Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Omerta Series Book 3)

by Roxy Sinclaire

  I reminded myself that as defenseless as he was, this Frankie fellow was no saint. He was a degenerate just like everyone else in that casino. The only difference was, he was getting rich off other people. He could be as disgusting as he wanted and everyone had to do as he pleased. It was hard to feel sorry for someone like that.

  After hours of reminding myself why I was working for Giorgio, I fell asleep. My first task was over, and if Giorgio was impressed, I was one step closer to reaching my final goal.

  In the morning, I had a missed text message from Big John, one of Giorgio’s men. Apparently, he was pleased with my work and had a job for me in New York, as soon as I was ready.

  Missed Period

  Sierra

  I counted the weeks on the tiny calendar hanging up in the nurse’s station. It had been four weeks and five days since I met Apollo that night in Vegas. The tiny bird on my wrist took on a whole new meaning. When I was with Apollo that night, I felt like I was flying. When I looked at the tiny, black bird, I thought of him and wondered what he was doing.

  Work was almost harder than I imagined it would be. Nursing school had prepared me for the long hours and difficult patients, but it was different now that I was running the floor on my own. Hospitals in the city were notoriously understaffed and I felt like I was constantly running.

  After two to three weeks, I felt the stress of the job taking its toll on my body. I felt exhausted all the time, even after a good night of sleep. I felt nauseated, probably from never having enough time to eat or drink anything with any semblance of nutrition. I loved my new job, but I already longed for the days where I could sleep beside the hottest guy I’ve ever been with.

  Even though I told myself not to, I thought about Apollo a lot in the following weeks. I wondered where he was, if he was still in Las Vegas or if he had moved on. I imagined a backstory for him, stories about a kid from a blue-collar family leaving home to make a name for himself. I thought about riding on the back of his motorcycle, the vibrations from the machine making me clutch tighter around his hips. I spent nights after long shifts in my bathtub, thinking about him as my hands wandered.

  I even searched his first name online and found absolutely nothing to do with the man I knew. His first name was a part of Greek mythology, even though I swore he was Italian. Maybe one parent was Greek and the other was Italian. That would explain his tan skin and dark hair. I wondered if he had the Italian temper I saw so often with my dad.

  My dad was everything to me, but he could be a bit much at times. I was his little girl, and while I loved being the center of attention from time to time, his protective nature could be overbearing. I mean, he hired my teachers and friends to spy on me throughout my whole life. That wasn’t something that normal parents did.

  But regardless, I loved him anyway. He was away a lot for work, but he always returned from his travels with expensive gifts for my mom and me. It made up for the fact that he wasn’t always home, but when he was, he was grouchy from work.

  Occasionally, I would try to imagine introducing Apollo to my father. Even in my most optimistic fantasies, it always ended with the two of us running away because my father didn’t approve. It wasn’t that Apollo was any worse than he was at his age, but the fact that no one could be good enough for me in his eyes.

  “Sierra,” Kara said to me, snapping me out of my daydream. “Felicity and I are grabbing a drink after this shift. Are you in?”

  “Yes, please,” I said. My feet ached and I already had two patients yell at me today. I needed to blow off some steam. Luckily, Felicity and Kara worked at the same hospital.

  At ten, we went to a little tapas bar across the street. We ordered snacks and a glass of white wine each.

  “When can we go back to Vegas?” Kara whined, rubbing her temples.

  “Not soon enough,” I replied taking a sip.

  “I’m surprised that you want to go back,” Felicity noted. “I knew you had a good time, but it seemed like a once in a lifetime trip for you.”

  “Of course she wants to go back,” Kara interjected. “Apollo is there.”

  The two of them oohed and aahed while I rolled my eyes. They were right, but I didn’t like their teasing.

  “Have you heard anything from him?” Kara asked. “An email or phone call or anything?”

  “Nope,” I said flatly. “Not a trace. I can’t find him and he can’t find me. That’s just how things are going to be.”

  “You’re trying to find him?” Felicity squealed. “You didn’t tell me this.”

  I had slipped up. It was pathetic of me to scour the internet for a guy who didn’t have any interest in me.

  “I was curious,” I admitted. “I wasn’t planning on contacting him. He just seemed so interesting. I couldn’t help myself.”

  “I’ve been there,” Felicity said, knocking back her drink. “It never ends well. It’s best to pretend it never happened.”

  I nodded in agreement and we changed the conversation to talk about the hospital. I was glad that I wasn’t the only one who had a long day.

  “And to make things worse,” Kara said, “I started my period right in the middle of putting in a patient’s IV line. Luckily, I had a spare pair of scrub bottoms in my locker. I took a tampon from your bag, though, Sierra. Hope that’s all right.”

  “No problem,” I laughed. “I haven’t started yet.”

  I did a mental count of the days since my last period. My friends and I were usually synched up. If today was the twenty-fifth, then I should have started almost a week ago. My new job was extremely stressful, so it made sense why I was late.

  Then, I realized the other reason I could be late.

  At the time, things happened so quickly with Apollo that I didn’t even think about using a condom. Then, in my haste to get back to the hotel to tell my friends about my night, I didn’t even think about getting the morning after pill from the pharmacy.

  Everything clicked into place. Were my late period, fatigue, and nausea all symptoms of something bigger? I couldn’t even think the p-word in my head. It was a thought so outrageous that I couldn’t even fathom it.

  But being the Type-A personality that I was, if I was really pregnant, I needed to know now. Every minute that I sat here wondering was making me lose my mind. What were my options if I really was pregnant? I’d always told myself that I would raise a child regardless of my circumstances, but it would be impossible to explain to my father. He’d go on a manhunt and probably kill Apollo.

  The only good thing about that is that I’d know where he was. But I didn’t want any harm to come to him. I just wanted to be able to talk to him.

  “Shall we order another glass?” Felicity asked.

  “I think I’m going to head home,” I said softly.

  “Is something wrong? We’ll stop making fun of you about that guy.”

  “No, I’m just exhausted. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll see you two tomorrow, bright and early.”

  I should have been a little more discreet, but I was too distracted to stay any longer. I sped to the pharmacy closest to my house and picked up a pregnancy test. As I waited to check out, I felt like I was a teenager, about to get caught. I was twenty-two. I shouldn’t have to feel that kind of shame. But for some odd reason, I was terrified of getting caught.

  Next, I raced to the apartment I shared with Felicity while her other roommates were away and bolted up to my room. In the bathroom, I followed the instructions on the package. After giving the sample, I would have to wait three minutes to see if I was pregnant or not. I dropped the sample into the testing strip and sat on the toilet, my pants around my ankles. I was too nervous to move.

  Then, I waited the longest three minutes of my life. I couldn’t stand staring at the indicator, so I closed my eyes and counted in my head.

  One, two, three, four—

  Pregnancy Test

  Sierra

  I made it all the way to one hundred fifty-three when
the door burst open. Felicity was holding a bottle of wine, giggling.

  I covered my lower half with my hands, completely startled. My heart pounded in my chest.

  “Sorry!” Felicity laughed. “I didn’t know you were in here. You should have locked the door.”

  “I thought you were still at the bar!” I screeched.

  “I’m sorry I scared you. After you left, we decided to leave, too. I thought we could lie in bed together, have some more wine, and watch a movie. What’s gotten into you?”

  Her eyes drifted from my shocked face to my hand. In my hand, I clutched the pregnancy test. Her eyes scanned the room to the test packaging on the counter.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Is that—”

  “I’m sure I’m not,” I said in a calm voice, “but I knew I would worry about it if I didn’t take the test. It’s nothing. You know how I get.”

  She nodded, her hand covering her mouth. “What does it say?”

  In all the excitement, I had forgotten to look. My fingers covered the test strip.

  “I can’t look,” I said. “I’m too nervous.”

  “Do you want me to do it?”

  I grimaced. “I don’t know if that’s any better.”

  She slowly extended her hand toward mine. I closed my eyes tight and dropped the stick into her hand.

  “No matter what this says,” she said slowly, “it doesn’t really mean anything. Even if it’s positive, it could always be a false positive. And if it is—”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I interrupted.

  “You’ll be fine,” she continued. “There are plenty of options. Besides, you’d be able to be a mother while you’re still hot. That’s something a lot of women can’t say.”

  I groaned. I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but I was petrified.

  She opened her hand and I watched her expression change. Her eyes widened and her lips parted.

  “What does it say?” I asked already knowing the answer.

  She pursed her lips and sighed. “It’s positive, Sierra.”

  All I could hear was white noise. I felt faint, so I dropped my head onto my naked thighs. I wanted to cry, but nothing came out. Everything was numb.

  “Sierra?” I heard Felicity say from the static. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I mumbled, even though I wasn’t.

  “Pull up your pants and let’s lie on your bed for a little bit,” she said slowly, her voice full of concern. I blindly obeyed her instructions and flopped down on my bed. She got in next to me, pulling the top off of the wine. She took a swig and handed it to me.

  “Oh, sorry,” she muttered once she realized that she was offering alcohol to a potentially pregnant person.

  I felt myself beginning to process what was happening, but I still couldn’t fully believe it. I was almost certainly pregnant from a one-night stand with a guy that I knew nothing about. If I didn’t find him, I would have to raise this baby on my own. That might have been okay if I didn’t have any feelings for the father, but I really liked Apollo. I believed that if we had the chance, we could be something more. Maybe even a family.

  “You can’t tell anyone about this,” I pleaded to Felicity, tears in my eyes.

  “Of course I won’t,” she said. “Have a blood sample taken as soon as possible, though. These tests are accurate more often than not.”

  “I will. Not at our hospital, though. Kara can’t know about this?”

  “I won’t tell her without your permission. But she’s your friend. Why don’t you want to tell her?”

  I wasn’t about to go into all the intricacies of my suspicions surrounding Kara. There was too much craziness going on to make a strong case to Felicity about it.

  “I need to figure out what I’m going to do first. Just promise me you won’t let anyone know.”

  “I promise.”

  We sat on the bed in silence, her arms wrapped around me. Felicity knew that sometimes, not saying anything was just as good as talking about it.

  “What am I going to do?” I squeaked out moments later.

  “The hell if I know,” Felicity replied. “Your instincts are always right, though. I know whatever you decide; it will be the right thing. If you want me to be the father to your baby, I will.”

  I smiled for the first time since I left the restaurant. “Thanks, Felicity.’

  “It’s no problem. I know you’d do the same for me.”

  We laid together in silence for a few hours before I must have drifted off to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, she was gone.

  No matter what, I was all on my own for this. There was no other way around it.

  The Meeting

  Apollo

  Five weeks after my first job, a black town car arrived outside my Las Vegas apartment. I pulled myself out of bed and wrapped my sheet around my lower half when I heard the pounding on my door. I figured someone would at least call first, but Giorgio waited for no one.

  “I have orders to take you to the airport,” the man in the dark suit and sunglasses said to me when I opened the door.

  “What?” I squinted, the light from outside burning my retinas.

  The driver gave an exasperated sigh, clearly not used to being asked so many questions.

  “Mr. D’Angelo sent me to pick you up and take you to the airport.”

  “Okay, okay,” I said hastily. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed and all of that. Come back in an hour, okay?”

  “No,” he said. “I have strict orders to leave your apartment right now. He said it shouldn’t take you long to pack up.”

  Apparently, Giorgio had done his research. It only took me about a minute to pull on some clean clothes and stuff the others into my duffle bag, which the chauffeur took from my hand.

  “Where am I going?” I asked. “Did Mr. D’Angelo tell you that?” I was growing impatient at the lack of information I was receiving.

  He handed me another white envelope, this time with a plane ticket inside. LaGuardia Airport. I was going to New York.

  “Great,” I murmured under my breath. I had just settled into that shack of an apartment, and now I had to pick up my life and move again.

  The past month had been pretty good for me. I went on a few more jobs like the one I had the first night, mostly intimidating people who hadn’t paid their debts to Giorgio. My knuckles were raw from beatings, but I was getting stronger and better at fighting. I still hated the work, but I loved the money I got from it.

  I was building a good rapport with Giorgio’s inner circle. I obeyed their orders with meticulous attention to detail and I never complained. I kept to myself, just as I did in prison, and it was paying off. I wouldn’t get caught for the assaults because I never opened my mouth. That alone helped me climb the ranks of the organization.

  Now, I had to start all over again in New York. I didn’t know how long I would be there, only that my time in Las Vegas had come to a close. I wasn’t very sorry about that, though. I didn’t like Vegas any more than I liked New York. Both were too loud and too grimy. I’d rather be somewhere quiet and peaceful.

  But if Giorgio wanted to fly me out to New York, then I must have been doing something right. I just wish I could have contact with my parents. I wrote to them and told them that I wanted to spend some time alone before visiting them. They were heartbroken, but they couldn’t do anything about it. They had to respect my wishes, especially after everything I did for them.

  The whole flight, I tried to guess what Giorgio could possibly want me to do in New York. His entire business was based there, so it was certain that he had enough henchmen and enforcers running around. I had the least amount of experience by far. Why would he ask me to come here?

  At the arrivals hall, I spotted my name on a piece of paper, held by another man in a dark suit and sunglasses. It was as if the driver from Vegas teleported to New York, just to pick me up. He didn’t say a word as he led me to a black SUV.

/>   When he opened the door for me, I expected to see Giorgio’s smug face in the backseat. Instead, one of the men, John, from the first meeting, greeted me.

  “Nice to see you again, Apollo,” he said cheerfully.

  “Where’s Giorgio?” I asked, sounding more annoyed than I meant to be. Long flights stressed me out.

  “I’m going to take you to your apartment. Giorgio won’t be available until tomorrow. He’ll arrange a meeting with you then to discuss your next job.”

  “Why do I need an apartment?” I asked. “Am I going to be here for a long time?”

  “I don’t have any details for you and I probably couldn’t discuss them if I could. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

  I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists throughout the whole drive. I knew that if I opened my mouth I would start yelling, and I didn’t want John to report that back to Giorgio.

  Instead of talking, I stared out the window, not really looking at anything. In my mind, I was working on a plan to get back at Giorgio. It was nearly impossible to keep my cool when he was around. I hoped that I could make it through the meeting tomorrow without blowing my cover. Unless he was alone. Then, maybe I’d just go ahead and do it.

  However I did it, I wanted it to be quick, but painful. I wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he did before I ended his life. I hated violence, but he was the only man who made me feel truly homicidal.

  I would have to get a knife or something. That was probably the simplest way. A gun wouldn’t be too hard to get, but on the off chance that I managed to buy one, I didn’t want any of Giorgio’s men finding out about it. I was new to the organization and I didn’t know whom to trust.

  No, the best case scenario is that I could catch him off guard and either beat him to death or quickly slit his throat. If I had enough time alone with him, I wouldn’t hesitate. The only problem was, he was rarely alone. When you’ve made a lot of enemies, you have to protect yourself. A lot of people would go after family members, but I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing. I didn’t want an innocent person to get hurt. I just wanted to stop Giorgio from doing this kind of thing ever again.