THE GAMBLER: a Mafia Romance (Bad Romance Book 3)

by Shanna Bell

  He forced his fingers to stay spread to prevent them from balling into a fist. Natasha would get what she had coming. They all would. Every single person responsible for his incarceration, however big or small their part, would get what they deserved.

  There was only so much time his brothers would give him before they would try to bring him back into the fold. They would mean well. Shower him with money, women, and whatever he wanted. He’d asked Gio for time. A time and a place, which ended him in a big condo in Pacific Heights. He didn’t like any people around him, but he did need a place of business. A place he could be alone and plot.

  Plot and plan.

  Plan and plot.

  “Luciano…”

  She always called him that when she wanted something from him. Back in the day, he had found it cute, special. An endearment even. Now he recognized it for what it was—manipulation. Any second now, she would pull out the waterworks.

  “I said, get out.”

  “You don’t mean that…”

  “We’ve been over this.” Just as he’d been over her. Odd. For two years, he had pictured this moment. Played it out in his head in a thousand different scenarios. All it did was… disappoint. It did nothing to ease the burning rage inside him.

  Then the doorbell rang. Just on time.

  Plot and plan.

  Plan and plot.

  He went to open the door. There she was, standing on his doorstep: Tessa Gibson. His own Lisbeth Salander. Hacker extraordinaire.

  He stared at a tiny frame packed in black ripped jeans and a pink Hard Rock Café t-shirt, standing in high-top boots.

  “Tessa,” he greeted her. When he heard the click-clack of six-inch heels behind him, he gave Tess a hug. She grumbled and stiffened in his arms.

  No need to worry, sweetheart. You are not my type.

  “Her? You want her?” As expected, Natasha’s screech didn’t take long. “You prefer this girl with… ridiculous purple hair?" Her Russian accent became more pronounced as she got upset. “But no,” she purred. “She can’t be it.”

  Yep, that was the Natasha he knew. Overconfident to the bone. As usual, the world revolved around her. She was like overpriced champagne. He’d done everything in his power to win her, only to find out in the end she was no prize.

  “Go home, Natasha. Don’t come back.”

  She shot him a death glare, but finally she left. Holding her head high and her makeup still perfect.

  His attention turned back to the woman in his arms. One without a speck of makeup on her face. All she carried was… an annoyed look.

  “Are you done with your demonstration?” she asked.

  Right. He shouldn’t forget that she was a smart one. He didn’t need to explain what had just happened.

  “What are you doing here, Tess?” He could be just as manipulative. Playing hard to get had once been his business motto.

  “Don’t you ‘what are you doing here’ me. I’ve had it with you condescending men today.” She gave him a dubious look. “By the way, wasn’t that your ex-fiancée, Natasha Vanderbilt? The one who dumped you the second you got locked up? And isn’t she married?”

  Was she for real? Had women changed that much since he’d been inside? Didn’t they have a filter anymore?

  “Why are you here?” he repeated. “I kept up my part of the deal. Go away.”

  Never show too eager to close a deal.

  She waved two leather-clad fingers in his face. “No, the deal was for you to keep Mick the Dick off my back. I just had to pay him last night. Again. How is this keeping up your side of the deal?”

  Ah, yes, the little issue with Irish Brian’s enforcer. An issue he hadn’t taken care of indeed. “Did or didn’t I pay you twenty thousand dollars last week?”

  “You did, but—”

  “Did or didn’t you pay off Mick with that money?”

  “I did, but—”

  “There’s no buts if one party keeps his part of the deal. I pay you, and he stays off your back. It’s a win-win.”

  “Maybe for you, but not me. I don’t ever want to see that creep’s face again. And FYI, I paid him ten thousand the first time. Then he upped the ante in a week. And guess what? He did it again yesterday. Now he wants thirty thousand. See where I’m going with this?”

  Right into my web.

  “You want more money.” Which presented him with a brilliant opportunity. A chance to transfer her debt from Mick over to him. And he wouldn’t even have to threaten her to help him.

  The girl blinked. “No, you moron. I don’t want more money. Didn’t you hear a word of what I just said? I want Mick off my back. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you. Don’t you come from a line of Italian mobsters? Honor that proud tradition. When I say, get someone off my back, I mean get him the hell away from me, permanently. Not in the ‘make him sleep with the fishes’ kind of permanently,” she added hastily. “There’s no need for such violence. But put on the screws. Tell him off, I don’t know. You’re supposed to be the badass mobster progeny, not me.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “How is it that I have to explain your job to you?”

  Luca found himself having one of the strangest conversations in his life… ever.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but I was merely a toddler when my proud Italian mobster dad died on me. I grew up in private boarding schools, not on the set of The Godfather.”

  The look she gave him almost made him feel inadequate as a man.

  “That’s a shame, not-so-lucky Lucky Luciano. If you had known anything about mobster circles, your ex probably wouldn’t have had the balls to screw you over.”

  That stung. “I don’t have time for this. My time is too precious for that. You want me to get rid of Mick permanently, it’s gonna cost you. Nothing in life comes for free.”

  Her eyes flashed. “You slimy space slug. I’ve had it with men screwing me over.” Then she inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Stay cool Tess,” she murmured.

  “Do you always talk to yourself?”

  “Yes, in fact, I do. Another thing I do sometimes is come bearing gifts,” she said sweetly.

  He cocked a brow, not impressed in the least. “And what kind of gift would that be? Empty air?” They both knew she had nothing to back up her threat with. It was only a matter of time before she would knuckle under.

  “Nope. It should arrive any minute now. Consider it a… taste of what is yet to come if you don’t keep your promise.”

  She’d just turned around when she stopped dead in her tracks. He followed her gaze to the still open front door. Two blond identical-looking men were standing there. One with a scowl on his face, the other with a smirk.

  Shit. It had only been a matter of time before they would find him.

  “Angel. Damon.”

  CHAPTER 7

  TESS

  The road to hell was paved with good intentions, and a top-notch laptop with killer internet speed. Sadly, Tess was way out of her league, stuck in Luciano Detta’s condo with two infamous twins and no laptop in sight.

  Crap.

  The crazy twins. Angel and Damon, the Bratva leader’s most entrusted men. With their dirty blond hair and baby blues, they were like a vision of Vikings of old. Angel’s strands of hair roamed freely on his shoulders, while Damon’s stopped at the nape of his neck. The angelic named one was dressed in a suit while his demonic brother wore jeans and sneakers. They might look opposites in their fashion statement, but there was consensus on their mental state of mind. They were both reported to be slightly insane. Yep, she’d done her due diligence after their boss, Kristoff—a delicious, real-life version of Darth Vader—had tried to recruit her last year.

  It had been so alluring to just say yes. After all, people like Kristoff didn’t get screwed over or threatened. They were the ones doing the screwing and putting on the thumb screws, probably quite literally.

  The second she spotted the twins standing in the doorway, she knew—get the fuck out. She had a
feeling if they knew who she was, they wouldn’t let her get away as easily this time. Since she had no intentions of becoming an “asset” to the Bratva, she tried to move her butt away from Luciano Detta’s house warp speed style. Regardless, she wasn’t going to let him get away with not keeping his promise. She just needed time to regroup. Adjust her plans, all while keeping a low profile while the twins were anywhere near his vicinity.

  All of this was speeding through her mind as she turned her back to the front door the second they greeted Luca. Surely this place had another way out? Slowly, as not to make any sound in her Doc Martens, she walked toward the kitchen in the hope it would lead to an escape route.

  Nope, nothing but a steel kitchen wall full of utensils that looked to be purely decorative. She had an inkling that Mr. Private Boarding Schools had never cooked a day in his life.

  She kept a tab on the conversation in the back while continuing to look for a way to sneak out. There was, of course, a chance that the twins wouldn’t recognize her. After all, they had never met in person, only talked over the phone when she threatened to empty Kristoff’s bank accounts. Still, she couldn’t take the chance that they had looked into her. The second they came too close, she would have to make a run for it.

  “Comrade!”

  Tess snorted at the fake Russian accent. Those two were as much of a Russian as she was a Jedi.

  “It’s good to see you guys.”

  “We’re here to take you out. To celebrate not having to cover your ass anymore when bending for the soap in the shower.”

  “Fuck you, Angel. Just fuck you.”

  A chuckle followed. “I bet you said that to all the daddies back in the joint.”

  “Just keep on talking,” Tess whispered, as she opened another door, this time to a closet. As long as they were renewing their friendship, she still had time to get the hell out.

  As she scourged the kitchen, her modified watch beeped and died. This would not make Pops happy. Great, now she had another thing to worry about, which made it all the more imperative to get home, and fast.

  There was one door left she hadn’t opened yet. Then she got a message on her phone. It was from an unknown number. Her heart plummeted when she saw the picture.

  Jack of Spades.

  No…

  She knew of only one person who would send her cards. Whatever it was behind that door probably wasn’t the way to freedom, but she had no other options left. It was all or nothing. If this didn’t provide her a way out, she would have to make a run for the front door, dodging both Luca and the twins.

  She sent up a little prayer and opened the door.

  Then she screamed.

  CHAPTER 8

  LUCA

  Luca flipped Angel the bird as he gave him more shit about prison life, but couldn’t stop a grin. Life in prison had been hell, but it could have been so much worse if it hadn’t been for his Bratva connections. Despite being imprisoned, he’d had more luxury than most inmates.

  “Maybe he doesn’t need us to get him women, brother.” Angel chin jerked to a spot behind Luca.

  He followed Angel’s gaze, only to find that Tess had made a run for it. Well, that was an exaggeration, seeing as she hadn’t even made it out of his condo. She just pulled open the pantry door, probably mistaking it for the back door.

  Something hit the floor, making a thud, and Tess screamed. Oh shit, what did she find in the pantry? Rats? Spiders? Typical. She looked all badass and tough, but underneath it, she was just a girl.

  “I think your girl stumbled upon something,” Angel remarked.

  He needed to get the twins out, get Tess to work for him, and continue with his plan. There were still two demons he had to slay: Cruz and Grace, the dynamic duo that had stabbed him in the back. He didn’t have time for girly fits and Bratva soldiers on his back.

  He walked into his kitchen, feeling the twins trailing after him. A fluff of pink and purple hair stuck up above the kitchen counter, an oasis of color amongst the stainless steel. At least she was standing tall instead of on a chair.

  “What’s with the yelling, Tess? Encountered some bugs or rodents? I thought you were tougher than this.”

  Her skin was a chalky white. “Well, excuse me for having a fit when a corpse falls on top of me.”

  He followed her gaze onto the floor. There she was. Grace, as dead as a doornail.

  “Shit. That’s Grace, my former PA.”

  “Yeah, she’s a goner,” Angel remarked beside him, keeping his fair distance from the woman in the bloodied dress littering his kitchen floor.

  How the hell had Grace ended up here? And without him noticing? He was supposed to have a top-notch security system.

  Damon had a more hands-on approach, kneeling next to the body. “She was planted here.”

  “No shit.” Luca raked his fingers through his hair. Having to deal with another problem, without having solved his prior ones, sucked.

  Tess spun around, her eyes still wide. “I think I’m going to leave now. We’ll discuss our deal later.”

  Judging by her face, she meant a lot later, as in, probably never. He couldn’t blame her. Ripping him a new one for not exactly holding up his end of the deal was a whole different matter than being involved in a murder.

  “Not so fast.” Damon got up, a crease between his eyes. He cursed and went to look through the window blinds. “This woman was planted here. Which means someone set this up. As far as we know, this staged scene could have been filmed. It could all be on tape now, from us coming through those doors to right fucking now. Meaning, they could have eyes on this place. A place we now have our DNA all over.”

  “Not me.” Tess stepped back quickly, putting her hands behind her back, as if that made any difference. “I don’t know this woman. I don’t know any of you guys, really. I didn’t hear or see anything. So, I’m going to go now.”

  The twins boxed her in, effectively cutting her off from her route of escape.

  Damon gave him a look. “She’s a possible witness. Putting you at the place of a dead, obviously murdered, woman.”

  Luca knew exactly where he was going with this. Well, fuck.

  “And more importantly,” Damon added, “possibly putting us at the time and place of the murder. This place could be bugged, for all we know. Even if we’d be able to erase all our prints and DNA from your condo, it could still come back to bite us in the ass one day.” Another look from Damon. “The girl is a liability.”

  “No, I’m not,” Tess argued, a panicked look entering her eyes. “Didn’t you just hear me say that I didn’t hear and see anything? You know, like those three monkeys. Surely, you know the story. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil? Ringing any bells?”

  Angel was sizing her up. Luca was afraid he knew exactly why his friend was measuring her height and width. “She’s a tiny little thing, isn’t she?”

  “I’m not tiny.”

  “You look tiny to me,” Angel said, looking down his nose. Fucking Narcissus himself couldn’t be more full of himself at times than his friend. Luca should’ve warned Tess not to get into a discussion with Angel when he was in this ornery mood. He would bury her. Quite literally.

  Curious as to where this conversation would go, he kept his mouth shut. After all, the days of him being a damsel’s knight in shining armor were over.

  Tess gave Angel a once-over. “You must be one of those men who actually believe that bigger is better. I could erase your entire life with the flick of my tiny fingers.” She waved all ten fingers in his face, in a challenging gesture.

  He was beginning to suspect that she had a bit of a Napoleon complex.

  Damon gave her a sad look. “We know exactly who you are. You didn’t actually think you could threaten Kristoff and go on unnoticed, did you? Still, this isn’t anything personal. I just can’t let you risk my brother’s life.”

  That was the Damon he knew. For all his crazy viciousness, Luca understood his loyalty toward his br
other. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for him. Even the slightest hint of a threat got eradicated, root and all.

  Shit, this wasn’t going to end well.

  He lifted a protesting Tess by her butt and stuffed her inside the pantry. She didn’t need to hear this. He knew what that look on Damon’s face meant, though he hoped he was wrong.

  “Take her out, Luca. You know we can’t leave her here.”

  “Dammit, Damon. She’s innocent. What are you going to do? Feed her to your alligator?”

  “I’ll make it quick.”

  “Besides, Ally had dinner yesterday,” Angel said. “She basically only needs to be fed once a week. If we overfeed her, she gets a stomachache.”

  Fucking hell. He wasn’t even going to get into that. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Dead serious,” both brothers replied.

  Obviously, they still had that annoying habit of answering together, honoring the term symbiotic twins. “How is she any threat to you? Shit, guys, I need her.”

  Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know why we’ve stayed out of prison for so long? How Kristoff’s crew differs from the regular Bratva? It’s because we don’t leave anything to chance. We don’t take stupid risks. Ever. The second something or someone is the slightest threat, we eradicate it. Root and all. This girl can connect us to a body. A very dead body of someone who has obviously been murdered. Now, while we have nothing to do with it, she might one day be questioned about it. She might mention our name, connecting us to this case. Being a suspect can lead to a trial. A trial can lead to our asses getting locked up in jail.”

  “I’m too pretty for jail,” Angel chimed in.

  Damon spread his hands as if weighing something. “Killing a girl and not becoming a suspect or… letting the girl go and possibly one day becoming a suspect. Not a difficult decision.”

  It wasn’t. Not for Damon. Luca knew that. He also knew that Damon wouldn’t easily change his mind. To him, Angel’s well-being and safety came before all and everything. He wouldn’t lose a night’s sleep over killing Tess, if it meant keeping his brother safe.