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

by Roxy Sinclaire

  If Apollo worked for my dad, then there was no way he didn’t know who I was. I knew for a fact that my dad talked about me to his friends and employees a lot, so when Apollo saw me at the tattoo parlor, there was no doubt in my mind that he knew I was Giorgio D’Angelo’s daughter.

  This angered me for multiple reasons. First, it felt creepy and gross for him to go after his boss’s daughter. I was interested in him because he was a total stranger. When I talked to him, I knew that there was a good chance that I’d never see him again. That was part of the appeal. As one of my father’s employees, he knew there was a good chance he’d see me again. Even if he didn’t know that he would be assigned to work as my bodyguard, there was a chance that we’d run into each other at some point in the future.

  Also, he knew who I was, yet told me that he wasn’t interested in keeping in contact because he knew we’d never meet again. He fed me that line about seeing each other if it was meant to be. Obviously, we’d see each other again, and it still wasn’t meant to be. As much as I tried to hide it, I think it was clear that I was into him, and that I wanted to see him again.

  Finally, there was a chance that he was sent to Las Vegas to spy on me. Everything about his apartment was suspicious. He had no good explanation for why he didn’t have any belongings at his place. I can understand being poor or selling your things and disappearing, but he took it to a whole new level.

  I knew that my dad owned a lot of properties, big and small, around the country. It was all too likely that my dad let Apollo crash at that little apartment in order for him to keep a close watch on him. It was just coincidence that I found him attractive and had the nerve to ask him out.

  If he were working as a bodyguard, then it was highly unprofessional to fuck the person you’re supposed to be protecting. Maybe that was why he looked so sheepish; he didn’t want my dad to find out that he had sex with me. I knew my dad well, and I knew he would lose his shit if he ever found out that Apollo and I had sex, multiple times.

  I had so many questions for Apollo, but I didn’t know if I could face him. Looking him in the eye was proving to be challenging at the moment.

  Then there was the biggest problem of it all: I was pregnant with his baby.

  As much as I wanted to find him to tell him, eventually, I convinced myself that it was better off if I never found him. In my mind, Apollo was still a good guy who didn’t need to have his world turned upside down by a baby. I was going to let him off the hook.

  Now, he was sitting right in front of me, and I wasn’t sure if I could tell him. With any luck, my dad would come to his senses and let Apollo go. Hopefully, he would send him back to Vegas and I’d never have to see him again. I really liked the Apollo I met in Las Vegas, but it just hurt too much to see him now.

  “That was a wonderful meal, ladies,” my dad said, turning on the charm. “I need to go take care of some business, but I hope you come back soon, Sierra.”

  “I will,” I said softly. My mom was drifting off in her chair. I couldn’t stand to see my parents this way.

  “Apollo, will you escort my daughter home?”

  “No, Dad, it’s really not necessary—”

  “Listen to me, Sierra,” my dad interrupted. He was always kind to me, but when he was giving orders, I knew to listen.

  “Fine,” I groaned.

  “Good girl.”

  I picked up my handbag and stormed out the front door without saying goodbye. I realized I was being immature, but I didn’t care. I was tired of being treated like a child.

  Apollo followed two steps behind me, getting into my passenger seat.

  “What are you doing?” I shouted into my steering wheel.

  “I have to follow orders,” he said, sounding tired.

  “Did your orders include going to Vegas to spy on me, but also fuck me?”

  “No,” he exclaimed, looking shocked. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

  “I have no idea,” I yelled. “Honestly, I don’t even know your last name. I didn’t know that you worked for my dad, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you knew all too well and took advantage of me.”

  “Nano,” he said softly.

  “What?” I asked, turning to him.

  “That’s my last name. I didn’t know what yours was until tonight.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “You don’t have to believe me. I’m not going to argue with you. You’re acting like a child. Do you think I want to be doing this?”

  I clenched my teeth. “How am I supposed to know. I’m just so confused and upset, and—”

  I couldn’t continue. My throat felt constricted and hot tears poured down my face. I was so embarrassed and hurt, but I couldn’t make them stop.

  “Hey,” he said gently. “Calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down,” I retorted. “In fact, don’t tell me anything.”

  I started crying harder until it was hard to breathe. I took deep, jagged breaths, trying to force air into my lungs.

  Suddenly, Apollo’s hands grabbed my cheeks and pulled my face toward his. He kissed me softly on the lips, then released me.

  By that time, my breathing had gone back to normal. Despite my better judgment, I felt better, calmer.

  “Can you drive now?” he asked.

  I nodded, sniffling.

  “Go to your place, and then I’ll call a cab and leave. I’ll give you all the space you need, but I have a job to do. If I can’t do my job, I’m going to be in big trouble with your father. I think you will be too. Is that what you want?”

  “No,” I pouted, heading down the street.

  “Then it’s settled. I don’t care if you like me, but we have to find a way to make this work. I came here to do a job, not to get into a forbidden relationship.”

  When we got back to my place, I offered to let him wait inside, but he refused. So, I walked inside and watched him wait on the edge of the street from my window. I thought I would feel relief when his cab sped away, but it just made me feel lonelier.

  Thankfully, no one else was at home when I returned. I wasn’t in the mood to talk and I had cried enough in front of others; more that I wanted to. I went to bed that night, hoping that it would all turn out to be a weird nightmare and that I’d wake up in the morning with no recollection of Apollo Nano.

  Protection

  Apollo

  Sleep did not come easy that night. I laid awake with so many questions. How did I sleep with a girl and not even learn her last name?

  At the time, it was kind of sexy. She was a complete stranger and I could use her incredible body to get off a few times and then get on with my life. If I could have gone back in time and asked her a few more questions about herself, I absolutely would have. I made a mental note to vet all future sexual partners, just in case they happened to be connected to any enemies of mine.

  I knew that Giorgio could stick me with a difficult task, but I didn’t know it would be an impossible one.

  The thing that frightened me the most, is that I didn’t know who I could trust. Giorgio had hundreds of employees out there, and the second one found out what I was up to, I’d be dead.

  For Giorgio to know that Sierra hooked up with some guy that seemed rough around the edges was worrisome to me. I was almost positive that he was talking about me. Unless Sierra was a master manipulator, I didn’t feel like she was the type to hook up with strangers. Also, I know that I don’t fit the picture of the perfect boy to take home to Mom and Dad. I have way too many tattoos, dress too casually, and I don’t put off the vibe that I’m a friendly person. I’m not a complete asshole, but I don’t try very hard to keep a good reputation.

  If Giorgio knows about me, that means that there was someone in Vegas that saw us together. It could be anyone, though. It could have been the tattoo artist, a bartender, or even one of her friends. I couldn’t be too careful. I needed to follow Sierra around town in order to fulfill my work duties, but I couldn’t let a
nyone see me with her. Giorgio had spies everywhere.

  While I was riding with Sierra in her car, I managed to sneak a copy of her work schedule out of her car. Now, I could account for her whereabouts for at least half the day. I got the feeling she was a homebody, so the other half, she would likely spend at home.

  An hour before her shift started, I borrowed a car from one of Giorgio’s men and parked it half a block away from her apartment. Sure enough, she left especially early for work, so I followed her the short distance to the hospital. Once there, I parked as far away from the entrance as I could, and I watched.

  Then came the worst part of surveillance—the waiting. Because I was the person who was meant to be dangerous, I didn’t feel like she really needed me to be there. But, in the event that something went wrong, I didn’t want Giorgio to find out that I went to the tattoo parlor during my job.

  Fortunately, the hospital had their own gym, so I signed up for a membership using a fake name and killed a few hours lifting weights. That way, if Giorgio found out, I could tell him that I was closer to her there than I would be in my car.

  I could only work out for so long before my muscles ached, so once I was finished, I trudged back to my car and waited.

  I woke from an unintentional nap around six, right when her shift was supposed to end. I scanned the parking lot, but her car was gone.

  Now I was panicking. If I lost Sierra and something happened to her, I would be in such deep shit. She knew that whether she liked it or not, I was supposed to follow her. She could have at least given me a head’s up that she was going home.

  Hoping that she went straight home, I drove in that direction, silently pleading for her to be there. When I pulled up to her apartment, I saw her car in the lot, but I didn’t know if anyone else was in there with her. It would be a huge gamble to knock on the door to find out, but I needed to talk to her.

  I tentatively tapped on the door, ready to bolt if I saw anyone else. I waited, my pounding heart shaking my entire body.

  “What do you want?” she sighed.

  “Is there anyone else here?” I whispered.

  “No, the others have the night shift tonight. I’m here alone.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  “Is this really necessary? I can tell my dad that you never leave my sight all day if that will make you happy. Is that what you want?”

  I frowned. “That’s not what I want. If you’d let me come inside for a few minutes, we can figure something out that will work for the both of us. I don’t want to bother you, and I get the feeling you don’t want to ruin my life either.”

  She scowled and pulled the door open a little wider. I took this as an invitation to enter and followed her down the hallway into the living room.

  Her apartment was almost as nice as my New York apartment. It made sense, though if one roommate was a D’Angelo and another was being paid by one. Otherwise, I doubted that anyone their age could afford something that spacious.

  “What do you want to say?” Sierra asked, crossing her arms.

  I sat down on her couch. I didn’t want her to think that I would just say my piece and then leave. I needed her to understand where I was coming from.

  “Look, I don’t know if you realize this, but you might not be as safe as you think you are.”

  “How so? I’ve heard the whole bit about my dad having dangerous enemies before.”

  “It’s true. I’ve met people who really want to do harm to him. This goes beyond spying on you. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a little extra protection.”

  “And you’re going to do that?”

  “There’s something you don’t know,” I said, wringing my hands.

  She raised an eyebrow, finally interested in what I had to say.

  “While I really do think it’s a good idea to have a little extra protection, your dad didn’t hire me to keep you safe from his enemies.”

  “No? Then whom does he want you to keep me safe from?”

  I took a deep breath. There was no going back once I told her my secret. She could either help me or rat me out—I wasn’t quite sure which way she would go.

  “Sierra, your dad wants you to be protected from me.”

  Unexpected News

  Sierra

  “What are you talking about?” asked, my voice quivering.

  “I don’t know how, but your dad knows that you became involved with some guy during your vacation. Unless you had a really good time, I think that means me. When he hired me for this job, he specifically told me that if I see this guy from Vegas trying to reach out to you, that I’m supposed to stop him with force.”

  My hands covered my gaping mouth. “This is what I get for trying to have fun for once in my life. This is such bullshit! I never asked for this!”

  Apollo looked nervous. He clearly wasn’t used to dealing with angry women.

  “I’m sorry this happened, but you understand why this is a problem for me.”

  “Yes, but I just want to be left alone! You have no idea how much things have sucked since I left you in Vegas. I tried so hard to forget you, but I just can’t. Now you’re here, and it makes it impossible to get you out of my mind. Can you just leave me alone?”

  “No,” he said firmly, looking straight into my eyes.

  I was taken aback. There was no reason for him to stick around, now that I knew that his job was meaningless.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not going to leave you alone. I don’t want that, and I don’t think you really mean it either.”

  I don’t know what came over me, but I lunged at him. My closed fist made contact with his chest, but once I was on top of him, I had a sudden change of heart.

  Instead of hitting him, I kissed him, forcing my mouth onto his. He immediately pulled me closer, our bodies pressed together.

  I felt so comfortable with Apollo that I didn’t even have to think about what I was doing. I just let my clothes fly off my body as our tongues danced around each other.

  I felt his pants bulge against me and I thrust my hand down the front of his jeans. His member was rock hard and it was all mine. I unbuttoned his fly, and without waiting for his instructions, took him into my mouth.

  I gripped his thighs as I moved up and down, looking up to watch his facial expressions. For a man who always seemed to be in control, he allowed himself to relax and enjoy his pleasure. I wanted to make him finish, but once he got close, he pushed me away and grabbed me by the armpits, hoisting me up like I was weightless. It made me feel good to be with a guy who could handle me.

  Apollo flipped me to the opposite side of the couch onto my back. He hovered over me, a look of concentration on his face. He wanted me so badly, he could hardly wait to enter me.

  His smooth chest grazed mine, the friction making my nipples stand up. Every caress of his skin against mine made me feel closer and closer to him until it felt like we were one.

  I had never experienced the feeling of complete trust with anyone until that moment. If he wanted to follow me around, I would let him. Especially if it meant we would be doing this more often.

  My breathy moans excited him more, and he thrust harder and deeper inside of me before erupting. Instead of rolling off of me and getting dressed, he was still. His ear rested on my chest, where my heart beat inside of me.

  Something had changed with Apollo, too. He was quieter, gentler with me than before. It was as if a layer of his hard shell had been shed from his exterior. Suddenly, he seemed more human and less like a representation of the small part of me who wanted to rebel.

  Fortunately, my roommates wouldn’t be back until late. Knowing this, we took full advantage of our time alone, exploring each other’s bodies in every part of the apartment. After the fourth time, I had to throw in the towel. I was exhausted.

  I watched from my bed as Apollo took a shower in my bathroom. I made him leave the door open because I couldn�
�t get enough of his gorgeous body. He didn’t mind—I think he secretly liked the attention I was giving him.

  What shocked me the most was that after he got dressed, he joined me in my bed, pulling the covers up over our shoulders.

  “I thought you didn’t cuddle,” I noted.

  “I don’t,” he replied. “But you wore me out, girl. I need to rest for a little bit before I go.”

  “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  “When I left, did you really think that there was a chance we’d ever meet again?”

  He thought for a moment before answering. “Honestly, no. When you think about how many people there are in the world, there’s virtually no chance that we’d run into each other again. You live in New York, and I want to live anywhere but here.”

  “Yet, here you are.”

  “Here I am.” His finger traced my lips as I studied his serious face.

  “Are you happy to see me?”

  He frowned. “It’s more complicated than that.”

  My heart fell. I was really hoping for a different answer.

  “You see,” he continued, “there’s something I need to do. I can’t tell you what it is, only that you cannot be involved.”

  “Does it have anything to do with my father and his business?” I asked. His face stayed blank.

  “I’m just trying to make a little money so I can get my life in order. You probably don’t know this, but my dad has worked for your dad in the past.”

  “Do I know him?”

  “If you don’t know me, then you probably don’t know him. It doesn’t really matter, though. All that matters is that we’ll never be anything more than this.”

  I felt my lip tremble. I tried to hold it together and act cool.

  “It has nothing to do with you. I think you’re really cool. But, I just can’t be with anyone right now.”

  “Not even me? I feel something when I’m with you. Don’t you feel that too?”