Claudio: A Dark Mafia Hate Story (Chicago Crime Family Book 2)

by Ginger Talbot

  I quickly deliver two platters of bright orange-red crawfish to a young couple on the patio, and start bussing the table next to theirs as fast as I can, so I can hurry back into the air conditioning.

  The guy his holding his girlfriend’s hand, and they’re giggling. I feel a sharp pang, the way I do every time I see a couple in love. I still miss Claudio, with a fierce ache that time doesn’t seem to diminish. I second guess myself every day. Should I have left him? Should I have tried harder to make him care?

  No, I tell myself again and again. A wife shouldn’t have to beg her husband to love her. A wife shouldn’t have to worry that every time she angers her husband, he’ll hurt someone she loves.

  Emotionally, though, I’m wrecked. I feel like I abandoned him, and I worry that his dark rages will consume him. I toss and turn at night, missing the feeling of Claudio’s arms around me. It feels strange to eat without sitting on his lap, his arm around me, trapping me up against him. I fought it once; I miss it now. It felt like love, like home.

  I haven’t dared to try to call my father yet, because it would lead Claudio straight to us, and I hate that. My last words to my dad were in anger, and that breaks my heart. I check online at the library on my days off, and I haven’t seen his obituary in the paper. How much longer can he hold out, though?

  “What a day,” Betti Sue, one of the other waitresses, groans. She grabs a paper napkin from a cannister at an empty table, and blots her forehead.

  “I’ve sweated out my entire body-weight, multiple times today,” I agree.

  “Gross,” she says listlessly. “This is nothing. Wait until August.”

  August. Ugh. Why did I think this was a good place to hide out? Well, this is basically where we ran out of money. And we found off the books jobs. So here we are. Dragging ourselves through the day, looking over our shoulder.

  Wearily, I grab some more dirty dishes and set them on my tray. Betti Sue sees something on the street, behind me, and her face lights up.

  “Oh, my God, will you look at that?” she squeals, poking me in the shoulder.

  A carriage has pulled up in front of the restaurant. It’s shaped like a pumpkin and being pulled by four horses.

  Well, you don’t see that in Gulfport every day.

  I leave my tray behind and walk over to it, curious. The poor carriage driver, sitting up front, is sweating buckets.

  The pumpkin door opens, and Claudio steps out. He’s standing there in the shimmery heat, dressed to the nines, like always, wearing a dove gray suit that somehow manages to stay crisp while everyone around him wilts.

  I blink hard to see if it’s a mirage, but when I open my eyes, he’s still there, and his gaze is fixed on me like a heat-sinking missile.

  My heart leaps to my throat. And my first emotion isn’t fear, it’s a fierce, blazing joy.

  And then the fear comes.

  I left him. He threatened me again and again, and now he’s found me.

  He stalks over to me before I can say a word. He grabs me, throws me over his shoulder, and carries me up the carriage steps into the pumpkin, slamming the door. We sit down on a very comfortable leather bench. And the pumpkin starts moving, swaying gently; the horses are clopping down the street.

  I’m so stunned, I just stare at him, mouth open. Then I glance out the window in the pumpkin door. Betti Sue is just staring after me, with her mouth open. She sees me looking, and waves.

  I sink back into my seat, and stare at Claudio, struggling to find words. “Air conditioning,” I say faintly.

  “What?”

  “The...the pumpkin is air-conditioned.”

  He arches an eyebrow. “That’s all you have to say to your husband after six long weeks?”

  I scowl. “I missed you every day, and I hate you.”

  “No, you don’t. You’re still wearing your ring,” he says. He grabs my hand and kisses it tenderly. “You’re still wearing your ring,” he repeats.

  “I’m still married. To a bastard. How did you find me?”

  “Please.” He looks amused. “I’m not giving away my secrets, but let’s just say you suck at hiding.”

  “My brother,” I say in sudden fright. “Oh, God. What have you done to him?”

  “Nothing.” Claudio shakes his head. “He’s fine. I’m not going to hurt him. Your father’s fine too, by the way. He misses you. I told him I’d find you and bring you home.”

  “My father’s okay?” I look at him skeptically. Why would Claudio even be in touch with my father? Is this some kind of cruel joke?

  “Now that he’s had a liver transplant, yes. He’s home from the hospital, and Alison’s staying with him and taking care of him. He’s taking anti-rejection drugs and not drinking.”

  I desperately want to believe him, but I’m really afraid that Claudio is lying. “How could he possibly have gotten a liver transplant? Not only was he a life-long alcoholic, he didn’t even stay in the hospital for his full treatment program. He’d never qualify.”

  Claudio flashes an evil smile. “Makar.”

  I stare at him, trying to comprehend what he just told me. “You mean...oh, my God.” He killed Makar and used his liver for a transplant?

  “Long story. I’ll give you more details when we get home, but basically, Makar was the nephew of the man who abused me, and he came to Chicago to try to find a way to kill me. He’s dead now. But I thought, he was young and healthy, why waste a perfectly good liver? So we called in a team to harvest his organ before we ended things.”

  He’s saying it with a perfectly straight face. This is something out of an urban legend. I can’t even imagine how much it must have cost in bribes to arrange that.

  “Whoa. I need to process that for a minute.” I turn that over in my mind. Makar was straight up evil; I should hate that my husband harvested him for spare parts, but I can’t find it in me to feel sorry for the man. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe I’m more of a match for my husband than I thought.

  And my father has a new liver. And a new chance at life. “Dad’s okay?” I say finally. “You swear?”

  He grabs my hand, and puts it on his heart. “I swear on my life.”

  Tears fill my eyes, and I blink hard, and then dab at them with my sleeve. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that for him.”

  “Yes, I did. He’s your family, and that means I look out for him like I look out for you.”

  He cups my chin in his hand, and tips my head back up so I’m staring into his eyes.

  “I didn’t bring him the whiskey. I had people at the hospital keeping an eye on him. One of them called to tell me that he’d gotten ahold of alcohol, so I went to talk to him. I found the bottle under his pillow, took it from him, and told him he could either drink, or I could pay for him to go to rehab. And he took the bottle, looked me in the eye, and drank.”

  “Oh,” I say faintly. “Why didn’t you just tell me that? Because I didn’t let you,” I answer my own question. “Marak had that video of you and him, but he deliberately edited it. I’m sorry, Claudio.”

  He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “We both screwed up. I didn’t make it easy to talk to me, I know that. That’ll change. If want to ask me anything, from now on, I’ll answer.”

  “Okay, here’s a question. We are in a pumpkin. Pulled by horses. What’s up with that?”

  He grabs me by the hair and bends down to claim my lips in a hungry kiss, that ends all too quickly. He pulls back and looks at me with a sardonic grin. “You’re my Cinderella, and I’m trying very hard to be your prince. This is me doing all the romantic shit I should have done when I first married you. I’m doing it right this time.”

  “Really?” Tears spring to my eyes. “That is so sweet. It’s hardly crazy at all. Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?’

  He reaches into a canvas bag that was sitting on the floor, and pulls out a diamond tiara.

  “Are you serious?” I cry out, delighted, as he gently sets it in my hair.


  “I was afraid you might think it was corny.”

  “Claudio, I don’t think there’s a woman in the world who would think this is corny. I love it so much.” I take it off to examine it, admiring its sparkles, and then put it back on my head again. I’m grinning from ear to ear.

  “I was born to wear a crown.

  And he kisses me again, bruisingly hard, his tongue probing my mouth firmly. I melt up against him, pressing against his broad, hard chest.

  “So,” I say, breathlessly, when he finally lets me up for air. “You’re asking me to marry you this time, instead of forcing me?”

  That earns me a wicked grin. “Please, babe. This is me. You know you don’t have a choice. I fucking love you, and you belong with me, and I’m never letting you go again. I’ll put a damned GPS tracker on you if I have to.” He leans past me and locks the pumpkin door. “See? You’re my prisoner.”

  Heat flushes my body, and my skin tingles in anticipation. “What did you just say? The word that began with L?”

  “You heard me.” He slides back in the seat, and pushes my skirt up.

  “Say it again,” I beg. He shoves me down on the seat, roughly, so I’m lying on my back, and sinks to his knees on the carriage floor. My tiara falls off and he snatches it and sets it down on the floor next to him.

  He kisses my thigh. “I love you, Heather.” He says it again and again as he kisses his way up between my legs. He murmurs it into my pussy as he strokes me with his tongue. I love the feeling of the word humming on my sensitive flesh.

  And I say it back to him, as he sucks on my clitoris and heat builds up inside me and then explodes and shatters me. I say it as he slides on top of me, and I fumble with his zipper. His thick cock springs free, and he nudges my entrance.

  He’s not wearing a condom, and I tense up underneath him. “Claudio. I’m not on birth control.”

  He murmurs into my ear “I love you, and I’m going to put a baby in you.” And he thrusts deep inside me, until he’s buried to the hilt. He’s stretching me out, filling me so full I don’t think I can take it. God, I missed his cock.

  He tells me he loves me as he makes me come again, and again, in the back of our pumpkin carriage.

  Epilogue

  Three months later...

  “She’s just so damned cute,” Donata says, looking out the window. Mary is walking by, with four dogs tugging at the end of a leash.

  Mary is living in an apartment down the block from Claudio and me, now. She has a pet sitting service, and she finally gets to have pets of her own – three cats and a dog, all from our local shelter.

  “She is,” I agree. “My sister from another mister.”

  Angelo stirs contentedly in my arms, and yawns hugely. I gaze down at him with adoration. “Speaking of cute,” I say. “Oh, my God. Ooh, he burped! Look how adorably he burps!”

  “You don’t think I’m cute when I burp,” Claudio points out. He’s sitting across from us, eating a cannoli from the box of pastries Donata brought with her. Donata and I both shoot him looks of scorn.

  “That’s entirely different,” I say. “And ‘cute’ is not a word I’d ever associate with you.”

  “I do actually need him back. I’m meeting Diego at two,” Donata says, leaning forward.

  “Aww,” I grumble. “Already?”

  Angelo makes a squeaky noise of protest as she takes her son from me. “See,” I pout. “He likes me better.”

  “As well he should.” She kisses his forehead. “You’re a much nicer person than me.”

  I walk her to the door. “So, your dad is still doing okay?” she asks.

  “So far,” I say. “I’m always afraid to get my hopes up but he’s going to meetings every day, taking his medicine. He’s still dating Alison. They’re talking marriage.”

  James has moved back in with my father, so he can help out around the house, but he’s not working any more. Claudio’s paying my father’s rent, and putting James through trade school to be an electrician. The two of them are awkward and uneasy around each other, which is not surprising, given that Claudio had my brother run over, but it’s slowly thawing.

  When Donata leaves, I go to sit next to my husband, but he pulls me on to his lap instead.

  “So, if the word ‘cute’ doesn’t describe me, what word would you use instead?” he asks. He nuzzles my neck. “Careful. The wrong answer will cost you.”

  I groan. “My butt is still sore from last night!”

  “Waa, waa,” he mocks me. “You earned it. Sassy girls get their asses spanked.”

  I squirm on his lap because I like the feeling of his thick cock pressing into me. “Words I would use to describe you. Handsome, terrifying, infuriating, incredibly sexy, aggravating, hotter than July...and mine.”

  “Oh, good job. Although I think that infuriating and aggravating are repeats, don’t you?”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re so damned annoying that it had to be said twice.”

  He kisses my lips gently. “Sassy girls get their asses spanked,” he repeats, in that low, sexy rumble of his. When he nibbles my neck, I moan aloud.

  “You look really sweet with Angelo in your arms,” he murmurs, resting his face on my shoulder.

  “That’s good. Because I’m going to need all the practice I can get.” He starts kissing his way down my neck, and it takes a minute for my words to register.

  His eyes go wide in a look that’s almost comical. “Do you mean?”

  “I mean.” I grin at him, basking in the warmth of his smile. “I haven’t taken a test yet, but my boobs are tender and I’m two weeks late.” This will delay my plans to go back to college, but, worth it. So very very worth it.

  My husband leans back and cups my chin in his hand, and his gaze is filled with tenderness. “Babe. If you’re right, you have earned a get-out-of-ass-whipping-free card until after the birth of Claudio Junior.”

  “Could be a girl,” I say. He sweeps me in his arms, and stands up.

  “Whatever,” he says. “If it is, I pity the male population of Chicago, because I’ll pop a cap in the ass of every guy who even looks in her direction. Either way, I’ll be keeping tabs on every smart remark you make, and you will be appropriately punished for all of them after the birth of the wonder child.”

  And my husband carries me down the hall to our bedroom, to celebrate our good news.

  Thank you so much for reading!

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  Also by Ginger Talbot

  Diego: A Dark Mafia Hate Story (Book 1 of the Chicago Crime Family)

  https://www.amazon.com/Diego-Mafia-Story-Chicago-Family-ebook/dp/B07PVQC7BZ/

  Tamara, Taken (Blue-eyed Monsters, Book 1)

  Trials of Tamara (Blue-eyed Monsters, Book 2)

  Camille, Claimed (Blue-eyed Monsters, Book 3)

  Matteo: A Dark Mafia Hate Story

  Thirty Days of Pain

  A monster doesn't know how to love.

  But maybe she can teach him...

  If he doesn't break her first.

  WILLOW

  My uncle handed me over as collateral for a $5 million debt...

  And the beast who claimed me knows no mercy.

  I don't know if he has a soul, or if I can melt his frozen heart.

  Sergei is a Russian mob boss, a cruel, evil man who draws pleasure from my pain.

  My time to find the man
inside the monster is running out.

  If I don't save him, I won't be able to save myself.

  SERGEI

  Willow is just a pawn in my war against the Toporov family.

  A delicious, sexy little pawn I can't wait to hurt in all the ways I know by heart.

  I'm going to make her every nightmare come true.

  But Willow has a hidden fire. She has a tender heart.

  Too bad for her... Because I'm about to put her light out.

  I'm about to make sure she never, ever loves me.

  This is a dark romance, complete with trigger warnings! Part 1 of a complete 3 part series.

  No cheating, HEA guaranteed at the end of the series. If you love heartbreaking cliffhangers, one-click now!

  Thirty Days of Shame

  The monster draws pleasure from my pain.

  Now, it's time to fight back.

  SERGEI

  30 days of pain have pushed Willow to her limits.

  My pretty prisoner is no longer meek. She's trying to resist.

  But my precious prize doesn't know what I know.

  Nobody has ever won a war against me.

  Nobody has ever bested me.

  And she's not going to be the first.

  Good luck, little Willow...

  Now you're not fighting to escape anymore.

  You're fighting to survive.

  WILLOW

  My captor's rules have changed.

  I'm still a prisoner, and freedom seems further away than ever.

  I have endured every blow, every harsh word, every kind of hurt Sergei threw at me.

  But now I've betrayed him, and I've awoken the monster within.

  I have to pay for my sins...or my family will pay the price.

  This is a dark romance, complete with trigger warnings! Part 2 of a complete 3 part series.

  No cheating, HEA guaranteed at the end of the series. If you love heartbreaking cliffhangers, one-click now!

  Thirty Days of Hate

  Secrets and lies tore us apart. Can love keep us together?