by Ravenna Tate
Tannin put down his cup and pulled her onto his lap. “They know they aren’t allowed to touch you. They aren’t even allowed to tease you like that.”
“I don’t know how much you heard, but they weren’t teasing.”
A sliver of hot anger shot through Tannin. “What do you mean? We heard Mike say you had to watch. Did something happen before that?”
“Oh yeah. Todd told me favors cost here, and told me to get on my knees and open my mouth. Then he told Connie and Janel to do the same.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Ask Connie and Janel. They were there.”
“Rai, I don’t need to do that. I believe you. Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”
“Because they were on their way out, and I didn’t know how much you’d heard. You mean you did all that because they told me to watch? What would you have done if you’d heard the rest?”
“Probably killed Mike. And I’m certain Vassago was itching to take out Todd. He hated him as much as I did.”
She gave him a cautious look that sent fear racing through him again, but not for the same reasons as a moment ago. “We’re not killers, but we defend the women we love.”
“I know. Thank you.”
That was an “I’m not convinced” tone if ever he’d heard one. As Tannin opened his mouth to speak again, there was a knock on the door. Gorgon came in before he had time to respond.
“Donny is here.”
“We’ll be right down.”
After Gorgon closed the door, Tannin cupped her face. “I love you. It’s important to me that you understand that.”
“I do. And I love you, too.”
“I would never hurt you. Never.”
She swallowed hard. “I believe you.”
He pulled her close again and held her for a moment before they left the room and caught up to Gorgon in the hallway. Tannin told him what Rai had said about Todd.
“You fucking kidding me? That fucking bastard. Gonna be some changes around here in the way we vet prospects.”
Rai’s hand trembled in his, so he gave it a squeeze.
She gave him a half smile, but her face was pale and her eyes filled with worry. How he wished he could take it all away for her. He sent up a silent prayer that Donny had come with good news for all of them, but especially for Rai.
****
Donny looked exactly as Rai had pictured him. Big, beefy, and intimidating. He sat at the head of a large table in the office Tannin had previously pointed out to Rai. The place smelled like cigar smoke and power.
“Donny Messina,” said Tannin, “meet Raiyana Parente. She goes by Rai.”
Donny stood and extended his hand. “I’m pleased to finally meet you, Rai.”
She shook it, wishing she wasn’t sweating so much. “And I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Messina.”
“Call me Donny.” Donny sat again, then waved a hand toward her and Tannin, indicating they should sit, too. The other officers were the only other men in the room. She had assumed Donny would be accompanied by his bodyguards or something.
“Russell is on his way, but let me tell you what’s going on.”
“Russell is coming here?”
Donny’s smile was wide and kind. “Yeah. And he has a surprise for you.”
She glanced toward Tannin, but if he knew about this, it didn’t show on his face.
“Jennifer Wise-Minnick had been kicking back profits from her clothing company to me before she also began giving money to Vito,” said Donny. “There were two sets of books.”
“And you found this out when Gorgon and Vassago told you my story?” asked Rai, hoping he or Tannin didn’t mind her addressing the Mob boss directly. She already knew the answer, but needed to hear him say it, too.
Donny grinned widely. “Yeah, and thank you. I wouldn’t have known this if Vito hadn’t put a hit out on you. Once I was told that Vito admitted Comfort First was a dummy company for his organization, I dug into your records, thanks to Russell’s cooperation. They didn’t match mine. She was playing us both, me and Vito. So, Vito and I have reached an understanding.”
Rai opened her mouth to ask another question, but a dark look from Tannin stopped her.
“You may have heard the recent tragic death of Jennifer on the news. Timmy Bowling will go down for it, and Wade Kramer’s company is now exclusively under my control. As long as he does what I say, the Feds won’t touch him.”
“What about the evangelist’s company?” asked Gorgon.
“That’s up to the FBI. I can’t touch it.” Donny grinned again and spread his hands. “Win some, lose some.”
Holy shit. That was it. It was just as Tannin had guessed. Donny had put the hit out on Jennifer and set Timmy up to take the fall, to rid himself of both of them. And now that he had Wade in his back pocket, Wade would keep his mouth shut. But would Timmy do the same? Was Tannin right about that, too? She had to ask.
“Forgive me…” This time, she ignored the look on Tannin’s face. “But what’s to stop Timmy or Wade from ratting you or Vito out?”
Donny chuckled softly. “Don’t you worry about that, signorina. Vito and I have that worked out, and we know how to cover our tracks.”
Rai smiled to hear the man speak in Italian. It took her back to the days her great-grandmother had still been alive, and spoke the language with her grandparents.
Donny glanced up as the door opened. “And here is Russell with your surprise.”
“Oh my God!” Rai shot out of her chair and hugged her administrative assistant. “Tiffany … oh my God. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Fine … we’re all okay. Everyone is okay, Rai.”
“Oh, God.” She glanced toward Donny. “Thank you. Thank you so much for this.”
“Don’t thank me. Russell was the one who kept all this moving forward.”
She shook Russell’s hand until he actually had to pull it away, clearly embarrassed by the attention. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”
“Everyone sit down,” said Donny. “Russell, bring Rai and the others up to speed.”
“What about Andy?” asked Rai. “And your boys?” Andy was Tiffany’s husband.
“They’re fine.”
Tannin moved chairs around so Rai could sit next to Tiffany and Russell, and then he introduced the two to everyone. Rai swiped at the tears spilling over her lashes, not even caring if she looked foolish right now. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
Next to her on the other side, Tannin grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She gave him what she hoped was a grateful look. It was because of him that the people she cared about were safe. If he hadn’t taken her in and started this in motion, none of this would have happened. She loved him with her entire heart and soul, and she would never stop telling him that.
“Russell,” said Donny, “the floor is yours.”
“The FBI and I have been in contact all week. It was at their insistence I keep the chatter to a minimum.” He cut his gaze toward Rai. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to keep you in the loop, but it was for your own protection, and for the protection of the men and women who live here.”
“I understand.”
“They’ve been watching your staff, and they took over the offices in your company. Wade Kramer and Timmy Bowling will never bother you again, Rai, but we have to make concessions with regard to your other clients and your staff.”
She had expected that.
“Because your company records are part of an ongoing investigation, the assets are frozen for now. The FBI assures me this will be wrapped up in six months, max. Of course, that means no one is getting paid, and your clients have a potential cause of action against you.”
Rai nodded. Disappointment flooded her senses, but really, what else could she have expected to happen?
“But … we’ve come up with a way to get around that, at least until the investigation is over. I beco
me the trustee of your company.”
“Wait … isn’t that a massive conflict of interest?”
Russell cut his gaze toward Donny for a second. “Not if the firm of Campbell, Pennington, and Krucinski are no longer on retainer with Silver Lining Marketing. We would be on retainer with Donny’s organization instead.
What? “So the Mob would still own my company. No offence, Donny.”
He grinned. “None taken.”
“Rai,” said Russell, “this is the only way to save you from having to file Chapter 11, which would not only open you up to public scrutiny, but expose the details of the investigation. We’ve been able so far to keep this out of the media. You aren’t going to lose any of your assets. Not if you sit tight and let this play out.”
“But if there’s no business being conducted, how does everyone get paid?”
“As trustee, I would control the payroll. Your staff would still get paid.”
“But the money we made from the campaigns I did for Wade, Jennifer, and Timmy are under the FBI’s control, correct?”
“Yes, but there’s still plenty of money to keep your staff paid, and to buy out the contracts for your other clients.”
“Is this my only option?”
“It’s your best option for getting through this without lawsuits filed, or risking exposure in the media.”
“It’s the fair thing to do for your other clients,” said Donny. “Let them go and they won’t sue you.”
“You have that in writing?”
“Not yet,” said Russell, “but that would be part of the buyout agreement. They’d have to sign releases.”
“One word from you and we don’t move forward with the plan,” said Donny. “But then you’re left to deal with the fallout. Chapter 11, and your other clients will sue you for breach of contract.”
Exactly what she had predicted over one week ago. They were both right, and Rai knew it. She glanced toward Tiffany. “I am so sorry.”
“Hey, don’t do that. You had nothing to do with what was done to you. None of us knew it was going on. No one blames you, Rai. None of them. We’ve all been worried sick about you.”
She addressed Russell. “What happens when it’s all over? I won’t have a company left, will I?”
“Not really, no.”
“My staff need jobs, then. If I do this, you and Donny find them all jobs. Making the same money or better than I was paying them. That has to be part of the deal.”
“Done,” said Donny.
“And my other clients need firms that will treat them as well as I did. I don’t want any of them losing money or customers over this.”
“We’ll take care of that, too,” said Russell.
“Anything else?” asked Donny.
“Will I have to testify against anyone?”
“I doubt it.”
“What about Timmy’s trial?”
The cold look in Donny’s eyes sent shivers down her spine. “I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for him to make it to trial.”
Tannin cleared his throat, and the other men nodded as if they all shared a secret she hadn’t known until this moment. All that talk about whether or not Timmy would rat out Donny or Vito wasn’t even relevant. Rai understood at that moment that Donny intended to have Timmy Bowling killed, too. Prisoners got killed inside jail all the time. This was probably a cakewalk for him, from a logistical standpoint.
It wasn’t an ideal or comfortable solution, but the important point was that everyone she’d been worried about would be taken care of.
“One more question,” she said. “What about retaliation from Vito’s men?”
“Won’t happen,” said Donny. “Anyone who tries it including Vito, will find it’s a short trip.”
Rai swallowed hard at the nonchalant way Donny talked about killing people who betrayed him or got in his way. She’d gone from being held hostage by one Mob boss to being owned by another, but at least this time her life wasn’t in danger. And, when this was over, her staff wouldn’t be hurt. That had been, and still was, more important to her than anything.
Donny leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on his expansive mid-section. “Are we done? Because if we are, I’m told someone made cuccidati.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
While the men stuffed themselves with the cookies, drank wine like it was water, and gathered around Donny as if he were their king, Tiffany took Rai aside in the back hallways.
“Are you really okay?” asked Tiffany.
“More than okay. But I’ve been worried sick all week.”
“Looks like you’ve been a bit busy, too. Tannin is gorgeous!”
“That he is. And you should experience him in bed.”
She and Tiff laughed like old times while Rai filled her in on some of the highlights of the past week.
“Sounds like I need to ask Andy to come and check out the shows here some weekend.”
“Are you saying you’d have a hard time getting him into a strip club?”
Tiff laughed. “No, but I’d have a hard time convincing him that I want to come.”
When Tannin came to find them, asking them to join the men again because Donny and Russell were leaving, Rai gave Tiff another big hug and made her promise they’d see each other often.
“You’ll need someone to help you move your stuff out of your apartment.”
“God. I still have one, right?”
“Yes,” said Tiff. “For now, anyway.” She eyed Tannin. “Until you move in here permanently, that is.”
“We’re taking care of that today.”
Donny joined the group. “There’s one more thing I need to ask you, Rai.”
“What is it?”
“How would you like a job here?”
She glanced toward Tannin, who nodded.
“Doing what?”
“Managing certain aspects of my businesses. I know your wheelhouse is marketing, but I believe those skills will translate to what I need. Gorgon said he can set you up with an office here, and the job won’t be very demanding, but it will be work doing what you know how to do.”
“Wow. Thank you. I’d love to.”
“Great.” He shook her hand again. “I’ll be in touch and we’ll iron out the particulars. Oh, and these cuccidati are cotto a puntino.”
“Grazie, Signore.”
Donny placed a beefy hand on Tannin’s shoulder. “Don’t let this one get away. She’s a keeper.”
“I already know that.”
****
After everyone had left and she and Tannin were alone, Rai took his hands. “I will never be able to thank you for everything you did for me.”
“Rai, it was the thunderbolt. I had to.”
“The thunderbolt?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know about it. Isn’t it an Italian thing?”
“The colpo di fulmine? Of course I know about it. But what do you mean?”
“It hit me, you silly girl. The second I looked into your big, dark eyes. Right before you puked on me. Christ, Rai. I swear I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. I can’t live without you. You’re my old lady. We’ll grow old together. And I swear to you that you will never be without my protection, or without my love.”
“Tannin…” Rai climbed into his lap and kissed him until her mouth hurt. She brushed her hands over his strong body, and kissed his neck. “I love you so much. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
He rose with her in his arms and walked toward the bed. “And for making me wait an entire fucking day for your answer, I’m going to tan your ass red.”
Rai giggled as Tannin peeled off her clothes, slowly this time. She had no clue what the future held for them, but she knew two things. One, she’d never loved this way, and would never love anyone as much as she loved this man right now.
And two, she would spend every moment of the rest of her life making sure he knew that.
The End
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
UNYIELDING
Tortured Love, 1
Ravenna Tate
Copyright © 2016
Prologue
August 11, 2006
Merrick Dalton slumped against the wall and slid to the tiled floor in the hospital corridor. His chest hurt. There was a buzzing noise in his ears that wouldn’t stop. The world tilted on its axis until he could see nothing but red. Red. The color of blood. The color of rage. The color he vowed he would watch spread over the dying bodies of the men who had done this to Theresa.
Theresa … his wife … his dead wife.
Why? Why?
He would find them. He would find them, and then he would kill them, if it was the last act he did on this earth.
Fuck the police investigation. Fuck justice. There was no justice. Not in a world where this could happen. He’d make his own justice from now on.
And never again would he love a woman. Never again would he feel this searing pain.
****
October 5, 2013
Lynda Shelton ripped off the bracelet Rey had given her for her birthday last spring and flung it across her bedroom. She didn’t give a shit where it landed, or whether or not she ever saw it again. She rubbed her wrist where it had left a mark. She fell onto her bed, sobbing. Her entire body shook, and she felt sick to her stomach.
Seven years! Seven fucking years of her fucking life she’d given that fucking bastard. And where had it taken her? Straight into the worst humiliation she could imagine, and the deepest emotional pain she had ever felt.