Dangerous Flames (Mafia Hearts)

by Ely, Wendy

  “Mik?” She turned away from him again.

  Did she have more revelations? If so, he wanted to hear every single one.

  “I love you too.”

  Mikolas kissed her cheek and in a matter of minutes, she was asleep in his arms. He followed right behind her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mikolas held the gun straight out as the bullet whizzed into the guy’s chest like a savage beast, soaking his white wife-beater in bright red blood. It was his first kill and it amazed him how such a small piece of lead could rip someone apart.

  Tucking the gun back in his pocket, he turned to leave, but there she stood. Piercing blue eyes, a mound of light blond curls that made her look like an angel, and a nightgown reaching her small feet.

  “What’s wrong with my daddy?”

  Panic filled Mik. His hands shook as the severity of the situation crashed down on him. He’d checked out this hit thoroughly before coming here. The Mark was supposed to be alone tonight and he didn’t know how to answer the little girl’s question. Was there someone else here too?

  “Where’s your mommy?”

  The little girl kept her teary eyes on her dead father. “At work, so I’m with my dad.” Tears welled up in her eyes and quickly spilled down her freckled cheeks.

  “Is there anyone else here?” He walked over to the little girl and got down on one knee.

  Mik felt his tense body shake back and forth.

  “Mikolas?” Gabi’s voice broke through the dark haze of the dream.

  His stomach hurt as he rolled the images from his dream through his mind again.

  “Mik! You’re hurting me.”

  He snapped his eyes open to realize his arm was still around Gabi’s waist, squeezing her tight. Bile rose in his throat as his stomach twisted in knots. He jumped from the bed and ran through the dark to the bathroom, reaching the toilet just as his last meal erupted from his gut. Right as he finished, Gabi’s soft touch slid over his bare back.

  “Are you okay?”

  He shook his head, embarrassed that the dream had pushed him to this point and Gabi had been there to see. “It was worse this time.” The memory had never played itself to that point before. Each time the recollection visited his dreams, it seemed like it was happening in real time. The feeling of his finger on the trigger, the smell of blood in his nose, and the power washing through him came back to him. And those terror-filled eyes? The flashback made him vomit again.

  Once he knew he was finished, he turned toward Gabi. “I’m so sorry you had to see this. It’s never been this bad. I don’t know why the degree of the nightmare has changed.” Glad to have water still, he turned the tap on to rinse the foul taste out of his mouth.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked as they walked back to the bedroom.

  “I want to forget it.”

  She crawled on the bed. “How can I help you?”

  “Make love to me,” he whispered as he joined her under the comforter. Her gentle touch and the curves of her body were the only thing he could think of that would help tonight. He pressed his lips against hers, waiting for her to say no as he’d done only a few hours before.

  Instead of protesting, her fingers made a trail over his bare hip and then up his back, sending chills through him. His dick stood at attention when her tongue slid between his parted lips. Burning desire pushed away the coldness of his memories. He pushed her tanktop up to feel her breasts pressed against him. He’d wanted her for so long he didn’t want to take it slow. But he wanted to satisfy her in every way possible. He tore his lips from her swollen ones to move to the curve of her neck.

  After suckling her skin for a moment and feeling her turn to mush under his mouth, he moved down to her bare shoulder. He wondered how wet he made her, but if he slowly touched the soft, warm folds of her womanhood, he’d want to rush to lovemaking. Take it slow, he ordered himself, and wrapped his mouth around her hard nipple.

  She gasped for breath, arched her back, and moaned his name, turning him on even more. His erection throbbed in his pants, threatening to explode. Mikolas had fantasized about being with Gabi so many times but had never believed he’d actually be able to have her, yet here she was, slipping her hand down the front of his pants. He shuddered as she gently squeezed his shaft.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “Now.”

  “Not yet.” He traced his tongue over her lips until she parted hers to take him inside but only for a minute. She pulled away and slid out from underneath him and gently pushed him against the pillows.

  He watched as she pulled his pants down, revealing his rock hard erection. A smile played on her lips as desire matching his own swam in her dark brown eyes. She slid off her own shorts and tossed them to the side of the bed. In only her thong now, she stretched her leg over him and positioned herself over his erection to where it would rub her clit as she rocked back and forth over his rod.

  “Oh my God, Mik,” she moaned. He hadn’t even pushed inside of her yet but could already feel her wet heat drawing him closer.

  “Take me in, Gabi,” he begged. “Please.”

  It only took one shift of her hips and his erection slid right in, filling her with everything he had to offer.

  ****

  The snow slushed under the tires and pelted against the windshield. The sides of the roads were covered in perfect snow. The trees looked like some sort of picture off a holiday card. Enrico would have loved the scenery if he was into that sappy shit. Which he wasn’t.

  He wanted to be up at the mountain to get the goods unloaded. His fingers found the butt of his gun sticking out of the waistband of his pants. The small item made a world of difference to the insecurities gnawing at his brain.

  Pushing his palm against one eye and then the other, he tried forcing the fatigue away. He leaned his head back against the seat, glad he wasn’t driving, so he could close his eyes. If Leon had been the one driving, he’d be able to nap part of the way but no. Everything had to get all fucked up for him. He glared at Rif, who kept his eyes on the road, and wondered why on earth Enrico had let the guy be made into the Family. It seemed like things were getting worse with the guy. Was it Rif who had the hit out on Enrico?

  Enrico let his eyes absorb the sight of Rif, looking for some sign of betrayal… or anything out of the ordinary. But the guy just stared at the road, trying to maneuver the van over the snow covered road. After a few minutes, Rif glanced at Enrico.

  “Is everything okay?” Rif asked. His gaze snapped back to the road. The van swerved a bit. He turned the wheel to get it straight again.

  “Everything’s fine. Slippery, eh?” He cocked his head toward the window.

  “Sure is. You think we’ll make it all the way up there?” Rif asked.

  He didn’t know. The roads were slick and it was obvious Rif worked hard in driving through the messy roads. It was taking a lot longer than Enrico had expected and if he had any brains, he would order Rif to turn around and then wait for Leon to get out of the hospital. Waiting for Leon would eliminate Rif from knowing the vault’s location. But he had a sense about things. His gut told him to make it up to the vault. Once they made it into the small town of Logan, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way.

  “We’re approaching the town. Do you want to stop?” asked Rif as they drove passed the ‘Welcome to Logan’ sign. A few houses dotted the landscape among the thinned trees. The snow was still deep, but Rif maneuvered the van along the road’s edges a bit better here.

  “I’d like to stop for a minute,” Dom said from the backseat.

  “We’re going straight through Logan. You guys can wait until we get up to the cabin.” They had to since they were only about ten minutes away… maybe fifteen at the most.

  “But I-” Dom started to say.

  “Enough. I said to go straight through.”

  The two men stopped whining like babies as they passed through the small town. Enrico pointed to the turn off leading them
farther up into the mountains.

  The snow was deeper again with more falling flakes drifting down. Rif switched the windshield wipers on, making a swish sound through the otherwise quiet van. Flashing blue and red lights pulled up behind them. The three men sat up straight in their seats.

  “Fuck.” Enrico slid his gun down into the compartment on the passenger side of the door.

  “Should I just run?” Rif asked, slowly pushing his foot down on the accelerator.

  “Stop the van.”

  Rif snapped his attention to Enrico, making the van swerve. “We’re going to get caught. Do you realize what we have in the back?”

  “Stop the fuckin’ van. Now!” Damn it, why did the only sheriff in town have to pull up behind them? And why had he made two of the biggest pussys part of his Family?

  “I don’t want to go to jail, Enrico.”

  “Rif!”

  “Fine,” Rif mumbled as he slowed the van to a stop. The lights continued to flash as the tall man with a brown wide-rimmed hat climbed out of the car and trudged through the snow.

  Rif rolled the window down as the sheriff approached. The badge on his coat read “Sheriff Stuart”. He bent down to look in the window. “Good evening. Where are you headed?”

  Rif pointed in the direction of the cabin. “Just up the road a bit. We‘re on a vacation from the wives, if you know what I mean?” Rif forced a laugh.

  Sheriff Stuart shifted his gaze to look at Dom sitting in the back. “These roads are closed. All of those cabins have been evacuated.”

  “We’ll be careful, sir.”

  “I can’t let you up there.” The sheriff shook his head in reply. His arms crossed over his meaty chest. They didn’t need any trouble with this wanna-be-hard-ass small town cop.

  Enrico glanced out the window and then back to the Sheriff. “Is there some place to stay? Weather’s too bad to turn back for home.”

  Pointing toward the road, he said, “Right up there. I’ll lead the way.” The sheriff climbed back in his car, flipping the lights off. They flipped in the opposite direction before they followed the sheriff down the road.

  “What the hell are we doing?” Dom asked, leaning between the two front seats. He pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.

  “Going to a motel. If they’ve evacuated the mountain there’ll be no way we can get this thing up there.” Enrico patted the dash of the van. “We’ll rest up and then head out the first chance we get.”

  ****

  Gabrielle had opened the curtains to take a peek outside to find the snow had finally stopped falling. It brought a smile to her lips but also a tiny ping of ache in her heart. When the snow melted, they’d be able to go down the road to get out of there. She wasn’t sure how exactly they’d be together, but the knowing they would be brought a smile to her lips and made her heart swell.

  His footsteps approached her from behind, but she didn’t turn around. The morning outside was too beautiful, she didn’t want to break the peacefulness of it. His arms went around her waist, giving her the chance to snuggle against his chest.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

  “What?” she had to be dreaming. She turned to look at him. “What did you say?”

  He chuckled but shifted his weight. “I said I love you.”

  “I thought I might’ve been dreaming of you telling me that last night.” Her headed rested on his shoulder as his fingers on his right hand trailed up the bottom of her sweatshirt, sending goose bumps over her bare skin.

  She’d heard him claim he loved her the night before, but the words hadn’t seemed real until now, standing on the porch while staring out at the beautiful scenery. He really loved her. The idea was so foreign but exhilarating, sending all of the questions in her mind on hyper-speed.

  She didn’t want to leave all that she loved in Vegas. Not her boutique, not her parents, not her home. But she couldn’t return now. Surely, her father wasn’t going to approve since he didn’t want her involved with the mob life. She forced herself in by kidnapping his hitman and wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t realize there would be repercussions for the stunt she’d pulled.

  “I’ve loved you for so long, and I’m surprised nobody figured it out before now, especially you,” he said, his soothing voice yanking her from her worries.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I needed to hide it.”

  She looked back up at him and smiled. “You did a good job. And for the record, I had a crush on you before I went away to school.”

  He sighed. “I want to be with you, Gabrielle. I don’t want to spend another night without you.”

  “Really, Mik?” Her breath caught in her throat as the butterflies swarmed around in her stomach. “Because I want that too.”

  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I mean it, Gabi. There’s a problem with that though. A problem we need to talk about.”

  She knew it was too good to be true. “What?” She pulled from Mik’s embrace and turned to face him, leaning against the railing. Her arms crossed protectively over her breasts as she stared into his eyes.

  “I never told you how I felt because of your father. He told me long ago that I’m not allowed to have any sort of relationship with you. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you here, but, hell.” He paced the length of the porch, raking his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. I really don’t think you plan on leaving Vegas forever. If you’re with me, you will have to. No contact with any of our friends or family.”

  Panic rushed over her and collided with anger. Her father had prevented Mik from being with her? How could he have done that and why would Mikolas ever let him if the love he had for her was so strong? “What will he do when he finds out about us?”

  “You don’t know?” He faced her, his hands balled into fists, but there was something in his eyes she had never seen before—anger and hatred building together.

  She shook her head. “No, but I have a feeling you do.”

  He tore his gaze from hers and looked at something off in the distance. “He’ll kill me.”

  She gasped. “I can’t lose you again, Mik. I just can’t.” She rushed to him, threw her arms around him, and leaned against his chest.

  His warmth gave her hope and strength to deal with the issue at hand. How had she been able to make it without this man by her side? She wouldn’t even consider the idea of giving him up. Being with him was right.

  “I’ll go wherever you want, so we can be together.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “But we can’t have any contact with your family. He’ll hunt me down.”

  Her heart quickened. He would really give it all up for her? He had more at stake in Vegas than she did.

  He tipped her face up to look deep into her eyes. “I mentioned the packed bags at my house when we first left, right? I was going to ask you to leave with me. You beat me to it.”

  “I…” Her eyes widened. “Wow.” Gabrielle had wanted to be part of the Family and Mikolas had served as an open door to a career in the Mafia. In the past few days, her goal had changed. She could have Mik now.

  Mik pulled away. “We’ll find the money and get to town. Surely somebody’ll want to sale a car there. It will only be a matter of time until we are out of here.”

  Her pulse raced with hope. “You’re really going to help me with the search?”

  He took her hand in his. “Yep. I want you to have the best possible life away from the Mafia. Now let’s go find that money.”

  “Do you have any clues to where we should look? Have you heard anything that might help us?”

  Shaking his head, he said, “Only that the place is referred to as the vault.”

  They scurried through the house, looking in every drawer, cupboard, and closet. Mik cross-checked every spot Gabrielle had originally searched while she did the same for him, not wanting to miss the money’s hiding spot.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gabrielle s
tood outside with the Glock aimed at the empty coffee can she’d found while searching the side of the house. She pulled the hammer back and pulled the trigger. PING! PING! PING! She hit the target. Having such good aim on a gun she’s never used should be giving her a thrill. But it wasn’t.

  She wanted the money and to get the hell out of the cabin before someone decided to join her and Mik. Doing a job for her father had seemed like something interesting to try. Now those ideas had cleared, leaving her with no more false misrepresentations or shimmering appeal. Those men, even her father, were ruthless criminals. Fear ripped at her stomach at the thought of the possibility of Mikolas returning to Vegas and would continue to do so until they were both safely away. She couldn’t live without Mik’s love. Having the decision made felt like a house had been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled as she shot the gun again.

  The front door of the cabin opened and then shut behind her. His heavy footsteps pounded against the porch and then the stairs. She tried to focus on the target but anticipation swarmed over her as his presence came closer. Gabrielle refused to break her concentration. She closed one eye, and held the other’s gaze on her target. His presence made her breath catch in her throat.

  “Trying out my Glock?” He came up behind her, his chest against her back, his breath on her neck.

  Shivers shot through her like a bullet, but she tightened her grip on the gun and kept her eye on the target. “Yes,” she whispered over the rumble of hunger in her stomach. “I needed a break from searching. After another round, I’ll make us some dinner.”

  “I’m not worried about food right now.” He pressed his lips against the curve of her neck before asking, “You’re first time shooting one of these?”

  Her breath came out in a rush as desire crashed through her, making her nipples pucker against the fabric of her bra. “Yes.”

  “How does it feel in your hands?” he whispered in her ear.