Leo swallows hard. I can tell the woman’s death weighs heavily on him. “No. A few more injured.”
“Like who?” I challenge.
Leo stares doggedly ahead. I see the anger rising in his eyes. “One of our guy’s nephew. He was shot in the leg while playing basketball in the park.” He looks at me, his eyes blazing. “So what? You want to bow to Anton?”
I shake my head. “I’m not out of questions.” I’ve been thinking about it ever since Vince told me, but I haven’t been ready to confront of it. “Vince said that you started this.”
Leo’s nostrils flare. “That’s just his way of justifying giving you back to Anton.”
I shake my head, a tear forming in my eye. “He said you started the war between the Nabatovs and the Romanos.”
Leo’s complexion turns ashen. My heart quickens. How will I feel about him when I find out the full truth?
“His name was Kreston,” Leo says. “My best friend since childhood. I killed him.”
“Was it an accident?”
“No. I meant to do it. It felt good doing it. It gave me my first kill rush.”
I tighten my grip on the gun. Maybe Leo has been fooling me this whole time. Maybe he is nothing more than a killer.
“Why?” I croak.
“The Nabatovs were getting into sex trafficking. It was awful. Girls as young as twelve rented out to anyone with the money. I tried to talk to Kreston about it, but he took the position of the rest of the reds. It made a lot of money, so they looked the other way.” Leo shudders at the memory. “That was a turning point, I think. The Nabatovs had become too cruel. I talked to Pop about it. He told me to stay out of their business.
“I was going to let it go, or try to anyway. One day, Kreston and I were at the shooting range I built out in the woods. He had the balls to brag about raping a fourteen year old girl. He acted like I should be impressed or something. He wasn’t just looking the other way. He was an active participant.” Leo pauses to take a breath. “Something inside of me snapped. I held my gun in my palm, and bashed it into the back of his head. He fell forward. I climbed on top of him and kept bashing him, just smashing his face until it was mangled, bloody mess. I could’ve easily shot him in the head. It would’ve been over with quicker. But he deserved to suffer.”
I look down at Leo’s hands, the hands that have taken lives time and time again. Despite the brutality of this story, I understand why he did it.
“Was Kreston one of Anton’s guys?”
Leo shakes his hands. “Kreston was Anton’s son. One of his legitimate ones, too. Masha, Anton’s wife, was his mother.”
I think back to Masha, the poised, elegant lady who helped me back at the warehouse. Kreston sounds like a real asshole, but I can’t help but feel compassion for her loss. My arm is getting tired, so I rest the gun on my thigh, turning all of this over in my mind.
It all happens so fast.
Leo bounds from his chair, lunging forward. I cling desperately to the gun as he forces me to the bed, pushing me on my back. He pins me down, holding me by the wrists, my arms stretched above my head. His grip is so tight, my fingers fall open, and I drop the gun. Leo lies on top of me, his heavy body pressing me deep into the mattress. His face is so close I can feel his breath.
“Look at me, Mia, look at me,” he demands. I force myself to look him in the eyes. “You know everything. What do you see when you look at me? A monster? A killer?”
I look deep into his dark eyes, trying to find an honest answer. It’s clear what my body is telling me. Every inch of my skin tingles from his heat. I inadvertently lift my hips slightly, pressing against him. Blood and adrenaline pump through my body, warming me with a delicious heat. This is Leo. Sex and danger. If I want him, I have to accept him for the man he is.
“Yes,” I say, defiantly answering his question. “And I fucking love you, Leo.” I lift my head, lightly kissing his neck. “I’m yours. No one else’s. I belong only to you.”
Leo stares down at me, heat emanating from his eyes. His jaw muscles twitch with primal desire. “I know why I liked you from the beginning. Sweet and innocent, but you can handle the roughness.”
Leo grabs the collar of my shirt, and rips it down the middle. He yanks the cup of my bra down, and wraps his lips around my nipple. He sucks so hard, it causes a slight sting of pain, which only enhances the pleasure.
Leo rises up on his knees and looks down at me. I’ve never seen him this intense before. His rippling muscles are flexed and covered with a sheen of sweat. He gazes at me like a predator looking at it’s prey. I relax back into the bed. I’m happy to be consumed by him. Leo wrestles off my pants and panties with animal like aggression. He pulls out his cock, then shoves himself inside of me with one powerful thrust of his hips. He barely has his pants down. The teeth of his zipper bite into the flesh around my pussy. But I’m so thoroughly filled by his long, throbbing, meaty cock, I barely notice.
He ravishes me with the loaded gun bouncing by my head. I come so many times, my legs shake like jelly. Leo pulls out and comes all over my lower stomach. I swirl my fingers in his essence.
We collapse together on the bed, exhausted and satisfied. Leo takes my hand and raises it to his lips. He shakes his head, smiling against my hand.
“What?” I giggle.
He flits his eyes up to me. His mouth straightens into a serious line. “I always thought, that if anyone ever saw my warts, they couldn’t possibly love me.” He fondles my breasts with a playful smile. “Yet here you are.”
My nipples stiffen beneath his touch. I turn, giggling, onto my side. “I’ve been thinking about something. Love isn’t attraction, or sex, or romance. It’s two people, saving each other’s life.”
Leo leans into me and kisses me softly on the lips. “I like that.”
He’s giving me that look again. It won’t be long before he’s lost in his desire, but we have other matters to attend to.
“What are we going to do?” I ask grimly.
Leo lies on his back, his hands folded behind his head. I curl against his solid chest and listen to the soft beating of his heart.
“We can find somewhere to go,” Leo says. “Somewhere in the country, maybe. We could have a quiet life.”
I shiver at the thought of Leo, shirtless, chopping wood in the middle of the forest. More fantasies pollute my mind. We could have a garden, a fishing pond. I’ve always wanted to make my own soaps. I imagine myself, happily making bread in a sunny kitchen. But it’s not possible. I couldn’t be happy, even in this idyllic scene, not if I let Dani get hurt.
Leo interprets this from my silence. “You’re thinking about Dani.”
“I can’t abandon her.”
Leo sighs deeply, his broad chest rising against my cheek. “So the question is, do you want to run, or do you want to fight?”
I feel a rush of determined energy up my spine. I grab a handful of Leo’s muscular torso, and grit my teeth.
“Fight.”
Chapter Seventeen
———————-
Leo
The first thing we have to do is get my family onboard. I’ve tried to do this on my own, to take out Anton with my own bullet, with less than stellar results. Mia and I talk for hours, straightening things out before we go talk to Pop. When we feel like we’re ready, Mia dresses in her disguise. She doesn’t complain about the wig this time, she doesn’t complain about anything. Something has shifted inside of her. There’s a dark determination in her eyes that I find extremely hot. I’d throw her on the bed for another round if we weren’t running out of time. Pop wants to give Mia up tomorrow, and we have to act fast.
I enlist Li and his brothers to walk with us out of the building. My reasoning is, if we blend in with them, anyone who notices us will only see a bunch of Chinese guys. I haven’t spoken to Li for years until I asked him to help Mia, but he didn’t ask any questions. Say what you will about crime families, but their loyalty is real.
It’s past midnight, and pitch dark in this part of town. All of the dock workers are home, sleeping, and the restaurants are closed. Mia walks beside me, her hoodie pulled low over her head. She walks with a tough swagger that’s quite convincing. She’s small, but if I saw this figure on the street, I wouldn’t want to fuck with her.
I parked the rental car a half mile from the safe house. When we get there, I give Li a grateful nod. He doesn’t acknowledge my gratitude, since now we both know I owe him. Mia is still and quiet as I take a complicated, winding route to Ma and Pop’s house. She’s clutching the fabric of her pants at her knees, and staring down at her lap. I grab her thigh and give it a firm squeeze.
“Don’t be nervous. Once Pop meets you, he’ll love you.”
“They think I’m the cause of all this,” Mia says.
I grip the wheel, sighing. “I’m pretty sure they think I’m the cause of all this.”
I use my key to get into the house. Ma and Pop are obviously in bed. All of the lights are off, except for the television blaring in the living room. When I lived here, it used to drive me crazy that they kept the television on all night. Hearing it now, the volume jacked up on an informercial, brings back nostalgic memories. I didn’t have the typical upbringing, but it was mine, and made me who I am today.
I turn on the lights in the study, and tell Mia to wait for me there. Her face is pale, and some of her bravado gone. She nods to me, then sits straight-backed in a leather chair.
The last thing anyone wants to do is startle Dominic Romano. I creep into the darkened bedroom. Pop’s heavy snoring echoes through the room. I make note of every place where Pop has stored a weapon, in the nightstand, under the mattress, hell, probably even on him, and creep towards the bed. I stand over him, positioning myself so he’s blocked from going for a weapon.
“Pop, Pop,” I say, softly. “Wake up.”
I keep chanting his name in a soft, steady rhythm. Finally, my voice gets through. Pop starts to stir. He snorts loudly, and his eyes fly open.
“It’s me, Leo,” I say, quickly.
Pop reaches for his ankle. I grab his wrist, holding it firmly. I bend down and look him in the eyes.
“It’s Leo, look at me,” I say.
“Christ, Leo. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry to wake you, but it’s urgent.”
Pop eyes the hallway behind me. “Is she here?” I nod. Pop rubs the sleep from his eyes, cursing under his breath. “Let’s get out of here before we wake your mother.”
Even in his cashmere robe and wool slippers, Pop gives off the vibe of a dangerous beast. He’s a massive man who doesn’t hand out smiles freely. He sweeps into the study, filling the room with his presence, and eyes Mia skeptically.
“This is her?” he asks me. He turns on her with a focused gaze, reading her every gesture, every twitch of her face. Mia looks stunned and terrified.
“This is her, Pop. This is Mia,” I say, proudly. I walk over to her and slip my arm around her shoulder.
Mia extends her hand to him. Pop coolly eyes this gesture, and doesn’t extend his. Mia lays her palm awkwardly on the top of her thigh. Pop takes a mighty breath.
“I’ve got to say, Leo, I thought you’d give up on her,” Pop says.
“I can’t do that,” I say. “You have to know that.”
“I do now,” Pop says. He sits behind his desk, and leans forward menacingly on his elbows. “This,” he says, waving his hand between Mia and me. “Is this worth all the blood that will run in the streets? Is it worth more innocent lives being taken?”
“If we take out Anton, we take out the head of the beast,” I argue. “He’s the one that set the Nobatovs on this path. If he’s gone, they’ll calm down.”
“He’s not so easy to kill, as you found out yourself,” Pop says. “Another botched attempt will just escalate things. Mia, you seem like a nice girl, but as you can see, my hands are tied.”
I stare at my father with contempt. The fact that he’d ask me to do the unthinkable with that calm look on his face sends me into a rage. I clench my hands into fists and prepare to throw myself across the desk that separates us.
Mia places a steady hand on my arm. Just this small gesture releases some of my anger.
“With all due respect, sir,” Mia says. Her voice is so clear and strong, it almost doesn’t sound like her. “I’m not some bargaining chip in your war. This is my life. If you don’t want to kill Anton, that’s fine. Give me to him, and I’ll find a way to kill him myself.”
The urge to beat the shit out of my father turns into an urge to get down on one knee and propose to this woman. Pop squints at her.
“You mean that, don’t you?” he asks.
“I do,” Mia says.
“And I’ll help her,” I say. “With or without you. I can’t budge on this, Pop.”
Pop leans back in his chair, drumming his fingers on his round belly. “Shit,” he mumbles, finally, then looks up at me. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Leo. I thought this was another one of your flings. But I’ve never seen you look at anything the way you look at her.”
“So you’ll help us?” I ask.
Pop nods curtly. “Call your brothers. Get them over here.”
My chest lifts with elation. I squeeze Mia’s hand, and she gives me the sweetest smile.
Pop sighs. “It will be war,” he laments. “It will be death.”
“We can do it,” I say. “We can’t be afraid of him forever.”
Pop looks at me with a deep stare. “You don’t get it, do you? Why do you think I bow to Anton’s demands? It’s because I don’t want him to kill you. After what happened to Kreston, it was his mission to destroy you. I convinced him not to do that.”
I have so many emotions flowing through me, I don’t know what to do with them, so I try to argue against them.
“I was gone for a decade,” I say. “You didn’t have to give into him then.”
Pop slams his hand on the desk, then points at me. “Yes, I did. Because I knew you’d be back. At least, I hoped you’d be back.”
All I can do is stare at him, this man I’ve feared and respected my entire life. I guess a part of me never felt accepted by him. Now I know I was wrong. I reach across the table, and shake his hand firmly.
“Thank you,” I say, meaning it completely.
Pop pats the top of my hand. “Now call your brothers. We don’t have time to waste.”
———————-
“I thought this was settled,” Vince says, glumly walking into the study.
Pop points at Mia. “You look her in the eyes and tell her it’s settled. Family looks out for each other, and from what I’ve seen, Mia will be a Romano one day.”
Mia smiles at Pop, blushing slightly. I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles.
“It’s time to sort this out once and for all,” Pop says. “The Nabatovs have gone rotten, and Anton is the source of all that. I remember when they were honorable, had morals. Ever since he took power, that’s gone out of the window.”
I notice Vince looks a little relieved. He’s a good guy, I’ve always known that. He doesn’t want people to suffer, and the responsibility of his position means a lot to him. He looks at Mia, then me, and nods. That’s all I need.
Mateo is hanging back in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. I feel him staring at me. When I turn his way, he diverts his eyes. He thinks I hold a grudge for ratting out the safe house, and I did. But he’s my brother, he’s here to help me, and I have to put all of that aside. Mateo looks nervous when I walk towards him. I lay my hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, bro. I know why you did it,” I say. I tighten my grip on his shoulder. “Now let’s get this motherfucker.”
Mateo looks up at me, his face curled in a bloodthirsty smile. “That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time.”
“So, what do we do?” Pop asks. “We’re supposed to meet Anton at ten in the morning.”
> I shrug. “We get there early. When they show up, we attack.”
Vince shakes his head. “Don’t you think they’re expecting something like that?”
“Either we kill them now, in their sleep, or we kill them then. We can’t let him have Mia,” I say.
“We have to be smarter than that,” Vince says.
I feel Mia straighten her back beside me. “I’ll go,” she says in a small voice.
“No,” I say to her. “No fucking way.”
Mia doesn’t acknowledge me, and talks to Pop. “Anton needs to think he’s won. That way, he won’t be expecting you.”
“We could go that night, when Anton and his men are drunk and happy,” Pop says.
I grab Mia’s hand, pleading with her. “It’s too dangerous for you.”
She turns to me with determined eyes. “I want to do my part. And I can take care of myself.”
I’m not thrilled with the idea, but I have to admit, it’s the smartest way to go about things. I just hope that between the time we give up Mia and kill Anton, he doesn’t do something horrible to her. We talk for the next couple of hours, ironing out the plan. We’ll attack the warehouse that night. My brothers and a dozen or so other guys will storm inside, get everyone on their knees and disarm them. I’ll be waiting on the rooftop, and while the Nabatovs are distracted, I’ll fire a single deadly bullet into Anton’s head.
When the plan’s settled, Pop claps his hands and announces he’s going back to sleep. Vince and Mateo go upstairs to get a few hours in their childhood beds. I know I should too, but there’s no way I can relax. Mia and I sit together on the sofa in the living room, numb to the man shouting about a blender on television.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I say. “I can’t stand the thought of you being alone with Anton.”
“It’s what I have to do,” Mia says, twirling the end of her hair. “Like Pop says, I’m part of the family now. I better start acting like a Romano.”
“You definitely have balls like a Romano.” I take her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Mia Romano. I like the sound of that. Once we get out of this shit, I’m going to make that happen.”
Hostage: A Dark Mafia Romance (Romano Brothers Book 1) Page 12
