Falling for the Killer: A Dark Possessive Mafia Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  She nodded a little and touched her belly. “It’s weird, isn’t it? There’s a baby growing in here.” She blinked a little. “Oh, shit, I need to make doctor appointments.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” I said. “Worry about one step at a time right now.”

  “Yeah, okay, right. One step at a time.”

  “I’m going tout,” I said and walked to the door. “You need a toothbrush and some other shit. I’m going to walk to the bodega and I’m going to take my time. How’s an hour sound?”

  She chewed on her lip but nodded. “Plenty of time to get torn to shreds by my parents.”

  “Good luck,” I said and pushed open the door. I left her alone at the kitchen table, but I didn’t walk away. Instead, I sat on the stoop, leaned forward with my elbow on my knees, and waited.

  I wouldn’t leave her alone. If she needed help, I’d get back in there, but I wanted her to have a sense of privacy at least.

  I couldn’t imagine what she was about to go through. I never had parents I cared about. Her relationship was complicated and fucked up, and worse than mine in some ways. At least I knew where I stood with them. She seemed like she loved her parents, but they didn’t quite love her back, at least not as a person.

  Maybe as a small, pliable doll.

  As I waited, I got another text from Dean.

  Don wants to see you tomorrow morning, he said.

  I sighed and sent back, See you bright and early.

  That wasn’t going to be fun, but we’d survive.

  7

  Ash

  I listened to my mother scream at me for a half hour until her voice gave out and my father took over.

  He screamed at me for twenty minutes. That left me with ten minutes to sit alone at a strange kitchen table and contemplate the way my life crumbled all around me.

  “How’d it go?” Gian asked when he came back in with a small bag full of toiletries for me.

  “About what I expected,” I said. “I’m cut off. If I don’t go home now, they’ll kick me out of the family and hire some people to ruin your life. Oh, and Stuart is going to press charges and sue you and sue my family and probably anyone I’ve ever spoken with.”

  “Sounds about right,” he said and gently touched my arm. “What are you going to do?”

  I smiled and slipped past him, taking the bag from his hand on the way. “I’m going to shower, brush my teeth, and lie in that bed until tomorrow.” I hesitated on the stairs. “Aren’t you worried?”

  “Not at all,” he said, and gave me a charming smile.

  I shook my head and went upstairs.

  The shower didn’t help. Brushing my teeth didn’t help. And lying in bed watching TV didn’t help, either.

  But at least I fell asleep early and in the morning, there was already coffee made in the kitchen. I found Gian dressed in the living room, watching ESPN and drinking from a huge mug.

  “Help yourself,” he grunted at me as I shuffled past, still wearing my clothes from yesterday which were unsurprisingly disgusting by this point, but I didn’t have anything else. “We’ve got an errand to run then you can go shopping.”

  “Errand?” I asked from the kitchen. “What’s going on?” I poured some coffee into a mug and stared at it. I was pregnant now and had to be careful how much of this stuff I drank, but a little bit would be okay.

  “You need to meet the Don,” he said.

  I walked out to the living room and stood over him with my mouth open. “I need to do what?” I asked.

  He grimaced slightly and turned the TV off. “We should get going soon,” he said. “I was going to wake you up.”

  “Right now?” I stepped back. “The Don? The head of your mafia family or whatever the hell it is?”

  “He’s not so scary,” Gian said, then hesitated. “Okay, that’s not true, but you’ll be fine. I’ll be with you.”

  “No,” I said. “Absolutely not.”

  “Ash,” he said. “This isn‘t really an option.”

  “No,” I said. “I’m tired of doing what I’m told. I don’t want to meet your Don.”

  He stood up and rubbed his face with both hands then gave me a pleading look. “You’re trouble,” he said. “Your family’s trouble. They can make life difficult for my boss. Things are happening in the city right now, and I can’t afford to be distracted. He wants to make sure this isn’t going to be a problem.”

  “What sort of things?” I asked.

  “Do you really want to know?” He gave me a serious look and ran a hand through his perfect, lush hair.

  “Yes,” I said. “I really do.”

  “There’s a war going on with a rival gang named the Healy family. They’re gunning for my territory, and I plan on killing a few of them.” He tilted his head to the side. “Feel better now that you know?”

  “Of course I don’t feel better,” I snapped, pacing away. “Holy shit, Gian. You’re in some gang war.”

  “I never said my life was easy,” he said, sounding amused.

  I paced up and down his kitchen and put my mug down on the table. I pulled at my hair, which needed to be washed, and stared at him. “I feel like I made a really bad choice, following you.”

  He walked slowly toward me, a smirk on his pretty lips. I backed up until I bumped into the wall, and he didn’t stop.

  “You made a great choice,” he said, putting one massive, muscular arm above my right shoulder and leaning closer. I glanced at his forearm and felt a very strange, very lovely tingling sensation run down my legs. “I know this feels like a lot, but you’ll be safe with me.”

  “Gang war,” I said. “Not safe.”

  “Minor scuffle,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry. Now, we need to go meet my Don. I need this from you.”

  I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I guess I owe you for breaking Stuart’s teeth.”

  “Oh, no, I did that one for free, but you should come anyway.”

  “Fine,” I said and glared at him. “But no more surprises, okay? I don’t want to learn you have some secret super hitman chasing after you or whatever. Full disclosure from here on out.”

  “Okay then,” he said. “In the light of full disclosure, I’m being chased by a cartel murderer that has a taste for human blood.”

  I felt my skin go pale. “Are you joking?”

  He grinned huge. “Yeah, I am. Come on, what the hell do you think I do?”

  I pushed him away and he laughed as I stormed to the door. “Let’s go, asshole,” I said. “Before I change my mind.”

  He followed, smiling the whole time. We got into his truck and drove west, left the city, and headed north to a small, cute suburb. It wasn’t the Main Line, but it was full of old houses and had an adorable downtown. The Don’s house was tucked away at the end of a long driveway, and it looked like it would’ve fit in where I grew up. Several expensive cars were parked out front, and the bushes were immaculately trimmed. The roof had big, towering peaks, and the porch wrapped all the way around the sides.

  Gian knocked and we were let in by a heavyset woman with smiling eyes. “Hey there, hon,” she said and Gian kissed her cheek.

  “Hello, Bea,” he said. “I want you to meet Ash.”

  “Hi, darling,” Bea said, grinning. She was an average-looking woman with pale skin and white hair, probably in her sixties. She had on an apron over a cream sweater and slacks. “The Don’s waiting for you in his study.”

  “I know the way,” Gian said and headed down the hallway.

  Bea gave me a scrutinizing look and I quickly followed after Gian. “Is that his housekeeper?” I whispered.

  “And his personal secretary and some people think she’s the brains behind the whole operation,” Gian said, and shrugged. “I think she’s too nice for that, but I’ve been wrong before.”

  The Don’s office was behind a set of big oak doors. It was dim and packed with bookshelves. Leather-bound tomes practically tumbled onto the floor. The Don’s desk was en
ormous and mahogany, and the whole place smelled like my damn childhood.

  The Don himself was a thin man in his seventies, wrinkled, sallow skin, bags under his eyes, thinning gray hair. He was gaunt and skeletal, and his clothes almost hung off him. Gian stepped forward and bowed his head in reverence, and I stayed back toward the door, not sure what to do.

  But the Don beckoned me in. “Come, stand with Gian where I can see you,” he said.

  I hesitated, then moved forward. I pressed my shoulder against Gian’s arm. “Hello, uh, sir,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Ashleigh Adamson,” the Don said. His voice was deep and raspy. “Standing before me with Giancarlo. I never imagined the day he’d bring a girl like you to visit me.”

  “I’m a lucky man, Don Valentino,” Gian said, grinning.

  “It’s not like that,” I said quickly, glaring up at him. “We’re not, uh, together.”

  “But I understand the two of you are linked inextricably now.” The Don frowned at my stomach, then back up at me.

  I blushed and nodded. “Yes, Don Valentino,” I said.

  “Children are a beautiful thing,” the Don said, sounding almost wistful. “But they change a man. Are you prepared for that, Gian?”

  “I don’t know, Don,” Gian said, and I was surprised by his honesty. He seemed so intent on staying in this baby’s life, but he seemed unsure all of a sudden. I felt like I stood on shifting, shaky ground, and was reminded again that I didn’t know this man.

  I was in a strange place, standing in front of a strange old man. He was the Don of a crime family, and I knew I should be afraid, but the study seemed so much like my father’s, like every rich man I knew. It was strangely familiar, and I couldn’t see the Don as anything other than another wealthy aristocrat with too much money and time.

  Even if he was a killer, below all that.

  “I suppose you’ll find out.” The Don looked at me then and frowned deeply. “Your family is going to be a problem for me.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said quickly. “I spoke with them, and they’re cutting me off. I think I’m going to bear the punishment.”

  The Don shook his head. “Once they learn you’re staying with one of my men, you’re going to be a problem for me. Which is why I called you in here today.”

  “Don,” Gian said, suddenly tense. “I can take care of her and her family. You don’t have to worry.”

  “I want the girl to go home,” the Don said, staring up at Gian.

  A heavy silence fell. I thought I might fall into the nearby chair. I was hungry and tired and alone, god, so alone, surrounded by strange men. I couldn’t go home, not now, and yet the Don was going to force me. If that happened, I didn’t know what I’d do. My family would destroy me. They’d lock me in a closet and force me to marry Stuart, who’d spend the rest of his life taking his anger out on me.

  I couldn’t go home. There was no future back home.

  “Sir,” Gian said. “That’s not going to happen, with all due respect.”

  The Don laughed once, sharp and harsh. “All due respect,” he said. “If you respected me, you’d do as I say.”

  “She’s carrying my baby and her family won’t support her,” Gian said. “They’ll make her marry some scumbag—”

  “Stuart Plight,” the Don said, and I thought I might puke. He knew Stuart already. He knew too much. “Another rich family I do not want to get involved with.”

  “I’ll handle him,” Gian said. “Sir, she’s staying with me. Her and the baby.”

  The don looked at me. “Is that what you want?” he asked. “You want to give up all the privilege you know to be with this man?” He gestured at Gian like pointing toward garbage.

  I nodded once. “Yes, Don Valentino. I don’t have anywhere else to go, and Gian’s been good to me.”

  The Don sat back in his chair and sighed. “I can’t force you to go. I will make myself clear though. You are Gian’s problem, and if you interfere with his work, I will take matters into my hands. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  “Thank you, Don,” Gian said. “I won’t let you down.”

  “You already have,” the Don said. “For fuck’s sake, Gian. An Adamson girl?” The Don shook his head and I felt dizzy. I clutched at Gian’s arm and he pulled me against him, which only made the Don sneer.

  “I’ll handle it,” Gian said firmly.

  “See that you do.” The Don waved a hand and dismissed us.

  Gian tugged me along and headed toward the door. I stopped suddenly and looked back. The Don’s eyes burrowed into mine.

  “I can be useful,” I said suddenly.

  The Don tilted his head. “How?” he asked, drawing the word out.

  “I know people,” I said. “And they know me. Maybe I can open doors for you.”

  The Don frowned deeply but nodded once. “I’ll keep that in mind. Go now, before I change my mind.”

  I turned and hurried after Gian. We left through the front, and the smell of baking cookies wafted through the halls after us. I couldn’t imagine that house, with that horrible man, smelling so good. Bea must’ve been cooking.

  In the truck, Gian put a hand on my knee. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I think so,” I said, my hand trembling. “He hates me, doesn’t he?”

  “He doesn’t like when things get in the way of business,” Gian said. “It’s not personal.”

  “Feels personal.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “What the hell do we do now? I feel like everyone’s coming for us, and I have nowhere to run.”

  “Now we go shopping,” Gian said. “There’s a mall not far from here. We’ll get you a whole new wardrobe, and don’t complain about money.”

  I let out a long breath. “All right,” I said. “But this doesn’t mean I owe you anything.”

  He laughed darkly, pulled the truck out, and took me to the mall.

  8

  Gian

  The girl filled her closet with clothes and spent the rest of the day organizing them. I took calls from my soldiers while she gently unwrapped lavish dresses she’d likely never wear, cream-colored cardigans in cashmere and lace, underwear that cost more than my truck, tight jeans and tight tights and yoga pants and over-the-shoulder sweaters like an ‘80s workout video and jeans in all different shades of blue with various rips and tears, and delicate button-downs, and piles and piles of things I didn’t recognized.

  I spent a small fortune. It didn’t seem to make her any happier, but at least she’d look good.

  Stefano sounded annoyed when he finally picked up his phone. “Where the hell have you been?” he asked. “I feel like I’m running this crew alone.”

  “That’s because you are,” I said. “Give me an update.”

  “Not much happening.” He sounded a little winded, but that was Stefano, always running around with nowhere to go. “Products moving on schedule.”

  “We hear anything from our friends?”

  “All’s quiet,” he said and laughed. “What, you expecting something?”

  “Yeah,” I said, “I am. You going to be at Filthy Frank’s tonight?”

  “That was the plan, unless you’ve got something else you need me to do.”

  “Bring the guys,” I said. “See you then.”

  I hung up then found Ash standing in front of a floor-length mirror, holding a simple low-cut black shirt up against her chest. She glanced at me then back to the mirror.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “It’d look better on my floor,” I said.

  She rolled her eyes and gave me a look then tossed it onto the bed. “Thanks for all this, by the way,” she said.

  “Least I could do, considering what you’re going through.”

  She sat down next to the discarded shirt and leaned back on her elbows. Her long, lean legs kicked out in front of her and I let my eyes roam up along her bare feet to her calves, alo
ng the glistening, gorgeous skin of her thighs to her tight jean shorts, her daisy dukes just barely covering her sweet, round ass, and up along her chest, a hint of her breasts showing beneath her plaid shirt, and finally to her eyes.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you with something?” she asked. “Or did you plan on standing there and eye fucking me all day?”

  “If you want to put on a show, I wouldn’t argue,” I said.

  She smiled, grabbed the shirt, and threw it at me. I caught it and tossed it aside. “Seriously, what are you staring at me for?” she asked.

  “We’re going out tonight,” I said, and didn’t add, and I was thinking about how you’d look stripped naked and standing in front of me. I’d been inside this girl, had some of the best sex of my life, and I still hadn’t seen her completely naked yet.

  That’d have to change.

  “I’m not sure I’m in the mood,” she said.

  “I want you to meet my crew,” I said. “And this isn’t an option.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll leave right now. I’m not interested in running away from one demanding asshole only to stay with another.”

  I sighed and held up a hand. “Fair point. I won’t force you. But I’d like it if you came.”

  “Fine.” She sat up. “Where are we going?”

  “Filthy Frank’s,” I said.

  She made a face. “Isn’t that some piece of crap dive bar?”

  “I own that piece of crap dive bar,” I said, frowning slightly.

  “My condolences.” She beamed. “Should I dress up?”

  “Whatever you like,” I said, shaking my head. Little princess was going to be a problem. I kept forgetting this girl was from money. “How about you pick out something I’d like.”

  “I have a feeling you’d like anything I wore,” she said, grinning.

  I turned away and stepped into the hall. “I’d prefer it if you wore absolutely nothing, but yeah, pretty much,” I said, and walked back to the kitchen smiling to myself.

  This was going to be complicated, but having a beautiful girl lounging around my house wasn’t so bad, at least not yet.