Mafia Lullaby: A Dark Captive Romance

by Alta Hensley

  Copyright © 2020 Alta Hensley and Measha Stone

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  Book design by Simply Defined Art

  Editing by Maggie Ryan

  First printing edition 2020.

  www.altahensley.com

  www.meashastone.com

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  About Alta Hensley

  Also by Alta Hensley

  About Measha Stone

  Also by Alta Hensley

  She’s a Lullaby girl. Her fate is sealed.

  In a twisted, underground House of depravity, the women do not belong to me.

  But they are mine to train. To groom. To perfect in the most wicked of ways.

  This dark House changed me.

  What was asked of me, corrupted the man I once was.

  But the sickness did not break me.

  I remained in control regardless.

  Until her.

  Cloaked in secrets and lies, I have a new focus…

  I want my own Lullaby girl.

  Zero dollars. Ariana blinked, hoping the number would change. It didn’t.

  Her bank account had zero dollars when only two days ago her paycheck had been deposited. It wasn’t a mighty check, a few hundred dollars from working the register at the bakery, but it was more than zero.

  “Fuck.” She ripped the receipt from the ATM and checked it one more time. The bank closed an hour ago. She’d have to wait until the morning to talk to someone about it. Obviously, someone hacked her account. She’d been robbed.

  After tucking her debit card back into her purse, she headed down the street to the bus stop. She had one token left, which meant she’d be walking to work in the morning. Pulling her jacket tighter around herself, Ariana ducked into the shelter to wait for the bus. She’d missed her usual bus in order to get a few hours of overtime. Cleaning the ovens at the bakery was one of the jobs she disliked the most, but it gave her extra cash. And if she ever wanted to move out of the studio closet she was renting, she needed more income.

  A chilled breeze blew into the shelter, blowing her hair wildly around her. Traffic was lighter at this time of night. The sun had already disappeared behind the tall buildings, casting the corner into shadows.

  Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, so she grabbed it.

  Found your letter. Sorry to see you go, but I understand.

  Her boss, Randy, had sent her the message. Confused, she started to tap out a response. Maybe he was texting the wrong person. She wasn’t going anywhere. Where the hell would she go? She didn’t even have bus money.

  Two men stepped inside the bus shelter with Ariana.

  “Evening.” The taller of them greeted her with a sharp nod. The other, less tall but not short by any means, rolled his shoulders back and flicked his chin up toward her. The strong scent of musky cologne filled the space.

  “Hi,” she mumbled and went back to sending her text.

  “Cold tonight.” The tall man began small talk.

  “Yeah,” Ariana responded, watching her phone. Sending. The message wasn’t going through.

  The two men stepped closer to her. Both wore well-fitting suits with dark ties and shiny shoes. Why would they be needing the bus? Ariana took a few steps to the left, away from them.

  She typed out the message again and hit send.

  Message not sent

  What the hell was going on with her phone? She paid the bill last week. Maybe it was the service. She held out her phone higher, looking at the bars light up on her screen. No, she wasn’t in a dead zone.

  With a frustrated groan, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket. She’d call Randy as soon as she got home. It had to be a mistake, and easily fixed.

  Ariana stepped off the curb and searched down the road for the bus. Rush hour had ended long ago; there was barely any traffic. Finding a cab would take longer, and she didn’t exactly have the cash for it.

  The two men sharing the shelter with her weren’t talking. When she glanced over her shoulder at them, she found their gazes locked on her. She shook off the shiver climbing up her neck and stepped back onto the curb but moved outside the shelter. The wind wasn’t so bad, and it definitely gave her less of a chill than the guys.

  The taller of the two checked his phone. “Right around the corner,” he mumbled to his friend.

  Ariana turned her attention to the corner. A black town car turned onto the main street and headed for them. She took a small step back when it pulled to the curb directly in front of her.

  With a glance toward the men, she took a larger step to the side, assuming their ride had arrived.

  The shorter of the two stepped to the car and pulled open the back door.

  “Ariana,” he said with a blank expression.

  Her heart stopped.

  He knew her name. How could he know her name?

  She shook her head, starting to turn away from the car, but the taller man was there. She stepped right into him. He gripped her shoulders hard. Her knees bent, trying to get away from the pressure of his grasp.

  “In the car, Ariana. Time to go,” he said, shoving her toward the vehicle.

  “What? No!” She jerked to the side, trying to get out of his grip, but he only tightened his hold.

  Her knees threatened to buckle, but she had to run. She had to escape these men.

  What the fuck was going on?

  “She’s going to put up a fight,” the man holding the door open said. His tone suggested he looked forward to her attempt to escape.

  “Good. I like it when they do.” The taller man laughed. He released her shoulders, but before she could get even a step away from him, he had her.

  No amount of kicking or squirming was a match for his strength. Her throat burned with her shrill cries for help. Her feet made no contact; her hands were useless at hitting a helpful target. In the end, she was stuffed into the back of the town car, followed by the two men.

  “No!” Her last scream as a free woman was a futile attempt.

  They had her.

  She was theirs.

  Never get into the car. She’d been taught this as a child. Once you were inside the car, you were a dead person. Everyone knew this.

  Don’t get into the car! />
  The door slammed shut.

  She righted herself, looking to the front seat, to the driver. Another man wearing the same suit. His eyes were covered by his sunglasses. The evening had already descended; there was no sunlight.

  “Let me go!” she yelled and lunged for the door. Yanking on the handle proved fruitless. The door wouldn’t budge.

  “Let’s go,” one of the men said and slapped the back of the driver’s seat.

  The car lunged forward, taking off from the bus stop into the empty road. Ariana smacked the window, wrenched the handle, never giving up hope she’d get herself out of the car before they got too far away.

  “She’s going to hurt herself,” the driver snapped.

  “Fine.” The man next to Ariana grabbed her and pulled her into his chest. “I was hoping not to have to use this yet.”

  She wiggled, clawing at his face but the second man easily captured her wrists and pinned them down.

  “Let me go, you bastard! Let go!” she screamed.

  A sharp pinch in her neck brought a new worry.

  “What the fuck was that?” she yelled, still tugging to free her wrists.

  “Just something to help,” the man said and started smoothing her hair from her face. Her arms became heavy, her eyelids the same.

  “Help…with…” She rolled her head to the side. Darkness crept into the edges of her vision. A picture was taped to the radio. Her picture.

  Why did they take her?

  Where were they taking her?

  “There you go, shhh.” The man patted her cheek and the darkness crowded further, pulling her into the center.

  No.

  No.

  No.

  And then there was nothing.

  Costello buttoned his jeans and went to work on his belt buckle, while the blonde beauty roused from sleep in his bed. Sitting up, she yawned with her hands stretched out over her head.

  She smiled sweetly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.” Shoving the covers away, she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  He picked up his wallet from the dresser and pushed it into his back pocket.

  “It’s fine, but you should head back to the dayroom before they come looking for you.”

  She hopped off the bed, smoothing down the light summer dress over her stomach and looked around the floor. Costello toed the cotton panties over to her, enjoying the view as she bent over to retrieve them. A nice pink blush still covered her bare ass.

  “Will I see you at snacktime?” she asked, shimmying the panties up over her hips.

  “No. I have several meetings to attend.” He opened his bedroom door. “Be good this afternoon or you won’t get playtime for a while,” he cautioned with a grin.

  She blushed and lowered her gaze to the floor, hurrying from the room. He delivered a well-placed smack to her ass when she passed him, eliciting a high-pitched giggle before she jogged down the hall. Stepping out behind her, he pulled the door closed, following at a far more sedate pace.

  “Another play date?” Gianni fell in step with Costello.

  “One of the perks,” Costello said with a laugh and turned down another hall toward the back stairwell.

  “You’re spoiling them,” Gianni said as they made their way down to the main floor.

  “Why? Because I let them have a little fun before they leave?” Costello asked.

  “No, because you’re letting them think it’s going to be anything like this when they go. And you know damn well it’s not,” Gianni reminded him. Costello didn’t need any reminders. He knew exactly what the Lullaby girls were in for once they left the Training House.

  It was his job to get them ready for the world outside the House, and he made damn sure they knew what was expected of them.

  “Just because I have some fun with them here and there doesn’t mean they are any less trained or any less disciplined,” Costello argued.

  “I’ll give you that point.” Gianni opened the door to the study where their afternoon meeting with Frank Romero, head of the Romero family, was being held. “Your girls do behave the best,” Gianni conceded.

  “And earn the most money,” Costello added.

  The study was more of a conference room than an office. A long, oak table took up most of the room. Floor to ceiling bookcases lined one wall of the room. Thick hardcover books lined each shelf. The dark wood paneling of the walls gave the room an ominous ambiance. The dimly lit lamps along the table didn’t help liven anything up.

  “Gentlemen.” Frank Romero sauntered into the room from the side entrance that led to his own private office. “Let’s make this brief. I have to get across town for a meet and greet.” Frank pulled out the chair at the head of the table and stared down each man until they were quietly in their seats.

  Frank poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher in front of him and sipped at it, then put the glass down. Every meeting started the same way. He would rush in, hurry everyone to their seats and then take his sweet ass time getting to the point.

  “I heard good things about the auction last night.” Frank tapped his fingertips on the tabletop. “Angelina brought in the highest bid.” He pointed to Costello with a grin. “Twice what I had her listed for.”

  Costello inclined his head in acknowledgement of the praise. Angelina had been a hard one to break, but once she did, he’d molded her into the perfect girl for auction.

  “The other girls did great too. I don’t want anyone thinking they didn’t do their jobs. Fine stock on that stage last night.” Frank grinned. Three deep wrinkles on both sides of his mouth appeared when he was at his happiest. It was as though he had so much extra skin on his face that when he smiled, it all smooshed up.

  Frank took his seat and motioned to Johnny on his left.

  “Just a few quick things then you guys can get back to doing what you do best.” Johnny, Frank’s younger brother, pulled out his phone, swiping to his notes. Everything was electronic with Johnny. Nothing was put on paper. If anyone outside the family were to get ahold of that phone or his computer—they’d all be fucked.

  “Tony and Marco, you two are with me tonight. We’ll pick up the next shipment of Lullaby, and you’ll bring it back here for distribution. Costello, you have a new recruit. She arrived last night. The nannies will get her all cleaned up once she wakes up this afternoon. We had to double dose her with Lullaby and it laid her out cold. Once she’s up and about, they’ll come get you.”

  “Her file?” Costello asked.

  Johnny looked up from his phone. “Just emailed it to you.”

  Frank had a high security server installed for the House to keep all of Johnny’s emails internal and unhackable. Or so they said.

  “Thanks.” Costello pulled out his phone to be sure he received it before Johnny took off. Seeing the message in his inbox, he put the device away.

  “Gianni, your girl didn’t sell last night. Put her in rotation for the playroom. Maybe some time with the customers will up her sale value. Or at least she’ll be earning us some fucking money.” Johnny shook his head. “She’s been here almost six months. She should have sold by now.”

  Gianni frowned. He’d been training Shelby hard, knowing the time was coming when Johnny and Frank would stick her in the playroom.

  “You got it.” Gianni nodded.

  “Okay, enough House business.” Frank waved his hand. “Family dinner next Sunday. No exceptions.” He pointed his stubby finger at each of them. “Loretta’s cooking. I expect all of you there. Bring the kids.”

  “Would love to, Uncle Frank. We’ll be there.” Tony nodded.

  “Of course, we’ll be there. I think Sammy has a hockey game, but we’ll work it out,” Marco said.

  “You let him play, Marco. He made a commitment to that team.” Frank stabbed the table with his finger. Loyalty and commitment were top priorities to Uncle Frank. Unless he thought someone double crossed him. If he believed one of his men—nephew
or not— went against him in any way, he was dealt with.

  “Of course. We’ll make it work, like I said,” Marco repeated.

  Frank stood up from the table, rebuttoning his jacket. “Okay, then. Next Sunday, dinner.” He pointed to Costello. “I want the same results from this new girl as you got with Angelina.”

  Costello nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  Frank laughed. “Maybe keep your dick out of the others while you’re working with her. From what Louis told me, she didn’t come easily. He’s got a few scratches on his hands for his efforts.”

  Costello stood up from the table. “She’s no different than any other girl in the House. She’ll get with the program and learn the rules. If she doesn’t, she’ll discover what happens.” Costello grinned. There hadn’t been a girl in the House who didn’t fall in line. Whoever this girl was, she wouldn’t be any different.

  Ariana’s head was going to explode. She cracked her eyes open enough to see some light and quickly squeezed them shut again. The pain in her temples thumped too loudly for her to hear if anyone else was in the room.

  “I can give you something for your head,” a deep voice said. She winced at the increased pain his voice brought.

  Ariana cupped her hand over her eyes and opened them enough to see the figure sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed.

  She was in a bed.

  Why the fuck was she in a bed?

  She’d been at the ATM. No, the bus stop. She’d been waiting for the bus. The memory of her abduction flooded back, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

  She’d been taken.