“He told me she came home last night on his watch but she never did. He lied. And now she’s gone.”
Carmello looked shocked, and then panicked.
“Jesus!” he cried. “He called me yesterday. Asked me to…”
He trailed off and Ariano watched as guilt flooded his features.
“He…asked me to track her phone,” he confessed. “I gave him the address.”
“I know,” Ariano growled. “Now track his fucking car’s GPS. We’re wasting time.”
He nodded quickly and hurried toward his computer desk, digging through a pile of papers to find the proper account.
Carm nodded slowly, tracing his finger along the map to show him.
“He started at Celina’s condo last night, moved into a restaurant downtown and then drove around for a while until he ended up in Little Havana again but that’s the address I gave him to find her.”
Ariano glanced at the techy soldier, wondering if he had any idea that the address was Ariano’s apartment. But Carmello didn’t seem to notice.
He’s never been to my place. He has no reason to make the connection.
But Ariano didn’t care if he had. All that mattered was Celina’s safety.
It’s going to come out that she and I were together, whether through Alex’s mouth or another way. It doesn’t matter.
“He ended up going from that address back to the parking lot at the restaurant. Did you go there? Maybe that’s where she went.”
“Where did he go from there?”
They watched as the light made its way south toward Kendall and stopped for a time.
“What’s that address?” Ariano asked, his skin prickling with the need to act. He thought he knew the location. “Is that one of our warehouses?”
“Yes,” he replied worriedly. “I can’t imagine what he was doing there with Celina.”
“I can,” Ariano replied tightly, whirling to run from the house. “But I really hope I’m wrong – for his sake.”
Chapter Thirteen
She had dozed off some time after Alex had left her, in spite of her resolve to remain awake. But the terror of her situation and the aftereffects of the drugs must have gotten the best of her.
Alex had promised to make her suffer – as soon as he returned from watching Giovanni skin Ari alive for losing her.
The thought made her want to curl up and give in, knowing that her father was likely killing the one person who would fight the hardest to save her.
Ari may not be a ‘nice’ person, but she knew he would put his life on the line to save her. He was just honorable that way.
People respected him automatically. They didn’t always like him, but he commanded respect without working for it.
I don’t care if I’m bound. I will make sure this is a crime scene that no one can ever clean up, she vowed, the fear in her heart overridden by her determination to go out swinging. But as the hours ticked by without event, Celina realized that she might be left there to die. No one else knows where I am. What if Alex gets killed with his crazy actions, or what if he just decides to leave me here to get eaten by the rats that scurried close to her when she stayed still too long.
Would he do that? She wondered. He’s not that – oh what am I thinking. Of course he’s that fucking stupid. Look where I am right now.
Without realizing it, she had fallen asleep, not knowing how much time had passed in the windowless room where she sat tied.
The sound of a car door caused her to jump, her heart racing as she whipped her head around to look.
He entered, swaggering confidently as he approached her.
Celina snorted with disdain, despite her coarse throat and chapped mouth.
As he approached, she looked up at him hatefully, hoping he could read the animus in her stare.
The steely resolve she had been missing before returned to her in spades.
He didn’t speak but as he approached, Celina tensed.
His gloved hand reached forward to fist in her hair, pulling her head back. He held a bottle of water in his other hand. As her mouth opened with a surprised squeak, he poured from the bottle directly into her mouth.
Desperately, she tried to swallow so she didn’t drown, the cool liquid actually soothing the rawness in her throat.
If he’s giving me something to drink, does that mean he intends to keep me alive?
“These ties are really tight,” she whispered into the pitch-black room, testing how far he would go to make her comfortable. “Could you loosen them just a bit? I can barely feel my fingers.”
She sensed him staring at her for a long moment and she was sure he was going to refuse. Why hasn’t he spoken? Could he really think that I wouldn’t know who he is?
For the time, she realized that she needed him to at least untie her so she could make her escape. How, she didn’t yet know, but she was smart – something would come to her. She offered him a weak smile, sure not to let him know she knew who he was.
If he loosens me enough, I can probably kick his ass I’m so angry. But if he has a gun…
He knelt in front of her and untied her feet, then immediately strode behind her, still silent and undid her hands entirely.
Instantly, she pulled her arms forward to rub at her burning wrists. She was about to jump forward and run when he shoved a gun into her temple. The cold metal made her freeze instantly, alarm coursing through her.
“Um, thank you,” she breathed, continuing to slowly rub her wrists, pretending there wasn’t a gun pressed to her head. “Thank you so – “
He leaned forward, bringing his face to the side of her neck. He licked upwards, leaving a trail of saliva from below her jawline to the back of her ear. She had a hard time keeping still and not retching.
Even though she couldn’t see his mouth, she knew he was smiling and the idea chilled her to the bone.
Grabbing her by the hair, he yanked her from the chair, throwing her to the ground and Celina knew what he was about to do.
Run! Every instinct in her body screamed. You have to get away!
But she knew she wouldn’t make it two steps before a bullet lodged itself inside her ribcage.
“You don’t have to do this, Alex!” she screamed as she tried to scramble away. He froze as she said his name. She tried to jump to her feet, thinking he may have been distracted enough to give her a second or two head start, but he anticipated her movements. He slapped her soundly across the face as she rose, sending her sprawling back to the cement floor.
“You are such a whore!” he rasped, winding up to hit her again. “You give it up to everyone but me, huh?”
Fury replaced her terror and she turned her head upward, her long, platinum hair falling away from her bloodied face as she smiled her customary cocky grin at him.
“Well, I thought that a whore slept with everyone, but a bitch sleeps with everyone but you. I guess that would make me a bitch, huh Al?”
He raised his leg to kick her but she rolled out of the way, rising up to her knees.
“Lie down, whore!” he demanded. “I’m not finished with you!”
“You’re going to have to screw a dead body, stronzo,” she retorted. “Because I’ll fight you till I’m dead before I lie down for you.”
“You think Ariano is going to come and save you, puttana? He’s so busy trying to figure out where you went, he hasn’t even had the balls to tell your papa you’re missing yet. Now don’t you wish you had picked me instead of him?”
“He’s ten times the man you’ll ever be, you slime ball,” she replied, knowing that the bullet that was going to end her life was coming any second. “So what now, idiot? You think my father is going to promote you to capo over Ari? You think that Ariano is going to get blamed for this?”
“You don’t?” Alex snickered, drawing toward her. “I said lie down – and spread your legs like the slut you are.”
“Fuck you,” she snapped and he raised the gun, pointing it at h
er face.
“This is your last warning! Lie the fuck – “
The sound of a silenced gunshot rang through the room and Celina watched as Alex fell sideways, his face twisted in surprise as he went down, a spray of blood radiating from the wound in his temple.
“Celina, are you okay?” a strong voice demanded.
As if in slow motion, she turned her head and stared at Ariano.
He’s not really here. I’m either dead already or hallucinating. Shit like this doesn’t happen in real life.
“Celina! Are you all right? Tell me he didn’t have time to hurt you.”
Numbly, she shook her head, as suddenly, a wave of men flooded the room. Ariano swept her into his arms. She tucked her face into his shoulder, breathing deeply as his scent calmed her.
“Papa?” she gasped, watching as her father strode toward her, his face pinched in panic.
“Oh, my baby!” he cried, snatching her from Ariano, who reluctantly released her.
Celina gaped at the tears in her father’s eyes as he kissed her cheeks, blubbering. It was a sight she had never seen.
“I couldn’t bear to lose you! You’re all I got left, cara. This is my fault, all my fault…”
“Papa,” Celina said soothingly. “It’s okay – I’m okay.”
She looked around to ensure the others had not seen his display but they all seemed to be looking elsewhere deliberately.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, casting Ariano a shy look. “And I think it’s probably because of Ariano.”
“It’s definitely because of Ariano!” Giovanni roared, turning to glower at Alex’s dead body. “If he hadn’t shot this piece of shit, I would have ripped him apart – slowly.”
He raised his gun as if he wanted to fire again but Celina stopped him.
“It’s done, Papa,” she sighed, slipping out of his arms and reaching for Ariano. She waited for her father to take notice and when he finally saw what they were doing, his eyes widened.
“What is this?” he demanded. “You have been with my Celina?”
“No, Papa,” she interjected quietly. “He has been keeping me safe, just as you instructed. He has cared more about me than anyone else all these years. Including you.”
Gio’s mouth dropped open and his dark eyes flashed as if he wanted to argue. But then he ducked his head down guiltily. He nodded slowly, acknowledging the possible truth of her words.
“I’m sorry, my princess. So sorry that I haven’t always…been a good Papa,” he sighed. “It’s just that – well, ever since your mother… And you look like her sometimes, and I just can’t…”
Celina blinked and then threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. “I know, Papa. I miss her too.” She kissed him on the cheek and then turned back to Ari, who had remained wisely silent as he waited for the don to process everything that had happened.
Giovanni pinned Ariano with a steely glare. Before he could rip a strip off his soldier, Celina interjected.
“What have I always needed, Papa?” she asked, a note of exasperation in her voice as she waited for some misogynistic comment to fall from his lips.
“You’ve needed someone to take care of you,” he growled. Everyone held their breath as the don reached forward, expecting him to lash out at the bodyguard. Instead, he reached out to clap Ariano on his shoulder.
To her amazement, Celina found herself smiling.
No, Papa, she thought. I needed someone to see me for me. And Ariano does. But her father would never value that, she realized. The only value he would see was someone who would put his only daughter’s safety before his own.
“You’re reassigned,” the don told Ariano, pulling him close. “You are my new capo effective immediately.”
Ariano gaped at him.
“And who’s going to be on Celina’s watch?” he demanded, speaking for the first time.
Giovanni laughed.
“You are, paesano. You are going to take care of my bambina and keep her safe. Can you handle all of that?”
Ariano looked at her, their eyes locking, as unspoken words passed between them.
“Yes,” he whispered roughly. “Yes, I can do that.”
The don smiled and whipped around to yell at the men.
“Burn this place down and get rid of this garbage where it won’t be found,” he ordered, kicking Alex’s lifeless body. “And I want all of you to remember what happens if you fuck with my little girl.”
Ariano turned back to her, pulling her tightly into his arms.
“Come on, baby,” he said, drawing her close to his body for heat. “Let’s get you out of here.”
She looked at him, her eyes glistening.
“You didn’t have to agree with him to keep your job or get your promotion,” she told him, the words almost sticking in her throat. “I know I’ve been a royal pain in the culo since you started on this detail.”
He stared down at her, his eyes a strange and beautiful color as he searched her face.
“You have no idea how scared I was that I had lost you,” he murmured. “All I could think was that if he had killed you, I’d never be able to do this again.” He leaned down and whispered his lips over hers, reveling in the feel of having her in his grasp again. Then he deepened the kiss, taking ownership of her mouth and crushing her body to his.
“Besides, I think you need to be taught a lesson about the proper way to treat your detail,” he growled roughly into her ear.
“Well, you can always try…” she taunted with a smile tugging at her lips. “But you’d have to catch me first.”
“There’s my pain in the ass,” he sighed, kissing the top of her head. She allowed herself to relax against him, knowing that she was exactly where she had always needed to be; safe, understood, and loved.
Breaking the Law
Can a "good-girl" cop arrest this notorious mafia boss?
Undercover detective Andrea Benito is roped into an FBI investigation. They need her help to collar mafia kingpin Marco Sardelli; her missing cousin’s ex-boyfriend - and there's nothing Andrea would like better than to nail this criminal.
Andrea has every intention of putting him behind bars and throwing away the key – until the mafia bad boy rescues her from an attempted assault.
After working her way into his world and seeing another side of the bad boy, Andrea's torn - is he evil, or not?
Just when she hardens her resolve and makes a vow to her missing cousin to bring him in, the chemistry between the pair explodes, and what started out as a takedown, is in danger of becoming a ‘take-me-down…please’.
Can Andrea go against everything she believes in and fall in love with this criminal? Or will Marco show her another side to himself – one that’s both dangerous… and right?
Breaking
The Law
By Chloe Fischer
Copyright © 2018 Chloe Fischer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Thank you for buying an authorized copy of this book and complying with copyright laws.
This is a work of fiction. Resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental.
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Love, Chloe
Prologue
What the hell are you looking at? She almost rolled her eyes, but she stoically held back as she weaved through the precinct, pretending not to notice the stares.
She continued to make her way through the maze of desks toward her unkempt c
orner, balancing a coffee in one hand, a stack of files in the other, and a pencil clenched between her teeth as she pretended not to notice the gawking of the other members in the pen.
It was annoyingly common for Andrea to be stared at like this throughout the day.
Unbeknownst to her, she was a shockingly beautiful woman, with a sweeping mane of inky black hair and long lashed blue eyes, two attributes she managed to keep downplayed most of the time.
Her figure was lean and athletic, but she had been blessed with a squeezable rear end, and drool-worthy curves. Andrea always thought these attributes were a curse, but other women told her she was crazy. “Use what you’ve been given, girl!” was a comment she heard often from her friends, but Andrea tried her hardest to hide these “assets”. Working as a detective and being stunningly attractive were not compatible in her book. She wanted to be seen as a professional – not gorgeous or manipulative.
Add to all of that, that she was the only female in an overwhelmingly male dominated profession, and you had plenty of staring going on.
And of course, they all tried to be the first to get her in the sack. At first, it had been almost unbearable, with co-workers coming on to her subtly, and then when that wasn’t successful, trying to cajole or tease her into playing their games.
Did they really think she would fall for that kind of juvenile behavior? Children.
That particular day was no different, although there seemed to be a charge in the air, something she couldn’t quite identify.
Dammit, if someone left another naked wanker come-on note on my desk again, I’m going to put all their goddamn profiles on Craigslist.
Her glasses were slipping over the bridge of her nose but between the files and the burning liquid filling the cup in her palm, she had little choice but to let them slide along the elegant curve uncomfortably.
MAFIA BOSSES - The Box Set: An Enemies to Lovers Trilogy Page 11