Vow to Protect: A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance

by J. L. Beck

  “Look at me, watch me…while I fuck you, while I mark you.” I speak through my teeth and thread my fingers through her hair, tilting her head and forcing her attention on me. A low whimper escapes her lips, and I know she’s sensitive from our previous fucking, but I can’t seem to be bothered to care enough. She’s the outlet to my rage, my punching bag, and I’m not finished with her yet.

  “It’s too much…” Her voice is hoarse, and I ignore the plea in it and slap the inside of her thigh, forcing her to hold herself open wider.

  “I won’t stop until you come again. I’ll fuck you all night long until you’re nothing more than a mess of tears, my cum, and flesh.” Sweat beads on my brow and my muscles burn as I fuck her faster, harder, my touch firm enough to leave more bruises on her pale skin.

  Like a bomb, Val comes again, her entire body shakes, and her tiny nails sink deep into my back, “Oh God, oh God…” She whimpers, and I let myself go then, letting every ounce of rage and pain out as I empty myself inside her.

  My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath and roll off Val, pulling her into my chest, never letting our bodies disconnect. Neither of us says anything, but I can feel the weight of the silence around us. I want to tell her everything is going to be okay, but that would be a lie. Gently, I run my hands up and down her back until her breathing evens out, and I know she’s fallen asleep.

  I try to do the same, but sleep evades me. The thought of Val, someone I love having something to do with my mother's death, refuses to leave my mind. I’m not sure how much time passes but eventually, I drift off to sleep, my hold on Val unwavering.

  It can’t be but hours later when I’m woken by a light tap on the shoulder. I jerk awake and roll to stare at Kai. His face is pale, and he tips his head toward the door.

  I ease my arms from around Valentina and carefully climb out of bed. Once I put on a robe, I head into the hall to find Kai leaning against the opposite wall. “What is it?”

  “Vincent.” His voice shakes, and I immediately know something is wrong. Nothing fazes Kai, not even my own threats to kill him.

  I head toward the command room before he says anything else and find four of my five around the table. One is lying flat on top. I approach to find Andrea lying there, her clothing torn, her face beat up.

  “Call the doctor,” I order, reaching out to take her hand. But she jerks away as my hand gets close to hers.

  “Don’t touch me,” she whispers.

  I realize it’s because she can’t speak well, likely from the red rings around her neck. They look like rope burns.

  I face the group now. “What the fuck happened?”

  Kai takes the lead, as usual. “Vincent was attacked while cleaning up at the yacht. Sal’s family found out what happened and launched an assault. They got to Andrea before Vincent’s warning reached the rest of us.”

  I glance down at her again. “What the fuck did they do to her? And what about Vincent?”

  “He’s dead,” Kai says, avoiding look at Andrea. “They delivered his head to the doorman a few minutes ago. I woke you as soon as I opened it. We’ve also gotten an invitation from the council.”

  I grimace and scan Andrea one more time, watching her breathe for my own peace of mind. Everyone in this room knows an invitation isn’t voluntary.

  “Get her to the hospital if she needs it. Whatever it takes. Do you know who exactly did these things?”

  Kai shakes his head and scrubs his hands over his face. “It had to be Sal’s uncles. They have a reputation for hating women and are known for their brutality.”

  A memory from last night flashes in my mind. The bruises I left on Valentina’s skin in my anger and haste.

  Shame eats at me, and I stalk away from the table to pour a glass of water and bring it back to Andrea.

  She takes it, careful not to touch me, and sips it slowly. All I can do is stand there to give her comfort, and I hate it.

  If I make a move to hit Sal’s uncles now, it could make things worse with the council until I answer for Sal’s death. I’m prepared to show them what Sal did to her, that his death was justified, but I won’t be able to explain retaliation against his family too, no matter the provocation.

  I turn and face Kai. “Get the doctor here, take her to her room, even if she fights all the fucking way there.”

  Over my shoulder, I order a pale Alexei, “Get dressed. We’re going to see the council, then we hunt for the bastards who did this.”

  He nods, giving his sister one last look, and leaves the room. Kai is itching to go with me, I know it. But right now, I trust him to protect Valentina, and she must be protected at all costs.

  I shove him into the door hard enough to slam it into the wall. “You watch over my angel. If anything happens to her while I’m gone, you’ll be the next one to die.”

  36

  Valentina

  This time, when he leaves to handle business, I don’t watch the elevator. The past couple of days have made me see how much he needs me. That this isn’t just a deal for him, and I’m not just the spoils of war. In time, maybe, I can become a real wife. The woman he needs leading at his side. It wasn’t a role my mother ever got to fill for my father, but I have higher hopes for Adrian. When I speak, he listens to what I have to say, and that always melts my insides into a soupy puddle.

  Dammit. I sit poking at my oatmeal, something bland for my recently rebelling stomach. I’m in love with him. It’s the only explanation for how completely moony I feel about him right now.

  I take another bite of my food and force myself to swallow. Adrian ordered me to eat and finish it all because my appetite has been off. I’m not feeling the food, but I want to see his face when I finish. It will please him, and I find I want that more than anything. Just to give him a reason to smile at me, to put his hands in my hair, lean my head back, and tell me I’m all his. So worth it if I don’t throw everything up again.

  I shove down one more small bite and wait, praying my belly settles. When it does, I force another. But my slow plan isn’t working. Nausea rolls through me not in a wave but driving a damn steamroller.

  I rush to the bathroom, knocking the chair over in the process. My knees sting from how hard I hit the floor to throw up everything I tried to keep down.

  When the worst of it subsides, as do my dry heaves, I lay my head on the side of the toilet. I’ll take a shower later. Right now, I just need to rest a second.

  I’ve been feeling like crap for a week, a couple of weeks, I’m not sure. It used to just be after I ate, but now it seems to be constant. It makes me worry that Sal damaged something in me with his first assault. Something the doctor may have missed.

  The second I mention it to Adrian, he’ll call the doctor, and then there will be so many tests and more bed rest, and I’ll go crazy with boredom as Adrian forces me to stay under the covers until well after I feel better. It seems easier to deal with it myself and wait things out. Maybe it’s just a stomach bug or food poisoning? Does food poisoning last this long?

  I mean, I can’t be pregnant…right? It takes me a minute to remember the last time I had my period. It’s been so long I can’t even remember the exact date.

  I shove off the toilet bowl and sit up straight, waiting for the room to stop spinning. When it doesn’t, I stand, brush my teeth, wash my face, and stare at myself in the mirror. Outside of the nausea, I feel okay. Normal. My belly is still flattish, although I’ve put on a little weight from living with Adrian as he does force me to eat at least three meals a day.

  Women know if they are pregnant? Right? They can feel it? I test my breasts, cupping them in my hands. They don’t feel any more sensitive than usual. My body feels the same as always.

  Shit. But I can’t just assume it’s all good and not check. However, the second I leave the penthouse, someone will be on my tail. Worse, Adrian will know exactly where I go and what I buy. I’m not ready to mention it to him until I know for sure. Not until I see the proof for
myself.

  There’s only one option I have, and it’s one I never wanted to take as it will get both of us in trouble if he spills later.

  I grab my phone out of my pocket and request Kai meet me at my bedroom door.

  He almost meets me there, questions in his eyes because I don’t text him.

  “Come in,” I say, holding the door open wide.

  “No, I’m good right here.”

  I sigh, grip the sleeve of his very expensive suit, and drag him into the room. “You don’t want to be out in the open when I ask you this.”

  He waits, his face not too patient with me now. “What do you need?”

  I cross to sit on the bed, my legs feeling wobbly now, my courage failing. No. I can’t be scared of this, especially if I am pregnant.

  I shift to face him. “I’m calling in your debt. You owe me your life, and I’m calling in the debt under the conditions no one knows what I’m about to ask you.”

  If I thought he looked wary before, it’s nothing compared to his face now as he stares at me. “Really? This better be a doozy for you to pull that card.”

  I shrug and wait for his answer.

  He glares a moment longer, then nods. “Fine. What is it?”

  “You promise you won’t say anything about this to Adrian?”

  “I promise, for God’s sake, Valentina, just tell me.”

  I relax a little bit. Kai might not be a saint, but I trust his word if he gives it. “I need you to go get me a pregnancy test. Maybe three just to be safe and completely sure.”

  I risk another glance at him. Now he doesn’t look upset. He looks like I slapped him. “You.” He stops and turns away, then spins back. “You think you’re pregnant? Since when?”

  I wave at the bathroom. “Now, just now. I haven’t been feeling well, and then it hit me that I haven’t had my period. But I don’t want to say anything to Adrian until I know for sure one way or the other.”

  Kai’s usually perfect skin is gray as he stares at me hard, like I’m about to spout another head or proclaim I’m pregnant with his boss’s baby one more time. There’s really nothing else to say so I wait for him to wrestle with this revelation.

  Then he walks out without another word, leaving me staring at the empty doorway and semi-darkened hallway. Well, if he comes back with it, cool. If not, then I’ll have to think of a plan B to get tested. Or tell Adrian and he’ll help me do it. I just really don’t want to give him more to worry about if it’s just my imagination or my body still recovering from everything it’s been through.

  I lie back on the bed and focus on my breathing so I don’t rush to the bathroom and puke again. To my surprise, less than ten minutes later, Kai walks in with a white shopping bag and tosses it onto the bed near my legs.

  I carefully sit up in deference to my belly and then grab the bag and head into the bathroom. A part of me hopes he doesn’t wait while I take these. Another part of me doesn’t want to be alone when I find out the answer.

  It doesn’t matter…it’s not like I’m going to drag Kai in here with me to witness things. I quickly strip the packaging from one of the tests and get it over with. Then I cap it, set it on the sink, and wait for the results.

  My hands are shaking as I brace them on the counter next to the test. It just sits there, a little hourglass spinning on the tiny display screen while my insides are shredded with nerves and nausea.

  When the screen blinks and changes, I gape down at the tiny black letters across it.

  Pregnant.

  I know I should take the other tests just to be a thousand percent sure, but I don’t think I need to. It’s the only logical explanation for how I’ve been feeling, and now that I see the results with my own eyes, it’s almost as if I can feel it.

  I press my hands over my lower belly. Of course, it’s too early to physically feel a baby in there, but I still do it, waiting for nothing.

  Quickly, I clean up the trash and hide the other tests behind some cleaner under the sink. Then I head back out to the bedroom even though I’m not ready to tell Kai the results yet. Besides, Adrian might get upset if Kai knows before he does.

  Speaking of the father of my child…I smile at the thought and head down the hall. Maybe he’s gotten back, and I can tell him now, get it over with so I don’t have to keep it to myself any longer.

  I head to the command room first, but it’s empty. Not even the screen is on, so then I study the hall and remember he has an office a few doors down. There hasn’t been a reason for me to go inside yet, but I still want to check and see if he’s in there.

  When I open the door, I catch a whiff of the spicy ginger scent I associate with him. It makes me want to stay there and breathe in his scent. I enter the room and flip on the light switch.

  The office looks like him. It’s minimalist and clean. Nothing out of place and nothing not necessary graces the space. There’s a shelf with some pictures on it that draws my interest. Anxiety fills my veins, knowing I’m doing something I shouldn’t. Despite it, I head over to scan them, needing to know more about him to feed this obsession I’ve developed.

  I see one of him as a little boy. A picture of him and Kai as younger men. A smile tucks on my lips as I take in his handsome younger face. It’s less weathered but also less shrewd, like he hadn’t yet experienced many things in life.

  I drag my gaze away to the last photo, and my heart stops mid beat. All the air whooshes from my lungs, leaving a cold emptiness behind. A million thoughts swirl around my head, forcing me to remember a night I’d rather forget. My hand shakes as I pick up the frame and study it closely, hoping, praying that I’m wrong. But there is no mistake. No matter how hard I look at the image.

  “Hand me the gun, Valentina…”

  I blink, the tears making my vision blurry, but I still know the woman in the image, next to a boy who is undoubtedly Adrian. She is the woman I saw when I was a little girl. The one lying in the bloody puddles reflecting the moonlight.

  She has to be his mother. And I have no doubt he’s been trying to figure out the mystery of her death since that day all those years ago.

  Oh my God. Realization is setting in, and I’m shaking from head to toe, my heart pounding so hard in my chest it almost hurts.

  The picture frame slips from my hands and hits the floor inches from my feet. The glass shatters into a million pieces, just like my life.

  Valentina and Adrian’s story continues in

  Promise to Keep

  I knew running from Adrian wouldn't be easy. That there was a risk I would be caught, but I never anticipated he would go to such great lengths to find me.

  Now that he knows what I've done I wonder if there will ever be love between us again, or if we were always meant to be enemies?

  Preorder now!

  About the Authors

  J.L. Beck is a USA Today and international bestselling author who writes contemporary and dark romance. She is also one half of the author duo Beck & Hallman.

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  Monica Corwin is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She is an outspoken writer attempting to make romance accessible to everyone, no matter their preferences. As a Northern Ohioian, Monica enjoys snow drifts, three seasons of weather, and a dislike of Michigan football. Monica owns more books about King Arthur than should be strictly necessary. Also typewriters...lots and lots of typewriters.

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