Inevitable : Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance (King Crime Family Book 2)

by C. Hallman

  “I was able to get in touch with Eli, and we decided a plan,” Enzo says smugly. “But you don’t need to know the details.”

  I know the details, and I’m still a little shocked about Enzo agreeing to it. Hell, I’m shocked I’m agreeing to it.

  “Enzo, secrets destroy people. Tell us this plan you have come up with,” James says from across the living room. I try to keep my eyes glued to the TV, but my attention keeps slipping back to Enzo.

  “The plan is simple. Eli is working with Mack, but he is on our side. He used to be one of my best men, and he is loyal to me, and he’ll protect Amara.”

  I wonder how fond Enzo would be of Eli if I had told him exactly what had happened that time I was locked up in the basement. I decide to keep that to myself, especially since Eli is helping us.

  “I don’t think you should trust him,” Jared cuts in.

  “Why the fuck are all of you second-guessing me?” Enzo growls, his hand gripping the back of the couch.

  “Maybe because you have yet to tell us about the plan you say is going to save us all from life in prison,” Jared throws in before I can say anything.

  “You’re really starting to piss me the fu—”

  “Would you all just shhh. I’m really trying to watch this,” I say, interrupting Enzo, knowing he will take his aggression out on me this evening. Excitement blooms in my core just thinking about it.

  “Shut up and listen to me. We need to know the plan, Enzo. You’re not alone in your decisions anymore. What you do affects us all, and we have the right to know.” James steps in.

  I pause the DVR and turn around to look at all three men who are shooting daggers at one another.

  “Maybe they wouldn’t be giving you so much flack about us going on this ‘normal’ date if you actually told them what the hell was going on?”

  “Piccolo—”

  “No, don’t piccolo me… Just fucking talk.” Somehow, through all of this, I’ve found the backbone I desperately need, or maybe I had it all along.

  “I will put you over my knee if you…” I smile and roll my eyes at the very thought.

  “Tell us, now,” Jared demands.

  Sighing, he looks between all of us as if he knows there is no getting out of the mess. “Eli is the one who let Amara go, I trust him, and he has proven himself. He works hand in hand with Mack, and he told me Mack is paranoid. He won’t leave his safe house, which is set up like a fucking fortress. We have to draw him out. Eli has a plan. He will bring Amara to Mack—”

  “Not going to happen,” James buts in.

  That was my first reaction too. I want nothing to do with the sick fuck. Not unless it means I can put a bullet in his head, and this might just be the way...

  “Let me finish. He’s going to protect her at all costs… I was against it too, but I’m going to meet up with him tonight. He’s going to meet us to talk, and then from there, we will finish out any loose ends…”

  “You’re putting her in the line of fire, Enzo. You know how fucked up that is?” Jared seethes. I’ve never seen him so angry.

  “She can handle it,” Enzo says, shooting me a smile. I just stare at all of them. Do they realize I’m sitting right here?

  “Wow,” Jared yells, throwing his hands in the air, clearly frustrated. “I bet she can handle it. Look at how she handled everything else.”

  “Hey, Jerk-face,” I growl at him. James starts laughing, a joyful smile crossing his face.

  “Well, it’s true…” he asserts.

  “I was dealing with death and hurt the best way I could. You’re lucky any of you are still alive.”

  Enzo laughs gruffly. “Quiet. You’re merely a kitten with claws. The worst you would do is leave paper cut scratches.”

  Glaring, I stand. “I can make my own choices. I will do whatever is needed to kill Mack for all the problems and heartache he has caused.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie. We just got you back—” James adds.

  “James.” His name still sounds foreign against my tongue, reminding me just how new all of this is. “I admire the fact you want to step up, but this has to be done. Mack wants me, he’s gonna get me. Eli is on our side, or he wouldn’t have let me go in the first place. I can handle it. You guys will be there if anything goes wrong. Don’t worry.”

  “Worry?” Jared snorts. “Worrying isn’t even the word I would use, Amara.” I’m seriously ready to pull out a knife and shank him. He’s been using the big brother card a lot lately.

  “She’ll be fine. I trust Eli,” Enzo explains.

  “You trust Eli even though he’s been working with Mack? That’s a load of shit if I ever heard it. It’s a trap, Enzo. A big fat trap and you’re going to walk right into it.”

  I trust Enzo. He has fucked up and done some really strange shit, but he did what was best for all of us. I don’t really like Eli. Actually, I hate him, but he did let me go, and the day Mack betrayed us, I saw the hurt in his eyes. He wants revenge too.

  “What’s your plan then, Jared?” I ask, keeping my voice firm. “No one has thought of anything else to do, and I’m tired of hiding.” I’m tired of dealing with all of this shit. I want to be free, without wondering if I’ll be taken down by a gunman.

  With his jaw clenched, he looks between our father and me.

  “We don’t want to lose you, Amara. We just found you. I know you don’t feel like we are family yet, but we do.” His words leave me momentarily speechless. I glance at James, who gives me a nod, letting me know he really feels like that. How can he already feel like I’m his daughter?

  “There has to be other ways to do this,” James chimes in.

  Is there another way?

  “Eli hates Mack for betraying us. He picked up the job for extra cash from Mack, letting him think he is done with me. He returned her to me–to us.”

  “So, because, you know Eli and trusted him, and he released her once, you think he’s going to do so again, plus protect her with his life?” Jared sounds skeptical, and James looks like he is about ready to punch something. This isn’t going very well.

  “I can take care of myself, guys.” No one looks at me. Fucking men. This is so typical of them.

  “It doesn’t matter if you can take care of yourself, you shouldn’t have to,” James says sternly as if he is talking to a misbehaving child.

  “Well, I can, and I will.” There is no fighting about this. I’ll do what needs to be done to put all this shit behind us.

  “Eli will do all he can to protect Amara. She was unharmed the first time around.”

  “Yeah, because John was still alive.” Jared reminds him. At the mention of John’s name, a massive hole forms in my chest.

  “I agree with Jared on this. John being alive helped immensely.” Thinking back on my time spent in the cave, I’m sure my treatment would’ve been far worse if John had already been dead. No matter how much I hate to admit it, in a way, he kept me alive. Mack and his men had treated me cruelly, but through it all, they never hurt me. They might have messed with my mind, but no one ever laid a hand on me.

  “Well, Mack knows John is dead,” Enzo says, frustrated with all of us. “I know it’s hard to trust me on this, but I just know this is the way to go. I made mistakes, I trusted the wrong people, but I trust that this will work.”

  “Whatever, but if she gets hurt… it’s on you.” Jared all but scoffs, pushing past Enzo. As the room settles, I stare at Enzo, waiting for him to say more.

  “Just know I will not let anyone spill your blood.” There is so much determination in his eyes, it almost frightens me.

  “I know. You don’t have to tell me.” I nod, stepping up onto my tiptoes, so I can place a kiss on his lips.

  “Good.” There is a faraway look in his eyes. Like he is thinking about something he hasn’t told me yet. I don’t ask what that is, trusting his judgment for once.

  I just hope he is right about this, for all of our sakes.

>   I spend the afternoon vegging out on the couch with James and Jared. Enzo has been absent for some time. He needed to be alone. I’ve been there and understand the need. Eventually, he comes out of the bedroom.

  “Thank God! Tell Amara to stop making us watch this extremely distasteful TV drama,” Jared shouts to Enzo, smiling at me. Jerk.

  “Hey, fuck-face, it’s a hit TV show.” I shoot him a dirty look before directing my attention back to the screen.

  “He didn’t create anything, but I did…” James says, laughing gruffly. “I created the two of you.”

  “Good one, Dad.” Jared laughs.

  “Good joke, James,” Enzo adds, sitting down next to me. He hands me a Pepsi, obviously knowing I need some caffeine. I take the drink from him, wondering what’s weighing on his mind now. Is he having second thoughts about all of this?

  “Everything okay?” I ask softly, hoping no one else heard. Keeping his lips sealed tightly, he gives me a curt nod.

  “Can we please watch the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders or anything else Football related? Hell, I would rather watch Food Network,” Jared complains. I chuck the remote at his head and watch him catch it with ease.

  “Thank you,” he responds loutishly at me.

  “Are you going to be ready to go soon?” Enzo whispers into my hair, one of his hands landing on mine. His skin causes mine to tingle. I want him to take me back to the bedroom. Call me fucking crazy, but with all the pain, death, and hate surrounding us, being close to someone made it so much easier to get through.

  “Uh, of course. When do you want to leave?” I ask.

  Enzo’s changed so much. He went from being a man who was dark with more secrets than anyone else to a man I loved. Even though those secrets still lingered, and sometimes I couldn’t decipher his next move, I know he loves me.

  “How about…” he says, pondering. “Now?” he questions with an eyebrow raised.

  “Whenever you want, Mr. King.” I giggle. Leaning real close into my face, his nose brushing against mine. “I just need to change clothes.”

  He looks down at my jogging pants and shirt. “You look fine.”

  “I’m not going out like this.” I shake my head, pushing up from the couch.

  Enzo follows me into the bedroom, where I strip out of my loungewear to slip into a pair of jeans. I can feel his eyes burning on my skin, and when I turn around, my feeling is confirmed.

  “You better stop looking at me like this before we end up in bed and miss our date night, king.”

  He smirks, his eyes continue to lick every inch of my body. “If I’m the king, then you’re the queen.”

  The very words left me breathless, reminding me of why I love him. He might be a monster, but he is my monster.

  12

  Mack

  “When are they going to come out of hiding? They can’t fucking hide forever,” I yell, throwing my phone against the mattress. I’ve been hiding out in this drab fucking cabin instead of the lavish mansion soon to be mine.

  If it wasn’t for all the deathtraps around the house, making this place safe, I’d already be somewhere else.

  “I’m not sure they’re alone. That’s all I know, sir,” Miller adds like he’s some smart shit or something. He needs to keep his mouth shut before I lose my cool.

  “No fucking way. Did you want a prize for stating the obvious?” I growl, reaching across the table for his throat. I’m angry and impatient, and I’m really itching to kill something… someone.

  If blood isn’t shed soon... I’ll start killing my own men and do the job myself.

  “Sir…” Miller sounds scared. Pussy. Not that he doesn’t have a reason to be, but still, he should grow a pair.

  “Miller…” I yell, anger radiating from me.

  “Calm down, Mack.” Eli’s bored voice vibrates through my mind. “We need him, at least to bring us food, so don’t kill him just yet.”

  “Do you have any new info?” I turn my aggression to him. The fucker is sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the table like he owns the place. He better have some fucking intel soon.”

  “I think I have an idea of where they’re staying. I’m going to go scope it out this evening.” His voice never wavers, and his eyes stay on the laptop in his lap while his fingers type in some shit on the keyboard.

  “Good, and you best bring back something to tell me. I’m going crazy sitting here waiting.”

  “Sir, we could be shooting or throwing knives…” Miller adds.

  “Ahhh, yes, we could.” A Texas-size grin forms on my face. “You’re right, we could. Get my knives,” I order.

  Miller, the dumbass, gets up and grabs my knives from my bedroom. When he gets back, I grin at the excitement on his face.

  “Now go stand over there for me,” I tell him as I grab the knives. “Right against the wall.”

  His face falls, excitement turning into fear in a blink of an eye.

  “Go!” I yell when he doesn’t move. He jerks away, then scurries away to take his position against the wall.

  I have some aggression I need to work out, and Miller is going to help me with just that.

  “You know, while I worked for Lorenzo, he was very keen on making sure nothing, and I do mean nothing, scared the men who worked for him.”

  Miller nods, acknowledging what I’ve said. The sweat forming on his forehead, and the faraway look in his eyes tells me he is listening intently.

  “Do you have any fears, Miller?” I ask, my voice menacing.

  Miller looks like he is about to piss himself. What a pussy! He is shaking like a leaf in the wind. Where had John found these men?

  “No, sir.” He sounds determined, but one look at him says he is lying.

  “We’re going to test this theory out.”

  I look down at the knife in my hand. It’s lightweight and the blade glistens in the light. Suddenly, the need to sink it into flesh is overwhelming. I can just imagine the blood dripping from the blade as I sink it repeated into flesh.

  “Mack,” Eli calls, concern clearly found in his voice.

  “What?” I question with raised eyebrows.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Never question me, or it will be you who is on the receiving end of this knife. We may have worked side by side once, but here I’m the boss.” My words aren’t a threat—they’re a promise.

  Eli says nothing, simply giving me an unapproved look. Fuck him.

  Gripping the end of the knife with so much anger, I am certain I’ll break it, I turn my attention back to the coward. I narrow my eyes with precision, scanning his body. Where would he bleed the most?

  My mind drifts back to the very first time Enzo ever asked me that question.

  “Mack! When I tell you to do something, you do it. There is no reason to fear these small things. Death is always following these people.” He all but yelled at me. I was only nineteen. He had been killing for years, and this... this was my very first time.

  I hadn’t landed the knife right, so the person was struggling. Their death would be painful.

  “He’s hurting though,” I tried to say. I wasn’t a child, but watching someone bleed to death… It did something to your heart. It pulled the strings tight and made it beat fast.

  “What’s your point? He deserved to die. What are you scared of?” Was it a trick question?

  “Nothing, sir,” I immediately answered him. I didn’t want to be the next one with a knife in my neck.

  “Good, because being scared is a weakness. You’re to be afraid of nothing, not a fucking thing, when you’re in my kingdom. Do you understand?” he questioned. I nodded my head as I watched him lift his foot. What was he doing?

  Then I heard the crunching of bones, the splatter of brain matter, and blood against the ground.

  “This is what we do to people who are weak… scared,” he snarled, staring down at what was left of the man’s body. I never even got the man’s name.

  Pulling
myself back to the present, I stare at the man before me. He is weak. Scared. Useless.

  With complete control, I arch my arm back and throw the knife. It flies through the air, barreling toward Miller. His eyes grow large, and I can practically hear his heartbeat from where I’m standing. With a low thud, the knife sinks into the wood directly above his head. He isn’t just a coward—he is a liar, too. He is fucking terrified.

  “You’re a liar,” I spit the words with venom. “You said you were scared of nothing, but it is clear to me as I watch you shake in your fucking skin, you are, in fact, scared of something…” I smile because I’m a fucker like that. Nothing gets me harder than making people pay for what they did wrong.

  “Give him a break. He just started with us—” Eli is trying to reason with me again.

  “Breaks are for the fucking weak.” Taking a deep breath, I smile before throwing the next knife. It lands just millimeters from his throat. Hmmm…. his throat… yes, that’s where the next one will land.

  “Are you going to beg?” I mock. At the very least, he could go out feeling like a man. If I had one thing to thank Lorenzo for, it was his ruthless ways. He taught me any emotion outside of killing was unneeded. When I finally put a bullet in his head and fuck Amara, it will be from his teachings.

  “Men don’t beg,” he says quietly, his voice wobbly. Is he going to cry? Is this fucking pathetic excuse for a human going to cry? I’ve seen women handle death better than this guy.

  “Glad you figured it out,” I mock, gripping the blade in my hand. With one single arch, I whip the blade at him, watching his eyes dilate, and his chest move for the last time.

  The blade sinks straight into his throat. I listen to the gurgling sound of him struggling to breathe while blood fills his throat. I watch the light leave his eyes, and a sick sadistic smile spreads across my lips, causing my heart to swell with happiness.