Though I was terrified, I accepted this. Of course I would need to be present; it was the only way to make this look authentic. I didn’t know what more would need to be done on my part, but those questions were soon answered.
The plan was this. We would ride out, as planned. I would go along with whatever Alec said, and go to his side, as if it were true that I was turning coat from Nero. I didn’t know how good of an actress I would be, but I only needed enough time and to be close enough to distract Alec so that Nero could shoot him. The thought of being a part of a murder should have terrified me, but in a way I found relief. This whole ordeal would be over soon. My father would be released, I would never have to deal with the Lorenzo’s again. The only thing that I worried about was the fact that with the Lorenzo leader gone, what would bind myself to Nero?
Only time would tell.
I clung to Nero from the back of his bike. We zipped along the backroads, heading to the warehouse that would serve as neutral ground for Nero and Alec’s meeting. I had never been on the back of a bike before, and perhaps in another setting, it would have been thrilling or even exciting. Rather, I kept my eyes closed, pressing my face into Nero’s back as we rode. Honestly, I just wanted all of this to be over. My stomach was in knots.
When we got the warehouse, the Lorenzo’s were already there. They had three cars parked out front, with Alec and his small party standing out and waiting for us. He gave me a deep smile as we stood across from each other. There was a silence, before Alec spoke.
“Elizabeth, darling. So good to see you again. Come here.”
I swallowed. There was the urge to look back at Nero, for confirmation. But that would just make Alec suspicious. I did as told, walking forward.
“What are you doing?” Nero asked behind me, bluffing apprehension.
“You can’t have possibly thought after everything that you made her go through, that she would actually remain on your side now, would you? That you would mean more to her than her father? Come on now, boy. I know you’re not that dumb.”
I hated the way that he spoke to Nero. Down to him, like a child. I said nothing though, and tried to keep my anger off my face as I came to stand beside Alec. His arm came across my shoulder, pulling me close to his body.
“What’s this about?” Nero asked. He eyed between Alec and I, a narrowed look at Alec’s arm over me before settling his glare on Alec.
“A set-up,” Alec said. “A ruse. Your girl was in it with me, to save her stupid gambling father and to give me what I wanted. Your life in exchange for freedom. I just needed a meeting with you; we’ve avoided this face-to-face for so long, but now I’ve got you across from me. You have to know that this will end in a fight.”
Nero smirked.
“Do I?”
Suddenly, the two men with Alec pulled out guns. Instead of pulling them on Nero, however, they pointed them to where Alec and I stood. My eyes widened; had this been a part of the plan, too? I didn’t have time to think about it fully before Alec jerked me in front of him, his own gun out, and pressed to my temple.
“You lying little bitch,” he said, though he was oddly not angry; he sounded amused. “No matter. You’re not going to proceed if her life is in danger, are you? I doubt it. Put them down or her life is my retribution and I will have it one way or another today.”
It all happened so fast. One moment, the gun was at my head, my life flashing before my eyes. The next, one of the men beside us had knocked Alec to the side. The sound of a gun went off, and then another. I fell to the ground, covering my head. I didn’t know if I’d been shot. I didn’t know if Alec had been shot. I felt numb, aside from the heavy pounding in my ears that made my head feel like it was going to explode.
I had never felt a fear like that. The gripping kind that had me thinking that maybe today was my last on earth. There was shouting all around, and I thought that I had heard someone call my name. I couldn’t raise my head though – wouldn’t – too afraid to face whatever was waiting for me. I didn’t even notice the tears flowing down my face until I felt them drip down along my chin, and when I did they came out like a waterfall, wetting everything in their path.
Let it be over, just please, let it be over.
I don’t know how long it was. It felt like years and years, like my whole life had existed in that one moment. Boots crunched against the gravel towards me, but still I didn’t look up.
“Hey, Elizabeth. It’s alright. Come on. It’s all over.”
I peeked up to see Nero looking down at me. I sighed, the sound of relief coming out of me easily. I practically launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around him. I didn’t even pay attention to the now-dead body of Alec Lorenzo, bleeding out on the ground beside me.
“I thought the worst. I thought he was going to shoot me, or kill you. I thought –”
My words were silenced as Nero kissed me, sweeter than anything he’d ever given me since I’d come to him. I melted into it easily, clinging to him. The realization that I was alive, and he was alive, that we were free of Alec Lorenzo’s influence and yet still he poured such emotion into his kiss…
I nuzzled my nose against his when he pulled away.
“I’m glad you’re alright,” I said to him.
“Me too,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you.
After that, word spread quickly of Alec Lorenzo’s death. Most of his men either ransacked his place for valuables, or left town in fear of being next. There was no such retaliation, at least not on Nero’s part; he was done with all of that business; he’d only been trying to keep himself alive. We retrieved my father, who’d been kept at a Lorenzo safe house. Slowly, steadily, the pieces began to fall together.
It was a month after the death of Alec Lorenzo that Nero and I really had time alone. I had gone to Ray’s, deciding to speak with him in the back. He seemed prepared for me, though a bit nervous. To be fair, I was nervous, too.
I sat across from him, like I had all that time ago. I folded my hands in my lap.
“Nero—”
“Stay with me,” he blurted out. I looked at him, puzzled.
“What?”
“Whatever your’ about to say, forget it. I don’t care how we met, or what happened during, or what you were supposed to come to me for. Stay with me. You’re more to me than what this started out as. I know I’m not the idea man you’d have chosen. But Alec is dead. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. You don’t have to pay your father’s debts. All I want in life now is for you to stay with me. I don’t need the bar. I don’t even need the women; I haven’t had another one since I realized I wanted you. So please. Stay with me.”
I smiled.
“Okay.”
Five is a Good Number
Nero
The sound of small feet running on wood had become routine. Fresh-cooked breakfast first thing in the morning, coffee brewing and tea steeping. Things I had only ever thought I would be able to have in my dreams, were reality.
We moved not too long after we got together, officially, Elizabeth and I. I gave run of the bar and the boy for Adrien; he liked all that excitement more than I did, anyway. They were sad to see me go, but I had more important things to think about, and the prospect of a new life ahead of me to look forward to.
It was unconventional, what Elizabeth and I had. But really, when had anything in my life ever been conventional? From my childhood to my adulthood, to meeting Elizabeth. I had lost my way… lost sight of what I knew I wanted in my life, forced to live what my father had left behind. Elizabeth changed that.
We sat on our front porch together. We had a huge front yard, big enough for the kids to play. Kaya, the oldest, Jay, the middle, and Emery the youngest – at least for now. They all ran around the yard, Kaya with her pigtails flowing wildly behind her as the younger two chased her. They were the cops, and she the robber, apparently. It was their favorite iteration of tag and neither Elizabeth or I were inclined t
o make them stop.
“They’re getting so big,” she said beside me. For a moment I thought she was just referring to the three out in the yard, yelling and playing like the world was theirs. I looked over to her, seeing her hands rested on her swollen stomach. Oh. She meant those ones. I smiled.
I reached over, placing my hand over hers as they rested over our growing children in her womb. Twins, this time, and I had said to her wryly that I had always known that five would be my number – hadn’t mattered how the five had come about. They often left her worn out, and tired, but oh so happy as she thought about bringing another set of our children into the world.
It couldn’t have made me happier, either.
“It’s just a few months now, isn’t it?”
“Thank God. I feel like I’m already ready to burst. They kick like they’re trying to punt a football, only I’m the only thing they’re managing to hit.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“Remember how bad Kaya was when she started to kick? You swore it was the worst.”
“Because she always managed to get me while I was trying to sleep, and she was an unrelenting baby.”
We sat, we reminisced. There wasn’t the bustle of the city or the smog of bar smoke. There wasn’t the threat of debts of mafia leaders out to kill. We had what we had always wanted – a family, a simply life, and someone to love deeply.
Monster
~Bonus Story~
A New Adult Mafia Romance
Joe Roman is not the type of man you would want to mess with.
He is tall, sexy, charming, charismatic, and dangerous—all the things that make him absolutely irresistible to ladies. And a nightmare for the men he is hired to hunt.
For the past several years Joe has been an enforcer for the Carliss Crime Family and he is the best. Just the sound of his name makes many men tremble, because if he has been assigned to you then you are about to get hurt.
On a routine job to collect a drug dealer’s debt Joe meets Alicia Watson. She is absolutely stunning—tall, curvy, sexy, and tough. Exactly the type of woman that Joe has been waiting for his whole life.
When Alicia witnesses a mob hit she becomes a target. And when Joe fails to do his duty and kill her then he is also numero uno on the mob’s hit list.
But Joe is not the kind of man to go down without a fight. As the manhunt for the elusive couple escalates Joe and Alicia begin to discover that sometimes the only thing that can triumph over the threat of absolute evil is absolute love.
Will their love be strong enough to keep them alive?
* * *
Chapter 1
Joe Roman stepped out of the shower and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t help but admire what he saw. He was six feet two, broad shouldered, with rugged muscles that were part genetic and part weight lifting. He wasn’t a gym rat, but he worked out a few times a week to keep in shape. That combined with a few dangerous looking tattoos on his upper arms and back left him with an intimidating presence. That was the whole idea. He loved the ink and he loved to stay physical and lift weights, but a big part of it was that he loved to be feared. It was important in his line of work.
Since he was eighteen years old he had been an enforcer for the Carliss Crime family. It was something he had fallen into when a friend of his asked him if he wanted a job. It was a simple carrier job at first, but there were a few times when he had to get physical and hurt some people to finish the job. He didn’t hesitate for a second and with his large build and strength it was easy for him to do. The family decided that they liked the way he handled himself and by the time he was twenty he was their number one enforcer.
It was not exactly the job he thought he would have when he was a kid, but it was something he was good at and enjoyed. He was also paid very well for it. He had made almost a half a million dollars last year. Not bad for a twenty-two year old high school dropout.
He finished drying off, watching the water trickle off his tanned muscles. He was not really that vain, but occasionally even he had to admire his physique. He sure as hell wouldn’t want to fight himself. He was a bit of a beast.
But a sexy beast. Since as long as he could remember women had always been drawn to him. He had that combination of physical presence, a tough, rugged demeanor, and he really did not give a shit. That was the key, he had always thought. If a woman was not interested in him then he had no reason to waste any time on her.
Luckily for him Carla was not one of those.
She was still in bed, half asleep. He had picked her up at the Mosh Pit, his favorite bar that he frequented after a long day of work a few times a week. She was new, but the other girls had not doubt told her about his reputation because the second he sat down to have a few drinks she was all over him.
An hour later he was giving her the sex of her life. He thought she might put him deaf with her screams of pleasure. He had to laugh about it. When it came to women he was a hit it and quit it kind of guy. It was just the code he lived by. All of his life he had been a lone wolf and he preferred it that way.
He never really knew his family; Joe had grown up in the foster system where he had to learn to be tough. The world would hit you and beat you down if you didn’t strike it back twice as hard and do it fast. That was something he’d had to learn very quickly. He had been left on the door of the orphanage when he was two years old, had no idea to this day why his family had given him up, and he had decided long ago that he didn’t give a shit. If they didn’t want him than he didn’t need them.
Joe supposed he still carried around that same attitude. He had grown up in a different world and he often felt at odds with the normal world around him. So forming connections with people or God forbid, falling in love, was pretty much laughable to him.
But he loved women. Since he’d lost his virginity to another girl at the orphanage when he was eleven—she was fourteen—he had discovered his passion in life. He loved to be with women and there had been several times when he found himself starting to feel more than he wanted to for a woman. He knew that he was capable of feeling love, but that with his lifestyle it just did not mesh. Falling in love in his line of work and getting too in touch with you inner feelings would get you killed in a heartbeat. He had to stay cold.
“Hey, get up,” Joe said as he finished getting dressed in his usual attire of a tight black T-shirt, ripped jeans, leather vest, and biker boots.
Carla stirred sleepily.
“Hey, I have to go. So get dressed,” Joe said again giving her a light smack on the ass. “Hurry up.”
“Ok, I’m going,” Carla said as she rolled out of bed and grabbed her jeans off the floor.
Joe took one final approving look at her sexy body as she got dressed. She was amazing in the sack and he thought he might be tempted to give her another ride sometime soon.
He kissed her quickly and squeezed her tight ass after leading her down the hall to the front door. He watched as she hopped in her bike and drove out of sight.
A second later Joe closed the door and locked it. His beautiful Harley Davidson was waiting for him in his driveway. He loved that bike; it was so sexy and cool. He’d fallen in love with it the moment he laid eyes on it. It was his baby.
He smiled to a few of the housewives who were kissing their husbands goodbye as they left to go to some boring office job. He had entertained the idea of sleeping with a few of the hotter looking ones, and they had come on to him plenty, but it was essential that he keep a low profile, which was why he had a middle class house in a middle class suburb.
He did not often bring women to his own house, but last night he was a bit drunk and he just figured why not. It was not something he was inclined to repeat often. He preferred it if most people did not know where he lived.
As he rode away he took a look at some of the houses in his neighborhood and thought about some of the families that lived there. At times he envied some of these boring guys, even if they did spend all th
eir days as accountants, attorneys, and small business owners. They had families who loved them. Sometimes Joe liked to entertain the idea. Maybe if he ever got out of this line of work he might settle down with something like that, but this was not really the kind of job you retired from unless you were dead. The Mafia did not let people go; you were a liability the moment you started working for them. If they asked you to work for them and you said no then they would kill you anyway just because you already knew too much.
The traffic was pretty typical for a Wednesday morning as Joe rode to the other side of town. He knew the city better than just about anybody around, and he knew exactly when and where traffic would be bad and how to miss it. Nobody knew the city the way he did. It was another requirement of the trade.
His mind kept drifting back to Carla as he pulled onto 29th Street. She was sexy, sweet, and had a great mind. She was only bartending while she paid her way through nursing school. He knew she would be a great nurse; she definitely had the brains for it. And her body would be rockin’ in that uniform that was for sure.
He pulled up to the small, suburban house and shut off the engine. Joe took several deep breaths to get into character. His first order of business for the day was to collect a payment from Luis Perez. Luis Perez owed the family a lot of money from some gambling debts that he was in no position to pay. He had a big payment to make today or Joe was going to have to beat his ass and take whatever he had with him. This was his final warning. Luis should have considered himself lucky that he had already received one warning last week.
Joe rang the doorbell, glancing around to make sure no one was watching him. He was wearing his hat and sunglasses, which helped to camouflage his identity and they made him look even more intimidating. The hat was a jet black, straw cowboy hat with a threatening looking skull on the front of it that really completed his outlaw look. Combining that with the leather jacket that he always kept in his bike and he was ready to go.
Bad, Very Bad Shifters- The Complete Mega Bundle Page 92