The Rossi Crime Family: The Complete Five Book Mafia Series

by J. L. Beck

  I keep blinking as if to make sure I’m not imagining this. It takes a minute for what she just said to sink in. “Pregnant? Like a baby?” My words are shaky.

  “Yes.” She chuckles. “Pregnant, as in you are having a baby. I know you’re young and you might be overwhelmed by all of this right now, but trust me, you are going to be fine.”

  “Of course she’ll be fine.” Hero takes my small hand in both of his larger ones and makes me turn to him. “Elyse, you’ll be more than fine. You’ll be the best mother the world has ever seen, and I’ll try my fucking hardest to be the best father I can be. I’ll always take care of you and our baby. Always.”

  Tears start to fall from my eyes. I can’t even come up with the words I want to describe this moment. My heart is so full of love, it might explode.

  I smile. Of course Hero will take care of me and our baby.

  I love him, and he loves me. After all we’ve been through, whatever happens from here on out, he’ll always be…

  My hero.

  Epilogue

  Hero

  3 Months Later

  I cradled her small bump in my hands. I’d never considered becoming a father with my upbringing, but I had pushed all that aside, knowing I had to be whatever I could for Elyse and our unborn baby.

  Since the moment we left the hospital, Elyse was in my care. She went to her classes, and Tasha eventually warmed up to me. I apologized to her for my behavior, and after seeing me take care of Elyse, she started to come around more often. In the end, she had the best interests for Elyse, but that didn’t mean I liked her snubbing her nose at me.

  Elyse’s parents tried to contact her one more time after we got home from the hospital. I answered her phone and told them she was pregnant. He mom hung up and we haven't heard from them since. Hopefully, we won’t hear from them ever again.

  I had refused to let Elyse go back to doing tutoring sessions. Her safety was my biggest priority, and I couldn’t have her sitting with some random guy in a room by herself for an hour, even more so now that she was pregnant.

  I didn't think it was possible, but ever since I found out she was carrying our child, my obsession to keep her safe, keep them safe, has grown out of control. I’m even more possessive, terrified of someone hurting her, taking her. She doesn’t seem to mind, though—which is good. I cannot rein in those feelings, not after all she’s endured.

  “Do you have any names you like?” Her voice sounds as sweet as honey.

  I love hearing her talk. She could be reading the grocery list and I wouldn’t give a fuck. I just want to hear her talk. “If it’s a girl, I would like to name her Isabelle. That was my mother’s name.”

  “Isabelle,” she repeats, like she’s trying it out. “I like it. What if it’s a boy?”

  “How about Dragon Slayer?” I grin at her.

  Elyse’s giggle fills the bedroom. “How about Isabelle if it’s a girl, and if it’s a boy, I pick a name. I hate to say it, but it’s not going to be anything even remotely close to Dragon Slayer.”

  I nod. “That sounds good to me. Now, how about I go get you some ice cream?”

  “I’m not in the mood for ice cream.”

  “No? Pickles then? Wait, pickles and peanut butter again?” I’ve always thought people made up the myth of pregnant women having these crazy cravings. Turns out, they didn’t. Elyse has eaten some of the weirdest shit I have ever heard of.

  “Nope, I’m in the mood for something else. You.” Her small body moves on top of mine, straddling me.

  Fuck. My cock responds immediately, as if it’s in tune with every single word she says.

  Until Elyse got pregnant, I wasn’t even aware of increased libido being a pregnancy symptom. But now, I’m very familiar with that symptom and all too happy to bend to her needs.

  The grind of her sweet pussy against my rock-hard dick pulls me from my thoughts. Her pussy is always dripping with need, ready whenever I want her. If there weren’t any clothes between us, I would have already slipped deep inside her tight hole. I let her move like that for a short time, watching her through hooded eyes, her perky breasts spilling out of the top of her bra. She is beautiful, and I crave her body like it’s my next fucking hit.

  Having had enough of this torture, I roll us over so she’s on her back.

  She looks up at me with adoration and love.

  God, my chest fucking tightens, my stomach knotting. I’ll never get over the way she looks at me. Like I’m her entire world or something…

  Cupping her cheek, I lean into her, making sure I don’t squish her growing stomach. I make quick work of her sleep shorts and toss them over my shoulder behind me.

  Her legs spread apart, giving me access to her glistening wet center. I groan, my eyes roaming over the sweet honey that drips from her tight entrance. I lift my gaze back up to her and see her nibbling on her bottom lip.

  She looks like a little fucking siren—tempting and teasing me in the way only she can. “I love you,” she nearly whispers.

  I pull away for a second to free myself of my shorts. “I love you too, baby. More than anything.” Using one arm, I hold my weight and fist my throbbing cock in my hand. My chest fills with air as I press my hips close to her center, my thickness sliding smoothly into her warm depths.

  She moans out in pleasure, her cerulean blue eyes full of desire.

  I still inside her for a moment, relishing in the way she tightens around me, the way her pussy claims me like it’s meant for me and only me. “You feel like heaven,” I hiss out, pulling out an inch before I thrust back in. My forehead rests against hers, and our pants of pleasure mingle together as I fuck her slowly. I claim her over and over again with each thrust.

  She meets me thrust for thrust, her hips pushing up. “Hero,” my name falls from her lips like a plea.

  I up my pace just a little more, my cock bottoming out inside her. With one hand on her hip to hold her in place, I swivel my hips just as I reach the back of her channel. The pierced tip of my cock hits her sweet spot every time. After a few more thrusts, her tiny nails are sink into my flesh as her breaths become ragged. Her pussy pulsates around me, strangling the ever-loving life out of me.

  “Oh god...oh god…” she cries out.

  I smile, pressing a hard kiss to her lips before I up my pace once more. I’m fucking her hard, but not hard enough.

  Her eyes flutter open and stare into mine.

  I’m barely holding myself together, the need to drive into her nearly overtaking me. “I need to fuck you harder, but I don’t want to hurt the baby…” This is something I’ve dealt with over the last three months. Feelings overtake me without warning and make me feel like a little boy unsure of what to do.

  “You know you won’t. I trust you, Hero. I love you,” Elyse rasps, her hand cupping my cheek.

  She’s looking at me like I make the sun rise and fall, and I know I won’t let her down. Gritting my teeth, I stare into her eyes, my eyes watching for any pain in her features as I increase my pace.

  When I see nothing but desire, love, and understanding, I enter her harder. I will never understand how she can have so much trust in me. She trusts and believes in me when no one else does, when no one else ever did—not even myself.

  I drive into her as deep and fast as I can. Watching her come apart beneath me again sends me headfirst into my own release.

  It starts with a tingle in my spine that spreads throughout my entire body in seconds. It sets every single fiber in my body on fire and makes every muscle lock up before allowing the tension to release. My chest heaves, and my grip on Elyse tightens. I never want to leave the confines of her pussy.

  I’m sent to heaven and back, my body slowly floating back down to earth and into the arms of an angel—my angel.

  “You’re my hero, and you’ll be our baby’s hero someday too.”

  Elyse’s voice touches something inside me. Her words snap me in two, the contents of my heart spilling out, pulsing li
ke a wound that won’t stop bleeding. I take her tiny hand and press it against my erratic heartbeat. Her fingers splay against my skin, the warmth of my body seeping right into hers.

  I stare deeply into her eyes as I say the next set of words. “I vow to always protect you, cherish you, and be the man you need me to be. I’ll always love and support you, and I’ll do whatever I can to make you and our baby happy. We might have met by accident, but I’m convicted to a lifetime sentence.”

  Tears fall from Elyse’s eyes, her head nodding in understanding. “I know—I’ve known all along.”

  And all over again, she reminds me of the belief she’s always had in me.

  Chapter One

  Keira

  I stare at my brother's lifeless body on the floor of my apartment. I know what I need to do next, but I can’t move. My feet remain cemented to the floor, my brown eyes moving over the scene before me. There is blood…so much blood.

  I bite into my bottom lip hard—hard enough to draw my own blood. I won’t scream. I can’t. Leo told me if someone ever came for him, I was to go to a man, one of his friends, and he would protect me, but I can’t remember his name.

  My stomach rolls, bile rising into my throat. I place a hand over my mouth to stop the impending vomit.

  My brother is dead.

  My chest tightens; my hands fist at my sides. My brother is dead. Actually dead. We joked about this moment many, many times, but looking down at his lifeless body, his vacant stare, I know this isn’t a joke.

  Start moving, a little voice inside my head says.

  I look at the message the bastards left on my fridge. The sticky note shakes in my hands as I read the words over and over.

  I’ll be back for you.

  I shiver involuntarily. I need to find the man my brother wanted me to go to. I have a feeling he’s the only one who can protect me now.

  With unsteady hands, I pull my phone out and go to my emergency information. I created a small doc simply for this very thing. Leo had only given me a name and address, saying it would be enough.

  But how can I show up on someone's doorstep with this kind of thing? Leo said the person would understand—they’d know why I was there—but I didn’t believe that…not one bit. Too afraid to go into my bedroom or even stand inside the kitchen another minute, I walk out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

  Tears fall from my eyes, staining my cheeks. I have never felt so much pain and confusion all at once. My lungs seem to deflate, refusing to fill no matter how many breaths I take.

  I make it two steps down the stairs when I hear voices coming from the level below me. I spot two guys talking, both with accents—Russian maybe. I’m not concerned until the words meet my ears.

  “The boss said he wants the sister for himself, so don’t fuck her up too bad.” The men are big and burly, way bigger than me, and definitely stronger. If they get their hands on me, I’m as good as gone.

  Move, Kiera! My brother's voice fills my head as I try to stop the tensing of my muscles. I have to get out of here. If they catch me…I shove the thought away before it takes root.

  As soft as my feet allow, I tiptoe backward, away from the staircase. I slip my shoes off and start walking up the stairs in my socks. Staying close to the outside, I make sure they can’t see me if they decide to look up through the middle of the stairs.

  With my lip caught between my teeth, I hold in the scream that wants to rip from my throat. Fear consumes me, my muscles remain rigid, but I continue onward. I walk all the way to the top floor and take the emergency stairwell down.

  I’ll be safe, hidden from their gazes—a secret passing through. My entire body shakes as I take the steps two at a time, my eyes passing over my shoulder every few seconds, causing me to trip. Landing against the railing, it digs into my ribs. I need to pay better attention or I'm going to get caught.

  I sigh in relief when I make it down the stairs. I am only in my first year of college. I’m supposed to be partying, hanging out with other people my age, not discovering my dead brother's body, or running away from two monsters who want to drag me back to their boss. The image of being attacked by one of them flickers in my mind.

  No. I will myself to calm down. I’m right there, hanging on the very edge of losing control. I want to cry, scream, yell, but I know none of those things will happen. Pushing through the back doors of the apartment complex, I run down the street, my backpack still resting heavily against my back.

  I sprint down the street and hide behind a group of trees before I decide to stop and catch my breath. My little legs do nothing to help me when it comes to running. I pull out my cell phone and enter the address into the map.

  A little icon pops up on the screen, confirming it works. I sag against the tree, waiting for it to load.

  Would they track my phone? Who are they to my brother? Dozens of questions rattle off inside my head. I didn’t even say goodbye to him. My gaze drops down to my phone. The map finally loaded.

  Fear pumps through my veins. Hopefully, whoever I’m going to see will know more than I do. Otherwise, I’m screwed.

  The idea of being caught by those sinister men makes me move faster. My map pinpoints the location to somewhere called Night Shift.

  After walking for what seems like forever, I arrive at the building, my eyes gliding over it. I clench my jaw in anger.

  It’s a strip club.

  There’s a sign plastered to the front window.

  NOW HIRING: BEST STRIPPERS IN THE AREA.

  My mouth goes dry. Why did my brother send me to a strip club? This has be some kind of sick joke…a chance for him to get back at me after death? Shivering, I grow afraid of the idea of going inside. Who am I asking for, and what if they tell me to leave? I wrap my arms around myself as a cold breeze blows through me.

  Go inside, the same voice from earlier demands. I know I’m slightly unhinged, even more so because I’m hearing things inside my head, but it’s my body’s warning—my body’s way of making me do something I don’t want to because I’m too scared.

  Dragging my feet across the concrete, I grip the metal door, the cold of it making all the warmth inside me dissipate.

  I open the first door, and then a second, my feet moving on their own. I’m shaking like a damn leaf in the wind. I want to rewind time and go back to this morning when my brother was alive and joking with me.

  When my feet stop moving, I realize I am at the bar. The inside isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There is a huge stage with a large seating area centered around it on the far side of the room, and a long hallway off to the left.

  “If you’re looking for the boss, he’s in his office.”

  I lick my lips nervously, swallowing some of the fear down.

  “Which way?” I barely get the words out. The women in front of me eyes me curiously, her hazel eyes piercing mine. She looks to be ten years older than me, her face all dolled up with makeup. Her curvy body with hardly any clothing on it. Her breasts all but falling out of her top, and the shirt—if you could even call it one—only covers half her stomach.

  If she wore a bathing suit, it would have covered more skin.

  “Down the hall that way.” She hooks a thumb in the direction of the hallway off to the left. “Follow it until the very end and turn left. You’ll see a big man standing outside his office, that’s how you’ll know you made it.” The mystery woman smiles warmly.

  My legs quiver as I head off, fear of the unknown slithering up my spine. I don’t know what I’m walking into. From the looks of the place, women are nothing more than objects, and I don’t want to be an object, not for anyone. I don’t even want to be looked at, let alone touched.

  Again, I question why my brother sent me here.

  Walking down the dimly lit hall, I pass numerous wooden doors. A couple moans and screams have me scurrying faster, my feet slipping all over the floor. When I make it to the end of the hall, I turn left and stop. There’s a door directl
y in front of me, but no man standing outside it.

  Am I in the right spot?

  I trace the engraved letters on the door.

  DAMON ROSSI.

  I blink slowly. Below his name is one single word:

  BOSS.

  My stomach churns, and I press my hand against the door more firmly to hold myself up. I’m going to pass out. I know it. Today has pushed me beyond my limits. I’m scared out of my mind and have nowhere else to go. I guess I could go back home and be killed—or worse, caught by those bastards. Or…I could get my shit together, walk inside the office, and find out who Damon Rossi is to my brother. Taking a calming breath, I grab the brass knob and turn it slowly, then hold my breath as I push the door open. A low creaking sound emits from the damn thing. I exhale a moment later and poke my head inside.

  I can’t help but feel like a rabbit caught in a snare. Like something bad is about to happen.

  My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. It’s like I’m an intruder, but I force myself to stay put. My brother wouldn’t have sent me here if he didn’t think I’d be safe, right? The fact that I need to find out who Damon is pushes me onward. I let my backpack slide off my shoulder, and deposit it onto the chair in front of the desk.

  My fingers trail against the mahogany wood, and I walk around the room. There’s a manliness about this place.

  It’s dark and sinister, and smells of tobacco and whiskey. Files lay on his desk with girls’ names written on the front of each folder. I open one out of pure curiosity, and gasp, closing it quickly when I see the picture of a naked woman in a very provocative position.

  My gaze drops to a drawer under the desk. I know I shouldn’t be snooping, and I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I feel the need to search...for something...anything. I reach for the handle, but when I try to pull it open, I realize it’s locked.

  Looking around the room in disappointment, I realize there’s nothing else for me to find in here. Walking back around the desk, I’m about to sit down on the couch when I feel the air shift around me.