Gun Moll

by Bethany-Kris

  “Or,” Enzo drawled, smirking wickedly, “… it’s entirely true and whatever it was that happened is so shocking, people don’t trust that anyone will believe them, regardless if they are being honest or not.”

  Luca laughed darkly, tilting his glass towards his men. “Always on point, boys.”

  The camaraderie between the men was just about the only thing that felt normal to Mac. He honestly believed that Luca was close, if not best friends, with his underboss and consigliere. There had to be a certain level of trust between the three for them to work together, after all.

  A quiet Guido sipped a glass of spiced rum as he sat in a corner chair, watching the exchange with a guarded gaze and nothing more.

  “As I was saying,” Luca said, turning back to give his attention to Mac. “My father-in-law has a hand in a few trades. He fancies himself a hero of sorts. One of his trades often crosses paths with an auction of sorts.”

  “And that girl comes into any of this how?” Mac asked, carefully choosing his words.

  “They’re gifts, of course. Marcus believes he’s saving them when he can, taking them from something horrible, and putting them somewhere better. It’s the best they can have with no names, no history, and no real life. If you understand what I mean, Mac.”

  He couldn’t be talking about …

  Was he?

  “Trafficked humans,” Mac said quietly.

  Both Enzo and Matthew watched Mac as if they were assessing his tone and reaction to the news. Mac refused to let them see how disgusted the idea of trafficked souls actually made him. There was nothing he could do about the girl, or the other people he’d met earlier. And if he believed what Luca told him, then they were treated far better here than they would be elsewhere.

  “Well, the term used at auction is ‘slaves’,” Luca explained, sounding entirely bored. “At least, that’s how Marcus described it. He’s known to trade certain things for the ones he believes can be saved, for whatever reason. Occasionally, he sends them here. My wife is good with them—she’s had her own experience in all that nonsense, but I won’t get into that.”

  Mac took some sense of comfort in knowing the … slaves … were treated well, and that Luca’s wife took care of them in some way. It still didn’t settle quite right, but Mac didn’t have a choice but to drop it.

  “As I said,” Luca added, shrugging, “I find them amusing.”

  Mac swallowed hard, lifted his glass to hide the bobbing of his Adam’s apple, and pretended to take a sip of whiskey. When Luca spun on his heel to chat with his two men for a moment, and Guido’s attention was diverted to the boss, Mac tipped his glass into the bamboo tree in the corner, and dumped out a quarter of the contents.

  Drinking was not an option for Mac. He would fake it for someone else’s benefit—or to trick a man, if a situation called for it—but he wouldn’t willingly drink. Not after watching his drunk of a father use alcohol like a crutch for most of his life.

  By the time the boss’s attention was back on Mac, nothing looked amiss. The glass of whiskey was back up to Mac’s mouth as if he was taking another drink.

  “So, let’s chat,” Luca said.

  “I’d be happy to,” Mac replied. “I just don’t know about what exactly, Boss.”

  “Your female, for one.”

  “Melina.”

  Luca’s nose crinkled like he’d smelled something bad. “I’m aware of Miss Morgan’s name. How did you come about dating an escort, anyway?”

  “We met at an event we both attended and hit it off. Luck, I guess.”

  It wasn’t a total lie.

  “And how long have you been dating?” Luca asked.

  That was a difficult question.

  Thankfully, Mac had an answer prepared. “Time kind of bleeds with Melina. You don’t really notice it passing by.”

  “Your Capo wasn’t aware that you had a girl.”

  “Mac’s always been quiet about that sort of thing,” Guido said from the corner.

  Luca ignored the older gentleman, keeping his attention on only Mac. “And do you often allow your females to behave abhorrently in both their career choices and personal life?”

  “What’s wrong with Melina’s job?”

  “She’s a whore,” Enzo said, scoffing.

  Matthew nodded his agreement. “A little checking is all it takes to find out who she’s been … working, so to speak.”

  Luca waved at his men. “There you go. Doesn’t it bother you at all?”

  “That she needed to support herself and did so how she could?” Mac asked quietly. “No, that doesn’t bother me at all.”

  “Call a whore a whore, Mac,” Luca said.

  It took all Mac had inside him to keep from barking at the Pivetti Don that Melina was no man’s whore, and she didn’t deserve the title. What in the fuck was his problem with Melina, anyway? “As far as I know, she wasn’t fucking men for money, Boss.”

  “But it’s possible.”

  Mac chuckled. “You should spend some time with my girl. She’s not the kind of woman who has a price, Boss.”

  Guido snorted, and then shrugged when all eyes turned on him. “Sorry, but Mac has a point. Melina is quite … headstrong and independent. She doesn’t scream ‘hooker’ to me. Sure, the job is a little questionable, but maybe she’s one of those girls who doesn’t need to fuck to earn her buck, Boss. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Again, Luca ignored Guido.

  “Well, her father was quite sick, and essentially tossed aside by the government after he’d done his duty for this godforsaken country,” Luca murmured. “I can see how she would need something to support him with his medical issues, as well as her own home. I’ll let the job pass, Mac, but you’ll do well to keep her from going back to something similar.”

  Mac took that info in. He hadn’t known that. Somehow, Luca did. That told Mac the boss had been looking into Melina. What was it that he’d mentioned earlier before they came up here to chat?

  Military?

  Yes, that was it.

  “After the mess with the cops,” Mac said quickly, “my girl knows that the escorting really isn’t an option anymore. As far as the behavior you mentioned on the personal side of things, I’m just guessing here, but you must be talking about Vin. I handled that, Boss. Both on his side of things, and hers.”

  Luca smiled like that pleased him. “Good. The cops have me concerned.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Probably not in the same way. This girl of yours … she practically comes out of nowhere. I asked about the length of your relationship because I want to make sure she hasn’t been planted or—”

  “Absolutely not,” Mac interrupted.

  Luca cocked a brow. “I beg your pardon?”

  The coldness in the man’s tone might as well have slapped Mac in the face. “Sorry, Boss, no offense meant … I just get a little touchy when people start climbing my girl’s back about that nonsense. She’s no rat, and she’s not a fucking cop wearing a pretty dress. She’s just a girl—mine. Hell, she put a bullet in a man for me.”

  Luca sucked in a heavy breath, watching Mac closely as he said, “Yes, Tip. I’d heard about that unfortunate event.”

  “He had it coming.”

  The faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Luca’s mouth. “You do realize that had it been you who put a bullet into a made man, I would have returned the favor.”

  Silence covered the room in a heavy, awkward blanket.

  Mac nodded once. “I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

  “I’m glad we got that cleared up, then,” Luca replied. “But on the topic of your girl …”

  All over again, Mac got the distinct impression that Luca wasn’t fond of Melina and had no intention of ever liking her. Mac had heard stories of how difficult the boss could be when it came to accepting newcomers into his folds. To Luca, Mac probably wasn’t considered an outsider, what with his old family ties to Cosa Nostra, his father’
s involvement, Mac’s own work, and whatever Guido had been saying about him.

  But Melina?

  She was nobody to Luca.

  “What about her, Boss?”

  “I’m sure you know some of the details concerning her family history, yes?” Luca questioned quietly.

  “Yes,” Mac lied.

  Praying to God up above that Luca wouldn’t question specific details, Mac almost missed Luca’s reply.

  “Then you know to be careful with her,” Luca said. “We all must be careful with whom we associate and have around, Mac. You, more than anyone, should be aware of that little fact, what with the effort you’ve put into keeping a distance between your father and yourself.”

  Guido coughed in the corner, dropping his gaze down.

  Luca passed the man a cool stare. “Although, I must say, I was surprised to learn that one of Guido’s best soldatos happened to come from filth like James Maccari.”

  Mac let the comment roll off his shoulders.

  Guido shrugged. “I told you, Boss, I didn’t think the kid was ready.”

  What?

  Mac almost shouted the question out loud, but somehow managed to keep it inside his head. His Capo, the man who taught Mac practically everything about the streets and how to run them, didn’t think he was ready?

  When had hell frozen over?

  What was Guido trying to prove?

  “Yes, well,” Luca muttered, setting his glass to the table, “… you’ve not given him much of a choice but to be noticed now, Guido. First the truck incident with Anthony’s territory, then the girl, and now the Tip nonsense. Frankly, you couldn’t have done a better job of bringing him to my attention, had you asked him to jump my fence and try to get past the guard dogs.”

  Mac’s brow flew high at that statement. “You have dogs?”

  “Yes. Another gift from my father-in-law. Beautiful creatures.”

  “Vicious creatures, you mean,” Guido mumbled around the rim of his glass. “Little bastards.”

  Luca smiled a cruel sight. “Ah, watch it, Guido, or I’ll have you be their babysitter the next time I have to leave the city for some time.”

  Guido’s mouth snapped shut instantly.

  Mac chuckled under his breath, but it quickly faded when Luca turned on him again.

  “My first inclination is not to trust your woman,” the Don said honestly. “Given what I know about her and also what I don’t know about her, I can’t see my opinion changing. There is an unfortunate amount of attention on her right now from the official side of things, so I will be keeping watch.”

  “Like you already have been?” Mac asked.

  “Noticed, did you?”

  “I’d be dead if I didn’t notice things.”

  “Good point,” Luca said, flashing a grin. “Be that as it may, I am still watching, Mac. And if I happen to find even one thing on that woman that could bring harm to my children, my wife, or my Cosa Nostra, I will put her down like a dog.”

  “There’s nothing to find,” Mac said, willing away the sudden thickness in his throat.

  “There had better not be, or you’ll find yourself in a grave next to hers.” Luca flicked his hand in Mac’s direction as if to dismiss him. His next words sealed the deal. “Go, enjoy the evening. Find your woman and make sure she behaved while you were away from her side. I’m sure this won’t be our last encounter, Mac.”

  Mac smirked. “I hope not. Just maybe for a different reason next time.”

  “Keep working at it,” Luca replied. “Good men get noticed, Mac, but the honorable ones get the button. While you’re downstairs, I suggest you begin working on the honor side of things by finding Anthony and working some kind of arrangement out that pleases him to make up for the truck and money incident.”

  “Yes, do that,” Guido echoed, smiling a little too slyly.

  Mac shot his Capo a hard look he hoped voiced his anger. Guido went back to drinking like nothing was amiss.

  “Mac?” Luca asked.

  “Yeah, Boss?”

  “I said you were to leave. It wasn’t a request.”

  Mac got the point. He disappeared from the room before he needed to be told again, and dumped the remainder of his whiskey into another plant as he passed it by in the hallway.

  Now, he had to find Melina.

  His little doll wasn’t going to like what he’d just learned. His concern over her safety was now at a critical level. Luca had eyes on Melina, and the man seemed almost intent on finding something awful on her. Something worthy of killing her.

  Mac couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that happen. Melina hadn’t asked for this. She was innocent. A bystander that got caught up in something that had little to nothing to do with her life. The chance of Mac being able to cut his ties with Melina and let her go scot-free was unlikely, too. Luca might take that as a sign of Mac’s dwindling care for the woman and decide to take her out if he felt she was still a liability.

  Goddammit.

  Plus … her family history.

  What was that about?

  Everything about this night felt ten shades of wrong to Mac.

  But he still had shit to do.

  Neeya Pivetti was an interesting woman.

  Regal.

  Strong.

  Melina liked her and she was fairly certain the Pivetti Don’s wife was warming up to her as well. That still didn’t take away the fact that she was a guest in a hostile environment.

  An unwelcome guest.

  Though Neeya had done her best to engage Melina in conversation and patron her presence, nothing could make Melina forget her brief encounter with Luca Pivetti. The man didn’t like her. That much was obvious and normally she wouldn’t have cared, but things were different when a man that didn’t like you was a Cosa Nostra Don that knew things about a past you didn’t advertise.

  Yeah. That was when things got sticky.

  Melina had enough problems in her life. The last thing she needed was Luca added to the mix. And what about Mac? He’d been gone for a lot longer than she’d expected him to be and that could only mean one of two things. His meeting was going very well or had gone very badly and her would-be “boyfriend,” was on his way to a body bag.

  Grabbing another glass of champagne from a passing waiter, Melina gulped it down in an effort to calm her nerves. Mac was a big boy. He could take care of himself. She’d seen that firsthand, but this wasn’t just an everyday occurrence. From the moment they’d entered the Pivetti monstrosity of a mansion, the stakes had been upped. It had been a long time since Melina had prayed, but if sending up a few words to the Big Man Upstairs was what it took to get her and Mac out of here breathing, she was willing to do just that.

  “Doll, you look a little tipsy.”

  Melina’s eyes flew to Mac’s face. His hand rested possessively just above the swell of her ass but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, his attention was focused across the room on a dark-haired man with a slight build. A burning cigar was held between his lips as he engaged in conversation with a waitress.

  “How do you know how I look when your attention is across the room?”

  The words came out more harshly than she intended for them to. Mac smirked before his eyes locked onto her in a bold stare. She swallowed hard.

  “Just because I’m not always looking at you, doesn’t mean I don’t see.”

  “And exactly what does that mean? More cryptic mob talk?”

  A furrow formed between Mac’s brows and for the first time, she noticed the unease that hung between them.

  “Mac, what’s wrong?” she asked him.

  He sighed. “A lot of things, doll, but we’ll handle them however they come.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Mac glanced around before he took her hand and led her away. He was walking so fast she was having a hard time keeping up with him. He was holding her hand so tight she could feel the tension in his body. This wasn’t the Mac she knew. The Mac she knew wa
s confident to the tee and unafraid of anything. The man holding her hand now was strung up tighter than a steer at a rodeo. With purposeful steps, he led her down a short hallway, haphazardly opening up doors as they went and peeking inside. When they came to almost the end of the hallway, Mac opened a door and pulled her inside before shutting and locking the door behind them.

  Melina jerked away from his grasp and he let her. She watched him as he stood silently leaning against the wall, arms folded. He watched her but said nothing.

  “Mac?”

  He pushed off the wall and came towards her in one fluid motion. As he pulled her towards him, Melina cocked a brow.

  “I’ll explain everything but first…” he trailed off.

  “First what?” she whispered.

  “I need you.”

  His lips met hers in an open-mouthed kiss that had a hint of whiskey and desperation.

  Mac didn’t drink. Ever. He had mentioned that to Melina during their evening together when she’d asked about having some wine brought up with food.

  Something was very wrong. She pulled away.

  “Mac, whiskey?”

  Ignoring her question, he kissed her again with no hint of gentleness. His mouth sought to dominate hers and for once, Melina let down her guard. It didn’t matter what had happened or what would happen. Right now, she was in the arms of a man who wanted her, who needed her. And deep in the back of her mind, Melina was slowly starting to think she might need him, too.

  With his hard body pressed into hers, one of his hands slid down her waist to pull up the hem of her dress. She glanced at their surroundings and noticed they were in a small bedroom. A queen-sized bed on a dais dominated the room.

  “We’ve got a bed,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Why do you think I picked this room, doll?”

  Rolling her eyes, Melina allowed Mac to guide them over to the bed but just as the back of her legs hit the bed, she spun around and pushed Mac down. His hands grabbed her waist bringing her with him. Pushing against his chest, Melina straddled him.

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I think it’s time I reminded you exactly what kind of woman you’re dealing with.”

  Mac smirked as Melina reached for his pants with deft hands. Undoing the top button, she lowered his zipper and reached inside, freeing him from the confines of his pants. He was hard and thick in her hand and growing larger as she slowly stroked him. Below her, Mac gritted his teeth. She loved the power he let her have over him and the way he willingly ceded his control to her. But Melina sensed he didn’t need her to be an alpha female right now. What Mac needed was to reassert his dominance.