by Nicole Fox
This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons--living or dead--is entirely coincidental.
Ciro’s Promise: A Bad Boy Mob Romance (Santora Mafia) (The Outlaw’s Oath Collection Book 1) copyright 2017 by Nicole Fox. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission.
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Contents
Ciro’s Promise: A Bad Boy Mob Romance (Santora Mafia) (The Outlaw’s Oath Collection Book 1)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Books by Nicole Fox
Made to Riot: A Motorcycle Club Romance (The Ancestors MC) (Beards & Leather Book 5)
Meant for Sin: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Thunder Riders MC) (Beards and Leather Book 4)
Born to Ride: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Midnight Hunters MC) (Beards and Leather Book 3)
Built to Kill: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance (Moretti Family Mafia)
Ride ‘Til Dawn: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance (Filthy Fools MC)
The Traitor’s Baby: Reaper’s Hearts MC
Filthy Nights: Demon Riders MC
Filthy Sins: Sons of Wolves MC
Knocked Up by the Killer: A Hitman Baby Romance
Knocked Up by the Rebel: The Shadow Hunters MC
Mailing List
Ciro’s Promise: A Bad Boy Mob Romance (Santora Mafia) (The Outlaw’s Oath Collection Book 1)
By Nicole Fox
I promised I’d ruin her for all other men.
She’s suffered enough at the hands of an abusive monster.
But I showed her how to find pleasure in pain, in submission – to me.
Afterwards, I tried to erase her from my mind and be the cold-hearted don my father wants me to be.
But part of me always knew: one night with Sofia would never be enough.
SOFIA
Everyone makes mistakes, of course.
But not everyone makes mistakes as stupid as sleeping with Ciro Santora.
You gotta be a special kind of crazy to have a one-night stand with a mob underboss…
While still married to the crooked cop on his payroll.
They say there’s no silver linings in a deal with the devil.
But I did get my four-year-old son Christopher out of that sweaty, sinful night.
And he's the best thing in my life.
But time is ticking and it's just a matter of time before my psychotic ex figures out who the real father is.
And when he does… there'll be hell to pay.
I need safety, fast.
And there’s only one place to run:
Into the arms of the mafia monster who brought this chaos into my life in the first place.
But the problem is, Ciro's protection comes with a high price.
And I don't know if I'm ready to be the mobster’s bride.
CIRO
Danger. Money. Power.
They all have their reasons for sleeping with me.
And I don't discriminate.
Sofia was different, though.
I had no right to her – but since when did that ever stop me?
But, if I could do things over again I would have stayed away.
Left her to raise Christopher alone.
No kid deserves this life.
Trust me; I know.
But I can’t go back.
My sins are etched in stone.
And now, my best friend is dead and his blood is on my hands.
Brokering a deal with the Vincenzo family isn't going to cut it.
Someone needs to pay for his death.
It's time for me to become what I was always meant to be:
A ruthless don with no mercy in his heart.
Chapter One
2 Years Ago
Sophia
“You’re such a handsome little man, aren’t you?” I held up a wooden block, and Christopher’s pudgy little hand slowly grasped it. He pulled it to his chest, grinning mischievously, as though he had done something tricky.
“Block, Mama? Block?” Christopher held it back out for me to see.
“Yes, block. Very good.” I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t planned to become a mother, at least not yet. But sometimes things happen, and I had to believe there was a reason for them. Christopher was everything to me. He had completely turned my life upside-down. I could no longer head out with the girls on a Friday night for drinks and concerts, because I was too busy washing sippy cups and keeping up with the massive amount of laundry a small child generated. I didn’t stay up late at night, because I knew I had to get whatever sleep I could before Christopher woke up. My childless friends didn’t understand.
“I don’t know how you do it,” they would say. Or, “That has got to be so hard on you.” And the truth? Yes, it was hard. There were times I was so frustrated and tired that I didn’t know how I would get through the next day. But then my little man would toddle up and wrap his arms around me, and everything would be all right again.
The little boy turned around and wandered over to the large tote of toys, digging around inside it for another block to go with the first one. I could watch him for hours, but my gaze flicked up to the clock on the wall. It was well past the time that Joe should have gotten off his shift. I had never really planned to marry a cop, either. Joe and I were just kids when we got together, young and free and happy. It wasn’t until we got married that he got a little more serious about his work and finally completed all his training to become an officer for the Plum Valley Police. I was proud of him at first. But the more he worked, the more he drank, and I knew a job change would benefit him.
And besides, I worried about him. There was no telling what might happen to him while he was out on the streets fighting crime. No amount of body armor could convince me that he wouldn’t get shot. And then where would that leave me? Joe had the only income for our little household, since I was so busy with Christopher. Our livelihood depended on him.
“Dada?” Christopher asked as he brought another block over to me and set it in my lap. “Dada home?” His bright green eyes watched me inquisitively.
“He’ll be home soon,” I said soothingly, though I didn’t quite feel it. It was likely that he was just held over doing paperwork, but I wouldn’t be comfortable until I saw him walk through the front door. It was too late for my son to be awake, but I wanted his company until I knew we were all back together again.
“Dada go night-night?” Another block fell into the pile with the first
two.
“Yes, daddy will go to bed, and so will you, and so will I.” I relished the idea of slipping between the covers. I wouldn’t sleep deeply. Even with Christopher in the next room and a good baby monitor, I was always alert.
Right on cue, the front door opened. I jumped to my feet to greet my husband at the door, but the heavy scent of whiskey pushed me backward. “I was starting to worry about you,” I said gently. “Did your shift go well?”
Joe glared at me. His deep-set, blue eyes always turned a little evil when he’d been drinking, and he wasn’t capable of anything but a scowl. His brown hair was sticking out in several directions, as though he had run his hands through it, and his thin face looked treacherous. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”
“Dada!” Christopher called from the living room. Joe didn’t reply.
“I’m not saying you can’t. I just love you, that’s all.” I took a step backward to allow him a wide berth to come into the apartment. I had to remember not to be too argumentative. It was always a good rule when around Joe Pitera, but it was even more important when he wasn’t sober.
“Why are you still awake, anyway?” he demanded as he stomped to the fridge. He yanked open the door and leaned heavily on it as he looked inside. It took him a long moment to scan the contents before he finally retrieved a beer. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“We thought we would wait up for you,” I replied quickly. “We’ve missed you today.”
He popped the cap on his beer bottle and left it on the counter top. I would have to pick it up later, when I took out the trash can that was crammed with bottles and cans. “If you missed me so much, then maybe you shouldn’t have been out spending my money.”
I shook my head. “We haven’t left all day. I haven’t been to the store since Saturday, when I bought groceries.” I had stocked up on diapers, wipes, milk, and snacks when Joe had gotten paid. I knew if I didn’t, I would be hard-pressed to get the money from him between paychecks.
“No, Sophia. I saw the charges on my account. You’ve been all over the place, and I’m out of money already. Do you know how hard I have to work to earn that money, while you sit here on your ass?”
“Can I see your account? I really haven’t done anything. Maybe someone stole your information.” I held my hand out, hoping to get his phone so I could solve this mystery. It wasn’t the first time he had accused me of such things, and I knew I hadn’t spent any unnecessary money. “Or at least tell me where the purchases were made.”
“I don’t have to tell you. You already know. You got in my wallet while I was sleeping, and you thought you’d have a spending spree. What did you even get for it? I don’t see you wearing any new clothes, and this apartment still looks as shitty as it always does.” He sneered at me, his eyes flicking over my body as though it disgusted him.
I swallowed a lump of tears that had formed in my throat. “I really try to keep the place clean for you, honey. But we can’t really help the carpet or the walls. If the landlord would just let us paint—”
“Don’t you go blaming everyone else! That’s what you’re always doing—trying to make it everyone’s fault except yours. And I guess the next thing you’re going to tell me is that I made all those charges on my card myself?”
“Well, I don’t know,” I stammered, getting truly nervous now. There were not enough eggshells to walk on. “I’d have to see it, and I’m sure we can figure it out, but it wasn’t me.” My mouth grew dry, and I glanced down at Christopher. He was used to his father ignoring him, and he had gone back to digging through the tote of toys. At least he hadn’t noticed what was going on. I didn’t want him growing up thinking it was normal for a couple to argue like we did. Joe and I just needed to get through this rough patch, and then we would be fine.
“That’s it. Let’s go.” Joe grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me around. He stormed down the hallway.
“Don’t! I need to put Christopher to bed. Please let go.” His fingers dug into my flesh, pinching and twisting as I tried to get away.
He pulled me into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Flinging me on the bed, he let go of my wrist long enough to begin undoing his belt buckle. “If you’re going to take all my money and be such a raving bitch, then I’m going to get something out of it. Get naked.”
“No, Joe,” I squeaked as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. “I don’t want to. Not when you’re like this. Let’s wait until tomorrow.” I was trying to be gentle. If I just waited long enough, he would pass out.
“You don’t want to? You’re my wife, in case you’ve forgotten. I can do what I want.” His pants down, he came to the side of the bed and shoved me down again. His hands fumbled clumsily and angrily with my jeans.
I tried to bat his hands away. When we were younger, I couldn’t resist making love with him. He was passionate and fun. But I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually gotten mine during sex. Even so, there was no way I wanted to do this when he was drunk and angry. “I don’t mind you being the ruler of the roost, Joe, but I’m not doing this.” I sat up again, trying to get off the bed and get past him.
I didn’t even see his fist. It slammed into the side of my face, sending me reeling backward. Stars danced in front of my eyes, drowning out the sight of him his he ripped off my pants and pinned me to the bed. I was too weak to fight back, trying just to stay conscious.
“Now, don’t make me do that again,” he growled. I could feel the heat of his body on mine.
“No!” I screamed. I’d had enough. Joe had threatened to hit me plenty of times. Every time we argued, it had ended with a raised fist in the air. But he had never gone through with it. They were empty threats. I didn’t like arguing with him, and I tried to keep him happy, but there was no way I could do it. Not when he was like this. I shoved and kicked, pushing him off me.
Joe was surprisingly strong when he was drunk. He was a skinny man, but his wiry muscles were enough to overpower me. Each of his hands grabbed mine and slammed them to the mattress as his knees pushed mine apart. I sobbed as he thrusted away with his half-limp dick, ashamed that this was what my life had come to.
When he grunted his satisfaction, I held my breath as I yanked up my jeans. I knew from experience that he would now fall over to his side of the bed and fall asleep in his clothes, not waking up until late the next morning. But he wasn’t done with me yet. Not this time. “There, was that so bad? You should have just cooperated, Sophia. I do everything for you, and you can’t do one little thing for me.”
“But—”
“Shut up!” The flat of his hand smacked into my cheek, leaving the skin burning. “All you have to do is fucking shut up and do what I say! I’m so sick of your shit, Sophia.”
He picked me up, moving my limp body as though it weighed no more than the beers he constantly tipped back, and flung me into the bedroom wall. I crashed into a shelf. A heavy vase came down and thumped the top of my head. My vision blackened around the edges once again as I fell to the floor.
“See what you get?” Joe barked. He crossed the room in quick strides. The toe of his boot thumped against my ribs. “I try to be good to you, but you don’t let me. Just wait and see what happens if you keep this up!” He kicked me again, battering my sides, my arms, and my legs.
I rolled away, but it hurt so much to move. I lay there and took it, unable to do anything else. My hair had fallen over my face, and my tears slowly began soaking it.
“Fuck this. I’m leaving.” He barged back down the hall and out of the apartment, the door crashing shut behind him.
It hurt to cry. He had bruised my ribs, and every breath was agonizing. But I couldn’t help it. I’d gotten myself into this mess, and now I didn’t know how I would ever get out of it. Joe was my husband. He would never let me get a divorce. If I did, what would happen to Christopher? I couldn’t let him go on visitations with that monster. There was no telling what he might to do him, or if he would take
care of him at all. No, I was stuck. I would never get out.
A tiny hand touched my shoulder. “Mama go night-night?”
I sucked in my breath, not wanting him to know I was crying. Keeping my hair over my face so he wouldn’t see the bruises that I could feel forming there, I wrapped him in my arms and carried him to his bedroom. Even the small weight of his body seemed too much, but I had to be strong. If I couldn’t do it for myself, I at least had to do it for him. “Yes, baby. Mama’s ready to go night-night.”
Chapter Two
Sophia
“Mommy, where are we going?” Christopher was strapped into his booster seat, looking eagerly through the window of my old sedan. He loved car rides, and he was always interested in learning how to get around town. I couldn’t turn toward the fast food restaurant or the park without him knowing what direction we were headed.
I hadn’t turned off the main road yet. “Remember, sweetie? We’re going to the park today. Your daddy’s going to be there, so you guys can play together for a little while.” My stomach churned at the thought. No matter how many times we did this, I was always nervous when I knew I was going to see Joe.
