Packing Heat: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance (Barone Crime Family)

by B. B. Hamel

  Sitting behind the desk was another man. He smiled and stood up as we entered. He was about the same height as Rafa, handsome, and tattooed. But where Rafa seemed hard and rough, Vince was smiling like a businessman.

  “Cassidy,” he said, coming around the desk. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” We shook hands and he grinned.

  “It’s not often that Rafa brings a girl home.”

  Rafa grunted. “Careful.”

  “Does he have a lot of girls?”

  Vince laughed. “Are you the jealous type?”

  “No,” I said. “Not really.”

  “Good. Because you’re not the first woman he’s been with.”

  “Surprise, surprise,” Rafa said.

  “I’m scandalized,” I answered. The men laughed.

  “I’m glad you came with him,” Vince said. “I know it was a hard decision for you. This can’t be easy.”

  “It’s not easy,” I agreed. “Frankly, I don’t even know what’s going on.”

  “Welcome to our world.” Vince smiled at me, and I decided that I liked him.

  “It gets easier,” Rafa added. “You’ll get used to it.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to men trying to kill me.”

  “You will,” Vince said. “Trust me. We deal with it every day.”

  “That has to be an exaggeration.”

  Rafa laughed. “He’s not kidding. I don’t think I’ve gone a single day without at least one man wanting to kill me.”

  “One? You’re lucky,” Vince said. “Try being the fucking boss.”

  “Anytime you want to step down, I’m game.”

  “Don’t get cocky.”

  “It’s not cocky if you can back it up.”

  “This asshole thinks he’s the best thing in the world,” Vince said to me, rolling his eyes.

  “That’s because I am.”

  I smiled at the two of them, unable to help myself. They were muscular, dangerous mafia men, and yet they bantered with each other like they were brothers. It was disarming and charming, and although I was still terrified, I felt a little at ease.

  This wasn’t a horrible place. It was an office where men came to work. Sure, they were gangsters, and their job wasn’t legal, but they were still just people.

  And I trusted Rafa. As crazy as that was, I found that I really did trust him. Maybe it was stupid, but after every I’d already done with him, it just made sense for me to give myself over to it.

  “All right, listen,” Vince said, walking over to his desk. “You’re not exactly an official guest here. Get it?”

  “I guess,” I said.

  He picked up a little packet. “This is the usual welcome shit. You’ll find this house is really just a glorified hotel. Room key is inside, plus your visitor’s badge. Don’t bother wearing it.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Why give it to me?”

  “Just in case someone gives you shit. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you’re free to wander. Check the place out. But don’t leave the grounds without talking to me or Rafa.”

  “Fine,’ I said. “I can handle that.”

  “Food and shit is free. Order whatever you want.”

  “Order?”

  “Room service,” Rafa said, grinning. “Welcome to paradise.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “I can handle that,” I said, laughing.

  “Here.” Vince handed me the packet, and I took it from him. “Rafa knows where your room is.”

  “Thanks, Vince.”

  “No problem. Just keep your head down. We’ll work this out.”

  I nodded and followed Rafa back out of the room. I was exhausted, but I was running on adrenaline and curiosity.

  We headed back down another series of hallways. I started to notice staff members standing around in the shadows. Some of them were doing cleaning tasks, and some of them were walking quickly like they were busy, but most of them just seemed like they were standing around.

  “What’s with all these people?” I asked Rafa.

  “They’re the staff. Just ignore them.”

  “But why are they just standing around?”

  “Because it’s late and they have nothing to do.”

  “Seems crazy to have so many people working this late.”

  “You haven’t seen crazy yet.” He grinned at me. “This is the fucking Barone family. Extravagance is the name of the game, girl.”

  He stopped in front of a door and took the packet from my hands. He fished out a key card, just like the kind hotels used, and swiped it. The door clicked open and we stepped inside.

  The room took my breath away. It was absolutely gorgeous and enormous. There was a main living room area, a small kitchen area, and a bedroom and bathroom off a small hallway. It was a lot like my apartment, but actually way nicer. The furniture was all clearly expensive, and there was even a fully stocked bar. The bathroom had every toiletry I could imagine, and the sheets felt like they were silk.

  “What do you think?” Rafa asked after I had explored.

  “It’s amazing,” I said.

  “There’s one thing, though.”

  I sighed. “What else now?”

  “You might not like this.”

  “Just spit it out.”

  “I’m staying in this room, too.”

  I stared at him. “Why?”

  “We need to make this look real. Plus, you’ll be safer if I’m always here.”

  “No,” I said simply.

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “I do have a choice. I don’t want to stay in the same room as you.”

  “Too bad.” He walked over to the bar and made himself a drink. “It won’t be so bad, sweetheart. You can come begging me to get you off whenever you’re in the mood.”

  “That’s unlikely,” I said.

  But truthfully, that was why I didn’t want him to stay.

  We’d slept together once. I had let myself give in to what I wanted, and I still wanted it. But I knew it was dangerous to get involved with this man, especially now that I might be carrying his child. I’d take his protection, but I wasn’t letting him take anything more from me.

  I could see how this could get incredibly complicated. Hell, things already were complicated. I’d let him come inside me without a condom, with the intention of getting pregnant. That thought sent a thrill down my spine all over again, but I needed to ignore that. I couldn’t keep throwing myself at him and put myself in more danger.

  “Either way, doesn’t matter,” he said. He sat down on the couch and kicked his feet up. “I’m staying.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Are you always this stubborn?”

  “Only when I’m right.”

  “Fine. Asshole. I guess I can’t say no. But you’re sleeping on the couch.”

  He shrugged, kicking his shoes off. “Fine.”

  “What about my bags?”

  “They’ll be brought up soon.”

  “Good night.”

  He raised his drink. “Night, Cass.”

  I gave him a look and then retreated back into the bedroom. I collapsed onto the enormous bed and sank into the sheets, letting their soft fibers wrap around me.

  What the hell was I doing?

  I was deep in the mafia’s compound, surrounded by enemies and allies alike. I was in more danger than I ever had been before in my life.

  And yet I just kept thinking about that beautiful, handsome man. That was all I could think about. His body pressed against mine, kissing me, touching me, his cock deep between my legs. I could feel him inside me again, his warm cum filling me.

  I had no clue if I was pregnant or not. There was no way of knowing, not yet at least, but I had to assume that I was.

  I had no clue what I was going to do with this kid. Rafa had mentioned adoption, and maybe that was an option. Adoption was a really good thing. Some great family that needed a
baby but couldn’t have one would take care of our child.

  But even just thinking about giving my baby up made my anxiety go crazy.

  I couldn’t deal with it. I was exhausted. I snuggled deep under the sheets and closed my eyes, trying to forget about where I was and what was happening.

  And I especially tried not to think about the handsome man in the other room and how I desperately wanted him to sneak into my bed and make me feel alive again.

  18

  Rafa

  I hated sleeping on the damn couch, but I knew not to fucking push it.

  At least not the first night.

  I woke up to the sun streaming in through the windows and grunted. A half-empty bottle of whisky was on the coffee table in front of me, and a hangover was knocking at my skull. I glanced up and saw that the bedroom door was shut.

  I got up and made some coffee. I didn’t know what time the girl normally woke up, but I figured I’d let her sleep in if she wanted.

  I wasn’t happy that we were at the compound. I understood the logic behind it, and I trusted Vince’s plan, but I was not fucking happy at all. Ernesto’s boys could be in the room next door and I’d have no clue. I didn’t know who was loyal to Vince and who was loyal to Ernesto. The staff was a wild card, and I almost didn’t even trust our food.

  But that was being a little too paranoid. The staff had never helped a boss, or at least not with killing someone. Arturo and whoever else paid the staff well for their loyalty.

  Still, I couldn’t help but be a little angry. The piece of shit bosses wanted to torture this poor girl for information, even though I was positive she didn’t know shit. I had stuck my neck out of her because I couldn’t help myself. But Vince hadn’t needed to get involved like he had. I didn’t want to drag him down with me.

  As I started drinking my first cup of coffee of the day, there was a soft knock at the door, and then a piece of paper slid under. I walked over and quickly opened the door, but I saw only a staff member walking down the hall.

  I bent over and picked up the paper. It was a handwritten note from Arturo requesting my presence in his study as soon as I was awake.

  I gritted my teeth and sighed. I was going to have to go. I couldn’t just ignore a summons from the boss like that, even if I really wanted to. I didn’t know what it was about, but he clearly knew I was staying in the mansion, and in which room.

  I walked over to the kitchen table, grabbed a pen and some paper, and wrote Cassidy a quick note. I folded it and left it out next to the coffee so that she’d find it.

  When I was finished, I quickly left the room. I needed a shower and probably a shave, but that shit could wait. I was too curious about what the big boss wanted to let it wait even a few minutes.

  I traveled through the halls, oblivious to the power and wealth all around me. I’d walked through it all so many times that it no longer phased me. Still, I liked seeing the way other people reacted to it for the first time. Cassidy had stared around her like something was going to jump out of the wallpaper at her, or like she was about to trip and fall into a priceless statue.

  Both of those scenarios weren’t all that unlikely, actually.

  I found Arturo’s door and knocked once. After a second, I heard him call me in.

  I opened the door and then closed it behind me. Arturo was sitting at his desk like usual, drinking coffee.

  “Want a cup?” he asked as I approached.

  “Please.”

  He nodded at a side table. I walked over and poured myself some steaming black coffee from the carafe. I sat down in front of him and took a sip. Strong and dark and hot.

  “How did you sleep?” Arturo asked.

  “Like shit.”

  “That’s a shame. I sleep like a baby these days.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “So am I. When I was your age, I used to stay up all night with worry. I was building this fucking mob back then, you know. Many men wanted me dead.”

  “I wouldn’t sleep either if I were you.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You’re not me and you still don’t sleep. Why is that, Rafa?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just not the fucking type to be relaxed, I guess.”

  “That’s a real shame.” He leaned back, sipping his coffee.

  “Did you call me here just to talk to me about sleep?”

  “No,” he said. “Of course not.” He raised an eyebrow. “Got somewhere to be?”

  “No,” I said, drinking my coffee. “Just on edge.”

  “Understandably. Since Ernesto wants to kill you.”

  “Fuck Ernesto.”

  “Careful. He’s your superior.”

  “I know, but fuck him anyway.”

  Arturo grinned and laughed softly. “I like you. Always have. When Vince brought you up, I was proud of both of you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, surprised. “I didn’t know you knew who I was.”

  “I keep an eye on all the rising stars in my organization. Especially when they’re pissing off one of my oldest and most loyal bosses.”

  “His goons deserved it,” I said.

  “Probably.”

  “So I’m not apologizing.”

  “I’m not asking you to.”

  “What are you asking me to do?”

  “Tell me what the girl knows.”

  I sighed, shaking my head. “She doesn’t know anything.”

  “Unfortunately for you both, I don’t believe that.”

  “Sir, I know it seems suspicious, but I wouldn’t risk my life for a girl who’s a danger to our organization.”

  “I believe you,” he said. “But she knows something. And if she doesn’t, she better learn something fast, because Ernesto wants you both dead, and I can’t keep him at bay for too long.”

  “I can find something.”

  “Good. Get her help if you need it. Find us information on the Spiders, and find it fast.”

  I nodded and stood. I put my cup back down on the tray on the side table. Arturo watched as I moved back toward the door.

  I paused and looked back at him.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You know about the rift in the organization.”

  “I know all about it.”

  “What are you doing about it? You haven’t come down on either side yet.”

  He smiled at me. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. You know that?”

  “I know that.”

  “I’ve seen things like this before. This isn’t the first issue to tear us apart.” He shrugged. “The bosses will come to a consensus. And if they don’t, they’ll kill each other until only the strongest capos are left.”

  “What about the soldiers?”

  “Some will die. Most will be absorbed into other territories.”

  “You want war.”

  “I don’t want war. I want peace. But I understand that war may be the only option. You can’t fear it.”

  “I don’t fear war. I don’t fear violence.”

  “Good,” he said, grinning. “Go embrace it.”

  I turned and left, not sure what to think.

  19

  Cassidy

  I woke up in an unfamiliar bed and had to squash a moment of panic before it took me over completely.

  I stayed totally still, wrapped in foreign sheets, until slowly I remembered what had happened the night before. I remembered Rafa coming into my apartment. I remembered his body against mine.

  I remembered going temporarily insane and taking the condom off his cock. I remembered him coming inside me.

  I sighed, stretching. I had barely gotten any sleep, and I still felt exhausted. I looked over at the clock and sighed. It was already past nine in the morning. Our flight from my apartment late at night had taken a few hours, so I was really dragging as I got out of bed.

  I opened the bedroom door and found the bag I had packed in a hurry on the floor. I took it
back inside, did my morning routine in the beautiful bathroom, and then got changed.

  I went into the living room, but Rafa was nowhere to be seen.

  The fresh smell of coffee wafted up from the kitchen area, so I went over to grab a mug. Next to the coffeemaker was a piece of paper folded in half, propped up against the mugs.

  I picked it up and opened it.

  “Cassidy, sleep as late as you want. I have some business to attend to. Feel free to do whatever you want, but be careful. Rafa.”

  I sighed again and tossed the note aside. I got some coffee and then sat down on a kitchen chair, crossing my legs.

  Nobody was going to come looking for me. My parents would never know that I wasn’t at my apartment, and my friends never came over without me asking them to. Nobody actually knew where I was, which actually made me worried.

  Well, everything about my situation made me worried. I paused on my third sip of coffee and realized that I had no clue if I could even drink caffeine or not.

  I had to choke back panic again for the second time that morning.

  I might be pregnant with Rafa’s baby. No matter what happened, now he and I were inextricably linked together forever, assuming I actually was pregnant. Plus, now he had incentive to fight for my life, assuming he gave a shit about the baby.

  I quickly grabbed my phone from the other room and did a quick search.

  One cup of coffee was probably okay. I started searching some more, and the full magnitude of what I had done really washed over me.

  My whole life was going to change. I was going to have this baby, and I was never going to be the same again, even if I gave her up for adoption.

  I was going to have to be careful with every single thing I put in my body for the next nine months. For whatever reason, that thought really brought home the full magnitude of what was happening around me.

  I stood up, trying to fight the tide of panic and terror that was welling up inside me.

  I couldn’t sit around. I quickly walked to the door and threw it open, walking out into the hallways as fast as I could.

  I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going; I just walked. I felt like I was hyperventilating, breathing far too fast, short and quick. My footsteps matched my breathing as I hurried through the hushed hallways, past the expensive art and the priceless statues and the staring staff members.