Mine: a Dark Mafia Romance

by Paula Cox

  Liana snorted. “Yes, mother.”

  His eyes hardened. “I preferred you when you were too distraught to speak.”

  Liana arose abruptly, her chair scraping back against the laminate. “What a horrible thing to say!” she cried. “I was in shock. I had just witnessed a man die.”

  Cliff flinched. Liana immediately felt horrible for what she had said in anger. The person who had died was his friend. How could she throw it back in his face like that? But she felt that giving up any ground to him would only end up working against her in the end. So instead of apologizing, much as she wanted to very badly, Liana stood her ground.

  From the look in Cliff’s eyes, she had a feeling he was going to make her regret doing so.

  Cliff stalked around the table slowly, never taking his eyes off her. Though he looked more casual today in a heather gray t-shirt and jeans, Liana didn’t for a second slip into any sort of illusion about his normalcy. He was danger. What he wore on his body didn’t change that.

  Cliff wrenched the chair out of his way casually, coming to stand chest to chest with Liana. Or chest to face, as it were, since he was much taller than her. But he could loom over her all day long if he wanted. Just because she’d been soft and sad last night, didn’t mean Liana would crumple into a ball at Cliff’s feet today. She worked in the entertainment industry, for crying out loud. And the service industry. He was going to have to do a lot worse than that to intimidate her.

  “Liana.” His voice was a low growl, almost a purr. It was both angry and darkly seductive. “There’s a small chance that bottle of champagne was not left there for you by whoever killed Michael last night, but do not mistake me—it is small. Tiny.”

  She continued to glare up at him. “All the better reason to keep it off the streets.”

  “All the better reason for you to stay far away from it,” he countered. “I am trying to find out who killed my friend, and I can’t focus on that if I’m worried about you too.”

  “Why bother?” Liana replied. “Just let me be. I can take care of myself.”

  In truth, she was actually quite happy to have him watching her back. It made her feel a helluva lot safer than she had done when she discovered the bottle on her stoop. But she’d be damned before she admitted that to him. Liana didn’t like how drawn to Cliff she was. That sort of attraction and fascination never ended well.

  He rolled his eyes. It was such a human gesture that Liana reeled back a little.

  “You’re the only one who can identify Lando,” he said. “I need you safe.”

  Right. Of course. Liana bolstered up her mental shield so that he couldn’t see the disappointment on her face. She clenched her jaw and crossed her arms over her chest, not caring how much of his body she had to brush against in the process. Yep, he still felt just as muscular as she remembered. She felt heat creep into her cheeks and hoped he just assumed it was anger.

  “You don’t get to boss me around,” Liana said, not caring how petulant it sounded. “I’m a grown woman. Nothing bad happened from me making the adult decision to bring the bottle inside.”

  He stared down his nose at her. “No, but it could have. The next time you ignore my orders, you could wind up dead.”

  “I’d rather kill myself than follow your orders.” Not true, but she was feeling feisty, and she didn’t like being told what to do.

  His lips curved into a tight smile. “Anyone who tries to kill you is going to have to go through me first,” he said. “And I’d like to see you try to get through me.”

  Liana’s eyes dipped down to his physique, so much more on display in his t-shirt and jeans than it had been in his suit. She shouldn’t have done it, but the invitation to size him up had been so tempting. And damn, was she not disappointed. The lines of his pecs were visible through the shirt, as were the bulging muscles of his arms. When her eyes met his again, her face was fully on fire. Oddly enough, so were his eyes.

  Liana took a step back. Cliff smiled.

  “Grab your things. We’re going to see an old friend.” He grabbed the rolled up tea towel on the table and shoved it into a nearby plastic bag.

  “What kinds of things do I need to go see an old friend?” Liana inquired. She wasn’t going to try to fight him on it. Mostly because she didn’t actually want to, but also because she knew it would be pointless.

  “You don’t need anything for seeing an old friend,” Cliff replied. “But you’ll need clothes, I imagine, for staying at my house. Unless you’d rather just walk around naked.”

  This time when Liana’s face heated up, it was from desire and anger. “I’m not staying at your house!” She took another few steps back as if she thought he’d chase after her and stuff her in the trunk of his car. He wouldn’t do that. Right?

  Cliff’s expression was pure tiredness. “You are staying in my house. The killer knows where you live. It’s clearly not safe here.”

  He had a point, but…

  “Are there other people living there?” Liana asked.

  He gave a sharp shake of his head. “Just me. I’ve got a spare room. You’ll survive.”

  “I don’t even know you!” she protested. “You’re just some guy at a wedding I served!”

  “And a potential business partner… if your act is any good.”

  She shook her head, backing up another step. “You can’t just walk into somebody’s life and start imposing your will on them. I know nothing about you. You know nothing about me! We can’t just shack up together. It would be…” She trailed off in thought, cringing at the next word out of her mouth. “... Improper.”

  Cliff let out a bark of laughter. It startled Liana so much that she jumped back yet another step. But her apartment was no spacious downtown loft, and she was out of room. She was in the hallway now, backed against the wall. And he was still so close she could practically feel the heat pouring off of him. And holy hell did he look good when he laughed. It stopped just as quickly as it had started, but a small smile played on Cliff’s lips as he approached her.

  “Whether it’s improper or not,” he said. “It’s happening. I can’t force you to stay with me, true, but I think you’re forgetting a little something.”

  He stopped a few feet from her, giving her room to breathe. She was grateful for it.

  “What’s that?”

  “You want my help, Liana,” he purred. “You called me, remember?”

  ***

  Sonofabitch. Liana could not believe Cliff had actually been able to out-logic her and convince her to play house with him until they figured out who killed his friend. What if they never figured it out? What if this killer’s whole plan had been to force such a situation, just as a way to torture Liana? She could think of a couple ex-boyfriends’ who might just be messed up enough in the head to do such a thing. If it were one of them, they would rue the day they ever set eyes on Liana Caterina.

  Liana cast an eye over to Cliff, who was driving them in silence to his mysterious “old friend.” In the back of the car, looking pathetic on the leather backseat, was the glittery pink backpack her mom had gotten her when she moved to New York. She never used it, but it seemed like the perfect situation for it. She hoped it shed glitter all over his car. That way if she did die, she’d have a way to haunt him still. Glitter was impossible to eradicate. Impossible.

  Cliff kept his eyes on the road, though he clearly knew she was watching. He also said nothing. Fine. Liana reached for the radio, but Cliff batted her hand away.

  “I don’t want to even think about what kind of music a girl with a sparkly backpack listens to.”

  “You were all about my music not long ago,” Liana retorted. “That’s not something you can just take back. You haven’t even heard me sing.”

  Cliff smiled. It was the most ominous thing Liana had ever seen. She shrank back closer to the door—not because she thought he would hurt her, but just because she wondered if she could sink into a crack and never be seen again.

&n
bsp; “Why don’t you sing for me now, if you want music so badly?”

  Liana’s mouth went dry. She had already been feeling nervous about singing in front of him when a crowd would have diluted his presence. But here? Now? With him sitting only a couple of feet away from her? No way, Jose.

  “Can’t,” she replied. “I haven’t warmed up.”

  He cast her a sidelong glance. “That’s bullshit, and you know it,” he said. “You’re just too much of a chicken.”

  Liana sat straight in her seat again. She didn’t care if it was obvious how easy it was to manipulate her into doing things. Nobody called Liana a coward! To teach him a lesson, Liana began to belt out a Meatloaf power ballad. She didn’t care if her voice wasn’t quite right for a rock opera—Ellen Foley’s section in “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” was the most fun a person could have with their clothes on, in Liana’s opinion.

  When she was finished, Liana crossed her arms over her chest and landed with a huff against the back of her seat. She looked at the window, making it clear she hadn’t done it for his approval but to prove a point.

  Nevertheless, his approval she received.

  “That was wonderful,” Cliff said. He didn’t sound even slightly sarcastic. “You have true talent.”

  And that hadn’t even been the best song for her voice. Liana didn’t respond, but she did allow a secret smile out the window. His approval should not have felt so good, but it was the sweetest treat she’d ever received.

  ***

  Julian was waiting for Cliff at his dilapidated old manor outside the city. He’d bought it in horrible condition—the abandoned mansion of a long dead millionaire—and had been working on it ever since. Now five years into the project, Julian was still nowhere near done. He liked to do most of the work himself, he claimed. Cliff just thought he liked the distraction. When he put his hands to work building something, it was easier to forget how much his hands had torn down.

  Julian was the only man in the history of the Corelli crime family who had ever been allowed to retire. Retiring was something one just did not do with Julian and Cliff’s people, but he’d served the family since he was a young boy. In fact, he’d given more years than the current Don. So he was allowed his peace and rest, though Cliff had never considered Julian to have much of either.

  “This place is super creepy,” Liana commented as they rolled up the long, gravel drive. “Just how old is your old friend? A few centuries?”

  Cliff allowed a snort of amusement to get through his mask. Normally he found it easy to remain as stoic as he did. Liana made it difficult. For some reason, she was more amusing to him than most people. She had a way of looking at the world and reacting to it that never failed to surprise him.

  “He’s renovating,” Cliff replied.

  “Not fast enough.”

  Julian only kept a couple of staff to run his house—a cook and a maid. Everything else, he saw to himself. This included greeting guests.

  “Cliff Aurello,” the older man said, hobbling down the front steps. Cliff stepped out of the car and looked over at Liana’s door. She hadn’t gotten out yet. He rolled his eyes but smiled at Julian.

  “It’s nice to see you,” he said. “I brought someone for you to meet.”

  Julian peered into the passenger window. Cliff stepped in front of him so he wouldn’t see Liana’s grumpy face and crossed arms. He opened the door and poked his head in. She met him with a glare.

  “You have to get out of the car,” Cliff said lowly.

  Liana shook her head. “I do not like the look of this. I should never have come.”

  “Because the house is a little old?”

  Liana jerked her head toward the second story where an old shutter was hanging at a precarious angle, ready to drop at the slightest touch of wind. “That’s messed up. This is every horror movie ever. I’m not going in.”

  Cliff gritted his teeth and leaned across her, unbuckling her seatbelt. She latched onto it with her hands, pulling it back across her chest like a safety blanket. This started a game of tug-of-war between the two of them.

  “Don’t be a child, Liana.” Cliff tugged, but she had the advantage of a good angle and her body weight.

  “If he wants to talk to me, he can talk to me from the car.” She held firm, eyes blazing at him.

  They were so close he could feel the heat coming off her face. She was scared of the creepy old house, but not in the least fazed by the much larger man intruding in her space. She was flat against the seat and fixed in place. Cliff was going to have to try something else. Her disobeying him like this was frustrating but also downright humiliating. Julian, his mentor, was watching him struggle with her—and who knew what the old man thought?

  “I had one like that once,” Julian mused in a crackling voice.

  Both Cliff and Liana sharply turned their heads to face him, nearly smacking their faces against each other in the process.

  “One like what?” Cliff asked.

  Julian had shoveled up beside Cliff and had a look of pure amusement on his face. “A feisty lover,” he explained. “Her name was Angela. We had—”

  `“We’re not lovers!”

  “We're not lovers.”

  Julian was silent, but his eyes glinted with mischief.

  Cliff couldn’t tell what frustrated him more—that he had felt the need to correct Julian mid sentence or how vehemently Liana’s denial was. He had merely stated the facts. She had practically screamed in Cliff’s ear.

  Cliff wasn’t playing the game anymore. And he certainly wasn’t thinking about what it might be like to taste Liana’s sweet lips. Or other parts of her…

  He backed up, giving Liana space. “Get out of the car right now,” he instructed, “or I’ll make sure living with me is your own personal hell.”

  “Living with you is already going to be my own personal hell.” She re-buckled the seatbelt with a sour flourish. “I’ll stay here.”

  Julian laughed. “I like this one. Why’d you bring her to me, though?” He clicked his tongue. “I certainly can’t help tame her.”

  “I’m not trying to tame her,” Cliff said. “I’m trying to find out who’s trying to kill her so I can get her out of my life for good.”

  Liana looked ready to spout some more angry words at him but wisely held her tongue. Julian might have looked like a doddering old man, but his hands were covered in more blood than anybody. Even in his retirement, he wouldn’t suffer any insults.

  “Interesting.” Julian smiled. “Let’s go make a cup of tea, then. Shall we?”

  Liana resolutely shook her head. “Can’t.”

  “Yes you can,” Cliff snapped.

  “Won’t, then!” she replied. “Can you just give me the Cliff’s Notes later?”

  Julian stepped toward the door and squatted down next to it, getting just below Liana’s eye level. “A big girl like you isn’t afraid of ghosts, surely?”

  Even Cliff could see the color slip from Liana’s cheeks. She tried to cover it up by looking away, but it was too late. Cliff broke down into laughter. He wasn’t the type to have rolling laughter, normally, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “You’re afraid of ghosts?” Cliff asked.

  Liana’s eyes could have melted steel. “Everyone has something they’re afraid of, okay? There’s no need to be an asshole about it.”

  Even Julian gave Cliff a stern look. Cliff ceased laughing.

  “I’ve got mice and spiders and even a snake or two,” Julian said. “But I can assure you I’ve got no ghosts.”

  Liana exhaled, studying Julian’s face. For what, Cliff wasn’t sure, but she must have found what she wanted.

  “Fine.” Liana reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt, stepping out of the car and kicking at the gravel at her feet. “Let’s go into the super creepy old mansion. Sounds like a blast.”

  Cliff felt the sudden urge to pull her under his arm but wrote it off as stupid. He only felt like that because he ne
eded to protect her so he could find out who killed Michael. And somehow he was getting protecting her and making her feel safe confused.

  ***

  “Whoever they are,” Julian said, inspecting the champagne bottle Cliff had delivered into the house. “They’ve got some serious balls.”

  Cliff nodded. “Not for long. Does it ring any bells?”

  “Not that I can think of. And I definitely don’t know a Lando.”

  Liana watched on with special interest, especially since her life was on the line. But also because she was trying to distract herself from how creepy and old the house was. The fact that Cliff had all but dragged her in after laughing at her made her want to punch him in the face. Most things he did made her want to punch him in the face, but this especially.