“A contractor?” I ask, not understanding.
“You two will do the hits. We'll give you the names and you get it done.” I nod, taking it all in.
“What about the rest of the familia business?” I ask.
He shakes his head and says, “That's no longer a concern of yours. It keeps things a little neater.”
“I understand.” I take a moment to process it as he opens my beer himself and hands it to me. I finally ask, “Does that mean I don't have to call your ass 'boss' anymore?” We both give a small laugh. I have to admit it hurts a bit, but I understand. And I'm fucking grateful to still be around.
He smiles broadly. “It's the best I can do, Tommy. She's loyal to the family, and to you. That's enough for me. She's a good girl, like my Elle. She's not gonna say shit. So long as that's the case, everything's good.”
“That mean I'm not made anymore?” That'd put some bigass targets on my back.
“You're still a Valetti. And just like last night, we've got you, and you've got us, right?”
I pull my cousin in for a hug and feel like a little bitch for getting even the least bit emotional. This is better than I'd hoped for.
“You'd better fucking marry that broad, too. The sooner, the better,” he says.
“Yeah, I know, so she doesn't have to talk.”
He looks back at me with a grin as he says, “Well, that and Ma will be pissed if you don't do right by her.” His joke fills my chest with warmth. He's right, too. Aunt Linda will kick my ass.
“Love you, cuz,” Vince says.
“Love you, Vince.” We both pat each other on the back harder than we should to make up for getting so emotional.
“Still family?” I ask again, not really believing it could be that good.
Vince nods his head, “Always.”
Tonya
“You gotta meet the familia.” Tommy wants to take me to his aunt’s house for dinner. To Dante Valetti’s house. Dante Valetti is the former Don and father of the current Don, Vincent Valetti. I’m nervous as hell. It’s been two weeks of just us. Two weeks of hiding away in his apartment while we figure this shit out. There’s no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision leaving the department and doing what feels right. But then I remember his family, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
“They know I was a cop.” That's the only explanation I need. That right there is enough for them to want me dead.
“Yeah, they do. And they know you’re my girl.” Tommy rubs his hand over my belly and forces a smile from me. “You’re a woman, Tonya, and I know you hate this, but we keep women out of it.”
“But I was a cop.” I’ve seen them all a handful of times now, and each time it gets easier. But this is different. It’s not one or two of them coming over to drop something off, it’s all of them in one place. And I feel like I’m going to be an outsider.
“Yeah, for under a year. And they know about your sister and why you joined. They know you’re loyal to me.” He stands behind me and wraps his arms around my body, pulling me into his hard chest. I feel cocooned in his warmth. I close my eyes and breathe in deep. It’s not fair that he can put me at ease so effortlessly.
“Besides, there’s someone there I really think you should meet.”
“Who’s that?” I ask.
“You should meet Ava. I think you’d really love getting to know her. She lost her sister, too.”
“Ava?” The name rings a bell, but I’m not sure why.
“Yeah, she’s been asking about you. She wants to meet you.” He speaks his words softly, like he's waiting for something.
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Ivanov.” He says her last name and everything clicks into place. I turn in his arms to face him with wide eyes. She’s supposedly dead.
I part my lips, but I don’t ask. I know not to ask questions.
He gives me a small smile and says softly, “A bad man hurt her once, but she made him pay. She's a strong woman, like you. I think you two are going to get along great.”
Tears prick at my eyes, and I hold onto him with everything in me. He kisses my hair, while I try to calm down.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but he’s long gone, Tonya. He’ll never hurt anyone else.”
I cry in his arms. I haven't cried in weeks, but the need to purge all my sadness has me leaning against him in tears. He rubs my back while I cry for all of them. For my sister, for Ava’s sister. For Ava and the other survivors. I cry for them all. A calmness washes through me as I settle with exhaustion into his embrace. A feeling like a rebirth. Like I’ll finally have a fresh start. Maybe now I can finally get the catharsis I've been striving for all this time.
My blurry eyes catch a glimpse of the picture frame I put on Tommy’s nightstand. It’s the same picture that’s in my locket. My hand reaches up and I grab onto it. We were just young girls in middle school and high school, but it’s my favorite picture of us. I can’t wait until we move and make a new place of our own. We need a fresh start. And moving is the way to make that happen.
I look up at Tommy with wonder, but also a sense of insecurity. I haven’t forgotten what Jerry said, and if I’m honest with myself, I’m worried about Tommy and about him staying in the familia.
“Spit it out, baby.” His hand settles on the nape of my neck, and his thumb brushes along my jaw. It soothes me. Everything about him soothes me.
“I don’t know if I can live with you doing this, Tommy. I don’t--” I just want to list all the reasons this is so wrong. But his lips silence mine in a sweet kiss.
I moan into his mouth, just loving his touch. He pulls back, and looks at me with sincerity.
“I told you, I'm not working for the familia anymore.” I know what he said, but he's too fucking happy for that to really be the case.
“Forget about right and wrong for just a moment. Just listen to your heart, baby. What does it want? Us being together may be fucked up and wrong. But it’s what I want.”
I struggle to respond. He’s right. I do want him. He’s the only thing I want.
“Just give me a chance to love you.” His hand brushes along my belly, where our baby's growing.
It may be wrong, but I want him. I love him.
He must see that I’ve decided. He smirks and says in a playful tone, “You know you’re my bad girl.”
I shake my head and let a small laugh escape me. Tommy takes my chin in his hand and kisses me. My lips mold to his and I give in.
I love him, and that’s all that matters.
“I love you, Tommy,” I whisper as he pulls away from me.
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Tommy
I'm so fucking nervous. I don’t remember the last time my heart beat so damn hard in my chest. I shake out my hands again and start pacing.
“I’m telling you, she’s gonna say no.” I turn on my heels to face Anthony. The fucker’s grinning from ear to ear.
“You fucking love this, don’t you?” I ask him.
He smirks back at me and says, “You know I do. You get all stressed out about shit you shouldn’t be worried about.” He takes a sip of his drink and then adds, “Besides, you’ll have plenty of stress when the next list comes in.”
He’s right. I’m not as calm as Anthony is yet. I’m doing hits with him now. I’m cut off from familia business, and taking the contract hits instead. Anthony’s been showing me the ropes. And I have to admit I’m enjoying it, but I’ve got a ton of shit to learn.
I should probably be worried that I’m not really seen as a member of the familia by outsiders, but I’m not. Vince told me not to be. He’s my cousin, my blood, and he’s grown to love Tonya. All the family has.
He said things need to blow over, time to settle down. And I’m fine with that. I’d be lying if I said I was unhappy taking these hits with Anthony. It’s a nice change of pace, and less risk than what I’m used to. I don’t re
ally give a shit what I do, so long as I have my family and my girl.
She’s accepted, especially with the women. They’ve been pampering the hell out of her since she’s pregnant with our little boy. She’s having a difficult time now that she’s so far along. But he's going to be here soon. We can't fucking wait.
“You're thinking about him, aren’t you?” Anthony asks. Then he teases, “He’s gonna ruin your sex life.”
I shake my head and grin at him. He's got a shit-eating grin on his face. “You said her pregnancy was gonna ruin our sex life, and look how good that turned out.” I can hardly keep up with her. My bad girl still wants me. All fucking day if she can. “You’re so damn negative, you know that?” I tell him, as I peek out of the back doors and into the restaurant.
“Yeah, I’m a little jealous, I gotta admit that.”
I look at my brother with surprise. “Of me?” He’s never been jealous of me my whole life.
He scrunches his forehead as he replies, “Don’t look at me like that. I can be jealous if I want.”
“If you wanna girl, go get one. You wanna baby, go make one.”
He huffs a laugh and downs his drink. “It’s not quite that simple, Tommy.”
I start to tell him, “Yeah, it is that simple,” but think back and realize that no, it's not. Not for the right one. Then I hear my girl. She’s laughing, and I’d recognize that beautiful sound anywhere. I open the door a crack and look out.
She’s in black leggings and a hot pink sweater that hugs her swollen belly. She went out for ladies’ night and looks so damn happy. Ava’s hanging on her arm. The two of them are close now. Thick as thieves. I’ve gotten to know more about Kane than I ever wanted.
“Showtime.” Anthony smacks my shoulder and gets ready to open the door.
“Not yet.” I say quickly, shutting it and taking a deep breath.
“Bro, knock it off. It’s in the bag.” I look back at him and try to calm my nerves. “For real, Tommy. She loves you.” He pats my back and adds, “She’s gonna make a good wife.”
I nod my head. She is. She’s gonna be my wife. And I’m going to give her our happily ever after that she deserves.
Anthony smiles at me. “That’s the Tommy I know. Go get yourself a wife.” He opens the door and I take a few steps out into the restaurant.
She's facing away from me in her seat. They sat her like that on purpose. Ava sees me first, and lights up. She grabs a drink menu and tries to distract Tonya. The ladies look up at me one by one, and try to not make it obvious.
Aunt Linda’s smile is so fucking big, though. She’s gonna give it away. She covers her face with her hand and pretends to cough. I get down on my knee behind her and look to my right to see the guys coming out. We’re all ready to surprise her with a baby shower. I knew I wanted to do this in front of everyone, and doing it here and now, it just felt right.
While the ladies distract her, the guys open up the back room doors where the party will be. I hear them all standing behind me. It’s go time. I know it is, but I can’t fucking move. My nerves are getting the best of me.
I shake out my hands with my eyes closed, and that’s when I hear her.
“Tommy?” Her voice is full of shock. I open my eyes with the ring box in my left hand, get down on one knee, and see her wide-eyed and covering her mouth. She's got her hands up like she’s saying a prayer.
“You’re such a bad girl. You were supposed to wait till I told you to turn around.” I smirk at her. Just seeing her excitement and the happiness in her eyes puts me at ease.
Her hands fly down and start flapping like she’s a little kid.
“Tonya Ann Kelly, marry me.” I hold up the box to show her the three carat, cushion cut diamond ring with side accents I've picked out for her. I went to three different stores, but the second I saw this one, it was all over. I knew I needed to put this one on her finger.
She flings herself at me and wraps her arms around me. I don’t wait for her to answer. I slip the ring on her finger, where it belongs. Everyone’s clapping and laughing. I can hear Aunt Linda crying, 'cause that’s what she does. But the best sound is coming from my bad girl’s lips. She’s got her head buried in my neck while she clings to me, “I love you so much Tommy. I love you.”
I pull back to look into her gorgeous eyes; they’re full of nothing but happiness. “I know you do, baby. I love you, too.”
The End.
Keep reading for the next book in the series, Bad Boy, Anthony’s story.
Bad Boy
Synopsis
From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a HOT mafia, standalone romance.
I’m a dangerous man. You may be fooled by my good looks and charm, but my eyes give it away.
I’m the hitman for the Valetti familia, and I’m damn good at what I do.
They want men to talk, and I make them talk. They want men gone — bang, it’s done. It’s as simple as that.
Until her.
She’s on my list, but I want her. On her knees and submitting to my every command.
I'll give her a simple choice — die, or be mine.
I’ve always wanted this. Now that I have the chance, I’m taking it.
I can fulfill those fantasies I know she has. I’m going to make her beg for it.
Anthony
I stare at the picture from the envelope and feel so damn conflicted. I crumple the edges in my hand, not knowing if I really wanna go through with this. My eyes travel along each feature of her face, pausing to admire her large, brown eyes and long, thick lashes. She has gorgeous full lips I want to bite, but also see wrapped around my cock. Her nails are done in a classic shade of red, and her light brown hair hangs over her shoulders in loose curls. Her breasts peek out just above the neckline of her flowing blouse. I wish I could slowly strip her out of those clothes. But I can’t. She’s not mine. Even worse, I’m supposed to kill her.
I shove the slip of paper back into the envelope containing the other photos, those hits I couldn’t give two shits about. They're for assholes who have it coming to them. One stole and ran in order to keep up with his addiction. You don’t steal from a mob boss and think you can get away with it. The second killed a made man. He knows it’s coming. Neither are doing a good job of hiding. They’ll be easy hits.
I take another swig from my beer and debate on taking the sheet back out. But I have her face memorized already. I want her. More than that, I want to break her. My thoughts are depraved, and I know it. I think back to the last chick I had. She liked to play. But that’s all it was to her. Play. I want the real thing. I want to earn a woman’s submission, earn her desire to please me through training. So far, it’s always been pretend. I’ve never had an opportunity like this. But it’s wrong. It’s so fucked up and wrong.
But then again, so am I.
I carve up assholes and kill them for a living. The torturing and their screams don't affect me in the least.
This broad has it coming to her, even if she doesn’t know it. She probably thought she was doing the right thing by going to the cops. She probably thinks she's safe in the witness protection program. She’s not. She didn’t know what she was doing, and now it’s my responsibility to make her disappear. She cost the Cassano familia a lot of money, but more than anything, they lost face. The fucker she was involved with doesn’t care that she’s on a hit list. He’s just pissed she ratted on them, even if the charges didn’t stick.
Killing her is purely about their pride and the deal they lost.
I grind my teeth and slowly peel back the label on my beer bottle. I have to be delicate so it doesn’t tear apart. Patience. I need patience. With everything I do, I need patience.
I’ve been looking into her, and I know she’d fit the part. Poor girl didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she started fucking around with a member of the Cassanos. She's a sweet little thing who thought she’d like a taste of the more dangerous things in life. I can g
ive her more than a taste though. I can give her exactly what she was looking for and fulfill those fantasies I know she has. And she can give me what I’ve always wanted.
I spied on her again last night. She was reading one of her books, and I watched as it turned her on. Of course she had no idea, but I was right fucking there. The only thing separating us was a brick wall. With her window open, I clearly heard all those soft moans coming from her lips. I had to know what she was reading, so I snuck in and took a look around.
I Googled that book the second I got home. Her own dark desires sealed her fate.
She has deviant fantasies just like me. She’s fucking perfect.
“Anthony, you wanna talk now?” I hear Vince ask as he pulls up the stool to my right. I messaged him earlier. I place my bottle on the bar and push it to one side as the bartender slides Vince his usual Jack.
I lean back a bit and tap my knuckles on the bar before facing him. Vince is a ruthless fucker, and he doesn’t take any shit. He’s also my cousin, so I feel safe with him. But this is the mob, and he’s the Don. I’m never that safe.
“It’s about the hits we got in,” I tell him in a low enough voice that no one else present is going to hear. Not that it matters. It’s our bar, and we know everyone in here.
“You need help? Tommy’s not enough?” he asks, cocking a brow. Tommy’s my brother, and he's also my second-in-command. Technically we’re both contractors for the familia. We only do hits, and we don’t bother with that other bullshit.
“No,” I say with certitude. I never need help. Hits are easy for me, in addition to being good money.
He takes a sip and licks his lips. “What’s the problem, then?” he asks.
“There’s one that I’d rather not do,” I tell him.
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