Barresi: Emily Trilogy: A New Orleans Mafia Romance

by Lux Miller

  I have no desire to go back outside into the thick air, but I know that I have to if I want to go home. It’s been a while, and Mike hasn’t come inside to the store to check on me, which is unlike him. I shrug and laugh at myself for how spoiled I sound. Mike has other things to worry about than following a princess around like a lost puppy. He’s a shadow-guard, not my literal shadow.

  And he’s trying to fix whatever is wrong with the car, too, so there’s that. He’s probably roasting out there, though. No matter the weather, the man always dresses in a three piece casual suit and the temperature outside is well into the ‘90s. I stand up and walk to the counter, laying the two dollar bills there. The clerk behind the counter gives me a nod, and I turn to walk out the exit and run smack into a solid wall of muscle.

  I almost drop both drinks as I grunt in surprise. My instincts kick in and my heads pops up, my expression flinching as my eyes land on Marco, Mike’s brother. “Marco? What’re you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the house?”

  Marco’s face twists into a sneer before he clears his expression. It’s almost like he let his true emotions out for just a moment and quickly caught himself. Something about Marco has always made me uneasy. He’s nothing like Mike. Physically, they’re similar, and there’s no question that they’re brothers. But Marco’s always come across as stiff and cold, whereas Mike has become a surrogate father figure to me along with the Barresi siblings.

  “I came up here to get you and take you back to the house. Mike called me and said you’re having car trouble. He said it’s going to take another hour or so to get the car fixed, and he didn’t want you to melt in the heat.”

  I shake my head and point around at the store around me. “I’m fine, Marco. It’s called air-conditioning. And Jake over there’s been perfectly cordial letting me take up one of their booths.” The clerk behind the counter flashes me a brilliant smile that falters as he glances over at Marco.

  Marco shakes his head. “Come on, I’m on orders here. You know I have to follow orders. Mike said he’ll see you back at the house.”

  I turn around and try to peer out the plate-glass windows to see if Mike is still working on the car, but I don’t have a good viewpoint from where I’m standing. With a heavy sigh, I resign. “Ugh, fine. I’ll go with you.” Marco grabs the drink I’d intended for Mike and turns his back to me, heading the opposite direction from where I’d intended to exit the store. He glances over his shoulder and forces a contrite smile. “Come on, princess. I don’t intend to have to explain to Luca why his girlfriend isn’t at the house when he gets back from dealing with business.”

  I stop walking briefly as Marco’s words rub me the wrong way, but I shake off the nagging suspicion clawing at the back of my mind. This man is one of Luca’s trusted men. Plus, he’s Mike’s brother and has been a part of la famiglia since Luca was a baby. As I’m buried in my thoughts, Marco stops suddenly in front of me. I collide with him, my drink slipping from my hands. Within seconds, the contents of the cup are spilled across the floor.

  I groan and squat down, grabbing a handful of napkins from the nearby drink station to try to clean the mess. Jake is beside me in no time, and he kneels down beside me, reaching down to stop my hands. “It’s okay, miss. I’ll get it. It’s part of my job, and I needed to mop over here anyway. You just made me do it a little faster.”

  His breezy smile puts my nerves at ease as he tackles the mess. I sigh and turn back to Marco. He smiles and holds out Mike’s drink to me. “Good thing you got two, huh?”

  I shrug and take the drink, taking a big sip to calm my nerves. Marco’s mouth twists into a grin, and he nods toward the door. “Come on, we’d better be going.”

  I follow him outside and see that he has brought a car I don’t recognize. My body tenses, but I will myself to chill out. It’s probably one of Matteo’s vehicles since Marco was Matteo’s personal guard until his death. Marco opens the back door, and I climb inside, taking several more nervous sips of the soda I got for Mike. I fan myself as I settle into the backseat, hoping Marco gets in and cranks the car soon, because I’m already sweating.

  I reach over and try to open the door, but find that it won’t open. I must really be losing it, because paranoid feelings are creeping up in my gut. I look to the front seat as Marco climbs in and cranks the car, the sweet blessing of air conditioning blasting to the backseat. But I find that it’s still not cooling me off. “Marco, turn up the A/C, please. It’s hot back here…”

  Marco glances up at the rearview mirror where his cold, blue eyes meet mine. I blink hard as I feel my eyelids getting heavy. I swipe at my face, trying to ward off the sudden sleepiness that’s taking over my consciousness. I whimper as I shift around in the backseat, “Really Marco… it’s so freaking hot back here. Can you please put a window down or something? I don’t feel so good.”

  I feel the car roar to life as Marco looks away from the rearview mirror and pulls out of the parking spot. It’s getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open as I struggle against the heavy feeling settling over me. Darkness starts to creep in around the edges of my vision, and I start to wring my hands in a desperate attempt to stay awake. I gasp softly as my wedding ring slips off and falls somewhere below me in the floorboard. I attempt to reach my hand down into the floorboard to find it, but dizziness creeps into my vision. I abandon the search and press my hands to the side of my head to stop the world from spinning.

  Tears sting my eyes as I fight to keep them open. I pick up the cup I’d intended to give Mike and as I do, I can see Marco watching me intently. I make an attempt to take a sip, but I can’t even get the straw into my mouth. My hands tingle with numbness, and I drop the cup into the floor as I topple over onto my side. In my hazy stupor, that’s when I realize what’s happening, but it’s too late as my vision blurs and fades to black...

  TWELVE

  I awake with a start, and the first thing I notice is how cold it is. That’s definitely different. When I passed out, the world was spinning like I was stuck on the teacups in the middle of August. Now, everything is eerily still and quiet. I wince as I blink my eyes open, and it’s instantly clear why I’m so stiff. I’ve been laying on what’s basically concrete floor on my side. The carpet in this room is so worn down and dingy, it offers little protection against the hard foundation.

  Groaning, I try to shift myself around so that I can push myself up off the floor, but I find that it’s impossible to pull my arms around my body. I squirm on the floor and feel the sharp bite of plastic cutting into my wrists. I continue to tug my arms frantically, but whatever is binding my wrists together is so tight, that my efforts are pointless.

  I flop over onto my other side, hoping to gain some leverage, but all I accomplish is bringing myself face to face with an enormous leather boot. My heart skips a beat as I trail my eyes up along the outline of the owner of the boot, and it drops into my stomach when my eyes land on Marco’s face. So, I didn’t imagine that. The bastard really did do something to my drink!

  His body shakes as he chuckles cruelly, kneeling down beside me. Which is quite a feat in itself since he, like Mike, is well over six five and built like a house. He reaches his hand down to brush my hair out of my face as he tilts his head to the side. “Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”

  I glare at him and attempt to give him a piece of my mind. That also proves fruitless since there’s some kind of gag shoved into my mouth. Why I didn’t notice that sooner, I have no clue. I bite down on whatever is muffling my voice and flinch when I realize it tastes stale and musty. Whatever it is, I can’t work it out of my mouth, and the more I fight against it, the more the putrid taste permeates my mouth.

  I tense up as Marco reaches behind me and yanks me up into a sitting position. He stands up, then he continues to jerk me around roughly until I’m on my knees, glaring at him. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that my eyes are narrowed so far, they’re practically slits. In fact, he seems to be ra
ther amused by my situation.

  “Such an ugly face for such a pretty, little thing. You really should try to look more presentable. I don’t know what Luca sees in you with all your attitude. He should’ve listened to the advice that was given to him when you first came crashing into his life. You’re never going to be anything other than a plaything for him, Emily. A toy that he’ll discard when he becomes bored with you… or breaks you so irreparably that you can’t be fixed.”

  A cold, calculated voice speaks over Marco’s final words as a man steps from the shadows. “That’ll be enough, Marco. Thank you for delivering the package to me. You’ve proven your loyalty well.”

  Marco nods and claps his fist over his chest. “I serve a man who appreciates loyalty, unlike that Barresi brat and his hodge-podge mix of half-breeds.”

  The man’s face twists into a thin smile that makes me even colder in the already-frigid room. He nods curtly at Marco, then waves his hand. “Indeed. That will be all, Marco. I can handle it from here.”

  Marco steps away from me cautiously, his voice low as he questions the man. “Are you sure you can handle her, Parker?”

  My gaze snaps to the man, who approaches with a sinister chuckle. “Of course, I can handle her. I assure you she values her life more than some half-baked commitment she agreed to because her life depended on it. It’s amazing how quickly a person’s loyalty can change when it benefits them.”

  The man named Parker’s gaze shoots to Marco quickly to drive home a point, then back to me. The man towers over me. Though he’s not as big as Marco or Mike, he’d likely match Luca inch for inch and pound for pound. I’m doing everything in my power not to tremble on my knees in front of him, but I’m fucking scared. What does this man want with me, and why am I tied up?

  Parker slides his hand under my chin and tilts my face this way and that as he examines me. “She really is quite pretty. Almost exotic. I can certainly see her appeal to Barresi. Luca always did have a refined taste in women.”

  He trails one fingertip along my cheek, and I can feel my stomach churn with this man’s words. I follow his every move with my eyes, but don’t let any emotions cloud my expression. He reaches down and jerks the gag out of my mouth, dropping it around my neck. I gasp for fresh air as the fabric clings to my collarbone.

  Parker kneels down in front of me and runs his fingers over my lips with a smirk. “It’s like she was made just for him. She’s even got a nice set of dick-sucking lips. I’ll have to be sure to try them out before our little game ends.”

  Rage surges in my chest, and I snap at Parker, catching the side of his finger between my teeth. A deep growl rumbles in his chest as he jerks his hand away from me. Before I can gather my thoughts, a sharp impact against the side of my face rattles my brain. Then the stinging pain sets in as my skin throbs.

  Parker narrows his eyes at me as he rubs his hand. My skin screams with a sharp tingling sensation as Parker stands back up and wipes blood from his hand onto his suit trousers. “It appears the little bitch has no manners. Thankfully, disobedience can be beaten out.”

  He reaches down and situates the gag back into my mouth as I stare daggers at him. He looks nonplussed by my show of defiance, but I don’t like the way he’s looking at me like he’s about to do something he’s going to enjoy. He waves two men over and motions to me. “Get rid of this monstrosity of a suit. I want her to feel her punishment so that the next time she considers biting, she’ll be reminded that I will not tolerate an attitude from a woman whose only job is to serve me.”

  My eyes widen as I’m pulled to my feet. I try to fight against the men who have hold of me, but it’s no use. I’m tiny compared to them. I feel hands on me, and though I struggle, I’m not making much headway in defending myself. I hear the distinct sound of metal scraping on metal, and I freeze.

  Parker’s voice is mocking as he approaches me, wielding a switchblade knife in his hand. “I certainly hope you’re this feisty when I have my revenge in front of that blubbering idiot of a boyfriend you have…”

  He grabs my blouse and yanks me forward by it. I stumble over to him, and he smiles as my eyes landed on the knife. He holds it up in front of me, and I close my eyes, my heart thundering in my chest at what he’s going to do next. The sounds of fabric ripping assaults my ears. My eyes flutter open as Parker takes a step back from me again. The guards let go of me, and I wonder why on Earth they’re not restraining me. Until I get my answer as they strip off what’s left of my shirt and suit jacket.

  Parker eyes my chest hungrily as he steps back against me. “It’s been far too long since I last enjoyed the company of a woman. I tend to prefer bigger breasts, but…” My body tenses as Parker reaches one hand out and strokes it over the front of my white, lacy bra. He smirks as my nipples respond to the combination of his hand and the sudden cold, hardening into peaks. “...these’ll do just fine.”

  I silently curse my body as I try to twist myself away from his grasp. He reaches up and takes my chin in his hand and forces me to look at him again. “Relax, buttercup. I have no intentions of partaking in Luca Barresi’s sloppy seconds, unless he’s there to witness it. Which he will be. You can count on that.”

  I scream against the gag, but my words die in the fabric stretched between my lips. Parker smirks and cuts my skirt as well, discarding it to the side. He slides his finger into the waistband of the white lace thong and lets go. I wince as the elastic pops against my skin, but I don’t take my eyes off of him. He whips out a cell phone and waves it around in front of my face. “I have waited more than a dozen years to see that spoiled brat on his knees, begging for mercy.”

  He walks away from me, then turns around and holds the phone up. I glare at him, because I know he’s taking pictures of me. His fingers fly across the screen of the phone, then he drops it into his pocket. “Ahh, yes… the wheels are now in motion. By this time tomorrow, I’ll have my revenge. And to think, I almost had to hang up the towel when that bastard knocked off Andre Norris.

  “Sick fuck that he was, he was useful in supplying drug mules. When I heard he’d fallen afoul of the Barresis, I knew it was just a matter of time before he got himself killed. I didn’t know that his death would spark so much… opportunity. Now, because Luca broke his own fucking rule about not getting involved and not allowing weaknesses, I can finally do what I’ve waited so long to do — put a bullet in his brain.”

  I shake my head at him wildly and stomp at his feet with mine. I narrowly miss connecting my pointed heel with his left foot. He rolls his eyes at my attempt and motions to my feet. “What idiot puts his girlfriend in Louboutins? What a fucking waste of money. Seems Luca really does have more money than sense. Take them.”

  I struggle against the men again, but just like before, I don’t get the result I want. The shoes are stripped off my feet and tossed aside, just like my clothes were. I now stand before Parker in little more than a few scraps of lace. Parker turns to walk out of the room, but stops short and turns back to look at me.

  A twisted grin spreads across his face. “Oh yes. In all of the fun, I almost forgot that you need to be punished. To be reminded of who your new boss is. Turn her around.”

  The men effortlessly turn my back to Parker. He sneers and grabs hold of my ass, digging his fingers into the skin there. It hurts, but I muffle the sounds of my cries. He continues to rub the skin, then he rears back and pops me so hard that I’d have been propelled forward if his men weren’t holding my arms.

  I bite down on the gag, despite the horrifying taste that permeates my entire mouth. I refuse to give Parker the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. He does it five more times, gripping my butt cheek in his hand after every lick. My eyes are clouded with tears as I stand there and take the abuse. There’s nowhere for me to run, even if I could get myself free of his goons. The only thing I can do is close my eyes and hope it all ends soon.

  With the final lick, I sag to my knees, unable to hold myself upright any longer. Park
er makes an indistinguishable sound behind me and stops. The men holding my arms let go of me, and I drop to my knees, curling my arms around my body as I tuck myself into a ball.

  Parker’s voice is authoritative as he declares, “Nobody touches the girl. That pussy belongs to me.”

  Marco’s voice cuts through the silence that hovers after Parker’s statement. “What if Luca doesn’t take the bait? What if the girl doesn’t mean enough to him?”

  Parker chuckles, “Oh, he’ll come. Women have been the downfall of powerful men from the beginning of time. They just can’t help playing white-knight hero to the woman who tamed them. All men have weaknesses. Luca Barresi’s is lying crumpled in a heap of slutty underwear and skin on the floor of a hotel room. Oh yes, when he gets the pictures I just sent him, he’ll tear through New Orleans like it’s the modern day Atlanta, burning as he goes until he comes to a nondescript hotel room. A room where, dare I say it, Luca Barresi is going to meet his maker. And I will finally be rid of the scourge that’s plagued me for more years than I can count. The Barresi Empire will fall. Matteo Barresi is dead. Enzo Barresi will die in jail. And when Luca’s life in snuffed out by my hands, I’ll become the new King of New Orleans.”