Hero: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance

by Lara Swann

I stood up – even if I came up short against Jorge’s 6ft height, it was better than having him stand over me.

  “I’d just as soon you weren’t exploiting more of this city, Jorge.” The retort came instinctively as I glanced up at him.

  “Careful, girl - I might not like that attitude of yours.” His eyes flashed with that familiar anger-admiration, one hand coming to grip the back of my neck hard as he leaned in, the sourness of his breath making me wrinkle my nose.

  “Then don’t ask for my opinion.”

  He stilled a breath away from me and I could sense his reaction hanging on a razor’s edge. I didn’t try to hide the fear that shot through me - or the defiance I wasn’t going to give up on.

  It was a risk - stupid, even - but he’d taken so much away from so many people, I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t going to let the fear beat me. He could make me cringe away from him, but I wasn’t going to give up on showing my spirit and ideals.

  And there was more to it than that - ironically enough, it was probably the fear that kept me safe. There was a limit to what he could tolerate, especially with his guys all around us, and I stepped up to that edge far too often - but with the obvious fear and intimidation there, I wasn’t a threat. He didn’t really see it as a challenge.

  My fear satisfied him, and turned the defiance into an amusement, a curiosity - something to slap down again and again, and watch to see if I’d rise back. And making my feelings so open and obvious meant he didn’t suspect there was anything more than a girl’s frustration and rage at her situation. He didn’t get suspicious, and that meant I got to see more, hear more.

  After an endless moment in time, he laughed - the sound abrupt and harsh as he pushed me back down towards the floor, turning away to focus on the man at our feet.

  “So talk to me, Matthews.”

  My heart still fluttered in my chest, but I let myself breathe again.

  One of these days…

  I’d always been good at reading people, and so far my instincts had kept me safe - knowing when to speak up and when to back down, somehow understanding which way his ever-changing mood was going to fall.

  I wasn’t sure it could last - one of these days I was going to get it wrong - and each little defiance would make the explosion, when it finally came, that much worse.

  I knew that, but I wasn’t going to stop either.

  I might be a fool, but at least I was true to myself. I could look in the mirror and still see me.

  This way, whatever I did for these guys - I wasn’t part of them. I was working for myself, for what I believed in, and those lines were sharp and clear.

  The more time I spent around these guys, the more important that was. More than anything he might end up doing to me.

  “They got the jump on us off Garfield Avenue, comin’ out of that—” Matthews struggled to sound tough, the pain seeping through his voice.

  “Details later. Message?”

  He grunted, but cut the story short as he propped himself up against the chair behind him.

  “Yeh - he said to tell you he’ll be at a warehouse off Ansel Road if you wanted to work this out all civilized-like. Nine tomorrow night.”

  “Who’s ‘he’?”

  “Dunno - guy who broke my arm. Not seen him before - well dressed, but had a rough look about him. Said Valentini was bored with the skirmishes, so one of his I guess.”

  I was trying to gather my things together quietly, but my attention was strained by their conversation.

  If they could negotiate, end the violence…but then, I wasn’t sure whether the warfare and instability was worse than them dividing the city between them.

  I could see entirely different considerations going through Jorge’s mind as he paused, obviously thinking it through. He might take the offer as a weakness he’d prefer to exploit by refusing, but in reality, the 55th Streeters were still forming, still establishing control over this area. The push into Valentini’s territory had been premature if anything, reinforced by the constant casualties I’d seen the last week, and whatever he might claim - I wasn’t sure he could afford an all-out fight.

  Valentini was more established in the East and outskirts of Cleveland and from what I could see, he had the advantage, so while the offer was surprising, it made sense for Jorge - and wouldn’t be hard for him to position it as a win.

  The same thing seemed to occur to him a moment later, as a grin spread over his face.

  “Hah, bastards don’t want a fight, hmm? Well lets see how we can take advantage of that, boys.” Jorge’s voice rose towards the end with his usual loud exuberance.

  “What if they’re planning something?” Alfonso frowned next to me as I pulled the last of my materials together and stood to leave. I might want as much information as I could happen on, but acting like I cared was a bad idea.

  “They didn’t put any conditions on the meet - I’ll bring along enough, no problem.”

  He swung to face me as I made to slip by, one eyebrow raised over a smirking face that I probably would have called handsome, if not for the almost hidden hint of cruelty in his eyes.

  “Why don’t you come along, babe - see how this city works. Maybe you’ll learn something to blunt that tongue of yours.”

  I didn’t try to hide the surprise on my face as my heart tripped yet again.

  That simply wasn’t done.

  I was a woman. And I was as far from loyal as you could get.

  My mind raced at seeing how far he’d go to show off, and as soon as I’d composed myself, I deliberately shot him a dismissive glance.

  “Thanks Jorge, but I don’t want any part of that. It’s your business - mine is just to take care of people, fix them up.”

  “She’s right, boss - no way some bitch belongs at that.” For once, Alfonso jumped in to support me.

  Jorge’s gaze hardened as he met Alfonso’s eyes.

  One objection might have made him think twice - but two tipped him over the edge. He couldn’t back down from that.

  “I wasn’t giving you a choice, girl. Now get out of here - I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I swallowed as I glanced away from him.

  That was it - I was in.

  God help me.

  Chapter Three

  Jason

  I drummed my fingers against the table, showing only bored impatience as the first of the street thugs filtered in.

  The first couple of guys were jumpy and suspicious, but when their quick glances around the old warehouse only caught Marco and I sitting here, their postures relaxed a little as they moved to the edges of the room.

  The second couple took up positions on either side of the beaten, scarred table I was sitting behind and as another three entered behind them, I found it hard not to smirk.

  You need seven guys to meet with me, huh?

  At least the shorter guy with the harsh set to his face in the back seemed to be more than just a body, subtly rearranging a couple of the others and standing back—

  What the fuck?!

  My gaze snapped back to the entrance as the last two entered - the guy I was pretty sure ran this crew, and a woman.

  “…what’s the bitch doing here?…”

  The muttered comment came from one of his guys, which would have told me a lot about the discipline in their crew if I’d been able to concentrate. Instead, I was asking the same question myself, not liking the strange unease growing in the pit of my stomach.

  There was no way a woman - barely more than a girl from the looks of her - should be caught up in this filth.

  Fuck.

  I forced myself not to give her more than a passing glance, trying not to register the thick sweep of dark brown hair or the way it curled around that bright face as my eyes moved over her to land on the man who’d entered with her. She seemed small and delicate next to him, but there was something underneath her mild expression that made me pause.

  My heart rate had doubled and it was hard to school my expressi
on back to that same boredom I’d shown earlier as I deliberately turned my attention to the tall, muscled body of the man I should be focusing on.

  The one I was here for.

  His physique was impressive, and the wave of black hair over a lightly Hispanic skin tone made him handsome enough to back up the casual arrogance of his posture - but where the girl I was trying to ignore had given me the impression of firmness under a soft exterior, the hard lines of his face made him seem sharp and unpleasant.

  Or maybe you just think that because he’s got a fucking woman involved in this.

  I pushed that thought aside as his gaze roamed around the room with a bravado that probably fooled the guys he was with.

  Yes, he played the small-time gang boss well, but this wasn’t a game he was used to - the slight tension in his shoulders and not-quite-hidden wariness in his eyes gave that much away.

  His arrogance covered it as his mouth curved into a smile and he leaned down to mutter something to the woman next to him.

  I didn’t catch her quiet response, but his face flashed with sudden anger, his movements sharp as he back-handed her across the face.

  Motherfucker!

  She staggered backwards to the sound of the crack in the air and red-hot anger swept through me.

  The sudden tension shot through my body and turned the edges of my vision red as for one frozen moment, I struggled with the overwhelming need to leap from the table and strangle the son of a bitch.

  I pictured my hands around his neck - that cruel, arrogant face turning purple as I squeezed the life from him. All the ways I knew how to give a man pain flashed through my mind, all the twisted things I’d learned in the last year and all the dark things I’d become. And for once, my imagination found a good use for them.

  I might be a bastard of the worst kind, but if there was one thing I wouldn’t go near, it was touching a woman like that.

  My blood boiled as I struggled to prevent my explosive reaction from showing.

  The anger felt all-consuming, but I could sense the dark pit underneath, waiting to swallow me up, tugging at me with the toxic memories I’d buried deep as my mind tried to show me nightmarish images of another woman, another time...

  Shit.

  I could feel Marco’s gaze on my back, his awareness sharpening as his eyes flicked to the woman who was now righting herself. The unspoken concern there reminded me that he was probably one of the few people who could sense that darkness within me - and understand it.

  Valentini had given me my choice of men for this task, and I’d picked one whose discretion and support I’d trusted in before - which unfortunately gave him more insight than I wanted here.

  The bastard in front of me followed his strike up with a curt response, before shrugging whatever she’d said off with a harsher version of his previous smile.

  With effort, I brought my own expression back under control, affecting that same boredom as earlier and only letting a hint of my distaste through.

  “If you’re too busy with domestics…”

  As much as painting the walls red would give me a grim satisfaction, I couldn’t afford to let anyone notice how something so simple affected me. If I made such a weakness clear, I’d never attend another negotiation without having to sit through some casual demonstration simply intended to unsettle me.

  He just gave me a grin and shrugged as he pulled out the chair opposite me, settling back and crossing his legs.

  “What can ya do, hey? But we won’t be having any more issues there.” The guy gave a glance back towards her that I didn’t follow. “You’re not Valentini.”

  “Jason. Valentini is…otherwise engaged.”

  His eyes narrowed at my small smile, and the game started.

  Shifting between insult and appeasement here would be a delicate balancing act, but I’d found to my surprise that I was good at it, even if I could barely stomach the politics.

  And if I couldn’t beat him the way I wanted to, at least this gave me another way to screw the guy.

  It reminded me of why I’d fallen in with Valentini in the first place - we might be bastards, but at least there were lines we didn’t cross.

  The weak people we preyed on were going to get fucked either way, and at least we didn’t stoop to the rumors flying around about some of these volatile gangs - trafficking, kidnap, rape…what I did wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t that shit either.

  And this way, I even got to beat on some of the bastards that played those games.

  It was true what they said - you can’t kill the scum of the earth without sinking down into that same filth - and I’d made the choice to dive right in regardless.

  Not that I cared. Doing the right thing, being a hero, had never given anyone what they deserved. The good people always got screwed, because they weren’t strong enough to make the hard choices.

  At least fighting from the depths of hell got me results, and it wasn’t like I gave a damn what the fires there did to my soul.

  My smile turned dangerous at that thought, and I could see the guy - Jorge, that was his name - watching me cautiously.

  Yes, I was a bastard - but when dealing with these fuckers, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  The flaming anger of earlier had dissolved into a cold rage that I let give me an edge in the tense and curt negotiations.

  My initial assessment had been dead-on, and his lack of experience benefited me almost as much as my silent fury did. Another day, I would have given him more, but after the way he’d opened this, I came down hard against him on every angle - couching it in a respect and consideration that made me want to hit something, but kept his guys thinking he was doing alright.

  The rest of the room was mostly silent and still as we talked, but every time I swept my eyes around it, I noticed her.

  After earlier, I would have expected to see her subdued and afraid, but she stood with a subtle pride that surprised me. She clearly wasn’t trying to draw attention, but her eyes flicked up and around the room with interest, and the life and energy I saw in them stirred something unexpected in me, even as I focused on Jorge.

  The nondescript combat pants and shirt she wore shouldn’t have highlighted her femininity, but I couldn’t help but notice the soft curves of her small body. Maybe it was just because she was so damn out of place, and I didn’t keep female company these days, but among all the hard thugs that surrounded us, that screamed at me.

  I found myself distracted with wanting to know what she’d said earlier - and why, since she must have known how Jorge would react.

  That urge was impossible to act on, and of course I was no closer to understanding by the time we wrapped up.

  Jorge grinned at me with that obnoxious smile, barely concealing that he thought he’d gotten the better end of the deal while I kept my gaze impassive and we shook hands. I tried not to think again quite how much I would have rather used some of my other skills for this little meeting.

  We’d made the gracious concession of formalizing his supremacy over his own territory, but the clear lines we’d marked out for it kept him firmly out of ours, including - of course - Glenville.

  Not to mention, his lack of knowledge about where Valentini’s reach actually extended meant I could squeeze a few more districts into our area, no matter that whoever lived there had probably never heard of us.

  There was something uniquely satisfying about giving someone something they already had, in exchange for something you wanted. But when dealing with a street thug looking for validation, I was pretty much guaranteed to come out on top.

  That satisfaction turned sour as I watched him grab the girl to him when he walked out. Her body stiffened and she made no effort to conceal it, but this time she didn’t say anything.

  My stomach twisted again and I reminded myself that it was nothing to do with me.

  I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save any of them.

  That was the way the world worked.

 
Maybe Valentini’s inevitable war would rid some of the pestilence from the city - and replace them with something not-quite-as-bad. Or maybe not.

  Those that could were always going to take what they wanted.

  Memories snatched at me again and I cursed her for having been here. This was why I didn’t go near women.

  “You okay, man?” Marco’s quiet voice startled me.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” My reply snapped out of me as I turned on Marco, beating back the darkness of my thoughts.

  Wrong response - defensiveness was always too easy to see through.

  He just looked at me silently for a moment, then glanced meaningfully to the door they’d just exited through.

  “Seemed today was hard on you.”

  “We got a good result, Marco. Valentini will be pleased.”

  Leave it at that.

  The unspoken warning. I liked the guy, and more so than most of Valentini’s crew - but there were places I didn’t go. With anyone.

  He paused a moment longer, then nodded.

  “You need me for more tonight?”

  I pulled my phone out and flicked to the message Valentini had left during the meeting. A grim smile spread across my face as I read it, feeling silently grateful for the instructions.

  The last thing I wanted right now was to go home and lie in bed, facing whatever thoughts assaulted me, so paying a visit to a few of Valentini’s friends and reminding them of their loyalties seemed like a fitting way to spend the night. Might even work off some of my tension.

  I glanced up as I considered Marco’s question. It was the sort of work that a second person made easier.

  “No, you can have your night back.”

  On second thought, I didn’t want easy tonight.

  Chapter Four

  Jason

  I walked quickly down the narrow alley, adrenaline shooting through my body as my eyes darted around.

  I shouldn’t be here.

  The agreement with the 55th Streeters a week ago had held, and with both of us firmly avoiding the others’ territories, things had been much calmer. Enough that I’d found it hard to keep occupied. With the way I kept replaying those few moments in the negotiation, that girl’s face sticking in my mind, I wouldn’t have minded a wave of skirmishes breaking out.