind or your heart… Do what you must, but not at the risk of our family. I will always love you, cucciolo, but if you put this family in danger again, I will never forgive you.”
A knock at the door kept me from responding to the unfairness of it all.
“Come in,” she commanded.
The door slowly cracked open as a young female popped her head in. “Tony asked me to bring this to you.” She held up a perfectly prepared plate of saltimbocca.
My mother forced a smile at the girl. “Please set him a place at the bar. We’re done here,” she said, gently dismissing the waitress with her instruction.
The girl didn’t hesitate, swiftly disappearing behind the half-opened door. My mother shifted on her feet, ready to follow after her. I snatched her wrist, forcing her to remain. Her eyes flicked back to mine.
“Ma, I would never let anything happen to you or Gia.” I made her another promise I had every intention of keeping.
Her face softened, despite the lingering unease. “Bringing her into our lives, will only guarantee that something will happen.” She bent forward, placing a soft kiss on my cheek as my hand fell from her arm. She gave me a final pleading look before leaving me alone in the office.
“Fuck,” I growled under my breath, roughly rubbing a palm over my face as I hung my head.
She was right. Every word she’d said had been nothing but the truth. Yet, we both knew I’d still do what I came here to do.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
Eric slowly shook his head. “If you did, then you’d have your ass on the first flight back to California, instead of sitting across from me, right now.”
“Is that a no?”
“Shit,” he huffed, lifting the glass of whiskey in front of him that he’d been milking for the last hour. Taking it in one swallow, he set it back down on the table between us. He pressed his back against the cracking forest-green vinyl of the booth we’d been sitting in at the rear of O’Malley’s, away from the increasingly growing crowd. Folding his large arms over his chest, he stared at me, studying, determining how serious I was being. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing I can do to change your mind?”
“No.”
With a single nod, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “Then, I guess the only thing I can say is welcome back.”
I smiled. It was the first sliver of hope I’d felt since returning. Eric had been not only my boss, but also my mentor for the last seven years, since I left the military. He’d been the one to bring me into the private security sector.
The door of the bar swung open, a rowdy crowd pushing through the small entrance, drawing our attention for a moment.
“I should get going before this place turns less tavern and more nightclub.” Eric slid out of the booth, reaching for his wallet.
“It’s on me,” I insisted. “It’s the least I can do.”
He grunted a laugh, still pulling out a few bills and tossing them onto the table. “Not this time, rookie. I’m buying my own drinks, so you’ll owe me one. I know you always repay your debts. The way I see it, it’s the best way for me to guarantee you’ll keep yourself alive.”
I chuckled, picking up my own glass, taking a sip. “Thank you, boss.”
“Don’t thank me. And don’t make me regret this.”
I nodded, reaching my hand out to him. He shook it, clamping his other hand down on my shoulder at the same time.
I kept my eyes on his broad back until he disappeared. Once he was gone, I relaxed into my seat, watching the bar patrons while I waited for Gia to arrive. For most, the act would be nothing more than people-watching out of boredom. For me, it was a habit of knowing my surroundings, profiling everyone from the loner staring into his drink at the bar to the overly aggressive flirt hitting on any stranger who gave them a second glance. I’d already assessed everyone a few times by the time Gia showed, including the bartender slinging drinks and the wait staff that bustled around with highball glasses filled to the rims.
Gia sauntered into the bar, wearing a dress so tight it looked like a second skin, turning more male heads than I liked. She tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder as she scanned the room, searching for me. When her eyes spotted me, they brightened with her smile. She maneuvered through the crowded bar, ignoring most of the stares she was catching with the sway of her hips.
There was a time when those stares would have made me more protective and nervous about her safety. Until recently, a Leoni wouldn’t have dared set foot in this neighborhood, much less this bar. But times had changed. After the families had thinned out with raids, busts, and convictions, they were forced to evolve. Alliances were made, affording us unwanted but necessary protection.
I stood from my seat, bringing her in for a quick hug before she scooted into the booth across from me.
“Ma let you out of the house dressed like that?” I ask
ed as I sat back down, lifting a hand to flag down our server.
She rolled her eyes, placing her phone on the table and her purse on the seat beside her. “I don’t need Ma’s permission. Besides, we both know she gave up on me a long time ago. Once she had her mammoni, she stopped caring what I do,” she taunted.
I chuckled, picking up my glass. “I’m not the one still living at home,” I pointed out and took a drink.
I’d been lucky that my previous apartment was still available for rent. My landlord was more than happy to sign a new lease with me the moment I returned, but not without raising the rent on me. The asshole.
Twisting her wrist, she flipped me the finger as the waitress stopped at our table. “For that, you’re buying,” she declared.
With a smile on my face, I flicked a hand toward the pretty little redhead, gesturing for my sister to order. I’d already intended to cover her drinks this evening.
“What can I get you?” the woman shouted over a group of guys that had broken out into loud cheers at a homerun in the Yankees game playing on one of the many TVs affixed to the walls around the bar.
“Vodka tonic with lime,” Gia ordered.
The waitress nodded then turned to me, leaning in a little closer with a sweet smile meant to seduce. “How about you? Can I get you anything?” Her eyes did a slow scan over my upper body as she asked her question.
I cleared my throat, forcing her focus back to my face. “I’m good,” I clipped.
Honor (Made Book 1) Page 1
