I take Selena to the dance floor, swaying with her to support the bride and groom in their first dance. Just as the song ends, I feel a buzzing in my pocket. I look around, and everyone who would normally call me is here. The call piques my interest. So, I walk outside to take the call and see the name pop up, my heart beating fast.
"Madigan," I say into the receiver, a bit shocked that she’s even calling me right now and so glad no one is around me right now to hear. Madigan is actually my little sister, though, I am the only one that knows that. In other terms, she’s my father’s best kept secret. Logan and Jordan have no idea she exists, and we have been keeping it that way for a while now. It was something that she and I agreed to.
"Christian….I’m in trouble.” I can hear the worry in her voice and know she means it. Shit has hit the fan. "I need your help…I think I need everyone’s help actually," she continues. "It’s so bad. Please, tell me you can help me."
I nod even though she can’t see it, my protective instincts kicking in. "I guess it's about time our brothers get to know their little sister, then," I answer with a dark tone.
"I guess so,” she responds automatically. “I don’t know when I’ll be in Atlanta…but I’m trying to be there as soon as I can, as soon as it’s safe.”
"You are a Steele. I can promise you from all of us, you will have our protection. Text me where you are and your plans, I will arrange travel and protection for you, and do one thing for me Mad, stay safe." I hang up the phone, knowing my brothers are going to get the shock of their lives when Madigan appears, but they will have to get over it quick. We will all have to find a way to protect our sister, and we sure as fuck will.
Protecting A Steele
The Steele Brothers Book 3
Acknowledgments
My Author Tribe: Linny, Iris, Erin — You ladies keep me sane. I swear, even though two of you are worse off than I am. Somehow, through every stressed meltdown or moment of self-doubt, y’all are always here for me. You all know how crazy this industry can be. I consider myself very blessed to have friends like y’all.
My Beta Bitchaz– It’s been a long time coming, but the day is finally here. Thank you all for reading my quickly written novel and letting me know every single part that you loved and hated. You all help me keep my stories the best that they can be.
My Bloggers – I feel like I’m going to repeat myself yet again but I’m always so serious when I say this. Without any of you, none of this would be possible. Thank you all so much for every cover reveal, release blitz, ARC review, and promotion that you do. It means the world to me that you continue to support me in whatever path I’m venturing down.
MY EDITOR, COURTNEY LYNN ROSE – Thank you for jumping in this series during the third book when you’ve never previously read another. I’m sure through edits you were probably wondering what the hell was going on in certain scenes, but nonetheless, we got through it!
Clarise, My Magical Unicorn – You and I have been sitting on this cover for well over six months. I cannot tell you how happy I am that it’s finally out into the world and this book is completed. I can’t wait for the next one we work on in the Steele Bros series!
KBB, My Babes! – You all have been so patient with me and for that, I can’t thank you enough. Initially, I had planned to finish this series very quickly but it just didn’t happen that way. Madigan and Reggie stopped speaking to me along with their entire family, so I had to put the Steele Bros on the back burner for quite a while. However, I’m so thrilled that Madigan’s story is finally ready to be told! Thank you all for waiting. I hope it’s everything you’ve ever imagined it would be.
Dedicated to Cobro
I’ve tried to write this dedication about ten times already and it’s not quite coming out the way I want. It’s hard to put into words how much your friendship means to me. You’ve been here through the good and the bad. Shoot, you’re one of the few who knows how bad it got. Looking back now it makes me laugh, but I appreciate you standing by me through every super-crappy moment and every life-changing one. I know we don’t get to talk every week, or sometimes even every month, but we always make it count. Thanks for being the little brother I never had and keeping it real for me.
PLAYLIST
How Do You Sleep? — Sam Smith
Gone — Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens
Insomnia — Daya
You Need To Calm Down— Taylor Swift
Into Your Arms — Witt Lowry ft. Ava Max
My Way — Ava Max
Mad Love – Mabel
I Fell In Love With The Devil — Avril Lavigne
Undrunk — FLETCHER
Colder — Nina Nesbitt
Good as You — Kane Brown
Broke Us — Cierra Ramirez, ft. Trevor Brown
Trigger Warning
This book is intended for mature audiences only. After re-adjusting my trigger warning system, I will not be giving any spoilers. Please understand that this is not your run of the mill romance and tough subjects will be spoken about in this storyline.
Prologue
“I am no victim. The monsters who end up in my sheets were pulled up under my bed by me.”
~ Erin Van Vuren
Madigan
“You’ll meet us at the gala tonight, right, Madigan?” I look up from the women’s fiction book I’m reading, making sure a bright smile is what greets Mr. Falcone.
“I sure will. I’ll arrive at eight on the dot.” He seems happy with the answer, but I’m sure in the matter of a few hours it’ll change. Mr. Falcone is my boyfriend’s father and runs the Italian Mafia here in New York City.
I’ve been living with them for the last six months even though I was perfectly fine staying in my own apartment. Vinny wouldn’t let me stay there, though. He told me I was family and that family stays in one place — the inner-city townhouse. It’s nestled in the heart of Manhattan just outside the business district.
“Fabulous news. Do me a favor and make sure Vinny is on time with you?” Mr. Falcone asks, and I nod. Only, he doesn’t know that I’m not going to show up to the gala tonight and I won’t be making sure Vinny is there on time. If Vinny keeps up with the way he’s been acting, he’ll be too busy fucking that bitch in Brooklyn to even make it tonight.
It might be wrong of me to hope for that, however, I’ve thought about this a lot over the last couple of weeks. Vinny being out of the house is the only way I’m getting the hell out of New York.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll yank him by his ear if I have to.” I laugh, playing the part I’ve come to know so well.
To continue living in this house, as a woman, you must do three things— remain quiet unless spoken to, look pretty and proper whenever the occasion arises, and lastly, fuck your man whenever he deems it necessary.
Mr. Falcone exits the formal living room and I can finally breathe a little easier. It hasn’t been too bad living here when everyone isn’t hovering around me, but this place sure has its moments. Vinny and I share the bedroom at the top of this joint on the fourth floor. There are two other bedrooms on our level that have en-suite bathrooms and small living room areas. He has two brothers, but those two are normally off doing their own thing and are hardly home.
I’m basically living as the bitch to one of the Sopranos if only they were far more twisted and fucked up.
While I’ve lived in New York my entire life, I’ve never witnessed this side of the city. The crime is on every corner even if you don’t think it’s there. Men in suits are behind it all and being here has changed my view on life. My father was a man in a suit, and it makes me wonder if he was really a corporate businessman or if he was behind some sort of crime too.
I roll my eyes, thinking it’s pointless to even wonder about this. It’s not like dear old Dad will tell me since he’s six feet under. I doubt he would’ve told me when he was alive either. He and I didn’t have a normal relationship by any means. Since the moment I was born, I was h
is little secret, only to be visited when he could get away from his real family. All in all, I have a lifetime of serious daddy issues.
My phone buzzes from the arm of the chair I’m sitting on, so I pick it up and look at the text. It’s from one of my closest friends, Amelia.
Can you call me and at least let me know you’re okay? I’ve been worried sick about you. You know, it’s really not cool to go AWOL.
I haven’t gone AWOL, but over the last few days, I have been a bit quieter than normal. It’s only because I don’t want her having any information in regards to what I’m doing tonight. The less she knows, the better.
After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decide to text her back and calm her worries.
I haven’t gone AWOL, you’re just overdramatic. I’ve been preparing for tonight’s gala. I’ll catch up with you after things settle down. Promise. We def have to meet for some scones and coffee.
Only, what Amelia doesn’t know is that we won’t be meeting up soon. I’m getting the fuck out of the city as quickly as I can. The longer I’m here, the longer my life is in danger. Worst of all, I’m not just worrying about myself anymore. Now, I have to worry about the child growing inside me.
Chapter One
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
~ Brene Brown
Reggie
Brooklyn and Logan’s wedding is, by far, one of the best I’ve ever been to. Every tiny detail was planned accordingly, making this fit for a king and queen. Music plays in the background as couples weave with one another on the dancefloor. Some sit at their tables, eating the delicious food the Steele’s provided while others are out schmoozing with other guests. It seems like everyone is enjoying their day off, but I can’t relate.
You see, I haven’t had a day off for as long as I can remember. I’m the head of security for the Steele’s and it’s my job to protect the bride. I was on Logan’s private detail for years, however, when he started dating Brooklyn and things got a little freaky, he asked that I worry about watching over her. Since then, I’ve not only become her bodyguard but one of her good friends.
I stand on the outskirts of the reception, overlooking everyone in attendance. I’m not the only one who’s here, though. I have ten other members of my team on reception detail, while a few others are on the backside of the property around the parked cars and in the house. You can never be too careful when it comes to protecting a Steele, and we sure as fuck aren’t.
“Hey, Reg. Can we talk for a minute?” Christian comes up beside me, looking a bit worse for wear. He’s not normally the type to show his emotions through his expression, which makes me wonder what’s going on.
“Sure,” I say, expecting him to speak.
He looks around. “Not here. We need to go to the house and speak in private.”
“Okay, give me a moment to get another body over here,” I mutter, pressing on the wire to my transparent headset. No one would even know I’m wearing anything if a wire wasn’t coming down from behind my ear. Otherwise, I probably look just like a normal attendee.
I speak into my microphone and tell the entire channel of men listening that I need one of them to come from wherever they are to the reception. Within a minute, I have a man coming from the inside of the house where I know two men are posted. I turn back and see him coming this way, “As soon as he’s here, we can go inside,” I tell Christian, who gives a curt nod.
He crosses his arms and looks over the guests and for the life of me, I can tell this isn’t like him. Something is going on, and he sure as fuck better tell me what it is when we get into a private area.
“I can’t wait for you to tell me what the fuck you’ve done,” I chuckle, looking at the arrogant bastard.
“Why do you always have to assume I’ve done something? For the first time ever, it wasn’t me.”
“Yeah, right,” I respond, stepping away from my posting. As my recovery steps into where I was standing, Christian leads me back toward the house. We walk in the back door and continue down the hallway until we reach Logan’s study. Christian is quick to open the door and right after I walk in, he slams in shut.
“I hate to ask you for a favor, but I need a massive one right about now.” Through the tone of his voice, I can tell he’s worried.
“Are you gonna spit it out or keep telling me how dire this is?”
“I’m going to talk to Logan about temporarily re-assigning you to guard someone else in the family,” Christian starts off saying as his eyes drift off to the floor.
“Alright. Who do I need to watch out for?” The second Christian returns his gaze to me, I know something’s up. It reminds me of that feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen like a bomb is getting ready to explode and you can’t do a damn thing about it.
I think Christian is going to ask me to guard Selena but the longer he’s quiet, the more I think this isn’t the case.
“My sister.”
My eyes go wide and I think I’ve misheard him. “Your what?”
“Dad had an affair when my mother was pregnant with me, which resulted in Madigan being born. She’s only two months younger than me and my brothers don’t even know she exists. They’ve never needed to know . . . but now, I have no choice. She’s in trouble and needs our help.”
“What? Is this some sort of joke or something?” There’s no way he’s telling the truth right now. If the Steele’s had a sister, surely, I’d know about her.
“No, it’s not a joke. Listen, Reg, I only brought this to you because I need your help. Now, here’s the tricky part, I need you to not say anything to Jordan or Logan. This needs to be something between you and me for the time being.”
“You have to be shitting me right now. First, you want me to protect your secret baby sister and now you want me to keep this from my boss? Are you trying to get me fired?” Christian has asked a lot of me over the years, but never something like this. I’m fine with doing members of the family favors, but there’s a line I don’t cross. “I will not lie to the man who has given me so many opportunities. I’ll help you, Christian, but I won’t lie to Logan. You’d better sort out this shit before I have to.”
“C’ mon, Reg. Do me a solid and just keep this under wraps for a week or two tops. By that point, I’ll have Madigan somewhere safe down here and the cat will be outta the bag.”
“No, I’m not lying for you.” I’m firm in my decision. It’s obvious he isn’t thinking clearly. The moment I lie to his family is the second I will be outside of the circle of trust, cast out, fired. I’d lose everything and that’s simply something I can’t afford to lose. No one realizes it, but a lot of people depend on me and the money I make here.
Christian throws his hands up in frustration, “I need you to keep this to yourself for a few days, Reg. Please, don’t lie, just keep it to yourself until I can figure out how to get Madigan out of her shitty situation. She’s gotten involved with the wrong people and wouldn’t have called me if she wasn’t desperate. I’m trying to keep a Steele safe. Isn’t that your job? Protecting Steeles?”
I clench my fist in anger, “Don’t you ever use my duty to this family against me like that again.”
“Then fucking help me! As I said, don’t lie. Just don’t bring it up. She just called me about thirty minutes ago and I’ll do my best to get her somewhere safe. She’s going to contact me when she gets out of the city and then I can arrange some sort of transportation for her to get down here. You know as well as I do, we’re always safer in larger numbers.”
Part of me wants to say fuck this and go to Logan, spilling the secrets Christian has just revealed to me, but the other part of me is saying that would only ruin his wedding day and cause unnecessary drama. Christian might not realize it, but today, he’s won the battle. “Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut but don’t get shit twisted. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Logan an
d Brooklyn. I won’t ruin their big day. Now, you can talk to him about transferring me from Brooklyn’s detail later. If I’ll be watching your sister than I need to know everything there is about her.”
“Alright. We should get started then. The two of us might end up being here all night.”
Chapter Two
“Pain makes you stronger, fear makes you braver, heartbreak makes you wiser.”
~ Quotes ’Nd Notes
Madigan
The gala started ten minutes ago on the east side of Manhattan and I’ve just crossed through the tunnel to Jersey City. I can feel my heart pounding from my chest all the way to my temple. My nerves are shot and I’m barely breathing as I white knuckle the steering wheel. I can’t seem to get out of the city fast enough, but now, the real battle begins. Freedom is close and yet so far away. The only way I’ll get there is with some serious determination and not chickening out.
About thirty minutes ago, I called my brother Christian and told him I needed help. I’ve always made a silent oath to myself that I’d never do this, but I didn’t see another feasible option. It was after I already got in the car and started my trek to get out of the city. I was even in my gown for the gala so none of the staff would be suspicious. The Falcones are always watching those who are close to them. Franco isn’t paranoid but much like an eagle, he surveys his land from above.
Christian said he’d help me, but I think things will be a lot trickier than either of us realize. You see, things are complicated when it comes to my family. Christian is the only one who knows about my existence and it’s only because we both snuck out to our father’s lake house one summer and crossed paths. An entirely coincidental, but extremely life-changing discovery. I still find it ironic that the two of us came to the one place where we remembered our father the most, and the fact dad took us to the exact same lake house blows my mind. You’d think he’d take me to a completely different location, but no.
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