Hard Crimes: A Mafia Secret Baby Romance

by Lana Cameo

  She tried to refuse, but he was right. Had he known from the start, he would have helped her somehow with money. And they needed it badly. She hid from Anton just how badly, and this check would help her keep hiding it. She didn’t want him to think he could show up with money and that Hannah would fall into his arms and let him be her only support. She liked working and having that part of herself. And she liked knowing that she had done it alone for the last ten years. She hadn’t needed a man to survive, and she still didn’t.

  But the checks weren’t the only thing he came bearing. Every time he came, there were gifts. Jewelry for Hannah, video games for Melody. A new phone case, new books and sneakers. So much clothing for both of them that Hannah’s laundry load had doubled in the last weeks. Melody looked forward to the gifts. What nine-year-old wouldn’t? But they’d had a lot of conversations about them, too. That money didn’t equal love and that it wasn’t the most important thing. Also, that Daddy might not always bring a gift. She shouldn’t expect something every time. Yet, he never let her down in that regard.

  Then there were the questions. Some were easy. How had she met Daddy? Hannah told Melody the story of her first day in a new school and the cute boy who’d stood up for her when someone tried to bully her. But the other questions were harder. Why hasn’t Daddy been here before? Why aren’t you married to Daddy? Will you ever marry Daddy? Some of those were questions she hadn’t even been able to answer herself.

  Hannah’s biggest change had been in her thinking. She almost had no choice but to think about Anton. He was at their apartment many times in the week, or he was taking Melody to or from school. He was calling and texting both of them, but he asked Hannah questions constantly. It seemed he wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew every detail of the last nine years. They’d spent several evenings going through photo albums and talking about things they’d done together over the years.

  As Anton got to know his daughter and grew closer to her, he got to know Hannah again and grew closer to her, too. Some time in the last weeks, Hannah had softened to him in a way she hadn’t since high school. There was always the physical side of things. She hadn’t been able to deny that since the day she saw him walk into the restaurant. She wouldn’t allow herself to be alone with him because she knew what would happen.

  This change wasn’t about the physical aspect of their relationship. This was the emotional side. She’d let him in again. She’d opened herself and trusted him. She’d made room for him to hurt her, and in that, she knew her feelings for him were being stirred up after all this time. Seeing him with Melody made it all worse. He was a good father. She loved seeing them together and it was easy to picture them all living together when he was there, helping Melody with her homework.

  Tonight, they’d all been out to eat. These were the best times. When they acted like a family. People who didn’t know them thought they were a family. Anton took them to nice places. Places they never could have gone before. It made Melody happy, and Hannah was happy, too. She was still cautious, knowing all that happened in the past, but these glimpses of family life made her want more.

  Anton got out first and held the door open for them.

  She rolled her eyes at him as she passed him. “You do have a driver for that, you know.”

  “I like to be of service to my ladies.” He winked.

  Melody scampered up the stairs and Hannah and Anton followed behind her.

  “That place was amazing,” Hannah said. “I could eat there every night.”

  “We can arrange that.”

  “No.” She swatted his shoulder playfully. “I’d weigh five hundred pounds eating like that every night. I’ll have to hit the gym extra hard tomorrow.” That was another benefit of having Anton around. Now she could not only afford a gym membership, but had the time to go and work out, too.

  Overall, the changes in all of their lives seemed to be for the better. Melody was happier than ever, work was going great for Hannah, her and Anton had a comfortable co-parenting, semi-dating relationship. They weren’t usually physical. He didn’t kiss her most of the time when he was visiting, but there wasn’t a complete lack of affection, either. Hannah tried to deny it, but she was falling for him again. And this time, she didn’t think she wanted to stop herself.

  After they got Melody to bed that night, Hannah lingered in the hallway. Usually, he left after Melody was in bed or right after they’d finished discussing schedules or some detail concerning Melody. Tonight, she had something else in mind.

  “I, umm… I just wanted to say,” she said, “that this last month has been really great. I love seeing you and Melody together and it’s clear that you’re a good influence in her life. She’s needed a father, and you’ve turned out to be a rather good dad.”

  “Thank you for that.” His smile was bright and genuine. “I had and still have, no idea what I’m doing, but it’s nice to know you think I’m okay at it.”

  She chuckled. “I think you’re more than okay.”

  “Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall, his eyes lowering into an intense gaze.

  “Yeah,” she said. She took a step closer to him. “Everything is so different now, but in some ways, it’s just like being in high school again.”

  “Except that now we’re the parents instead of the students.”

  “Right. Responsibility. Who knew we’d be so good at it?”

  He laughed and took her hand. “There are lots of things we’re good at.”

  Hannah pulled her lower lip into her mouth. There hadn’t been a day she didn’t want him. It was difficult to be around him so much and not be kissing him. She took a deep breath and stepped closer.

  Anton knew exactly what she wanted. He pulled her close and began a long, passionate kiss. They hadn’t kissed like this since that first day, when they’d been so shocked and excited to see each other. Now the kiss was just as hot, but this time, it had more love behind it. More than just lust.

  Her fingers found their way to the back of his neck and she pulled him closer as the kiss heated up. Her heart raced and her whole body felt hot. She was wet for him already.

  He moved his hands slowly down her body, pausing to caress every inch of her. When he reached under her skirt and rubbed her, she let out a moan. They were still in the hallway, too close to Melody’s room.

  Anton picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and carried her into her bedroom. He sat her on the edge of the bed and pushed her skirt up. She watched him pull her panties down tantalizingly slow. The anticipation built. When she felt his tongue on her, circling her clit with flicks and sucks, the sensation of pleasure rushed over her. In minutes, she was coming, tugging at her own hair as her body responded to him.

  He gave her a seductive grin and unzipped his pants. She bit her lip again, waiting for him to enter her. He took his time pushing down his pants and then his boxers. He was teasing her, and she could barely stand it.

  “Anton,” she whispered, begging.

  He pressed the tip of his dick against her, rubbing in her juices.

  “Please,” she said, quivering with desire.

  “I like it when you beg,” he said.

  He pushed just the head of his cock into her. She wanted to scream. She tried to move her hips forward, to put more of him inside her. He held back, not fully entering her.

  “Say it again,” he said.

  “Please,” she moaned.

  Finally, he gave her what she wanted. He slammed into her in one hard thrust that made her cry out in pleasure.

  He didn’t hold back again. He grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him as he pounded into her. Harder and faster he thrust, making her quiver all over.

  He let out a moan and slammed in again. As he came, she came again.

  She let out a long sigh of satisfaction as he climbed onto the bed beside her.

  “See,” he said. “Told you we were good at lots of things.”

  “Mmm.” She
rolled over and wrapped her arms around him. “But that’s just one thing, really.”

  “We can make it two. Or three or four.”

  He started kissing along her neck and it didn’t take long for things to heat back up. She could still feel his juices dripping out of her when he slid back in.

  Side by side, facing each other, they moved together. He brought her leg over his waist and grabbed her ass to pull himself in deeper.

  Their bodies were still hot from their recent love making and didn’t take long for them to climax again.

  This time, he stayed inside her for a long while as they cuddled.

  “I think I should probably go,” Anton whispered after a while.

  “What? No.” Hannah nuzzled into his neck.

  “I don’t want to confuse Melody by being here in the morning. She would probably have some questions.”

  “I guess you’re right.” She sighed and sat up to watch him get dressed.

  “Won’t be long before I’m back, though.”

  She walked him to the front door. He took her in his arms and kissed her.

  “I love you, Hannah.”

  Her mouth popped open, but before she could respond, he closed the door behind him and was gone.

  Chapter 13

  Anton returned home that night glowing. After making love to Hannah—twice—and telling her he loved her, little could go wrong in his world. His driver pulled into his three-car garage and parked.

  He entered the house through the garage’s interior door. The door was located just off the living room in the main hall. When he walked in, he planned to go right up the stairs and get ready for bed. But instead, a man sat in dim light in the living room. When Anton walked in, he jumped at the sight.

  When he calmed enough to see who it was, he walked over. “What are you doing here, sitting in the dark?”

  “Waiting for my grandson to grow up. Doesn’t seem to be happening.”

  “Well, I’ve just been with my daughter and hopefully future wife, so I think I’ve actually done quite a lot of growing up recently.”

  Grandfather steepled his fingers. “Ah yes. The old flame. The blast from the past. She’s actually the reason I’m here.”

  Anton gave him a confused look and took a seat across from him. They hadn’t discussed Hannah since that first day he’d seen her and he wasn’t sure why his grandfather wasn’t surprised he’d been with her. Or that he’d just said he had a daughter.

  “What does Hannah have to do with anything?”

  “Did you check the books today?”

  Anton swallowed hard and felt the heat rise to his face. “I haven’t yet. I was going to review it before going to bed,” he lied.

  “And did you check them yesterday? Or answer emails or phone calls?”

  “I… answered an email from payroll.”

  Grandfather waited. “Over the last month, you’ve barely been in the office and your attention to the business has dropped severely. This is something of a problem, you see.”

  “I’m sorry. This thing with Hannah is so new. And finding out I was a father was a huge shock. I’m trying to adjust and fit into my new roles.”

  “And where does the family business fall into that? This little girlfriend of yours is a problem. She’s taking all your time and attention, and I can’t have this.”

  “She’s not and she won’t. I’ll refocus and get back on track, I swear.”

  “Really?” He stared at Anton, waiting. “And this child of yours. You plan to abandon her?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “So you plan to endanger her.”

  “What? No! I’m going to protect her at all costs.”

  “If that’s your desire,” grandfather said, “then perhaps you should have stayed in obscurity where you’ve been. I’ve done all I could to make sure you never found out about that girl. Now my fears are all coming true.”

  “What!” Anton was on his feet, doing his best to hold back his rage. “You knew? You knew this whole time I had a daughter and you didn’t tell me?”

  “Of course I knew. I’ve been having Hannah followed for years, making sure she stayed far away from you. The guy who slipped up the day you saw her at the restaurant is now sitting at home with a broken leg.”

  “Wha—” He didn’t even know what to say to that. “Why?”

  “I didn’t want you distracted. Like you are now.”

  “That is completely unacceptable. How could you do this to me?” Anton sat back down, the shock soaking in and making him numb. This was too much for his brain to comprehend.

  His grandfather moved to the edge of his chair. “If you don’t shape up and start doing what’s required of you for the family business, there will be consequences.”

  Anton glared. “And what exactly would those be?”

  “Let me ask you something. Does Hannah know what you do? Does she know the types of decisions you have to make on a regular basis? Is this the kind of life you want to bring a child into? How do you think your daughter would feel knowing that her daddy kills people for a living?”

  “That’s not what I do.”

  “Isn’t it?” Grandfather sat back and crossed his fingers.

  “You stay away from them,” Anton growled.

  “I have no reason to harm them. That’s not my desire. But I have a business to run and a family to protect. If your family gets in the way of our family, changes will have to be made. I’m guessing I could send Hannah packing her things quite fast if she knew some of the things you’d done.”

  Anton swallowed hard again. There were a lot of things he didn’t want anyone knowing, let alone Hannah or Melody. He’d never be able to regain their respect if they knew the truth. He might not technically kill people for a living as his grandfather had said, but it wasn’t far from the truth. Killings, beatings, theft, lying. All these things were part of his everyday work life. The part he didn’t like, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still do what was required.

  Grandfather stood. “I trust you’ll make the correct decision.”

  Chapter 14

  When his grandfather left, Anton sat in the near dark for a long while, thinking. Grandfather was right about one thing. He didn’t want Hannah or Melody involved in this life, and he didn’t want them to know a thing about it.

  His phone buzzed with an unexpected text message from Hannah.

  “Can’t sleep,” she said.

  “I’m still up,” he texted back.

  His phone rang a moment later. “Heya,” he said.

  “I’ll make this quick. I know it’s late.” Her voice was low and gravely. Her late night voice. “I was in shock before, when you were here. When you said you loved me? I’m sorry I didn’t really respond.”

  He chuckled. “It’s okay. I didn’t give you much of a chance to.”

  “Well, I just wanted to tell you. I love you, too. Or love you again or still, I don’t know.” She laughed and sighed. “It’s just… it’s all turned out so much better than I would have thought it could.”

  “I know. I feel the same way. It’s like a dream.”

  “Let’s never wake up.”

  “Deal.”

  “I’m going to try to sleep. But I couldn’t until I told you.”

  “Thanks for calling. And thanks for loving me.”

  “I don’t know if I ever really had a choice. Talk to you tomorrow?”

  “Definitely.”

  He poured himself a drink and finished it off in two gulps before forcing himself to get into bed.

  He lay in bed, staring at his ceiling, a cold settling over him that ran to his bones. He’d decided before she called. He wished she hadn’t because it made things much more painful. But she had. And now he had no choice. If he was going to keep her safe and keep Melody safe, he had to step back. He had to take himself out of their lives and love them from a distance.

  At any point, his grandfather might decide he wasn’t giving enough atte
ntion to the business and he might harm them. He couldn’t live like that. He also couldn’t face Hannah and Melody after thinking over what his grandfather had said. He couldn’t hide it anymore. He was a mob boss. There was no sugar coating it. There was no skirting around it. That was the cold hard truth. In order to make money—the money he used to buy nice things for his daughter and the woman he loved—he had to commit various crimes on a regular basis.

  This was no life for a wife and kid. Not one who didn’t grow up “in the know” as they often said. It was one thing to marry a woman whose father was in the family. A woman who knew all she was getting into by marrying a mob man. But Hannah knew little more than that he was a bad boy and got into trouble. Getting into trouble was putting it quite mildly. If the FBI had proof of all he’d done, he’d never see the light of day again.

  He hadn’t slept much, when his phone rang. Light was just coming in through the curtains. His phone said it was barely 5 a.m. But it was one of their men calling. Marco.

  “Yeah?” Anton said.

  “I’m sorry to wake you, but there’s been… an incident.”

  “Is anyone dead?”

  “I’m afraid your grandfather has been shot. They’ve taken him to the hospital, but he’s already passed. We know who did it. You’re the boss now, sir. How do you want us to proceed?”

  “You already know what to do.” He hung up and set his phone down. His first decision as boss of the family. To have someone killed in retaliation for killing his grandfather.

  Chapter 15

  It had been more than a week since Hannah had heard from Anton. This wasn’t like him. Even if she didn’t see him or talk to him, she at least got a text from him every day. Worse, he hadn’t contacted Melody at all, either. She sent him another text, this one letting her anger show.