Violent Beginnings : A Dark Enemies To Lovers Mafia Romance

by J. L. Beck

  Now I do, and though I don’t particularly want to do this, I have to. I need to know who she planned to call, who she risked her own life for because if I was anyone else. If she had been sold to any other fucker at that auction, she’d have been killed for doing that.

  It’s not like I can use my standard interrogation techniques on her. Her skin is thick, and even when afraid, she can manage to keep her secrets locked down. I need to go one step further. I need to cross that line, whether I want to or not.

  I already know I’m an asshole for what I’m going to do to her. I’ve battled with myself all week over if I really wanted to follow through with it, but I have to know what she’s hiding, what was worthy of tossing everything away.

  Thinking about the private investigator, there is the possibility of her working for someone, that she was planted at the auction for a reason, but that’s a far stretch. I’m apprehensive to believe that there isn’t more to the story.

  It’s more likely she has a boyfriend that she’s afraid to tell me about. That possibility is both plausible and infuriating—the thought of another man touching her, putting his hands on what’s mine. I shake my head to rattle the thought away, but it sticks.

  I’ve never been possessive over a woman before, but when it comes to Fallon, I will kill anyone who threatens to take her away from me. I know it. Feel it with every beat of my heart. No matter what happens, she will be mine till I say otherwise.

  From my spot on the edge of the bed, I can see right into the bathroom. Fallon grabs a towel and starts to wrap it around her body, but before she can fully cover herself, I’ve gotten a view of her wet, slick body. My cock, of course, hardens to steel.

  I’ve missed that, having her close to me, her whimpers of pleasure, of being inside of her. If she hadn’t fucked it all up, everything would still be the same, and I wouldn’t be preparing to hurt her.

  Fallon steps into the bedroom, the towel wrapped securely around her body. Her long blonde hair is dripping wet, and my eyes latch onto a drop of water that glistens against her collarbone. My mind goes straight to licking that drop of water off her skin, to spreading her thighs and feasting on her clit, to sliding deep inside…

  “Markus?”

  “Yeah,” I snap, her voice dragging me out of the lustful haze.

  I can’t be thinking about getting close to her or fucking her. Not until I find out what I need to. Answers before anything else.

  “Why is your friend coming by?”

  “You’ll find out when he gets here,” I tell her with a growl. She stares at me as if she knows something bad is going to happen. I wonder what she sees. What do I look like to her?

  Like a monster? Like I want to ravage her alive?

  “All I need you to know is that I want you to be on your best behavior. If you’re thinking of trying something, don’t. Lucca won’t save you. He’s bad, maybe even worse than me. Not only that, but if you do try something, the cell in the basement will be the least of your worries.” There is so much malice in my words, it’s almost hard for me to speak them.

  Fallon’s throat bobs, and she white knuckles the towel. She’s afraid. I can see it, smell it. Like blood in shark-infested waters, she’s leading me right to her, showing me right where to strike.

  “Of course. I won’t do anything stupid. I’ve learned my lesson.”

  I nod and stare into her azure eyes while I speak my next sentence, “I hope so because next time it won’t be the basement you face. It will be me.”

  It’s clear she is still scared, but instead of cowering at my words, she stands tall. In another life, she would be perfect for me, and I could treat her decently, maybe not with love, but I could care for her.

  In this life, I don’t know what we are or what there could ever be between us. Before I can figure it out, I’ve got to clear the air between us. Find out who she was calling, and why? And after tonight, I’ll have my answer.

  I just hope I don’t have to hurt her too badly, trying to get it.

  21

  Fallon

  Our conversation from earlier has weighed heavily on my mind through the afternoon. His threat looming over me like an ominous cloud. I don’t know his next move, and that terrifies me. I should be able to read him better by now, but I can’t. I wonder what secrets he’s hiding, what kind of darkness lingers beneath the surface.

  I get the feeling there is so much more to him than he lets on and that I’ve only seen a fraction of it. I wonder if he would actually hurt me. Everything he’s done up to this point has been child’s play.

  Part of me refuses to think he could hurt me while the other part of me doesn’t, not while knowing how dangerous he is. The thoughts linger even while I continue to push them away. It’s like my mind won’t stop conjuring up ideas.

  The afternoon bleeds into the evening, and I get more and more anxious with every second that ticks on the clock. Markus’s friend will be here soon.

  I’m wary of having another man in the house. It’s hard enough to deal with Markus, but another man… that thought leaves me in ragged knots.

  An alarming ding-dong bounces off the walls of the house, startling me. I nearly fall off the couch in my haste to stand. Markus casually shoves off his seat, giving me a look that says behave or else. I clutch a hand to my chest to stop my heart from beating out of it. I didn’t even know this place had a doorbell.

  Markus’s huge frame fills the doorway, making it impossible for me to see who is on the other side, but I assume it’s his friend.

  “Hey,” a voice I’ve never heard greets coolly.

  This is definitely his friend.

  “Come in.” Markus gestures and takes a step back, leaving space for the mystery man to enter. If I was smart, I would avert my gaze, look anywhere but at him, but I prefer to look my enemies in the eyes. He walks across the threshold and into the house, and if I thought the room was small before, it’s even smaller now.

  Tall, dark, and handsome. A true cliche if I ever heard one, but that’s what he looks like.

  At first glance, he looks like the all-American boy, but the way he carries himself tells me his normal appearance is a facade. Everything about him screams dark, in an evil kind of way.

  His hair is dirty blond, unruly, and a little shorter on the sides than on top, almost military style. His eyes, a dark shade of blue, almost violent when they meet mine. I wonder what secrets they keep locked inside? I wonder how many people he’s killed? In what way he’s connected to Markus?

  None of those questions will get an answer, though, so I don’t dwell on them long. It’s obvious he works out or does some type of physical activity. Where Markus is beefy, almost like a lumberjack, this man is slender, tall with an athletic body.

  “Lucca, this is Fallon. Fallon, this is Lucca,” Markus introduces us with a grunt, interrupting the stretch of awkward silence.

  I can feel his gaze like a thousand pinpricks against my skin. He’s waiting for me to do something stupid, watching like a shark watches for blood in the water.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I reply meekly.

  Lucca’s eyes twinkle with excitement, and I don’t like it. Don’t like the way his gaze turns hungry as it drifts over me, almost as if he’s interested.

  Markus wouldn’t dare to share me, would he?

  “Fallon was just going to start the sides for dinner,” Markus hisses through his teeth, his eyes shooting daggers at me. For whatever reason, he wants me to disappear for a while, and I’ll gladly do that.

  “Oh, yeah.” I pretend as if I knew that. “I’ll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me,” I say with way too much cheer. Even though the kitchen is only a few feet away, I exit the room like it’s a three-mile hike up a mountain, and I should’ve left a day ago.

  I expel all the air out of my lungs. All I have to do is make it through this evening dinner, and then Lucca will leave, and with him will go the anxiety I’m feeling.

  Dinner passes in a blur,
and I spend most of it pushing my food around on my plate. I can hardly stomach the steak, even though it smells delicious. All my attention is on Markus. Something is off about him.

  I can’t put my finger on it, but he is acting strange, and strange enough, I doubt it’s because his friend is here. Throughout dinner, Lucca seemed to slip a mask over his face, similar to how Markus does. Concealing his emotions and feelings beneath it.

  He watches me with this unreadable expression plastered on his face. He hasn’t really talked to me at all, not since Markus introduced us, but I don’t need him to talk to me to know he’s here. I can feel his eyes on me all the time.

  It’s almost like he’s waiting for something to happen. What that is, I’m not sure.

  As I finish cleaning up the dishes, I wonder if Lucca expects me to ask for help, or maybe he wants me to be scared of him?

  It’s almost like this whole day is a test, and tonight I’m going to be locked back up in that cell. I think Markus is distancing himself from me on purpose as if he is scared to get too close, too attached, because only he knows what’s coming next.

  Maybe I’m imagining things, or maybe he’s preparing himself. Preparing to hurt me. I still haven’t told him who I was going to call, and I’m sure he realizes that. I don’t think Markus is the kind of person who gives up that easily or forgets.

  No matter what, I’ll do whatever it takes not to be put in that cell again.

  While Markus seems cold and detached, my emotions are all over the place. I’m on edge because someone I don’t know is here, Markus is acting off, and on top of that, I still haven’t called them. I’ve been here three weeks now and haven’t contacted them once.

  What if they think I’m dead? What’s going to happen to…

  “Fallon,” Markus’s deep voice drags me from my dark thoughts. “Come here.” The timbre of his voice sends shivers down my spine. This isn’t going to lead anywhere good. I drop the dish back into the warm soapy water and dry my hands quickly.

  When I turn around and head into the living room, both men are standing there and looking my way. Goosebumps pebble my flesh under the scrutiny of their cold-hearted stares. They are about to do something to me. I just know it.

  My steps falter immediately. I’m tempted to run, to turn away from the wolves, and do whatever I can to escape. Markus’s gaze turns angry. He knows exactly what I’m thinking.

  “Come. Here,” he orders, sterner this time. All I can see is the cell downstairs—the same four walls. No light, no sunshine. Coldness all around me. My insides knot a thousand times over. Swallowing down the golf ball-sized lump in my throat, I make my feet move. I force my feet forward because the alternative is worse.

  “Stand in front of me.”

  With shaking legs, I follow his command and stop right in front of him. I’m a dog willing to do any trick for her owner. Lucca moves behind me, and suddenly, I’m sandwiched between them. My heart seizes in my chest. What’s happening?

  I turn my head to see what Lucca is doing, but Markus grabs me by the chin with two fingers and pulls me back, forcing me to see only him.

  “Eyes on me, Fallon.” His voice is smoke wisping through the air.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, my voice small and unsure.

  “We’re going to play a game. I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer them truthfully. Each time I think your lying, Lucca is going to take one item of clothing off your body. If you are naked by the end of the game, you lose, and you don’t want to be the loser in this game. Do you understand?”

  I want to nod my head, but I’m frozen.

  My whole body is petrified with fear. If I’m naked at the end, I lose. I’m too scared to ask what happens when I fail. Yes, when, because I already know I’m going to have to lie, and he is going to know when I do. It’s a test, the biggest one yet, and I’m about to fucking fail.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes,” Markus says. He doesn’t even skip a beat and jumps right into things.

  “First question. Did you know the guy with the camera?”

  “No.” I shake my head. That much is true. I didn’t know that guy.

  Markus inspects me for a moment, his eyes narrowing. I’m so afraid I shake.

  “I believe you,” he finally says. “So you didn’t know him. Fine. Next question. Do you know who sent him?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “No.” I try to keep my voice even.

  Markus shakes his head like he is disappointed in me. “Do you want to reconsider that answer?”

  Pressing my lips together into a firm line, I say nothing and watch Markus look past me to his friend. They are both so much taller than me they can look right over my head. A moment later, I feel Lucca’s hands grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up. I raise my arms automatically, letting him take off my shirt. There’s no point in fighting it.

  He drops it on the floor next to us, leaving me in a pair of leggings and bra. Goosebumps spread across my upper body, and I’m reminded of the coldness I felt while in the basement. Tears prick at my eyes, but I force myself to hold them back. I will not cry in front of them.

  “Next question. Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “No.” I shake my head, relieved that he is asking something I can actually tell him.

  “Were you really going to call your parents from my office?”

  “Yes,” I lie again. This one falls from my lips a little easier since I’ve already told it a few times, but Markus still sees right through me.

  Shaking his head again, he motions to Lucca, who quickly undoes my bra. He pushes the straps slowly off my arms and lets the bra fall to the floor carelessly. Cool air washes over my exposed breasts, and I’m glad Lucca is standing behind me and can’t see. Though, I have the feeling that if I lose this game, he is going to do more than see them.

  “Were you sent to the auction by someone?”

  “No.”

  Another small shake of Markus’s head, and Lucca is pushing his fingers into the waistband of my leggings, pulling them down my legs, leaving me in nothing but my thin panties.

  “Did someone send you to get to me?” Markus’s voice is nothing more than a growl now. He is angry. So fucking angry. Each word penetrates deep through my skin, and I know at any second I’m going to be on the receiving end of that fury.

  “No.” I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut.

  Lucca dips his fingers into the sides of my panties, his touch burns me, and he pulls them down roughly, making me gasp. My knees are so weak, I think they might give out at any second. Every inch of my body is shaking at what’s to come, and all I can think about is how I wish I could tell him the truth. But I can’t. I can’t tell him. The risk outweighs the reward. Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, all the emotions inside me push to the surface at once.

  “Get on your knees,” Markus orders, just as I hear him undoing his pants. I feel Lucca’s hands on my shoulders, pushing me down gently, but instead of obeying and getting down on my knees, I shrug away from Lucca’s hold and lunge myself at Markus. I have to try, try to get him to see that I don’t want this. That I don’t want to lie to him.

  Wrapping my slender arms around his torso, I bury my face into his ironclad chest.

  “I’m sorry. Please, don’t do this. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I repeat over and over again, hoping that he believes me. Hoping he doesn’t go through with whatever he has planned.

  I’m certain he is going to push me away. Push me into his friend’s arms, but nothing happens. No one speaks or does anything. An eternity seems to pass before Markus wraps his arms around me, engulfing me completely while pulling me closer into his chest.

  “Go upstairs to the bedroom and wait there for me. Don’t do anything else. Don’t fucking touch anything else. Go straight to the bedroom and wait on the bed. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” I blurt out, nodding my head furiously.

  I don’t bot
her picking up my clothes, and I don’t dare to look back at Lucca. I’m too afraid that Markus will change his mind. I simply untangle myself from him and run up the stairs like I’m being chased by a swarm of bees.

  When I reach the bedroom, I climb onto the bed and sit in the center. Drawing my legs to my chest, I wrap my arms around my knees and wait for Markus. I don’t know if Lucca is going to leave now, or what Markus will do to me next.

  All I know is that I am grateful he stopped whatever he had planned downstairs.

  22

  Markus

  I can taste her fear. It coats the air, leaving a sweet tang against my tongue. The way she rushed into my arms like I was her saving grace and not her damnation.

  It made my chest swell. Fuck, her pleading, tears filling her eyes. Fuck it all to hell. I was sure I could do it. Sure, I could fucking push through her pleads, but somehow, she crawled under my skin. Weaseled her way in there slowly.

  I felt like punching myself in the face right now.

  “I knew you wouldn’t go through with it.” Lucca grins in front of me. I try not to look down at the floor where all of Fallon’s clothes lay discarded. Thank fuck, Lucca didn’t see anything but her ass.

  “Shut up and get out of here.” I point him to the door.

  “Do you want me to do it? While you’re gone, I mean.” Lucca barely gets the words out before I’m pouncing on him. My hands wrap around his throat, and I growl into his face like a feral animal.

  “Don’t even fucking think about touching her again. This was a one-time thing.”

  Lucca laughs and shoves me away. “You told me to, stupid.”

  “I know!” I roar.

  Fuck, I know. Just like I know he’s only trying to be a good friend. Offering me help. “How would you feel about me offering to take care of Claire?”

  Lucca’s complete body stiffens, and every trace of a smile is wiped from his face. Not so fucking smug now, are you? “Don’t even talk like that. It’s completely different, and you fucking know it.”