Loving Talia: A Dark Mafia Billionaire Romance (Amatucci Family Book 5)

by Sadie Jacks

  I collapsed into tears, wrapped my arms around my brother’s waist. “You’re such an asshole.”

  The whole room exploded into laughter.

  Chapter 42 – Foster

  I paced the small room again. The sun had set hours ago. This section of the hospital was quiet except for the soft bustling of the night shift nurses. The feeling in my belly told me we were about to meet face first with some danger.

  “Stop thinking so loud,” Talia complained from her bed. “You’re giving me a headache.”

  I walked over to her side. Brushed my hands down her face. “I can give you some more meds. Jessa said the thallium treatment can make you nauseous.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want anything else inside me that the goddess didn’t put there.”

  I snorted softly.

  She smiled, peeked up at me through her lashes. “Except you. I think she meant for you to be there.”

  “Damn right she did, Hellcat.” I leaned down, kissed her cheekbone. Even though her lips were still healing, the bruises fading from her face, her skin was so fucking soft. I felt like an addict. Like I had this need inside me to have as much of her against as much of me as possible at all times during the day.

  She closed her eyes. In moments, her chest rose and fell with the rhythm of sleep.

  I pulled the chair around, took a seat facing the door. In the private room, it was the only entrance.

  And exit. I bit back the curses that wanted to fly. She was brave. Too fucking brave in my opinion, but I wouldn’t want her any other way. Even if she spat in the face of danger and demanded it step up to the plate.

  Arkady’s admission this afternoon that he’d tasted her ran through my mind again. I couldn’t fault him. Hell, if it had been anyone other than my Talia, I would have given him a damn handshake for his restraint. As it was, I wanted to beat his face into the nearest steel post for even touching her.

  The door creaked open. A huge shadow cast into the room from the hallway.

  I squeezed Talia’s hand. Hard. Hoped she would wake up silently.

  The shadow moved forward. For such a large man, he was quiet. Much like the Wraith that crept in behind him from the bathroom.

  Before the big shadow could do anything, I saw the glint of the needle in the light right before Mas took out the bigger man.

  Mas jumped back as Barrikad swung out before the drug could take him down. But it wasn’t long until the floor shuddered under the weight of the former Soviet mafia boss.

  He’d walked into her trap. Just like she’d wanted him to. My girl was fucking fantastic.

  Mas flicked the lights on. Pulled his phone from his pocket. He waited a beat, said, “Come,” and then put the phone away again.

  “Good job, sorella. I barely saw you jolt,” he said. Wincing, he rubbed a hand down his throat.

  “I almost peed the bed, so thanks for taking care of him so quickly,” Talia said as she tried to sit up.

  I hit the button that raised the back of the bed up. “Better?”

  She smiled at me, nodded. “Thanks.”

  The door opened behind Mas. Arkady, Nico, Jessa, Striker, Smoke, and Roger walked in. We’d lost Macon and Tank in the firefight. We were going to take them home with us.

  “Load him up. Take him to the safe house. I’ll be there as soon as I’m released,” Talia said, her voice hard and full of authority.

  Nico looked a little stunned, but did as he’d been ordered. They managed to get the hulking beast of a man up on a gurney. Covered with a sheet, they wheeled him out.

  I turned to my woman. “That was hot.”

  She turned to me, her brow furrowed.

  I smirked. “You get all bossy and authoritative.”

  Her smile ruined the image she was going for, but she gave it her best shot. “Get your motor revving?”

  I nodded. “Now, heal up so I can make love to you for hours on end.”

  She leaned back, sighed. “Promises, Promises.”

  Chapter 43 – Talia

  I walked into the safe house under my own steam. It took about a week, but I was finally free of all restrictions except lifting. I had to wait for my abdominal wound to completely heal for that to be lifted.

  “Honeybunses, I’m home!” I crowed into the empty foyer of the house.

  The thunder of stampeding feet rushed towards me.

  Jessa got to me first. “What the hell, babe? We were supposed to come get you.” She pulled me into her arms, looked me over with her medically trained eye. She smiled when she finished, looked me in the eye. “You’re feeling much better.”

  I nodded, pulled her in for a hug. “In large part thanks to you.”

  She poo-pooed my words. “Queen, you’ve been kicking ass this whole time. I think Fate is scared of you right now.”

  Foster pulled me from her arms and caught me up in his.

  I grabbed his head, smacked my healed lips to his. He made a sound low in his throat as he changed the angle. I wrapped my legs around his waist, met him thrust for thrust.

  “Ahem,” Arkady called. “Gross. Stop mauling her.”

  I felt Foster move one of his hands out from under my ass. When everyone laughed around us, I was going with the idea that my guy had flipped them all off.

  I pulled back, earning a low rumble from Foster.

  “I’m not done,” he said with a glower.

  Pecking my lips to his one last time, I unhooked my legs and slid down the front of his body. He certainly wasn’t done. I cuddled my hips to his for a brief second. “Too bad. I’m going to go kill a Russian.” I pulled from his arms and danced away.

  “If you hear any girly screaming, it’s Arkady, I swear.” I grabbed Arkady’s hand and pulled him with me.

  “Hey. What about us?” Foster demanded.

  “Watch on the monitor,” I called over my shoulder.

  Leaning towards my coconspirator, I said, “Lead the way, I have no idea where I’m going.”

  He laughed and tugged me down the correct hallway. He stopped in front of a door. Waving a hand, he said, “M’lady.”

  I gave him a shallow curtsy and opened the door. Barrikad was strung up to a large metal frame that someone had found. Or, knowing Foster, had been made.

  He was filthy. Sweat and dirt mixed with the dried blood that matted his shirt front. His pants were soiled from crotch to toes on the inseam.

  I blew out a breath. “He is rank.”

  Arkady hustled in, opened a window. “Just to let some stank out. If you start in on him, we’ll have to close it so no sound escapes.”

  Barrikad chuckled. “Your little bitch can’t hurt me. I lived under Gustav. Nothing she tries will even touch me.”

  I smiled. “Oh, Barrikins. I can call you Barrikins, right? Great.” I clapped my hands like a cheerleader at the final game. “I’ve got all kinds of things planned for you. A good ass ripping by a wonderfully oversized dildo one of my friends managed to buy. I’m going to cut strips of flesh from your body, cook them on a little hot plate, and force feed them to you. Then, when you’re choking on your own flesh, I’m going to cut off your dick. Feed it to a dog. Your balls, though?” I batted my lashes at him. “I’m going to pull them off your body with a pair of rusty pliers. Take them out of their sacks and make earrings out of them. Then, I’ll find whatever family you think you have left and go after every. Single. One.” I dropped the smile, stepped up into his space. “You see, Barrikins. You should have simply killed me. Settled the blood debt honorably. But no. You wanted to draw it out. Make money from it. You wanted to make an example of me.”

  I punched him in the throat.

  “Well, guess what, peaches? I hope you brought your smiling face.” I turned to the far side of the room where the camera equipment had been set up according to Nik’s specifications. “You’re going to go live to the world.”

  He wasn’t really, but he didn’t need to know that. The footage was going to go out to the main room and ba
ck home so Momma and Papa—and anyone else in our family—could watch it.

  **

  For the next six hours, I broke him. Turned him into a sobbing, drooling mess. Every time I’d thought my heart wasn’t in it, I would feel a twinge in my body from the horrors he and his brothers had put me through. And for nothing.

  Yeah, I’d heard from Nik that Karine had set both families up. Our next big job was to hunt down the Petter clan and cleanse the world of their kind. Hopefully, I’d get to be there to watch them be wiped off the face of the earth.

  Arkady stood near the door. A sad look on his face.

  I pushed back my hair with my forearm, not wanting to get blood all over it. “What’s wrong?”

  He shrugged. “I thought retribution would feel better.”

  I nodded. It was almost kinda not fun. Barrikad was a baby of the highest order. That man screamed like a girl.

  It made me sad to be a girl, honestly.

  I held out the hot poker. “Did you want to give him a jab?”

  Arkady shook his head. “Honestly, kitten, I just want to go home.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”

  Arkady nodded. Pulling a gun from his waistband, he called Barrikad’s name.

  The big man tried to lift his head. He’d learned early on not to ignore either one of us. “Da.”

  Arkady lifted his hand, gun ready. “Do svidaniya.”

  I leaned forward after the report had finished echoing through the room. “Means goodbye.”

  Epilogue I – Jessa

  I covered my mouth with my hand. I was both horrified and astounded at the bravery and moxie of Tali. That woman was my adulting goal, and I was pretty sure I was older than her.

  Nico pulled me into his side, pressed a kiss to my hair. “He’ll never hurt anyone again.”

  I nodded. “Your sister saw to that.”

  Nico chuckled. “Yeah, she did. She might be annoying, but damn has she got some balls.”

  A giggle escaped as my phone rang. Nik’s name scrolled across the screen. “Hey, queen. How’s it?” I asked.

  “Jessa.” Nik’s voice was solemn. “I need you to get everyone on your end of things to get on this call. Now.”

  I told Nico. He ran to get Talia and Arkady. I put the phone on speaker while the rest of us waited. “Nico’s gone to get them. What’s wrong, Nik?” I’ve never heard her voice like this. Not in all my years of knowing her.

  “I only want to say this once.”

  As if he heard my praying, Nico came rushing back in. His sister and Arkady hot on his heels.

  “We’re all here, Nik. Go,” Nico said as he came up to me. Wrapped me in his arms.

  “I finally got through all the encryption on the Kuznetsov servers. We’ve got everything.”

  I looked at Nico. My brow furrowed. “That’s good, though, right? Why do you sound like someone ran over your puppy?”

  Nik’s laugh was harsh. “Because it kinda feels like someone has. I found her, Jessa.”

  Everyone looked at me.

  I shrugged. “I didn’t know you’d gotten a puppy. I’m sorry that someone ran over her. I’ll help you bury the body…of the dog and the bitch who ran her over.” I looked at Nico. Tipped my head towards the phone.

  He shrugged.

  Nik laughed again. Sounding more like herself this time. “Oh, goddess, I love you. No, Jessa. I found her. I found Jasmine.”

  My world went black.

  Epilogue II – Domenico

  I caught Jessa as she passed out. “Someone get the phone.”

  Smoke, Maggie Rollins, picked it up. “We’re still here, Grasshopper. Go ahead.”

  “Is Jessa okay?”

  “Tell us what’s going on, Nik. Please.” I carried Jessa to the couch. Laid her flat. Talia ran from the room. She was back in moments with a bottle of water.

  I smiled at her in thanks. Breaking the seal, I poured some into my palm. Splashed it on Jessa’s face. I knew she’d want to hear anything about her missing sister.

  She came awake with a start. “Jaz!”

  “We know where she is, Jessa. We need to go get her,” Nik said. “If the intel is reliable, and from everything we can tell, it is, then Jasmine is being held in some kind of facility in Croatia. Under…” Nik’s voice trailed off. “Some woman named Marika.”

  “Karine said someone would kill Marika if we showed up,” Foster said.

  We all looked at him. “Roger, Striker, Mas, and I were there.” He looked at the other men.

  They all nodded.

  “Croatia. Where in Croatia?” Jessa asked as she gripped my hand so tight I could almost feel my bones disintegrating into dust.

  “I’ll send the links to you. You’re as close as you're ever going to be. I suggest you do some planning and get moving.”

  Jessa looked up at me. Her hand on her belly. Her eyes wide.

  I bit back the symphony of curses I wanted to let loose. “We’ll call you back, Nik.”

  “As soon as.” She disconnected the call.

  “I need to talk to Jessa privately, please,” I said in the nicest tone I was capable of at that moment.

  Everyone nodded and filed out of the room in a single line.

  Turning to the woman I loved more than I’d loved anyone before, I lowered my head to hers. “You’re pregnant, Jessa. You can’t go.”

  Tears poured from her eyes as sobs shook her frame. The trip over here had almost flattened her. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt or taken or anything else that could go wrong with this kind of rescue plan.

  “I know. But I can’t just leave her there. Not now. Not when we’ve finally found her, Nico. I can’t.” She sobbed against my chest. Ripped me to shreds.

  A knock sounded. I looked up to see Tali. “What?”

  I saw the automatic snarl that formed. Right before it faded away. My sister had grown up. And it broke my heart that it had happened this way.

  “I’ll take Jessa home. We’ll take Maggie with us. You go with the boys. Go to Croatia.”

  Everyone else pushed up behind her. Nodded.

  I looked at them all.

  “I’ll go with the girls,” Arkady said. “I won’t be good to anyone until my wounds heal. I can at least provide some extra protection. The private plane should make that easier.”

  I felt my last hesitation melt away.

  Looking at all of them, I nodded. “Thank you. Let’s get the girls and Arkady to the airport.”

  Epilogue III – Foster

  We stood on the tarmac. I watched the woman I love, the woman I’ve been trying to save for the last three weeks just get on a plane without me. What kind of horrible thing had I done in a past life to earn this kind of karma?

  A million possibilities rushed through my head.

  Fine. But it still sucked ass. And not in good ways.

  Talia stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back. I love you, she mouthed.

  I love you, too, I said back.

  She lifted a hand to her head, her thumb and pinky spread wide. She wiggled it near her head. Call me. She winked, ducked under the bulkhead and walked onto the plane.

  She better get ready for some stellar phone sex. I was already aching for her.

  Nico clapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go save some people.”

  I nodded. Damn my luck for getting into such a great family.

  **

  Don’t miss out on Nico and Jessa’s story

  Finding Domenico

  Coming February 26, 2021

  **

  Hello reader!! It’s me, Sadie. Thank you so much for coming along on Foster and Tali’s story. What a ride, amiright? Could you do me a huge favor and leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub? Reviews and ratings help me as an author by spreading the word that you liked the book. Other readers can find me more easily when you share the good news.

  Much love,

  Sadie J

  About the Author

  Born
and raised in Tornado Alley, Sadie Jacks has experience with the BDSM community, reading way too many sexy-times books, and has an unhealthy addiction to Dr. Pepper. given up her beloved Dr. Pepper. She’s trying to get in shape for her 40th birthday…in four years. And yeah, it’s probably going to take that long to do it.

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