Falling for the Killer: A Dark Possessive Mafia Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  “Worry about the family name,” I said, feeling a surge of anger. “She doesn’t give a crap what I’m going through.”

  “And should she?” he asked, staring at me with cold, dead eyes. “After what you did to poor Stuart?”

  “Poor Stuart?” I leaned toward him. “You know he’s an abusive asshole. You’ve seen the way he treats me. Were you ever going to say anything?”

  Dad’s jaw clenched and worked for a moment. “Stuart is imperfect,” he said. “But I planned on handling it.”

  I barked a laugh and shook my head. “Come on, that’s not true. You were going to ignore it and hope it was never a problem. So long as I gave the family babies and kept my mouth shut, you’d keep going on making your money and not giving a crap about what happened to me.”

  He took a deep breath as if controlling himself and let it out. “I’m not here to discuss Stuart with you,” he said.

  “Then what do you want?” I asked.

  “I’m here to make a deal.” His eyes stared into mine and I felt freezing cold suddenly, even though the sun bore down over the buildings and warmed my skin.

  “What deal?” I asked.

  “I’m giving you seven days to come home,” he said. “Seven days to return back home and let us figure out how we’ll handle your little misfortune.” He gestured at me vaguely.

  “You mean my baby,” I said. “The baby that I very much plan on keeping.”

  He made a face and nodded. “Seven days to come home. If you don’t, then I will revoke you from the will and lock your trust fund. You’ll be cut off, Ashleigh, kicked out of the family, and good luck living on your own. Or do you really think the man that got you pregnant’s going to take care of you?”

  “I can take care of myself,” I said, feeling my anger rapidly rising. “I don’t need either of you.”

  Dad gave me a flat stare. “Ash, you’ve never once worked a day in your life. You don’t know the first thing about surviving in this world, and if you stay with that man, with that animal, then you’re going to learn the hard way.”

  “I bet you’d like that,” I said, crossing my arms.

  “I wouldn’t,” he said, but he didn’t sound very convincing. “If you come home, we’ll reinstate you. You’ll help you with the baby. And we can discuss what we’ll do about Stuart.”

  I groaned, leaning my head back. “I just told you that Stuart’s abusive, and you still think I might marry him.”

  “Ashleigh—”

  “No,” I said, cutting him off, and met his gaze. “You need to understand this. I’m never, ever, ever going to marry Stuart. No matter what you do, I’m not going to marry him. It won’t happen.”

  He was quiet for a moment. His fingers turned the cup in front of him in circles, the porcelain scraping against itself, then nodded once. “If you say so,” he said. “But you have one week to decide.”

  “Dad—”

  He stood up abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over. He stared down at me with so much loathing that it almost made me sick.

  “Seven days,” he said. “Get your shit together and come home. The daughter I knew would never have done this to her family.”

  He turned and stalked off. I watched him go, feeling stunned.

  I knew my father was a hard man, even a bastard, but he’d been good enough to me growing up. There wasn’t kindness or warmth, but he took care of me and never raised his voice. He expected things, and so long as we didn’t let him down, he gave us more or less whatever we wanted.

  That man felt like a stranger now.

  I couldn’t believe he thought there was any way I would marry Stuart. The fact that he didn’t outright say it was an impossibility scared the hell out of me and only proved what I always feared—my father cared more about the family name than he did about his own daughter. I expected it from my mother, but there was some stupid part of me that hoped my father wasn’t that horrible.

  I was wrong, so very wrong.

  I leaned forward, face in my hands, and cried.

  Gian pulled up a chair and sat next to me. I leaned on him and he held me. I didn’t care about the people that walked past, and he didn’t move to stop me. He only comforted me, Gian and his big, strong arms, until I finally got myself together.

  “I take it that didn’t go well,” he said softly.

  “Seven days,” I said. “He’s giving me a week to come home or I’m cut off.”

  Gian nodded slowly. “I guess now you know at least.”

  I looked at him and wondered if maybe my father was right. I was taking an enormous risk, coming to Gian like this. If I went home, I’d have a trust fund again, I’d have financial support. My father could be convinced to let me marry someone else, and Stuart would be a dark footnote in my life. I’d have my baby, and there’d be nannies and family to get me through.

  With Gian, I didn’t know what would happen. Maybe he’d support me, or maybe he’d get sick of me after a while and leave. I could put on weight from the baby and he might hate me for that, or start cheating on me, or any number of horrible things. I felt a shiver down my spine and realized I was so far from sane, so far from anything remotely normal, and had no way of getting back.

  I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to trust Gian, but I didn’t know him. He was still a stranger, even if he was a beautiful, delicious stranger, even if I wanted him.

  “Come on,” he said softly, and took my hand. “Let’s go home. You don’t have to make any decisions right now.”

  I smiled a little and realized that this mobster was being kinder to me than my own father.

  What a fucked-up world.

  “Okay,” I said, and let him lead me away.

  10

  Gian

  I visited Brett in the hospital after Ash’s meeting with her father. The kid was happy to see me. His face was all fucked up and he had a concussion and a broken arm, but seemed in good spirits.

  “Can’t wait to get back out there, man,” he said.

  “Rest,” I said. “Heal up. You’ll be fine. And don’t worry about the bill, I got you.”

  He looked at me like I was the greatest guy in the world.

  I felt like the biggest piece of shit.

  Well, maybe the second biggest. Ash’s father was the biggest piece of garbage I’d ever seen. The way he treated his daughter was appalling, like they were some fucking nineteenth century royals, and she was his property to be given away in a marriage of his own convenience. It was sick, and it broke Ash to pieces, I could tell.

  I didn’t want to leave her alone, so I picked her back up after the hospital. She lounged back in the passenger seat as my truck rolled slowly along my territory, and I started pointing out some spots to her as we cruised along.

  “That strip club’s owned by a guy that pays into the family,” I said, pointing at a rundown corner joint with paper over the windows. “That cover over there’s a good spot for the drug boys, but they must be somewhere else today.”

  “How many soldiers do you have?” she asked.

  “Fifteen officially,” I said. “And a lot more unofficially. It’s better to keep the crew small and tight. Most of the guys that work for me don’t even know what I look like, much less my name.”

  “What a different world,” she said softly, then laughed to herself. “But I guess not that much different. I doubt my father’s employees know him.”

  “I doubt they’d want to,” I said, smiling a little. “That house is a safehouse, and I own that bar over there, and that bodega on that corner.”

  “How many businesses do you own?” She stared at me, surprised.

  “A lot,” I said. “Most of my money’s tied up in them.”

  “You don’t strike me as the type to invest in property.”

  I grinned at her and tilted my head. “What do I strike you as then?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Meathead? Thief?”

  “All of the above.”

  Sh
e laughed and chewed on her thumbnail as I turned toward the edge of my territory. This was disputed land and I drove slowly, scanning the sidewalks ahead of me. I felt a surge of adrenaline when I spotted three guys sitting on a stoop a block over, two of them with flaming red hair. I didn’t recognize them, but I spotted a strung-out-looking skinny girl approach the one, slip him some cash, and get a little baggy in return.

  I circled around, chatting aimlessly with Ash, and scoped the out. Definitely Healy boys, and definitely selling on my turf. I pulled up another block and parked.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “You seem tense.”

  “I’m about to do something dangerous,” I said, and leaned toward her. “You want to see me break a man’s knee?”

  She blinked rapidly, opened her mouth, then quickly shook her head. “No, I really don’t.”

  “Then you’d better stay here.”

  “Gian—”

  But I was already pushing open the door.

  She followed, even though I warned her. I stalked down the block and spotted the guys sitting out on the same stoop. One wore dark, baggy jeans and a big sweatshirt. I figured he’d have the stash, or maybe they’d left it somewhere nearby. Another had on shorts and a basketball shirt, and the other was decked out in Phillies gear. They didn’t notice me until it was too late.

  “Hey, fellas,” I said, smiling as I stepped up onto the curb.

  The guy in the Phillies gear turned to me. “There something we can do—”

  I interrupted him by slamming my fist into his mouth.

  He staggered back, shocked, and I kneed him hard in the gut. Ash stood on the curb staring, and I glanced back with vicious smile.

  I lived for this shit.

  Baggypants got to his feet and was reaching for something. He fumbled around and I threw Phillies in his direction. Baggypants grunted as Phillies collided with him, and both of them went sprawling back onto the stoop.

  Basketball had his shit together though. He came at me hard, swung once, twice, and I ducked them both before stepping in close. I punched him in the chest, then the throat, and kicked the inside of his knee as hard as he could. It made a satisfying snap and he screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground.

  There was the broken knee I promised.

  Phillies was on his feet and Baggypants managed to pull the gun he’d been messing with. I jumped on Phillies, slammed my forehead into his nose, and felt a hot spray of blood hit my cheeks. I shoved him at Baggypants again as the dumb fuck took a blind, wild shot at me. The bullet missed and slammed into the wall behind me, but I didn’t hesitate. Ash was too close for this dumb fuck to start shooting.

  I smashed my shoulder into his chest and fell off the stoop with him. I landed hard on my side and grunted, but grabbed onto the gun. Baggypants wrestled me and Phillies joined in, kicking me in the ribs as his nose bled. I had to control the gun, or else this fight was over before it started. I kicked Baggypants in the stomach twice before turning his wrist as hard as I could, barely managing to dodge another kick from Phillies.

  The gun came free. I rolled to the side and came up, holding it out toward Phillies’ stunned and bloody face. Baggypants cursed and put his hands up right away.

  “On the ground,” I said, gesturing down. “Get on the ground right now, you dumb motherfuckers.”

  Phillies slowly lowered himself to the pavement. Baggypants followed. They kept their hands up on their heads, but I wasn’t too worried. I figured if any of them were holding, they would’ve pulled by now.

  Basketball rolled from side to side, moaning in pain, gripping his mangled knee a few feet away.

  Ash watched with horror, her face pale and shocked.

  “Who sent you?” I asked.

  “Fuck you,” Baggypants said.

  I guess he didn’t get the message yet. I walked over and kicked him hard in the face. He gasped as blood spouted from his mouth.

  “Let me try again,” I said. “Who sent you?”

  “Colm,” Phillies said. “We got assigned to this corner, man.”

  “You realize this is my turf?” I pressed the warm barrel against Phillies’ head. “You know who I am now?”

  “Fuck,” Phillies whispered. “Don’t kill me.”

  “You shouldn’t have come anywhere near this place,” I said. “Colm fucked you.” I was about to pull the trigger when the guy moaned and shook his head.

  “It wasn’t Colm, okay? Fuck, it wasn’t Colm.”

  I stopped. Phillies was crying, tears mixing with his bloody nose. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Answer fast.”

  “A rich guy sent us,” he said. “I don’t know who he is, but he’s involved with Colm and them, man. He said he’d pay us five hundred each to sit on this corner and sell like usual. I didn’t know it was your fucking turf, man.”

  “A rich guy,” I repeated slowly. “What’s this guy’s name?”

  “I don’t know,” Phillies said, sobbing now. “Please don’t kill me.”

  I stood up slowly and took a deep breath. I kicked Phillies in the ribs twice before I moved away from them. “I’m going to leave now,” I said. “I’ll roll past here in five minutes. If you’re still here, I’m going to kill you. Do you understand?”

  “We get it,” Phillies said.

  “Good.” I walked to Ash and grinned at her. She looked at me like I was some ravenous beast, and I couldn’t blame her. She’d probably never seen anything like that before in her pretty, sheltered life. I shoved the gun in my waistband, took her hand, and pulled her along behind me.

  We hurried back to the truck. I started it up and rolled off. The guys were already on their feet and limping away, bleeding and broken, but alive at least. Lucky fuckers.

  “What the hell was all that?” Ash asked, blinking at me rapidly. “You almost got killed.”

  “Nah, wasn’t that close,” I said.

  “The one had a gun. He shot at you.”

  “Wasn’t a good shot,” I said, shrugging. “I handled it.”

  “Gian,” she said. “That was totally insane.”

  I smirked slightly and kept driving. Sirens blared not far away and I put distance between myself and the cops. I figured some neighbor heard the gunshot and called 911. Didn’t always happen, but sometimes.

  “I know you’re new to this, but that’s how it has to go,” I said, watching the streets ahead of me. I was keyed up from the fight still though the adrenaline began to fade. The places where those guys hit me started to ache, and it hurt to take deep breaths. Probably had a broken rib. Those fuckers.

  “You could’ve waited for backup,” she said. “You took them three on one.”

  “I wanted to give them a chance.” I sighed and shook my head when she stared at me. “They’re going to go back to their crew and tell everyone how Gian himself showed up and beat the shit out of them. They’ll tell some story and make me sound like I’m invincible and the best fighter in the whole city. It was a risk, but it paid off.”

  “For good publicity?” She gaped then laughed with a sharp edge.

  “Winning these wars isn’t only about killing,” I said. “It’s about making the other side realize they can’t keep going, no matter what. Scaring them into thinking I’m invincible is a very good way to do it.” I pulled the truck over on a quiet neighborhood street after driving for a little while and shifted toward Ash. “That one guy told me something important though.”

  “What?” she asked. “He sounded too scared to say anything real. I thought you were going to kill them.”

  “I was,” I said, and meant it, although I realized I shouldn’t do that in front of her. Fighting them and winning was one thing, but murdering them in plain daylight while she watched was another. I’d have to be careful.

  “Why didn’t you then?” she asked, unable to look at me.

  “Because I think Stuart sent them.”

  She looked at me sharply. I knew that’d get her attention. “How?” s
he asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “The guy in the Phillies gear said a rich man paid them to work on that corner,” I said. “What rich guys hang around the Healy family?”

  “Stuart doesn’t have any connections to them,” Ash said, but her lips pulled into a frown.

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Absolutely sure?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t think so. His family runs a hedge fund. I mean, they’re rich. Why would they need to work with a mafia?”

  “For a lot of reasons,” I said. “Money laundering. Protection rackets. Muscle. Drugs. Sex. Gambling. Lots of reasons to work with the mafia.”

  She chewed her lip, thinking. Her fingers tugged at the hem of her shirt before shaking her head. “Is that what you do? Sex and drugs?”

  “Mostly drugs,” I said, “though sex is on the table if you want it.”

  She made a face. “I don’t think that was Stuart,” she said, sounding resolute.

  “Then let’s talk to him and find out,” I said.

  It was like I slapped her. She recoiled from me and looked like she wanted to get out and run. “Are you crazy?” she asked. “No, you definitely are crazy.”

  I held up my hands then gently touched her shoulder. “It’s okay,” I said. “He won’t hurt you. Not with me around.”

  That only pissed her off. I was trying to be reassuring, but her jaw tightened, and she shoved my hand away.

  “I know that,” she said. “I just mean, Stuart hates us. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

  “We need to find out how involved he is,” I said. “If he paid those guys, we need to know.”

  She leaned her head back and groaned. “I hate this.”

  “I know,” I said. “I hate it too. If I had my way, you could sit in my apartment and watch movies and TV until you give birth to our baby. Unfortunately, your family’s a bunch of rich psychos, and your former fiancé, or whatever the fuck he is, might be involved with the Healy family. And I’m at war with the Healy family. So I think you can appreciate how complicated things are.”

  “Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll meet with him.”