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Adding Some Joy
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Taken by the Mafia King Priorities
Killian“I don’t feel evil when I’m with you,” I’d told Sera in my most vulnerable moment. I felt transported back decades, back to the lost boy who never knew what love was. Back then, I’d never cared because it didn’t matter. I would never have love. There was little chance for it in the mafia life.Her ocean-blue eyes had filled with tears and she murmured, “Oh, Killian, you’re anything but evil, especially to me. Would an evil man do what you did for me today? You are good, Killian Ricci. You are good.”But I am still so undeserving, I had thought but didn’t say.When we returned home, I’d never slept so thoroughly, and when I woke, I’d never felt so energized.Now, I was in my office, which had been swiped clean by Detective Douche Briggs. Former detective, I’d heard. My office would be back in order by the end of the week, or else. Seeing the empty drawers and cabinets made my blood boil and threatened to cause me to burst into a fit of rage. This was my shit. No goddamn soul ha
Taken by the Mafia King Get The Axe
SeraWe had found Adrian surprisingly easily.“Hey, Adrian,” I’d greeted him as he almost ran into me with his nose hidden in a book.He’d looked up distractedly. Just like Killian and Tommaso, he was peppered with bruises and cuts from whatever scuffle they’d gotten into with whoever. Unlike those two, it looked like he’d gotten them tended to.“Oh, hi, Sera. Look, I’m kind of busy right now.” Adrian had sidestepped me and continued down the hall.“Penny and I really need your help,” I’d called.The tech guy had stopped in his tracks. Then he slammed his book shut and spun around on his heel. “What does she—I mean, you two—need?”I’d hidden my wide grin. So he does have a thing for her. “We’re going to the woods to find a Christmas tree. We need a big, strong guy to help us cut one down.”Adrian had rolled his left shoulder as if testing it. He’d winced.You all need to stop getting beat to shit, I’d refrained from snapping. “You’re still hurt. We can find someone else.”Penny had ro
Taken by the Mafia King A Snowball Fight with the Hand of Death
SeraPenny and I supervised as Killian, Tommaso, and Adrian dragged the tree back to the house. Despite their injuries, their strength held true, and it wasn’t long before we were ungracefully shoving it through the back door.One of the pine needles scratched Adrian across the face. He hissed in pain and staggered back. Penny gasped and rushed over, but he waved her off and assured her that he was fine. He was a big man, and he could handle it, but it was a long cut, and blood was running down his cheek.“Just rub some snow on it,” Tommaso said, only half joking.Penny shot him a look without much venom.“I’m fine, Penny,” Adrian assured her, though he looked grateful for her worry. “Once we get the tree inside…”“I’ll bandage you up,” she finished.With a little more shoving and grunting, the tree popped through the doorway. The men agreed that the tree could wait a moment while Adrian got cleaned up. Killian and Tommaso adjusted the ropes, and a sudden sense of mischievousness took
Taken by the Mafia King Masked
Killian“You two are adorable together!” Penny had exclaimed.I’d chickened out when she implied we were a couple. Killing a man with my bare hands? Manageable. Confessing feelings for a girl?You’re a goddamn yellow-bellied coward, Killian Ricci, I’d snarled at myself when I saw the unadulterated joy on Sera’s face shatter like glass. Glass that cut me as deep as regret.She’d stormed off to the attic with Penny. I had shot myself in the foot big time.Just when I had never been happier. Ever.Tommaso, Adrian, and I managed to get the tree in the foyer and worked it into the stand that hadn’t been used for years. I knew there was a tree skirt somewhere in the attic. Hopefully, Sera or Penny could find it.Adrian went on his way. Tommaso clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You fucked up, Bossman.”My face was half-numb with cold. I scrubbed at my cheeks, and my palms stung, scraped up with thin slices from the pine needles. I needed a whole month in quarantine to heal all the wounds I’d r
Taken by the Mafia King Greasy Mall Pizza
SeraTo take my mind off my anger at Killian, and my anxiety over all the photos of my mother in the attic, Olivia proposed we go to the mall to shop for furniture and decorations. Baby Michael was fussy, and Penelope preferred to stay inside, so I took up Olivia’s offer.And whether he wanted to or not, so did Patrick.“If you two,” he warned from the driver’s seat, “make me carry bags like girlfriends make their boyfriends do, I’m immediately ditching you.”Olivia leaned forward. “Go ahead. See what the Hand of Death has to say about you leaving your post.” She beamed at him, her smile as sweet as venom. “If anything happens to Serafina Bianchi, it’ll be your head.”Patrick swallowed and looked ahead. Olivia tittered in satisfaction and sat back to pat my leg. “You’re so wired, girl. Did Killian mess up or something?”I shook my head. “It’s not just him. I saw some old photos in the attic, is all.”Olivia’s brows rose. “Of what?”I shook my head again. “Just a bunch of people. I don
Taken by the Mafia King Staring At Death
KillianOf all the violent, terrifying, bloody, life-threatening events I’d experienced in all my decades, somehow, I had never had a shotgun inches from my forehead.Two dark holes with a quick death at the other end stared down at me.But I had been just as quick to draw. My pistol was aimed at my assailant’s stomach. “I want to assume,” I said in a low voice, careful not to spook the potential shooter, “that you’re not Robert.”“No. Who’s asking?”I didn’t let the surprise show on my face. It was a woman aiming a shotgun right between my eyes.“Who are you, what do you want, and what the hell are you doing on my property?” Her voice was husky, indicating she was older. If she had a shotgun in the middle of nowhere, she was either faking that she knew how to use it or she definitely knew how to use it. “And put that gun away.”“I mean no harm. We’ll put them down together.”She hesitated, not trusting a trespasser with a fatal weapon. She then stepped closer, the shotgun less than a
Taken by the Mafia King Ghost From the Past
Sera“Sera Bianchi? What the hell are you doing here?”My mouth dropped open as I stared up at Jim Harrison, the blue-eyed, broad-shouldered gym teacher at Jefferson Middle School. Jim Harrison, the American Dream. My dream, when I had a crush on him just a few months ago. All of a sudden, it seemed like years had passed.Months or years, regardless, he was no less handsome. His face, looking as dumbfounded as I felt, had healed from all the wounds Killian had inflicted on him.My brain could muster no words as my past came rushing back.Then I noticed he was with a woman. Not just any woman, but Eva Jacobs, the pretty sixth grade reading teacher. I had always thought was beautiful and knew how to roll with the punches, which meant she was destined for whatever life she made for herself.They were holding hands.“Sera?” Eva looked me up and down as if trying to decide if I was a figment of her imagination. “Sera, I thought you were—” She clapped her free hand over her mouth to stop he
Taken by the Mafia King Point of No Return
KillianI was face to face with a woman who had died fifteen years ago.Allegedly.Somewhere along the way, all I’d learned about her had been tangled up in a web of lies. Tonight, I’d tugged on one of those threads, and there was no going back, assuming she didn’t unload that shotgun on me.Caterina Bianchi, the wife of Andre Bianchi, the mother of Leonardo and Serafina Bianchi.Her expression and body language suggested she was warring with herself about whether to shoot me for saying I was in love with her daughter—with an age difference of twenty-two years—or keep me alive long enough to get answers. I had killed her son, after all. She knew that much.Would Sera be thrilled when I told her that her mother was alive? Or would she be enraged that she had faked her death all those years ago?Caterina swallowed hard. “I should put a bullet through your heart.”“You could.” I gave her a look I would give one of my men who had stepped out of line. “But I’m here for a reason. Would you
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Taken by the Mafia King Epilogue
PaigeI stood in the vestibule outside of the chapel, clutching my flowers, my heart hammering in my chest. Organ music belted through the doors, and I was just waiting for my cue.We all were. My two bridesmaids, in simple maroon dresses, stood ahead of me. Like she could feel my eyes, Lauren turned back and winked. I smiled. The dress looked spectacular on her, and I’d promised up and down that Tom would invite enough handsome men for her to go home with a date. This, of course, had been complicated by Tom choosing Killian and Stan as his two groomsmen. While I liked the older man, and he kept Lauren laughing, I didn’t exactly see the two of them as a couple.Mom stepped up next to me with a smile. Her mother-of-the-bride dress, a deep burgundy gown with gold accents, caught the light and sent it dancing. “Are you excited?”I inhaled sharply. “I kind of can’t stop thinking about the seating chart for the reception. Who have I become?”She laughed. “Your father.”Tears beaded in my e
Taken by the Mafia King Old Time's Sake
KillianI sat behind my desk and looked out over my men. Tommaso took his usual seat. Adrian hovered in the corner like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself yet, just like he had at the beginning. Patrick was still laughing about spilling his wine. Just like old times. I stood and started pouring everyone drinks.“So,” I said, “do you have an update on the warehouses, Adrian?”He started toward my desk, then paused. An odd moment passed. It wasn’t really my desk anymore. I’d left the hunk of wood behind because I had no need for it on the island, and he’d loaded it down with computers in my absence. Despite that, I’d never seen anyone sit behind it but my father besides me.I offered Adrian a drink. “Sit.”He nodded. “Didn’t want to step on your toes. The situation is pretty simple, all told, but I can tell there’s a certain amount of grace I’m supposed to be handling this foreman with, and I don’t—”Tommaso joined me at the bar to pour. “Do you remember that foreman in the so
Taken by the Mafia King Big News
PaigeI tucked my arm through Tom’s and straightened my long, floral romper. He kissed me on the cheek, then knocked on the door. Joyce swung it open.“Hello!” She welcomed us both in with hugs. “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci are in the drawing room. Please, come in.”We let ourselves be bustled through the door, the wine we’d brought carried off to the kitchen, and our coats taken to some closet somewhere in the mansion. Adrian used it as a base of operations when Killian and Sera weren’t home, so I’d been here a few times since the wedding, but I’d never felt comfortable here. Finally, we were led to the closed doors of the drawing room, and Tom opened them with a smile.Inside, we found not only “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci,” but also Olivia and Patrick, Adrian and Penny—who still wouldn’t even talk about their dance at the wedding—and Sera’s mother and brother, as well as Lauren. Sera leapt up to greet us, and Killian followed a few paces behind. I threw myself into the hug just as much as Sera did—I
Taken by the Mafia King Checking Up
SeraI folded a T-shirt and put it into Killian’s suitcase. “Are you sure we need to leave so soon?”He chuckled and took the T-shirt back out, then replaced it with a suit shirt. “Very, unfortunately. Adrian is in the middle of a difficult situation with one of the warehouses, and he needs a steady hand to guide him through.”My stomach churned at the thought of leaving the villa. We’d only been here for a couple of months, and we’d promised everyone we’d return, but dammit, I wasn’t ready yet. Lazing around the villa and having sex whenever the mood took us was way too fun to stop after only a few months.“But we’ll be back soon, right?” I asked like I didn’t already know.“Cara mia.” Killian took my hands. “What is happening in that head of yours?”I sighed. “I don’t know. The thought of leaving just make me kind of sick. We just got away from all that. I don’t want to be scared again.”He studied me for a long moment. “You do look a little pale. How sick is this making you exactly
Taken by the Mafia King Humdrum Excitement
PaigeI squeezed Tom’s hand in the car on the way to the airport.“Sad to be leaving?” he asked.I smiled. “Always. It’s so magical here.”He laughed. “Not just saying that because we’ve spent most of the vacation in bed?”I ran my free hand up his leg. “No, we have weekends for that at home.”“Fair enough.” He kissed the back of my hand. “I do like going on these little vacations, though. It’s a nice escape for a few days.”I nodded. I really was going to miss Paris, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay much longer anyway. Lauren had been texting me updates about the shelter, especially the new one as women settled in. I kept thinking about how much I was missing, how much they needed me there. And I knew Tom was feeling the same. Apparently, Lyle had his sights set on someone new, and Tom was itching to pull the trigger. Anybody else would probably think we were freaks, desperate to leave a luxury vacation to get back to our grueling jobs. But those people didn’t realize just how much
Taken by the Mafia King Perfect Fit
TommasoWhen I told Paige I’d set everything up for another two days in Paris, she’d immediately insisted we spend a day shopping. I put up a cursory front of complaints, but in truth, I was perfectly happy following her from store to store and carrying her bags. Even better, she loved it when I made jokes about some of the worst, frilliest, most French things we came across. She laughed and joined in. For years, I’d heard men complaining about shopping with their girlfriends—fiancées—saying it was the most boring thing in the world, but even if we weren’t laughing up a storm as we paid our way through the most expensive boutiques in Paris, I still would’ve been having a ball. The sun was shining, she kept looking at the ring I’d put on her finger with a soft wonderment I’d never seen in her eyes anymore, and my face hurt from smiling. Paige and I could’ve made a hell of an afternoon out of reading the phone book.“Stop!” she said.I froze, my free hand twitching toward the gun I’d hi
Taken by the Mafia King Beginning of Forever
PaigeI didn’t know how long Tom and I lay there, listening to the fireworks and seeing the very top of their arcs through the sliver of windows accessible from the floor. I pillowed my head on his chest and enjoyed the steady beat of his heart. Engaged. The last time I was here, I’d been on the cusp of recovery, just starting to make strides toward the person I was today. Now, I wasn’t done—I didn’t know if there was a done for traumatized people or people in general—but I was so much better, stronger, happier than I had been.The last time Tom and I were in Paris, I’d thrown myself at him and chickened out. As much as I could stay at a private view of the Eiffel Tower, I wanted to show him just how much had changed. Just how much I meant the “yes” that had fallen so easily from my lips. I rolled on top of him.“What do you say we take this back to that hotel room you picked out?”Tom grinned and pulled me down for a kiss. I pressed myself against him, feeling every line of his body.
Taken by the Mafia King The Only Ones
PaigeI sat across from Tom in an empty, stunning restaurant in the middle of the Eiffel Tower with my head spinning like the three sips of wine I’d had with the appetizer were enough to make me drunk. He’d really rented out the Eiffel Tower. And not one floor, the whole thing. We’d ridden an empty elevator, the two-Michelin-star chef kept coming out to tell us why he’d selected particular dishes based on the information Tom had given him about our preferences, and I couldn’t hear anything but the soft classical music over the speakers. It felt like a dream.Tom took my hand. “So?”“So what?” I asked.“Was the surprise worth it?” He grinned.I looked over his suit, a forest green that brought out his eyes, worn without a tie. His dark curls tumbled into his face. I’d never seen him look so perfectly put together and so casual. He looked…well, he looked exactly like the man I’d fallen in love with. Nothing like the one who’d scared me so badly all those months ago in Cairo.“I get the
Taken by the Mafia King Peace Time
TommasoDespite how much I wanted Paige to keep that little black dress on, we had a few hours before the Tower officially emptied out for our use. I talked her into putting on something a little more walkable and keeping the lingerie on. As if to punish me for my restraint, she picked a pair of tiny, wide-legged shorts that showed the tops of the garters attached to her stockings every time she moved and a fitted blouse. I changed and somehow convinced myself to leave the hotel room instead of stripping everything off her and spending the hours in bed.She took my hand as we stepped into the lobby. “I should’ve known. When you plan a surprise, it’s never just one thing. Where are we off to first?”“So nosy.” I smiled.“You’re right, I’ll stop asking.” She slid the room key out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a second, then dropped it. With a small smile, she bent at the waist to pick it up, exposing those garter straps again.I grabbed her waist and hurried her the final few st
