Dax: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Mob Daddies Book 4)

by Alexa Hart

  Soon, I’ll own Finch’s company and I won’t let up until his whole life is destroyed, like he destroyed mine. He won’t ever get his hands on Hannah, I’ll make sure of that. And soon, Finch will be eliminated for good, I’ve waited long enough.

  Chapter 20

  Hannah

  When I arrive at the fundraiser my heart is nearly beating out of my chest. This isn’t just a little auction and dinner to save the whales or something, this is the annual National Museum Art Gala. This is one of the biggest, fanciest events in Boston. Shit. I didn’t want to be a secret, but I’m not ready for this either, not without Dax knowing the truth about who I am. But it is too late. Dax is already there, waiting to help me out of the car when Carl pulls up to the curb. Dax takes my arm in his and leads me up the velvet red stairs to the museum entrance.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispers in my ear.

  “You look pretty fuckable yourself,” I say quietly. He bursts out laughing.

  Dax escorts me into the museum’s atrium where our appearance quickly peeks the interest of the Boston upper-crust. He wasn’t exaggerating. By tomorrow all of Boston will know we’re an item. I gulp. And so will my dad. I realize that I need to tell him the truth before it is too late. Actually, I should have told him a month ago. As a waiter offers us each a glass of champagne, I try to pull Dax aside.

  “Can we talk somewhere,” I say. “I need to….”

  Aster comes up to us. She looks stunning in a black cocktail dress. “There you are,” she says, ignoring me as if I’m just another waiter. “The Mayor is here and I think a quick chat can bury the hatchet. We need him on our side,” she smiles. “Hannah, if you’ll excuse us.”

  “Sure,” I say. “I won’t go far, it’ll just be a minute,” Dax says reassuringly. I watch them walk away and take a sip of champagne. And then I see them. My father and half-brother, Charles and Brayden Finch. The CEO and VP of Systems Industries. I pray that my father hasn’t seen me yet and try to find a corner to duck into. I’d really like to avoid a scene and I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if everyone at the gala found out that I’m Charles Finch’s illegitimate daughter before Dax does.

  To my horror, Charles excuses himself from his son’s side and walks over. He pretends to be admiring the painting I am standing in front of.

  “This piece is lovely,” he says. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know anything about art,” I shrug.

  “Considering what I paid for your education, I’m disappointed to hear that.”

  “What the hell do you want?” I ask.

  “Hannah,” he says. “This ridiculous grudge of yours is too much....”

  “You abandoned my mother! I didn’t even know who you were until she was dying. Then I came to you and I begged you for money, a loan, anything to help her when she got sick, and you laughed at me! Did she really mean so little to you? Did I really mean so little to you? And you want me to be a part of your sick, twisted family, act like you ever really gave a shit about me? Fuck you! I had a family. I had my mother, and now she’s gone.”

  “And this is your revenge? You turn your back on me and show up here with Dax Hardin? That street trash!” He says. “He’s a petty criminal. He’s been trying to destroy me for years.”

  I laugh. “Me being here with him has nothing to do with you.”

  I look up and see Dax rushing over with a worried expression, struggling to get through the crowd.

  “I think you need to ask yourself a question, Hannah,” he takes a sip of champagne and then lifts his glass toward Dax, who looks like he’s about ready to murder Charles Finch. “How is your new boyfriend going to feel when he finds out that you’re the daughter of the man who he insists killed his wife?”

  “Did you really do it?” I ask.

  He laughs. “No, dear, I prefer to keep my crimes more white-collar than that. But Dax will never believe me.” He takes a step toward Dax. “And he’s hellbent on destroying me. Maybe I should go tell him right now that you are my darling baby girl. But he’s known to be unforgiving, especially toward people he thinks betray him. Trust me, he doesn’t need proof. He goes solely off of his street rat instincts.”

  I grab his arm to stop him, suddenly chilled to the bone. “What do you want?”

  He turns and smiles at me. “I knew you were a smart girl. Convince him to leave Systems Industries alone. Use your womanly charms. Your mother had them in spades. Do that, and he never has to know that you and I are anything more than strangers.”

  I jerk my hand back and walk away, just as Dax finally reaches me. Dax grabs me by the arm and pulls me into a nearby hallway. He looks terrified and livid with anger.

  “Are you okay? What the hell was that?” He asks.

  “What do you mean? It was nothing.”

  “It was nothing? I bring you out and the first person you talk to is Charles Finch. Are you fucking kidding me? That man is a fucking cockroach. Who the hell do you think I’ve been protecting you from?” He paces angrily then turns back to me. “What did he say to you?” Dax asks.

  “He wanted to know my opinion on the painting. I told him I have rubbish taste in art,” I say.

  “You really think I’m that big a fucking idiot?” He growls. I’ve never been scared of him before but in this moment, I feel a cold chill.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

  “You weren’t talking to him like he was a stranger. You know him, don’t you? Tomorrow I’m signing the final documents to take over his company. He’s desperate to stop me, but you already knew that, didn’t you?” Dax’s eyes flare in anger.

  I feel tired and sick. “What are you getting at?” I ask.

  “It’s obvious you know him,” Dax says. “And it’s obvious you’re lying. I know your background. You’ve been in debt, you miraculously rescue me. It’s starting to seem convenient. Too convenient. Fuck! I should have listened to Carl.”

  I turn toward him. I understand what he is insinuating, and I feel so insulted by it I can barely breathe. “You really think I’m some sort of spy for Charles Finch? That I took his money to seduce you and do, what?”

  “Feed him intel,” he says. “Keep me preoccupied.”

  He leans in and gives me a rough, desperate kiss, then quickly pulls away. “Maybe he took you for a spin before pimping you out to me.”

  His words cut so deep I can hardly see straight. Instinctively, I slap him hard across the face, as hard as I can manage. Maybe the hit isn’t fair. He has every right to be suspicious, but I am still hurt that after all the time we’ve spent together he still assumes the worst. If he is this angry at the possibility of me being a spy, he’ll never forgive me for being Charles Finch’s daughter and lying about it all this time.

  “After everything, if that’s what you think of me,” I wipe away a tear. “There’s really nothing more to say.”

  I turn and walk away from the man I love, the Bastard of Boston. Because now I know. There’s no future for us.

  Chapter 21

  Dax

  I look like hell and I don’t care. Walking into the boardroom I slam down my briefcase and stare down Charles Finch. Hannah never came home last night and I can’t blame her. The things I said to her the night before were awful… unforgivable… unless they were true. Lily was absolutely livid when I told her Hannah wasn’t coming back. She thinks I fired her the same way I fired all the nannies before, but it’s just not true. Part of me still doesn’t believe it, but if I was so off-base, then why didn’t she explain herself? I’m going to make all of them pay for this.

  Charles Finch looks legitimately nervous. Good. And his fucking coward of a son, Brayden, didn’t even show. It’s just Finch and his lawyer. I sit down and loosen my tie and Aster takes a seat next to me. At least she’s happy that Hannah is gone.

  “I thought perhaps we could begin with a negotiation,” Charles Finch says.

  I laugh and lean forward just to feel him cowe
r under my stare. “Not only am I going to take over Systems Industries,” I say. “But I am going to personally destroy your life. I don’t know what games you are playing at with Nico, having me attacked and bringing Hannah…. Ms. Gibbons into my life, but even she couldn’t stop me from taking you down. Pimping her out just makes you both scumbags,” I spit out.

  There’s a knock at the door and Carl hurries in and sets a folder in front of me.

  “You need to see this,” he says. I open it up and stare at the contents. My anger drains away quickly and I feel a sudden shudder of pain, and worse, fear.

  “She’s your fucking daughter,” I say.

  Aster looks as shocked as I feel. Charles Finch whispers something to his lawyer, who stands up and excuses himself.

  “She is,” he says. “And I don’t know what it says in your little file, but she hates me. Refused to have anything to do with me when I wouldn’t help her mother. Not exactly the perfect partner for this conspiracy you came up with,” he says calmly.

  “What did you say to her last night?” I ask, fists tight.

  “I told her I’d tell you who she was if she didn’t get you to back off, but since you came in ready to kill us both, it’s obvious our little conversation had no effect. It looks like she took the high road. She’s as stubborn as her mother.” He calmly takes a sip of water. “I swear to you Dax, I never hired this Nico. Not recently and not back then. I’ve been against you since you first showed up and yes, I’ve played dirty, but I had nothing to do with your wife’s death.”

  I point to the folder. “After my wife died we found money transferred to Nico from an off-shore account in your name. And now I’m just finding out you took your Ferrari into Bennie’s garage to be serviced the same week I was lured down there and nearly murdered.”

  A look of fear crosses Charles Finch’s face.

  “What?” I ask. I pound my fist down on the table. “What?! Is Hannah in danger?”

  Charles takes a sip of water. I can see he’s trying to figure out a way to leverage the situation. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to put the brakes on the Systems Industries takeover.”

  I nearly lunge across the table. But I hold myself back, clinching my teeth. “You tell me if Hannah is in danger or I will climb across this table and pull your fucking dick out through your throat. Do you understand?”

  Finch nods, his face pale. “I gave the Ferrari to my son a year ago. He told me it was in the shop, but I had no idea.”

  “Brayden?”

  Charles nods. “He just found out about Hannah a few months ago. He found the emails she wrote me. I knew he saw her as a threat… but I never thought he would... I can’t believe I didn’t see it until now. He hired Nico. It’s been him all along and...” Charles Finch looks genuinely scared. “You need to find Hannah now.

  “Why?” I ask. My blood is cold at the idea of Hannah in danger. And I’m still reeling from the other news Carl gave me this morning. When he searched her room last night, he found a positive pregnancy test.

  “Because Brayden is supposed to be here. And if he isn’t here….”

  I’m up and halfway to the door before Charles Finch can finish his sentence. And all I can think is that now I might lose her and the baby before I have a chance to make things right.

  Chapter 22

  Hannah

  Brayden Finch stands in front of me with a knife.

  I’d spent the night at Kiki’s, crying my eyes out like the idiot I am for getting involved with Boston’s biggest bastard. How could I be dumb enough to fall for Dax Hardin? Kiki assured me that we’d figure everything out together, that she’d help me with the baby, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly be okay again. I’d let myself love him, and it was the biggest mistake I’d ever made.

  Shortly after I returned to my apartment, I heard a knock at the door, I’d thought for sure it would be Dax, so I flung the door open without even checking the peephole. Maybe that was my biggest mistake. When I opened the door it was Brayden on the other side and he shoved me back and slammed the door behind him, deadbolting it. Looks like my landlord finally got around to fixing the busted lock during my time away. Lucky me.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I ask, holding out my hands as if to create a barrier between me and my clearly psychotic half-brother. Samson begins to bark and growl.

  Brayden takes a step toward me, his face flush with rage. “Hey, Sis.”

  I feel a lurch of deep panic in my stomach. Until this moment I didn’t even know he was aware of my existence. Brayden takes another step toward me and I back up, trying to keep a safe distance between me and the knife he’s holding.

  “Brayden, I don’t know what your issue is, but I don’t want anything to do with your family or your family’s money, okay. I swear. Is that the problem?” I ask. “Put the knife down and we can talk about this. We can get it in writing if that’s what you want, I’ll sign whatever.”

  “Shut up!” he yells. “Just shut the fuck up! I’m not going to let you near my family or my company. You’re not a Finch and you never will be. You think you can just pop up, out of the blue and take what’s mine… what I’ve been working for my whole life? You and your fucking boyfriend are a giant pain in my ass. I messed up hiring Nico and I felt bad about what happened to his wife, but that bastard Dax won’t stop. He’s out to destroy us. And then I find out about you. But you really helped me out by seducing him, you fucking slut. Now I can get rid of you and take something from him all at the same time.”

  Samson continues to bark loudly and my head swirls from the noise and commotion. Suddenly the door bursts open and without warning Brayden makes a lunge for me. Samson goes for his ankle and sinks his teeth deep into his leg, causing Brayden to cry out in pain. I take the opportunity to do what I learned in self-defense class. I punch him hard in the face and then kick him in the groin. He drops the knife and falls to the ground just as Dax rushes in and takes me in his arms. Carl hurries in after with Hans and the two of them lug Brayden out of the small apartment.

  Dax is holding me and stroking my hair as I just stand there as still as a statue. I’m trying desperately to process what just happened. When I finally come to, I look up at Dax. I know I should still be angry with him, but if he’s willing to forgive me, I guess I should do the same.

  “I told you I could land a punch,” I say.

  “Remind me never to get you angry.”

  “Too late,” I laugh. “Does this mean you figured out I’m not a spy?”

  He glances at my stomach and then at my face. “I figured out a lot of things. Like what I want,” he says. “What I want even more than revenge.”

  “So, what does the Bastard of Boston want?” I ask.

  “You,” he says. “The Bastard of Boston wants you. Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Dax

  The Bastard of Boston is officially a father of two, and I couldn’t be happier. Hannah and I just brought the baby home from the hospital last week - a boy, dark hair and chubby checks, he’s the newest love of my life. I don’t think Lily could be any more in love with him either, we even let her name him – Ivan, after one of her favorite ballet dancers.

  Hannah and I were married in a small private ceremony just a week after the Brayden incident. I didn’t want to wait anymore; I was sure of what I wanted. I needed to make it official.

  Hannah looked so beautiful that day in her simple, white dress – with Lily right beside her, a crown of flowers woven into her curly locks. I’m finally able to give Lily the family she’s always deserved and I’m watching her blossom into the most well-adjusted little girl I’ve ever known. This is the childhood I wanted her to have. This is the childhood I never had.

  I never did go through with the Systems Industries takeover, but a few months later Charles Finch was busted for insider trading and his assets were seized. Maybe he’ll be joining his darling son, Brayden, in prison soon. Finch will lose everything, and I didn’
t even have to take it from him.

  I have all that I need now. The love of my life and the city of Boston.

  THE END

  If you loved Dax don’t miss

  out on the rest of the Mob Daddies Series!

  Marcello: Mob Daddies Series Book 1

  Kane: Mob Daddies Series Book 2

  Maximo: Mob Daddies Series Book 3

  MARCELLO SNEAK PEEK

  I despise Marcello Morano.

  He’s nothing but a filthy rich, mafia bad boy… (or so I’ve heard)

  So why can’t I get him off my mind?...

  He’s mind-numbingly gorgeous, with off-the-charts sex appeal.

  I feel something for Marcello that I’ve never felt before.

  What is this…lust? No, it can’t be. I wouldn’t lust after a criminal… would I?

  His lifestyle may be putting his precious daughter (my favorite student) in danger and I can’t just stand by and watch.

  I couldn’t live with myself if anything ever happened to Gia.

  But when I come face to face with Marcello Morano, my whole world gets flipped upside down.

  Now, suddenly none of the rumors about his mafia involvement matter anymore.

  It doesn’t matter that his dark past scares the hell out of me and his current reality may scare me even more.

  It doesn’t even matter that I could be risking everything to be with him.