Marco Read online

  “Gee, what stopped you?” Nic mutters under his breath, but we all hear him. Minka whips around, and I’m half afraid she’ll rip his dick off, but she takes the high road and settles for a withering glare. I think we’re all secretly disappointed, but he’s probably not out of the woods yet. She has a long memory.

  She appears to notice Rutger for the first time, and she whistles through her teeth. “Wow, the Moretti big guy is here. Shit, this must be worse than I thought. No offense and all, dude, but I heard you even have someone take a dump for you so you don’t have to leave your office.”

  Marco sounds as if he’s choking, and Nic isn’t much better. The man whose bathroom habits are in question is laughing. Literally shaking with mirth. And boy, does it move his sexy factor up several notches. I’m not the only one who thinks so because Minka lifts her brows and wiggles them at me, letting me know she approves. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Gavino”—Rutger grins, flashing pearly white teeth— “but I handle all… personal matters myself.”

  “That’s a relief.” She nods. “Call me Minka. I’d rather limit the number of times per day I’m forced to hear my surname. Not to mention, right now it’s better to be a Smith than a Gavino.” She leans back and crosses her arms over her chest. “So what in the hell is going on? I can’t imagine that Nina took a drive through the country and, on a whim, decided to drop in to the Moretti compound. Which leads me to believe that you guys brought her here. I’ll even toss you the benefit of the doubt and say you’re attempting to protect her. If that’s the case, why would you let a Gavino—of all gangster people—in without so much as frisking me? That’s just bad police work. Have you never watched Godfather or The Sopranos? Even the nanny or gardener could bust a cap in your ass before you know what’s happening.”

  Nic appears bored rather than pissed when he says, “You went through three different scans on your way to the house, along with one at the front door. We know everything—even what kind of panties you’re wearing.” When she appears skeptical, he adds, “By the way, isn’t leather uncomfortable when you’re going commando?”

  Her lips twist, and then she shrugs. “I’ll let that pass since I’m rather impressed. I’ve heard Tony is a real technology freak.” She takes a seat on the leather sofa and tugs on my arm until I do the same. “Now, what are we going to do about this mess? My daddy is likely to kill me when he discovers I knocked my guard out, so my time is limited. Normally, I’d blame it on you guys, but with all that’s going on right now, I wouldn’t do that to my worst enemy.”

  “That’s very much appreciated, Minka.” Rutger motions to Marco and Nic, and they all take nearby chairs. “Unfortunately, due to the uncertainty of what’s transpired recently, the sharing of information would be unwise.” He raises his hand when she bristles in indignation. “Surely, you understand. You’re not new to our way of life. Even with the best of alliances, this type of thing would be frowned upon. But considering what’s happened, it’s impossible. I believe that you’re only looking out for Nina’s welfare, and I commend you for it. I give you my word that we will do the same. She is with us for that very reason.”

  “I don’t like this at all,” Minka huffs out in frustration.

  I place my hand over hers and give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be okay. You need to get back home before you really get into trouble. It’s not safe for you to be out alone right now, and you know it. You shouldn’t have come, Min, but I love you for it.”

  “Nicoli will see you home.” His phone rings as he utters the last word, and he removes it from his suit pocket. He frowns as he glances at the caller ID before clicking a button. “Ray, what can I do for you?” Minka stiffens as she hears her father’s name. Of course, it could be someone else, but the way Rutger is staring at my friend, I assume her suspicions are correct. “Yes, she’s here of her own accord. I have a man bringing her back. Fuck.” His abrupt change of dialogue has us all moving closer to the edge of our seats. Tension pours off him in waves as he listens for a moment before saying tensely, “I understand. Keep me updated.”

  “That was my dad,” Minka states calmly, but I don’t miss the slight tremor in her voice. She’s not afraid of much, but she loves her family and friends fiercely. Given recent events, even she isn’t immune to nerves.

  “It was.” Rutger inclines his head slightly. “Your uncle Don is dead, along with your bodyguard, who I believe was also your cousin Seth.”

  “Fuck me,” Marco hisses, looking as stunned as the rest of us. “What in the hell is going on? Multiple hits on the Gavinos and an attempt on a Moretti? Where is this coming from?” His genuine bewilderment gives me cold chills. I prefer his usual arrogance to this uncertainty. If he’s unsettled, then shit just got real.

  “They think it was me, don’t they?” Minka mutters in a neutral tone. “No need to sugarcoat it. There’s too much paranoia right now not to jump to conclusions, even if they are asinine.”

  I get to my feet and do a little dance. “Woot, woot. Looks like I’m off the hook thanks to you. Way to take one for the team, buddy.” Minka merely rolls her eyes at my display, but the guys obviously think I’m insane. “Too soon?”

  I ask the room in general, but Minka holds up her fingers, showing a small space between them. “Maybe a tad. After all, I am short another two family members.” And even though it bordered on insensitive, I accomplished my goal of breaking the tension in the room. Speaking ill of the dead isn’t usually advisable, but Minka’s twisted sense of humor appreciates what most don’t.

  “You hated them,” I point out. “You called Don a human butt plug and Seth a fart sniffer or was it an ass licker? No, there was definitely some sniffing involved. Armpit? Nipple? Crotch? Crap, am I close?”

  “Belle,” Marco interrupts, sounding pained.

  “Please stop her before she goes on another tangent. I’d rather stand blindfolded on the Gavino front lawn than go through that again,” Nic groans. Although, I know he actually likes it when I ramble. Marco hasn’t been alone every time he’s dropped by my place unannounced. Often, Nic has been there as well. During those times, they both came in and made themselves at home. Nic divided his time between making fun of Marco for being love-sick, picking on me for anything he could come up with, and, of course, lying on my damned sofa as if he owned the place. Secretly, I’ve been thankful for the other man’s presence because it’s taken the pressure off. I’ve refused to give in to my attraction to Marco, and if we were alone for too long together, I didn’t trust that I’d be able to maintain indifference. He’s just too… impressive.

  Flipping a hand in Marco’s direction, Minka asks, “What’s with the whole Belle thing?”

  In a synchronized move that has both Minka and me gawking, Marco, Nic, and Rutger, say, “Beauty and the Beast.”

  “You’re shitting me, right?” Minka laughs. “Bunch of hard-asses like yourselves watch Disney movies?” Marco and Nic both appear to be staring in fascination at some random spot on the wall, while I do my best not to grab my phone and google the person who I apparently remind Marco of. I vaguely remember seeing the movie as a child, but that was years ago. “You know, slick,” Minka adds, obviously still addressing Marco, “if Nina is the beauty in the scenario, then you’re the beast.”

  Marco’s eyes lock on to mine, never looking away as he answers softly, “Was that ever in doubt?” Oh, God. I think I was just Mr. Darcy’ed. That smolder.

  Rutger clears his throat, effectively drawing his son’s focus from me. “The banter is rather entertaining; however, we need to get back to business. Even though there is an argument to be made for safety in numbers, I fear that’s too predictable. Until we have a better understanding of the scope of the situation, I think we should split up. I realize none of us are in the position to go underground for any lengthy amount of time. We have a company to run and jobs to do. Son, you will watch over Nina as planned, and Nicoli, you will be entrusted with Minka’s safety.” I wince, waiting
for the objections to begin, yet Minka and Nic are strangely silent. Great, while war rages all around them, these two will be fucking like bunnies. In her defense, though, if I said the word, Marco would happily do me. He has never tried to hide the fact that he wants me. But considering his reputation, that doesn’t give me a lot of bragging rights. After all, many, many, many women have been there. If Don was the human butt plug, then Marco is the human dick. I bite my lip to keep from giggling at the images that pop into my head. “All right, if there is nothing more to add, then I’m going to the office. With only a few hours left until daylight, Nic and Minka will remain here with you, Marco. We can discuss any problems later.” Rutger says a brief goodbye and leaves as silently as he arrived.

  “His father is fucking hot.” Minka sighs, elbowing me. “Don’t pretend you didn’t notice. If I had to choose him or Marco, I’d need to draw straws. That would be like trying to pick between a thong or bikini. Both would feel good against your ass. Know what I mean?” Um, actually, no, I don’t. There’s been no ass action for me, sister. No front action recently either. Dammit.

  Marco drops his head. “That’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever heard about my father, and that’s saying something. In the future, can you refrain from mentioning us and anal in the same conversation?”

  “Who knew gangsters were so uptight.” I sigh. “Especially one who has unzipped for half the female population in the state.”

  As Minka and I toss zingers out, I barely notice when Marco and Nic step out of the room, but Minka does. She stops midsentence with a disbelieving shrug. “Can you believe this shit? We’re under house arrest, and our jailors are hot enough to make a nun’s panties wet. I swear, I don’t know how I’m going to make it without letting Nic bang me. And there is no way you’ll hold out against Marco. It was different when you could hide in your apartment and pretend you weren’t home. But now, you’ll be with him twenty-four seven. I predict that before the week is over, he will be the third man you’ve slept with. Hell, you need to do it just to increase that number to an average range. Don’t you want to experience mind-blowing sex before you’re too old to enjoy it? And that’s one thing I can guarantee with Marco. He will rock your world.” I don’t bother to remind her that I didn’t always hide. Although I learned after the first few times not to mention to her when Nic was along on one of Marco’s visits. Why does she pretend to hate him?

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admit. “And it has very little to do with sex.”

  Suddenly serious, Minka says, “You can’t romanticize Marco Moretti, Ni. He’s not a character in your book. Sure, it’s possible for a bad boy to fall in love and reform his ways, but Marco goes beyond the typical guy sowing his wild oats all over town. He has mob lizards throwing themselves at him from every direction. It would take a formidable person to resist that kind of lure. Those bimbos can probably put both legs behind their head while performing multiple blowjobs, and you can damn well bet they take it in the ass. How can a normal woman compete with that?”

  “Maybe I can do all of that as well,” I snap, but we both know I’m lying. I can’t bring myself to write anal scenes, much less wave the green ass-flag and tell Marco to go for it. I realize that Minka is trying to save me from getting my heart broken, but her graphic description has hit me harder than I care to admit. Have I been harboring some type of secret crush on Marco? Who hasn’t? Everything about him screams carnal and erotic. Everything. His eyes. His smile. His arrogance. But the crush stops now. Minka is right; there is no world where he will ever be my Prince Charming. I am the girl who writes about the things I’ve always longed to find, but unless heartache is one of my future goals, I need to keep my guard up and my panties in place. Whether I want to admit it, he’s dangerous to my health, and it has nothing to do with his job and everything to do with my reaction to him. He’s gotten to me. Dammit, how did I let this happen? There’s no disputing the fact that he’s hot. That’s the understatement of the century. But even more than that, he’s smart, funny, and so damned loyal to his family. Even though there’s nothing about his way of life that I approve of, the way they all have each other’s backs is admirable. He has mine as well, and I’m nothing to him. I am neither Moretti nor Gavino. I’m an outsider. I’ve joked about honor among thieves, but in his case, there is truth there. I sense the strict code within him. Maybe it’s my hormones talking, but I sense so much more to him than what he shows the world. Says every woman who has ever thought she could change a man. He’s mafia. I can’t be my mother. I cannot fall for a man who is married to the family. As I attempt to hide my panic from Minka, one thought keeps swirling in my head: God help me if he ever finds out I have feelings for him.

  3

  Marco

  It could be argued that the occupants of this room have more power combined than the president of the United States. I’m not positive of that, but it should certainly make the right people nervous that current and past Moretti power players are sitting in a soundproof conference room. Tony is at one end of the table, while my father is at the other. Former wonder boy and the man who helped Draco build this empire, Lee Jacks, is on the right, and Nic and I are to the left. It’s a rare situation that brings us together at the office, as both Tony and Lee are no longer active within the family. The fact that they’ve managed to distance themselves from the daily operations is a testament to the power they wield because the old stereotypes of there being only one way out of the mafia are basically true, even in this modern age. It’s not like your normal job where you quit if you’re unhappy. Nor is there a gold watch and a shitty retirement check when you pack your desk after years of slaving away at some thankless job. The most you can really hope for is to move up within the organization where you’re in the position to call the shots—somewhat. There is always oversight, though. I am at the top, but I still answer to my father and always will. And we both answer to my mother. Now there is a woman with some clout. “You carried out the hit personally on Franklin and his son?” Lee asks, pulling my thoughts from where they’d strayed momentarily. Lee wasn’t personally consulted or informed, but I’m not surprised at his assumption. He’s been around long enough to make some damn accurate guesses.

  Before I can respond, my father says, “I ordered the terminations. I take no pleasure in Franklin’s death, but it was unavoidable.”

  “Agreed.” Tony sighs. “Franklin was informed on three different occasions that his son was involved with human traffickers.”

  I lean forward in my chair and slide a folder in front of Lee. “We’d been tracking his movements for months. There is no doubt in my mind that he planned to use our warehouses and resources to get his side business off the ground. None of us can afford the type of scrutiny that something like that could bring down on our heads. The day before their deaths, the talk on the street had gone from chatter to fucking screams. True to form, Frankie was too damned stupid and lazy to cover his tracks while he was organizing, much less when he was operational. It had disaster written all over it in red and fucking underlined.”

  “If there were an alternative, we would have used it. But Franklin’s misguided loyalty to his son ultimately necessitated their demise.” The death of one of my father’s closest allies has been hard on him. I see a weariness that wasn’t there a month ago, and I hear it in his voice as he finishes speaking. As much as we’ve tried to move the family away from shit like this, there will always be something that forces our hand, and none of us in this room like it. More often than not, it hasn’t been necessary to raise a hand against an enemy. Even with the Morettis, there is a higher power—and I’m not talking God here. If we don’t act or delegate it out, then we will be perceived as weak, which would have far-encompassing ramifications. It’s in everyone’s best interest for the Morettis to remain firmly in control. We keep those who would attempt to overrun the city in check. No moves are made here by outsiders without our consent. The alliance with the Gavinos is a
rarity in our world. Sure, it’s not unusual for different families to come together briefly if there is a deal lucrative enough for both parties. But this lasts no longer than is strictly necessary. Tony’s father, Draco, had done that very thing with the Gavinos on more than one occasion. But my father had cemented a working relationship with them, mainly because he went to school with Raymond Gavino, and they’d remained on friendly terms. Franklin and Raymond had been intrigued by our successful transition into mostly legitimate avenues.

  Lee leans back in his chair as he processes what he’s just heard. Finally, he nods once in understanding. None of us at this table are new to this game, or naïve to how things must be, and certainly not Lee. He was the protégé of both Draco and his best friend, Victor Falco. This man has seen or heard it all, so very little would shock him anymore. “Have accusations been made?”

  “I don’t know about you, but blowing Marco’s ride all to hell seems a bit like finger-pointing to me,” Nic quips. “Nothing says I think you’re guilty quite like seeing your hood fly past your head.”

  His comic relief may not always be timely, but I think we all appreciate it now. That we can even joke about something that could have had a dire outcome is a testament to the shit we’ve seen through the years. “Yeah, that was a tad more than a slap on the wrist. And I washed the fucking thing this morning. Every damn time I do that, it brings bad karma. Either rain, bird shit, or a bomb.”

  Tony grins as he tosses a pen at me. “Time to look for a new insurance company. Despite what they say, I’m betting Nationwide will not be on your side this time.” There’s laughter at Tony’s use of the well-known insurance slogan.

  “Damn, that was a good one.” Nic frowns. “I wish I’d thought of it first.”