Shadowed: A Hitman Mafia Romance (Team Zero Book 4)

by Rina Kent

  Liam and Scar’s back and forth disappears as I round the corner and halt in my tracks.

  Mist stands against the driver side, as she usually does, but today she has company. A tall man with broad, impressive physique is toe-to-toe with her. His side profile alone sends a chill along my spine.

  Mist stares at him for a few seconds then switches focus to her high heels. It’s the first time I see her break eye contact first. I hope she isn’t in trouble because this man looks like he can rip her in halves without blinking.

  I think he’s also one of Team Zero. Hawk, if I remember correctly. I saw him with Ghost a few times, and I never heard his voice. I thought he was a mute until Elle told me he isn’t.

  Without uttering a word, Hawk saunters down the street and disappears around the corner.

  Mist watches him even after he’s gone, her usually pristine posture hunching.

  Then she visibly straightens and faces me with a smile as if she knew I was there all along. “Get in.”

  Repressing the embarrassment of being caught, I slide in the passenger seat of her silver Audi while she settles behind the wheel. I told her I don’t need a ride, but she shows up every day, nonetheless

  Ghost and Mist think I don’t know, but I’m sure I have a few guards following me everywhere. It’s not hard to notice being followed. Elle has a few, too, and I guess it’s part of being in their world.

  Scar and Liam are still bickering as Mist weaves down the neighbourhood’s road. She doesn’t even spare them a glance.

  I can’t help wondering what her meeting with Hawk was all about. Silent people like Hawk are usually the most dangerous, so I hope he’s not giving Mist any trouble.

  During all this time, I grew to like her no-nonsense character and the lengths she goes to in order to help the girls. When Natalie’s betrayal came to light, Flame and Scar wanted her executed. While her betrayal hurt, I didn’t want an execution. Mist proved to them that Johnny was providing Natalie with money to treat her sick grandmother, and therefore she fired her without any other penalties.

  If only Johnny could be punished, too. He disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace. No one spotted him since that bloody, horrible day.

  President Joe assured me that he’ll find him. He’s been showing up a lot at my doorstep, already buying gifts for my baby. I accept them all and even invite him for tea. He’s Shadow’s family and he seems genuinely happy to have a great-grandson.

  Mist asks me about the day at school and my next appointment with the doctor, but it’s more serious instead of a friend to a friend talk. She wants to make sure I have everything I need.

  The French twist appears too tight at the back of her head, it must be painful. She would look younger and tenfold more beautiful if she’d let those fiery strands down. From what I learnt about Mist, she’s doing this look on purpose to be respected as Le Salon’s madam.

  “When are Elle and Ghost leaving?” I ask.

  They planned a trip for a while now. Elle refused to, because of me, so I pulled Ghost to a corner and told him to take her as a surprise.

  She needs some lightening up, and I sure as hell won’t allow her to forsake her happiness for me.

  “Ghost didn’t say.” Mist keeps her eyes on the road, a slight frown on her forehead. “He only mentioned that I need to take care of business.”

  “I’m sure you can do it. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

  She doesn’t smile back. Instead, her face falls further.

  Maybe she’s not so confident about doing it alone. “I’m sure Scar and that guy… the sleepy one, Flame? Will help.”

  “Yeah, right.” She rolls her eyes. “Those two are the least dependable.”

  “How about the other one? Hawk?” I can’t help indulging in my curiosity.

  “Absolutely not.” She grits out, gripping the wheel tighter. “It’s not even up for discussion.”

  There’s definitely something going on.

  I want to ask more, but we already arrive at Mrs Adler’s lake house.

  My lake house.

  Apparently, the slimy bastard Shadow bought this house and had a lawyer register it under my name before he left. Ghost wasn’t amused because he wanted to buy it for Elle. It took her a long time to convince him that she can do with any house, so he bought her the one right next to this. It doesn’t have a lake house, but it has a huge pool that Elle and I spend hours inside it.

  “Do you need anything?” Mist asks as I step out.

  I shake my head and thank her. It’d be cool if she took the guards ‘discreetly’ watching from across the street, but it’s pointless to ask.

  Once she disappears down the street, I get into the house. The lake’s water is clearer now after maintenance. Ghost and Elle have been helping me in renovating the lake house and the building. Even Liam comes sometimes.

  It’s hard to renovate while keeping the memories that glued us to this place. Beside painting and some reparations, I don’t think I want to touch much of it.

  I have dinner plans with Ghost and Elle in a few hours, so until then, I can rest. However, I don’t head to the main house. I hop into the boat and sail to the lake house. It smells of fresh paint and coffee. I sit on the cushion and stare at the ceiling.

  Tears form into my eyes. I should be thinking of my childhood memories with Elle and Liam here, but all that comes to mind is that night when Shadow and I wrestled and devoured each other.

  Please let him be alive, I send a silent prayer to the deity listening.

  I doze off, or I think I do because when I wake up, there’s a slight rustle outside. I rub my eyes and go to check it.

  The moment I open the door, I nearly fall to the ground. Shadow stands in front of me in all his wet glory. Strands of his blond hair stick to the side of his face. His white shirt has become transparent, revealing his taut, cut muscles.

  The overcast of his eyes rake over me with deep longing, and then he grins. “Hey, beautiful. Maybe we should buy another boat. Swimming in this weather is blasphemy.”

  My lower lip quivers. He’s a dream. I’m still sleeping and dreaming. He’ll disappear any second now.

  He snaps his fingers in front of my face as his grin widens. “I take that expression as in you missed me?”

  Oh. God.

  He’s here.

  Shadow is back and he’s dripping wet in front of my door. I study him, searching for any injuries or something out of order. When I find nothing, I want to hug him and cry in his chest.

  Then, my pained feelings resurface.

  He left me.

  Even after I begged him, he sneaked out like a thief.

  It takes everything in me, but I turn away from him and say in the most dispassionate tone I can afford. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m completely over you.” I check my watch. “In fact, I have a date in about now.”

  Strong arms surround me from behind. I gasp as his wet, scuffed jaw nuzzles along my neck. His voice is deep and sincere. “I deserve that, beautiful. I know I do, but don’t mention another man. The thought drives me fucking crazy.”

  My body wants to snuggle into him. To turn and hug him. It’s becoming impossible to hold onto my anger. “Then you shouldn’t have left.”

  Still hugging me from behind. His palm rests on my belly. I suck in a breath as he speaks. “I did it for you. For our child. I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”

  “What about something happening to you?” I can’t fight the tears anymore. “Do you know how much I fought off the thought that you’re dead?”

  “Hades didn’t even torture me. He couldn’t after Ghost fulfilled his part of the deal. I guess I have President Joe to thank, huh?” There’s a grin in his voice. “But I had to pay Ink back his due, so a beating or two took place.”

  I whirl around and re-check him from head to toe. Maybe I missed something earlier. On a closer look, he has a faded bruise on the side of his cheek. “Are you
… all right?”

  His face falls and so does my heart. “No.” His devilish grin peeks again. “But I'll be if you say you missed me.”

  “You brute.” A sob tears from my throat. “Of course I missed you. Even when I should hate you, I missed you.”

  Shadow gathers me in his arms. My face buries in his hard, wet chest. My fingers cling to his T-shirt as I hold on to him for dear life.

  “You were the only reason I remained alive, Zoe.” His words drift in a long pained whisper.

  I pull back and search his deep sincere eyes. “You won’t leave again?

  He grins, showcasing that genuine-heart stopping smile. “Never, beautiful.”

  “My monster?”

  “Your monster.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later,

  “Are we there yet?” I huff a breath, taking my millionth swig from the bottle of water.

  The T-shirt sticks to my back with sweat and although I’m wearing trainers, my feet beg to be put out of their misery.

  “A bit more, beautiful.” Shadow’s fingers tighten around mine as he drags me along the dirt path, leading to the top of the hill near the house in York. He suggested we take a holiday here and I couldn’t be happier. Aside from the lake house, this place is where our story actually began and I love returning to check out on Mark, Lisbeth, and the women shelter.

  I place a hand behind my back in a helpless try to balance my pregnant belly. The more it grows, the harder it becomes to walk without back pain.

  At situations like these, Shadow usually carries me, so I’m not sure why he’s making me hike all this way. In fact, he knows more about pregnant woman care more than I do, and at this rate, he’ll learn baby care more than I will ever do. He researches a subject, reads everything he can find about it and puts it to practice. No wonder why he’s a fast learner.

  “I’m done. Seriously.” I breathe heavily, stopping in my tracks and bending over.

  “You’re losing stamina. Come on.”

  “Who do you think made me lose stamina since yesterday night?” I make a face like a child.

  He chuckles and it’s the most carefree sound I’ve ever heard. I love hearing him laugh and knowing I’m the reason behind it.

  “If we’re talking about that, then you also didn’t want to stop.”

  “It’s not me, it’s the hormones.”

  “Sure thing, beautiful.” He scoops me up in his arms as if I weigh nothing and kisses the tip of my nose.

  No matter how much I bloat up, Shadow still looks at me as if I’m the most beautiful, sexy thing he’s ever seen. It’s at moments like these that I lose all doubts about his background and only focus on the man in him.

  Shadow’s love isn’t beautiful or safe. It’s full of surprises and bottomless passion. Mine isn’t so pure either. I engrave myself in him as much as he consumes me.

  Our story never was and never will be conventional, but it’s ours. We saw each other’s wounds and decided to stay instead of running away.

  We finally arrive at the top of the hill and my lips part. Fields of colourful flowers stretch in the distance as far as the eye can see. As if the mesmerising view isn’t enough, there’s also a built-in, high swing at the top.

  “I was only kidding when I suggested to have a swing near the fields.” I stare at the clear grey in Shadow’s eyes. “I also meant a normal swing by a tree.”

  “I don’t do normal.” He winks and walks me to the swing before lowering me to it. “Besides, this is an important place.”

  “Important how?” My gaze strays ahead, still mesmerised by the view. From this position, it’s as if I’m at the top of the world.

  Shadow starts pushing me. With each swing, I dangle at the edge of the world. Shadow is all about excitement and thrill even when it comes to swings.

  God. I love that about him. There’s never a dull moment in my life.

  His voice drifts from behind me as he continues pushing. “Lisbeth said that couples who climb to the top of this hill together are bound to stay together forever.”

  A laughter bubbles free from me. “I didn’t think you believed in such things.”

  “I believe in anything that says I get to stay with you for infinity.” His arms wrap around my waist, pulling me to him and stopping the swinging. “Like this one.”

  My lips form in a wordless ‘O’ as I perceive the ring he’s holding in his fingers. The huge rock glints under the sun, catching a gem the colour of my eyes.

  I stare between it and Shadow, unable to utter a word. It’s like I lost my voice.

  A charming grin curves his sculpted lips as he slips the perfect-sized ring into my finger. “Marry me.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to ask that?” My voice is a breathless whisper as if I’m still hiking.

  He shakes his head, stroking my finger with the ring. “If I ask, that means you can say no and you can’t say no, Zoe. Not to this.”

  “And why is that?”

  With his hand curled around my finger, he wraps the other one on my belly. “We created life together and I hit the jackpot without penetration.”

  I can’t help laughing. Since I told him about that, he’s been especially proud in a possessive, caveman kind of way.

  My lips graze his cheek. “Ask me, anyway.”

  A sheen of uncertainty covers his expression as he asks. “Will you marry me, beautiful?”

  I kiss him long and hard until both of us are out of breath. “Yes, my monster.”

  The End

  Or is it?

  Click here for an extended Epilogue from Shadow’s POV.

  What’s Next?

  Thank you so much for reading Shadowed! If you liked it, please leave a review on Amazon, Bookbub & Goodreads. I love hearing from readers!

  Next up is Misted, Hawk and Mist’s book!

  Release date: July 25th, 2019

  Pre-Order Misted

  Blurb

  She’s his obsession. He’s her dark secret.

  Mist

  Our secret tore us apart and turned us into enemies.

  He doesn’t know that I’m keeping a bigger secret from him.

  So when he returns demanding to rule the mafia business with me, I fight back.

  We can’t coexist when there’s so much blood between us. Or so I tell myself as I fall harder and deeper for him all over again.

  I need to stop before the blood on my hands destroys us.

  Hawk

  She thinks I don’t know.

  She thinks she can hide just because I left her alone for fifteen years.

  See, I never left.

  I’ve been watching, scheming, and calculating until the right moment to strike.

  I’m done lurking in the shadows.

  Our secret isn’t scary. I am.

  While waiting for Misted, have you read Ghosted? The story goes in parallel with Shadowed.

  1-Click Ghosted!

  Subscribe to my newsletter for news, giveaways, and exclusive excerpts.

  Newsletter

  Ghosted Excerpt

  I measure him from bottom to top. Black leather shoes. Pressed black trousers. Both of his arms are resting on the chair's armrests. One of his wrists is bandaged. Intricate tattoos seep from underneath his cuffs and cover the back of his hand.

  Wait.

  Those tattoos are familiar. Way too familiar.

  My gaze snaps to his face. My entire body goes rigid.

  He's watching me with a tilted head. The darkness of his eyes swallows me like they did earlier today. They're even more frighteningly intense now.

  The stranger from the alley.

  How...?

  No. My top priority is to get accepted in this place and he's my only ticket in.

  Now is one of those times to prove my worth. Only this is a lot different from an underground match. Punching, kicking? No problem. Talking to a handsome man and attempting to seduce him? That's an entirely different bag altogether.<
br />
  The man staring at me with a tilted head is another type of opponent. I just have to impress him instead of picking a fight.

  With a deep breath, I stand and saunter to the mini-bar on the side of the room, making sure to take my time. I stop in front of the bottles. The smell of scotch and bourbon brings a wave of familiarity. Now, alcohol is something I can deal with.

  "What would you like to drink?" I would guess whiskey. He seems like the whiskey type.

  "What makes you think you can offer me a drink?" His deep voice sounds right behind me. His heat radiates down my back.

  I flinch. I didn't even hear him approach. He made himself noticeable earlier, but now, it's like he floated through the air or something.

  Reining in my reaction, I turn around. I'm struck by the proximity. My chest grazes his, and I swiftly step back against the cabinet to put distance between us. The wood digs into my back, and it takes everything in me not to knee or punch him away.

  Instead, I adopt my sweetest tone. "Why can't I offer you a drink?"

  I know why, but I don't say it aloud so I won't appear too smart for my own good.

  Risk of poisoning, that's why. It demands a level of trust to accept a drink in their world. Especially if he goes higher in rank. Is this Julian perhaps with lots of influence around here?

  His piercing eyes are fishing into my soul, and something tells me he's not the type who gives up until he catches what he's searching for.

  "Why are you here?" he asks instead of answering my question.

  "To work," I say in my coolest tone.

  He tilts his head to the side and measures me from the top of my head to the tip of my stilettoes. Unlike the other men around here, he doesn't stop to ogle my chest. He just seems to be weighing me up in a non-sexual manner. Like I would do to an opponent before a fight.

  A mixture of pride and fear overwhelm me. Pride because I like that he's taking me seriously. People usually underestimate me. Fear for the same reason. It's not in my best interest if he doubts me.

  Unlike with the other men, I'm so self-conscious, it takes effort not to tug on the stupid short dress.