The Syndicates: A Dark Mafia Romance Collection

by Raven Scott

  Lucy was the most important.

  “Do you like Spanish pop?” Nodding slightly, Lucy closed her eyes again, and I elbowed away the shower head to massage conditioner into her long, golden strands. “Do you know Spanish as a language?”

  “Not really. Do you?” Humming an affirmative, I started tugging and twirling her hair around my fingers, and she groaned softly. “That feels good.”

  “Good.” There was nothing— nothing to say, to think, to feel. There was just this wholeness. That gaping hole inside me had been filled. The emptiness of the past few months were forgotten. The loneliness, it never crept up on me late at night. “I knew I shouldn’t have pushed you away, but what if it was a fluke? What if we only cared about each other because we were locked in a room for a week, and I had to protect you, and you had to watch me get tortured? But it only got worse, Lucy. I got so bad. I told myself if I ever saw you again under a normal circumstance, I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. You know, I came here because I thought I should once in my life. That’s kinda the direction my life has been going, just doing all the standard stuff, and when there was nothing left.”

  “Mateo.” I ran my fingers through Lucy’s blonde hair, dark from the water, and the smoothness and ease sent shocks up my arm. My chest throbbed, and I inhaled sharply to bluster a shaky, unstable sigh.

  “I knew when it was happening that it was a mistake, but I had to know for sure that it wasn’t the circumstances that drew us together. Seeing you downstairs, I was so fucking mad. There was no way that wasn’t deliberate. Who the fuck makes someone look like that on their wedding day? And everyone laughed at you when it was so obvious how upset you were. And that bitch!” Hissing through clenched teeth as my anger swamped my veins with renewed heat, I breathed fire through my nose. “That bitch spit on you. I’d fucking kill her if I could still get away with it.”

  “That was pretty bad, even for her, yeah. But you know what, Mateo? She paid for this trip, so . . . Seth and I didn’t plan a honeymoon, even though my mom tried. He has classes and court, so he convinced her to let it go.” Lucy smiled slightly, a true humor tilting her thick lips, and blood drummed in my ears for a few furious beats of my heart. “You punched her real good, though. That was really sweet.”

  “You’re really sweet.” I downright grinned when Lucy huffed a laugh, and I turned off the water to gingerly ring out her elbow-length locks. “I need to wash off my time surfing, but my suitcase is under the bed. You can put something on.”

  “I’m in just my panties, and you don’t even care?” Surprise lilted her tone as I stood up, and Lucy sat straight as I gazed down at her. Even now, with her nakedness pointed out, all I saw was her face as it washed in confusion. “Why would I put clothes on?”

  “Lucy, please. There’s absolutely zero chance of me getting it up right now. I do care— I’m just too tired to do anything about it. Besides . . . ” Her eyes widened, and I reached to cup her chin and brush away a stray droplet of water. “Just looking at your face is enough for me right now.”

  16

  Lucy

  Gazing at Mateo’s peaceful expression, I smoothed the crease between his brows with my thumb, but he was out cold. A bomb could go off, and he wouldn’t wake up; when he said he was tired, he meant spiritually, in his soul, he was tired. Caressing the sharp line of his jaw, I ruffled his light scuff, and all the chaos beyond this hotel room didn’t exist.

  Every so often, there was some yelling and some stomping, but no one knew I was in here because, obviously, this was Mateo’s room. I traced the lines of his face, down his nose and around his eyes, with trembling fingers, and I took deep breaths of his smell to imbed it in my lungs. His t-shirt was so soft on my skin, and the thick hairs on his legs tickled mine.

  It was so nice . . . so peaceful.

  I understood. Mateo didn’t have to explain, but I understood how he could think what he did and why he chose to do what he had. Now, everything was so crystal clear. I was so glad I’d come to Hawaii, because we wouldn’t ever have just bumped into each other in Tennessee. It was a pipe dream that got flushed down the toilet before I’d even brought it up at the hospital. He would’ve never set foot in Tennessee, let alone Jackson, let alone showed up on my doorstep.

  Tiredness weighed down my lids, but I couldn’t stop looking at him. I couldn’t stop hearing his beautiful baritone in my ears, and I couldn’t stop touching him. Mateo didn’t move despite his deep, stable breaths, and I traced his slightly parted lips. Now, I realized how much it hurt him . . . how hard he was trying to fake it. He was lying when he said he thought it was best I went back to Tennessee by myself and forgot about him.

  Even then, we both knew I couldn’t forget, and obviously he hadn’t either. How awful it must’ve been for Mateo that he considered killing himself. He had his dogs, but they couldn’t fill the void in him. If I wasn’t so filled with loathing for my mom, Seth’s mom, my situation in general, I probably wouldn’t have lasted so long, either.

  “Oh . . . ” Sitting up so gingerly, I sniffed back the tears that clogged my nose and throat, and I rubbed my eyes as they stung fiercely. I slid off the bed to shuffle into the living area, and Marshal lifted his head from the sofa. Ketchup sprawled on top of him, snoring lightly, and I wrapped my arms around myself as a small smile tilted my lips. The all black mass on the loveseat guffawed lightly, stretching his legs and paws before pulling them back in. Would this peace last?

  The thought dried my mouth, and my tongue stuck to the roof as I made my way to the telephone on the end table by the sofa. Marshal tried to wiggle out from under Ketchup, but the gray-black pile of muscle just grumbled rolled onto his back. Patting Marshal’s head and scratching behind his ears, I walked to the door to peek out, but I had to step out into the hallway to see the room number.

  “Lucy.” My heart jumped in my throat, and I whipped around as Mikayla came rushing down the hallway. Holding a hand to my chest, I heaved a sigh of relief, and she paused when she saw what I was wearing before shaking her head. Still in her dress for the ceremony, she practically shoved me back in the room and closed the door to sag dramatically against it. “We gotta hide! They’re everywhere! They’re nowhere! Oh, the horror!”

  “What? Who?” She peeked through the peep hole, and I scrunched up my face when I realized I hadn’t gotten the door number. “Did you see what room number this is? I’m starving.”

  “What do you mean ‘who’? Those nasty old hags are telling everyone you got the jitters and shacked up with some random surfer douchebag! They’re holding the officiant in a cage made of bones while they look for you, and someone called the cops because they sacrificed their wretched souls to summon a demon Pitbull from Hell!” You’re having way too much fun with this, Mickey. Arching a brow when she turned to me, I crossed my arms over my chest, and Mikayla frowned as her shoulders slumped a little. “Okay, but, seriously, the officiant is waiting downstairs because your mom and Seth’s mom convinced her that you just got cold feet, and you’ll be ready soon. Seth’s not even here! Him and his buddies all left. He told me to tell you he’s sorry and he hopes you two can be friends, by the way.”

  “Did you tell the justice that I’m most definitely not getting married today, and that she’s free to leave and enjoy her free hour and a half?” This was turning into more a hassle than I expected. I mean, chaos was a given in this circumstance, but if Seth wasn’t here . . .

  “I couldn’t get close. She’s being guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. I tried to sneak up behind them, but she almost got me with her claws.” Mikayla shivered in faux disgust and fear, and I couldn’t help but giggle a little as she flipped her hair back. “Anyway, the receptionist lady had a video on her phone of Meredith spitting on you, and you gotta know she shut up real fast after the cops saw that. Most of the guests are already gone doing whatever. I mean, this is still a vacation for them. Also, yes, I did. This is room 3B.”

  “Oh, thanks. I’d go out, but Mateo�
��s sleeping, and I don’t have a room key.” Surprise rose her perfectly sculpted brows, and I wandered back to the archway to the bedroom to grab the phone on the nightstand. Mateo was out, but I still creeped around so I didn’t accidentally wake him up on my way back to the sofa. “We gotta keep it down, okay?”

  “Uh, yeah, sure.” The dogs took up almost the whole couch, and Marshal finally made a concerted effort to get out from under Ketchup. The pit woke up with a noticeably annoyed expression before noticing there was someone else in the room for him to befriend, and I dropped into the overstuffed recliner as Mikayla squeezed onto the sofa. “I’m not judging, but, like, why aren’t you two, you know, banging?”

  “That’s not really the important thing right now.” Mickey shrugged carelessly, and she gave a little oof when Ketchup flopped his muscular, broad body into her lap. Marshal climbed into the recliner to sit on my lap, and my stomach gurgled greedily as I tried to think of what I wanted to eat. “I’m thinkin’ pizza . . . a lot of pizza.”

  “I guess you’re not going to the reception? Just stick it to that crusty bitch since she paid for it all just to lord over you. You don’t even like salmon. It’s so stupid.” I couldn’t really argue with that since it was true— Meredith had planned the meals, and I never even bothered to tell her I hated salmon. Dialing the number to the kitchen, I held the phone to my ear as I stroked Marshal from head to hip, and he dropped his head on me to sigh heavily. “I guess it makes sense— Mateo was surfing with this dog, and that scary one was guarding his stuff. Why are you awake, though?”

  I didn’t answer when the call picked up, and I placed my order before specifying that I’d cover it and give the guy my name. Two medium pizzas might’ve been enough, one extra cheese and one pepperoni and sausage, but I hadn’t eaten in two days. I ordered some soda, too, just for something to drink, and the guy spouted out the cost and the time before we hung up.

  This hotel got their food from the two restaurants on the left face of the building, just a sidewalk away. One was a straight up pizza joint, and the other was more ‘everything’ kinda place that had an outside lounge and a band in the evenings. For a moment, I stared at my bare feet, and I almost forgot Mikayla was there until she cleared her throat gently.

  “Oh, um, I just can’t take a nap, I guess. I don’t want to wake up and . . . I don’t want this to be a dream.” Gulping down the dense lump that formed in my throat at the confession, I laid my head back to stare at my best friend, and she patted Ketchup’s head absently. “I don’t really know. I hoped and hoped, but I don’t think I ever thought past this point.”

  “I wish some half-naked, dripping wet dude would tear my clothes off and then whisk me away.” Smiling faintly, I didn’t deny it was as close to perfect as it’d get. Even if Meredith did sue me, she’d signed everything, so there was no getting out of the fact that she willing paid for everything even knowing Seth and I didn’t want to get married to each other. “So, what are we gonna do now? There’s no way I can get away with going downstairs and telling the officiant the wedding’s off.”

  “I’ll do it.” Twisting at the raspy, deep declaration, I frowned as Mateo sauntered heavily into the living area, and he yawned hard as he rubbed his head. “I heard you say ‘pizza’.”

  “Did I wake you up? Sorry.” He stretched his arms above his head, muscles shifting under taut, tanned skin, before dropping his palm on my head, and guilt clawed at my throat. “Were we talking too loud?”

  “No, I heard you say ‘pizza’ and I didn’t eat lunch.” My lips quirked up even as Mateo frowned, and warmth suffused every single cell in my body. I may not have had a strong conviction against my family and peer pressure, but Mateo made up for that in spades. He would back me up in anything as long as I made a concerted effort. Nothing was more important for me to fight for than him.

  17

  Mateo

  When the elevator doors slid open, there were several cops waiting for us, talking to that dusty bitch in her too-tight, frumpy dress, and I reached to scratch my scruff roughly. As glad as I was that Lucy had magically appeared back in my life, I was kinda pissed at these antics. Casting her friend a questioning glare only to receive a confused shrug, I scowled lightly, and I hiked up my jeans as we shuffled off the elevator.

  “Who got kidnapped?” Lucy gasped at my loud question, and I would’ve smiled if that woman didn’t jump up, pointing a manicured finger at me in rage. The last hour or so had been exhausting. I wanted to eat and sleep and wake up to her without worrying about what drama lay beyond the hotel room door. Pointing to myself, I pulled a face, not being able to help myself. “Me? I’m right here. I’m pretty sure I didn’t kidnap myself.”

  “That’s him! He’s the one who punched me and forced Lucy onto the elevator! Arrest him!” I rolled my eyes with a scoff, and Meredith turned to the two officers to start blabbing. Holding Lucy’s arm to keep her quiet, letting this bitch dig her own hole, I shook my head slightly when big blue eyes flickered to me. “He tore off her wedding dress right here in the lobby and forced her onto the elevator, and he’s been doing God knows what for the past forty-five minutes! I spent a lot of money on this wedding, and some punk isn’t going to ruin it! I want him arrested for assault!”

  “Ma’am, you admitted to and were caught on video spitting in her face, which is why he punched you. Do you want us to arrest you for assault?” Meredith didn’t even have a black eye— proof of her thick-ass skull— and she bristled as the older of the two cops hooked his thumbs in his belt to glower at her. “In case you didn’t know, that happened after he tore apart her dress, which she seemed fine with. She also willingly went into the elevator, and everything seemed more than consensual in the video. Are you saying the video was lying? Is there another angle that can prove your claims?”

  “She’s under coercion! She’s supposed to marry my son!” Obviously, this wasn’t this cop’s first round with angry in-laws and botched attempts to marry, and he frowned darkly. “I won’t have this day ruined for me, damnit!”

  “Listen, lady, the last officer here spoke to a few people outside, and they all said the same thing— your son was getting married because you pressured him. He’s not even here anymore, so I don’t know what you think is going to happen. Not only that, but this ain’t your wedding— it ain’t anybody’s wedding anymore. If you want to get married at your age, go for it, but don’t ruin your kid’s life because you’re not satisfied with your own.” Meredith gasped in shock, and I clamped a hand on my mouth to stop myself from cackling. “This is the second time you’ve called the police for nothing in less than half an hour. If you do it again, I’m arresting you for harassment and misuse of an emergency service. If I get any calls mentioning your name, I’m going to arrest you. If this hotel gets a noise complaint about you, I’m going to arrest you. Is that clear?”

  “What! You’re supposed to arrest him!” Meredith pointed at me, and the cop glanced between Lucy and me through shrewd eyes. “Besides, his dog attacked us! I want animal control here and that beast put down!”

  “You mean that dog who sat on her feet and didn’t do anything discernably aggressive at all in the entire six-minute surveillance video we watched twice? Or the secretary’s phone video that proved he had control of the dog until Lucy yelled in what was clearly a distressed voice? Even when you were the one that got aggressive, the dog didn’t do anything anyone with eyes would consider ‘attacking’. If you ask me, it’s the opposite way ‘round— that dog was protecting her because you’re obviously nuts.” Today was just not Meredith’s day, and I came all way the down to the lobby for nothing, which was disappointing. She shrieked in frustration, whipping around to storm toward us, and Lucy tensed against my side.

  “I’m going to sue you for everything! Everything!”

  “Go ahead.” Pride bubbled up in my chest at how stern and strong Lucy’s voice was, and Meredith was positively taken aback. Sputtering a little, she stepped back, and I let go
of Lucy’s forearm to rub her back reassuringly. “You signed everything. Go ahead and try to tell a judge that every single arraignment from the flowers to the venue to the debit card you used to book tickets I didn’t know about was a fluke. You’ll sound even more stupid than you do now. You insisted on paying for everything, so you’d have a say, and now you’re out, what, almost forty grand? It’ll cost half that to take me to court because you’re going to drag it out trying to get something you can’t.”

  “You bitch! How could you throw away seven years with a good man! Seth is a good man, and you ruined the best years of his life!” I didn’t know Seth at all, but he didn’t seem that bad. At the very least, I wanted to introduce myself to him. His mom was certifiably nuts, though, irrationally supped up on self-importance, and Meredith looked about ready to pop a vein in her forehead. “He loved you, and you go and break his heart because you’re a selfish whore who can’t keep your legs closed! Everyone knows you cheated on him nine months ago, and you probably did it more than once, but Seth stuck with you anyway.”

  “In that week, I found a better man than Seth will ever be for me.” No matter what she said about him, Lucy never explicitly called Seth an asshole of a person. He was just wrong for her. They just weren’t compatible. Meredith shook with the force of her rage at Lucy’s almost gentle declaration. “He is a good man, but he’s not good for me. The only reason we got back together is because you and my mom were making us miserable. We were together because it was easier than dealing with our mothers. The problem wasn’t us, Meredith— it was you.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I grabbed Meredith’s hand when she raised it to try to smack Lucy. Behind her, the younger cop sprang into action, and I sidestepped between the two women as Meredith screeched like a banshee. Crumpling to the floor, she cradled her wrist and screamed that it was broken, but the policeman behind her clearly didn’t believe her as he grabbed her arms and held them back. The clink of cuffs was overly loud in my ears, and Meredith instantly switched to panic mode despite her broken wrist.