Hard Earned Cash: A Dark Mafia Romance

by K. L. Hiers

  Cold tilted his head curiously, giving Jimmy some space but still holding onto his hand.

  “We’ve been together for a while now,” Jimmy began softly, closing his eyes as he focused on the words. The lyrics spoke of a love that was unconditional, as certain as the sun rising and the changing of the seasons. No matter what obstacles they faced, their love would endure any pain or heartache.

  Jimmy raised his voice to overtake Dario’s piano, his eyes fluttering open to gaze adoringly at Cold as he sang of a love that could survive even their darkest days. He poured everything he had into each and every word, promising to always stay by Cold’s side. He would stay, no matter what, because he loved him so much.

  For a few precious moments, there was no one there except Jimmy and Cold, Jimmy’s voice carrying them to a secret place just for the two of them. He barely heard Dario’s piano, focused only on his voice and delivering each syllable with all the passion he could muster.

  As the last words of the song left his lips, Jimmy realized tears had been running down his face. He gasped softly, his soul returning to his body from the heavens above and his heart aching when he saw Cold’s expression.

  Cold’s eyes were damp with a glimmer of tears, tears that he casually brushed aside before reaching for Jimmy’s hand. He had never looked so vulnerable, so human, and Jimmy was deeply touched.

  There was hardly a dry eye in the house, and a roar of applause drowned out the happy sniffles.

  Cold squeezed Jimmy’s hand and kissed his wrist, dropping his voice down to murmur, “That was extraordinary, my love.”

  Jimmy beamed, afraid to speak because he was certain he would burst into tears. He nodded earnestly, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. “Thank you,” he managed to whisper. “Thank you so much.”

  “And now, Roderick,” the priest said warmly, “you have some vows that you’ve written for Jimmy?”

  “Yes,” Cold said, reaching into his pocket for a small slip of paper and his glasses.

  Jimmy’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly. He had no idea that Cold had prepared his own vows, and he was dying to hear them. He tightened his grip on Cold’s hand, grinning like a total fool.

  “Jimmy,” Cold began, “when we first met, I knew—”

  “You fuckin’ son of a bitch! You’re dead!” a hoarse voice screamed, the crowd erupting into panic and several people shrieking in terror.

  Jimmy’s head snapped over to see Luigi Luchesi standing at the back of the garden by the conservatory door with a rifle in his hand. Fear seized Jimmy’s heart, and he wanted to throw up. This couldn’t be real.

  This wasn’t happening.

  It couldn’t be.

  There were at least four more men with guns now, all of them aimed right at Cold and Jimmy.

  Time slowed down to an agonizing crawl, Jimmy frozen to the spot as he watched the Gentlemen leap into action. Jules moved to stand in front of them as a human shield, Tamerlane vanished around the edge of a row of chairs and into the frantic crowd, while Pym pulled Thirdsies out of the way.

  “Get down, Jimmy,” Cold urged calmly, grabbing Jimmy and pushing him down onto the floor. “Close your eyes.”

  The last thing Jimmy saw was Lorre tackling Rowena as she was in the middle of throwing her shoe at one of the gunmen. He heard six gunshots popping off in rapid succession, and everyone started screaming.

  Jimmy was certain he was going to be sick, clinging to Cold and panting erratically. He didn’t know who had fired or who had been hit, and he began crying softly as the wave of terrified shouting continued to rage.

  “Thomas Eastwick, FBI!” Charlie’s voice called out, trying to make himself heard over the frightened roar. “Everyone please remain calm!”

  No one remained calm.

  Everyone was trying to rush through the doors, many people getting practically trampled in the process.

  “Time to go,” Cold grunted, sweeping Jimmy into his arms. “Don’t look, Jimmy. Don’t look.”

  Jimmy dared to open his eyes, spying one of the gunmen dead on the floor. He saw Tamerlane, quick as ever, sliding a pistol into Charlie’s hand and disappearing back into the crowd. He didn’t see what had happened to the other attackers, shutting his eyes again.

  Cold carried Jimmy to a rear exit of the conservatory, whispering urgently, “Everyone is all right. Your father, Maury, Rowena. Everyone is okay, I promise you.”

  “The, the guns! Those men—”

  “The last of the Luchesi family and their supporters,” Cold soothed.

  “A trap,” Jimmy realized out loud. “You used our wedding as a trap to draw them all out.”

  “Yes,” Cold confirmed, whisking Jimmy outside where Jerry was waiting with the limo.

  Jimmy was having the absolute worst case of déjà vu, his anxiety turning to anger. He pushed his way out of Cold’s arms, jumping into the limo by himself and sitting as far away from Cold as he could. “You lied to me!”

  “I did not lie,” Cold calmly retorted, leaning back in his usual spot and giving Jimmy his space. He waved at Jules to shut the door, sighing, “I told you that there were things I had to keep from you, things you didn’t need to know, but I did not lie.”

  “Withholding the truth is just as bad!”

  “So you’ve said, but did you really want to be privy to my plans to murder people at our wedding?”

  “Well, no, not exactly!” Jimmy hissed miserably. “I knew you were up to freakin’ something, and this, this is horrible! You made me plan this stupid wedding just to ruin it with Tamerlane and whoever whacking a bunch of guys!”

  “Charlie will take credit for that,” Cold corrected firmly. “Tamerlane took the shots, yes, but Charlie is going to be the one who pulled the trigger. And we must all be very shocked that he was a federal agent.”

  “Is that why we’re running away?” Jimmy asked dryly, his head still swimming from all the chaos.

  “That and we have a plane to catch,” Cold replied.

  “A plane! What plane?”

  “To Florida, where we will be taking a ship to a private island I’ve reserved for our wedding and honeymoon,” Cold said calmly. “I told you this morning, Jimmy: our bags are all packed and I’m going to give you the wedding you wanted.”

  “You... you... what?” Jimmy was having trouble understanding what Cold was telling him. He was still shaken up from having bullets fly all around him and finding out their wedding was an elaborate trap, now further stunned by hearing there was yet another wedding.

  “Part of Charlie’s job was to ascertain exactly what you would want for your dream wedding,” Cold explained. “You told me much of what you wanted pretty directly, but there were some minor details I needed him to find out for me. While he was planning the decoy wedding, he was also retrieving all the additional information I needed.

  “Tomorrow evening, we will exchange our vows on white sandy beaches and—” Cold sighed deeply, as if this was physically painful, “—barefoot, as requested. Your father and the others will join us on the island as soon as they are able.”

  “All of this time,” Jimmy whispered, “you were using a fake wedding to find out what I really wanted...?”

  “And to kill my enemies,” Cold admitted. “I can’t say that my motivations were entirely unselfish.”

  “Is it... is it really over now?” Jimmy asked hopefully.

  “The Luchesis are dead,” Cold promised. “I corrected my previous mistake of letting some of them live, and Mr. Eastwick will snuff out the last of their support back in Perry City. Quite the victory for all of us.”

  “What about the shooting? Don’t we need to talk to the police?”

  “Why?” Cold smirked. “We’re not suspects. There’s no reason to hold us for questioning. Miss Beccali already has our statements ready to turn over to the authorities, and I’ve promised to be most cooperative when we return from our honeymoon.”

  “Wow.” Jimmy shouldn’t have been surprised. “Now what?�
��

  “Now we get married and enjoy the rest of our lives together,” Cold said with a small smile. “Which I am free to do so now, thankfully.”

  “A free man, and you got the cops to take care of the bad guys. Again.” Jimmy snorted.

  “Why dirty my hands when I can get the authorities to do it for me?” Cold winked.

  “You really do think of everything, don’t you?”

  “I make an active effort to be prepared, yes.”

  “Except for onions.”

  “Yes, except for fucking onions,” Cold growled, making a sour face. “Never going to live that one down, am I?”

  “Nope,” Jimmy said cheerfully, sliding across the leather seats to snuggle against Cold’s hip.

  “Mm, thought you’d still be mad at me a bit longer,” Cold said, wrapping his arm around Jimmy’s shoulders.

  “See, you don’t know everything,” Jimmy teased. “And maybe I’m finally learning to trust you.”

  “Oh?”

  “And how to forgive you,” Jimmy added, reaching for Cold’s hand. “Not that you need it or even want it, but it’s how I deal with that other side of you. You’ve been working so hard to be more honest with me, and it’s only fair I try to compromise, too. I know what you are, and it’s okay. I accept it as long as I don’t get too close to that part of your world. You’ll keep me good, and I’ll keep on loving you. It’s like in the song I sang to you. No matter what, Rod, I’m going to stay with you.”

  Cold looked thoughtful, his icy eyes scanning slowly over Jimmy’s face. Whatever he was searching for, he seemed satisfied and pressed a gentle kiss to Jimmy’s lips. “Good.”

  Jimmy kissed back deeply, sliding his hands over Cold’s face. “Mmm, can I hear your vows now?”

  “Not yet,” Cold teased smugly. “What’s wrong? You can’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “You already heard mine!” Jimmy argued. “What am I supposed to do tomorrow? Sing again?”

  “It was a very lovely song.”

  “Rod!”

  Cold scowled and sighed dramatically, but he conceded, “Fine. Jimmy? When I first met you, I knew immediately that there was something special about you—”

  “Don’t you need to look at your notes?”

  “What?” Cold stared blankly.

  “At the fake wedding, you were going to read from some piece of paper—”

  “Do you want me to tell you my vows or not?” Cold asked flatly.

  “Sorry!” Jimmy giggled. “Please. Tell me.”

  “I knew there was something special about you,” Cold continued with a smirk. “Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with you. Your passion enraptured me, your loyalty snared me, and your smile took me prisoner and would not let go. I simply had no other choice but to love you.

  “Even when you don’t think you’re worthy of being loved, you are. The shy way you scratch your neck when you’re particularly nervous or the bold spark in your eyes when you’re excited, everything about you is exquisite. Most admirable of all is your determination.

  “Once your mind is made up, you never give up. And you were absolutely set on being mine. I was unable to refuse you, and somewhere along the way, I became yours, too. We belong to each other, and I will always take care of you. I will protect you, cherish you, and I will love you forever, Jimmy Poe.”

  “Rod,” Jimmy whispered, heat stinging his eyes as tears began to cloud his vision. Cold rarely ever expressed his feelings, and this was beyond anything Jimmy could have ever hoped for. “That’s... that. Wow, I love you, too. So much. So very, very much.”

  Cold kissed Jimmy, soft and sweet, murmuring against his lips, “Tu es l’amour de ma vie.”

  “Rod!” Jimmy gasped, his face immediately flushing. “Are you saying something dirty in French?”

  “Moi?” Cold chuckled heartily and shook his head. “Jamais!”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Ah, Jimmy,” Cold went on, grinning so slyly, “je veux être avec toi pour toujours.”

  “Now I know you’re being dirty!” Jimmy protested, squirming as Cold’s lips pressed against his throat. “Couldn’t let me have one sweet moment with you?”

  “J’ai besoin de toi, j’ai envie de toi, et je t’aimerai pour toujours,” Cold purred wickedly, his hands sliding down Jimmy’s thigh. “Je ne peux pas vivre sans toi.”

  “Hey, wait! I understood some of that!” Jimmy exclaimed, pulling back to beam up at Cold. “Juhhh t’aime. Je t’aime? Right? I love you?”

  “Oui.” Cold winked.

  “Je t’aime aussi,” Jimmy replied carefully, smiling wide as he managed to sound respectably French. “Je t’aime aussi, like, forever.”

  “Mmm,” Cold hummed, kissing Jimmy’s lips with a tender sigh. “Toujours, mon amour.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The waves softly licking across the white beach was the perfect music for a wedding, Jimmy thought. His toes were digging down into the sand, and the warm breeze blowing by smelled like salt. It was beautiful. He could have stared out into the clear waters for hours, but Cold’s hand at his waist broke the spell.

  “Are you ready?” Cold asked.

  “Absolutely,” Jimmy said, smiling up at him.

  There were no tuxedos here, only white dress shirts and jeans. Cold’s shirt was still firmly buttoned all the way up his neck, and Jimmy grinned as he leaned forward to undo the top one.

  “There,” Jimmy said, winking playfully. “Now it’s perfect.”

  “Is this necessary?” Cold snorted.

  “Absolutely,” Jimmy confirmed, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together.

  “Any other adjustments you’d like to make to my attire?” Cold’s lips twitched with amusement.

  “Nope!” Jimmy replied. “Any you’d like to make to mine?”

  “Mmm, maybe just one.” Cold’s hand slid down over Jimmy’s ass, his fingers pressing up between his cheeks.

  Jimmy gasped, the plug inside of him shifting and making his knees weak. It hadn’t been in him long, but Cold hadn’t been able to deny himself a quick pre-wedding tryst and gave Jimmy his first wedding present:

  A 24-karat gold-plated plug.

  “How’s that feel?” Cold asked softly.

  “Good, sir...” Jimmy’s eyes fluttered. “Very good.”

  “Still nice and full?” Cold pushed on the plug again.

  “Yes, sir!”

  “No...” Cold’s fingers wagged the plug at an awkward angle. “Yes, what? What did I tell you for today?”

  “Yes, Rod,” Jimmy breathed slowly, groaning when Cold moved his hand away. His cock was already half-hard in his jeans, and he smiled when Cold kissed his cheek.

  “Let’s go, my love,” Cold said, curling his arm around Jimmy’s waist and leading him back down the beach where everyone was waiting.

  There were no chairs or flowers, no piano or priest. It was family and friends only, all of them standing in a loose circle around a grove of palm trees. A simple arbor draped with white silks had been put up nearby, and Maury was patiently waiting there for them to arrive.

  Hand in hand, they stood before Maury, and everyone gathered around them. The Gentlemen were all in attendance, as were David and Dario. Even Madeline Queen, Charlie Swenson, and Christine Beccali had made the trip here. Jimmy’s heart swelled to see them all, tears already burning his eyes knowing what was coming next.

  This was exactly what he had wanted. It was a simple beach ceremony with their loved ones and their toes in the sand, though Cold had made a compromise on the barefoot part; he was wearing sandals.

  “Seein’ as how the two of yous are already hitched,” Maury began solemnly, “it don’t make a fuck that I can’t do this all legal like.”

  Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh, playfully bumping Cold’s shoulder.

  Cold replied by rolling his eyes.

  “But see,” Maury went on, “I agreed to do th
is gig for Jimmy because of how much he means to me. I’ve been watchin’ over him for years, watchin’ him grow up and worry. God, does that kid worry. Worries about each and every little fuckin’ thing. But you know, watchin’ him with ol’ big and bossy over there, he don’t worry like that no more.

  “He’s happy. He gets this fuckin’ glow all over him. Ain’t seen him like that in years. There’s a light in him now, and I know he’s right where he’s supposed to be. Haven’t seen that light ever dim since the day he met ol’ Roddy.

  “I know you guys had vows and singin’ and all that before, but we ain’t gotta do all that shit. Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Be good to each other, love each other.” Maury cut his eyes at Cold. “And if you ever fuckin’ hurt my boy, it’s an eternity of wrinkly balls and fuckin’ ghost jizz—”

  Jimmy cleared his throat loudly while Cold scowled, the crowd behind them trying and failing to suppress their laughter.

  “Right, right.” Maury shook his head, returning to a solemn tone as he continued, “Pick each other up when yous fall down, take care of each other, and don’t ever go to bed angry. I want both of yous to be happy for the rest of your fuckin’ lives. You think you two can handle that?”

  “I do,” Jimmy gushed, turning to beam up at Cold.

  “And yous, Roddy? Huh?” Maury prompted.

  “I do,” Cold confirmed, smiling softly down at Jimmy. He looked years younger in that moment, relaxed and happy. Jimmy didn’t think he had ever been more beautiful.

  Maury was grinning impishly, waving at them impatiently. “Well, come the fuck on! You’re married! Kiss!”

  Cold wrapped his arms around Jimmy’s waist, sliding a hand up his back as he dipped him into a sweet kiss.

  Their guests exploded with cheers, whistling and shouting excitedly. Jimmy could feel all the blood in his body zooming to his face, and the bend of his hips made the plug inside of him ache in the most splendid way.

  It was perfect.

  Cold swept Jimmy up into a standing position and gave him a moment to breathe, whispering in his ear, “I love you, Jimmy.”