Devotion
Mafia Ties #3
Fiona Davenport
Copyright
© 2016 Fiona Davenport
All rights reserved.
Edited by PREMA Romance Editing.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing. For permission requests, please send your email request to [email protected].
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons or living or dead, events or locales are entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ Use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Devotion
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Pursuit
Books By This Author
About the Author
Devotion
Mafia Ties #3
It didn’t take long for Nic DeLuca and Anna Martin to fall in love. The mafia boss and innocent nanny may seem like an odd match, but their devotion to each other is absolute.
When Anna is taken by a rival family, Nic will go to any lengths to rescue her—and ensure nobody touches what’s his ever again.
Please note: Nic & Anna’s romance is a three part story, but there are no relationship cliffhangers.
Love is not blind,
it sees more not less;
but because it sees more,
it chooses to see less.
~Unknown~
Chapter 1
Nic
“Why isn’t the son of a bitch in my hands yet, Enzo?” I asked, deadly calm. It had been well over a week since that little shit Darby took a shot at Brandon, sending Carly on the run. The word on the street was that he was hiding out like the little pussy he is, and I was tired of waiting. I knew his next target would have been one or both of my girls and for that alone, I wanted to string him up and let the boys use him for target practice.
Enzo stood in the doorway to my office at the Washington Heights building. He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes cast down to the floor.
“You’re testing my already thin patience,” I warned.
“He’s got another gang hiding him,” he confessed.
I stood so fast my chair flew back and into the wall, followed by my left fist as I spun and sent it crashing through the drywall. “Motherfucker!” I yelled as rage built up in my chest. I should have expected this. There were other organizations in New York, though they were much smaller than the O’Reillys or us. Usually, they fell in line behind one of us, seeking our protection as well as keeping a truce. With the shift in leadership, they were watching closely, looking for weaknesses and an opening to build their power. Whoever was hiding Darby saw it as a test. They were trying to find out which family to throw their lot in with.
I clenched my fists, ignoring the ache from my injured hand, and pivoted back around. Pointing at Enzo, I stared hard at him, making it clear I wasn’t fucking around. “We discussed this on the phone, I don’t want to see you in my office again until you have Pat or Darby O’Reilly in tow. Or better yet, both. Now, get the fuck out of here and do your fucking job!” My calm gave way to the rage and I was shouting by the end.
“Yes, boss,” Enzo grunted, his eyes returning to the ground again. He turned to leave but glanced back at me for a moment, and among the fear in his eyes, there was a respect I hadn’t seen from him before.
“Daddy!” The sound of Sophia’s voice, clearly terrified, had me racing out the door of my office and down the hall. Tears streaming down her face, she barreled toward me, throwing herself into my arms as I bent to scoop her up. Her little arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing tight as she sobbed into my shirt. I placed my hand on the back of her head, holding her to me and kissing her hair. Devon was right behind her, his normally expressionless mask cracked, revealing anger and worry. I looked around for Gianna, surprised she wasn’t with Sophia, but knowing she wouldn’t be far behind.
“What the hell is going on?” I growled. Every second I didn’t see Gianna, my anxiety level shot higher.
“They took my mommy!” Sophia wailed, and panic punched me in the gut so hard I almost stumbled backwards. Hearing my baby girl call Gianna “mommy” for the first time should have been a moment to savor, as a family. Gianna had missed it. Just another reason the people who took her would die.
“Ms. Martin was abducted, sir,” Devon stated, his neutral tone of voice pissing me off. “Linc took off after the two men and called for backup, but they lost the car on the Queensboro Bridge. We’ve got our best man on the satellites and local traffic cams. He’ll find her.”
“My mother?” I asked as I rocked Sophia from side to side, tamping down my emotions to help calm her. I wanted to go after Gianna but doing so without intelligence and a plan would get me nowhere.
“One of our guys has her on her way here now, sir.”
With a lift of my chin, I indicated he should head to my office, then stalked the rest of the way down the hallway to a door marked “Personnel Only,” and punched a code in the keypad next to it. The door unlocked and I swung it open, quickly crossing to a lone desk on the far wall and slipping my hand under it to locate a small button. It wasn’t easy to find unless you knew where it was, and once I felt it, I pressed it and felt the rush of air that accompanied the wall beside me sliding open.
“Niccolo!” My mother burst into the room making a beeline for us as I stepped to the opening. She wrapped her arms around us and Sophia, whose cries had quieted, began to sob once more, breaking my heart with every tear.
The wall revealed one last door and I punched another code before putting my eye to a scanner, and at last, the door unlocked. I transferred Sophia to my mother’s arms. I loathed to let her go, but was aware it was the best thing for the time being. Opening the door, I stepped into a room that closely resembled a studio apartment. I’d had panic rooms like this built into each of my warehouses and office buildings, as well as one in my home. They locked securely from the inside, the keypad and eye scanner becoming useless until the inner security was turned off.
My eyes met my mother’s and she nodded, silently communicating her understanding of what I needed.
“We’ll be right here when you find her, Niccolo. Now go. Save your love.”
“Antonio or I will call when we have news.” I kissed their cheeks, my lips lingering on Sophia’s tear-streaked face, whispering how much I loved her.
“Don’t go, Daddy,” she begged and it shattered the last remaining pieces of my broken heart.
“I’ve got to go get Gianna, preziosa.” I swallowed hard before speaking one last time. “I’ll bring back your mommy, Sophia. I promise, baby girl.”
I waited outside until I heard the security system click the locks into place, then pressed the button to close the wall, and dashed back to my office, my fingers furiously typing a text on the way. I pressed send as I entered the room, seeing Devon on his phone, barking at whoever was on the other side.
Walk
ing to the wall safe behind my desk, I opened it and took out my gun, checking to make sure it was loaded. Then I grabbed a shoulder holster and slipped it on, securing the weapon into it. The message had been an alert for my men to rally and get ready for a fight. They filtered in, some coming straight to my office and others arming themselves before joining us.
“Enzo called,” Antonio informed me as he entered the room. “It seems Devon’s contact located Darby. They’re bringing him in now.”
“The men hiding him?” I asked, my jaw clenching in fury.
“Dead,” he deadpanned.
I nodded in satisfaction. Any motherfuckers willing to align themselves with that weasel didn’t deserve to continue breathing. “Take him to the back,” I instructed a couple of my guys. Turning to Devon, who was no longer on his call, I barked, “Get two of your guys to keep patrols around this section of the building. My mother and daughter are in a panic room, but I don’t want anyone getting close enough to even test its security.” He nodded and began to exit. “Devon,” I called and he halted, looking back at me. “Brecken is my friend and someone I highly respect. Those are the only reasons you are still alive. If anything else happens to my family, or my fiancée is harmed, those reasons will no longer keep you from my wrath. Is that clear?” There was no denying the truth in my words, and I knew he could see it in my steely gaze. I would stop at nothing to protect my family. Nothing.
He studied me for a moment, but I couldn’t read anything in his expression. Then he said simply, “Yes, sir,” and left the room.
“Nic.” I looked to Antonio when he said my name, seeing his grim face as he finished listening to what one of my guys was whispering in his ear. His eyes met mine and like the angel of death, he said, “Darby’s here.” There was no doubt I’d be sending his ass straight to hell after I beat the location of my Gianna out of him.
Chapter 2
Anna
Waking up to find myself lying on a stone cold floor, my arms tied in front of my body and the black hood still over my head, I was filled with a certainty that Nic would come for me. The darkness in him which I’d worked so hard to ignore was going to be the very thing to save me from this mess. I was surprised to discover the concerns I had over Nic’s lifestyle had fled. Considering it was the reason why I found myself on that floor, the timing might have seemed odd except for one thing—I knew he would never give up until I was back where I belonged. Right by his side.
I chose not to focus on what might happen to me in the time it took for him to figure out where I’d been taken and come to my rescue. Instead, I reflected on the time I’d spent with Nic. I thought about why I fell in love with him so easily, the passion he awakened in me, and how he made me feel cherished, protected, and... safe. He was big and strong. Scary at times, too. But, even when his intensity was aimed my way, I never felt a twinge of fear.
When he was bossy, a part of me wanted to obey so I could see the satisfied approval shining from his eyes when I gave him exactly what he wanted. And when he threatened to spank my butt until it was cherry red, I trembled with need rather than alarm. Nic DeLuca made me come alive in ways I never had before. He made me feel excitement and pleasure. He made me laugh as often as I wanted to scream in frustration at his high-handedness. He just plain old made me feel.
Nic was perfect for me, darkness and all. It wasn’t because he was drop-dead gorgeous. It wasn’t his beautiful house or his fat bank account. It wasn’t even because he was an amazing father to the most adorable girl in the world—well, maybe it was partially because of Sophia and how he was with her. He was perfect simply because he loved me as much as I loved him.
I’d finally found the man of my dreams and now I was in the hands of his enemy. I fought the tears in my eyes, filled with a determination to stay strong until Nic found me. I refused to believe I might die or think this might be the end. I wanted the future Nic had promised me, my belly full of his child and both his rings on my finger. Thinking of Nic’s reaction to my puke-fest this morning, or whichever morning since I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out of it, I thought about what it could mean. Chuckling softly, I un-fisted my hands and cupped my stomach. My laughter died at the sound of a door opening and closing.
“I’m no’ sure what ya have ta laugh about.”
His voice got closer, signaling he was moving in my direction. I forced my hands to clench again, refusing to give him any more ammunition against Nic or me. It was bad enough he’d taken me hostage, I could only imagine what he’d do if he knew there was a chance I was pregnant with Nic’s baby. He didn’t need any additional leverage.
The hood was lifted from my head and my eyes instinctively squeezed shut. There wasn’t a lot of light streaming through the filthy window I saw over O’Reilly’s shoulder, but it was enough to send shards of pain into my head.
“Open yer eyes, girlie. We need ta have a wee chat.”
I blinked them open at the bite of command in his tone. It wouldn’t do to piss the nasty man off any more than he already was.
“Ah, dat’s better now,” O’Reilly murmured, towering over me. “Me name’s Pat O’Reilly.” I stared up at the man, surprised at what I saw. If I was on my feet, he’d only have a few inches on me, but he was barrel-chested. His red hair was streaked with gray at the temples and his face was wrinkled with age. If this man was Carly’s father, then he must have either lived a very hard life or had her when he was much older than most parents. Or both.
“I can see why DeLuca wanted ya for himself, lass. Ya have the face o’ an angel, eyes like emeralds, and enough curves to keep yer man warm at night.”
I gulped at the hint of masculine approval in his eyes, shrinking away from him when he reached out to touch me. With my hands tied, there was no way to avoid him and I found myself lifted and placed on a chair in the corner of the room.
“There ya go.” Once he had me settled, he rolled another chair a few inches from where I sat and dropped onto it. He rested his elbows on his knees while he considered me. His eyes were somehow both cunning and dead at the same time. His stare sent goosebumps racing up my arms, but they were nothing like the ones I felt whenever Nic was near. This man made me feel fear, and I began to wonder if I really was going to make it out of this alive.
“How long have ya been with himself?”
“About a month.” I forced my answer past a dry throat and stiff lips.
He nodded, as though he knew the answer already and was pleased I hadn’t tried to lie to him. Then he reached a hand into his pocket, and I stiffened in terror. When he pulled a small bottle of water out, the breath I’d been holding heaved out on a deep sigh. He cracked it open and held it to my lips, but I hesitated to take a sip, even though I was thirstier than I ever had been before.
“I don’t have ta trick ya with drugged water,” he said, bumping my lips with the bottle and tilting it up until I opened my mouth and drank from it greedily.
“There now,” he murmured, pulling the empty bottle away and dropping it onto the floor. “I’m happy ta know you’re willin’ ta see reason since I have some questions for ya.”
He seemed to be waiting for an answer, so I nodded warily.
“How much do ya know about yer man’s business?”
“Nothing.” I didn’t think about my response before I blurted it out, something I quickly came to regret.
“Ack, then, it's a shame I have ta rough ya up a bit ta prove me point. Sorry, me girl. This is goin’ ta hurt.”
Fear sliced through me as he stepped back and waved another man over. “A couple o’ digs,” Pat instructed, “but nothin’ broken or permanently damaged. She’ll fetch a fair price.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed, not for myself, but for the safety of the baby I might be carrying. When I heard the soft click of the door shutting, I opened them again, just in time to see a meaty fist fly at my face. I refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream, but at the feel of my lip splitting open, I c
ouldn’t help the whimper that escaped. I swore, if I ever made it out of here, I would kill these bastards myself.
With the next hit, the world went fuzzy and turned to black.
Chapter 3
Nic
“If I weren’t so fucking livid, it would almost be funny that you thought you could hide from me, Darby,” I spat. “Did you really believe that you could so easily sway people away from me?”
Darby scowled at me, but didn’t speak as he sat tied to a chair at the back of my warehouse.
“If you want that kind of power, go back to Boston and join the Southies. But here in New York, the DeLucas run things, and I think it’s about fucking time to remind people of this. Finding Gianna and destroying those who took her is going to send a message not to fuck with what’s mine.”
I walked up close and bent over so I was eye to eye with him. “If you tell me where she is, I’ll consider letting you deliver the message in person.” My next words were full of deadly intent. “If you don’t, we’ll deliver the message in the form of your broken and bloody, dead body.”
Staring fixedly into his green eyes, I saw what he was trying hard to hide. Fear. I smiled smugly as I stood back up. Without warning, I bent my arm and threw a fist into his face, breaking his nose, causing him to scream and blood to spurt from his nose it. “For your little stunt with Brandon and Carly,” I explained.
“Untie him,” I instructed, without taking my eyes off the little bastard. Felix, one of my enforcers, took a pair of scissors and cut the zip ties. Getting into Darby’s space once more, I wrapped the fingers of one hand around his neck and squeezed, lifting him from his seat.
“What’s it gonna be?” I questioned.
He struggled to breathe, his hands clawing at my fingers when they weren’t swinging out, trying to strike me. I had over a foot and at least fifty pounds on him, keeping him from even reaching me, let alone doing any damage.
Devotion (Mafia Ties #3) Page 1