The Syndicates: A Dark Mafia Romance Collection

by Raven Scott

  “Find me Sylvie’s roommate and bring her here— now.” His snarl into the phone rang in my ear, but Mateo didn’t intimidate me. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up at his demand, and I sat up stiffly as the line crackled ominously. “I need to ask her some questions.”

  “The fuck do you want her roommate for? Sylvie’s so fucking high she hasn’t even started withdrawal yet. I know you want to cling to the hope that things will be fine, Mateo, but they won’t be. I fucking guarantee you.” Frustration of my own sharpened my tone, but Mateo’s frosty silence didn’t deter me. My gaze flickered to Illya, and worry bled into her eyes as I covered my mouth to hide my sneer. “I’m not doing that. You don’t honestly think the drug use is inconsequential and you’ll get lucky? Bullshit. Accept the fact that you knocked up a drug addict and shoot her already.”

  “Do it, Theo, or I’ll shoot you.” Snorting roughly, I ignored the questioning glance Illya sent me as pure, undiluted amusement bubbled up in my chest. I couldn’t help myself as I chuckled darkly, and Mateo’s threat breezed through my mind with all the force of a bug being blown against a window.

  “You can try that shit with your little cronies, Mateo, but you don’t scare me. You’re an immature little shit— doing what you’re doing just proves that.” Mateo was a spoiled brat, finding himself in a position of power because his brother was the head of the whole thing. It was really a shame because I’d met his brother— Carlyle was the guy to be afraid of. A threat from him would make me run for the hills and not look back. “If you ever threaten me again, Mateo, I’ll break your fucking neck.”

  I hung up, consequences be damned, because, frankly, Mateo was starting to get on my nerves. Sliding my phone towards the wall, by the syrup and salt and pepper shakers, I crossed my legs under the table to lean back with a heavy sigh. Illya was quiet, her face pensive across the vast expanse between us, and I waited for her to say something. The longer the silence stretched, the more troubled her expression became, and I couldn’t imagine what she must’ve been feeling.

  “Is Sylvie really pregnant, and that’s why she went back to heroin? She never . . . ” She trailed off a little heartbrokenly, and betrayal reddened her cheeks as her eyes narrowed on the pointed, laminated corner of her menu. “I guess we weren’t as close as I thought.”

  “Mateo seems to think he’ll have a little, happy family and the kid won’t come out fucked up somehow. Honestly, I’ve got half a mind to call his big brother and snitch, but I’m sure Carlyle already knows about the situation. If it were me, well, I wouldn’t be so fucking stupid to not use a condom in the first place, honestly. I can’t imagine this wasn’t part of some plot, either, but you know Sylvie better than I do.” Having a baby born addicted to drugs was just plain cruel, and Illya picked up her menu to hide behind it. My mind whirred with options over how to proceed because there was no fucking way I’d just bring Illya to Mateo. Really, it had more to do with all the suffering Illya went through about Sylvie. Why’d that bitch deserve to wring out any more that her friend might not have? “I’m not bringing you there. Mateo can figure this out on his own. He wanted to launch headfirst into this shit pool, so he can deal with being up to his neck in it.”

  “To be honest, this is exactly something Sylvie would’ve done before she got clean. She must’ve been using longer than I realized.” Her grumble from around the menu sent a twitch of sympathy through my cheek, and she sunk into her side of the booth. “Ugh.”

  “You had nothing to do with that, Illya.” What a stupid ass thing to say. Lowering her menu, Illya shot me a small, grimy smile, and I grabbed my own menu for the first time since sitting down.

  “Maybe not, but here I am . . . having something to do with it. Somehow, I always get dragged into shit.” My lip twitched in a slight snarl, but I had nothing to say to that because Illya was right. At least, thus far, she tried so hard to stay out of the drama, but it sucked her in any way.

  15

  Illya

  “We’re going the wrong way.” Theo cast me a dismissive sidelong glance, and I frowned deeply as apprehension bubbled up in my chest like hot tar. “You’re not really taking me to Mateo, are you?”

  “Of course not. This has nothing to do with Mateo and his stupid, childish tantrum.” Grumbling harshly, Theo pulled to a stop at a light behind two other cars, and he tore his eyes from the road to meet mine. “You were right, Illya. You try really hard to stay out of it. I was wrong.”

  My brows rose high in surprise, and a bark of incredulous laughter burst from my throat devoid of humor. Theo’s lips thinned, his jaw ticking, and I could’ve sworn on my life that I saw his ears tinge pink at the lobes before he turned to glare at the wheel. The echo of my shocked noise bounced off the windows to ripple across my face, and I reached to put my hand on his broad, muscular shoulder. He tensed as his heat-blasted away my discomfort from his declaration, and he caught my gaze behind guarded lenses.

  “I appreciate that, Theo.” These tiny, tiny— almost unnoticeably tiny— moments were becoming more frequent, and I couldn’t help but smile when Theo jerked his head in a stiff nod. “So, where are we going?”

  “You’ll see when we get there. It’s a bit of a ride, so get comfortable.” He grabbed my hand and held palm to his chest, and the clumpy scar tissue rose the hairs on my arm. “I bet you would’ve done well in the military. I knew guys that didn’t have balls as big as yours.”

  The awkward compliment sent fire to engulf my face, and my smile widened as Theo rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. His palm was hard, and I didn’t pull back even as he propped his knee under the wheel to flick on his blinker as we neared a highway on-ramp. A warm fuzziness wrapped around my heart, and I huffed hot air as it was replaced with a strange happiness.

  I got the sense that Theo didn’t compliment someone just because. He honestly wasn’t that bad when he didn’t overthink things, but I was sure that’s why he brought me out in the first place. If it works, it works.

  “Don’t worry about Mateo. It’s really his brother you want to stay away from. I met him once, and I’d rather not ever be in the same room as him. I know killers when I see them.” There wasn’t much I could do but nod, and Theo flicked off his blinker as he merged onto the ramp smoothly. “When I started working for Mateo, he got a visit from Carlyle. They were having a conversation I wasn’t listening to in some restaurant in Portugal, and that motherfucker just pulled out a gun and shot me. I still have the bullet in my shoulder. He told me he was disappointed I didn’t beat the shit out of him— he could’ve killed Mateo and I would’ve failed my ‘mission’.”

  Theo almost seemed impressed by his own story, and my brows rose in interest even as he went quiet to focus on merging onto the highway. Glancing around, he twisted briefly, and I held the handle on the door when he swerved sharply into the middle lane. He didn’t let go of my hand, and my fingers tingled as his muscles flexed under his shirt. Positively, Theo had experience driving with one hand, but it was still kinda terrifying in a muted, knee-jerk kind of way.

  “Uh . . . so, I said that I didn’t care if he killed Mateo, as long as no one else did. Carlyle laughed at that. It was the coldest, creepiest shit ever, like serial killer creepy, not . . . ” Trailing off as a huge oil tanker breezed past us, Theo clenched and released his jaw while his nerves rattled up my arm. “I hate highways so much.”

  “I knew this girl in alternative school . . . ” Inhaling deeply as the tanker sped by completely, passing the nose of Theo’s car, I clicked my teeth absently. Memories of those three months raced through my mind’s eye, and a frown dragged down the corners of my mouth. “She was nuts. I was only there for three months for my GED, but in that time, she tried to stab the teacher twice. She got busted for smoking meth in the bathroom. She picked a fight with this other girl from a gang, and she got her place broken into and was raped by those guys. When she came back, she bragged about being in a relationship with one of them and got his name
tattooed on her neck a week later.”

  “She did all that and was never arrested?” Shaking my head, I shrugged at the questioning glance Theo shot me. I mean, the answer was obvious. I lived in LA at the time, and that kind of thing in that type of neighborhood was almost typical. There were worse people out there, and as long as she only hurt herself, people were content to leave her alone.

  Plus, she had no teeth, so whenever she talked to someone, she spit in their face. Nobody wanted to get too close.

  “So, did you ever think of going to college?”

  “And get saddled with debt? No, thanks. I’ll manage on my own.” My comeback earned me a snort of agreement, and I frowned as I thought far, far back. “I don’t think there was a single time in my life— even before it went to shit— when I thought college was a good idea. I wouldn’t know what to go for, and I just know that going would kill whatever I went for if I had a passion for it.”

  “You like to dance ballet, though.” Humming softly, I shook my head, and Theo cast me a confused furrow of his brow. “You looked really excited when Mateo asked you.”

  “Theo.” A small, warm smile stretched my lips, and I reached to scratch his stubble— stubble that he hadn’t had last night at the club. He tensed, gripped the wheel hard as he sucked in a sharp breath, and a soft sigh escaped me. “It was a lie so he’d pay me more. And it worked. I can’t do ballet anymore, even though I did like it before.”

  “What do you like, then? Not your stripper alter ego, divesting the rich to give to your poor once the sun goes down?” Giggling a little at that, I withdrew my hand only for him to grab my wrist and keep my fingers on his skin. He cast me an almost fatuous look, like a toddler that didn’t want to let go of his mom’s neck. Every time he does this kind of thing, like with the shirt, It makes it a little harder to dislike him.

  “What do I like? I don’t even know anymore. It’s been a long time since I did anything just because I liked it. What do you like to do in your spare time, Theo?” Curiosity infected my tone, and he sat back in the seat to tilt his face against my fingers. His jaw ticked under the butt of my palm, and I held my breath in anticipation.

  “Sometimes, I go to the casino in San Diego. I don’t gamble much, though. I won a plot of land in a small craps tournament the last time I was out that way. It’s in NoCal somewhere. I’m pretty sure they included it in the tournament because some guy wanted chips but had no money, so he gave them the deed.” My brows rose, and Theo smirked slippery as mischief twinkled in his eye. “Didn’t win that at the good casino, though.”

  “I was gonna say . . . I don’t think that’s legal.” He seemed to be coming out of his shell a little, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. The car fell into silence as we zipped out of town, and I gnawed on my cheek as I turned my gaze out the window.

  This isn’t happening. What a joke. I should’ve packed my shit and run away again as soon as Sylvie got dragged into this car. I’d be halfway to Canada by now if I was smart. My tongue soured as I licked the backs of my teeth, and I frowned under the slight crease between my brows. Either Theo was a creep, and I wanted to not be around him, or . . .

  We had moments . . . really nice moments, like the one I was currently immersed in. Those few seconds— that intense, brief connection— made me want to go deeper under the surface. I knew better, but that didn’t matter. I didn’t want to end up dead, but what was my life right now?

  The truth was that I was worse than dead, and if Theo made it a little better for a little while,why shouldn’t I enjoy that? Grinding my teeth to hold back a groan of frustration, my blood simmered in my veins as my mind went around and around in circles.

  16

  Illya

  “You’re quiet.” Tearing my eyes off the oncoming sign emblazoned with ‘Pine Valley— Next Exit,’ I flexed my fingers as a slight, tingly numbness slithered up my arm. Theo’s pensive expression disappeared, but not fast enough, and a sigh dried my lips before I licked them in preparation.

  “I know what I said at the waffle place earlier. I was just thinking . . . my life’s really not worth living as it is right now.” His cheek twitched under my fingers, and Theo didn’t protest as I pulled away to twiddle my thumbs in my lap. “I don’t want to kill myself. I hope things will get better, and I’m trying really hard to make it better. But I’m really, really unhappy. I live in a shit place. I work in a shit place. And I know that it’s better than it was before, but why am I content with that? That’s fucked up. The whole concept of life right now is messed up.”

  “Isn’t that the point of working hard? So you can make your life worth it?” There was no judgment in his tone, only slight confusion and a little worry at my words. I mean, who wouldn’t be worried about some deep, philosophical shit like what’d just come out of my mouth? “You don’t have to worry about Sylvie anymore. That’s one issue down, right?”

  “I may not have to worry about her, but now I have to worry about money. I know it’s a grind— that’s not the issue. I just . . . sometimes, I just want things to get better overnight with minimal work on my part.” A sour smirk twisted my lips at how stupid that desire was, and I ran my free hand through my hair absently to pull the strands over my shoulder. “It’s dumb and unrealistic, but . . . ”

  “It’s not dumb, Illya.” My cheeks warmed as Theo reached to stroke my jaw with stiff fingers, and I blinked back the sting in my eyes. “You’ve been through a lot. Just because other people have had it worse or are more lucky doesn’t negate that.”

  “You know . . . I honestly don’t know why. Like you said earlier, why don’t I just give in, huh? Why don’t I just take my pants off and hope it’s enough? My mom used to tell me that anything I did in desperation wasn’t something to be ashamed of. It may not be panic, but I would consider myself desperate, I guess.” Casting Theo a wry glance, my lips quirked up at the ghost of a thought that flittered through my head. “This is the part where you say you’re not gonna take advantage of me.”

  “Like fuck I’d be stupid enough to turn you down, Illya.” He said the words, but I could tell that screwing me wasn’t really the focal point of his conviction. Stopping at the end of the off-ramp, he flicked on his blinker before catching my eyes firmly. “Your mom is right— and why should you have to take the brunt of someone else’s shitty choices? Sylvie put you in a hole, and she’s not gonna help you crawl out. That’s fucked up, Illya, not confronting the fact that, for the foreseeable future, your life is gonna suck. You know it. You accept it. And it’s not gonna change overnight like you want, but that’s okay because you always had to fight for everything, right? If you don’t fight for this, where’s the big ‘fuck you’ to the world, huh?”

  “You know, Theo, I like you better when you’re not trying to be romantic.” His head snapped to the side to face me, and his two fingers slid off my chin to curl around my shoulder. For a long moment, he just stared at me, and a fury of emotions played in his eyes before he twisted forward again. Gripping the wheel tightly, he pulled off the ramp and onto a road, and huge oaks line either side of us.

  “We’re here.” A gorgeous, hand-painted, hand-carved, wooden sign hung over the mouth of a long driveway, and I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth to gnaw diligently.

  “A rehab center? Why’d you bring me to a rehab center?”

  “It’s a rest and rehabilitation resort— not a rehab center. Just trust me, Illya. You’ll like it.” Perfectly manicured lawns clung to even more perfectly laid stones that lined the drive, and Theo cleared his throat roughly as he drove up the winding, uncracked asphalt. “Mateo comes here when he can’t handle the adult world.”

  “O-oh . . . ” Well, that answered that question. I really doubted Theo was the kind of guy to get a facial and a pedicure after a long day. The sprawling grounds were lush and green, and people were just milling around enjoying themselves. “I could work every day of my life and not afford to come to a place like this.”

&
nbsp; “I know.” Scrunching up my nose at that, I crossed my arms over my chest as we reached the top of the long drive. The mansion that stood at the end of the asphalt was bigger than my entire apartment block combined, and my eyes widened to take it all in. Huge, spiral columns of granite held up an empty balcony, and I craned my neck to press my face against the window. The vehicle jostled to a stop, and someone dressed in a smart uniform that may have cost more than Theo’s car came bounding down the steps.

  He opened my door for me, smiling welcomingly, and anxiety slammed into my chest as I swung my legs out. Another person rounded the front of the car and let Theo out, and I stood up to gaze at this disgusting display of insane wealth. And I get to experience it.

  “Come on.” I tore my eyes off the mansion, and Theo took my hand to lead me up the perfectly polished, dirt— free, marble steps. “Mateo bought a room here we can use.”

  “W-we? Theo, no.” My heart jumped into my throat, but I didn’t want to scuff the floor by trying to stop. The ruined skin on my chest throbbed in fiery irritation, and he twisted before pausing when he caught sight of the apprehension on my face. Four fingers and a thumb threaded between mine, and a frown marred his expression as he shook his head roughly.

  “Mateo will know I’m here. They’ll call and tell him. I don’t want him showing up and finding you alone. That’s all. Like I said, he doesn’t know that you’re Sylvie’s roommate, and I want to keep it that way.” Skepticism dried my mouth, and Theo’s frown morphed into a scowl as prickles raced up and down my spine. “What?”

  “What if he does show up? Theo, I can’t afford to be in debt to that asshole over a couple hours in a real bed and a nice massage. Please.” I didn’t recognize the keening tone in my voice, and my palms clammed up as I took a step back. “This is a bad idea, okay. I can’t do this.”