Arranged: A Dark Mafia Romance Read online

  “And I meant it,” he growled, as though irritated I’d reminded him of his failure. “When your sister agreed to the match. But she passed away.”

  I loathed that phrase. “She was murdered.”

  “I know, hon. It’s hard for me, too.”

  “Her body could be anywhere—” I broke off, my vision flooding with hot tears. “And we still don’t have justice. I can’t let her go.”

  “I’m not asking you to.”

  “You want me to marry him.”

  “It’s the best thing for all of us. I can’t lose you, too.”

  I couldn’t look at him, or I’d cry. “Don’t make me feel guilty.”

  “I’m trying to keep you safe.” Dad met me halfway up the stairs. “I love you so much.”

  “Then release me.”

  “I wish I could, but he’ll be here soon.”

  “You can’t expect me to move on with her fiancé. Dad, it’s insane. Everything about this is nuts.”

  “Yeah, maybe, but it’s this or get shot walking to the grocery store. Not just me. Your cousins. Uncles. Mother. You. You’re my heir. The last surviving link to our fortune. They’ll come after you. They’ll kidnap you. Force you into marriage or worse, rape you. Give you a baby, take what’s mine, and threaten your kid whenever you step out of line.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Oh, sweetheart. The Irish and the bikers are animals. They’re not as evolved as we are.” He chucked me under the chin, his tone thick with emotion. “Violence is all they understand. And you’re better off married to a man from a respectable Italian family—that’s Alessio.”

  “No, Daddy. There’s nothing I respect about him.”

  “We won’t survive unless we make peace. Uniting our families starts with a marriage.”

  “I don’t want to be part of this anymore.”

  “You can’t walk away.”

  “Then I’ll call the police.”

  “Go ahead. Alessio owns city hall and the cops. A shed isn’t built without his say-so. He’s got a cop guarding his house. He has the governor’s ear. Nobody can stop him from being your husband.”

  “What if he hurts me?”

  “You’re my daughter.” Dad cupped my cheeks, his eyes swimming. “You can handle him. Marrying Alessio and building a life with him is more important than anything.”

  What about my happiness? “He’s a murderer.”

  “So what? Killers run this world. One day, your sons will be killers.”

  Alessio would break my spirit. What was left of it, anyway, and the cycle would continue. Only it’d be my children getting hurt, and I wouldn’t be able to ignore my feelings. No matter where I looked, there was bleak horizon.

  “What about Carmela?”

  Dad flinched. “What?”

  “How am I supposed to be with my sister’s fiancé?”

  “There’s nothing left of Carmela to feel betrayed.”

  I could still see her perched on my bed, panicking about her engagement to Alessio.

  “I can’t accept that.”

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You don’t have a choice. None of us have—”

  I ripped away from Dad and ran out the door.

  “Wait!” he yelled.

  I hailed a taxi and took off as Dad stumbled outside in an alcohol-soaked haze. Rain drenched my father as he stood on the lawn and screamed. He shouted my name as my cab turned the corner.

  * * *

  My escape plan was intact. The car was parked in a lot that didn’t open for hours. I needed to lay low, but I couldn’t wander the streets of Boston. I’d been photographed too often next to my dad. My face splashed the Times whenever we buried a family member, which meant even street thugs recognized me.

  The five thousand in cash was in my bag. I’d have to make it stretch until Portland. Dad read my credit card statements and had access to my accounts. A notification would pop up in his email as soon as I bought something.

  I exited the taxi and descended to the subway, escaping the growing darkness. I switched lines at random and mingled with the rush-hour traffic. There was safety in numbers, but my father’s men would find me. They’d check the bus and train stations, airport, and the metro. The junkyard didn’t open until ten.

  Where could I go to wait?

  My back was stiff from hours of sitting. The riders dwindled to a handful before I changed trains and headed toward Lower Roxbury, where David lived. He was my on-again-off-again fling—the only mafioso I stomached. I’d run the gamut of wiseguys, and they tended to stick between cruel and dumb. Most never finished high school. Some of the older guys, the ones from huge families who relied on every working hand, never dabbled in public education. David was an obnoxious ass for telling everyone about us, but I was safe with him.

  Fifteen minutes later, I approached his apartment. David sat on his porch, drinking. He had a bad habit of hanging outside, gun in his lap like a goddamned sheriff. I discouraged him against being a target for the Costas, but David had patted my head as though he found my concern adorable. He was my age, fair-haired, and good-looking in the traditional sense. He respected my boundaries, even when my father wasn’t there to destroy him.

  He waved at me as I crossed the street. Then he drained his glass and rushed to greet me.

  “Hey.” He enveloped me in a bear hug and rubbed my back. “I haven’t seen you since the memorial. How are you?”

  “Not great.”

  “I guess you wouldn’t be. Come.” His sympathetic smile transformed into a rakish grin. “I’ll make you feel better. At least for a little while.”

  God, I really wasn’t supposed to be here.

  I allowed him to pull me into his brownstone. Usually, we got only a few steps inside before ripping each other’s clothes off. David pushed me against the wall, his gaze heavy with an unspoken promise. Alessio’s warning burned in my mind, consuming any desire. Before his lips touched mine, I palmed his chest.

  “That’s not why I came. I’m in trouble.”

  David hesitated, his smirk still intact. “Whatever it is, it can’t be that horrible.”

  “Trust me. It’s bad. Can we sit?”

  “Sure.”

  Frowning, he took my hand and led me into his house, a sparsely decorated bachelor pad with only the essentials. Aside from a table and a sofa, he had zero furniture and didn’t seem to give a damn about decorating. I couldn’t imagine sleeping on that camp bed every night or living in this barebones apartment, but I’d never asked for more from our relationship. Neither had he. On some level, we must’ve known this wouldn’t last. Which was probably why he didn’t flinch with my next words.

  “David, I have to leave.”

  “Yeah?” He hunkered near the window, scanning the glistening streets. “Where are you going?”

  It wouldn’t do any good to tell him. “I don’t know. I have to go before they—before my dad forces to marry him. Alessio Salvatore.” A fresh wave of misery hit me when he shot upright, hands balled at his sides.

  “You’re kidding.” In seconds, his attitude shifted from nonchalant to furious. “Holy shit, Mia. We’ve been messing around while you’re with him?”

  “No, we haven’t. I’m not a cheater…he was my sister’s fiancé. It was an arranged marriage. A peace offering to the Costas. When she died, I thought it was over. Now everyone seems to think I’m marrying him, and I have no choice. They expect me to walk down the aisle with a man who terrifies me. No fucking way.”

  David was silent, his young face reflecting shock. A stab of pity nagged at me as he rubbed his neck, mouth agape.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t put this on you. Coming here was selfish. I wouldn’t have, but there’s nobody else. Please, help me. Please. I don’t want to be his wife.”

  “Ignacio must be searching for you.”

  A fist-sized lump bulged in my throat at the mention of my father. He was sobbing when I left, and I never even said goodbye to Mom.

  How was she taking my absence?

  “I need somewhere to stay for a few hours.”

  I quieted the storm in my head as David absorbed everything with hardening features. He’d never been cold around me, but his withdrawal was almost palpable—as though he’d walked out of the room.

  “You should leave.”

  I must’ve heard wrong. “What?”

  “Go to him. There’s nothing I can do. Even if I wanted to fuck with Salvatore, you won’t get ten miles. He’ll catch you, and then he’ll make an example out of me. I wish I could do something, but...you’re screwed.”

  “He won’t find me. I’ve planned this for months. I just need somewhere to lay low.”

  “Salvatore won’t allow you to disappear.” David wheeled to my side, his lips set in a grim line. “If you’d have let me ask your father for permission, we’d be more than a fling. Perhaps that would’ve been enough to keep you out of Salvatore’s hands. Now we’ll never know.”

  “David, come on. How could I have known this would happen?”

  “You were always going to belong to someone. Sorry, Mia.” David slipped a phone from his pocket. “I can’t help you.”

  I glanced at the screen. “What are you doing?”

  “If you don’t go, I’m calling your dad.”

  “Don’t!” I made a grab for the cell, but he lifted it out of reach. “David!”

  “You’re not leaving me much choice. Ignacio will realize you were here. If something happens to you—”

  “—what do you think he’ll do when he finds out you were dating me?”

  “Maybe he’ll beat the shit out of me. Frankly, I’m more worried about Salvatore.”

  Great—even David was scared of him.

  “David, please.
I’ll leave. Don’t call my fucking dad.”

  “Fine” He closed his phone, his brows knitting with sympathy. “I really am sorry, but you have to go.”

  The one guy I trusted would rather sell me out. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.

  My shoulder collided with his as I bolted from the living room and blazed down the steps, flying into a pitch-black street.

  A tall man lounged by a car, texting. He buried his phone in his slacks and pushed off the BMW. His suit bled into the darkness as he stepped into my path. The smile carving into his cheeks stole my hope.

  Alessio.

  “Found you.”

  Three

  Mia

  He got me.

  My life was over.

  “Mia, let’s go.” A voice with a graveled edge yanked me to reality, which was Alessio’s hands, his mouth, his body. All of him would become mine.

  I was already his.

  I faced a heather-gray shirt that stuck to a broad chest. My gaze skipped over his Adam’s apple and landed on his face. Rain misted his short beard and gave his skin a pearlescent sheen. That combined with his cold-bitten cheeks made it look as though he’d just finished a jog. Heat came off him in waves. I stepped away from the sauna, but he dragged me closer. A sneer curled the perfect lips that had once kissed my sister.

  “If you try to escape, I have zip ties and a trunk.”

  Horror colder than the brisk wind engulfed my body.

  “Nod to show you understand. I’ve had a long night.”

  “I get it.”

  His giant palms wrapped my shoulders. My bag’s straps slid off, the heavy weight lifting as he unburdened me. Then he grabbed my waist, urging me toward the parked BMW. The driver exited and opened the passenger’s side door.

  “Go.”

  The younger man shot into the darkness at Alessio’s command, which meant I would be alone with Alessio as he meted out whatever justice he found appropriate. The hand touching me had already maimed so many people.

  What was one woman to this killer?

  I dug in my heels. Alessio doubled the pressure on my head. I lunged, nailing a hard abdomen. The bag dropped as we struggled. He balled my wrists and yanked. A scream tore my throat. He pinned me to his body as he snapped plastic around me.

  “Don’t struggle.” He traced the binding, his touch feather light, soothing, and at odds with what he’d just done. “You’ll make it worse.”

  “Take it off!”

  He covered my mouth, muffling my yells. I fought viciously as he packed me into the car, but without my hands I couldn’t do anything but contort my body. My back hit the cushions. Alessio pushed me deeper inside as though wrangling young women was the most normal thing in the world.

  “See you soon.”

  “Wait! Five minutes! Give me that, and I’ll be quiet. I swear.”

  He hesitated.

  Seconds ticked by, his mute appraisal growing into something that made me wish I’d stayed silent. Dripping, Alessio slid onto the backseat. He tossed my bag onto the floor. The leather groaned with his weight. He slammed the door and raked his hair. He watched me with a slight curl of his lips.

  Play it cool.

  Pleading wouldn’t get me anywhere. Callous men like Alessio equaled begging with foreplay.

  “I-I came here to break it off.”

  “Liar. You disappeared for hours. We’ve been looking everywhere.” Alessio’s gaze narrowed to malevolent slits. “Your steady dick was the last place I expected. Lesson learned.”

  “You’re angry.” I wetted my lips as blood rushed into my head. “I understand, but don’t take it out on David. He doesn’t deserve to die.”

  Alessio said nothing, his silence filling the car with an ugly foreboding interrupted only by the gentle plinking of rain. He shook his sleeve back and checked his watch.

  “I ran from the house after you took off. I had to escape, but I didn’t know what to do. So I went underground and rode the metro. I was there for ages.” I waited for Alessio to acknowledge me, but he stared at his wrist as though counting down the seconds. “Read my ticket. The timestamp is right there. It’s in my jeans.”

  I rolled my hips, inviting him to check. Slowly, he delved into my pocket. His fingers teased my thigh as he fished out the stub.

  Glaring, he held it under his nose.

  “See? I must’ve left twenty minutes ago. I’ve been riding the subway the whole time because I knew you’d visit all the stations and my best option was to stay there. I came here because I was desperate. Out of options. Nowhere to go. You made me run, and I thought he’d help me.”

  “And did he?”

  My throat tightened. “No.”

  He flicked the card to the floor, indicating that it didn’t matter—heartless son of a bitch. Killing David was clearly of no consequence to him.

  “He didn’t touch me. Do you think I’d be in the mood after last night?”

  Alessio looked unconvinced.

  “It was twenty minutes!”

  “That mook only needs five. The concern over your fuck-buddy is precious. I’m sure he appreciates your devotion when he’s describing your tits to his friends.”

  “I’m not concerned, I’m just—he doesn’t deserve this!”

  When he slid across the seats, my pulse jackknifed. Alessio bent over me, so close I could’ve counted his lashes. He had such beautiful eyes—swirls of caramel and honey mingled with an espresso. A rich depth swam in them.

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  Alessio said nothing. He stared.

  I tried to meet the intensity head-on, but my hands were bound. I couldn’t defend myself. Dealing with Alessio leached my strength, leaving me powerless and overwhelmed. Alessio seemed to decide as he straightened. Reaching over me, he opened the window and shouted into the rain.

  “John, let’s go!”

  I blew a sigh, not knowing which was the bigger relief—escaping his touch or the fact that I’d convinced him. My triumph smoldered to ashes when the car started. The sudden jolt pitched me forward, but Alessio stabilized me with a hand on my thigh. Then he pulled me down. I collapsed, head in his lap. His arm draped over me, anchoring me to him.

  My mouth grazed his thigh as I turned, humiliated by my position. Which was probably his intention.

  Sick bastard.

  “Jesus, this weather. Have we ever had a more miserable November?”

  I glanced up, a retort caught in my chest, but he was talking to the fucking driver, who bantered with Alessio the whole way. Both of them ignored the third human being in the backseat. Maybe it was another mind game to teach me how little I mattered.

  All it did was piss me off.

  Alessio chuckled at something John said, and met my seething gaze. A smile still played on his lips as though to ask, why are you upset?

  A searing heat flushed my neck and face before I returned the smirk.

  You can’t degrade me more than yourself, asshole.

  No matter what, I wouldn’t break.

  * * *

  Alessio’s home was a mansion west of Boston, surrounded by acres of parklands and gardens. All brick, classic Georgian Revival, with a tiered entrance court above the rear lawn. It had eight bedrooms, a private courtyard with a fountain, stone patios and porches, a wood-paneled library, a sunroom with plants and patio furniture, a gym, and a massive garage.

  Carmela had gushed about Alessio’s home. She’d told me all about the gorgeous crown moldings and intricate wooden detail. Focusing on the property was better than dwelling on the fact I was zip-tied.

  If I could reach my phone.

  Dad would move hell and earth to save me, but he didn’t stand a chance against Alessio. I couldn’t call him. Snitching on Alessio wasn’t an option, either. And I wasn’t winning any fights.

  What could I do?

  Escape.

  All I had to do was keep quiet until things settled down. He had no idea about the Toyota with Oregon plates, and the extra ten thousand I’d wired into a separate savings account. If I framed my flight as a knee-jerk reaction, he’d forgive me. I’d apologize, play along with his bullshit games, and act like the perfect fiancée. It’d take time, but he would lower his guard.

  Then I’d escape.