by B. B. Hamel
Chaos and blood and destruction. It all happened around us as we remained tucked and low, keeping ourselves out of the crossfire. Arturo’s men continued shooting, but they were doomed. Arturo assumed that we’d come out in force, but instead we were smart, and that was why we were going to win.
It took maybe five minutes for the shots to finally subside. After it was over, there was a deep, eerie silence over the area. I could hear a man nearby groaning in pain as his life slowly drained out of him.
Wyatt stood up first, a gun in his hands. He helped me slowly to my feet as the smoke began to softly billow about, clearing as the wind picked up. We pulled off our masks and surveyed the damage.
Arturo’s men were all dead. The tires in the trucks were shot out. Blood was splattered everywhere, bodies torn to pieces by high-powered rifles. I saw Ernesto pinned up against the hood of a truck, moaning. He looked up as Wyatt put a bullet in his skull, ending his misery.
It was glorious and it was terrible. It was exactly as we planned it.
My father was huddled on the ground, his eyes wide with horror. Not a single bullet had touched him, although he was splattered with the blood of his men. Wyatt and I walked over to him as he dropped back onto his ass, his knees tucked into his chest.
“It’s over,” I said to him.
“It’s never over,” he whispered. “I always win.”
“Not this time, Arturo,” Wyatt said. “Surrender.”
His eyes flashed. “Never.”
Wyatt smiled. I loved him so much. “Good,” he said, and drew a long knife from his belt.
I drew out my knife. Arturo’s eyes went wide with horror.
“No,” he said.
“Yes,” I answered.
I drove my knife into his side. He screamed in pain. I tore it back out, slick with blood.
Wyatt pushed him back and then plunged his knife into Arturo’s chest. Arturo screamed, blood gurgling in his throat. Wyatt pulled his knife out. I stabbed downward, aiming for the heart. I pierced his chest bone and felt the knife enter into Arturo’s beating muscle.
It went still. His scream choked in his throat. He slowly went limp, blood streaming from his lifeless corpse.
I stumbled backward, dropping my knife. Wyatt dropped his, grabbing me into his arms.
“It’s over,” he said.
I nodded, pressing myself against his chest.
My father lay at our feet, his blood slowly draining into the sandy soil.
Wyatt took my chin and kissed me hard. I kissed him back, my mind racing, but my heart steady. I was in love and I had won.
That was all that mattered. I was in love and I had won. Together, we were going to take the city from my father. There was nobody left to oppose us. The mafia would break into pieces as it tore itself apart, and I would swoop in and take control.
Wyatt planned all of this from the start. His idea was simple: we needed to kill Arturo. The rest of the mob would fall once he was gone. Getting him alone was the hard part, but we got there eventually. We used some of our old tricks, and of course they worked again. Arturo was too proud to plan for anything he didn’t think of himself.
I held Wyatt hard, kissing him, letting his love flow into me. We were going to run this city together, and nobody could stop us. We’d send Arturo’s mangled body back to his people and let them fight over his scraps. The knives were a message to anyone that wanted to oppose us.
We were brutal and we were strong.
Most of all, we were in love.
Wyatt was my king, and I was his to do with whatever he chose. I knew that I had made the right choice. I could hear voices around us as Kasia and the others entered the clearing, but I didn’t care.
All I wanted was to kiss the man that I needed, the man that helped me win this impossible war. He was mine and I was his.
The city would bow down before our love.
33
Louisa
Four Years Later
For the first time in a very, very long time, I felt like I was home.
The breeze was cool on my skin as I sat out on the balcony, Chicago spreading out below me. I could see cars snaking down along the streets, but just barely. The baby monitor was on beside me, and I could just barely make out the soft breaths of Evie as she slept. She was a gray blob on the monitor’s screen, and I smiled to myself.
The sliding glass door to our apartment opened up. “You okay out here?”
I looked up and Lucas smiled at me.
“Great, thanks.”
He stepped out onto the balcony and walked over to the railing, leaning against it. My brother was a tall, handsome man, and he’d grown so much over the last few years.
“Saw Wyatt on TV earlier,” he said.
“Did you now?”
“Gave some speech about crime.”
I laughed. “Ironic?”
“Ironic,” he agreed. “You know, seeing as he puts in with gangsters.”
“Married one and made a little gangster baby with her, too.”
Lucas grinned at me. “Letting Evie into the family business?”
“Maybe,” I said, shrugging. “We’ll have to see what she wants.”
“Good answer. Arturo never asked us what we wanted.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Do you ever wonder what things would be like if you hadn’t killed him?”
“No,” I said. “Never.”
He smiled softly and nodded. “Good. Sometimes I worry that haunts you, but I’m glad it doesn’t. That asshole isn’t worth a second thought.”
“I don’t have any,” I said.
“The Anatoli brothers were asking about you last night.”
“How are those idiots?”
“Doing well for themselves, actually.”
“I’m surprise you haven’t knocked them off yet.”
“Give it time.” He laughed, shaking his head. “It’s a different world now.”
It really was a different world.
Chicago was at peace. For the first time in a long time, the city wasn’t being torn apart by gang wars. The Russians were being quiet, the Chinese were keeping to themselves, and Lucas was running his men as fairly as he could.
All because the Spiders kept them all in check.
When my father died, the Barone family mafia was torn to pieces. As soon as his heart stopped beating, they were done for. My brother picked up where Arturo left off, but too many people refused to follow him. We squashed them one at a time, until my brother had control of what was once the Barone Crime Family.
I took half of his territory, adding to my own. We then turned to the Russians and beat them back until they begged for mercy. We split half their territory.
The Chinese didn’t need to be threatened. They offered peace immediately and with good terms, so we accepted.
That took two years. It was two years of hard fighting, but in the end I came out on top. Lucas knew who the real power in the city was, but he didn’t seem to mind. He got decent territory and respect, but everything had to come through me and my people.
And Wyatt. Everything I did was funneled through him as well, because I couldn’t have gotten where I was without him. He was the best advisor I could have hoped for, although things got a little crazy toward the end there.
“It’s a better world,” I said.
“Peaceful, that’s for sure.”
“Helps having the mayor of the city on our side.”
He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, that sure does.”
I stretched. “Speaking of my husband, where is he?”
“Should be coming home soon, I think.” Lucas stood. “I should get going.”
“Okay. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Any time.”
I stood and he kissed my cheek. I never thought my big brother would end up helping me babysit, but there he was. The hardened, badass gangster and son of Arturo Barone was a big softie these days, and I loved it.
&n
bsp; He waved as he headed back inside. I followed him in, grabbing the baby monitor as I drifted into the apartment that I shared with Wyatt.
It was clean, modern, and beautiful. Of course, I had nothing to do with decorating any of it, since I was way too busy for that. Wyatt had hired a team of people, and they had done a great job.
The only thing that was mine was the huge workstation in the corner. It was my battle rig, my enormous computer system. I smiled as I walked over to it, running my fingers over the computer’s brushed metal case.
I didn’t need to hack anymore. I had plenty of people that could do that for me. But still nothing made me feel more relaxed than moving through cyberspace, breaking into systems and causing havoc wherever I went. It was still a huge rush, although I hadn’t done much with it since Evie was born.
I glanced at the monitor, and she was sleeping soundly still. I smiled to myself.
I never thought I’d be a mother. I knew I’d be a mobster, but that never scared me. When I found out that I was pregnant the night that Wyatt won the mayoral election, I was horrified and elated all at once.
Wyatt never hesitated when I told him. He wrapped his arms around me and let out a loud whoop of excitement, and suddenly things seemed okay.
Every once in awhile, I looked at Evie and wondered what the heck I was going to do. But I was a mother, and I was going to figure it out. I couldn’t do anything else, because I loved that little girl.
Just then, the front door to the apartment opened. Wyatt stepped inside, wearing his best suit, followed by Ethan.
“And send a note to Joanie,” he said. “Make sure she doesn’t try any funny shit.”
“Got it,” Ethan said, writing it down. He turned and left the apartment as Wyatt swept inside, dropping his jacket on the table.
“You’re back,” I said.
He noticed me and a huge smile broke out across his face. I felt a thrill run through me.
The Mayor of Chicago loved me, and I could see it in his eyes every time he saw me. They lit up, bright and excited. He walked across the room and kissed me softly on the lips.
“I’m home,” he said.
“Lucas was just here.”
“I saw him on the way up.”
“Good. He helped out with Evie.”
“Good man, that Lucas.” He kissed me again, wrapping his arms around me.
I felt safe and secure there, and I rested my head on his chest. There was so much that we still had to do, so many problems that needed solving, still so much violence in our city to defeat. But when he was around and I was in his arms, none of that mattered. He made me feel good, made my body feel incredible, and every day was better than the next.
We owned the city. He was the mayor, and I was his queen. I ran the underground, and he ran the politics. Together, we controlled everything, and we were slowly shaping the world into what we wanted.
Human trafficking was outlawed. Some men still dared to attempt it, but they were quickly destroyed by my Spiders. Meanwhile, Wyatt was stamping out crime as much as he could, or at least the crime we didn’t agree with.
“Come on, I want to see my daughter.”
“Just be quiet,” I said. “She’s asleep.”
“I’m always quiet.” I followed him back to the nursery. We slowly peered inside at Evie’s sleeping form.
Wyatt took my hand, holding it firmly in his. I stared up his him as he stared at Evie, his admiration and love so clear, the same look he had when he looked at me.
I stood there in the doorway with him and never wanted to leave. This was how things were meant to be, me and Wyatt and our baby against the world. We were on top, and we were slowly moving upwards.
There was nothing else, and everything else. It didn’t matter what we did, so long as we did it all together. I’d never leave his man’s side, and I knew he’d never leave mine.
My husband, my love, my bay girl’s father. He was everything to me. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.
“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go enjoy some peace and quiet.”
“Okay,” I said as we moved back into the living room together.
“What do you feel like doing?” he asked.
“Surprise me.”
He smiled. “Okay, then.”
It didn’t matter what we did or where we went, so long as we did it together, it was the best thing in the world.
Finally, for the first time in my life, with Wyatt and my baby girl, I was home. I was truly, truly home, and I was going nowhere.
We were together, always together, and I was the happiest I’d ever been, and always would be.
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Want more sexy alphas and hot sports romances? Try Long: A Secret Baby Sports Romance!
I’m having that cocky jock’s baby, but he won’t have me.
Gibson Evans is the best college football quarterback in the country. He’s tall, broad, tattooed, and so incredibly handsome.
And he got me pregnant. It was supposed to be just one night, but a broken condom changed all of our plans forever.
People treat him like a hero, but I think he’s a total prick. Gibson gets whatever he wants, and now suddenly he wants me.
But I have enough to deal with. I have to stop daydreaming about his hands between my thighs and concentrate on having this baby while still managing to graduate on time.
He wants to make a deal. If I promise to spend time with him, he’ll help me with my final biology research. That means an entire semester of studying Gibson’s body.
I’m not sure I can do this. One second I can’t stand to be around him, and the next I’m touching his ripped muscles and trying to suppress my excitement.
I’m terrified he’ll ruin everything if I let this become more than just work.
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Love badass alpha mobsters? Try Bastard’s Baby, another exciting installment in the Barone Crime Family series!
I had that bastard’s baby and now I need his help.
Vince Mori is my enemy. He’s an infamous Italian mobster, all ripped muscles and dangerous tattoos. He’s a cocky a**hole, and for just one night that was exactly what I was looking for. He was a wild ride, a way to rebel against my strict family.
And he doesn’t know that he’s the father of my baby.
I’m the daughter of one of the most feared Russian mob bosses in the city. When I give birth to my baby boy Alexei, my father wants to tear my child away from me.
I won’t let that happen. They may be my family, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my baby.
The Russians are at war with the Italians, but I know Vince is my only chance. When I run away from home and ask him for help, I’m risking my life to save my son.
Vince is everything I’m supposed to hate, but secretly can’t get enough of. He’s only interested in teasing me mercilessly with his dirty mouth and frustrating grin.
Now I’m trapped in the Italian mob’s mansion, living next door to my baby’s father. I need their protection, but the war is escalating faster every day.
If the cocky jerk Vince Mori can’t learn what it means to be a father, I might be totally screwed.
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Cocked: A Mafia Stepbrother Romance
Prologue: Lacey
The door is locked. It’s always locked when he’s around.
I can’t remember anymore who I was trying to keep out. The people chasing after us, or him, my dangerous stepbrother. They want to cut our throats and leave us for dead, or at least that’s what he says. I don’t know what I believe anymore.
The last time I saw him, he was a thief, a criminal, famous in our town for being good at cards and boosting cars. His smile could melt diamonds, and his body was ripped and smooth. Our parents may have been dating, but he was as different from me as possible.
Now though, now I don’t know what he is. The smile is still there, the body is still there, but there’s a new weight to him, a new darkness. He doesn’t seem like the same man that left us all those years ago.
We thought he was dead. I wanted him to stay a memory, a dream. I wanted him to be nothing but the empty ache in my chest.
Instead, he was dangerous, so much more dangerous. I was on fire around him, and he knew it.
But I hated him. Hated him so much for what he was doing to our family.
Late at night, the scratchy hotel sheets keeping me awake, I could hear him breathing. I could practically hear him laughing.
“We can push these beds together,” he whispered in the darkness. “You can give in to me.”
Never, I thought to myself.
“I know what you want. You want me to touch your skin, make you feel things you’d forgotten about.”
I could see him, wearing only a tight pair of black boxer briefs, standing against the wall. His eyes practically glowed in the dark. His ripped, lean muscles stood out black and white in the night. His gun rested on the nightstand, easily within reach, cocked and ready.