The Killer's Fake Bride: A Possessive Dark Mafia Romance

by Hamel, B. B.

  She rolled her eyes. “Do you mind if we call Nessa? I want to tell her and I want you to be here for it.”

  I laughed and gestured at her. “Go ahead, let’s call.” I didn’t know why she wanted me around, but I guessed it was for moral support.

  She took her phone from her small white clutch and tapped the screen. It rang and rang, and I was about to give up and say we should head back inside when Nessa answered.

  “Sam,” she said, sounding surprised. “Hey, uh, how are you?”

  “I’m fine,” Sam said and glanced at me. “You doing okay?”

  A short pause. Sam began to pace back and forth under the shade and I could see the agitation rolling off her in waves.

  I could only imagine how she felt.

  Her own best friend betrayed her like that. Maybe the girl had good intentions, but it didn’t matter. She still turned Sam in to her father, and that was bad enough. From what I could understand, Sam and Nessa were extremely close, like long-time besties or whatever. I had trouble really understanding that, since all my relationships ended in death and gore, and I was a natural loner, all things considered.

  But for Sam, it must’ve been a struggle.

  “Everyone’s worried about you,” Nessa said finally. “Listen, Sam—”

  “I got married,” Sam said.

  “Oh.” Nessa sounded surprised, then: “Oh, wow, holy crap. Are you being serious?”

  “His name’s Matteo,” Sam said, glancing at me. “He’s in the Valentino family. And he’s the father of my baby.”

  “Holy shit,” Nessa said.

  “I know,” Sam said. “Colm knows about it. I mean, maybe not the wedding part, but he knows that I’m with a Valentino guy and I’m pregnant with his baby.”

  “Slow down,” Nessa said. “I feel like my head’s spinning here. So that guy we saw, he’s seriously in the Valentino family? I thought he was just some guy that hung around the Healys.”

  “He’s really Valentino, Nessa. I know this seems crazy, but we’re doing it for a reason. We want to end the war.”

  Another pause. “End the war?”

  “Listen, like I said, we met with Colm, and—”

  “Sam, what the hell did you get involved with?”

  “I know it’s crazy, but please, Nessa, listen. Colm refuses to negotiate—”

  “I’m sorry,” Nessa said. “I’m having a lot of trouble dealing with this right now. You just married a Valentino guy? What the hell is happening?”

  Sam took a deep breath and I could tell she was in pain. I wanted to step in and do something, but this was her battle to fight. Even if I wanted to help, I didn’t know how. Nessa was her friend, her family, and I was the outsider. From her perspective, I was the problem and the enemy.

  “I know how it sounds,” Sam said. “But I’m doing it to help the family. I want to save lives, Nessa. No more dead friends and family.”

  “Your dad is going to flip out,” Nessa said.

  Sam laughed. It sounded like rain during a drought and I felt a strange pull in my chest watching her tug at a strand of hair over and over. “I’m not too concerned with him right now. The whole family’s going to think I’m some traitor, but I need you to understand that I’m not.”

  “Look, Sam, I love you, you know that, but you married a Valentino. It’s really hard to see you as anything but a traitor.”

  Sam stopped pacing and her posture tensed. “Come here and meet him.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Come to the Valentino mansion and meet him. I swear, they won’t hurt you. We’ll sit by the pool and talk.”

  “Sam,” she said. “I don’t know.”

  “Please, Nessa. You owe me this much at least, you know? If anyone’s a traitor, it’s you.”

  Nessa let out a pained sigh. “I guess I deserve that.”

  “You really do. Now please, come out here and we can all talk.”

  “How?” she asked. “I don’t even have a car.”

  “We’ll send you an Uber.” She glanced at me and I nodded. “Tomorrow, can you get away tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I can come tomorrow.” She laughed nervously. “I can’t believe I’m going to the Valentino mansion.”

  “I know, you’re going to love it.”

  “I hope not. Then I might want to nab me a Valentino mafia guy myself and become a traitor with you.”

  “Not the worst thing in the world, honestly.” Sam glanced at me and grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay. Sam, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “I don’t, but I’m working on it anyway.” Then she hung up and slipped her phone back into her clutch. She rubbed at her face and shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m making a mistake.”

  “What’s your plan for having her over here?” I asked.

  She shrugged slightly and turned away from me. She started down toward the woods and I followed. We talked along a simple path that curved through the yard, down to the edge of the tree line.

  “I want her to see all this,” she said. “And I want her to meet you. I think that if she saw that the Valentinos aren’t just a bunch of blood-thirsty monsters, then maybe she’ll come around.”

  “Too bad we actually are monsters,” I said with a sigh.

  “You can behave for one day.” She glanced at me, smiling. “I’m serious though. If I can turn Nessa, maybe she can convince some more people. And if we get everyone on board…” She trailed off.

  I reached out and caught her hand mid-stride, tugging her against my hip. She stumbled, but I steadied her with an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me, chewing on her lip, and I looked back, feeling a surge of shocking pride.

  “That’s very smart,” I said honestly. “If we can convince some of your family that Colm’s actually working against their interests, it might split up their power base enough to go after Colm himself.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” she said. “Is it a little too evil though? I mean, I don’t want to hurt anyone or start some kind of civil war.”

  “We won’t let it get that far,” I said. “We only need Colm.”

  “And maybe Shaun.” She whispered the words, staring straight ahead.

  I tightened my grip around her shoulders. “If it comes to that,” I said.

  “Why are you being like this?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re trying to save my family, but you’ve been at war with them for so long. Shouldn’t you be trying to kill them?”

  I blinked up toward the trees and the leaves, watching the light sparkle through the gaps in the branches, and let out a long breath. That was something I’d been asking myself ever since this started, and the answer felt strange, like it was coming from someone else.

  “There’s been enough dying,” I said finally. “On my side and your side. If we can do something to slow it down at least, then I think we have to.”

  “I agree. That’s why I married you.”

  I stopped before we stepped into the woods, right at the edge of the scrubby bushes and the undergrowth. She looked back at me, a coy smile on her lips. She looked radiant, wreathed in sunlight from the trees, right on the edge of shadow, and I wanted her to come back to me, to step away from the darkness beneath the canopy and stand close against me.

  “Can I admit something?” I asked.

  “Anything you want, husband.”

  It was strange, how that word twisted my guts in a good way. “Before you, I thought of the Healy family as disposable. Like each and every one of you was my enemy, and it was my job to kill you all. I wouldn’t let myself see you as people.”

  “And I burst that bubble.”

  “You did.” I stepped closer and pulled her to me. “It wasn’t just the baby, though. It was that night.”

  “If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, would any of this be happening?”

  I shook my head and brushed my lips through her hair, then stoo
ped down to kiss her gently. “No, it wouldn’t have, but I think you planted that seed of doubt. And maybe it would’ve grown on its own, but you made sure it blossomed.”

  “Good for me. Got one more killer off the street.”

  I touched her cheek and moved my hand back to her hair. I slid my fingers down along her braid, feeling the knots and the loops. “I wouldn’t go that far,” I said. “Maybe I see the Healy people as human beings, but I’m still loyal to my family. If the Don told me to murder all of them, I’d try to follow his orders.”

  “Then let’s hope he doesn’t order that.” She pushed herself away from me. “Come on, let’s go inside and get something to eat. I bet Bea’s waiting.”

  She walked off toward the house and I wanted to pull her back against me. I wanted to hold her there and never let her go, the urge so intense that it made my hands curl into fists. I’d never felt like this before, and I didn’t understand how I dropped into it so quickly—but now I saw why they called it “falling” for someone.

  I caught up with her, with my wife. She took my hand and we headed inside together.

  14

  Sam

  I watched Nessa step out of the Uber and stare up at the mansion with wide, shocked eyes before I got to my feet and waved from the front porch. She blinked at me, her mouth hanging open, and I had to gesture for her to come up the stoop before she’d start moving. The Uber drove off, kicking up dust behind it.

  “Holy crap,” Nessa said. She crossed her arms over her chest like she was trying to hold herself together. “Holy crap, Sam.”

  “I know.” I grinned huge. “Amazing, right?”

  “You’re staying in this place?”

  “In my own room that’s basically a little apartment.”

  “Does it have, like, servants?”

  “Not really,” I said and smiled slightly. I couldn’t imagine how Bea would react if she heard someone refer to her as a servant. “But there’s a housekeeper and some kitchen staff. And cleaners every other day.”

  “My god,” she whispered. “There’s no way we ever can beat these people. I mean, Colm doesn’t even have his own house. He runs around the city, hiding all the time.”

  I reached out and touched her arm. She looked away from the house and met my gaze. There were tears in her eyes, and she blinked them away.

  “I’m really sorry,” she said. “I was trying to do the right thing. I thought maybe this guy did something to you, like maybe you were in trouble and you needed help, so I went to your dad but then he brought those two guys and I just—”

  I pulled her in for a hug. She sobbed once and we didn’t speak for a little while. I was still angry, still very freaking angry, but Nessa was my best friend and I knew she meant well, even if she made the worst possible decision.

  I wasn’t going to trust her. Not completely and not yet, but I wouldn’t cut her out, either. I wanted to give her a chance to make things right between us, if that was what she wanted.

  “Come on,” I said, pulling back. “Let’s go inside and take a tour, okay?”

  “Right.” She wiped her eyes then laughed. “God, if anyone else saw me here, they’d freak, you know?”

  “I know,” I said. “Imagine if you married one of these guys.”

  She leaned against me grinning. “How was the wedding night?”

  I felt myself blush. “It was just like any other night. I mean, it’s barely a real marriage. We’re only doing it to try to help end this war, you know? Trying to set an example for the family.”

  “Right, sure, but you’re pregnant already, yeah? So it’s not like he could knock you up twice.”

  I looked away from her and thought back to hours earlier, when the sun was still down: Matteo in my bed, licking my body, lapping me up between my legs, teasing my pussy and clit and making my back arch, over and over again, as my fingers gripped the sheets. That man was patient and insatiable, and even though I was up with him half the night, coming more than I thought was physically possible, he still woke up half hard. I still had the taste of his cock on my lips, and there was a pleasant if slightly painful ache between my legs.

  “I’m a married woman now,” I said, taking Nessa’s arm and leading her into the front door. “That means I’m a very classy lady.”

  “Right, sure, classy. Very, very classy.”

  She gasped at the chandelier and obsessed about every little detail. It was gratifying to watch her walking around, staring at the details, poking her head in all the rooms, and squealing like a little girl. Nessa grew up watching all the Housewives shows, and her sense of reality revolved around television, movies, and social media. She was obsessed with class and wealth and standing, and this mansion was exactly what she’d always dreamed about.

  “I am so jealous I could scream,” she said as we stepped into the living room. She ran around the couch then hopped over the back and landed on the cushions, sighing contentedly as she sunk down into its comfortable embrace.

  I sat down on the edge of the couch next to her. “It hasn’t all been easy, you know.”

  “I’m sure,” she said, staring at the absurdly high ceiling. “This place is like a freaking church.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s huge and there’s wood everywhere.”

  I laughed lightly. Of course that was the closest comparison she could make. The Healy family wasn’t poor, but it wasn’t rich, either. The upper level guys had more money and lived in decent row homes, but there was nothing like this place, not even close. Even if Colm owned some businesses, and money flowed into pockets, nobody was wealthy.

  As far as Nessa knew, the Catholic church in Philadelphia was the richest institution imaginable.

  “I guess you’re right,” I said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, I know this place is gorgeous and all, but I’ve had other things on my mind.”

  She glanced at my belly. “Like being pregnant.”

  “And being married.” I wiggled my fingers, showing off the rings.

  She whistled. “For a rushed, political marriage, he sure as hell didn’t go cheap.”

  “I know,” I said, and felt a flutter in my gut. “But you can probably appreciate why I haven’t been obsessing about the house.”

  “What is going on here, anyway?” Nessa struggled to sit up and looked at me curiously. “I mean, I guess I understand why you think marrying him might help end the war, but I don’t know. People aren’t going to be okay with it, right? Everyone’s going to be pissed.”

  “That’s why I want you to convince them that this is real, and that the Valentino family wants to make peace.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Hear me out,” I said, putting a hand on her knee. “Listen for one second before you flip.”

  She sucked in a breath then let it out. “All right, fine. Go ahead, tell me whatever crazy plan you cooked up.”

  I smiled tightly and started talking. I explained it all to her, starting with the meeting in that bar with Colm and right up through the wedding. “So if we can get people to understand that Colm’s lying about wanting to negotiate peace, then maybe the family can pressure him into it anyway.”

  Nessa stood up and paced across the living room, shaking her head. “I can’t believe that Colm’s been lying this whole time.”

  “I swear it’s true,” I said. “Why else would he bring Shaun? You know that guy’s an asshole.”

  “That’s true,” Nessa said, snorting. “God, he’s a douchebag. One time we were at the pool and he shoved me into the water and called me a whale. I spilled a Coke over his head later and kicked him in the balls, the little prick.”

  “Nessa,” I said.

  “Sorry.” She stopped pacing. “All right, I’ll assume everything you said is true, which means Colm is a lying bastard. What can I do about it?”

  “Tell everyone about you coming here,” I said. “Tell them the truth about Colm, or at le
ast try to convince them that I’m not abandoning the family. Colm’s the real problem, he’s the one standing in the way of peace, and if we can loosen his hold on power then maybe we can break him down completely.”

  Nessa chewed on her lip for a second, arms crossed. “Wouldn’t that put me in danger, though?” she asked.

  I looked over her shoulder as Matteo walked into the room. I felt a surge of delight as he came toward us and I climbed to my feet.

  “You will be in danger,” Matte said, answering her question, “but I promise we’ll do what we can to protect you.”

  Nessa spun around and gaped at him. Matteo tilted his head and smiled, running a hand through his thick hair. He wore a tight shirt and a pair of simple jeans, and the outfit managed to show off his athletic body perfectly.

  “You’re the husband,” she said finally.

  “Nice to meet you officially,” Matteo said. “Sam talks a lot about you.” He shook her hand and she glanced back at me, grinning.

  “Matteo’s on board with everything,” I said, walking toward them. “And he’s got the Don’s approval. That’s why we’re staying here.”

  “I just don’t know,” Nessa said, pacing away, shaking her head. “Even if you can protect me, and no offense, but I sorta think that’s bullshit, but even if you can, I’ll still be in trouble with everyone. Nobody speaks out against Colm.”

  “You don’t have to,” Matteo said. “That’s the beauty. You don’t have to call him a liar, only convince people that we’re for real. We can do the rest.”

  “I know this is a big ask,” I said. “But Nessa, please. You want this war to end, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do,” she said. “But I’m not brave. I don’t do stuff like this. I just, I keep my head down, okay? I get by, I don’t get involved.”

  “That’s what I thought about myself too,” I said quietly. For so long I was a good, obedient little Healy woman, doing whatever my father told me to do and taking orders. I was going to marry whoever the family wanted me to marry, and do whatever I could for the family. I’d cook, clean, get a job, raise babies, organize playdates, set up doctor visits, all that stuff, and I’d do it with a smile.