Marked

by Skylar West

  "Yes, and if you hadn't been here, T, it would not have dawned on me to check security footage, as he didn't break in, he had the codes. Al, I need to ramp up my security, new codes, extra curb side patrolling, that kind of thing. I will phone the company and let them know I need to change everything. We need Joe extracted from the company and any funds he has access to denied. If he wants to stay in Philadelphia, he won't be doing it on our dime."

  "Did you get any information out of him, boss?"

  "Only that he said this was a blood debt to be paid with more than money, whatever the hell that means. He spoke gangster, and despite my place of birth, I am anything but. What I'm concerned about is him knowing what was in that safe."

  "May I ask," Theresa hesitated, "what is in that safe, Jimmy?"

  "The deeds to everything, Theresa. He wanted to take everything. Josh will call if he learns anything, but he thinks Joe will make bail and be out today, so we need to get on this. Al, you have your marching orders. I have calls to make. T, Tessa is bringing Mags home, can you present a united front for me and you two have some girl time? If she sees me, she's going to know something's up; my kid is very perceptive."

  "Of course, Jimmy, anything else?"

  "Yeah, don't go anywhere, and if you need to, tell me. I'll go with you."

  She consented and the three of us moved to our separate tasks. "Not a word, to anyone, until we know what's going on. Assume the worst."

  Al took his leave and I went to my office—time to call Pops.

  "Pops, it's Jimmy, you alone?"

  "Jimmy, let me call you back."

  I hung up the phone. I was pissed. What the hell had he done? He needed to tell me everything, so I could fix this.

  "Jimmy, it's me." I didn't recognize the number; he must have used a burner phone. "Pops, what in hell is going on? I just had Joe Mareno sneak into our house and try to get into my private safe. What did you do? He said you owe him a blood debt; what the hell does that mean?"

  He was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts? Or his guts to tell me the truth?

  "Jimmy, back before I left Sicily, I ran into some trouble, and Joseph Mareno helped me out. Our deal was a set sum of money, to be paid back by a certain date. I paid him back on time, but if left me penniless. When we arrived in the United States, I had about a hundred dollars in my pocket, and your ma wasn't well. The stress and poverty we'd been living under had taken its toll on her. We have a big family, but no one was doing well financially. That is why so much of our family resides here in the states, instead of Italy. Until this last seven or eight years, we were the only ones who had done well, and I have helped all your cousins get started in business or school here."

  He paused for a moment. "But back then, I didn't have anyone. I started working in construction and it got us by, but I wasn't making enough to save and start my business. I called Joseph and asked for another loan. Jimmy, he is old school, cosa nostra. I knew it but thought if I paid him back, our dealings would be finished. But about twelve years ago, long after I'd paid him, he wanted to strike another bargain, and I said no. I didn't want anything to do with drug running or guns or anything else. We have a legitimate business that has done unprecedently well, and I want to keep it that way."

  He paused again, taking a drink of something, and then continued. "About the same time, we had a visitor at the old place. It was a messenger from Mareno, and he said if I didn't allow his business to use us as a legitimate cover, then he would go after us. I offered him a ridiculous amount of money, Jimmy, but with Mareno, it was personal, because no one says no to the cosa nostra, no matter where you live."

  "Pops, he mentioned Theresa, why? And, why did you have us move from the old neighborhood when you did? Does this have something to do with her?"

  He sighed, "In a roundabout way, it does. I never meant to put Theresa in danger, Jimmy. But Mareno said the only way to fix this is by connecting our families. Theresa, she was in the way; you were supposed to marry Mareno's daughter, Felicia, join our houses and our business, and run it jointly with Joe."

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he insane? I wasn't marrying anyone but Theresa. I had a sinking feeling that the Marenos were behind everything that had happened. "Pops, was Christina's accident really an accident, or was it a hit?"

  "Mareno was afraid that you and Christina would get together because you shared the bond of a child, so he put out the hit on her."

  I thought I was going to puke. This was insanity. "And you moved us to get me away from Theresa?"

  "I did," he answered quietly.

  "Joe breaking in, having the security passcodes, was that you?"

  "Yes."

  "Pops, why, what were you thinking?"

  "Honestly, Jimmy, I don't know what I was thinking, except, I know you have amassed quite a bank account. Both of us, son, could retire if we wanted to. I guess I thought if they broke in and took the deeds, then you would be off the hook for the marriage and the blood debt."

  It wasn't a bad plan, but still, there were no guarantees. I needed to think and come up with a plan of my own. "Pops, is there a hit on Theresa?"

  Silence answered me. Seconds passed, and when he spoke, his voice was so low I could hardly hear him. "I don't know for sure, but I would assume they would want her removed. Whatever you do, son, be careful."

  "You, too, Pops." I hung up the phone and ran my hands through my hair. My first reaction was to run away with Maggie and Theresa. But that wasn't the answer. I needed something iron clad. If I could catch them or prove their illegal dealings, then I could make a deal to bail them out and my company, if need be. I could always start again if I wanted.

  I called Josh. "I have an idea I want to run by you, can we meet?"

  "Sure, I was on my way to meet Bobby. He's done with the staging, maybe check it out, and we can talk off record at the same time."

  "Perfect." I got on the phone with security and got two teams to watch my place and then went through the process of changing out all the codes.

  I was heading out the door when Mags got home. "Where are you going, Daddy?" she pouted.

  "Have a meeting, sweets. Theresa, is waiting for you; she has some girl stuff planned."

  She clapped and squealed and ran off in search of T. I smiled; those two were becoming very close. I had to make sure that whatever I did, it worked so I could keep my family safe.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Theresa

  Jimmy looked like a man on a mission, his face serious and filled with conflict. I knew he would be okay, but if this was about me, then I wanted to know.

  Tessa was about to head home, but I stopped her. "Tessa, do you know what's going on with the company?"

  She seemed like she wanted to talk, but in the end, all she said was, "No, I'm sorry, Theresa." Despite my promise to Jimmy, I'd overheard the conversation with Joe while he was tied up. I had turned up the volume while I was hiding in the monitor room and turned it down when Jimmy came back.

  I told Maggie we would have a spa evening with take out, but I needed to do a couple of things first. I went into Jimmy's office while he was gone and looked for his father's phone number. James senior was the key to the mystery. Flipping on Jimmy's laptop, I found all the contact information with everyone pertaining to the company. I added James' number to my cell and then turned off the computer. At least now I had it, if I decided to call.

  I headed upstairs to get Maggie. We grabbed everything you could possibly need for an at home mani/pedi. Hours later, Jimmy found us sipping health shakes with cucumbers on our eyes. "You're home early. We were going to get take out, any ideas?" I asked.

  "No worries, ladies, meet me downstairs in forty-five. I will have dinner ready." He left and we continued our girl chatter. "Maggie, you have the best dad in the world, you know that?"

  "Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. He used to worry, I think, you know, that I didn't have a mom. But really, I had Nonna here for me all the time, and Dad
, well, he's always been really good at quality time."

  I sighed, "Yes, making someone feel special is definitely one of his super powers."

  She giggled. "Do you love him, T?"

  "More than that, Maggie, I'm crazy in love with him. I think I always have been. Do you feel like that about anyone?"

  She thought about it. "Well, I don't know that I'm crazy in love, but there is a boy, Dean, and he is super-hot and super nice. I really like him, but he is two grades ahead of me. I don't think he knows I'm alive."

  "Is he on your Instagram?"

  "Yes."

  "And have you posted your birthday yet?"

  "No, Emma posted a few, but mostly of close ups of her with me and our other friends."

  "I have an idea; grab your phone."

  I grabbed her phone and quickly made a highlight page of her birthday, focusing on her, and then I added sayings on the photos and sent her three separate multi images for her to post. I added the hashtags and a line that said stay tuned for our next party presented by MagT entertainment.

  I posted them, and she grabbed her phone from me to see what I'd done. "MagT, that's us," she said excitedly.

  "That's right, and if that guy has any brains, he'll be commenting and asking when the next party is. But, if he doesn't, then he isn't the one, Mags. You'll know when you have the one. You will feel tingly and safe and cherished. That's what your dad does for me." We giggled and, setting aside our gadgets, headed downstairs for dinner.

  Jimmy

  I met up with Josh and Bobby at the renovated complex I'd hired Bobby to stage. I looked in on the three suites he'd done and was blown away. "Bobby, this is amazing; you have a gift, man."

  He looked pleased.

  "Damn it, Jimmy, don't give him a big head. He's hard to live with as it is," Josh said with a smirk on his face.

  Bobby returned this with, "Oh, please, boyfriend, you are so jealous."

  I laughed at their antics. "Josh, anything from Joe yet?"

  He shook his head. "But we still have him for a few hours. He doesn't have a record in the United States, but he has been arrested several times in Italy and does hold a record there. Apparently, he did some nasties for the newly dead crime boss, Salvatore Riina. I'm looking for any connection between Mareno and your father, Jimmy, but so far, nothing."

  "You won't find one, Josh. I spoke with my father. He got a straight up loan from Joe's dad, Joseph Mareno Sr., thirty years ago, in Sicily, then again when newly American arrived, about twenty-five years ago. My father paid them back, but with the success of our company here, Mareno wants to use it to hide illegal dealings between the U.S. and Europe. According to my father, the only way out of this mess is if I marry Mareno's only daughter and share my company fifty-fifty with Joe. Then what they call a blood debt will be repaid. They mean business. I found out from my pops that Mareno ordered the hit on Maggie's mother; it wasn't an accident."

  "You won't do it, of course, you won't break Theresa's heart again, will you?" Bobby asked.

  "No, Bobby, I won't, but I may make it look like I am. There is a hit out on Theresa. If I don't do something, the cosa nostra will take out everyone I love, even Maggie, if I don't bend. Pretending to cut her loose in a public location could be the only thing that protects her while I work on a way out of this."

  Bobby digested this information, and his eyes lit up. "Wait, Josh, if the Mareno family is responsible for getting Maggie's mother killed, maybe if you looked up the report and could prove it, then you would have a reason to try to convict Joe, or… get him to back off and go free; you know, that detective FBI thing you do so well."

  Josh replied, "It isn't that easy, Bobby, but getting it moved from accident to murder could certainly help. I'll see what I can dig up."

  "Be careful, Josh, you heard Joe today; they have cops on the pay all over the U.S."

  "What are you going to do, Jimmy? I can help with protection if you want, I have some friends, retired cops and ex-military, who run a security firm. Want me to put you in touch?"

  I nodded. "Yes, that would be good. I don't want anything happening to my girls. And, Bobby, if something goes wrong and you see me dumping T, you know it's a ruse. Don't believe it, and I will only do it as a last straw, you understand?"

  "I do, Jimmy, I just hope she does."

  "Me, too, Bobby, and I'm counting on you to help me if this goes south."

  He nodded. We said our goodbyes and I set off to see my lawyer. It was a Sunday, but he was willing to meet with me. Jon Gigliotti was a partner in one of the top law firms in all of Philadelphia and a long-time friend of the family.

  I quickly gave him a basic rundown without getting into much detail, but enough to show him I was in dire need of shifting the company. "Jon, I was thinking, could I sell the company to Joe Mareno for one dollar? But, without the non-competition clause. I want to be able to start again, from scratch, with no interference. If they get what they want, then maybe they will back off?"

  Jon sat back in his chair and thought. "The problem I see, Jimmy, is these gentlemen don't seem to honour payment. Your father has already gone down this road and yet, as soon as the company did better than anyone could have predicted, he wanted more, and isn't that what the cosa nostra do? They have a code, but they are greedy. If you did this, and Joe ran your old company into the ground, or it was dissolved because of its illegal activities, they would come looking for you again, and what's to stop history from repeating itself?"

  "Good call; I never even thought of that. So, what do you think I should do?"

  "A few ideas: either leave this type of business behind and move to a state where there is very little mafia. Or, start a new business, have it be owned by a dummy company so it can't be attained by outside forces. Or, make yourself a nice little ma and pa business that doesn't net more than 100k per year, so you're under their radar. Lastly, if somehow you could catch them in a crime, then you could do your idea, offer them the sale of your company for a dollar and hold over their head the crime that you will go to the FBI with."

  My mind was racing. "Thanks, Jon, and if I need you to draw up documents in a hurry, you'll be available?"

  He said "of course" as he shook my hand.

  I drove home and found my ladies with cucumbers on their eyes, laughing like they were best friends. I smiled at the two of them and prayed I wouldn't have to cut Theresa loose, but I did know that if I couldn't protect her, then that was exactly what I would have to do.

  After dinner, Maggie scooted upstairs to get her homework done before bed. I threw Theresa over my shoulder like a Neanderthal and headed for our room. She was still owed a spanking and an ass fucking. "Strip," I demanded as I deposited her on the bed.

  She stripped and placed some pillows at the end of the bed, hiking her perfect ass in the air. I felt my cock harden; seeing those creamy mounds created a desire to fuck her until she screamed. "All right, little girl, why are we here?"

  "Um, I, uh, don't remember," she answered honestly.

  It was hard not to laugh. Here she was, surrendering her ass for punishment, and she had no idea why, but still, she gave herself to me. I stood behind her, rubbing her ass. She moaned and arched up in my hands.

  "Twenty, bella, ten because I said so, and ten more… because I said so." She smiled while she moaned. My woman was so sweet, so perfect, how I loved her. I decided to give her twenty with my hand and see how she did with that. If she was still panting like a wanton, I would give her more before I took her.

  I used medium force when I brought my hand down repeatedly and quickly in succession, reaching twenty in mere seconds. I stopped and rubbed. Her slit was glistening; she was super turned on. I ran a finger along the seam of her pussy all the way to her little back button. She squirmed and arched, wanting my cock.

  I peppered her ass slowly, with twenty more well placed smacks to her sit spots, warming up her ass for my cock. She was ready for me. Pushing the pillows out of the way, I pressed her
chest farther down into the bed as I pulled her by the hips to the edge. I lubed her ass with her own juices and pressed one finger inside. She mewled like a kitten. I rained down smacks on her backside with my other hand while she gyrated against my finger.

  I stopped spanking and removed my finger, replacing it with my cock. She tightened as I slid the head of my cock inside her ass. I stopped, allowing her to catch her breath and relax her muscles. I reached under and played with her labia and then inserted three fingers into her dripping pussy.

  "Jimmy, oh, yes, more, please, more."

  I pressed my hard cock all the way into her ass and held still while I continued to work my fingers in and out of her pussy. She began to move along my shaft, causing the most delicious friction. "That's right, baby, fuck my cock, take it the way you like it."

  She fucked my cock like a champion while I continued to plunge my fingers in and out. "Jimmy, Sir, please may I come?"

  "Come, Theresa." I felt her muscles convulse around my fingers and my cock. She was tight and felt amazing. "Again, Theresa, do it again," I said as I pinched her clit. She yelled out her second release, shuddering as she came down. I plunged my fingers into her, and she and I came simultaneously. I filled her ass while her juices dripped down my fingers. I needed the release, and I know she did. I pulled out and then drew her to her feet. "Let's shower, Tesoro, I want to clean you."

  As we lay in bed afterward, cuddling, Theresa asked me, "Jimmy, are there any updates? Was I right about Christina?"

  "You were, T. It was a hit, by Joe's family. As to who exactly did it, we don't know, but Josh is looking into it."

  She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Jimmy, is there a hit on me?"

  I didn't want to tell her. I wanted to lie, but I was pretty sure she would know. "Yes, Theresa, that is why you must be careful, tell me or your new security detail where you are at all times, and make sure you always have protection with you."

  She didn't respond. "Theresa," I growled. "I'm serious. I will shred your ass if you do anything stupid, do you hear me?"