Chapter 2
CHLOE
Luca never said another word to me after our argument last night. He just took me back to my apartment, walked me to my door, and then turned around and left me. I spent the rest of the night sitting in the middle of my couch, crying like a little bitch.
Now, it’s morning. I’ve showered, attempted to cover up my puffy eyes and am on my way to work. I try to push thoughts of Luca away, but his image keeps appearing at the forefront of my thoughts. I feel like I’m in a fog, in a complete daze as I make my way toward my office.
Today, I already know, will be a low productivity day and if anyone says shit to me, I’ll cut them—plain and simple.
My favorite little café comes into view and I’m thankful for it. I need it today. Making my way toward the line, my body tenses when I feel my phone buzzing in my purse. Reaching for my device, I grip it with my fingers as I order a large triple shot mocha, a raisin and cinnamon bagel with a side of cream cheese.
Fuck calories today.
“You look sad, a woman so beautiful should never look so sad.”
Inwardly, I roll my eyes at the cheesy as shit pickup line, turning my head, I blink at the man standing next to me. Something is off. His gaze is a little too predatory, and he’s Italian, along with the fact that he’s sporting a black eye.
I take a step away from him. He doesn’t move, but it’s clear he has one focus and that is me. I wait for my name to be called, my gaze avoiding his, though I can feel his eyes on me every single second as I wait.
My phone buzzes in my grasp again and I let out a sigh, thankful for the distraction.
“Hello?”
The phone is dead silent for a moment, then I hear Luca’s rough voice on the other end. “You ready to talk to me?” he asks.
“No,” I snap just as the barista calls my name.
Making my way to the counter, I take my items, all the while I can feel the man’s gaze still focused on me and only me. Hurrying out the door, I let out an exhale as Luca growls on the other end of the phone.
“You are acting like a child, carina,” he murmurs.
I snort. “I watched you go into a woman’s house after leaving my bed. A barely dressed woman, at that. I am not being ridiculous and this isn’t the first time you’ve left my bed in the middle of the night. I am not going to argue, wonder, or question you anymore. The simple fact is that I cannot trust you,” I state.
“You’ve made up your mind then? Unwavering. It’s one thing that I love about you and also the thing that I fucking hate.”
“Fine then, hate me, I don’t care.”
He growls, murmuring something in Italian before I hear him sigh. “I do not hate you. I love you. Don’t act like I don’t.”
“I have to go into work.”
Ending the call, I don’t allow him to speak and I know it’s selfish and childish of me, but I can’t hear him tell me that he loves me and not speak the truth about where he was or who he was with. He’s not telling me anything other than it’s business.
Arlo’s wife was business too. I won’t ever forget that, how broken Lenora was. I will not be a victim like that, not ever.
LUCA
Frustrating fucking woman.
“You look, angry,” Massimo announces once I’ve shoved my phone in my pocket. Lifting my eyes to his, I narrow my gaze on him. He snorts, shaking his head.
“You guys and your fucking women. Between you, Arlo, and Gavino. Christ.”
Lifting my hand, I flip him off, then lean back in the office chair and close my eyes. “She saw me go to one of the girls last night. She’d been beaten by a Made Man. I didn’t have a choice, one of my men hurt her. I had to get the information from her, had to interview her. Now she thinks I’m fucking around on her.”
“Doesn’t she know not to ask questions?” Massimo asks.
Lifting my head, I open my eyes to look at my friend. “She look like a good mafia princess to you?”
“She doesn’t know?”
I snort. “Fuck no, she doesn’t know.”
“Tell her,” he urges.
Shaking my head, I lift my hand and run my fingers through my hair. “I’m going to let her fucking relax for a minute.”
Massimo shakes his head. “Don’t be a dumbfuck, never let a woman stew.”
He’s right, of course. I know that I shouldn’t let her think on this situation for another minute longer. She’s probably got a million different scenarios of what she thinks has happened running through her head.
I make a decision. I’m going to go back to her place, wait for her to get off work, then tell her the truth. She needs to know who and what I am. She needs to understand that we’re going to get married, and she’s going to be the mother of my children.
She needs to just fucking accept that shit and stop fighting me, stop assuming I’m fucking around on her. How could I even dream of being with another woman? I love her more than I love anything else in this life, I would never want to hurt her, not ever.
This is done and over. I won’t accept this for another day. I love her, she loves me and there is no reason to fight amongst one another. It ends tonight.
Chapter 3
CHLOE
Luckily, the day passes quickly. I skip lunch, unintentionally, as I’m completely drowned in work. Once five o’clock rolls around, I happily shut down my computer and head out of the building with one mission in mind: go home and get drunk.
Pulling my phone out of my purse, I check my notifications as I follow the flow of people headed in the same direction as I am. I frown when I see no new notifications, meaning Luca did exactly what I told him that I wanted him to do. He’s left me alone.
Then, it happens so suddenly that I don’t realize what’s going on at first, so I don’t fight it. By the time everything registers, it’s too late for me to defend myself.
A hand wraps around my mouth, I’m pulled into an alleyway, and dragged to the end where my body is tossed, effortlessly, into the trunk of a car. I open my mouth to scream just as the trunk closes and I’m shrouded in darkness.
Using my hands, I search for my purse, my phone, anything at all. I find absolutely nothing. Not even so much as a blanket is back here with me. Pinching my eyes closed, I curse myself for being so oblivious on my way home.
I’ve taken self-defense, I know how to protect my body. I was so consumed with myself, with my feelings for Luca and the fact that he hadn’t called, that I was completely distracted.
Fuck.
I try not to panic as the car moves through traffic. I can hear horns honking, music playing and low voices from the inside of the car. Inhaling a deep breath, I try to assess my situation.
I’m fucked, I know that much, but I just don’t know how fucked I truly am, yet. If there are two guys, I may have a fighting chance, if there are more, I’m screwed.
I send a silent prayer up to God, praying that Luca realizes I’m missing before it’s too late, before these men do whatever it is they want to do to me.
I don’t know why they have me, but I’m not fool enough to believe this is random, nor am I idiot enough to believe that I will come out of this completely unscathed. These are not good men who have taken me to have a chat.
LUCA
I check my watch again. It’s now after seven in the evening. Chloe doesn’t stay at work late unless she absolutely needs to. Something isn’t right, I can feel that shit deep in my gut. Standing from the chair in her living room, I begin to pace.
I jump when my phone rings in my hand. Without looking at the caller ID, I answer it, expecting or maybe hoping, that it’s her on the other end.
“Missing someone?” a smooth voice drawls.
My entire body locks up at the words. Pulling my phone away from my ear, I glance at the screen. It’s from a burner, no information detected. Fuck.
“Don’t fuck with me, you won’t like the outcome,” I growl.
“Seems you are the one wh
o should tread lightly, Luca. Considering, I have a very beautiful woman sitting in front of me, well lying in front of me, chained to a bed. Naked.”
I tamp down the anger that fills my veins, the rage. It doesn’t matter how angry I get, that will not save Chloe from whoever this is. I need to think smart.
“What do you want?” I ask, calmly.
He waits for a breath, then I hear him inhale deeply. “The woman you visited last night?”
I know who he’s speaking of. She’s in protection for a few days, seemingly disappeared from the world. This man is the reason why. Originally, I thought he was a Made Man, he isn’t, he’s a relative of one of my men. Using my man’s name to get with a call girl, to abuse her and use her for his kinky desires.
My man has been reprimanded, but he’s also been extremely forthcoming with who his relative is and that he didn’t know he’d used his name to gain access to the girls. This man is dangerous, mentally unbalanced, and he has my woman. Mine. I’ll kill him.
“What about her?” I demand, trying to keep my cool, all the while, imagining him hurting my Chloe the way that he hurt poor Isa.
He clears his throat, murmuring and I hear the faint mutter of another man’s voice in the background. Two. There are two of them. The only thing that I can think is that my man lied to me, that he’s in on this and I begin to plan his slow death. Made or not, if he’s there, he will die.
“I want you to bring her to me. An even trade. Yours for mine.”
“Isa isn’t yours,” I state. “She works for the famiglia. She’s ours to protect, or have you simply forgotten that?”
There is a moment’s pause before he speaks again. “I’ll text you the address. Come with Isa or this cunt will replace hers.”
The call ends and I grip my phone so tightly in my grasp that I hear it creak. I have one option and only one option. Shooting off a text, I pinch my eyes closed, wishing that this could be different. It’s all my fault.
I should have just told Chloe the truth.
Chapter 4
CHLOE
I pull against the chains that hold me in place, naked, on a bed in the middle of an otherwise empty room. The mattress is dirty, it smells, but I try to push that out of my mind.
The alternative is death, so I’m not going to quibble about being naked on a disgusting mattress, yet. If I make it out of this alive, I’ll just bathe in disinfectant.
“Soon, your man will get here and I’ll have my woman back and you too,” the man who kidnapped me sneers.
I don’t know his name and I don’t want to know it, either. All I want is Luca to come in here, gun blazing and shoot him in the fucking face. It sounds bad, but I’m kidnapped and naked on a bed, so I’m allowed to be fucking extra dramatic about this shit.
“He’s here,” the other man says.
I recognized him immediately when he pulled me out of the trunk. He’s the guy from the coffee shop, still sporting his black eye. Italian, cute if he weren’t a kidnapper and most definitely part of whatever crew Luca belongs to, because he looks like Arlo, Gavino, and the rest of their bunch.
“Good. Bring him in here, I want him to see her before he dies. Maybe we’ll tie him up and make him watch as we fuck her?” he asks, speaking of me.
My stomach roils at the idea of either of these two men sticking anything inside me, especially their useless dicks. I bite the inside of my cheek so hard that I taste blood.
The younger one chuckles. “Never had black, you know what they say.”
I roll my eyes so damn hard that I’m surprised I don’t lose them in the back of my head somewhere. Could these guys be any bigger tools? I shudder to think what will come out of their fool mouths next.
“You both better be shitting me,” Luca shouts.
My eyes immediately pop open, I tip my chin to look in the direction of the bedroom door. He’s standing there, in all of his gorgeousness.
His jaw is clenched, his eyes narrowed and full of fiery anger. I’m ashamed to say that I’m completely turned on, and I know that I shouldn’t be, but this man is sexy as shit, he’s also my hero right now.
“Where is Isa?” the older man demands.
Luca snorts. “You two are the stupidest fuckers on earth. Did you think that I would actually bring her?” he asks.
Then before anyone can say another word, I watch as each of them drops to the floor, one right after the other, within thirty seconds of one another. The glass of the bedroom window has also shattered, there’s a woman screaming and I realize that it’s me, but I can’t stop myself.
Luca’s face fills my vision and his hands cup my cheeks. “Ssshhh,” he coos. “Quiet, carina. I have you,” he rasps. Closing my mouth, I inhale through my nose, then exhale out of my mouth. Repeating the deep breaths about fifteen more times, eventually I calm down slightly.
“You need to put something on before the room fills with men, yeah?”
Nodding, I keep my mouth closed as he begins to fiddle with the handcuffs and chains that are around my wrists and ankles. Once I’m free, he doesn’t stand up to find me clothes like I expect, instead, he wraps his arms around my back and yanks my chest to his.
Luca buries his face in my neck, inhaling my scent. I close my eyes completely and let out a sigh, my arms wrapping around his shoulders and I hold him to me, just as much as he’s holding me to himself.
LUCA
I pull my jacket off, wrapping it around Chloe and watch as she slips her arms through the holes.
“Keep that around you,” I gently demand. She nods, her eyes wide and so fucking terrified that it makes my entire body ache.
The room begins to fill with famiglia and I dip my chin and stand from the bed as soon as Gavino makes his appearance. His eyes flick to Chloe, then back to me and I don’t miss the way his jaw clenches and a muscle in his cheek jumps.
“Talk to me,” he demands.
I debate leaving Chloe’s side but decide against it. I’m marrying her, she needs to know the truth of the man that I am.
“I called Renzo as soon as I got the address. I wanted them taken care of. Nobody kidnaps my woman and lives, Made or not. How they decided because one was Made that I wouldn’t end them, is beyond me.”
Gavino’s lips twitch and he nods once. “Yours, forever?” he asks, flicking his gaze to Chloe then back to me.
I ignore her gasp and nod my head. “Forever.”
“Better talk to her then, she looks like she’s about to faint.” He chuckles. “Don’t worry about the mess, we’ll have this taken care of in no time. Take Chloe home, talk, let me know when the wedding is.” He grins.
I thank him, then hold my hand out for Chloe. Without a word, she slips her palm in mine. She takes one step on shaky legs before I bend down and scoop her up in my arms.
Carrying her, I take us both out to my car. Setting her in the passenger seat, I jog over to the driver’s side and start the engine after slamming the door behind me.
“Are you going to tell me why that man kidnapped me, stripped me, held me hostage and threatened to rape me? Then are you going to explain him and his whoever, being shot in the head while you were standing right by them before the room filled with expensive Italian suits?”
“I am.”
I grind out. Fuck. Hearing those words, what happened to her from her own mouth makes me fucking instantly sick. Never did I want anything like this to happen to her and I know that it all could have been prevented. It’s all my fault, which fucking kills me inside.
“Now?”
“I’m a Made Man in the Zanetti famiglia, the mafia,” I blurt out.
Chapter 5
CHLOE
Mafia.
The Mob.
I could try to come up with a hundred different words for it, but at the end of the day, Luca is part of organized crime.
The remainder of the ride is in silence. I expect him to take me home, but he doesn’t. Instead, he pulls up to his own apartment building. I
don’t react, I don’t make him go anywhere, I’m processing. Hell, I think I may process this for the rest of my life and never quite believe that this is his life, is my life.
We walk toward his apartment in silence. Crossing the threshold, I jump when he slams the door closed, flipping the lock, then he turns to face me. His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen. Pulling his jacket closed around my naked body, I lick my lips as I simply watch him. Waiting to see what he’ll do next.
“I didn’t fuck anyone else. I wouldn’t do that to you, I couldn’t do that to you,” he says. His words surprise me, along with the emotion emanating from him.
I take a hesitant step toward him and he instantly closes the distance between us. His hands gently tug mine away from his jacket lapels before they slide around my waist. He’s warm, just like always. His hands are strong as his fingers grip me.
Tilting my head back, I look up into his eyes and let out a breath. “I just had images of being in a situation like Arlo and Lenora,” I whisper.
He shakes his head once, dipping his chin and his lips brush my own. I let out a sigh, unable to hold it back. “Never,” he breathes against my mouth. “I love only you, Chloe.”
“Who was she?” I ask.
He closes his eyes, then lifts his gaze to mine. “A call girl. She’d been hurt. I was there to talk to her, to find out who did it.”
I had suspected something of that nature by the way the two men talked. “Do you hang out with call girls often?” I ask.
He smirks, shaking his head a couple of times. “Business is just that, bella. It’s also something that I can’t talk about. I will say, I’m devoted to you, but I will not be accused like that ever again. Not when I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“How can I trust you? You’ve withheld from me.”
Becoming his Mistress: A Zanetti Famiglia Novel Page 31