by Kiera Silver
MERGER
A Just Business Mafia Romance
Kiera Silver
Calamity Jane Publishing
Contents
About This Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Sneak Peek: NEGOTIATION
Sneak Peek: ACQUISITION
Sneak Peek: HOSTILE TAKEOVER
Also by Kiera Silver
Copyright © 2017 by Kiera Silver
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
About This Book
It’s like a fairytale when Larenz rescues Grace from a bad situation in Mexico. He sweeps her off her feet and into marriage within a week. It’s only after the wedding that she discovers her husband has more in common with Machiavelli than Prince Charming. The ruthless mobster deliberately targeted her as a bargaining chip to use against her father, who is heading up an investigation into the Moretti family’s mafia ties. Their relationship is a merger, not a marriage. He believes Grace is sweet and subservient. He actually thinks she won’t give him any trouble at all.
Her new husband has another thing coming.
Negotiation, Acquisition and Merger are part of the Just Business Mafia Romance series. They may be read as standalones, but reading all in order will enhance your enjoyment. All include super hot sex, no cheating and a happily-ever-after.
Chapter One
Larenz looked through the crush of people, barely hiding a grimace at the club décor here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Whoever owned the place had clearly been going for an edgy and exotic look, but had instead achieved something that looked more like a dystopian novel had thrown up all over a dingy nightclub. It wasn’t the kind of place he would ever frequent, and it was nowhere near the level of sophistication that his own club, Boulevard 3, offered its patrons. But he wasn’t there to dance or mingle.
In less than a minute, he found his quarry, the sole reason he had ventured into the club after the man he had tailing Grace Faulkner had called with the location of where she and her friends had ended up.
As he navigated his way through the crowd, he examined the young woman standing with her back to him a few feet away. She looked different from the mousy little girl in the pictures that had been attached to the file that his men had put together for him. Most of those photos had come from school activities and the occasional school picture.
This girl was clearly no longer in school. As she turned to the side, he caught his breath at the sight of her body displayed by a too-tight, too-short black dress. It did nothing to hide any of Grace Faulkner’s assets, and he felt a stirring of anger at the idea of her blatantly displaying her body. She belonged to him, and though she didn’t know it yet, she would soon enough. When she understood her new role, he would make sure she never wore anything like that again.
Right now, he had to focus on the plan, and he made eye contact with Javier, a local contractor he’d hired to help him find and follow Grace Faulkner. He was about to give the signal for Javier to initiate the plan, which was to have the other man aggressively hit on Grace before Larenz came to her rescue. As he glanced her way again, he realized the fiction might not be necessary. There was a man standing near Grace, far too close for Larenz’s liking.
Judging by the expression on her sweetly rounded face, he was too close for her liking too. She looked irritated and fearful, and though he couldn’t see where the man’s hands were, he could discern they weren’t in a place where Grace wanted them to be. Acting on instinct and abandoning the script, he waved off Javier as he strode forward just in time to hear her voice for the first time.
“Let go of me, Paul. You’re drunk.”
“And you aren’t drunk enough yet, Grace.” The young man giggled as though he’d made a hysterical joke.
She scowled at him. “What would Chrissy think about you trying to paw me?”
Paul shrugged, looking unconcerned. “I doubt she’ll know. She took off to the bathroom with Britney and Tiffany, which means they’re probably in there snorting coke.”
Grace’s eyes widened in shock. “No way. They aren’t that stupid.”
Paul chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe how stupid that trio can be. We have plenty of time if they’re doing what I think they’re doing.” With that, Paul angled his body to push her against the wall. Grace had already clearly pressed herself back as far she could, and as Paul’s head descended, she turned hers and pushed her palms against his chest in an attempt to wiggle free.
Larenz was surprised by the surge of possessiveness that swept through him at the young man trying to grope Grace. He hadn’t anticipated any kind of reaction, and certainly nothing like that. He’d expected to play a role and seduce young Grace into falling head-over-heels for him, but there was no acting involved when he strode forward and lifted Paul off his feet by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away from Grace.
“Don’t touch her.”
The young man stumbled as Larenz set him down roughly. He glared at Larenz, but didn’t make eye contact. From the subtle drop of his shoulders and change in posture, it was evident that Paul had realized Larenz was the alpha dog in the situation. That didn’t mean he planned to give in easily. “Who the hell do you think you are, man?”
“She told you to let go of her.”
Paul glared at him. “So? What business is it of yours?
Larenz glared back, allowing his disgust to show. “I don’t like watching you manhandle an innocent young woman.”
The young man laughed. “Innocent? Hell, she probably is, and I’d be doing her a favor by busting her cherry.”
The last word had barely escaped his mouth when Larenz lost control of his temper. Paul’s nose made a sickening crunching sound under Larenz’s fist. Paul slumped to the floor, cradling his face and moaning.
“Paul!” The shrill screech came from the mouth of a tall blonde woman, flanked by two identically dressed brunettes. The trio rushed towards the man who was sprawled on the floor as fast as their ridiculously high heels would allow. The one who had spoken knelt beside the fallen Paul and rubbed his shoulder in a consoling fashion before glaring up at Larenz.
“What the fuck is the matter with you, old guy? You shouldn’t even be here.”
His lips twitched, but he managed to hide his amusement. She had him there. He was clearly a decade too old to be in this rat hole, but he ignored the question. “I take it that’s your boyfriend, Chrissy?”
Her eyes widened as he identified her. “How do you know my name?”
“I overheard it when your friend over here was reminding Paul that you probably wouldn’t like it that he was trying to feel her up.”
Paul groaned again, though it was difficult to tell if it was from the pain in his nose or from Larenz’s words.
Chrissy turned her gaze to Grace, anger sparkling in her eyes. “You were trying to seduce Paul while I was in the bathroom? That’s a really shitty thing to do.”
Larenz started to defend the girl, but she surprised him by stepping forward, hands on her hips. From what he had read about her, he had expected her to be a timid, quiet thing huddling in the corner. That was why he’d come up with the plan involving Javier, because he’d expected her to need a rescuer.
�
��I wasn’t trying to do anything with Paul, except get him to leave me alone. I even reminded him that you’re his girlfriend, and you wouldn’t like him trying to touch me. I didn’t do anything wrong here, Chrissy.”
“I clearly did.” Chrissy sniffed at her. “Britney and Tiffany were right. I never should have invited you along on this trip. I wouldn’t have bothered if your mother hadn’t called mine and asked for a favor. You might be a legacy, but that’s the only reason you’re a part of our sorority.”
Grace shrugged. “It’s not like I ever wanted to be part of your sorority anyway. I was only doing it to please my mom.”
Paul was trying to get his feet, and Chrissy was distracted in the process by trying to help him. Larenz barely hid a smirk when she started to sway on her too-high heels as he put too much weight on her. She squealed and cried out for her backup blondes, and the three of them somehow managed to lift the inebriated young man, who was still streaming blood from his nose, to his feet.
“You should clear out of here now,” said Larenz. “I imagine the club owners will have called the police by now.”
Chrissy didn’t even look at him, but she did pause to glare at Grace. “Don’t bother coming back to the hotel room. You won’t be welcome there.”
“That’s fine,” said Grace, glaring at the other woman until they had disappeared through the crowd. When they were no longer in sight, her shoulders suddenly drooped, and fear was obvious in her expression.
“Thank you for stepping in.” She gave him a small smile and then turned away from him, but Larenz wasn’t done with her yet. He stepped back into her line-of-sight, forcing her to look at him. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged again. “No really. Aside from my passport and my money, everything that I brought on this trip is in that room. I don’t have enough cash to book another hotel room, so I guess I’ll just have to head back to the states early.” Her eyes widened, and she let out a small groan. “Except that the tickets are nonrefundable. Crap, I guess I’ll have to call my father.” She looked as though she dreaded the idea of making that call.
Larenz made a note of that reaction, filing it away for future use. “I’m sure he just wants you to be safe.”
She nodded. “I’m sure he does, but he’s going to be pissed off when he finds out I flew off to Mexico for spring break with my friends… Not that they were much of the friend variety. I knew this whole thing was a bad idea, but I just…” She trailed off, looking forlorn.
“Just what?” he prompted gently when she remained silent.
Grace leaned her head back, causing her shining brown hair to tumble down her back. He had a sudden urge to run his fingers through it, which was bewildering. He hadn’t expected to feel any sort of attraction to the young woman whom he had targeted. He’d expected to have to go through the motions and think of another woman when trying to get hard for Grace, so it was a shock to find out she was having an unexpected effect on him and his libido.
“I guess I just wanted to fit in for once.”
He found a stir of pity for her, which was also surprising. He wasn’t a man that was often swayed by the suffering or emotions of others. “What’s the worst he’ll do? Curse and shout a bit? I’m sure he’ll send you a ticket home anyway.”
Her lips tightened. “I’m sure he will, but then he’ll just use this against me too. He likes to think I’m young and naïve, which I clearly am, but Dad will use this as another excuse to smother me.” She let out a long sigh. “Still, I guess there’s no alternative.”
He forced his expression to look sympathetic, though he was gloating inside. “I guess it’s best to get it over with then, but if you need a ride, I can give you one.”
She gave him a smile, and it his heart thumped a little faster in his chest. Forcing his expression to remain neutral and not reveal a bit of what he was unexpectedly feeling inside.
Conflicted.
That was the only word for it. For just a moment, he entertained doubts about his plans before shoving aside the uncertainty. There was no other course of action available to him, and he had to proceed as planned, not just for himself, but to protect his family.
She opened her purse and let out another groan of exasperation. “Dammit, I left my phone in the hotel room. This ridiculous little purse wasn’t big enough to hold my money and my passport, along with lipstick and a phone. Knowing those vindictive little cunts, they’ll have destroyed all my stuff before I can ever get it back.”
He let out a surprised laugh at her unexpected curse, not having expected such a sweet-faced young girl to have the mouth of a long-haul trucker. “Come on, Grace. Let’s get out of here, and you can use the phone in my car.”
She gave him a strange look. “You don’t have a cell phone?”
He made a production of patting his pockets. “It was either bring that or my lipstick, so of course I had to bring the lipstick.” He grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes, though there was still a hint of uncertainty in her gaze despite her laughter. “I’m sure there’s a payphone or something around here. Maybe.” She looked uncertain.
He shrugged, as though he wasn’t invested in her decision. “Probably so, but I imagine you’ll need change for it. Do you have change?”
At that moment, a hulking behemoth approached them. With coppery brown skin, dark black hair, and a mustache that would have made Yosemite Sam swoon with envy, he was an intimidating sight. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Grace, sparing only a small glance for Larenz. “You need to settle your bar tab. Your friends tore out of here, and someone has to pay.”
She gasped softly. “How much?”
Larenz saw her shoulders slump when the large man gave her the bill. From the looks of the total, they must have all been drinking top-shelf liquor.
The chivalrous thing to do would have been to step in and offer to settle the debt, but he held back. He needed Grace vulnerable and open to help in other ways, and allowing her to deplete her cash to cover her friends’ bar bill was a step in the right direction. He squashed down a hint of guilt as he watched while she opened her purse and sorted out the money, paying in US dollars.
The big man took the money and counted it, and then he scowled at her. “What, no tip?”
He barely held in a chuckle as she gritted her teeth and peeled off another ten-dollar bill from her rapidly dwindling roll of money and handed it over to the large man. The bouncer tucked it into his pocket along with the other money, looking satisfied as he made his way to the bar.
Grace was clearly feeling defeated, so Larenz seized the moment and put his hand on her arm to lead her through the crowd and out in to the night air. He breathed in a lungful of fresh air, noticing she did the same before she sank to the curb, looking glum. Now was the time to offer to help.
First, he held out a handkerchief, which was a holdover from years of his father’s instruction to always have one on hand in case a lady needed to dry her tears. Over the years, he’d used it far more times to wipe blood off of his knuckles, but he couldn’t deny it was a handy item to keep with him.
She took it from him with a small smile that wobbled a bit around the edges. He expected her to burst into tears, but after a moment, her expression cleared. “If you don’t mind, I think I will take you up on that ride. I don’t really have money for a taxi now, and the bus system, if they have one, would probably be incomprehensible to me. I don’t read or speak Spanish, and I can barely understand the bus schedules back home.”
He nodded. “Of course. Where may I take you?”
She bit her lip as she opened her purse again, clearly counting the money she had left. She looked up at him. “Do you know if there’s a hostel or something in the neighborhood? I need to find somewhere to stay tonight, because I doubt my father can get me home before tomorrow.”
“I know a place you can stay for free.”
She looked interested, but wary. “Really?”
He nodded. �
�You can stay with me.”
She was already shaking her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t possibly impose.”
He bent down and grabbed her arm gently, pulling her to her feet. “You’re not imposing. I have a suite at the Regal Cordova, and there’s a second bedroom that no one’s using. You’re welcome to it tonight.”
She bit her lip, clearly torn between common sense, which would urge any young woman to regard such an offer skeptically, and desperation, obviously feeling backed into a corner. She shook her head again. “Really, I can’t. It’s very sweet of you to offer, but…”
He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I understand your hesitation, but I can’t leave you like this. My sister is only a couple of years older than you, and the idea of her being in such a spot gives me chills.” That much was true. The idea of someone targeting Sophia for the purposes he had in mind for Grace did make his blood run cold. A new spark of guilt tried to flare to life, but he smothered it before it could. It was for Sophia, and all the other people in his life that he cared about, that he was doing this. “If you want, I can let you call her and verify for yourself that I’m telling you the truth.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “Why would your sister want to make you look bad? She’s not going to tell me the truth.”
He laughed, amused and surprised by her spunk. “No, not Sophia. She’s too opinionated to lie about something like that.”
She shook her head. “I’m sure it won’t be necessary to call your sister for references. If you’re certain I won’t be in your way, I would appreciate the room just for tonight.”
He inclined his head. “I’m certain, and thank you.”
She frowned at him. “Why are you thanking me? Shouldn’t that be the other way around?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps, but this way I don’t have to worry about the young American girl I ran across in the Mexican Riviera, wondering if she made it home safely or fell into dangerous hands.”