Taken by her Prince

by Hamel, B. B.

  “Beer, please.”

  “Dad,” Colleen said. “Take it easy on that, okay? At least until you’re healed.”

  He rolled his eyes and accepted the beer I handed him. I opened one for myself and sipped it and Colleen sighed, shaking her head.

  “Come on,” her father said. “I’m not some old man, you know.”

  “You sort of are,” she said. “But fine.”

  I pulled out a chair and sat opposite him. Her father gave me a look, a little smile on his face, and he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “So, Steven,” he said. “What are your intentions for my daughter.”

  “Dad!” she said.

  I laughed and sipped the beer. “Honestly sir, I plan on treating her like a princess if she’ll let me.”

  “That’s good to hear.” He looked at her. “You could do worse.”

  “Stop,” she said. “I’m serious. I’ll take you back to Uncle Mathis’s house and tie you up again myself.”

  He held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I can’t go through that nightmare again.”

  She sighed and leaned against the counter. “Seriously. Just… leave it alone.”

  “Fine.” He grinned at me. “Can’t help myself. Easy to rile her up.”

  “I noticed,” I said.

  “Gets her temper from her mom,” he said, sipping his beer. “She was always a handful. Anything went wrong, and she’d flip shit. I was on eggshells around that woman, but my god, I loved her to death.”

  “I’m sure you did, if she’s anything like your daughter.”

  He laughed. “All right. You’re not so bad, for an Italian mobster at least.”

  “I’m only half Italian,” I said. “I’m German on my mom’s side.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course. You new generation kids don’t know a thing about lineage.”

  “What, you’re all Irish?” I asked.

  He pounded his chest. “I bleed green. Irish all the way back.”

  “Good for you,” I said and shook my head. “I’m just a mutt.”

  Her father laughed and sipped his beer. Colleen gave me an apologetic look and I just shrugged like it didn’t matter. Older people, they cared about that sort of stuff, about lineage and your parents and whatever. My generation cared less and less, and someday it wouldn’t matter.

  America, the great melting pot, and all that.

  “All right,” her father said, putting down his beer. He leaned toward me, his face serious as he put his arms on the table. “Jokes aside. I need to ask you some things.”

  I nodded. “Okay, ask away.”

  He glanced at Colleen, who frowned at him, then looked back at me. “What are your plans for Point Breeze?” he asked. “A lot of people are worried. And there are some that want to stir up trouble.”

  “I expected that,” I said. “Lots of people are angry about what happened with the Club, and I can’t blame them.” I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my head.

  “Lots of dead bodies leave lots of angry relatives,” her father said.

  “I plan on paying out,” I said. “All those families will get a small cut of the profits for a while. I’ll make sure they’re taken care of. Any former Club members that want to join my crew will be given a shot, but they’ll have to prove their worth and their loyalty before they ever get made. Otherwise, I’d like it to be business as usual around here.”

  Her father frowned at me for a long moment. “That’s going to be expensive,” he said.

  “I know, but I don’t care. I already have approval from my bosses. I want people to know that the Leone Family takes care of its own, even those that hate us. Point Breeze is our neighborhood now, and all these people are my responsibility.”

  Her father sat back and crossed his arms. He watched me then let out a breath.

  “All right,” he said. “People will like that. It won’t bring back the dead, but I think most folks understand how these things work.”

  “And the trouble makers?”

  “They won’t ever let it go,” he said.

  “I hear you.” I sipped my beer and tilted my head. “It would be useful if I knew their names. You know, so I could have a chat with them.”

  “You follow through with that plan to take care of people, and I promise you’ll find a list of every name that wants to do you harm, especially the ones that might really do it.”

  “Okay then.” I looked at Colleen. “That sound fair to you?”

  “Very fair,” she said.

  “Good.” I turned back to her father and extended my hand. “I want to take care of these people, Finn,” I said. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not here to exploit the families of the dead.”

  He took my hand and shook it. “I can see why she likes you,” he said.

  I grinned and looked at Colleen. Her cheeks were red and she looked away.

  “I have a charming personality,” I said.

  Her father released my hand and laughed. I pushed the chair back and stood.

  “You kids should go spend some time together,” her father said. “I’m feeling a little tired.”

  “You sure, Dad?” Colleen asked.

  He waved us away. “Go ahead, go sit out back or something.” He got himself up from the chair with a grunt then shuffled into the living room. “I got some TV to catch up on.”

  I turned to Colleen and she sighed. I could see the concern in her eyes. I stood and walked over, putting my hands on her hips. She looked up at me and I kissed her. “You heard the man,” I said.

  She laughed a little and I led her to the back door. The back yard was a small concrete slab with a tiny two-person metal table and a little umbrella to block the sun. We sat down next to each other and looked at the high wooden fence with thick weeds growing at the base.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said.

  She gave me a look. “Come on. I bet you love having your house to yourself.”

  I shook my head. “The last few nights have been boring. I kind of got used to having you around.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know how to treat a girl.”

  I grinned and took her hand in mine. I held it tight and looked at her for a long moment, and felt my heart begin to beat faster.

  “I meant what I said to your father in there,” I said, my voice low.

  “What’s that? About paying the Club families? I know you did. I was there when you asked Don Leone about it.”

  I shook my head. “No, about treating you like a princess.”

  She grinned and squeezed my hand. “I don’t need that.”

  “But you want it.” I leaned closer. “Ever since you came into my life, I’ve been changing. A little bit here, a little bit there, and I didn’t know what it meant until now.’

  “What’s it mean?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

  “I’m in love with you,” I said. “Have been since that moment I saw you on the ground in that bodega. I think I’ve been doing all this to try and make that mistake up to you, and I want to keep making it up. I want to give you everything, Colleen. I want to give you the whole city, if that’s what you want.”

  She leaned toward me, put a hand on my cheek, and kissed me.

  “I love you, too,” she said. “And how about you just take care of this neighborhood first, okay?”

  “I can do that.”

  I held her hand and smiled like an idiot.

  I’d never said those words to a woman before in my life. And I’d never come close to meaning them before.

  But now I had Colleen, and I felt like my entire existence just flipped on its head. She made me a better man, or at least made me want to be a better man. I’d take care of her, give her whatever she needed, and make sure that the people she cared about were looked after.

  She was mine, my Colleen, my princess. And I was her dark prince, come to sweep her off her feet and change her life.

  It was
a long, bloody road, but I felt like we were home.

  27

  Colleen

  Two Years Later

  I felt a bead of sweat drip down my back as I stood next to Steven at the grill. He flipped the burgers one more time then dished them out.

  “Yo, Colleen!” Luca called out. “Where’s the damn grub!”

  “Be patient, you idiot,” I said.

  He laughed and Simon punched him in the arm. Steven shook his head, grinning, and leaned over to kiss me.

  “Having fun?” he asked.

  “Your crew is a bunch of animals and I hate them,” I said.

  He laughed, kissed me again, and slapped my ass.

  “Go take them some burgers before they start rebelling.”

  I grinned at him and walked over. The guys cheered as I put the plate down on the long plastic table with its plastic table cloth. I had to move the mustard bottles and the bowl of plastic forks, and the guys barely waited for me to pull my hands back before they fell on the food.

  I stepped away from their table and looked around. There were ten more tables set up all along the block, and each table was full of people. Some were from Steven’s crew, but a lot of them were local Point Breeze people, most of them former Club members. They were the people Steven took care of, single moms and old women, mothers of dead sons, people that had been ripped to shreds and slowly put together again through Steven’s generosity.

  Soft jazz music played through speakers set off to the side and a herd of kids went running past. I watched them with a smile and put a hand on my own belly before turning to head back toward Steven.

  But I stopped myself as an old man in a wrinkled cardigan and a black cane came hobbling over to me followed by two men in black suits.

  It was Don Leone. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, and he looked even more frail than I remembered, but it was him.

  He beamed at me. “Beautiful day for a block party,” he said.

  I nodded my head respectfully. “Thank you, Don. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “Steven invited me, and I thought I’d take a look and see how my Capo was doing. Seems as though this neighborhood is well in hand. And from what I’ve seen in the numbers, quite profitable.”

  “We’re doing what we can, Don,” I said.

  “We?” He laughed. “I had a feeling you had a hand in it.”

  “Just the local politics,” I said. “Steven does everything else.”

  “I’m sure.” Don Leone smiled and looked around. People were eating in groups, talking and laughing. There were coolers of beer and soda, plenty of chips, and a table with sides and desserts that families had brought with them. Steven stood at the grill, banging out burgers as fast as he could, wearing a white apron over his slim fitted navy suit.

  “You know, Don Leone, I never properly thanked you for agreeing to help take care of these people,” I said. “Without the money Steven’s been paying to them, there would be a lot of angry families struggling to get by.”

  Don Leone gave me a shrewd look and inclined his head. “I must admit, it was an odd request,” he said. “But it was the correct move. In every other neighborhood we’ve taken over throughout the years, there was always a year or two of unrest as the residents got used to the new way of things. But here, there was almost nothing. A short purge, and then quiet. I must say, it was smart, if expensive.”

  “I hope it’s not too expensive,” I said. “And in a few years, perhaps we can come up with some new deal.”

  He chuckled and nodded. “You’re a smart woman,” he said. “Steven was right to marry you.”

  I glanced down at the sparkling diamond ring on my finger. “I hope so,” I said.

  “Well, send my regards to Steven. I shouldn’t stay long.”

  “You’re not going to speak with him?”

  Don Leone shook his head and smiled at me. “No, dear. I came to see you.”

  I blinked at him in surprise. He reached out a hand and I took it. We shook gently, and he inclined his head.

  “Have a nice day,” he said, and turned.

  I watched him go, completely taken aback.

  Luca walked over and stood next to me. “That was the Don,” he said. “What did he want?”

  “Just to talk to me.” I shook my head, at a loss.

  “Look at you. Mobbed the fuck up.” He grinned at me. “And soon you’re going to have a bunch of little mob babies.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go eat more before the others finish it off.”

  He laughed and walked back over to the table. I stood there for a moment and surveyed the party one more time, my hand on my stomach. I was four months pregnant, and soon I wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore, not that I really wanted to.

  It was just nice to be treated normally for a little while, but soon the women of the neighborhood would be stopping over every day to offer me advice, home remedies, all that sort of stuff. I looked forward to it, but for now, it was nice to be normal.

  I spotted my dad sitting at a table with the other local men. He laughed at something, turned, caught my eye. He nodded and waved, and I smiled and waved back. He turned away, said something, made the men laugh.

  I hadn’t seen him that happy in a long time, and pride swelled up through my chest.

  Finally, we’d got it back. Everything that had been taken from us, we’d got it back.

  And the little girl I just knew I was having, I was going to name after my mother. Little baby Anna.

  “Colleen!”

  I looked over as Tracy came bounding up. She hugged me tight and I laughed, hugging her back. “You made it,” I said.

  “Couldn’t miss it. Wow, this is really something. Steven set it all up?”

  “You know him,” I said. “Never does anything half way.”

  “You want a drink? I’m so thirsty. And starving. Oh my god, and is that a table full of attractive men?”

  “Attractive mobsters,” I corrected.

  “What, you think you’re the only one that gets to date a gangster?”

  I laughed, rolled my eyes, and pointed out the coolers. She grinned and walked over as I went to rejoin Steven at the grill.

  He closed the cover and turned to me, his head tilted.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” I stood up on my toes and kissed him. “I’m great.”

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you, too. Now get back to cooking.”

  He sighed. “That’s all I’m good for, huh?”

  “That and something else.” I grinned, kissed him a little longer, and pulled back. “But Tracy’s here, so I’m going to go hang out with her.”

  “Have fun.”

  I gave him a long look and he smiled at me. I turned away and walked off, smiling, breathing deep, happy and comfortable.

  This was my world, these were my people. I couldn’t think of a better life than this one, and it was all because of Steven.

  Tracy looked up as I joined her at the coolers. She was trying to decide between a dark beer and a can of hard seltzer. “You look like you’re in a good mood,” she said.

  “I’m in a great mood. Come on, pick something out, let’s go find you a man.”

  She laughed, chose the seltzer, and followed me into the crowd.

  * * *

  Read the first alpha possessive Lofthouse novel! Possessive Doctor follows Brent Lofthouse and his new mysterious patient. When he realizes her injury isn’t what it seems, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her… and make her all his. I'll fix her… then keep her. >>Click Here to read!

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