Her Mafia King: A Dark Romance (Romano Mafia Brothers Book 3) Page 2

  He’s the only guy that hasn’t run away, knowing who I am or seeing Alex. The thing is, he’s grown up around me and used to it. It will never happen, though. Henry is a friend, and that is all it is. He doesn’t appeal to me in that way at all, and I feel awful for shooting him down.

  I hoped he would take the hint when I told him my dad would kill him. Also, I told him I’m not allowed to date. Instead, he is persistent. I know I have to say I don’t feel that way, even if it will hurt him.

  I type out a text to him.

  Henry, I’m sorry. It will never happen between us. I don’t see you in that way, but I still want to be friends.

  My finger hovers over the send button for a moment, indecision plaguing me. He will be upset with me, but I can’t lie to him. I hit the send button and switch my phone to silent, setting it on the nightstand.

  I flick the bedside light off and turn over, clamping my eyes shut. Guilt claws at me as I wonder what Henry’s reaction will be. It’s the first time I’ve had to reject someone before.

  As I ponder on that, I can feel myself drifting off to sleep. I don’t know how much time passes before I hear a smash. My brow furrows as I spring bolt upright in bed, trying to gather my thoughts.

  Did I hear the noise in my dream?

  It sounded like it was in my room. I squint through the darkness, listening. The silence is almost deafening, and I realize I must have been dreaming. My head plops back onto the pillow, and I shut my eyes.

  A crunch has them shooting back open. A shadow looms over my bed. I’m about to scream when a hand flies over my mouth, stifling the sound. Two other figures have come forward from my window, and at that moment, I realize what I’d heard. They smashed the bedroom window.

  How the fuck hasn’t Alex or the night watch heard what is going on?

  I try to break free from the man’s grip, but he is too strong. Somehow, I need to make enough commotion to draw a guard in here. My heart pounds in my ears as I fight against him.

  Another man approaches and ties a gag around my mouth. I attempt to scream while he does, but before I can make a sound, I’m punched in the gut. The impact steals the breath from my lungs.

  The guy who punched me hoists me into the air, while the other one ties my hands together with rope. It burns as I try to break free, struggling with all the strength I have. This isn’t the first time someone has kidnapped me, but I sure as hell don’t want to go through it again.

  They walk me toward the window, boots crunching on the broken glass. I wince as I step on a piece, cutting my foot open. Dark red blood stains my beige carpet.

  One guy shakes his head and lifts me over the glass. I watch as the other guy who stayed by the window lowers himself onto a rope, holding himself up at the top.

  The other guy hoist me into his arms, and I can’t help but clamp my eyes shut out of instinct. I hate heights, and this guy is dangling me out of a damn window, ten feet in the air. My captor’s arms remain around me, as the other guys lower us to the ground with the rope.

  Whoever they are, they know what they are doing. They are professionals. I shiver as the cold air rushes up my thin nightgown. The guy carrying me touches the ground, stumbling a little as he does. He lets go of me, offering me my first chance to break free.

  I sprint as fast as I can, which isn’t fast, considering they tied my hands behind my back. Not to mention the cut on the base of my foot kills. The front door isn’t too far away. If I can reach it, my father’s security will help me.

  The thud of heavy, fast footsteps chasing me makes me spring harder. I run straight into a branch sticking out of a hedge along the border of the house. My yelp of pain is muffled because of the gag in my mouth. The thorny branch cuts my leg, bringing me down to the floor in agony.

  The kidnapper’s hands are on me within seconds, dragging me to my feet. I wince at the pain pulsing through my leg and the blood dripping down it.

  I try to fight, squirming against his firm grasp despite being bound. The thud of more heavy footsteps approaching makes my heart speed up in my chest, hoping it’s one of my dad’s men.

  He comes into view, and my heart sinks. It is the man that passed me out the window. The same one who punched me in the stomach earlier. He is a fucking asshole.

  “This one is too fucking feisty. We’ve got no choice,” the asshole says, barely above a whisper.

  The other guy glances at me, before giving him a nod.

  Before I can register what is going on, a heavy elbow connects with my face. I fall backward. Stars bursting into my vision, as it blurs and fades. My head is splitting with agony.

  As I hit the floor, the back of my head smacks into it hard, making me squeal in pain. My eyes shut, and darkness filters my mind, enveloping me.

  3

  Rick

  I can’t sleep as my mind is fixated on what we have done. The gravity of snatching Nick Juliano’s daughter weighing on my mind.

  By now, he will know someone has kidnapped her. They took her over twenty-four hours ago, but we’ve yet to announce our responsibility. It is a delicate matter, and it has to be done right.

  Austin has confirmed she is a twelve-hour drive away from our home. They passed into our territory hours ago, but they aren’t taking the quickest route. The safest way is to take the route that passes through the counties we run, which means driving into New Mexico and then through Oklahoma. It may not be as direct, but it is sure as hell safer.

  A knock at the door startles me from my thoughts, and I walk toward it.

  Who would knock at four o’clock in the morning?

  I’m startled when I open the door. Jasmine is standing on the other side wearing a nightgown. Her breathing is rapid, and she is clutching her phone to her chest.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’ve received a text from Kane.” She shakes her head. “They are in serious trouble.”

  My eyes narrow, and I beckon for her to enter. “What kind of trouble?”

  She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “They went to Texas to get Ellie.”

  My fists clench by my side, and I tighten my jaw, pacing the floor up and down. “Idiots,” I mutter. Leo can be so smart in some ways, but so fucking stupid in others.

  Why the fuck didn’t he tell me?

  I could strangle him for this. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how much danger they are all in. With Alicia in our possession, they’d be the first suspects.

  Jasmine backs away. “Kane isn’t sure they will make it back. Ellie is with them, but they’ve got an eight-hour drive to the Oklahoma border, and they had a run-in with some men holding Ellie.” Recounting the information to me fills her eyes with pure panic.

  This is the last thing I need right now. Alicia is about twelve hours’ drive from here, and I’ve got to deal with my brother’s mess.

  I pace the floor and run a hand through my messy hair. “We’ll take the plane as close to the Oklahoma border as possible, then we’ll drive to the state line and meet them.” I grab my pants and shirt off the chair, chucking them on. “You can come, but it might get messy.”

  I know Kane would be angry at me for letting Jasmine come, but this is his mess too. He could have told Leo no.

  “Yes, I’ll come,” she says.

  I grab my mobile phone, dialing the local airport.

  “Hello, Mr. Romano. How can I help?” the receptionist asks.

  “I need an emergency take-off cleared as soon as possible.”

  The guy on the end of the line pauses a moment. “Sir, we can allow clearance for your plane to take-off in half an hour.”

  “Perfect,” I say, canceling the call.

  “Get ready, we’re leaving in five minutes for the airport,” I say.

  Jasmine nods, turning and leaving my room.

  I should have known something was off because of how Leo was acting. The fact he didn’t want me to go with him. It all makes perfect fucking sense now. The rage bubbles beneath the surface as his
lie riles me.

  He could have told me the truth, and I would have held the guys off from snatching Alicia for another night. Instead, he went off on his own back and made everything worse. When I get my hands on him, he’ll wish he didn’t.

  The plane touches down on Oklahoma soil, and everyone is up like a shot. Kane’s little firecracker, Jasmine, is one of the first off.

  He has changed for the better since meeting her. He is less brooding and angry. I can’t deny that I’m happy for my older brother, even if I don’t show it.

  We’ve touched down a twenty-minute drive from the border between New Mexico and Oklahoma, after flying into a private airstrip. If I’d had my way, we would have come down on the damn state line, but it isn’t possible.

  Jasmine worries her bottom lip between her teeth, waiting for instruction on which car to get in. “Come on, you can ride with me.” I nod toward the SUV nearest to us, and she jumps in.

  She is as worried about my brother as I am. Not to mention, she has become firm friends with Leo since arriving at our place. I’m the only one who has kept my distance. It’s just how I am.

  The Juliano mob may not be as powerful as us, but they’re brutal. If my brothers are caught trespassing through their territory, they won’t hesitate to kill them, considering Alicia is missing.

  Few things scare me in life, but losing either of my brothers terrifies me. Kane and Leo are all I have in this world. They are the only people that mean anything to me—other than Jasmine, who I’d protect with my life for Kane.

  Jasmine stares out of the window of the SUV in silence. The tension in the air is thicker than water, stifling us. We both know how much we could lose if this goes wrong—everything.

  Despite the journey being less than twenty minutes, it feels like it takes forever. My heart leaps into my throat as we near the border. A line of vehicles are blocking the New Mexico state line into Oklahoma.

  Jasmine sits straight, clawing at the seat in front to get a good view. “Oh, my God, they’re blocking them.”

  I set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. “We will get them, sit back, and don’t worry.” With a firm but gentle pressure, I force her back into the chair. “Seatbelt on,” I order.

  She bites her bottom lip before doing as I say. “Dan, what’s the state of things?” I ask, leaning forward to speak to the driver.

  “We’ve got eyes on. They’re trying to break through now, sir.”

  I shift in my seat, squinting to try and get a glimpse of my brothers. Too many cars are in the way. “Keep pushing closer to the state line,” I order.

  “Yes, sir,” he replies.

  He revs the engine, moving closer to the line of vehicles blocking their path. We can’t cross, not unless we want a war. If it comes to it, though, I will break the rules. There’s no way I’m sitting back here and watching my brothers get caught or worse.

  “They’re trying to drive their way through, sir.”

  I watch out of the window to see one of our SUVs trying to plow its way through the cars. It comes free and speeds toward the line. A few guys are over in Oklahoma with barriers and guns, and one of them shoots at the car, meeting its mark as blood splatters the front window.

  The car slows down, and my heart is racing. They hit into one barrier the Juliano mob members have put out just over the line.

  “Speed over to them,” I shout, as the SUV flies into the air, twisting over and landing in a crumpled heap upside down.

  Dan puts his foot down, accelerating toward them. The men that had shot at my brothers notice us, and their eyes widen. They sprint back toward the state line, trying to get onto home territory.

  They know if I catch them on my territory, they will be dead. Juliano’s men will be dead anyway if they just killed one or both of my brothers. There will be a damn war if that has happened.

  If Juliano crosses the line and declares war, we will be sitting ducks while trying to get my brothers. We need to get them out of here as fast as possible. Dan slows down as he approaches the overturned vehicle, and I don’t wait for him to stop.

  I’m out of the car, running toward the overturned SUV and surveying the damage. There’s liquid dripping out of the car, suggesting an oil or fuel leak. If we don’t get them out soon, the vehicle could catch fire.

  A woman I can only assume is Ellie is staring at me from the back seat, upside down. Her eyes are wide, and blood is splattered across her face. She hit her head in the crash.

  Both Leo and Kane are unconscious, and Kane has multiple flesh wounds from gunshots. I try Kane’s door first, but the metalwork is smashed in and bent out of shape.

  I move to Ellie’s side, trying her door. It shifts an inch but won’t open. “Fuck,” I shout, kicking the car.

  Dan is by my side in a flash, holding the hydraulic shears to cut them out. It will take too fucking long, but we haven’t got a choice. “I haven’t tried Leo’s side,” I nod toward that side.

  Jasmine rushes over and tries the door, finding it impossible to open it. She takes one look at Kane, and her eyes flood with tears. She moves to the side of the vehicle, and places her hand on the window were Kane is lying unconscious.

  I cut Ellie’s door, using the small amount of movement in the hinge to speed the process up. Not only are Nick Juliano’s men less than a hundred yards away over the border, but this fucking SUV is leaking liquids. They will burn alive if it sets on fire.

  It takes what feels like forever to cut away Ellie’s door, allowing me to grab her out first. Her knees give way as I pass her over to Dan. She is unaware who we are, but I don’t have time to fill her in. Leo is injured and hanging limply upside down held in by his seatbelt.

  I unclip it and drag him out. He is much lighter than Kane or me but challenging to shift.

  A few more of our men rush toward the car, gathering around it. Dan is attempting to cut Kane free. The drip of liquid hitting the pool beneath the vehicle is taunting me, like a clock ticking down the seconds. It’s telling me we’re running out of time.

  I free Leo and pull him out of the car, carrying him and setting him down safely away from the vehicle. Ellie walks over to us and kneels down, grading his hand.The tears in her eyes shining in the bright sunlight overhead, as it rises higher into the sky.

  Our guys jog over to us and all help to carry Leo him over to one of the SUVs with Ellie following close behind. I turn my attention to Kane, who Dan is still trying to free from the crumpled wreck.

  “We need to hurry the fuck up,” I growl, keeping my eyes fixed on the vehicles a short way off over the other side of the border.

  What the fuck are they waiting for?

  “I’m trying.”

  I grit my teeth together. “Try harder.”

  He nods his head, kicking up the power on the hydraulic shears. The creak of metal bending at the force of the machine makes my heart pound. This damn car could go up in flames at any moment with us too.

  “Jasmine, head back to the SUV.”

  She shakes her head, clutching her hands together and staring at Kane teary-eyed. “I can’t leave him.”

  I set a firm hand on her shoulder. “We will get Kane out, but I need you to get back to the SUV in case we need to make a quick getaway.”

  She glances between Kane and me, before nodding and walking away. If this goes south, there’s no use of her being out here exposed. Dan frees the door enough to yank it open, and we both drag Kane out.

  He is bleeding from a gunshot wound so close to his heart. The air escapes my lungs, as I’ve seen enough gunshot wounds. If it had been any further to the left, he’d be dead.

  The wound may have done some severe damage. Luckily, Doctor Helen is on the jet waiting for us. I knew we might need medical attention, and she was happy to tag along. He needs to see her as soon as possible.

  Dan and I struggle to shift my lump of a brother. He is as big as me and taller. A few of the guys who helped carry Leo rush toward us. We struggle back toward the SUV
s, carrying him.

  “We need to get the fuck out of here, quick,” I order.

  It is at that moment that a horn blares in the distance. I swing around to see a giant juggernaut speeding toward us. That’s what Juliano’s men have been waiting for—back up.

  “Fuck,” I breathe, rushing after Kane and my men. “We need to get out of here now.”

  The guys bundle Kane’s limp body into the middle seat of the SUV, before making their way to their own vehicles. I jump in next to him.

  Jasmine’s eyes are wild as her hand wraps around his, the moment he comes into her reach. I can’t deny that the way she looks at him warms my ice-cold heart. She loves him more than I can fathom.

  I’m a skeptic. I can’t understand how love can blossom in this bloodthirsty world we exist in. For Kane, it has, and I’m happy for him. I hope to God he survives this to enjoy her love for many years to come.

  The engine roars to life, and Dan puts his foot down as the convoy of SUVs speed into the distance. One glance back at the juggernaut attempting to follow puts me at ease since it’s too slow for our vehicles.

  The other vehicles are following, but we’re too far ahead of them and too fast. The jet will be ready to get us out of here quicker than they can catch us.

  We’ve managed to scrape by this time, but it was too close for comfort.

  4

  Alicia

  I wake with a pounding headache, finding myself in a moving vehicle. There is no light. I hear the engine roaring beneath me, bringing me back to my senses. The memories come rushing to me at once, as I try to sit up.

  The hard floor beneath me is cold, and my body is numb. Someone has kidnapped me—I know that for sure. The bindings cutting into my wrists remind me of that fact, along with the gag in my mouth. Not to mention, I’ve got a damn hood over my head.