With Us (The Amato Series Book 1)

by Layla Frost

  Niall looked at Theo, waiting for his nod of approval before answering. “Because he wanted a war. If Theo was out of the way for a while, the Irish would move in on his territory. They’d already started to plan, but Theo got out too soon. He knew Amato wouldn’t let that happen, and we’d destroy them. Donnellys have numbers and ruthlessness, but Amatos are loyal and organized. They wouldn’t have stood a chance, and Ben would get the justice he wanted.”

  “He was heartbroken. Grieving and feeling guilty.” I turned toward Theo. “And you killed him?” It wasn’t an accusation. Not really. It was confusion and shock mixed with my own grief.

  Theo didn’t respond, taking the blame until Niall said, “No, I did.”

  “But he is…” I started, my voice catching, “was your nephew.”

  “Family doesn’t do what he did.” Niall’s eyes grew misty. “His mother stood by me through a lot of shit I shouldn’t have put her through because that’s what family does. When it came time to protect Ben and her, I failed. But I turned it around for Ben. I did what I could to give him a life she’d have been happy about. And he threw that away. It was an insult to Theo and me, but it was like pissin’ on her grave. That’s not family.”

  Even if I wanted to say something, I couldn’t. There was a lump in my throat, choking me as my stomach threatened to revolt.

  Be a dream. Just a bad, weird dream.

  “My gattina,” Theo said, speaking for the first time in a while. “Sit. Please.”

  I gave a bobblehead nod, but didn’t move. “He’s really gone?” My question ended on a sob.

  Surprisingly, when I felt arms around me, they weren’t Theo’s. Niall hugged me, whispering apologies I doubted he meant. He let me cry, trying to soothe me.

  After a little while, he shifted me into Theo’s arms. They exchanged a few low spoken words about meeting the next day, but I wasn’t paying much attention as Niall left.

  For a while, it’d felt like Ben was my only real friend. He’d been funny and encouraging, trying to teach me to bake and keeping me company. It wasn’t that I was his responsibility because I was his boss’ girlfriend.

  He’d been my friend.

  And he’d tried to have me kidnapped.

  “Why?” I hadn’t meant to speak the word.

  “Why what?” Theo asked.

  “Ben got people to try to kidnap me?” When Theo didn’t answer, I pulled away and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Why?”

  Rubbing his hand across his clenched jaw, he studied me as he answered. “He wanted to protect you. They weren’t going to hurt you, just get you away from me before you could get hurt.”

  My confusion shifted to anger. “That’s not his decision. Even if he’d have told me what was going on, I wouldn’t have left you. I told you I’m all in, and I meant—”

  Theo’s lips crashed down on mine. Holding me close, his body leaned forward, curving mine with it. It wasn’t a sexual kiss, but something much more. There was passion and need.

  Relief.

  Desperation.

  Love.

  He pulled away a minute later and I almost tugged him back down, craving the distraction.

  Instead, Theo picked me up, holding me gently as he carried me to our room. My tears had stopped, but my chest still hurt. I felt torn between anger and betrayal. My heart wanted to mourn my friend, but my mind wanted to label him a traitor.

  “I’m not cut out for this life,” I whispered.

  Theo’s body went rigid, his arms tightening around me. “Why?”

  “Because what he did was inexcusable. He wasn’t setting you up because he felt what you were doing was wrong. It was selfish and dangerous, no matter how sad his life had been. Other people, innocent ones, could’ve died. Unforgivable.”

  “But?” He set me down on the bed before sitting on the edge.

  “But he was my friend.” My eyes began to water as I realized I’d never bake with him again. No more hanging out while he was on babysitting duty. “I want to hate him, but I still feel the loss.”

  “It’s understandable that you would.”

  “It is?” Because of Ben’s betrayals, I felt as though my sadness was an insult to Theo and the Amato family.

  “I told you before, my gattina, you’re who I need after something like that. Exactly as you are, unjaded and caring. I dreaded coming home because I knew you’d be hurt. But, selfish bastard that I am, I also couldn’t wait because I knew you’d make it better.”

  Wanting to be closer, I straddled his thighs. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, Dahlia,” Theo whispered against the top on my head, his hands rubbing my back. “Honestly, I was tempted to just beat the fucking shit out of him but leave him breathing so I didn’t have to hurt you.”

  I sat up fast, almost catching his jaw with the top of my head. “No. I might be sad about losing my friend, but if the toss-up was that or you going back to prison? Or people being hurt in his orchestrated battle? This ending was the better option. I wish it was none of those and he hadn’t been behind all this. But he made his decision, and I can’t ignore that.”

  Theo’s hold on my hips tightened. “I’m also sorry because I know at some point tonight, I’m going to roll over and wake you. When I do, I’m going to fuck you so hard, everything else will fade. If you don’t want it, say so. But Ben said some shit today that has me out of my head needing to be as deep in you as I can get,” he growled, rocking my hips against his growing hardness. “I need the reminder that you’re mine.”

  My breathing quickened, and I was tempted to throw my clothes off.

  Unfortunately, crying had left me exhausted with a major headache. Theo must’ve known, too, because he shifted me off him and stood before leaving the room. He returned a minute later with ice water and pain meds. “You want a bath?”

  I shook my head as I chugged the water. Handing him back the empty cup, I flopped to the side. “I just want to sleep.”

  Theo climbed into bed behind me, covering us and pulling me close. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep. If you wake up and I’m not here, I’ll be right in my office.”

  “Love you, my Theo,” I whispered, turning off everything else in my head.

  “Love you, too, my gattina.”

  At least I have that.

  Theo

  “Fuck,” Luc muttered. “What the fuck?”

  “I know.” Sitting in a chair near the open office door, I had the phone pressed to one ear and the other listening for Dahlia. She’d fallen asleep fast, but I doubted she’d stay that way.

  Luc had listened mostly in silence as I’d filled him in on what had happened.

  “I dug into everyone,” he said, as if I didn’t trust he’d done his job, “and he seemed cleanest of them all. No women. No drugs. No booze. He liked to fight, which was what made him good security. But, fuck, he was pretty much bottom of my list.”

  “I hadn’t expected it, either.”

  “How’d Dahlia handle it?”

  “Rough,” I said honestly. “But better than I thought. She lost a friend, but she realizes the magnitude of what he’d tried to do. I’m not sure how she’ll be tomorrow once the shock wears off.”

  “She’s got to be hurting. But she’s been through a lot of shit, and always comes out strong. Fuck, though.”

  “I only have a few minutes, but I want you to dig into Ben more. If you can get access to his place, go through everything you can. Something feels unfinished.”

  “Got it. I’ll—”

  Before he could finish, an agonizing scream echoed through the house. “I gotta go.” I tossed my phone down and raced for the stairs, sprinting up them. I’d left the door cracked, but before I could reach it, it flew open.

  Dahlia’s eyes were wild, filled with so much sadness and agony. Her breathing was so rapid, I was afraid she was going to hyperventilate. “Theo.” She launched herself at me.

  I caugh
t her, carrying her back into the room. “What’s wrong? Bad dream?”

  With everything that happened, and all she’d heard about Ben, I’d been expecting her sleep to be rough.

  “They had you. They took you from me, and then in prison, Ben went in and… he… took you from me.” She made a sobbing noise against my shoulder which somehow turned into a low and fierce growl. “If he weren’t already dead, I’d kill him myself. Not really, but I’d yell at him and maybe throw something. No one fucks with us. No one takes you from me. You were gone in my dream, and then I was alone in bed, and I freaked.” She was panting, worked up and angry.

  If I had a soul, it’d be heading for hell because I was rock fucking hard.

  Knowing she was upset about the thought of losing me.

  Seeing her riled up about someone fucking with us.

  Hearing her being so possessive.

  Even her cute threat was hot.

  In every single fucking way, she was exactly what I needed.

  “Gattina,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed before shifting her down on my lap.

  Even in the dim light, I could see her eyes go wide. “Hmm?”

  “I need to fuck you now.”

  “Okay,” she whispered back.

  I moved her onto the bed, and she quickly undressed. I stood and did the same before crawling between her spread legs.

  Running my hands up her inner thighs, I felt how slick they were the closer I got to the top. I held her legs open as I pushed in and bottomed out in one thrust. One palm on her thigh, the other went between us. I rubbed her clit in frenzied little strokes before putting my forearm to the bed and lowering my body against hers. My hand curled around her shoulder, keeping her in place as my speed increased.

  Dahlia bit my shoulder, licking across the muscle and up my neck. Her nails dug in, pulling me closer as she moaned with each deep thrust.

  I returned her bites, sucking and marking her like we were horny teenagers in the back of a car. There was no restraint and finesse in my movements as I fucked her savagely, putting as much force as I could into my thrusts in a vain attempt at getting somehow deeper. Closer.

  We didn’t talk. There was a lot I wanted to tell her. Promises I wanted to make. Ben had gotten into my head about letting her go, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. It made me a piece of shit, dragging her down and keeping her there.

  But I didn’t fucking care.

  Until my last fucking breath, Dahlia was mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Batting Practice

  Theo

  Tapping my pen on the desk, I reviewed the fight schedule. “What’s the latest with Astaire?”

  Sammy shook his head. “I dunno. Last fight shook him up, but you’d never know it. He’s at the gym more often than not. He asked for a raise, which I approved. If he wins, I think we need to double the prize.”

  I nodded. Astaire was drawing massive crowds and bets, and he’d earned the compensation.

  Sammy flipped through his notebook. “There’s a new fighter everyone’s been talking about. Brodie. I’m gonna go check him out tonight. If he’s as good as they say he is, I’ll try to get him to do an opening fight. Otherwise, we’ll stick with Jose and Paulie.”

  “Good deal.” I looked between him and Susan. “As you know, Ben is no longer part of the family. That leaves me short-staffed on my end. I appreciate you both picking up the slack.”

  Susan made a spitting noise before straightening her suit coat. “Fuck him. We’ve got it covered. This is going to be a good month.”

  Sammy seconded her thoughts. “Economy is bouncing back, and people are swarming to the fights. It’s gonna be a good year.”

  Nodding, I smiled. “I hope so.”

  They packed their things and said goodbye, leaving me in the big conference room.

  As I put my jacket on, I heard someone in the hallway and turned around. “Did you forget—” I started before seeing it wasn’t Susan or Sammy.

  Thank fuck Dahlia’s not going to be here for a while.

  Dahlia

  Riding in the elevator, I tried to pretend I wasn’t blushing and avoiding looking at the mirror. It was just me, so I wasn’t sure why it mattered. But every time I saw it, I remembered the way Theo had fucked me on my knees in front of it.

  It was a good memory, and one I hoped to repeat before we met with the wedding planners.

  After everything that’d happened with Ben the previous week, we’d postponed the meetings. I wasn’t supposed to meet Theo for another hour, but I’d had to get out of the house. The quiet wasn’t my friend.

  Reaching his floor, the doors opened to an empty reception area. Rosa wasn’t at her desk. I peeked into Theo’s office to find it empty, too.

  I stood around for a minute before pressing the up button on the elevator.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried again, but the displayed floor number stayed one above me.

  The only people who used that elevator on a regular basis were Theo and Amato people. Everyone else used the public elevators, and those didn’t go to that floor.

  What the hell?

  A quick call to security confirmed that the emergency stop button had been used. The sheepish sounding man admitted they’d assumed I was in there with Theo.

  Even if Theo were discussing Amato business, he’d never do anything that’d prevent me from being there. He may have suggested I leave, but he’d never lock me out.

  Walking into Theo’s office, I entered his password to unlock his private drawer. Moving the pictures of me to the side, I paused when I saw a folded note. Unable to resist, I opened it and smiled to see he’d kept the note Mar and Kat had written on my behalf.

  I grabbed the extra set of keys before closing the drawer. Feeling silly, I almost put them back.

  Either he’s fucking around on me, or something else is wrong. I don’t think it’s the former, but either way, the end results will be the same.

  Someone is going down.

  After opening Luc’s office and grabbing the baseball bat he had on display, I walked to the end of the hallway and unlocked the door, taking the steps to the next floor. I unlocked that door, easing it quietly closed behind me.

  I’d barely taken a step before I heard Theo say, “This is a mistake.”

  Staying as silent as I could, I crept down the hall. I peeked into the conference room to see a man’s back. Only part of Theo’s legs were visible as he sat in a chair, the man blocking the rest of him.

  “No,” the man said. “You killing Ben was the mistake.”

  I pressed myself against the wall, and took out my phone, quickly texting Luc and double checking it was on silent.

  Me: Help. ASAP. Conf. room.

  Inhaling, I gathered my courage.

  I’m not strong.

  I’m not scary.

  I’m not graceful or fast.

  Okay, I’m also not good at amping myself up.

  I may not fit into this part of Theo’s world, but I’ll be damned if I stand by while someone tries to mess with him and our life.

  No one fucks with us.

  Moving as quickly and quietly as I could, I held the bat ready and got only as close as I had to. I started my swing just as the man turned around. His eyes widened and my instincts yelled at me to pull back, but I ignored them. The bat connected with his head as Theo jumped up.

  “Dahlia, shit, ru—” Theo started before it was too late. When the man hit the ground, Theo grabbed his gun and searched him, removing four more weapons.

  “Holy shit,” I wheezed, watching blood pool as the man didn’t move. “Oh, crud, did I kill him? I killed him.” I clutched the bat.

  “No, he’s still breathing, gattina.” Theo rubbed my arms. “It’s okay, you just knocked him out. You did good. I’m gonna call Luc.”

  “I texted. The elevator isn’t moving, though.”

  “I need to stay here with him, can you go press the emergency stop but
ton and see if it’ll start again?” When I didn’t move, he shifted so he blocked my view of the body. “Can you do that?”

  “Yeah. I can apparently do anything.”

  “Yeah you can. That’s my girl.”

  Damn straight.

  Reaching in, I pressed the button and quickly stepped out before the elevator doors closed. The numbers above started descending again. I was heading back to the room when Luc came quietly through the same doorway I had used.

  “Hi, Luc,” I said, my tone weirdly cheery.

  His eyes examined me before stopping. “Is that my autographed Red Sox bat?”

  I looked down to see the bat still in my hand. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  “And is that blood dripping from it?”

  I glanced down again before repeating, “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  Luc rushed down the hall, quickly scanning the conference room before looking back at me. “You’re a hell of a woman, Dahlia.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.” I handed him his bloodied bat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go out to the couch and put my head between my knees before I pass out.”

  Leaving them to deal with everything, I did just that.

  Theo

  “What the fuck happened?” Luc asked, setting the bat down on a table. He rummaged around in one of the cabinet drawers before pulling out some zip ties. With a practiced ease, he restrained the unconscious man.

  I pulled out my cell, shooting off a couple texts. “I had a meeting with Sammy and Susan about the fights. They left, and I turned around a minute later to a gun in my fucking face.”

  “I was in the lobby shooting the shit with them when Dahlia texted. Thank fuck she was here. Also, remind me to never get on her bad side.” Luc looked down at the man, smirking slightly before his mouth flattened. “He needed a key and a code to get up here.”

  “Dale and Gabe are on their way. Since this is connected to Ben, I’m leaving Niall out for now.”

  “Connected to Ben how?”

  “The only thing he’d said to me was that killing Ben had been a mistake.” I pointed my own gun at the pile of weapons on the table. “How the fuck did he get those through security?”