The Escape: An Irish Mafia Romance (Downing Family Book 1)

by Cassie Wild

  But he was involved with the mob.

  What in the hell had become of my life?

  Brooding, I picked up the phone and turned it over in my hands. I connected to the WiFi then tapped on the icon for the browser. I bit my lip, then tapped in Basilio Castellanos.

  My jaw dropped at the search results.

  Article after article about him. Many of them were about philanthropical stuff. But there were more than a few that had nothing to do with charitable donations and the like. I clicked on one link, but before it could open, a message popped up.

  It was a text from Isabel.

  Trying yet AGAIN to get a hold of you. Why aren’t you texting me back? I have to talk to you.

  I bit my lip, then, without really considering it, I tapped on the phone and brought up Isabel’s number. I hit the call button.

  She answered before it rang even once.

  “You bitch!” she snapped. “I’ve been going out of my mind worrying about you!”

  “Hey, nice to talk to you, too,” I said, managing a smile. Tears pricked my eyes at the sound of her voice and I hurriedly dashed them away. I tapped on the message icon, which a few minutes ago had been blank. But connecting to WiFi had allowed more than a dozen messages to come through, as well as showing a list of missed calls.

  All of them were from Isabel.

  “What’s with the million messages?” I asked.

  She scoffed. “Can’t you figure that out? You up and disappeared and I haven’t heard from you since we talked at the club! I’ve been worried,” Isabel said, her voice husky. “Where are you? Are you still in New York?”

  I blinked, lowering the phone to study it in confusion. “New York?”

  “Sean told me you asked Brooks to take you to the airport. What happened at the club, Daria? Sean told me somebody made a heavy pass at you and it freaked you out, so you wanted to go back home, but this morning Sean and my father were fighting. I…” She huffed out a breath. “None of it makes sense. Dad was pissed off at Sean because he said Brooks helped you get out of the city after…”

  Isabel hesitated again. “Dad said you hurt one of the patrons at the club. Some important guy. Daria, what happened?”

  I swallowed around the knot in my throat. “I did hurt somebody, but it was after he grabbed me. I…look, somebody who told me he was a manager at the club said one of the guests wanted a private dance from me. He told me he’d pay me fifteen hundred dollars for thirty minutes of dancing. I mean, hell…that’s a lot of money to me. I went for it. But once I got in there, he…he didn’t want me to dance. He grabbed me. He thought he could do whatever he wanted. I fought him and he got hurt when I kicked him. He fell down and hit his head. I got out of the room and took off running. Brooks found me but apparently whoever this guy was…” I hesitated, uncertain how to explain anything else.

  Isabel interrupted me. “Dad said he’s one of their biggest customers.”

  I didn’t know what sort of customer Leon was, but I knew what kind of trouble I was in—the kind of trouble that had Brooks flying me out of the country … and apparently, Basilio and Sean had been fighting about me.

  “Isabel, what does your dad want with me?” I asked hesitantly.

  “I …” She paused. “I don’t know. He kept demanding Sean tell him where you were. But Sean doesn’t know. Where are you?”

  “In New York,” I said, lying without so much as a pause. I didn’t know why but it seemed important that nobody connected to Basilio know where I was. “Why does he want me? I didn’t do anything wrong—I defended myself. And what’s his issue about anyway? He wasn’t there.”

  “It’s his club!” Isabel snapped.

  I swallowed and rubbed the heel of my hand over my chest. “His club—and some guy tried to attack me there. Maybe he should be pissed off about that rather than the fact that I was trying to protect myself. What was I supposed to do, let Leon rape me?”

  “Daria, nobody was going to rape you,” she said.

  “You weren’t there!” I said, my voice starting to get out of control. “How could you possibly know what he was going to do?”

  “I just …” She finished with a ragged growl. “This doesn’t make sense. You’re sure he wanted to hurt you?”

  “Yes,” I replied with the same frustration I’d heard in her voice. “I know when somebody wants to hurt me. And he had every intention of doing what he wanted with me, whether I liked it or not. If he told me to get on the floor and bark like a dog, then that’s exactly what he expected me to do and he’d do whatever it took to make it happen.”

  Isabel was quiet for so long, I started to wonder if the call had been disconnected. I lowered the phone and the screen lit up, showing me the still active call. “Iz?” I said softly.

  “You should leave New York,” she said, her voice just as quiet as mine had been. “Dad told Sean he was going to find you no matter where you were. Daria, you might be in danger. Dad knows people in New York. They might come looking for you.”

  “Why would he do that?” I demanded. “I don’t understand what’s going on, Isabel. Who in the hell is your dad that he could cause me trouble—that he would want to cause me trouble because I defended myself?”

  Isabel didn’t answer.

  “Is your father affiliated with the mob?”

  “What?” she demanded.

  “You heard me.” I remembered Brooks telling me that he wasn’t sure if she knew the truth about her family. But that didn’t make sense. She had to know … something. She had to. “It’s the only thing that makes sense, Iz. Why they’d be so pissed off that I didn’t play along in that room for Leon, why they want to hurt me because I fought back, why your dad is so convinced he can find me or whatever it is he wants to do. It makes sense.”

  “No …” But Isabel’s voice trailed off. After a few more seconds, she said, “This is all bullshit, Daria. Dad can’t want to hurt you. He’s just … he’s angry.”

  “Why?” I demanded again. “Would he be mad that I didn’t let somebody hurt me? What is the sense in that? And if you’re so sure he wouldn’t hurt me, then why am I in danger?”

  But Isabel didn’t have an answer. “Look …” She cleared her throat. “I want you to be safe, okay? Maybe I can talk to my dad, find a way to help this blow over. But be safe.”

  Be safe. Isabel’s words were still lingering with me as I let myself out of the house.

  The landscape lights lit the way as I found the path that led to the beach. I was restless and even though there was no reason for it, I felt oddly trapped in the house.

  Talking to Isabel had only aggravated my restlessness and I was fumbling, trying to figure out what to do. I couldn’t stay here on this island forever. I had to get back to New York, but if I tried to go back to my life, even assuming I could talk Brooks into taking me to the city, I wouldn’t be able to go to school without Basilio knowing, especially not if I was right and there was something going on between him and Nadia. He might have already reached out to her and asked her to let him know if I showed up.

  Was she one of the people he knew in New York?

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I moved on down the path, following the sounds of the ocean, the waves lapping against the sand.

  What would happen if Basilio found me?

  Or Leon?

  I had no idea who Leon really was. All I had was a name and Brooks’ word that he was a dangerous man, somebody who was important to the Castellanos family.

  He expected you to do whatever he wanted, even if it meant crawling around in your underwear barking like a dog.

  And I hadn’t. I hadn’t even wanted him touching me.

  What would Basilio do? Make me give that son of a bitch what he’d been expecting from me?

  And what if Leon found me?

  What would he do?

  I wouldn’t be so lucky this time—he’d expect me to fight back. I wouldn’t have the element of surprise this time.

  Hea
d aching, I moved across the sand. I stopped at the edge where the water started to lap at my feet.

  What was I supposed to do?

  Going back to New York wasn’t an option, not until I thought I’d be safe again.

  I wanted to talk to Brooks. He had a way of reassuring me, but I didn’t know where he was. I needed him with me right now. I needed something.

  That knowledge dropped down on me, hard and heavy, like an anvil.

  I needed him there with me but I was completely alone.

  The water beckoned to me and I moved a little bit farther into the depths. The water splashed around my knees.

  It was so peaceful out here.

  Tipping my head back, I breathed in the salt air.

  The conversation with Isabel played through my head. The knowledge that I had to find a way to fix this before I could even think about going back to my life was a thought so overwhelming, I could barely stand to do so.

  What was going to happen once I left here? When did Brooks plan on letting me do just that anyway? What if he couldn’t fix everything that had gone wrong?

  What if nobody could?

  What if the life I’d been leading was just … over?

  A sob built in my throat and I covered my face with my hands.

  Arms slid around me from behind.

  I tensed but then I recognized the feel of Brooks’ hands. Slowly, I relaxed back against him and closed my eyes.

  Twenty-Eight

  Brooks

  “You going to talk to me?”

  It had been nearly an hour since I’d found her standing out in the ocean, the water up to her knees as she stared up at the sky. A feeling of dread had flooded me as she took another step into the water and for a few seconds there, I was worried about just how far she’d planned on walking into the night-dark depths.

  Now, back in my room, both of us warm from the shower, I held her up against me.

  Neither of us had slept much.

  But my mind didn’t want to stop spinning long enough to rest, especially since Daria was being unusually quiet.

  “Daria,” I whispered against her hair.

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  She was lying. I could hear it in her voice. But I didn’t know how to get her to talk.

  A yawn cracked her mouth open and she snuggled more comfortably again me.

  “You’re tired. Get some rest,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

  “Will you be here when I wake up?” she asked, voice husky.

  “I’ll be here.” I didn’t know how much longer I could stay, not when I was still trying to reach out to Duardo and Marcos about the problem with Leon, but I wouldn’t leave her to wake up alone.

  Slowly, she slipped off into sleep. I wasn’t surprised. Whether it was the stress catching up to her or something else, she was exhausted.

  So was I.

  As I lay there, though, the night wrapping around us like a blanket, I felt some of my tension drain away.

  It took a while, but I slept, too.

  The remains of breakfast, still on their trays, had been moved to the table near the window.

  I had Daria stretched out across my lap, her tight, round butt exposed to me.

  It had started out as a game, but it was a lot more than that now and my cock was so hard, I thought it might explode.

  I spanked her, watching as her skin went pink for me.

  I did it again and she wiggled, arching her spine as a ragged gasp left her.

  “More?” I asked, voice rough. “Or are you going to listen to me next time?”

  We’d been having breakfast and I mentioned that I’d have to leave soon, get back to the States so I could take care of things. She’d muttered something under her breath, and instead of letting it go, I’d asked her what she said.

  I don’t know if it’s worth it. My life is probably over anyway.

  I’d told her if she kept talking like that, I’d spank her.

  Heat had flooded her eyes at my words and now, here we were, her face down over my lap and her skin pink from my hand.

  She didn’t answer me and I spanked her again. She bounced a little, a weak moan escaping her. Slipping my hand between her thighs, I found her slick and wet. “You’re enjoying this too much,” I said, voice tight.

  I was, too.

  I slid my fingers from her body and trailed them upward, along the crevice between her cheeks.

  That made her shiver.

  Curious now, I spread her open, exposing the tight pucker of her ass to the cool air.

  She went oddly tense and I stroked her, the skin delicate, soft and warm.

  “Have you ever thought about taking cock here?” I asked her.

  She shook her head, a soundless negative.

  And she seemed to be waiting.

  I pressed against her, my fingers slick from her pussy.

  She gasped.

  “You want to, though, don’t you?” I asked her, voice roughening with the hunger that built inside me. “You want my cock here. Tell me.”

  “I want your cock there, Brooks,” she said, her face muffled.

  “Get up.”

  She shivered as she did so and once she was perched on her knees next to me, I rose. “Bend back over.”

  “Are you …” Her eyes widened and she licked her lips, looking nervous now.

  “I’m going to stretch your ass. You can’t take me there yet without it hurting.” I smiled a little, already feeling my balls draw tight up against me as I thought how she’d feel as I filled her butt. She’d shudder and shake and whimper for me in the low, husky way she had. “It’s going to hurt a little, but when you’re ready, you’ll want that pain. It’s sweet and sharp and you’ll beg me for more.”

  Her eyes were almost glassy now. “But what if it hurts too much?”

  “Then we’ll stop. You remember your safe word?”

  She nodded and slowly, after one more hesitant look, she bent over, positioning and readying herself for me in the tangle of sheets, blankets and pillows.

  I rose from the bed and padded around to the other side.

  Her head came up and her eyes tracked me.

  I said nothing as I opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of lubricant.

  “We’ll get you good and wet first,” I told her, showing her the bottle. “Then I’ll slide my finger into your ass. Maybe even two.”

  “Then what?”

  Her entire body was trembling now. I understood. I was already so hard it hurt and she hadn’t touched me. Save for that light spanking, I’d barely touched her.

  And it didn’t matter.

  She was already turning into a fever in my blood and I craved her, craved more of her and more from her.

  “Then I’m going to fuck you,” I told her. I grabbed a condom from the drawer as well, then returned to the other side, settling behind her on the mattress.

  I put the rubber on, watching her all the while. Those faint shivers continued to dance along her skin. I wondered how tight her nipples were, but that was a pleasure I’d save for later.

  “It’s going to be a little cool, at first.” She jumped at the sound of my voice and I smiled as I squeezed some lube into my hand. “I could always use that sweet wet that’s coming from your cunt, but I want to make sure you stay wet enough.”

  She whimpered now and I placed a hand on her spine, steadying her as I traced one finger along the dark cleft between her cheeks. I did it again, then slid my free hand down to open her, expose her, pulling on one cheek until I could easily see the pink, puckered flesh of her ass. I pressed against her then, slowly.

  She had gone tense, her entire body rigid.

  “Put your shoulders down on the bed, face against the mattress,” I told her. “Use your fingers to pleasure yourself. Make yourself come, if you want.”

  She hesitantly obeyed, although she was more reluctant to toy with herself as I’d instructed.

  “D
o it, Daria. Fuck yourself with your fingers. Play with your clit.”

  This time, she obeyed. Although I couldn’t see her, I knew when she started because her entire body jerked.

  She was so ready to come already. The need for climax was probably burning her up inside.

  I could sympathize. Soon …

  Rubbing the tip of my finger against her anus, I waited until she had started to rock against her hand, moaning weakly. Then I pushed again.

  She tensed, but didn’t jerk away. I retreated, then did it again, over and over, toying with her as I got her used to the erotic touch.

  Soon, she was following me when I pulled away and I watched as she flexed, a silent plea for more.

  So I gave her just that, pushing the tip of my finger in until I’d breached the tight ring of muscle just inside.

  She froze then.

  I stroked her again, again, again. She gasped and abruptly started rocking back on me, greedy for more. Part of me wondered if maybe I couldn’t open her enough, prepare enough that she could take my cock tonight. But I wasn’t going to rush it, although I could see how much she was enjoying my finger. I slipped in past first knuckle and she shoved up onto her hands, wiggling against me.

  She no longer needed the distraction of her fingers sliding against her pussy.

  Her spine arched as I gave her a little more, then slowly pulled back.

  “No …”

  That quickly turned to, “Yes …” as I pushed inside once more.

  I settled on a rhythm that soon had her begging me, although she couldn’t put into words what she wanted. “Please … more … no … wait … please! More … more …”

  The litany of words had my cock jerking in hungry demand and I moved in closer, grabbing my dick and positioning it at her entrance. I pulled my finger from her ass and replaced it with my thumb, finding a grip on her that would let me fuck her as my thumb stretched her.

  She was snugger around me as I pushed inside and I could feel the tension shaking her.

  I’d buy a plug, something larger than my thumb that would open her even more, prepare her for my cock. When I fucked her then, she’d be stuffed so tight, it would be like fucking my way into a fist. Not that she wasn’t tight now.