Sweet Pain: A Dark Mafia Billionaire Romance (Amatucci Family Book 3)

by Sadie Jacks

  She nodded. “Have any electrolyte water? My workout was killer this morning.”

  I gaped at her. “You workout in the mornings? Why? Are you a closet masochist?”

  She chuckled. “Girls night is tonight right?”

  I nodded.

  “Then I couldn’t really do it tonight, now could I?”

  I smiled. “Ah. Thatta girl. And no, I’m sorry. I don’t think Ryker keeps things stocked very well around here. That will be changing. I can get you some tap water, soda, or some milk.”

  “Water is fine. I’m not sure my stomach would appreciate milk at the moment. And I never drink soda.”

  I nodded. “Ice?” I asked as I got a cup from the dishwasher.

  “Yes, please.”

  I got the drink for her, set it on the kitchen bar. “So, what terrible things have you discovered about the egg and sperm donor who crafted me?”

  She spluttered, her water spewed everywhere.

  I jerked back with a laugh. Got her a towel. “Easy there, turbo.”

  She choked for a second before she got her breath back. “I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of parents referred to that way, but I think I might steal it. Mine would fit in well with yours, I think.” She wiped her computer down. “Thank goodness I wasn’t gulping it down.” She shuddered.

  I took the towel from her after she got everything dried off. I refilled her glass. “Want to try for round two?”

  She smiled. “Sure.” She looked around. “Where’s Ryker?”

  “In his home office. He said to tell you not to start without him. He’s pulling up some kind of file?” I shook my head. “I didn’t fully understand what he was saying, but I just nodded and smiled.”

  She toasted me with her glass of water. “Sometimes that’s all you can feasibly do.”

  I smiled. “Have you heard anything about Corrie? How’s she doing?”

  Nik took another drink, swallowed. “Yeah. She’s good. They did some blood tests. Only one of the paralytics had been given. She woke up on her own in the ER. They were moving her back to the oncology ward last night.”

  “That’s wonderful. How’s her mental state?”

  Nik shrugged. “She’s not talking about it yet.”

  I smiled sadly. “Sometimes trauma takes it out of you.”

  Nik nodded. “Too often.”

  We both sat there in silence, memories an almost physical weight in the room.

  Ryker came in. “Hey, Nik. Corrie called just now. Said to tell you that it’s your turn.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever that means. I’m assuming you understand?”

  Nik smiled, nodded. “Yeah. Message received.” She looked between Ryker and I. “You ready?”

  I nodded, grabbed a spot at the kitchen island. We really needed a table. Hopefully mine would fit in here somewhere.

  “Yeah, jump in,” Ryker said as he pulled up a stool next to mine.

  Nik hit some keys on her computer and spun it around so we could see her screen.

  I blinked at the long lines of numbers and letters. “Sorry, Nik. I have no idea what any of that is.” I shook my head.

  She pushed her head forward, looked at the screen. “Dammit. Sorry.” She hit a couple keys. “There.” She scooted back again.

  I looked at the computer screen again. Skimmed through the paragraphs of text. Felt my skin crawl. “Are you saying my parents –” I cut the words. I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the sentence.

  Nik nodded, her expression commiserating. “Yeah. From what all I could find, they’re front business has been declining over the years. They’ve shored up their income with –”

  “Trafficking,” Ryker finished.

  Nik’s lips tightened as she nodded again. “And they’ve made it very profitable.” She hit a couple more keys. Windows and windows of new pages came up. A variety of bank letterheads appeared. Incoming and outgoing from no fewer than fifteen bank accounts were spread over the screen.

  I did a rough tally in my head. “They’re making over a couple hundred million every year by selling people.” My words were a horrified whisper. I felt my head dip and sway as the horror of my parents was shoved in my face. “I’m going to be sick.” I put a hand over my mouth.

  Ryker had me up and bent over the sink before the first stomach cramp swamped me. He cooed and crooned as he wet a washrag and put it over my neck.

  Over and over my body revolted against the news even though it all made a disgusting kind of sense. If they were willing to give me and ten million dollars to a serial killer, why wouldn’t my father find some way to monetize that? Replicate it?

  After far too long, my body wrung itself dry. I hung limp in Ryker’s arms as I cringed away from the sink. He ran the water and hit the switch for the disposal.

  Soon even the evidence of my weakness was gone. I was glad. Glad I’d purged it from my system. Now was the time to fight. To take them down. To rescue at least some of the men, women, and children my parents considered cattle.

  Ryker handed me a glass of Seven-Up soda that Rafe had brought with him last night. I sipped on it. Felt the bubbles soothe my raw throat. I turned to Nik, smiled. “Sorry.”

  She shook her head. “Not every day you find out you’re related to monsters.”

  I snorted. “Oh, I knew they were monsters. We’ve just got the proof now.”

  Nik studied me. “You good to keep going?”

  I nodded. “Sure. Hit me, baby, one more time.”

  Nik chuckled. “Easy, Brittney.”

  Ryker stood behind me, dug his thumbs into the muscles of my neck and shoulders. I fought not to groan and moan at the feeling of him forcing the muscles to let go. It was heaven and hell in ten fingers.

  “My collective is still digging. But we’ve got some secure server emails between WC and AdS.” Nik watched me carefully.

  I grimaced. “Find anything I don’t want to hear about?”

  Her lips quirked. “Probably way more than you want to hear about. The reason I bring it up…” she flicked through the open windows on her desktop. She found the one she wanted. “This.”

  I leaned forward, read an email. I blinked as the words registered. “Wait. You’re saying my father put de Silva and Ethan in contact with each other? That’s how Ethan started getting his subjects?”

  Nik looked over my shoulder. She must have gotten the answer she wanted because she looked back at me. “I made a copy of all the files from the bunker. I’ve got the collective going through them.”

  “Nik –” Ryker barked at her.

  She held up a hand. “None of them will say anything. Besides, I scrubbed out the ones with Willow in them. They’ll only be getting the eighteen months that Willow was gone.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. Honestly, I don’t really care who sees them. Not anymore. Not if it means we can identify more of those women. Those baby girls. If it will help those families, share it with the freaking media.”

  Nik shook her head. “There’s no reason to do that. I’ll tell you why.” She turned her computer back to her side of the kitchen island. Her fingers danced over the keys so quickly it sounded like one long cliiiiiiiiiick. She spun the computer back around.

  A list of names, addresses, and faces had been compiled. I looked up at Nik. “You found them. Gave them their names back.”

  She nodded. A gleam entered her eyes. “And I can currently link no fewer than ten of them directly to your father and Antonia de Silva. We’ve still got some data mining to do though, so that number might change.”

  A fierce pride flashed through my soul. “Girl, you’re part of the squad. Weird sexual innuendos, oversharing about men and sex, –”

  “Hey!” Ryker interrupted.

  I ignored him. “Drinking too much and drunk dialing our men. You’re in. And there’s no getting out. Kinda like the Sexy Girl Mafia.”

  Nik lifted her water glass.

  I lifted my soda.

  We clinked our cups together.
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  “Goddess help us all,” Ryker said softly.

  Nik and I laughed.

  “As much as I both want to—and don’t want to—climb through all that juicy dirt on my disgusting creation donors, I really want a day that doesn’t revolve around the awfulness that is real life,” I said after Nik and I both took drinks to seal our squadity. Yes, I was making it a word.

  She nodded. “I heard through the grapevine that we’re supposed to bring our favorite recipes and baking staples.”

  I nodded. “Yes. Bring all of them.”

  Nik took another drink. Heat flared on her cheeks. “I don’t have a favorite recipe. I never learned to cook. I eat mostly salads or steaks that I don’t charr beyond recognition.”

  I shrugged. “Then get ready for a sugar coma while you taste and sample your way through the room. We’ll get you started on your own recipe box soon enough. I can teach you to cook if you want. I’m definitely a better baker. Tali’s the chef genius in the squad. But I’d bet she’s more than happy to teach you as well. Her or Momma.”

  Nik’s eyes sparkled. “I loved Momma’s cooking.”

  I groaned. “Right? To. Die. For.”

  Nik nodded. “As long as you tell me what to bring, I’ll bring it. But I just wanted to let you know I won’t have anything to contribute to the whole sharing portion of the evening.”

  “No worries on that score. Welcome to a brand new world of recipe sharing. It’s one of the few non-sucky parts of adulting that I’ve found.” I raised my soda in toast.

  She chuckled. “Then I better get a good box.”

  I snickered. “I’ve got one you can have.”

  “Oh. Hell. No!” Ryker groaned. “Don’t go to the dark side, Nik. Stay in the light. In the non-confusing light.”

  I shoved my butt into his pelvis. “Shush. I’ve captured her. She is mine.”

  “But I had her first.”

  “Then you didn’t treat her right, bossman. She’s mine now.” I gave a truly awful evil laugh.

  Both Nik and Ryker stared at me.

  “Yeah. Don’t do that again. It was scary,” Nik said as she shuddered delicately. “And I’ve taken down huge men who were supposed to be terrifying.”

  I sparkled. “It was good?”

  She shook her head. “No. Very bad.” She tipped her head to the side. “But all the creepier for it, so I guess that’s a win?” She shrugged. “Either way, don’t do it again.”

  I laughed. “Agreed.”

  Nik drained her glass of water and started packing up her laptop. She slid it into the case she carried like other women carried couture purses. “I’ll see you tonight then. What time?”

  “The festivities will commence at six.”

  Ryker groaned. “Dammit.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He gets to go play poker and do man things.”

  Nik snorted softly. “I like poker.”

  I sucked in a breath. “Et tu, brute?”

  Nik laughed. “If one of you whips out a pillow, I’m out. I draw the line at pillow fights.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  She waved as she made her way back to the elevators.

  “Bring your jammies,” I called after her.

  She shot me a thumbs up as the doors closed.

  I sighed. “Since meeting you, all of my girlfriend slots have filled up.” I looked up at the love of my life. “Who knew you had so many cool chicks in your life that you weren’t sleeping with?”

  He huffed a laugh. “So glad I could fill your non-sexual dance card, cupcake.” He rubbed a hand down my back. “Doing okay?”

  I nodded, sighed. “I knew they were horrible people. I didn’t know they were that horrible.” I shivered. “We’ve got to shut them down.”

  “We will. And I think I have just the way to do it.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “But let’s leave that for tomorrow. My office or your bakery first?”

  I mulled that over. “Let’s do the bakery. I can grab any supplies I need for tonight. Then we’ll be in the building if we run low on the time later. That work for you?”

  He nodded. “As long as I’m with you, we can do whatever you want.”

  I smiled. “I never would have thought you the cheesy, sappy type. You seemed so much cooler and suave before. Granted, I mostly wanted to rearrange your face with my mixer back then, but I like your cheese. It’s the perfect flavor.” I pushed up to my toes, took his mouth in a fast kiss.

  I pulled back to breathe as he groaned.

  “I wasn’t sappy before you. Mostly I couldn’t be bothered to do more than issue orders or grunt at people. You’re the one who brought out my cheese game, cupcake. If I’ve got cheese, it’s because you’re my rennet.” He pulled me into his arms again.

  I laughed. “You even know how cheese is made. You’re just full of surprises.” I pulled his mouth to mine. I brought out his cheese, I thought as I began to lose myself in his touch, his taste. I liked that. That I affected him so much.

  Then all thoughts flew from my mind as he took my bottom lip between his teeth and applied pressure. My body went to liquid heat as my mind took a vacation from coherent thought.

  With his hands under my ass, he lifted me up to sit on the kitchen island. He stepped between my spread knees, brought our pelvises together. We both groaned at the contact.

  We got lost in each other for long minutes. Each of us pushing and pulling. Trying to deepen the contact.

  I yanked away, my lungs furious for air. I cradled his head against me as he attacked my neck and shoulder. “As much as I want to shelter away from the world, we did want to do other things today,” I said as I threaded my fingers through his hair.

  He groaned, the sound vibrated through my flesh. My sex. He nipped the skin just below my ear. Sighed. “I know. I know. It’s your fault.” He leaned back, kept his hands against my hips. “I’m going to want to ravage you anytime I can.”

  I smiled. “That’s definitely good to know. And I feel the same way. But I also really want normal.” My smile tipped down at the edges. “I want normal and, goddess forbid, boring with you. We need to see if we can coexist in the every day parts of life. We already know we’re aces at drama, trauma, and torture.” I brushed my nose against his.

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I could stand a bit less of the last three, if I’m being honest.” He backed up a step. “Okay. Let’s get you some shoes on and we’ll go to the bakery.” He helped me down from the kitchen island.

  “And you need a real table.” I cleared my throat. “We need a real table. Especially if we keep hosting Amatucci family dinners.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, I’d like to sit at a meal. That would be nice.”

  We walked to the bedroom. I still had piles of stuff all over. I cringed. The mess was driving me crazy, but I just pushed it aside. Messy was normal and boring. I could survive normal and boring for at least a day or two.

  I grabbed up some ballet slides and slid them on my feet. I wasn’t planning on cooking at the bakery. So my food choice wasn’t as big an issue. Purposefully ignoring the piles of clothing and shoes and other random stuff I’d accumulated in my life, I walked over to Ryker as he flipped through his phone near the bed.

  “You ready?”

  He nodded. “All set. You good?”

  I smiled. “As long as I don’t think about the piles too long, sure. Let’s leave before my neuroses kicks in too strongly.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door with me.

  Chapter 20 – Ryker

  I held the door open as Willow walked through into the show space of her bakery. It was still cheery, if a little distant, but I think it echoed its owner perfectly.

  My girl had up walls and they were unscalable unless she gave you access to the secret map. Luckily, I’d gotten to glimpse that map. And I’d stormed her battlements until I made her mine.

  She’d done the same to me, thank her goddess. Boring and normal. Normal and boring. This might be the hardes
t test we set for ourselves, but I had no hesitations that we were going to ace this test as well. We were meant to be. The other half of the coin. And every single other cliché known to mankind about soulmates.

  “You’re not actually listening to me are you?” she said, a laugh in her voice.

  I grinned. “No. Sorry. Just ruminating on our awesomeness. What did you say?”

  She smiled. “At some point, I think I want to have a full service bakery. A little place where people can come in and hang out. Eat delicious baked goodies. Host baking parties or other fun things.”

  I looked around her space. Could almost see it come alive as she’d envisioned it. I nodded. “I think that would be a great idea. Do you want to keep this location? Get a bigger one?”

  She shrugged. “No idea. I think the first thing I need to do is make sure I still have clients to keep the doors open here.” She wrinkled her nose. “Just my luck, I would start to become successful and then have my life implode.”

  I pulled her into my side. Kissed her hair.

  She chuckled. “Well, not all of it imploded.” She turned her face up to mine, pressed a kiss to my chin. She blew out a breath. “Let’s go say hi, shall we?”

  I held out an arm, bowed slightly. “As you wish, my lady.”

  She snickered, bobbed a curtsey and moved through the double swinging doors. As if she’d just gotten a two-hour massage, I watched her body ease and relax. She was a baker. It wasn’t part of her profession or just a job. She thrived in making edibles that brought other people joy. This was her vocation, her reason, her passion.

  She spun around her space, touching each piece of equipment lovingly. I could have sworn I heard her whispering to it all. And…yup, she hugged her mixer.

  I chuckled softly. I didn’t want to interrupt her reunion. Her recentering. I don’t know that there was any one particular thing in my life that I could wrap myself up in. Lose myself in the minutiae or even the big picture.

  Nothing except her.

  “Am I intruding on your love affair?” I asked.

  She shot me a vibrant smile over her shoulder. “Maybe just a little.” She winked. She danced over to the walk-in cooler. Ran her hands over the solid steel surface. “Sometimes, when the kitchen gets so freaking hot that it feels like it’s melting my bones, I escape in here.” Waving me over, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dark depths.