Her Mafia King: A Dark Romance (Romano Mafia Brothers Book 3) Read online

  My breathing is rapid as I try to gain control of the panic flooding me. The dark fabric hood over my head only makes this whole situation ten times worse. I can’t move, and my head is killing me. Then I remember that asshole’s elbow flying toward me. He knocked me out cold.

  Who the hell has kidnapped me?

  It’s a ballsy fucking move to break into my father’s house and snatch me out of my damn bed the way they did. This is not the first time someone has kidnapped me, but it’s the first time I’ve been attacked in my home. The place is a fortress, and I can’t understand how they got passed security.

  These men seemed far more professional than the men who snatched me while I was out with friends two years ago. I’d given Alex the slip, and he’d paid for it. My father knew it was my fault, but Alex accepted the punishment.

  The last time I was kidnapped, it was by a drug lord called Justin Leone. He lived in Austin and got too big for his boots. Altogether, he had me for a little over four hours. They were the longest four hours of my life. It was the only time I ever felt real terror.

  Once my father got his hands on him, he made sure Justin and the other men behind my kidnapping suffered far more than I did.

  Anyone who wants to kidnap me intends to hurt my father, which means they won’t hesitate to harm me. Dad makes enemies all the time as the leader of a powerful crime family. I’ve always been the perfect bargaining chip.

  If my dad had any sense, he’d make it known that he doesn’t give two shits about me. Instead, he’s always been a doting father, even in public. It’s something I’m thankful for, but it’s dangerous considering his line of work.

  Alex follows me everywhere for my protection, and it got way worse after that night two years ago. The drone of the engine is all that accompanies my thoughts. I feel my head get heavier as I let it rest against the cold, hard metal behind me.

  The last thing I should do is sleep, but as that thought crosses my mind, I feel my eyes shutting against their will. I bite down hard on my lip, drawing blood. It’s my only way of attempting to stay conscious. Still, before long, I float away into the black nothingness of my unconscious.

  I drift in and out of sleep, for God knows how many hours. The pounding ache between my eyes getting worse, as the effects of dehydration set in. Whoever these men are, they aren’t from Texas.

  If they were from Texas, we’d have been at our destination a long time ago. I feel they are from very far away. It means that I’m in more danger than ever.

  The constant state of fear tightening like a vice around my heart drains me of what little energy I’ve got left. I hate not knowing who has me.

  The bindings around my wrists are so tight they’ve rubbed the skin raw, and it stings like hell. My mouth is as dry as the Sahara Desert, and the gag isn’t helping. It’s impossible to move into another position to get the blood moving.

  If this isn’t a disagreement within our own territory, then it means my dad has pissed off another crime family in North America or God forbid, Central America. Despite attempts to detach myself from my father’s business, I know the way it works.

  I fall back and forth in and out of consciousness until the vehicle slows to a stop. I hear the muffled sounds of voices before we move again.

  The crunch of gravel beneath the tires of the vehicle has me tensing. We’ve arrived at our destination, which means the terror will start soon.

  Being born into this life has made me more desensitized to the violence that comes attached to it.

  As a child, I witnessed brutal acts that no one of that age should ever see. Nightmares haunted me every night for years until something inside me changed. The more brutality I was exposed to, the less it affected me.

  After a few minutes of driving along gravel, the vehicle comes to a stop. I can hear people getting out and muffled voices. We’ve arrived at our destination. I hold my breath, waiting for them to grab me.

  The clack of the door being opened makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I clench my jaw, stealing myself to prepare for what is about to come. A pair of hands grab hold of my shoulders, dragging me out.

  I try to fight the person, trying to kick them, but I have no strength. Another pair of arms wrap around my waist, lifting me over someone’s shoulder.

  The crunch of gravel beneath heavy boots, and the jolt of him moving twists my stomach with unease. On the one hand, I’m glad I’m about to learn what the fuck is going on. On the other, I’m an anxious mess over what might happen to me.

  Are they going to kill me? Torture me? Nothing would surprise me.

  “I’ve got Alicia,” the man dragging me states.

  The thud of footsteps approaching makes me tense. “Very good, set the girl down. I’ll bring her to him when he is ready.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait with her.”

  His footsteps trail away, as the guy holding me drops me to my feet. It’s impossible to keep my balance, as I wobble, almost crashing to the floor.

  The guy grabs hold of me in the nick of time, forcing me back to my feet. “Stand up,” he barks.

  Oh jeez, sorry I was just falling to the floor of my own fucking will. I haven’t used my legs in who knows how many hours, and they have kept me cramped in an unnatural position in the back of a vehicle. I shake my head, trying to gain more steadiness on my feet.

  The other guy returns, “I’ll take her from here.”

  His hand tightens around my arm in a firm grip, and he drags me. I can’t see anything through the thick fabric hood, making this worse. We walk for a few moments before he jerks me to a stop.

  I can’t breathe as three knocks echo on a door. My heart is pounding in my ears, making me dizzy. The worst part of this is not knowing who has me. “Come in.” A deep, baritone voice calls from the other side of the door. A voice that sends shivers down my spine.

  The click of the door opening heightens my anxiety. The man drags me into the room. “Is there anything else?” he asks.

  I wait and listen for the man to say something. I keep waiting, but no one speaks. The sound of the door closing behind me makes me tremble. I hate showing fear, but it’s impossible not to.

  What feels like hours of silence tick by, even though it’s only moments.

  The man reaches out and grabs the fabric covering my face, ripping it off my head.

  I squint at the sudden light flooding my retina. The ache between my eyes increases and I’m blinded by the intensity of light. As my vision returns, my heart pounds against my rib cage.

  The man standing so close to me is gorgeous. It’s an odd thing to think the first time I set eyes on my captor, but I almost forget where I am.

  His dark eyes are intense, pinning me to the spot and making me forget my name. There’s a long while where he stares into my eyes as if frozen.

  When he doesn’t speak, I break the silence first. “Who the fuck are you?” I ask, keeping my voice confident.

  He says nothing, turning his back to me and placing some distance between us. When he turns around, his eyes rake down my body in a predatory way.

  I let my eyes fall over his body, and the electricity shooting through my veins amplifies. He is not only unearthly handsome but an Adonis of a man. The tailored shirt he is wearing is expensive and hugs every dip and curve of his hard muscles.

  The hard planes of his chest are visible over the three buttons undone at the top, making my mouth dry. Both of his sleeves are rolled up, revealing tribal tattoos adorning the bulging muscles on his left arm.

  I return my attention to his eyes. They are burning with hot, fiery desire. It makes my stomach clench, and my panties dampen between my thighs. All I’m wearing is my silk slip, and my nipples are hard and visible to him.

  How can this man affect me like this?

  He has captured me for fuck’s sake. The pure dominance and power that rolls off of him in waves making my knees shake. My palms are sweaty for all the wrong reasons. It’s not fear that is affecting
me, as it should be. This man could overpower me with little effort, and for some sick reason, my body is reacting to the idea.

  The mere notion of being overpowered by this man—whoever he is—excites me more than scares me.

  5

  Rick

  “She’s here, sir,” Dan says, peering into my office.

  I loosen the buttons on my shirt, trying to get a handle on my anxiety. IMy two brothers are unconscious and hurt. Kane had sustained two gunshot wounds. If one of the bullets had been an inch to the fucking right, he’d be dead. The doctor confirmed that much.

  I’ve been back all of an hour, and now I’ve got this shit to deal with. At least my brothers are in the safe hands of Helen, but I am not in a fit state to be intimidating a young woman who we snatched from her home.

  I walk toward my desk, grabbing a bottle of scotch and pouring myself a glass. I know I have to deal with this, even if I don’t want to—it’s all part of the job description.

  “Would you like me to bring her to you?” He pauses. “Or would you prefer I take her straight to her room?”

  A moment of silence ticks by, as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Bring her to me,” I breathe, clenching my teeth.

  In over forty-eight hours, I’ve slept only an hour. I’m running off of nothing. Not to mention, I haven’t eaten anything either. After what happened today, it is up to me to remain strong, even if I am exhausted.

  One of the Romano men has to be in control. It always has to be me. The pressure can weigh me down.

  Dan walks away to fetch Alicia for me, but I wonder where the fuck Austin is. Austin hasn’t shown his face since he delivered the terrible fucking news that we had to kidnap Juliano’s daughter. No one has got in touch with him since, other than the text he sent me to confirm the mission was successful.

  Even though I hate having to kidnap her, we need a bargaining chip more than ever after what my brothers pulled on their territory.

  To me, my family is everything. If anyone were to kidnap either of my brothers, I would walk through fire to get them back. It makes this a risky option. As long as she cooperates, then she won’t come to much harm. If she resists, then I hate to think about what I must do.

  Even if I don’t enjoy harming women, in particular, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my family safe—no matter what. Her father needs to believe she is in real danger, making it easier to force him to back off.

  There’s a knock at my door, and I sit down behind my office desk, taking a deep breath. It is time to become the calm, dangerous don that everyone fears, despite feeling like shit right now.

  “Come in,” I call.

  Dan opens the door and is holding a woman with her hands tied behind her back. They have covered her head with a black fabric hood, and she is trembling.

  I tried to do some research on Alicia Juliano, but I came up blank. All I learned is that she is only twenty years old.

  “Is there anything else, sir?” Dan asks.

  I shake my head in response and stand from the desk chair. Dan leaves, shutting the door behind him. I’m alone with her, and she is shaking like a leaf in the wind.

  In the past, when they’ve brought me female captives, they are sobbing. She’s not making a sound.

  I step closer to her and freeze as her scent hits me. She smells of vanilla and coconuts and pure femininity—it’s intoxicating.

  Why the fuck am I even noticing that?

  My hand rests for a moment over the fabric hood, before pulling it off. The moment her face is revealed, it feels like time stands still.

  Alicia Juliano is a princess.

  Her dark black hair is messy and splayed around her tanned face. My heartbeat quickens in my chest as she squints, sensitive to the sudden light filtering into her irises. As they adapt, her bright blue eyes widen. They are like polished sapphires, gleaming with defiance I wasn’t expecting to see.

  She doesn’t look scared in the slightest, despite the trembling in her knees. She is most definitely only twenty years old. Too innocent and way too young for me. I’ve never been speechless, but the words have left me. My mind is blank as I stare at her, forgetting what the hell I’m supposed to be doing.

  Then, I notice the dark bruise on her forehead above her left eye. I tense. The mere notion of any man hurting her during this process irritating me.

  What the fuck?

  I’m supposed to be the one to hurt her. She has to bend to our will and do as we say. Why am I getting pissed off that she has been harmed?

  I stand there staring at her for far longer than I should, saying nothing. She’s the first out of the two of us to break the silence. “Who the fuck are you?” Her eyes narrow.

  The confident attitude in her voice only bowls me over. We have kidnapped her for fuck’s sake, there’s no way she should be the one asking the questions.

  I clear my throat, turning my back on the stunning beauty behind me. It is time to crush Alicia’s confidence and put her in her place. She hasn’t got the upper hand in this situation, and I need to make that clear.

  Once a safe distance from her, I turn back to face her. Perhaps moving away was a mistake, as I let my eyes drop to her figure.

  All she is wearing is a beige silk slip, and her breasts are large and firm. I can see the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric. They are hard and pointing toward me. She has curvy hips and thick thighs that I’d love to sink my fingertips into.

  My cock stirs in my pants as I stare at her body. It’s ridiculous how I’m reacting to her. This is bad—no, terrible.

  When I return my attention to her face, I notice she’s taking her measure of me. Her cheeks have stained a beautiful pink that makes my balls tingle. The moment she returns her gaze to my eyes, something pulses between us. It’s electric.

  I’m in serious fucking trouble. This woman is here for me to scare, but all I can think about right now is taking her to my bed. It’s wrong on so many levels. She’s over half my forty-two years for a start.

  “What the hell do you want?” she asks, her voice rising a little, giving away the fact she is panicking more than she let on at first. Her attempt at bravery is crumbling as I keep silent.

  I move around my desk and sit in my chair, placing my hands flat on the desk in front of me. “You don’t ask the questions.”

  She takes me by surprise again, moving toward me. “My father will kill you—”

  I slam my hand down on the desk, cutting her off. “Your father is nothing,” I growl, rage flooding me at the mention of the man who has stood against me. He is the sole reason this stunning creature is standing in front of me. “He crossed us, and no one crosses us.”

  She takes a step back, sensing the severity of the situation. Her eyes search the room as if she will find a clue who I am hidden somewhere. “Where am I?”

  The fear flooding her bright blue eyes is delayed but warranted. I feel guilty for scaring her. How the fuck am I going to do what I need to? “Philadelphia,” I grit out.

  Her eyes widen, and she takes another step back. “Romano.” She shakes her head. “My father isn’t stupid enough to cross you.”

  Irritated by her defending her father’s actions without knowing the truth, I push myself up. I walk toward her. “He is that stupid.” My fists are clenched by my side.

  She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “What did my father do?”

  I stare at her for a short while, wondering whether to enlighten her. “He has made a play for our territory, selling guns at low prices in the states we run.” I clench my jaw. “No one crosses us and gets away with it.”

  A visible shiver runs through her, and she takes another step back from me. The need to remain close to her tempts me to take a step forward, but I keep my urges at bay. My mind has been in the gutter since I saw her, and even more so, seeing the way she reacts to me.

  Would she shiver if I ran my hands all over her perfect, naked body?

  She recovers from the moment
of fear, meeting my gaze. Her piercing, blue eyes paralyze me. “What is your name?” she asks.

  I take that step closer to her. “My given name is Riccardo, but I prefer Rick,” I say.

  Her lips part, and eyes widen again. She wasn’t aware she was standing in front of the boss of the most powerful mafia family in North America.

  The only word I can find to describe her is stunning. It will be damn near impossible for me to rough her up or intimidate her. We need a video or a picture of her scared and hurt to send to her father. It is a little problematic since all I want to do is fuck her.

  There are only inches between us. It would take a small step to close that gap, capturing those perfect, plump lips with mine. “If you cooperate, I won’t harm you,” I say, huskier than I intended.

  Her eyes flash with fear and something fiery. I watch as her tongue darts out over her lips, drawing my attention to them again.

  To my surprise, she steps even closer to me. Her body pressing against mine, and only my shirt and her thin little slip between us. Her vanilla scent clouds my mind, distorting my judgment.

  “What happens if I don’t cooperate?” There’s a teasing tone to her voice. A tone that makes me want to grab her hips and show her what I want to do to her if she doesn’t cooperate. She would be over my knee quicker than she can say no.

  “You don’t want to find out,” I say, keeping my voice even despite the conflict deep down inside.

  She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, and my balls ache for release.

  “Maybe I do,” she says.

  A low growl rises through my chest, making her startle backward. I grab her hips, stopping her from moving away from me. “If you know who the fuck I am, then you will make sure you do what I say,” I dig my fingertips into her hips in a warning.

  She has to know she hasn’t got the upper hand here. She swallows thickly, nodding her head. Her bright sapphire gems losing a little of the fight. The fight that makes me want to take her right here in this office over my desk.